Mark's Reading Place #28: The Holidays: Part Deux!

Happy Holidays, everyone! Hugs all around!



Merry Christmas from Solemn Oath Brewery!

Currently Reading:



Audiobook:


Graphic:


Books Read So Far...

November:

135) Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth by Chris Ware 4 stars (GN)
136) Stoner by John Williams 4.3 stars (OTS)
137) City of Women by David R. Gillham 3.8 stars (ER) (OTS)
138) A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel by Madeleine L'Engle 4 stars (GN)
139) Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin 4.7 stars (audio)
140) Under the Bright Lights by Daniel Woodrell 4 stars (OTS)
141) The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe 5 stars (audio)
142) Muscle For the Wing by Daniel Woodrell 4 stars (OTS)
143) Persuasion by Jane Austen 4.2 stars (audio)
144) The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng 4.7 stars
145) Paper Towns by John Green 3.6 stars (audio)
146) The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey 4 stars (audio)
147) A Killing in the Hills by Julia Keller 3.8 stars (OTS)

December:

148) Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer 4.2 stars (audio)
149) On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan 4 stars (OTS)
150) Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries by Jon Ronson 4.5 stars (ER)
151) Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt 4 stars (audio)
152) The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor 4.2 stars (OTS)
153) Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck 4.5 stars (audio) (G.R.)
154) Ones You Do by Daniel Woodrell 4.3 stars (OTS)
155) Charles Dickens: A Life by Claire Tomalin 4.7 stars (audio)
156) Suddenly, a Knock on the Door: Stories by Etgar Keret 3.8 stars
157) Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill 3.8 stars (audio)
158) Waging Heavy Peace by Neil Young 4 stars (audio)
159) The Twelve: A Novel by Justin Cronin 3.3 stars
160) Wild Thing by Josh Bazell 4 stars (audio)
161) Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L'Amour 4.2 stars
162) Terrible Hours, The by Peter Maas 3.8 stars (audio)

Cream of the Crop '12:

1) Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick 4.8 stars (audio)
2) The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson 4.7 stars (audio)
3) Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne 5 stars
4) In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck 5 stars
5) What It Is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes 4.7 stars
6) Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo 5 stars
7) This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz 5 stars
8) Every Man in This Village is a Liar by Megan Stack 4.7 stars (audio)
9) The Long Walk by Brian Castner 4.8 stars (audio)
10) Logavina Street by Barbara Demick 4.8 stars
11) Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard 5 stars
12) The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe 5 stars (Audio)

First-Time Author Challenge 2013

Leo Tolstoy- Anna Karenina Jan (Group Read)
Gabriel Garcia Marquez- Feb (Chelle)
John Fowles- The Collector-March (Pat)
E.M. Forster- April (Katie)
Mario Vargas Llosa- May (Caro)
Dinaw Mengestu- June (RD)
Rohinton Mistry- A Fine Balance- July (Donna)
Pearl S. Buck-The Good Earth- Aug (AnneDC)
Ann Patchett- Bel Canto- September (Lisa)
Nicole Krauss- October (Nancy)
J.G. Farrell- Troubles- November (Ellen)
Tim Winton- December (Paul)
Zoe Heller
Tom McCarthy

Once again, thanks for the participation. You guys are great! Of course, anyone is welcome to join me on any of these reads and if we have more than a couple, I'll set up a Group Read.

Group Reads 2013:

Anna Karenina- January Group Read: http://www.librarything.com/topic/146543
The Big Rock Candy Mountain by Wallace Stegner- March

If I'm forgetting a Group Read we were talking about, shoot me a reminder.

Nice new thread, Marky-Mark ...... *stomps right in, carrying a pile of books to add to your corner*

Hi Mark!
Love the Santa Doggie up top :-)
Warm hugs back to you. I'm thinking with the weather out there, you'll need them!

I'm here! Missed a few on the last thread, okay a 100, but who is counting? Just went over to GoodReads and found the Booktopia Bellingham thread. :-)

*settles in a quiet corner* Howzabout bringing a Solemn Oath or two over so we can toast to 2012 being over?

Mark - Flying towards the end of the year. Just as we are all running out of steam as well. Would love to see a little more of the cover photo of your impressive santa! Congratulations on your latest thread mate.

Okay, my current reading has been enjoyable and diverse, as usual. I finished Dr. Siri book 5. Not one of the strongest entries but it's still entertaining. On audio I started Waging Heavy Peace by the GREAT Neil Young. It's his memoir and it's read by Keith Carradine. Young rambles on a bit much about cars & model trains but the music stuff is incredible. What a rock n' roll history!
I'm also enjoying the Twelve. Cronin takes his time and has introduced a whole new batch of characters, but the guy is a terrific writer and a very good world-builder.

Caro- You are first! You are first! You can set your pile of books down over here, anytime.

Claudia- Just a dusting of snow out there right now but the temps are dropping quickly. Mid-20s tomorrow. I will bundle up!

Lisa- I'm so glad you are excited about Booktopia. Did you hear the latest BOTNS episode?

RD- Great to see you sir! Would you care for a pint of "Kidnapped by Vikings"? It's one of S.O.'s finest.

Paul- Thanks! How's the week going for you? Are you looking forward to a bit of R & R?

Did you hear that Will Schwalbe, author of End of Your Life Book Club is going to be at Booktopia Vermont? I see it made your top 12 list.

Hi, Mark. Glad it is not me coping with Chicago winter! Oh, my, I remember being so cold I could not make the key fit into the lock in my front door. Wanted to sit down on the stoop and cry. Finally! I did get in. Chicago weather is not made for a girl from the temperate pacific northwest. I wanted my rain.

Well, I am getting it. In buckets. The back yard is all squishy. The iris bed is a pool of water. Sigh.

I am reading The Dovekeepers and am really hoping it gets better than these first few pages. I'm feeling a Richard-like book review building up in me! But I have to read it for my RL book group, so I will soldier on.

Thinking warm thoughts all around you as you go on your appointed rounds.

Happy holidays Mark, and I'll happily share a solemn oath or two to celebrate the festivities and the here's end. Probably would get more and more solemn, the more bottles or pints were consumed...

"Kidnapped by Vikings"? Okay, I'm game. What names this place uses!

"It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine."

-REM



Also, hello winter and hello END of humanity. So far, not bad on all fronts. The highly dramatic weather predictions, fizzled, (for us anyway) and we got maybe an inch. Yahoo!

Lisa- They do manage to snag some pretty good authors. Thanks for sharing!

Karen- Thanks for the warm thoughts. I can use them today but at least I don't have to plow through any snow. Small victories. Sorry, the Dovekeepers isn't grabbing you. That seems to be an LT fav.

Genny- Great to see you! And Happy Holidays to you and yours!

RD- I'm still waiting for S.O. to start bottling. Hopefully soon.

Just catching up, Mark. I may be in a minority here, but I am wishing for snow and cold and winter-sports! But so far, nothing but rain. Sadly, it looks like a green Christmas for my part of the Northeast.

Snow is enormously preferable to freezing rain, IMO, because freezing rain is instant ice. Yuckickptui on that! But the happy news for me is that the rain appears to have rained itself out while traveling east. Yay!

I woke up to a light breeze and drizzle which then became steadily stronger and heavier but then all of a sudden, it lightened up and the sun came out. So much for the doomsayers' end of the world forecast.

