Ellen/EBT1002 April etc. thread

"Summer Breeze" by AmyLyn BiHrle

COMPLETED IN JANUARY

1. Howl by Allen Ginsberg (library)
2. Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin (Off the Shelves)
3. The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman (Off the Shelves)
4. The Street of Crocodiles by Bruno Schulz (owned)
5. Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman (library)
6. How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden (library)
7. 420 Characters by Lou Beach (library)
8. Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett (library)
9. The Line by Olga Grushin (Off the Shelves)

COMPLETED IN FEBRUARY

10. Stay Awake by Dan Chaon (L)
11. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (OtS)
12. A Grain of Truth by Zygmunt Miloszewski (L)
13. The Hill Bachelors by William Trevor (L)
14. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (L)

COMPLETED IN MARCH

15. The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor (OtS)
16. Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin (OtS)
17. Ethel & Ernest by Raymond Briggs (L)
18. Swimming Home by Deborah Levy (OtS)
19. Pow! by Mo Yan (L)
20. The Door by Magda Szabo (OtS)
21. Brothers and Keepers by John Edgar Wideman (OtS)
22. This Way to the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen by Tadeusz Borowski (OtS)
23. The Snack Thief by Andrea Camilleri (OtS)

COMPLETED IN APRIL

24. Dog On It by Spencer Quinn (OtS)
25. Old Filth by Jane Gardam (OtS)
26. The Lighthouse by Alison Moore (OtS)
27. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (OtS)
28. Desert of the Heart by Jane Rule (OtS)
29. Raj, the Bookstore Tiger by Kathleen T. Pelley (L)
30. Safe Area Gorazde: The War in Eastern Bosnia 1992-1995 by Joe Sacco (OtS)
31. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

COMPLETED IN MAY

32. Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver (L)

Books Acquired in 2013

1. Call It What You Want by Keith Lee Morris
2. Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Anne Applebaum
3. Writing in the Dark: Essays on Literature & Politics by David Grossman
4. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon (sale table)
5. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (sale table)
6. 2666 by Roberto Bolaño
7. The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño
8. The Waitress Was New by Dominique Fabre (purchased in Los Angeles)
9. The Empty Family by Colm Tóibín (purchased in Los Angeles)
10. The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch
11. The Belly of Paris by Émile Zola
12. Gulag: A History by Anne Applebaum
13. Germinal by Émile Zola
14. The Door by Magda Szabo (Book Depository)
15. Tokyo Fiancee by Amélie Nothomb
16. The Glass Ocean by Lori Baker (gift from Benita, to be released in August 2013)
17. Safe Area Gorazde: The War in Eastern Bosnia 1992-95 by Joe Sacco
18. This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen by Tadeusz Borowski
19. Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon
20. My Century by Aleksander Wat
21. The Lighthouse by Alison Moore
22. The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor (used copy)
23. knots and crosses by Ian Rankin (used copy)
24. Swimming Home by Deborah Levy
25. Proud Beggars by Albert Cossery
26. Sandalwood Death by Mo Yan
27. Felicia's Journey by William Trevor (used copy)
28. Love and Summer by William Trevor (used copy)
29. My House in Umbria by William Trevor (used copy)
30. April Fool's Day by Josip Novakovich
31. Samuel Johnson is Indignant by Lydia Davis
32. A Severed Head by Iris Murdoch
33. Brothers and Keepers by John Edgar Wideman
34. Philadelphia Fire by John Edgar Wideman
35. The Quick Red Fox by John D MacDonald
36. Ten White Geese by Gerbrand Bakker
37. Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales by Yoko Ogawa
38. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
39. The Cat by edeet ravel
40. The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker
41. The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison
42. Hide and Seek by Ian Rankin
42. Desert of the Heart by Jane Rule
43. How It All Began by Penelope Lively
44. An Unsuitable Attachment by Barbara Pym
45. South Riding by Winifred Holtby (Virago Modern Classic)
46. The Man in the Wooden Hat by Jane Gardam
47. Fortunes of War: The Balkan Trilogy by Olivia Manning

Currently reading:

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invitation for comment

Um, this was just what it was. Or I'll think of something else to do with this post.

Hello Ellen, I'm off to bed. I have a 12 hour shift tomorrow. I'll be back though. :)

I have Things Fall Apart on my 2013 category list for the year. I think I'll read it this summer. Happy Sunday to you.

I reserve the right to post cats on beaches, especially those with supercilious expressions.....

Hi Ellen! Sorry not to have been around more. I get so intimidated by threads that whiz by like kids fleeing school before vacation. Now that I am only 8 (ha!) posts behind, I thought I would stop in. :-)

Hope your Kauai vacation was fabulous, that P is well, and that work is challenging, but not too challenging.

Happy reading!

Cats on beaches. Sigh.
But it's also baseball season. The team may not amount to much, but the venue is lovely.

Love the "theme" of your new thread, Ellen : ). Oh, the pics of your Hawaiin vacay are breathtaking. Also, I spotted your new profile one of you reading Old Filth on the beach. Does it get better, LOL? And thanks for your endorsement of The Shipping News on someone's thread (Mamie's?) ... have to, have to, have to sooner than later.

lit_chick, yes! Read The Shipping News! At a time when reading time was at a premium (aka graduate school) i read it and would at the time (pre LT) have given it 4.5 or even 5 stars. Beautifully imagery. Sense of space and location --- exquisite. I do recommend it. Highly.

Lisa, I think you and I might do just as well meeting at an actual bookshop (EBB on Capitol Hill or TPB in LFP). Then we can make recommendations and peruse the collection with a greater intuitive approach.

Cats in Tuscany.

The Cinque Terre cats. I believe I fed this fellow in 2007......



We called them "grumpy Piazza Cats." Or Grumpy Pienza Piazza cats.
Of course, there are also cheeses...

Fenêtres provençales



What? You wanted me to write about books? Bah. Anyone can do that.

My beloved Mt. Rainier

Last one, then sleep.

This thread is the Cat House. Yech.

Tim tweeted today that if the bookstore cat crossed your path, it was bad luck to leave the store without buying another book.

I like it. I like the thread. I like the cats. I love pictures of France. I like talking about books, and Meet-Ups! And I too love Mt. Rainier. I've heard her called Grandmother. I need to make myself go back and do some photography on the mountain. As well as I need to make myself save at least a little time every day for reading. I've been too crazy busy too. Glad to see you back in the threads! I hope your trip is successful and that you are able to do some good reading.

Love the first picture. Did you paint that?

This is coming over from my prior thread, but I don't want to lose it.

27. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
4.5 stars

This is the essential telling of the story of the confrontation between African cultures and white missionaries. Okwonko is our hero and the carrier of the torch of traditional community beliefs. The tale of his family's struggle to hold to their identity and assimilate the teachings of the persuasive Christian missionaries is poignant and elegant. There are not really bad guys and good guys in this telling; it's more sophisticated than to create false dichotomy of realities. Everyone in this novel is behaving in a manner congruent with their deeply held beliefs and Achebe honors all those beliefs. The POV of Okwonko is transformative if the (white) reader is willing to enter fully into an alternative world-view. This novel is a must-read for any white person trying to understand their privilege. It's beautifully rendered and smoothly articulated. I highly recommend it.

Yes, Richard, there were warnings. And I could neither sleep nor concentrate on reading last evening.....

Karen, I would love to see more of your photography and I, of course, also love Mt. Rainier. She is quite special. If you take your camera, I know you would have fun. Have you been to the part of the park near Mowitch Lake? The campground is nothing to write about but there are two remarkable and, I would think, very photograph-worthy hikes from there.

Morphy, you are a dear for even considering that such could be possible. I love that painting and did not find it myself. Sadly, most or all works of art on my threads are pulled from other places.