I've fallen behind, Mark. All is well, and I'm getting ready to head home for a break. What a week! Hope you're enjoying that Akira. I'm reading Dr. Siri again and an Eve Dallas.

I'm glad to see we are all still around, enjoying each others company. Glad to see it. I would have been very sad, although if it would have happened I would have been fried to a cinder, so my sadness would not have really mattered. Oh, never mind...

Brr, it was cold today! Mid-20s but that persistent stiff wind definitely made it feel chillier.

Linda- Great to see you over here! I hope your NF has been treating you well. It doesn't look like we are going to get any more snow in the next few days, but it will be seasonably cold. Happy Holidays!

RD- I completely agree with you on the snow vs. the freezing rain issue. The latter is terrible. A mail-carriers worst nightmare and I've seen some doozies.

Caro- Glad your weather cleared up. Are you off for the holidays?

Joe- Are you off for awhile now, until after the holidays? I hope so. I decided to pick up the GN version of the Hobbit and temporarily put aside Akira but I will get back to it.

Stopping by to say hi to my secret Santa! Thanks again - at least I'm pretty sure it was you! Hmm - if I've not read Bel Canto when you get to it, I may read it with you. Yesterday was devoted to last minute Christmas shopping. Poor old Dave , my husband , starts his 4 /11 hour days tomorrow. He works right through Christmas Eve and Day and of course also New Years. Oh well. Such is life!

Hehehehehee! posted at the same time Love your Cat in the Hat graphic!

Everything seems to be very quiet on the threads, these past few days. Everyone must be hustling & bustling, getting things prepared for the holidays. I'm getting ready to set off to work. It'll be in the low 30s today and hopefully less windy.

Deb- How are you, Tonto? Yes, I will be reading Bel Canto, but not until later in the year. Sorry Dave has to work such long hours. Bummer.

I am off today to get myself a new dog! And I hope I do not have to drive through pouring down rain. After that, I've got days off in a row, and I can read, and play with the new dog, and read, and eat, and play with the new dog. I am a very happy woman.

I am glad the weather did not develop into the worst for you. And I'll send you more warm thoughts, every time I can, from now until it turns into Spring there where you are....I know you can use every one of these warm thoughts to its best.

Sounds like Karen has the right idea. It'll be similar for us, except I'll be playing with Becca's dog, Mark. We're driving over to Ann Arbor on Monday to my dad's place (he turns 90 in April!) for our family get-together. We'll drive back Thursday. No work, although I've got a tough one going on when I get back.

My gn right now is Buffy On Your Own - Joss Whedon continued the TV series in graphic form, which has been fun. I think we're in "Season 9" now.

Mark, I'll plan to join in on the January group read of Anna Karenina. I bought it last spring at Powell's and really want to read it. I think the group read will help.

*heads over to Karen's thread to see about the new dog*

We have company coming over in a little bit, so I'll just do a quick hello!

Karen- I hope all went well with the new addition. And thanks for the "warm thoughts". I could always use those.

Joe- It's always great to see you, my friend. I'm sure you are with Jesse, so you guys have a great weekend with your son.

Ellen- It would be great to have you along with Anna Karenina. I hope I can get the Group Read thread set up tomorrow. I know there are a few of us interested.

Won't some folks help this poor little group grow?

http://www.librarything.com/groups/75booksin2013

It turns out that my sister wants to see the movie of Anne Karenina while I'm here. It will be interesting to see the movie before I read the book, which is backwards of what I usually prefer to do.
And maybe it will make the read a bit easier (if more stilted. I mean, Kyra Knightly? Really?).

*runs off to join the group* --- I didn't know it was posted yet!!!!!!!!!

5 minutes ago...

Mark - hope your weekend is going well as you gear up to Christmas. My working week is well and truly done and I won't look at a thing work related until Friday.

Hi Mark! I'm far, far behind, but glad to be here nonetheless. I will (hopefully) be reading The Big Rock Candy Mountain with my book club this spring, so hopefully I can drop in on the group read as well.

>28 drneutron: I was looking today to see if there was a 2013 group -- I'll be right there! Thank you.

Yeah, good luck with that one! Happy Sunday, kids! Is everyone scurrying around getting things ready for the holidays? The DW has most of the house in order for our guests tomorrow but I will help with the fine-tuning, plus some laundry, some reading and some football later, although my enthusiasm for the latter has all but dissipated. Hey, more time for reading, right?

Jim- You know I'll be over to launch my '13 thread. I just want to wait a few more days. Thanks for all you do!

Ellen- I like Kiera Knightly. She's generally very good in whatever she's in. Since I haven't read A.K. I don't know if she's the right fit. I will wait watch the film after the book. It's my nature. I'll TRY to get the G.R. thread up a little later.

Paul- Have a great week off. Get plenty of rest & relaxation in and try to get to a few of those hundreds of books you've acquired lately. LOL.

Anne- It's always good to see you! I haven't been by your neck of the woods in awhile either. The Stegner G.R. is slated for March and I hope to get to another one of his later in the year, maybe his short story collection. Hope you are having a great weekend.

There is plenty about Benny, the new dog, elsewhere; but, suffice it to say, he's cute, he's happy, and we're adjusting. I do still find time to read. Brunch with a friend this morning and then an open house at my rental property. Need to take my book with me there.

The Bayou Trilogy by Daniel Woodrell 4.3 stars

“Shade was about sixty stitches past good-looking…”

Welcome, to St. Bruno parish. A sweaty, tough, bayou town, filled with rough and tumble characters, residing in pool halls and taverns, crafting dirty deals and crooked connections. Rene Shade, ex-boxer, born and raised in this gritty hamlet, is now a detective, trying to navigate his way, through this swampy, southern outpost.
This collection, contains Woodrell’s first three books, all set in St. Bruno and it’s a perfect introduction to the work of this gifted author. There is a true hard-boiled eloquence to his prose, like this jewel:
“ The old man had been tanned by the light of too many beer signs, and it just goes to show that you can’t live on three decks of Chesterfields and a fifth of bourbon a day without starting to drift far too fuckin’ wide in the turns.”
Swamp noir at it’s tastiest!

Mark, I've put one pic of the new dog on my thread. If you want a piece of canine eye candy go here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/145153

155) Charles Dickens: A Life by Claire Tomalin 4.7 stars

Like young David Copperfield, Charles Dickens was forced to work at a tender age, after his father was imprisoned. There are other similarities to one of Dickens most beloved creations and the author himself, in this wonderful, stirring and impeccably researched biography. Dickens is an endlessly fascinating artist and an impressive humanitarian to boot.
Tomalin expertly follows Dickens through his life, his friends, his tumultuous marriage to Catherine, his many children, his connection with other artists of that period and of course his books, which she gives a detailed account. My only regret is that I had not read more of his work, so I could have made a better connection with her spot-on analysis of each title. My goal is to read one or two of this books a year until I catch up. Love him or hate him, this is a highly recommended bio!

Hi Mark, Yours is a busy place, as usual! Hope you are staying warm and dry and get to take some time off over the holidays. Some snow expected here for Christmas and suspect it'll head your way.

Merry Christmas!! I saw this and thought of you. :)

Karen- I love the photo of Benny! Thanks for sharing. I hope he works out and is a good fit for your little family.

Joanne- It's always great to see you! Thanks for the poster. It's perfect. Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Okay, Mark, all caught up here - sorry to be so late to your newest thread. Love the reviews, want to join you with reading Anna Karenina in the new year, and love the graphic in post 39. It totally cracked me up!! Hope all is well with you.

That's a great cartoon in 39, Mark. Our dog decided to water my MIL's tree last night!

Great reviews, duly upgethumbed. I am slower through the Tomalin that you were, but I like her way with words.

oooops! posted in the old thread! So far behind... but want to wish you a Merry Christmas !

Dropping by to wish you a Happy Christmas and New Year!

LOL ...I love the dog christmas picture, Marky-Mark ....wish i could borrow some of those guys for my tree.

Are you off tomorrow?

Hi Mark! I don't think I've mentioned yet, but I love the little hound dog at the top of your thread!

I'm intrigued by The Bayou Trilogy, and I'll put it on my wishlist. Hopefully the library has it as an audiobook.

Also, nice review of the Dickens biography. I know what you mean about reading more novels by an author before you read her/his biography. I have a Jack London biography that I'm dying to get to, because he was kind of a fascinating character, but I've only read The Iron Heel, so I'm trying to read a couple more before I crack that one, starting with the Call of the Wild, which I'm listening to now.

I decided to treat myself a little, so I took a trip to Barnes & Nobles and Binny's Liquors. My 2 favorite places. A bookstore and a beer store. I picked up a Ray Bradbury collection. It's a very nice hardback collectible, featuring The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man & the Golden Apples of the Sun. I do not think I've read any of them. And thanks to the Dickens bio, I picked up a softcover edition of Bleak House, which really captured my interest. Hopefully I can bookhorn that one in next year. The schedule is already beginning to tighten.
And of course, I picked up a couple different beers:



It's a black IPA. Tasty stuff. This is from Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA



Cans are back in fashion. Who would have thunk it? This is from Ska Brewery, out of Durango Co. More tasty tippling.

Mamie made it! Mamie made it! It's great to see you! I will post the G.R. of A.K. today. This will kick off January 1st. It looks like my wife and daughter will be joining me. This I will have to see. LOL.

Katie- "Our dog decided to water my MIL's tree last night!" LOL. We have never caught our little guy in the act. I wouldn't put it past the little stinker, especially if I was cross with him.

RD- Thanks! So have you been reading it? If so, I am highly impressed. It did slow down in the last third, much like Dickens himself.

Kath- Thank you! And Merry Christmas. I hope you are enjoying your "full house"! Yah!

Rhian- Thanks! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too! May you receive many gift books, all "keepers" too!

Caro- Do you like the smell of dog urine? LOL. Hey, to each his own. No, unfortunately I am not off tomorrow, which stinks, since we are hosting but my regular day off is Wednesday, which will be nice.

Kerri- Sad news. My daughter is not working at Haymarket any longer. It was starting to conflict with her day job. I still LOVE that place and can't wait to return.
I have only read about 4 or 5 Dickens novels, so it was tough reading about all the other books discussed in the bio.
Glad you like the hound dog!

Hi, Mark ~ Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Okay, who wants to start off the new year, with a real challenge? I posted the Group Read Thread for Anna Karenina, which begins January 1st:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/146543

Come on, let's do this! Even my wife and daughter said they would try this one and that's going to be a sight to behold.

Good review of The Bayou Trilogy....but, then, I'm a fool for swamp/hillbilly Noir!

Oh...on the Anna K bit...is the gal on the right the one who played Liz Salander??? The Swedish one....

:-}

Mark, it's so cool that you've convinced Sue and Bree to do the AK group read. I'll be following the comments but won't read it again as I've already read it twice! I liked it better than War and Peace.

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Stopping by to say hi! If I did not know better, I would think you were a heavy drinker, Sir! ;) Love the pic of the dogs and the tree! Sorry, I read Anna K back in my twenties, and I'm not going to do a re - read! :)

Hi Mark - Stopping by to say that, even though I have been a shameful lurker for most of this year, I really enjoy the pics, cartoons, and the overall conversation on your threads. Best wishes for you and your family this holiday season and into the new year!

I'm getting tired. I'm still making my way through the Twelve. It's another long book but it is just good enough for me to continue...

Mary- Good to see you! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Jude- Thanks! You will LOVE Woodrell. Just your cuppa! I'm not sure who the model/actress is in the A.K. photo, I just liked the image.

Donna- Will see how my wife & daughter do. I'm taking bets on who drops first. LOL. Hey, I'm just glad they are attempting it. I found them both copies too! Have a great holiday!

Deb- Actually I'm a responsible, moderate drinker. I have to be, to be able to read as much as I do. LOL. I just like the taste of beer. 2 or 3 beers here and there, is fine with me.

Lori- Happy Holidays to you too! Nothing to be ashamed of. Keeping up on LT is a tough, time-consuming task. I really admire the folks that can keep up.

Oh Mark..i read the three books of The Bayou Trilogy....before i joined LT....

;-}

Merry Christmas, my friend.

Merry Christmas, Mark! I'm about to track down our copies of A Night Before Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, our traditional Xmas eve read. And put out cookies and milk for Santa (Miss Boo is still a believer) and a carrot for Rudolph.

Have a great holiday!

Happy Christmas Eve, folks. Yes, they are making me work today. I hope I can get off by 3 or 3:30. Company arrives at 5:30. At least I'll be off Wednesday this week, so that 2 days in a row will be nice.
On audio, I am starting Wild Thing, the follow-up to Beat the Reaper, which was Bazell's debut and a whole lotta fun!

Jude- Sorry, I think you told me that and it slipped my mind. Duh!

Linda- Merry Christmas to you too!

Go Wookie! Go Wookie! Sounds like you have Christmas under control, my friend and I'm glad you are including Rudolph. Merry Christmas!

Mark, I confess I'm tempted to try to join your GR of Anna K. I'll hunt around a bit and see if I can score a Kindle or Nook version I'd be willing to pay for.... and then, maybe I can participate some...

I am not doing well with long bouts of reading these days. My eyes do not cooperate very much. And my schedule keeps interfering, too. Sigh. Like tomorrow, I think I'm expected to go watch kids rip open boxes, and then sit at a table and practice my good dining manners so I can be a role model. None of that is very compatible with reading.

Happy holidays, good friend.

Merry Christmas Mark!! Hope Santa is very kind to you this year!

Hi Mark, love all your pics on this thread, especially the Santa dog made me smile. I am very curious what you will think about The Twelve

I wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas Mark!

I hope you have speedy deliveries today, Mark, so you can kick back and enjoy the next few days with family and friends. Here's a helper for you...

Wishing you and your family all the best for the holiday season, Mark. This has been a great reading year for me and you and your recommendations have played a big part in that. I'm looking forward to more bookish fun next year. I will not be around much for the next couple of weeks as I am leaving the day after Christmas to visit my Mom, so I will also take this opportunity to wish you a Happy New Year as well. See you on the 2013 threads in January.

Zipping over just to wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas holiday, Marky-Mark.

Merry Christmas, Mark!

I see the saucy librarian has made way for the saucy Miss Claus at this time of the year? :)

Hi Mark, and yes, I am once again late to the party. But I was away for 2 days escaping the Christmas madness around here. We had our big Xmas do last night (Xmas Eve) and are all taking it easy today. W stayed up til 11pm! His latest night ever, and he handled it all very well. I think the sugar helped :)

Merry tidings to you and yours.

Glitterfy.com - Christmas Glitter Graphics

I want to wish you a glorious celebration of that time of year when we all try to unite around a desire for Peace on Earth and Good Will Toward All. Merry Christmas, Mark!