Oops, I missed Roberta up there.
I do hope you get to read Things Fall Apart. I was too sleepy to do it justice in my brief book report but it's really a wonderful novel. The author so effectively seats the reader in the cultural water of Okwonko and his clan. Most of us are, I believe, unaware of so much that is our own culture --- in my work, we describe that as being unaware of the water in which you swim. It's very difficult to identify the molecules of your own water and it's difficult to deeply understand different waters. Achebe helps us have this experience. Plus it's a good story!

Oh! What a perfectly perfect thread! I love it here :) *searches pockets for catnip*

Hi Kath!
I will try to keep some focus on books here, but my reading time is going to be a bit sketchy in the next few weeks, so I may just post pictures of cats on the beach for the rest of the month!

That would suit me just fine... sorry about the lack of reading time though :(

Hi Ellen- Congrats on the April thread! Love that thread topper! I hope to start alias Grace later in the week. Enjoy your Sunday.

Hi Ellen - I love your cat pictures. Great comments on Things Fall Apart; you might also like his memoir that came out last year, There Was a Country; it mostly talks about Biafra. I love Things Fall Apart; it's one of those books that also gets better with rereading, which in my eyes, is a sign of a great book.

Good luck with the real world -- and I hope you get some reading in as well. If not, your cat pictures are great. I especially like 22 :)

Kath, you and I could just root around on the internet and find pretty cat pictures. It would drive Richard mad.

Mark, hello! So far my Sunday has been spent avoiding the work I must do for this meeting. I sat up in bed with a cup of coffee and Desert of the Heart which I am rather enjoying, great literature though it's not. I feel like I "should" go for a walk since I have been a slug for days now. But... we'll see.

Beth,
I agree that Things Fall Apart warrants a re-read. It was engaging and expanding. I like the combination.
I figured I'd better put at least one canine in my series of feline images. :-)

I know what you mean about real life. My recent promotion at work is not going well. Half of the work crew thinks that attendance is enough. You mean I have to DO something while I am here? Two weeks into this things and I am feeling the urge to blow.

Oh and I just lost $100.00 because one of the people above forgot to put their attendance at a library conference on the calendar that is the same weekend as Booktopia! Another person has scheduled vacation that weekend. Since my name was not on the list until our staff meeting on Friday I don't get to go. I already mailed the check to Ann. I am not happy.

Reading life is good and I have an interesting knitting project going so it isn't all bad.

No booktopia for you? That stinks! I am sorry, as I was looking forward to meeting up with you.

#35 That is bitterly disappointing! I can't do anything about your missed Booktopia but I will send positive energy up to you concering your coworkers. Reading life is good and I have an interesting knitting project going so it isn't all bad Reading and knitting going well sounds heavenly to me.

Ellen, I will definitly read Things Fall Apart this summer. It took me awhile to find a used copy that wasn't scribbled all over. It is required reading for high school here and most of the copies were chock full of notes and highlighted. I know that is sacriligeous for some, but it made me happy that many of the students were obviously reading the book.

I was tutoring a student doing a project on Things Fall Apart. She had trouble writing two consecutive, coherent sentences, but she seemed to "get" what Achebe was trying to show. In There Was a Country, he talks about the responsibility of the artist; in Things Fall Apart, he brilliantly shows what happens with colonization through a story -- no preaching or polemics. Brilliant.

I LOVE your new thread, Ellen. Such cute kitties and other extraordinary pics. Seattle's skyline is so modern compared to Cleveland's but our fields look very similar. Hope you're having a great day!

Ellen, I love the painting of the cat on the beach at the top of your new thread. Who is the artist of that painting?

Oh Benita, that sounds very difficult. I get very frustrated with people who don't seem to realize that the deal is "you show up and you do these things called duties, and then we put money in your bank account!" It really is a two-way street. Or should be.

I'm so sorry the Booktopia fell through! RATS!!! And very frustrating that it could have been avoided. I don't suppose Ann would reimburse you --- if there is another person on the waiting list, perhaps?

Roberta, I'm glad you have Things Fall Apart on your summer reading list.
I have mixed feelings about hand written notes in books. On the one hand, I agree with you and I think it (might) serve as evidence that the reader was actively engaged, interacting with the material rather than passively observing it..... BUT when I'm acquiring a book, I really like the book to be new or as close to new condition as possible.

Beth,
Okay, now I am going to be in search of a copy of There Was a Country. Thanks for the insight about how the two works "fit" together. I agree that we lost a brilliant artist when Achebe died in recent weeks.

Lynda,
I'm glad you like the new thread. It's probably not everyone's cup of tea.
I'm in southern Michigan right now and the fields are pretty much brown and gray. I know they will get prettier as spring asserts itself.

Caro,
I need to go find the image again and give credit to the artist. I also love it and I had found it several weeks ago. I hope I can find it again.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

In reading news, I did settle down and spend a little time reading Desert of the Heart this morning. I'm enjoying it. The writing is uneven, but she has her moments.

Okay, I'm feeling really terrible that I can't again find the image with which I topped my thread. Of course, I have the image address and it takes me to the image, but not to anything that gives me actual information about it!

Now my meeting peeps are arriving, so I will work on it later.

I'm trying to figure out whether you like cats a bit, Ellen, or not. The subtle clues seem to indicate you do.

You make me think of our Dora and Grace who we had to give away many years ago because of our daughter's severe asthma. She loved them and remains convinced that they're still alive on the cool farm they went to, although at this point they'd have be astonishingly long-lived for that to be true.

I loved Things Fall Apart, too. Elegant and respectful throughout.

This is crazy. I have googled everything I can think of that might lead me to the website (not just the image) for that painting.

Cat on beach
Cat at ocean
Cat gazing at ocean
black cat ocean
kitten at beach (careful on that one.....)
kitten ocean (images of cat food)

sheesh.

Joe, see, that's what I like about you. So intuitive. No one has to hit you over the head with a 2X4!
:-)

FOUND IT!!

Title: Summer Breeze

Black Cats in Summer Series #41

~*~

Print from original paintings. ~ by AmyLyn BiHrle

It's on sale on eBay.

I had to google "Kitten at the Beach."
Whew.

>46 EBT1002: LOL!

I love your April reads so far! An impressive list.

>10 EBT1002: Im looking for the cat, but I dont see it...yet :)

Lovely new thread, Ellen! What spectacular kitties you have found to inhabit this space! And nice review of Things Fall Apart - I read that last year and loved it. It's part of a trilogy; the second book is also well done, and the third I have yet to get to. I did have it out from the library but had to return it before I was able to get to it. Hopefully later this year.

I was going to suggest looking at your history.. around the time of the time stamp up on the first post...
But glad that you found it. All's well that ends well :)

Sadly.. there are always co-notworkers on every job no matter how important or how menial ...

Benita..sorry that happened :( how disappointing !

Marvelous kitty pics, Ellen. My cats are in amazement, see below.



They don't think they'd like the beach, though.

Ah - NICE thread! Love the pictures - all of them!

Don't work too hard ;-)

Joe, :-)

Megan, April started out strong because I was on vacation, but it will slow down a bit now.
Your comment about post #10 cracked me up. Lots of seagulls, but no cats (of which I'm aware).

Mamie, I'm glad you like my kittens-and-books thread. I suspect Richard will simply avoid visiting until my next thread is up.

Kath, I don't know if that would have worked. I actually found the image a couple of weeks ago and had it as a tab in my Safari (I'm on a Mac when I'm doing LT from home or travel). So I would have had to go back quite a bit further than the date of the post in this thread. Still, it might have worked and I'm still learning how to be almost competent on a computer. :-|
Co-workers can be wonderful and they can ruin an otherwise perfectly good job.

Roni, I love having your cats on my thread! And they are in good company. Abby has made it perfectly plain that she would not like to go to the beach. All that sand!! Blech.

Hi Cee!! Glad you like the thread. I must complete another book so I can stay at least vaguely true to our purpose.
And, um, thanks. I gotta tell ya, I love my job but I will not be one of those people who have to be pushed out the door when retirement time arrives!

My heart is breaking for all the Boston Marathon runners and their families. There is so much we don't know, but we know that an iconic and wonderful event has been exploited for ill intent.

I predict that the marathon will occur again next year with even more passion and pride, and certainly with some sadness that humans will do this kind of thing to other humans.

Ellen, yesterday was a sad day for our country. I hope you are right about the great tradition of the Boston Marathon continuing. We can't let evil defeat us.

Now you've done it. You've made me want to reread Things Fall Apart. Interesting that it is a trilogy. I'll be looking for the other two books at next week's big book sale.

Horrible horrible. May they burn in hell.

I agree, such a horrible tragedy! However, I am upset with all the networks for spending up to 90 minutes each on special programming about it last night, when they had absolutely NO new information (news) about it, as I think that only ends up encouraging the perpetrators and any copycats to do it again. There are more productive ways to show your empathy and respect for the victims.

I agree with you roni.. and it was all about Boston on the news this morning, too. I turned it off..

I agree with you too, Ellen. Boston will sep up next year...

Safe travels home!

#59
I agree. News should be news. When they have new News they should tell us then. That is why I like newspapers. They don't waste my time with questions like "How do you feel?" Or "Can you describe what you are feeling right now?" Or any of the other horribly absurd renditions of that question. Thank God, NPR had Eleanor Beardsley reporting in detail on Margaret Thatcher's funeral.

Ohh! What a gorgeous painting of the cat on the beach! Lovely, Ellen! I'm sure that the Boston Marathon will carry on next year -such a tragedy. It will be interesting to see if they are able to catch who planted those bombs. I'm guessing a single " crazy".

Hey, everyone. I'm swamped, swamped, swamped.
But sneaked in a trip to the theater last evening: "Jersey Boys" --- it was delightful!!!!!

Finished Desert of the Heart, started Alias, Grace. More about those later.

Took a few minutes to read Raj, the Bookstore Tiger aloud to myself this morning. I'll give it a generous 4 stars. No particular comments to follow. I'll do my official listing of Desert of the Heart and Raj, the Bookstore Tiger, my 28th and 29th reads, later.

Where is everyone? Looks like Ellen was swept up in the LT rapture too! LOL! (Just a little joke I started on Mamie's thread). I am left behind once again.

*runs off to check on Richard who is sure to be first to go if the LT has a rapture*

I went to bed early last night and missed the rapture, I guess. Oh, well, I think I'll go on a rapture hunt today, then.

Roberta, Karen, et al, it does seem quiet on LT.
I returned from my trip to Michigan to a huge pile of work. I've been working 11-hour days Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and what with also a show and of course RL, I have hardly been on LT.

I'm chairing a search committee for the campus and now that it's 5:15 and I've spent the day running errands, I get to sit down and review applications. Thankfully, P is in the kitchen preparing some salmon for the grill.

In reading news, though I've hardly been able to spend any time reading since my return late Tuesday night, I am very much enjoying Alias, Grace! I wish I had more time to get absorbed into it.

Oh, and I bought a new reading lamp for my bedside today, a little bright one from IKEA. Maybe that will help me read more deeply into the nights..... :-)

Sorry to hear that you have been so busy, Ellen. What a tough schedule! At least your latest read is a good one, and a new bedside lamp is a bit of a boon - if you're not too thread to use it, that is! Hope the salmon is delicious, and that you get more than a moment to breath deeply and relax. Missing you.

Ellen I am glad your work is over for today and P has prepared your dinner. I am happy about your reading lamp. I was just looking at reading lamps online. I want to get mom one of the "natural light" ones. There are so many choices. Enjoy your evening and I hope you have a restful Sunday.

Ellen - Enjoy your weekend; I hope you are getting caught up. Alias Grace is great, isn't it?

Ellen! oh, Ellen! Where are you? How are you? Recovered yet from too too too much to do?

Too many hours working, not enough reading, and loads of responsibilities not directly yours by job description.

Oh am I a good whammy-meister. Revenge for vacation almost accomplished.

Just popping in to see how thing are in Ellen land.. busy I see... well, next time then.. hope things are getting back to normal or maybe a tad bit slower than normal?

Ellen - the Boston Marathon will indeed be held again next year and they are already speculating that they may extend the number of registrants so more people can participate, like during the 100th year of the marathon.

The organizers of the London Marathon which, thankfully ran very successfully and safely today, are donating $3 for each competitor to the One Boston fund, which will be distributed among the victims of the Boston bombing. That was such a kind and generous gesture. It shows that people are inherently good.... whatever world events may sometimes indicate.

I have been very busy at work as well, and my reading life has suffered. I haven't been posting as much as I did. I wonder if this is something going around. In my case it is dealing with all the end-of-the-semester things that come up and two colleagues who want to do nothing at work. One of which doesn't even have time to come to work but wants to get paid. Go figure!

To add to my woes - I got a lawn. They laid sod last week. Now I have to water it. But I can say that my landlord brought me plenty of hose and sprinklers so I didn't have to ante up for that. Then, just when I was all prepared to water - it rained! Got enough that I think I won't have to start watering until Wednesday as the temperatures here are in the middle 70's and that will be so much easier on the grass. I did have to spend some time with a spade as I am also going to plant a tree! Just in time for Earth Day. I also got my pots ready for planting, but won't plant them until next week. Then I will have all that watering to do each morning.

I had a wonderful supper last night a ta friends. I made a lemon yogurt cake and it was heavenly. I might have put a little too much lemon zest in the cake but I loved the tarted sweetness and with coffee it was heavenly. She is a master gardener and has a lovely back yard. She grows vegetables - food for the body. I grow flowers - food for the soul. But it is nice to see all of her raised beds and think that perhaps I should start doing that as well.

Hi Ellen, sorry to hear that work is keeping you so busy. I guess you're paying for that lovely time in Hawaii. I just finished Alias Grace and really enjoyed it. I love a book that lingers in your mind afterward and makes you think.

ETA: Right now I'm thinking I could really go for a piece of Benita's Lemon Yogurt Cake! Sounds delicious.

It shows that people are inherently good.... whatever world events may sometimes indicate.
We need to hear more of this type of act reported in the news. It would make for a less depressed populace. Im sure of it.

Business abounds!
Take care Ellen.

Ellen -- You know where I've been so I won't explain my absence... Just trying to skim through as many threads as I can with the few hours I have at the hotel... I love the kitties!!! Sorry RD! :)

I guess the good news to your over-abundant workload is that at least you have some extra energy from being on vacation. A shame every vacation isn't by law followed up with a week of rest!

Hope you like Alias Grace more than I. Most people seem to love it :-)
I started out liking it a lot but got pretty bored by the end. Maybe it was just too long and I began to lose interest. Atwood's writing is indeed excellent. I'll try another of hers.

All NEW lights out by midnight! LOL

Hi Ellen! New thread with lots of cats! I'm so behind.

#26 - I really should read this again. I read it in a class many years ago and hated the professor. When I added it to my LT library, it looks like I gave it 3.5 stars, which doesn't seem right. Hmmm.

I was going to say something about how excited I am that the Seahawks extended Kam Chancellor's contract yesterday (!!!!!), but I know I'm the only goofball around here who follows football 365 days a year, so I'll keep quiet.

Have a lovely day.

I have a little time before my ride will arrive to take me to work. It's very nice to check my thread and see that some folks have stopped by to say hi even in my absence. I have been managing some reading but have chosen that for my limited "free" time over posting and reading on LT. It doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about y'all (you probably know the magnetic pull exerted by the laptop every time you walk by it on your way to do something else).....

Mamie, I love my new bedside lamp. It's just a little clamp-on LED light (IKEA $15) but it has enabled me to sit up reading in bed much later into the evening! It turns out that good reading glasses are important but good light is crucial, as well! Who knew? (Damn these 52-year-old eyes)

Roberta, the dinner P made for me (whatever night that was... Saturday?) was delicious. Salmon and brussels sprouts and potatoes and a bottle of Pinot Noir. Yum. I hope you find a good reading lamp for your mom. I didn't do much (any) research, just dropped $15 and hoped for the best. It's working out well so far.