Merry Christmas Mark

You spread cheer throughout the year! May all the love you share come back to you ten fold!

Wishing you and your loved ones wonderful holidays Mark, and looking forward to continued exchanges in 2013! I see you'll be kicking things off with Anna Karenina... seeing as I have it in both audio and books format, I should be able to join along. Don't know how much I'll be contributing to the thread, but I'll be there with you in spirit at the very least! :-)

Merry, merry Christmas, Mark!

Merry Christmas, Mark!


glitter-graphics.com

Have a Merry Christmas with your family (and that Wookey Jack beer), Mark! I promise to root for the Bears if they make the playoffs and the Giants don't.

glitter-graphics.com
Have a wonderful day, Mark!

Happy Christmas morning, everyone! It's so nice to see all the wonderful season greetings over here. Nothing beats LT!
We had a very nice Christmas Eve. The DW put on another incredible spread. The nieces and nephews were able to gleefully rip open many presents, while the adults slugged down a few refreshments, of varying sorts. AND, everyone was gone by 10, (AMEN!) and shortly thereafter Mr. Mark retired for the night. The End.

Thanks for the Christmas wishes: Karen, Bianca, Donna, Judy, Caro, Ellen, Megan, Claudia, Roni, Linda, Ilana, Anne, Terri, Darryl & Lynda! Big Hugs to you all!

Karen- I hope you can find a copy of A.K. Hopefully the lightest version you can locate. It's a wrist-buster.

Bianca- I'm sure I'll have mixed feelings about the twelve. Like the Passage, it sags in the middle but then there is a flash of good story-telling and I keep on going...

Megan- Yes, you have to have a saucy Miss Claus! I'm glad you had a nice Christmas Eve. Go Wilbur! Go Wilbur!

Ilana- Good to see you! I hope you can join us on A.K. I've been putting this one off for ages. It's time!

Darryl- Yah, for Wookey Jack! Didn't crack it open last night, either. I'll save it for the right time.

Yes, I did find a Nook copy of Anna Karenina, and was interested to see there were different prices depending on translation. I read one review which said the Garnett 1901 translation was considered not so good, and that the Maude 1918, and the Pevear 2000, are considered better. I have no idea if this is true. Maybe after the holidays we could put up the thread and see if there are some LT folks who have opinions. (what am I thinking? of course, there will be opinions)

>77 maggie1944:: I have no personal experience with this, but there are loads of LTers who favor the Pevear and Volohonsky translations of Russian literature.

Just dropping by with some Christmas cheer from me and the Moomins (another LT find). Thanks so much for doing the Christmas Swap again. I really enjoyed it. You're tempting me with the Anna Karenina group read but is it really responsible to start another book when I have so many unfinished?

Merry Christmas, Mark! Hope your day is filled with fabulous things!

Merry Christmas Mark, to you, Sue, the kids (both 2 and 4 legged)! I hope Santa brought you lots of great books to read!

We had a very nice Christmas. A lot of laying around and relaxing and then my son and I went to see "Skyfall", the latest Bond film. It was very good.

Karen- The Group Read Thread is up. (Post #50) I have the Garnett translation. I'll have to see which one my wife has, it's probably a later one.

Pat- I hope you decide to join us on A.K. Would love to have you. Remember, there are always books that will be neglected. It can't be helped.

Mamie & Laura- Thanks! Hope you both had a wonderful Christmas!

Belated Merry Christmas wishes - have fun with Anna Karenina, I thought it was wonderful.

Oh, I'm looking forward to grown up kids and sitting around reading and relaxing on Xmas Day. :)

Had a lot of fun - kids enjoyed their presents, Xmas day at my sister's was fun, we all enjoyed The Hobbit this morning, and friends have just left after a long afternoon of nattering, eating, and drinking.

The weather has not been typical for Xmas though! It *rained* all day on Xmas! Quite cold too! Meant that it was good weather for steamed plum pudding with brandy sauce though. :)

My loot included two books, Dolly by Susan Hill and the latest Christopher Koch, Lost Voices. Looking forward to them both! And money towards books throughout the year, Huzzah! :)

Glad to hear that you had a good christmas, Mark!

I love that poster! I'm enjoying my "regular" day off today. It's nice to have 2 in a row. Not much planned. There is still some cleaning and organizing after the party and I NEED to get more reading in. I was hoping to finish the Twelve by now.

The only books I received were my book Swap ones, which were excellent. Thank you dear Katie:

Memory of Love
The Monsters of Templeton
Super Sad True Love Story

All 3 of been on my WL for ages. Now where to bookhorn them in...

BekkaJo- Happy holidays to you too! Looking forward to A.K.!

Tania- It sounds like you had a great Christmas with your family. So you guys liked "The Hobbit"? Was it a good adaptation? I hope to see it soon.
Congrats on the book haul and the books to come!

Amber- Hope you had a great holiday as well. Keep warm up there. It's supposed to be chilly for the next week or so.

Smilin' through on a cloud of caffeine!

Hope you're enjoying a relaxing day off, Marky-Mark.

A belated Merry Christmas, Mark!

RD- I know that feeling! LOL.

Caro- Yes, I am enjoying my day off. And, I have most of the afternoon to myself! Yah!

Terri- Thanks! And Merry Christmas to you too!

Merry Day After Christmas Mark! Memory of Love is a good one for you to look forward to and I'm reading a terrific, gritty short fiction collection you're going to want to think about reading---Mrs. Somebody Somebody by Tracy Winn.

I am going to try and join you for the Stegner group read in March. In January I am joining the Sharon Kay Penman group read. the first book in that series is going to be When Christ and His Saints Slept. I also hope to get Life of Pi read before then end of the month. There are some other authors on your list that I want to read so will try to join you when I can. Just keep posting what you are doing over here and I will follow. someitmes following things on here isn't as easy as it appears. for instance the group read for the Penman book -I can't seem to find its home and nobody is talking. Yet.

In the meantime, I finished Among Others That is a very good book, even of you don't like sci/fi. I started listening to Beat the Reaper. You are right, it is very funny. I also have the sequel to it so will have to get to that soon.

Afternoon to yourself!??!??!??!

And what, pray tell, will you be doing?

Let me guess......reading! (good choice)

I am hoping to escape the crazy house here and skip to the movies on my crutches....allowing extra time to get from car to theatre seat on crutches.....and see the Hobbit! Hooray 3+ hours of entertainment- and no hopping to get Lenny some blblbl-ah (water) or being begged for Guh-DOLL (cuddle's) or fending off intense demands for ga-ga (crackers). Bless him. :)

I finished the Twelve! I was disappointed!! The last 200 pages were a slog. Do you ever just start skimming the pages just to finish? Maybe skimming is to strong a word but my interest in everything in this story was diminishing with each paragraph. I don't understand Cronin. He's a good writer but his story-telling skills lack something...maybe a strong focus? the Passage had it's flaws too but I think he pulled that one together. I'm not sure I'm interested in reading the final book in the trilogy and that's to bad.

Bonnie- I am very sure I put Memory of Love on my WL, because of YOU! I've done that a lot in the past few years. LOL.
Mrs. Somebody Somebody sounds great. Just my cuppa!

Benita- Thanks for checking in. I hope you had a nice Christmas with your family. I've been listening to wild Thing. It's violent and profane but I find myself laughing out loud on occasion. Glad you are enjoying Beat the Reaper. What a trip!