Beth, I have been caught up - and delightedly so - in Alias Grace, although I did take a detour last evening and begin (and almost finished) reading Safe Area Gorazde, which is a very powerful and excellent Graphic Memoir about the Bosnian War in the early 1990s, recommended by our friend Kerri (the book, not the war).

Karen, I'm around but swamped (as you know). I truly don't expect to "recover" from this until June when the academic term ends. I'm at one of those phases when I'm really feeling the fact that I actually have two titles and therefore two jobs.....

Richard, MERCY!!!!!! This is one helluva whammy-meister you put on me! I mean, I know I had a wonderful vacation and all, but I haven't posted a kitten on your thread in ages!!!!

Hi Kath! Normal? Is that a word we know?
Not slower than normal, but I'm holding up and enjoying life. I'm managing the anxiety of being so busy and finding myself in a good mood despite my persistent fantasy of winning the lottery! :-D

Caroline, yes, from the ashes of this terrible act of terrorism will rise the Boston community and the running community. I will look for opportunities to contribute despite my intention never to run a full marathon again (been there, did that, got the t-shirt). There IS good in the world and it's heart-warming to realize how many people are willing to risk and to sacrifice for the benefit of others.

Benita, well, I won't say much about the lawn other than that we're actually trying to get rid of ours!! I want to develop a water garden in our front yard, in particular, such that we never have to water plants except perhaps in the very driest weeks in late August. For now, we have a small front lawn and it's just wasted space as far as I'm concerned.
Your lemon yogurt cake sounds wonderful! Lemon is one of my all-time favorite flavors in dessert. YUM.
And veggies and flowers - food for body and soul - I like that! We grow both and I find them both to be indispensable.

Judy, I am finding Grace's voice to be very compelling. I'm glad "Atwood April" got me to revisit this author.

Megan, I'm with you. I would like more coverage of the positive side of events. I don't want pollyanna coverage, but it would be good to see more about our resilience. Next year's Boston Marathon will get a lot of attention, I think!
Busyness does indeed abound and I'm ready for another vacation! :-|
P and I are having a good time planning our walk of the 96-mile West Highland Way, but that's not until late summer of 2014....

Tina, I do know where you have been and I hope it has been a wonderful time! Thanks for peeking in even while you are (hopefully) engrossed in falling in love all over again.

Cee, apparently, Richard put a whammy on me as revenge for my all-too-wonderful and exuberant Hawai'i vacation. Oh well. I take it all in stride for the most part. I am grateful that I enjoy my work and find it to be (mostly) meaningful. Still, I wouldn't mind some 8-hour days......
I'm a little more than halfway through Alias Grace and so far I'm still engaged. I hope it doesn't end up being one of those 400+ pagers that should have been a 300+ pager.
I turned my NEW light out at 10:30 last night and fell immediately to sleep. Yay!!!

Kerri, I would recommend a re-read of Things Fall Apart but I don't know if it would rise above other things to be read. Isn't it incredible how much impact (in either direction) an instructor can have on our experience of what we read??!!
You know, I must admit that I don't pay much attention to the Seahawks this time of year. I'm following the hapless Mariners, though. And I do mean hapless. Sigh.

At the end of my work day today, I will be at a phone-calling event. Nope, I don't have to do any of the fund-raising calls, but I will be supporting and encouraging the folks on the Class of 2013 Committee who will be working to raise money for their Mental Wellness Fund (their name for the fund). It should be fun and Lord knows I want them to be very successful!!!! :-D

I'm now caught up on my own thread but am sadly neglecting everyone else's. It is what it is.

Hi Ellen- I have about a 150 pages left in Alias Grace, so I hope to wrap it up tomorrow. I am still enjoying it. I LOVED Safe Area Gorazde and I learned a lot about the Bosnian conflict from that book.

Mark, I, too, am loving Safe Area Goradze. I'm so glad Kerri encouraged me to purchase it. I'm learning a lot.

*dumdeedumdeeeduuummm* Assurance of no comic-booking for my future = dewhammying...just sayin'

*smooch*

*waving* at Ellen

#84 - I'm so glad you're reading Safe Area Gorazde! "Encouraged" is a nice way to put it. I sort of remember it as me frantically shoving it in your face 30 seconds after I'd met you.

#82 - Yeah, I don't follow baseball. It gives me hives. I was at home sick the day they explained kickball in second grade and never quite understood the rules after that. Although, at college, my friends roped me into joining a park district softball team one summer, but I was the weak link and only in it for the free beer and after-parties. Ha!

Sorry life is a tizzy for you just now. Hopefully that will pass soon? Meantime .. as my friend jac would say.. chin up tits out.

I'm also halfway through Alias Grace. It's a solid good read so far.

Richard, careful there.....

Stasia, HI!! Good to see you! I feel like I haven't checked in on your thread in ages. Oh, that's because I haven't..... I will do so soon.

Kerri, well, truth be told, that's about how I remember it, too. But I was charmed and now I'm glad you frantically shoved it into my hands! Didn't I persuade you to purchase something, too? Isn't that what we do at meet-ups????
Playing kickball (arg, horrible memories for me, as well) and softball (okay, there I have some good memories but only from adult life also mostly centering around beer and after-parties) are quite different from watching them, m'dear. Baseball is a thinking person's game. Besides, one can read while watching and not really miss that much.....

Kath, thank you. I do wish things would slow down a bit but it is spring term and it's to be expected. I just keep thinking about socking the money away for eventual retirement. Of course, I would be socking more away if I purchased fewer books and fewer bottles of wine...... :-|

Morphy, so good to see you. I hope things are going well -- or as well as can be -- for you. I took a brief break from Alias Grace to read Safe Area Gorazde which was brutal and wonderful. More about that to come. In any case, I will dig back into Alias Grace today; must finish it before the month is out!

Had a wonderful run this morning. Sunny, mid-40sF, and trees are blooming all over the place! I'm out of shape (duh) but it felt good and worked off some of the stress and anxiety of my current work life.

More to come, folks, as I try to get back into LT.....

Don't worry so much about us here on LT. We will get along. LT isn't work and I would hate for you to think of us all as work. You will get to us when you can.

I don't go out running last night but I did go work out on the elliptical machines at the university gym. I was about dead by the time I got home. Like you, my work has become my life lately. I became the person in charge of our library and I am having to work more hours just to get things done with my job and the extras from the other job. Life isn't really pleasant lately and it is such a pity as the weather has been terrific for the last week.

I will be contacting Ann Kingman regarding the Booktopia in Bellingham. I won't be able to attend so hope that maybe I can get on the wait list for the Michigan Booktopia event. I am still upset about not being able to go to Bellingham as I was looking forward to a little vacation and since I love that area of the world it would have been perfect. I had hoped that the person who had the weekend off for vacation would be nice and give me that time for this "professional" activity, but alas, no go. With only three people on the staff and two of them taking that weekend off somebody has to be here to work. Guess that is me. I know that you and Karen will have a great time without me, but I was looking forward to it. When you get back I want details.

There's always next year!

From the perspective of "retired" I have this to say about too much work. Do what ever you can to fit some fun into each and every work day. Life is really short, from my point of view, and truly we should have a good belly laugh, or an equivalent piece of joy, every day!

The above message is for Ellen, and Benita, and any one else who'd like to take advantage of it.

Happy Hump Day, Ellen, it's ALMOST over. This has been a busy busy patch, and you've held up amazingly well. Wine and books weekend!!

Sigh. Karen, I know you are right.
It's after 6pm and I'm now ready to go home. I've been at it straight through since 9am. Not so bad, really. I'm glad I took the time to go for a run this morning.
Tomorrow I will be back at work bright and early.

AND I agree about taking time for fun each and every day. I will hold my run from this morning in mind as I drive home listening to Annie Lennox on the stereo...... She will be just what I need for the drive.

Benita, I hope you can get onto the Michigan list for Booktopia. I'm sorry work is consuming your life right now, too.

Richard! Wine and books weekend, indeed. Did I mention that we're going to eastern Washington to do some barrel tasting with friends? It will definitely be fun!

That sounds divine! I provisionally lift the whammy--you and P should have a good time, since it will pretty much be the first time you've seen each other in days.

Hi, Ellen. I'm way too far behind to do more than say that
1) I'm an Alias Grace lover...
2) Never made it to Things Fall Apart...and
3) Love all the felines. Here are three of ours when they were new.

Just got word that my uncle passed this evening. Sigh. He was my mother's younger brother and the last blood relative from that side of the family in that generation. I will want to travel to Tennessee to spend a couple of days with my aunt, whom I adore, and my two cousins (of whom I'm also incredibly fond, but my aunt is a saint if there be such a thing).

More travel and with short notice. Oh boy.

Thank you, Richard dear. xo

Peggy, thank you for the picture of your three felines! I must go to bed now and read a bit of Alias Grace before sleep claims me.

Some lovely cat-pictures - love the top-picture and the sleepy cat on the book. Wonderful.

I totally agree - Lighthouse was very good and intense - all besides the ending, which I didn't like that much - Things Fall Apart was a beautiful and haunting experience for me - and I think a must-reread at some point.

#98 Sorry to hear about your uncle, Ellen. It does seem particularly sad when it's the last in a generation.

Sorry to hear about your uncle, Ellen - good that you can be with family and the comfort it gives.

#98 - Oh, Ellen. I'm so sorry to hear about your uncle. Take care. Hugs.

Sorry to hear about your uncle, Ellen. On the good news front, I finished and loved Alias Grace. Yah!

My sympathy for the loss of your uncle. It is sad to see the generations before us dwindle away, and somewhat disconcerting to find we are becoming the oldest of the family...

More last minute travel sounds exhausting, too. What a whirlwind you have been on recently!

I'm sorry about the loss of your uncle. My thoughts are with you.

So sorry to hear about toe uncle, Ellen. And I'm sorry that work is so busy. Hope you are taking a moment each day to breathe deeply and relax fully even if it's just for a brief moment. We miss you, but we will be here waiting. Know that you are in our thoughts. Hugs to you, dear one.

**hug**

I hope for you all that you need to make this journey one of joy and remembrance and connection with his family. My condolence to all who grieve.

We're heading your way soon, Ellen. Look for me in my inflatable bunny suit. Weather in the 50s for the next few days? Boo! We're getting enough of that junk here.

ETA: Oops. Please forgive my obliviousness and high speed threading. Very sorry to hear about your uncle, Ellen.

Sad news about your uncle's passing, Ellen, and I hope you can make the visit because it will comfort the whole family including you.

Ellen - Sorry to hear about your uncle. Safe travels.

Hi everyone -- thanks for your kind words about my uncle. It is odd when the last one in a generation passes. I don't know when I'm going to make my way east, but I appreciate all the love from my LT friends.

I'm here is spirit....

I'm so sorry for your loss!

Take another look at your lovely cat prints you posted and perhaps it will make you smile to know how very creative you are.

Well, it looks like the travel will occur in June, probably after graduation on June 15. By that time, my aunt may need the company more than she does at present.
The loss is really hers as this uncle was not my favorite person, but they were married 60+ years and I know she will feel at a loss for purpose and need.

Okay, back to Alias Grace. I have been much distracted of late and not getting much reading done.

28. Desert of the Heart by Jane Rule
3 stars

This was a shared read with Kerri as well as a stroll down memory lane. I first read this book in the mid-1980s when I was first coming out and at the time it was a revelation. It was made into a wonderful and terrible B Movie ("Desert Hearts") by Donna Deitch (who makes a cameo appearance in the film --- "if you don't play, you can't win!"). One has to keep both the book and the film in context. In 1985, both Jane Rule and Donna Deitch were going out on a limb. In Seattle in 2013 it's hard to remember how repressive society was, but I was living in Illinois at the time and both the novel and the film were empowering and sexy and liberating.

Still, I can't recommend the novel. The writing is uneven. Rule provides us with moments of charm and she captures the desert setting nicely, but her too frequent descents into flowery and shallow philosophical musings distract from the real point of this story. Woman meets woman. Woman seduces woman. Women find common ground and compromise. Reader wonders how it all turns out.

Jane Rule gets 3 stars for courage and effort, but if you really want to experience the tremendous transformation that Evelyn (Vivian in the film) is experiencing, watch the film. Make some popcorn, open a beer, and turn off your editor. Just enjoy.

edited for clarity

29. Raj, the Bookstore Tiger by Kathleen T. Pelley
4 stars

A quick and sweet read meant only for those who like cats. I'm about the worst person in the world to evaluate the redeeming qualities of a children's picture book but I think my little grand nephew would like it. 'Nuff said.

Richard need not put on hold at the library.

30. Safe Area Gorazde: The War in Eastern Bosnia 1992-1995 by Joe Sacco
4.5 stars



Kerri (aka DorsVenabili) encouraged me to purchase this at our January meet-up at Elliott Bay Books and it sat on my bedside table for a few months. Having finally read it, I can extend a hearty "thank you!" to Kerri. This is tagged a Graphic Novel, but I would call it a Graphic Memoir as it appears to be authentically based on Sacco's experiences as a journalist in Bosnia in the early 1990s. This is no comic book. Rather, it is a poignant and brutal telling of the stories of Muslims and Bosnians horrifyingly affected by the ethnically based war of that time. Sacco smoothly glides between telling his own story as a U.S. journalist and the stories of several survivors of this horrific war. Never does he let his own story upstage theirs; rather, his story is there to provide both context and contrast. I learned a lot about this chapter in our human story, to which I paid embarrassingly little attention at the time (those years exactly map onto my 3-year stint at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh when I was unthinkingly engrossed in my own adult melodrama of romance and heartbreak, ..and completing my dissertation).
I highly recommend Safe Area Gorazde but give warning that it exacerbates insomnia.

*hurriedly cancels Ammy one-click* Whew! Saw it in time.

Pity about the Rule book. I re-read Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand, SF with gayness from the same time...AWFUL. Portentous pretentious pablum.

One forgets that 53 is materially different from 23.

One forgets that 53 is materially different from 23.

Spot on, Richard! At 25 (for me) it was all so dramatic and everything was important and meaningful and deep. Ugh. I like 52 better (well, except for..... oh, never mind).

#90 - Didn't I persuade you to purchase something, too? You did not, but I could have been persuaded. I ended up with that Carter Family graphic novel that I haven't read yet (maybe I'll read it this weekend!)

#115 - You said it all, I think. I was a tad more generous and forgiving and gave it 3.5 stars. It certainly has its moments. Perhaps I'll write a review this weekend.

#117 - Yay! I'm so glad you liked this. I remember having a very difficult time understanding the conflict when it was going on and this helped to bring everything together.

Have a lovely Friday!

Ellen I am very sorry about your Uncle. I will have to look for the Sacco book. You get me with something almost every time I visit. :)

Kerri,
Hi there. I do look forward to your comments about Desert of the Heart. I went up and made some minor edits in my comments.
You have a lovely Friday, too, and a wonderful weekend. I might not be around much as we'll be in eastern Washington tasting wine with friends.

Roberta, if you PM me your address, I'll send the Sacco book to you.

Hi Ellen - The Sacco book sounds great. Sold.

Sorry to hear about your uncle, but glad you will be able to visit your aunt and cousins in June, Ellen.

Late October--good chance of a meet-up. Early October we will probably still be on the road. Let me know!

Ha, Roni, I think the conference is mid-October. I'll definitely be in touch about it.

Beth, you won't be sorry. And you can blame Kerri. :-|

Dropping in to wish you a wonderful, relaxing weekend. Unlike Richard, I think you deserve it.

I was not planning on going to the RL book group in May, but then that LT person posted she'd like to join "us". Will you be going?