Megan- I did get in quite a bit reading. It's just to bad the book wasn't better. But that happens sometimes.
I hope you enjoy "The Hobbit"! Please let me know. And please give Lenny an extra ga-ga for me.

That's a shame, especially when you have to invest your time in such a long read. I haven't tackled The Passage yet. Sounds like you're having a relaxing couple of days.
The Monsters of Templeton looks good, I'll have to find out more about it.

#84: Looking forward to hearing what you think of Lost Voices, I've eyed that up a couple of times at the bookshop.

Hi Mark, I sooooo agree with your assessment with The Twelve. I also felt that especially the last 200 pages were an uttlerly slog. I was so dissapointed with this book. Although, there were in some bursts, some very good storytelling to find. However, what annoyed me most was, how all of it came to an end. I am not quite sure if I will read the third installment either.

Yep, I agree with Kerry I also think The Monsters of Templeton looks very interesting. :)

As I mentioned before, we are re-watching D.A., since my DW did not join me for the first time around. We are already through episode 5 of Season 2, with poor William's demise. Tears were shed. My wife did say she was sick & tired of O'Brien's & Thomas's shenanigans. "Is this going to keep on happening?" Stomping her delicate foot.

Kerry- Good to see you! I would still recommend the Passage. It's not exactly a stand-alone but there is much in there to admire. And then skip the Twelve.
I first heard about Groff, when her latest Arcadia came out, which sounded fantastic. I NEED to get to that one too!

Bianca- And I enjoyed the first half of the Twelve. He spent all that time introducing those new characters, that I liked and then abandoning them in the 2nd half. And blah, blah, blah...I think Cronin had a good thing going here and he dumped on it.

Mark - Not up to starting my new year with the maudlin Ms. Karenina even for such a great guy as you! Seems like you picked up a great book in the Bradbury collectible and loved the modus hoperandi beer. Hope to share one or two of those with you sometime in 2013.

Merry Belated Christmas Mark! Over the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, there was much chat about beer/ ale and I thought of you each time! My nephew is brewing some sort of bitter pale ale at his parents ( my sister and her husband ). My mom who does not like beer tries to get in the spirit of things and went out to purchase microbrewery ales for the young uns - like my eldest son, nephew etc. The only one I can remember was called " Fat Tug.

My niece got engaged! So excited! My brother in law broke out bottle of Champagne and we tried to drink a toast. My sister called for a teaspoon of sugar in her Champagne, I nearly choked on it -and meanwhile my other sister said they had purchased the $70 bottle of champagne because she read about it in a book of fiction.

All in all, a great Christmas! :)

Hi Mark.
I have to admit that, now that I saw the movie, I'm less fully enthused about reading Anna Karenina, but I'm going to join you nonetheless. I bought a really nice edition last spring (deckle edges!) and have been looking forward to it.

I hope the volume of work slows down for you now that the holidays are over.

I'm looking forward to continuing our friendship in 2013!

I like bears & books, of course. Perfect match. I just made this my desktop background.

I started The Education of a Wandering Man today. Louis L' Amour was one of my childhood heroes and reading his memoir is a complete joy. The guy led a very interesting life and his love for books was boundless.

Paul- I'll have to see if I find A.K maudlin. So I take it, you have read it in the past? I read 2 very fine Bradbury books this year and it really sparked my interest in reading all of his work.

Deb- I hope you had a perfect Christmas! It looks like there is a lot of beer/ale LOVE in your neck of the woods. Makes me happy.
Congrats for your niece! Yah! And I like the sound of "Fat Tug"!

Ellen- It was a lighter day today, which I appreciated. What did you think of the A.K. film? Any good? It's a BIG book but I'm starting to get myself geared up.
"I'm looking forward to continuing our friendship in 2013!" Amen, my friend.

Hi Mark-
I loved the Hobbit! Perhaps a few many violent scenes....(did someone say woos!?)...and I was shocked to see what looked like a 4 year old in the audience! Surely the orcs, the wolf type things, Gollum and all that violence is too much for a little kid?

But, it was good. I had a good friend, a glass of bubbly, a fresh bread roll and a rollicking good story rolled out before me on a mega huge screen. All good. And I might even re-read the first 1/3 of the book to get it straight what was what.

Our whole family saw The Hobbit in the theater, too, and we loved it. I was worried that it would feel like three hours, but it really didn't. Very well done. And it captured, I think, the more playful writing style that Tolkien had in that book as compared to The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which feels more complex and darker than The Hobbit. Worth seeing in the theater, I think.

Ellen - About that version of Anna Karenina with the deckled edge pages?!! Can you give me the ISBN number - I WANT!

I agree, The Hobbit was a great movie! Almost three hours, but no fidgeting from me. Mr Bear enjoyed it, although he closed his eyes during most of the fighting scenes. :) He wants to see it again, so Don and I are arguing over which one of us gets to take him, as Miss Boo is far too young for it, and our in-house babysitter (my MIL) has just left for home.

The print was strange though, and it really bugged me for the first hour or so. It was like it was done on very good quality video not film - incredibly crisp, but lacking in depth of color or shades of darkness. Something to do with the new technology, but I'd much rather he'd stuck with the old technology. Having said that, it was nice use of 3D.

It does stray from the original material a bit, as you'd have to, in order to stretch it to three movies, but it all fit well. And I believe the additions are canon, from the Unfinished Tales or Silmarillion or something.

I've heard some nasty criticisms, but I have disagreed with them all. Sounds like nasty fan boys being bitchy, frankly.

Sydney is well into the month of Kevin, that dead period between Xmas and new years, where 99% of people are on holidays, and every now and then you stumble across a postal worker or an open bank and realise that, yeah, it is actually a week day....

Oh, and we saw "Les Miserables" last night. Enjoyed, although it does have some cheesy musical moments, and towards the end I was wishing that one character would die faster. That was a particularly dull song. Impressed with the cast and the singing, though, who knew Russell Crowe could sing that well? I have fond memories of seeing it performed in Sydney many years ago, on a stage the size of a postage stamp. The movie had none of the wonder of that production, because it's relatively easy to do spectacle on the big screen. But the songs are good, it's well done, and I'm sure there are worse movies out there. :)

Mark, I thought the film was interesting. Very camp. Very dramatic. Vronsky was not convincing. I recommend it, overall.

Mamie, I'll look at my copy of Anna Karenina when I get home and get info to you. Now I'm wracking my memory wondering if it really has deckled edges. I remember thinking it's a beautiful edition when I bought it last spring, but in any case, I'll let you know.

Mark, I'm listening to the episode of "Book Lust" with Timothy Egan as I mess around on LT and avoid going to bed (I have a long day tomorrow with the drive to Atlanta and the flight back to Seattle). I'm really enjoying it. Thank you for the link!!

Megan & Mamie- I'm glad both of you enjoyed The Hobbit. Now, I am getting excited about seeing it. Hopefully on New Year's Day. I don't know if you saw me mention this but I've been reading a GN version of the Hobbit and it's a perfect refresher, since it's been over 5 or 6 years since I last read the original.

Tania- Yes, I've heard complaints about the format of the Hobbit. It was shot in 48(fps) or something like that.
"the month of Kevin". I never heard of that. Who was Kevin?
My local paper really panned the " "Les Miserables". I might wait for video on that one.

Ellen- I listened to Book Lust on the podcast. I wish she did more of these. They are always good. Egan is really great to listen to. I enjoyed all his commentary on "The Dust Bowl" doc.
I also have a softcover edition of A.K., from the library, that's a new movie tie-in edition. I picked this up for my wife.

Re: the Hobbit filming....was it 40 frames per second as opposed to the old 20 (or something?), for me it meant that the panning shots looked blurred but the slow pan shots were great, and the close ups were crisp as a granny smith apple on apple-picking day!

Oh boy- that scenery made me home sick for a New Zealand that Im not even away from! Stunning (I can vouch for that as Ive seen some of it in real life) :)

Hope everyone is enjoying the rest of Christmas week. Eating, visiting and hopefully getting a little reading time in. And I'm making sure my customers get the mail they are waiting for...not the bills of course.

Megan- This new format is getting mixed reviews. Jackson insists this is the "new way". Hmmmmm...we'll see. You do live in a beautiful country...maybe one of these days.

Love the Book Bear!

I read Anna Karenina a long time ago.. and remember enjoying it...but darned if I remember the whole story...

Re: enjoying Christmas week! Yes, thank you I am, mostly. Yesterday, I had time to take my camera to the repair shop, and stop by a friend's independent book store (Still Alive after all these years), got lost trying to drive to a mall from a new direction - went in and bought three calendars at 1/2 price!!!! And a cup of coffee with my Christmas present of a Starbucks card. A good day!

This morning, I celebrated again by having pumpkin pie for breakfast with whipped cream. Then I looked at the flyer I rec'd in the mail from Weight Watchers! Ha, I can join for free.

Still finding time to read The Dovekeepers and getting antsy to start Anna Karenina! Happy New Year's reading for us all!

Mark - Happy Friday and Happy Holidays.

Hiya, Mark! We're back, after a most excellent visit with my dad and the rest of our clan. We still have a few more days of Jessefest.

Hope you're having a great holiday. I'm liking coming back, working a day, and starting the weekend!

Confession time... I started AK last night just because I'm antsy I will far too far behind! I didn't get very far in though, but there seem to be lots of small chapters. It's really hard to gauge progress on the nook other than the page count.

I finished Wild Thing, a crazy, twisted, profane and very funny crime novel. It's a follow-up to Beat the Reaper, another nasty, violent, joyride. This author has made his stamp on this genre, that's for sure. These books are not for everyone but if you don't mind getting on a deranged roller-coaster: Hop in!

I'm still enjoying the L' Amour memoir as well. The LOVE of books! We can relate, right?

Kath- Bears with Books! You gotta love 'em!

Karen- "having pumpkin pie for breakfast with whipped cream." Now, you're talkin'! I've hear good things about the Dovekeepers. A friend from work was supposed to pass me her copy. What happened?

Beth- Big Wave! Happy Holidays to you too!

Joe- Great to see you! Are you back from MI? Glad your visit with your Dad went well and that you still have a few more days with Jesse. Yah!
ETA- I like the tree of books! Thx!

Tina- That's a good confession! LOL. I have another short memoir to knock out and then I'll be jumping into A.K. too!

having pumpkin pie for breakfast with whipped cream
yup- that sounds diviiiiiine!

Hi Mark! Happy Saturday :)
Looking like a warm one here, I just confesed to Alex that I have the paddling pool up and am threatening to fill it with Lindeau (sparkling wine) and drink my way out!

There's a pie shop near me in Newtown (no, not that Newtown, this is Sydney's Newtown) which does a brilliant pumpkin pie. Mum reckons it's better than any she ever had in the States. :)

Mark, you could certainly wait until video for "Les Miserables", that way you could skip the boring songs. :) But it was nicely filmed spectacle, I did like seeing that on the big screen.

The Hobbit is in a multitude of prints: 2D vs 3D; 24 frames vs 48 frames; and Imax (vs non-Imax). We saw 3D and I *think* it was 24 frames (apparently in the 48 frames you can tell that Gandalf is wearing a wig, and I definitely didn't see that).

If this is the future of (technical) movie making, I'm not happy. It was certainly breathtakingly crisp, but looked cheap due to the video "feel". I'm sorry, it's hard to explain! And obviously not everyone's going to notice.

Watched some of Lord of the Rings last night with the kids, they wanted to see them in the pass over Moria (but not Moria itself, go figure). Now, that had gorgeous rich colours.

Count me in as one starting AK sometime this weekend, during a End of The Year Read-A-Thon! yea!

And tomorrow morning I'll be havin' the same and on and on until I run out. Then, maybe I'll sign up for Weight Watchers again. Or just head over to the gym!

Megan- Make sure you take a photo of you drinking your way through a paddling pool of bubbly! I would love to see that! LOL.

Tania- So far, the people I know, that have seen "The Hobbit" in that 48 fps, didn't complain, so I'll just see how I feel.
I should plan a LOTR marathon soon. I have all the "director's cuts" too! That's a lot of orcs & hobbits!

Karen- I think that's a fine idea, starting A.K. a few days early. I have my current memoir and then another shorty, a new Willie Nelson memoir and then on to the "big gun"!

Directors cuts! Wow, that is a long haul. Sounds fun though, if I lived near Chicago-land I'd be there with bells on.....that's taking it for granted that I'd be invited of course!

The paddling pool won- in that it was filled with water and not bubbly- but I still had a great time. Old friends, easy talk, hilarious chit chat. Good times. And sad that we dont now live in the same place.

I woke up to light snow falling...it's not supposed to amount to much, which of course I have no problem with. It should be a quiet drive in to work...

Megan- You are always welcome here, my friend. And of course you could join us on the LOTR Marathon but we would probably never hit the play button, due to the book chatter and the beverage drinking. Hugs!

Hope it's an easy day at work Mark. My mail carrier just rang my bell with our mail because there was something too big for our box. It looks like it's a map but since it's addressed to my husband, I'll wait till he gets back from his errands and can open it himself. I love our interactions with our mail carrier. She came up to me once at the dog park to say hello and I didn't recognize her at first but she knew me and the dog!

At least the temp isn't too bad, Mark. Hope it's been a decent day for you out there.

We got that strip of a snowstorm when we were in Ann Arbor and it was a mess everywhere - cars stranded, the whole bit, including one hill we couldn't get up but I finagled us down and found another route. Good to get back to the sensible weather in Chicago - never thought I'd say that one.

I finished The Perks of a Wallflower, and it was exceptional. It was good all the way through, but the ending really pulls it all together.

Mark, I thought of you and Joe and a couple other LT buddies as I tasted some very good ales at the Highland Brewery in Asheville. We had a flight and I brought home one of the adorable little 3 oz. tasting glasses. It will be perfect for wee tots of bourbon..... :-)

And in proof that I know it's still 2012, I've posted my review of a Yuletide gift, Howl: A Graphic Novel, in my 2012 thread...post #83.

Those with a passing familiarity with my highly negative opinion of comic books will want to know why I rated this one 4.5 stars.

It was a raw cold day! Brrrrrrrrr...! At least we didn't get a foot of snow dumped on us, like some places. I'm still glad the day is over. We are meeting up with some postal pals and their spouses later on, for drinks and chow. Several retired buddies will be there too, which will be nice. I don't see these guys very often.

I'm nearly finished with Education of a Wandering Man, which has been very enjoyable. What a great life and what a great LOVE for books! Wow!
On audio, I'm well into The Terrible Hours. It's NF, about a US submarine that went down off the Northeast coast and the ensuing rescue effort. Very good. I have read Maas in the past and have liked his writing. This one was recommended by a RL friend. Can you believe it?