Hi Ellen,
((hugs))
(for busy-ness and bereavement)

>117 EBT1002: looks a goodie, Im very into books with illustrations. Would you call it more that or illustrations with words? (I prefer more story, and some illustrations)

Ellen- Great review of Safe Area Gorazde. I hope you can encourage a few more LTers into reading this GN gem.

Ellen - Enjoy that barrel testing and try to spare a glass or two capacity for when I finally make it over there to y'all. Nothing that safe about Safe Area Gorazde it would seem eh? Nice to be back and to catch up with one of my faves. xx

SO hoping the weather's nicer in Eastern Washington!

Hi Ellen - Happy Saturday - I hope you're having a wonderful time at the wine in barrels with friends thingy!

Karen, I don't know if my schedule will allow RL book club attendance in May. Maybe. I'll look at my calendar when I'm back in town and I will communicate with you. I have not read the book, that's for sure.

Megan, would it seem like a cop-out if I said it was about 50-50 words & illustrations? It's a must-read and I'm not just saying that because Kerri so assertively suggested that I purchase it! :-)

Really, it's an excellent example of the genre, which I am coming to greatly appreciate.

eta: thanks for the hug, Megan. The funeral was today and my cousins said the Marines sent a color guard to play "Taps," and a kilted bagpiper played "Amazing Grace." I wish I could have been there but I will make the trip in June.

Mark, me too. I'm doing my best (and Kerri started it).

Paul, have no fear! Given the number of vines growing around here, there will be plenty of vino for you to try when you visit. I was the designated driver so I only imbibed at the last place, which specializes in bubbly.
Anything but a safe place, indeed. I never cease to be amazed and horrified by that which humans will wreak on others. I don't get it.

Richard, thank you for the in-whammy thoughts! It was warm enough but quite windy. Still, I'll not complain.

Kerri, thanks, dear. It was a lovely Saturday and the wine and friends thingy was a good break from intense work days. Even as the DD, I had fun. Not much reading happening this weekend but I suppose Richard is right that other, more interpersonal distractions are also good for me.

Hey there ! I do hope that you are enjoying your weekend. You have been one busy woman lately :)
I'm glad you have fun plans, but I think that if I were you, I would be blocking off two consecutive jammie days soon!

#134 - Good morning, Ellen! Is today a wine day too? Surely you are not the designated driver two days in a row, right? In my book, that would be a tragedy.

It's a gorgeous morning in central Washington! Sunny & cool. I sat outside in my pajamas & read Alias Grace with my coffee. Nice.

Kath, two consecutive Jammie days would be SO welcome! Alas, it will not likely happen. But it's been a fun weekend and this morning I woke up to no alarm.

Kerri, we may do a little wine tasting this morning but we have a 3-hour drive to return home so we won't do much. I will probably taste at one place, just a taste, you know, and be the primary driver for the return trip. I generally prefer driving as I can get skittish as a passenger. (Some might say I like to be in control, but I don't know that that is always true! Ha. )

Okay, everyone around here is getting ready to go find breakfast. Must go.

edited to close parentheses

Sorry to read about your uncle's passing. It is a bit startling to be left in an "older" position in the family... especially after being a "kid" for so many years.

Sounds like a lovely weekend. You needed the rest that's for sure. Safe travels home today.

Hi Ellen - It sounds like a wonderful, relaxing, fun weekend. Alias Grace is wonderful, isn't it?

Ellen that is incredibly thoughtful of you to send me the Sacco book. The fellowship on LT never ceases to amaze me. Thank you.

Your uncle's funeral sounded like a wonderful tribute. I'm sorry you missed it but I'm glad you will be able to go see your family soon.

I am all to happy to give up the keys and be a passenger, but then again I know exactly how I drive. I tell people that I learned to drive on the Mexican border which is the absolute truth. My niece Anna rudely says, "That was so long ago! Do you still have to drive like that?" No respect for her elder. LOL!

It's a gorgeous morning in central Washington! Sunny & cool. I sat outside in my pajamas & read Alias Grace with my coffee. Nice. Sounds like heaven.

Sorry you couldn't make it to the funeral, Ellen. That's tough, but I'm sure the relatives will appreciate you visit later, once the hub-bub from the funeral has petered out a bit.

50/50 as far as illustrations/story goes, sounds OK to me. lll chuck it on the library WL and see how I go :)

Ellen says "jump"- I say "how high"!

I got Safe Area Gorazde from the library this morning, and have it in my hot little hands.

Cee,
Thank you for your kind words and your spot-on understanding. I was late-born in my family, so the transition of generations has had an odd quality to it for as long as I can remember.

Beth,
It was really a wonderful weekend. And yes, I'm still very much enjoying Alias Grace despite my difficulties in finding time and concentration to sit down with it for any length of time.

Roberta,
It's my pleasure! I have been the beneficiary of other LTers' generosity so I'm happy to pay it forward and back.
I know exactly how I drive...
Exactly! That's all I'm sayin'. Actually, the drive home ended up being a bit hairy as we had a huge rain- and windstorm as we went over Snoqualmie Pass. I was nervous enough in the driver's seat; I'd not have been a pleasant passenger!

Megan,
I had no idea I was so influential! I do hope you enjoy it.
Wait, let me rephrase that.
I do hope you appreciate it. Enjoy just isn't quite the right word. But I am among an apparently growing number of LTers who found it to be a very worthwhile read. Now if only I could get Richard to give it a try. (Ha!)

Glad you are home safe and sound. Snoqualmie can be a bit hairy. So sorry you were not able to meet up with Joe and co. but I'm here to say they are great fun. And they'll be back in Seattle a fair amount so we will do it, yet.

Elliott Bay and Molly Moon's did not disappoint. I picked up a haul of books and had an all around nice time. Even Greta Garbo and Benny got in on a little fun as Joe's wife loves the dogs. Joe's son was a pleasure to meet and we are all holding our thumbs that he does well at the Poetry Slam in Boston.... he won the Seattle one. So cool

Karen, the meeting up with Joe and company sounds wonderful! I will look forward to participating in a meet-up the next time they are in town. We just have to be sure to keep his son happily and gainfully employed in the Emerald City. I'm glad Greta and Benny got to participate and get some loving, too!

I will go check out your thread for more info.

Molly Moon's -- I just adore their Salted Caramel ice cream with Hot Fudge. It's heavenly.

I still have my $50 gift card for Elliott Bay Books. It was a Christmas gift from my sister and I've been hoarding it. :-)

I don't have much in the way of book news as I've hardly been able to read in recent days, but I thought I would mention a couple of highlights of my weekend in central Washington.
The lilacs and dogwoods are in full bloom there and they are all over the place in Yakima. It was beautiful! My friends Jen & Sara and I went for a run Saturday morning and made our way up to a neighborhood on a hill and the views were spectacular.

Several of the wineries had dogs on the premises and of course I gave each of them a tummy rub or ear scritch as they preferred.

In addition to coming home with a couple of cases of assorted Washington wines, we brought home both chicken and asparagus tamales from a little Mexican kitchen in Union Gap. They make them fresh and this time of year they can't keep the asparagus tamales in stock. We had some with bubbly for dinner tonight (as well as some steamed asparagus that we also brought back with us). Yum.

Okay, I'm just about 100 pages from completing Alias Grace and as much as I'm loving it, I'm ready to move onto something else, so I'd better go read. After I check a couple more threads...... :-|

Just catching up with you, Ellen. I'm sorry about your uncle and that RL continues to keep you very busy. Your weekend of wine tasting sounds wonderful, though!

Hi Katie,
Thanks for your thoughts and for stopping by. We did have a wonderful weekend and I got to think about my uncle at exactly the right moment. I'm looking forward to visiting my aunt and cousins in Tennessee in June; it will be good to spend that time with them.

Sounds like a marvelous weekend, Ellen, and glad you are safely home.

Thanks, Roni!

I believe I chatted with some folks about doing a group read of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay in May. Uh oh, now I've got to do something about it, eh? I will try to set up a discussion thread this week and will post the link.

*reminds self that she is learning bits of HTML and there will always be someone to help*

Just replied on my thread that I'd forgotten all about that, but yes, I will, and I've found it and pulled it out of the tbr pile.

>150 EBT1002: oh dear, I have been putting off reading this book...what am I to do? Is this a sign from the heavens that I should read it?

Ellen- I ended up really enjoying Alias Grace. I hope you do too. I finished up my last Atwood of the month, The Year of the Flood. Have you read these yet? Have a good week.

Just popping in to say hello, and to wish you a calm and quiet week :)
I am on a fluffy reading tangent and I am avoiding all blue text at the minute...
Whenever you get to pick up a book next, I hope it's wonderful!

Roni, I will have to dig around and find my copy, too. I will let you know when I get the thread up and running.

Megan, you know that we would LOVE to have you join us!

Mark, Yes, Alias Grace is a good one. I have not yet read The Year of the Flood but I suspect I'll be working more Atwoods into my reading in future months. I read The Handmaid's Tale and Surfacing many years ago, and I can't say why I haven't revisited her works. Oh wait, I do think I know. I read the first couple of pages of Oryx & Crake and said "no thank you" and apparently I let it generalize to all her more recent works!

Kath, as always it is good to have you visit. Good for you for reading fluff! I'm toying with reading almost exclusively mysteries in May for Mark's Murder & Mayhem. But I have a couple of library books already moving toward their due dates..... most notably Flight Behavior which I really do want to read.

Asparagus tamales! Sounds devoon. Now I want some.

So glad y'all had a good time, and now that reality has smacked you again that the afterglow will make the workweek a fast one.

I was not a fan of Oryx & Crake but loved Blind Assassin. The good thing about Margaret Atwood is that she has written enough that there is something for everybody in her body of work. I really want to get to Alias Grace sometime soon.

Asparagus tamales sound really really good. I will have to see if I can get some made for myself. Asparagus in the spring is, as Richard said, divine.

Good afternoon, Ellen!

#137 - Duly noted, and I'm glad the weekend was lovely.

#155 - You didn't like Oryx & Crake? The Year of the Flood is next in the same series, so you probably won't want to read that then. Also, I am now redoing my internal brain list of sci-fi-ish novels to recommend to Ellen...

Ellen, please stop by the RL book group's thread and see the clever little people counter Bill has posted. He suggests we can decide "go" or "no go" by 3 pm of the Day In Question. Check it out.

Hi Ellen - Moral Disorder is a collection of great stories by Atwood, autobiographical, I think. Wonderful -- my favorite of her most recent work, and not dystopian at all.

Kavalier and Clay, eh? I still haven't read it.

I loved Flight Behavior; Dellarobia is a wonderful character, and it was the best Kingsolver in a while -- in my opinion. Right now, reading mysteries in May sounds appealing. So many books.

Kavalier and Clay is a wonderful book. Hope you all enjoy it!

The library has a copy of Kavalier and Clay. Okay, darn it, I'm in! Would this qualify as Mayhem in Mark's M&M thread? ;)

I really didn't need another book bullet Ellen! Hee hee! We (meaning me) are so easy here.

ETA: It should qualify for the May, Mars & Myth and Make-Believe thread! OK! I am really in.

>117 EBT1002: got it read it loved it

;)

I think there are four of us now, Ellen! Roberta, Dejah, you and me. Let us know when you set up the thread.

I have Kavalier and Clay ordered from the library.

Hey everyone! This Kavalier and Clay read seems to be taking off. I will set up the thread tonight (last day of April: perfect, right?) and make note of it here.

Meanwhile, I completed Alias Grace last night (probably 4 stars which may not be entirely fair --- I loved it but I have definitely been distracted while reading it, so my attention was not up to snuff). I started Flight Behavior sitting up in bed with my first cup of coffee this morning. I can already tell I'm going to like it. It's starting out as Kingsolver at her most Kingsolverest.

Richard, so far this week is starting out at just normal busy-ness levels, which is a very nice break. I see you are another asparagus lover. I'd have expected nothing less. :-)

Benita, I had planned to read The Blind Assassin this month but didn't get to it. I own it so it ended up lower in the stack than Alias Grace, which was a library book.
And yes, we will eat asparagus a lot for the next several weeks. Usually by summer I'm about fed up with it. (with them?)

Kerri, Glad you're paying attention. And thank you. I needed that lovely weekend.
To be honest, I don't think I gave Oryx and Crake a fair shot. I definitely didn't give it the Pearl Rule. And the 2 pages I read were standing in a bookstore several years ago. I just remembering thinking "nope."
I'm looking forward to your SF recommended reading list! Thanks for spending time on it!

Karen, I saw Bill's vote-counter, which I thought was a wonderful idea. I have told P that I'd like to attend and we have it on our household calendar, but it may depend on how our respective work is playing out (no pun intended) and whether anything with her dad comes up.

Beth, I started Flight Behavior this morning and I'm already pulled in. I will get to read more on my bus ride home after work this evening.
You could join us for a Group Read of Kavalier and Clay! :-)

Katie, oh good, an outright recommendation. That makes me feel better about committing to it.

Roberta, you'll get no apology from me for any book bullets! I have been victim to my share (and I agree that we are all so easy around here!).
I'm glad you're joining us for the Group Read! I was laughing because you were wondering what (if any) challenges it might qualify for, and I was thinking "I don't know what it's about yet, so I can't help with this." :-)

Megan, oh good! I'm glad you got Safe Area Gorazde and read it and loved it! Kerri strikes again!

Roni, four is a good number for a GR. I'll get the thread set up this evening and maybe we'll pick up one or two more. There were about six people who expressed interest at the beginning of the year, but I know how that goes. I'm about to deactivate my "Ellen reads four thirteens" thread. I haven't stuck with it and I clearly am not going to. And I don't want to, which is possibly the most important aspect. Anyway, we'll have a fun May read!

Morphy, oh good! I'm so glad you'll be joining us!

Currently reading:

I look forward to your comments about Flight Behavior, Ellen; I'll read it next month.

Asparagus tamales sound divine.

Ellen I still keep my 2013 challenge thread because there are some mighty nice follks there that don't visit around here. I do a lot of copy and paste though. I have one category that is for prize winning books. I can put Kavalier and Clay in that one.

Hi Darryl! I can't remember if you've read Flight Behavior but I'll go check it out on your thread.

Roberta,
Well, I haven't bailed on the challenge thread altogether but part of it is indeed that I can hardly keep up here......

Feeling your pain, I have a hard time keeping up too... but I WANT to! Does that count :P

Oh yes, Kath, wanting always counts. Wanting is sometimes the best part, no?

Depends... sometimes wanting for too long can be disheartening...
But as far as LT at least we all know we all want to :)

Hi Ellen - Glad you're liking Flight Behavior. I'd love to join your Kavalier and Clay read, but I am really bad at joining in on these things. I've been wanting to read it for a long time, though, so I'll see what May brings (besides end of the semester, trip to SF and my birthday)...

I am sorry to hear about your uncle, Ellen. I wish you safe travels as you visit with your family.

Kath, "it depends," indeed. And yes, we are a well-intentioned bunch around here!

Beth, no pressure. Join us if you can. May sounds very busy (and fun!) for you!

Stasia, Thank you for your kind words. I'm looking forward to the visit even though it won't happen until the end of June. I'm still trying to finagle a mini-meetup in Chicagoland around June 30....

Ellen- I think Kavalier and Clay would make an ideal Group Read. It was my introduction into Chabon and I loved it. I am curious to see what you think of Flight Behavior. It seems to be getting mixed reviews among our LT buddies.

Caught up with your thread, Ellen! Whew! And I was one of the people who talked about reading Kavalier and Clay earlier, but I had forgotten which month, so I'm in.

Hope the week is going smoothly for you so far.

i haven't made my plane reservations for Chicago either, so if you can wait a day or two I should know if it will be Saturday or Sunday that the Chicago LT group will meet. I'll make contact with the LT people as well and see a out those passes. It would be nice to see you since I won't be going to Booktopia.