Pat- I like these mail-carrier stories. I've had a nice relationship with many many of my customers over the years. Unfortunately I see very few of my residential customers on a regular basis.

Joe- I thought it was very cold today. One of those raw bone-chilling days. Maybe it was that wicked breeze. I am very happy that we are not getting bombarded with snow. Silver linings.
I just picked up the audio of The Perks of a Wallflower and plan on getting to it, in the next couple of weeks.

Ellen- I love those beer reports! And I love those flights! It's a perfect way to sample. I drove through Asheville many years ago. Beautiful area.

RD- Reading GNS? WTF? And giving it a 4.5? I'll have to check that baby out!

Mark

I went into the office this morning and left at noon. The roads were very slippery and I witnessed a red truck slide into a ditch. Luckily, the driver was able to slowly pull the truck out.

I thought of you and how difficult it must be to drive in this stuff on your route.

I shan't mention our trip to the pool yesterday, shall I? It's been unseasonably cool in Sydney over Xmas (only once over 30C, and that was only for half a day or so), but not so cool that we have skipped the pool. :)

Hope the snow and cold don't last long, and aren't too serious.

Having a reading day today. Huzzah! (Well, a reading-with-interruptions-from-children day. Good enough though!)

>129 wookiebender: I hear you summer-buddy
We have had another lovely warm day here too, shorts and singlets all around.

Mark, did you know our posties get about on bicycles, all year round?- I bet it wouldnt work where you are. But here it snows so few times a winter (usually barely once) it seems to be fine! We have a lot of fit folks who are posties :)

Don't I wish? It's still dark and very quiet here, my favorite time of the day. Reading is on the agenda, along with laundry and the final regular season game of the Bears. They play the Lions at noon. My enthusiasm for my team has diminished rapidly. That's to bad.

Linda- Good to see you! I see your home state got slammed with snow. Once again, we managed to avoid it and got just a coating or so. Not bad at all for this mail-carrier.

Tania- I hope you had (or are having) a great reading day. I have a couple books to wrap up, so I can jump into A.K. Our winter has been pretty mild so far. No complaints...yet. Other places in the Midwest have been hit hard but we've managed to dodge it. Lots of winter to go though.

Megan- I love the idea of riding a bike and delivering mail. The residential parts of my route are to close together and many have stairs, so it wouldn't work. Your homes must be spread out and you must have curb-side boxes.

Hey Mark! Happy day off! Wishing you and yours a wonderful new year and thanks for adding so much to the 75er's reading adventure!

I spoke too soon in my thread, more snow coming... flurries now...
I hope it stays flurries..

I love our mail carrier. His name is Dave... he is always very nice and very careful of the mail.
His mom works at a local grocery store deli.. and I tell her all the time how great he is. The day after we give him his xmas gift, we get a photo card.. a pic of him with his little girl. And he always speaks and is friendly.
Totally the opposite of the one when had for years before him ! I hope he stays with us for a long time.

I am unable to read... book slump.. gak! I need to find something to get me out of it. Maybe today is the day ..

Yeah! Lots and lots of snow here. It is beautiful and if it doesn't get too windy, we may do some snowshoeing today. Anyway, I just wanted to wish you and your family a Happy New Year. I'm looking forward to your reading in 2013.

Hi Mark, love you picture of the little bear - He is called "Der kleine Eisbär" in Germany and I have got almost all the children books by him, as they are absolutely stunning. I used to read them stories to Alex all the time when he was little :)

Wishing you and your family a wonderful and happy 2013!

Well Mark, you could start cheering for the Packers!

BTW - Lakefront Brewery is celebrating 25 years with special brews. I am sure you will have so good ones to try next month.

I hope to get some reading in today too, although my fantasy team is in the championship game, so there will be lots of football watching in this house. Gotta love that RedZone.

Anyway, I am in the middle of a number of books: Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont - loving!, Dear Life - Munro is one of my favorite SS writers, Building Stories, and a ARC of a memoir by a woman I know. Wish the break was longer... I had hoped to read behind the beautiful forevers over the holidays, but I haven't even started it yet.

"Without books we should very likely be a still-primitive people living in the shadow of traditions that faded with years until only a blur remained, and different memories would remember the past in different ways. A parent or a teacher has only his lifetime; a good book can teach forever."

-Louis L' Amour

Lynda- Happy New Year to you too! And good luck with those reading challenges.

Kath- Fingers crossed for flurries! Sorry to hear about the book slump! I hope it's very temporary. I'm about to begin the Willie Nelson memoir. I know you were a big fan.

Linda- I'm glad you are enjoying your snow. I don't miss it. LOL. I'll have to stop by your thread and see what your reading plans are for '13. I'm sure there will be some fine NF in there somewhere.

Bianca- I saw "Der kleine Eisbär" posted on FB and loved it and of course I had to share it. Did I mention to you, that I was stationed in Nuremberg, for over 2 years, in the early 80s? I really loved it there. Great beer too!

Nancy- Go Pack! Go Pack! We have to get by the Lions too, of course. I NEED to start doing my Milwaukee trip homework. It's coming up soon.
I'm looking forward to Dear Life also. I have many Munro books to get to. Did you purchase Building Stories or snag it from the library? I had a copy but had to return it unread. When I have time, I'll get it again.

I purchased Building Stories - thought it was one that must be owned...

Sorry, Mark; I won't be rooting for Da Bears today. They need to lose for the Giants to make the playoffs. However, if the Bears do make the playoffs I'll be there with ya.

As always, ABC: Anybody But the Cowboys.

>137 msf59: That L'Amour quote is terrific! So exactly true. Without writing, the world wouldn't look at all like it does today.

Go Pack, Go Pack!!

A great day of football ahead.

I'm with you, Linda!

So, how soon will I be able to find this thread football free? Any time soon?

Well, to tell the truth, I can handle it. I love the other discussions and book tid bits too much to skip them; so carry on. Mark, happy new year! And may the weather be kind to you for the rest of this winter, without being so warm as to cause panic about Global Warming!

Best Wishes for the New year Mark!!! Hope 2013 is a great year and full of great books!!

"You won't see no sad and teary eyes when I get my wings, and it's my time to fly just call my friends and tell them there's a party, come on by so just roll me up and smoke me when I die."

-Willie Nelson

Nancy- I'll be watching for your thoughts on the Ware book. Joe was able to read most of it and really enjoyed it.

Darryl- It's a big football day. Let's face it, the Bears are subpar and do not deserve to advance. IMHO. I know the Giants have had their problems too!

RD- The L'Amour memoir is terrific, filled with memorable quotes. The depth of his reading is awe-inspiring.

Linda & Nancy- Go Pack!

Karen- Actually, since the Bears have been in a nosedive, I've cut back on the football gab. A little football chatter doesn't hurt, plus you know I keep books first and foremost.
BTW- Go Seahawks!

>138 msf59: We have postponed winter fun until Tuesday, due to the wind. But despite the found time, there is still no 2013 planning on my end, Mark. Just not feeling motivated today. NF - moi? In truth, I read a great deal more fiction than non-fiction. In fact, my non-fiction thread has been so dormant for months that I doubt I will resurrect it this coming year.

Yeah for "Go Seahawks!"
Maybe the Cardinals can even pull off an upset today. :-)

Happy New Year, Mark!

Hi Mark, I'm hoping to finish the book I'm reading later today and start AK maybe tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it. Happy New Year to you and your family in 2013.

Happy New Year, Mark! I look forward to trying to keep up with your thread once again. I've given up trying to keep up with your book count! Maybe I should get a mail route in 2013?

Oh no, sorry you didn't end up liking The Twelve! I found the middle hard to slog through but I ended up enjoying the ending. I think I will stick it out and finish the series but I doubt I will run out and buy it right when it comes out

Bears squeezed through against Detroit, Mark. But looks like the Vikes may carry the day.

Your homes must be spread out and you must have curb-side boxes.
yup, those posties just fly by on their bikes whipping letters in the slot on the way without even stopping sometimes. Its easy to spot the experienced ones. The 'burbs of Christchurch are far flung and fairly uniform in housing.

Love the Willie Nelson quote- talk about being relaxed about death! THat's the way to go I reckon (being relaxed I mean, not being rolled up and smoked!@)

Happy New Years Mark!

Great game today but the Pack came up a bit short. They don't have much of a defense.

Hoping that they can avenge the loss and beat the Vikings at home next weekend.

Bears Win! Bears Lose! Ugh! The Bears beat the Lions, in a sloppy victory but the Vikings beat the Pack, eliminating the Chicago team. It's probably for the best. The Bears looked abysmal these past few weeks. More reading time? Okay with me.

Karen- This should slow down the football talk, over here anyway, considerably. See, wishes do come true!

Linda92007- Sorry, I thought you were more of a NF fan. Maybe I can nudge you into more NF in '13. Many of my top reads of '12 were nonfiction and I can't imagine next year being any different.

Ellen- Who do the Seahawks play next week? I'll have to check. Happy New Year to you too!

Bonnie- I'm so glad you'll be joining us on A.K. You will keep me on my toes, that's for sure.

Donna- You are right! My audiobooks have really boosted my numbers and it keeps me chugging along on the route. I've only read about 75-80 print books. Maybe you could just go on longer walks.

Chelle- I'll have to wait and see if I'll finish off the Passage trilogy. That second was quite disappointing.

Joe- I was not happy with that Bears performance, despite the win. They should have trounced the Lions. Sitting on the sidelines for the playoffs, is a worthy punishment.

Megan- I really like the Nelson memoir. I've been a fan of his since the early 70s. Many many years of great music.

Linda- The Pack let me down. I did not realize their defense was so porous. I don't remember that when the Bears played them. LOL. They better step it up for the playoffs!

Mark, either the Pack needs to step up their defense or else they need to make sure that the offense has the ball last.

Rooting for the Washington Redskins tonight. I am not a fan of the Dallas Cowboys.

I am rooting for my one fantasy player on the Redskins (Morris) and my one player on the Cowboys (Bryant). i don't care who wins the game, as long as my fantasy team wins!

Morris rocked today! So did RG3. Not sure who to vote for next weekend, because OR doesn't have a team, I normally root for Seattle, but I loved the Redskins today.

Back to our host...Hi Mark! Hope you had a marvelous Christmas. Thanks for your many contributions this year: great books, beer, group reads, sexy librarians and your very own self! Always a pleasure to pop in here. Hugs.

It's going to be a COLD week, so I better bundle up. Books will help keep me warm too. I'm reading & loving the Willie Nelson memoir & on audio the Terrible hours. I am hoping to dip into A.K. tomorrow.

Linda- The Pack, deservedly, won the division but they are starting to show some wear.

Nancy- How did your fantasy players do?

Kim- It's always nice to see you stop by. I know RL keeps you busy but I'm glad you can spare a minute for old Marky-Mark.
Happy New Year, my friend. Let's have another stellar book year!

Mark - Yours will always be one of my favorite threads - friendly but provocative, full of humour but with an occasional tear. Happy New Year mate - will see you and share a beer so we can dissect the Bears together. You're one of the best.

Happy New Year, Mark!

Happy New Year old friend! :) Best wishes to you and your family.

Happy New Year, Mark! Best wishes for 2013. It should be another good one on LT!

I know. Dang RL! Some of it is planned family madness and some of it is neither planned nor wanted. This last absence was a trip to the ER. : ( Oh well. It has been a while so I can't complain too much. Just glad it didn't happen before the Black Belt test which would have messed everything up!! Mark, thanks for being such a good friend. Cheers! As my mom would say, it is 4 o'clock somewhere!

Happy New Year, Mark!

Happy New Year, Mark!

Mark, stopping in to say how much I have enjoyed getting to know you this year and how very special you made my first year here at LT. Thanks so much for the warmth, humor and friendship that you distribute so well in equal measures to all who visit here. Happy New Year, my friend, and may this one be as wonderful as the last one has been!

Happy New Year, Mark!

Looking forward to year ahead of wonderful reads, beer and sexy pics, Marky-Mark

Happy New Year Mark and I look forward to keeping up with you in 2013.

Here's to a great new year ahead, Mark!

Hi Mark,
The Seahawks have to go up against RGIII next week, at Washington (DC, not where Seattle is). After scoring 150 points in three games, they barely squeaked by the Rams yesterday (fer Pete's sake), so I hope they got their much-needed dose of humility.

Happy New Year -- wishing you all GOOD things in 2013!!!!

So many wonderful New Year wishes! You guys are the best! I didn't get home until after 4 and then stretched out for awhile. We have a few friends coming over to celebrate the New Year with us. Somewhat low-key but there will be refreshments (Yeah, Baby!) and good conversation. Maybe a little book talk...initiated by You Know Who!

Thanks: Paul, Katie, Joanne, Joe, Kim, Kerry, Pat, Mamie, Laura, Caro, Anne, Roni & Ellen!

Big Loving, Hugs to all!

Happy New Year , Mark and family! I have bunch of " obligations" tonight and tomorrow = you know how the holidays are! I have started my 2013 thread -and Mark - I was out yesterday and had a Paul/ Mark book buying spree! Very bad of me! But - I did purchase 3 NF books! Ha! :)

I'm a non - sports watcher, Mate, so whatever . My husband and I notice our neighbour behind us watches all sorts of sports. Of course, he's a lovely fellow and I noticed that one of his young adult children gave him a sign " Man Cave" and it is displayed prominently on his wood shed out back. Dave and I had a chuckle about that one. I am afraid Dave and I don't have room for Man or Woman Caves... more's the pity. ;)

Happy New Year Mark!

Mark - Lucky us - we drafted Morris and he won it for us in the end! We are the Ice Bowl Champions.

Happy New Year, LT Family! I hope everyone had a nice time! We had friends over, nice snacks, good beer and nice conversation. We also watched "The Big Lebowski", which is a perfect NYE movie. What an offbeat marvel. Love the "Dude"!

Once the troops have risen, we are planning on seeing "The Hobbit". Hopefully I can squeeze in some reading before then. A.K. is tapping her foot.

Deb- Happy New Year, Tonto! I hope you have a great day today. What books did you get? Hmmmmmm?

Go Nancy! Go Nancy! Happy New Year!

Hello Mark mate! Happy New year! Looking forward to following your reading and life adventures in 2013!

Happy new year, Mark. I hope you enjoyed The Hobbit...

Grab your books, reading devices and various beverages and join me on my 2013 thread:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/146847#3796446

I'm expecting another fantastic reading year! Are you in?

Prue- Great to see you, stranger. We'll have to stay better in touch.

Genny- Happy New year to you! good to see you. We decided not to go to show yesterday. We will save it for Sunday.