OK, now I'm tempted to be jealous. But then again, there is Bellingham.

Mark, I admit that I got caught up in an old episode of "Foyle's War" so I didn't make much progress on Flight Behavior this evening. But for what I have read so far, I like it.

Mamie,
Yay!! I don't know that we've done a GR together before so I'm glad to have you join us on Kavalier and Clay. I didn't get the thread up this evening (home duty called) but I will get it up and running tomorrow!

Benita,
Excellent. I will probably be coming through on Sunday, June 30. I hope we can connect. This is a bit of a stretch for me.

Karen,
Oh, we will have FUN in Bellingham!! The Chicagoland thing is a bit of a wild hair for me.

Oh, goodness, look at this development - Ellen in Chicago! My schedule is kind of crazy and unpredictable during conferences, but we'll have to meet up at some point, even if I can't make the organized thing.

#166 - Yes, my sci-fi list is coming along nicely, although there were only four or so titles....and I've had to remove Oryx and Crake and Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand (I suppose Richard may be right about this one, although I did enjoy it. I think I may have been feeling particularly Marxist-y when I read it and liked what he had to say about work. But, yes, it's a bit goofy and may have the most pretentious title of any novel ever.)

Well, yay for May! April had a little too much much in it. None of it was terrible, none of it was great.. it was just a weird unsettled month.

I hope May brings you a good relaxing time. Talk about having too much "much"!
Hang in there :)

Kerri, I know, the Chicago thing is a bit out of left field, isn't it? But it just might work out. If you can't make it to the organized (and I use that word loosely) thing, I hope we can make plans to connect. I'll be able to work around your schedule, once I'm there. IF I can pull this off.
And yes, that title is pretentious but I know nothing else about it.

Kath,
May will still be very full for me but I'm used to it. Summer will certainly bring some relaxing time. I insist!

dropping in to see what's what

Keeping me company, I see, Ellen. I'm glad someone else is having a full May. I was thinking maybe it's just me and I was feeling rather lonely. :-)

I've posted the THREAD for our Group Read of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. I hope folks join us!

Richard, could you tell?

Caroline,
Well, hello there! You definitely have company in the crazy-May department!

It was a gorgeous day in Seattle and I stood on Red Square for a while this afternoon. This doesn't do it justice, but this is basically what I gazed at while I made a phone call.



Now if only I had that view from my office or home. Ha!

>190 EBT1002: that is a lovely view. That is a mountain isnt it, above the fountain....not just a wayward cloud formation cleverly impersonating a mountain.
;)

#190 - Oh, that is lovely!

Have a super Thursday!

Lovely view!

How beautiful! You may not be able to see it from the office, or home... but at least it's there when you have time to seek it out :) Doubt it will be going anywhere any time soon. I love mountains. It has been so long since I have even been near to any... I still harbor the dream of living near to the Blue Ridge in Virginia some day...

@ 190 WOW! I want to be there!!!!! Yet, I fear if I brought my book to read beside the fountain, I'd not get much done. The landscape would take my breath away.

I love Mt. Rainier.

Ellen, your schedule makes me tired for you. I'm glad you have your relationship with P and your running to keep you centered. And summer to look forward to.

I know you are planning a trip to TN for a visit with your grieving aunt. Funerals are such a blur...I'm sure she will get more comfort out of this later visit.

I am amazed about the amount of reading you are able to do with such a busy schedule. I am eager to see your thoughts on The Man in the Wooden Hat. I wish you well on your group read. There is no way I can fit in Kavalier and Clay this month. I've heard it's an amazing book and will read it someday.

I hope relaxation has a place in your plans for the week end. Have a good one!

...of course the fact that it's a VOLCANO doesn't make it scary at all...no, no....

Nope. Not scary. Just lovely.

That is a lovely view. On clear days we can see Mount Baker hovering above the skyline when we look south, I love how the mountain appears to be floating in the air. (And of course I try to forget these beautiful mountains that string down as far as California are volcanoes!)

Wow! Love that photo! GORGEOUS!!! Now I'm off to star the thread for the GR of Kavalier and Clay - thanks so much for setting it up! Happy Thursday to you, dear!

Even if the others opt for a meet up on Saturday I would be game for one on Sunday. Sunday is the day that I don't have my professional obligations so it would work better for me. It is also the day I spend going through the exhibits with a fine tooth comb. Karen can tell you about my proficiency. If you can swing it for a day in Chicago on Sunday it will work for me. You might also think about a red-eye flight back to Seattle from Chicago. I did that once and it worked fine. I didn't go to work the next day until about 2 in the afternoon, but it worked out well when getting a full day in the exhibits.

Benita also told me that the USPS is very happy to make your shipping books home relatively convenient. I loved her tactic of snagging boxes and then shipping stuff home.

Since I did not, and carried my stuff in bags to the car, and then home, I had sore arms the next day. You will not be able to resist accepting some free books, and maybe buying a few 1/2 price books.... it is like breathing, you can not not do it.

Uh oh. Lots of posts. I'm desperately behind on my own thread.

Megan, Kerri, Darryl, Kath, Lynda --- yes, it's a nice view, isn't it? Right now I'm looking out my office window (it's an incredible, cloudless day) toward the mountain (blocked by that dang hospital, but...) and Downtown and the Space Needle. It makes concentration a bit challenging.

Richard, you'd let a little itty bitty volcano scare you? Nah. I know that you are far too brave for that.
Of course, if it blows, I do hope I'm elsewhere.

Karen, I love the mountain, too. It feels like home.

Judy, oh, I love Mt. Baker, too. On clear mornings I can see it from the viewpoint where I run -- and sometimes I can see it from the bus as we head down from Capitol Hill to the U District. It's quite lovely.

Mamie, oh good, I'm glad you're joining us for Kavalier & Clay!!

Benita, it looks like I'll be coming through on Sunday. It will be late afternoon. I'll touch base with you and Mark and Kerri as the time draws closer.

Karen, I remember the large numbers of books Benita acquired when ALA was here in Seattle! The idea of shipping does make it easy to succumb to temptation.....
it is like breathing, you can not not do it. LOL!! Yes, you know me well.

Okay, on the bus this morning Flight Behavior went from the so-so category into the realm of "can't put it down."

I loved this scene:
For background, our protagonist, Dellarobia, has two children. Preston is 5 and Cordelia is 2; she has only recently mastered Piaget's concept of Object Permanence. In this scene, "Cordie" is staggering around the kitchen with a blanket over her head. Dellarobia and her husband are doing the usual teasing of "where's Cordie?"

Cordie loved disappearing. Which was funny, because not that long ago, Preston could throw that blanket over a toy she was crawling after and Cordie would sit up and howl with despair at its sudden disappearance. She didn't know to look under the blanket, and Preston couldn't resist repeating the experiment, amazed at his sister's conviction that unseen things did not exist. Some time between then and now, Cordie had conquered the biggest truth in the world.

How very Kingsolverian.

And the character Ovid Byron (!) has entered the story. Things are getting interesting.

That is an amazing moment to watch happen. Awe-inspiring, really...a little sad, too, because it presages the end of magical thinking.

For most of us, anyway.

Yep. Unless we learn to love reading, I suppose.... :-)

Ellen - Great quote -- I loved Dellarobia and her kids. I think Kingsolver did such a wonderful job with her characters in this one. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

I love the quote; and I'm running right over to my class's discussion thread and sharing it with them, too!

Beth and Karen, I'm glad the quote comes through in a good way. I have a hard time telling whether something like that will translate out of context.

I'm looking forward to my bus ride home because I can read the whole way.

It's sunny and *hot* (67F - that qualifies as hot here in Seattle) today. I do wish I had flip flops on for the ride home.

67F sounds like a little bit of heaven Ellen.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend. xx

I love spring when it's all sunny and 60 like it is here today. Just love it! *smooch*

You all are going to think I've lost my mind but I'm so excited!!
I just hung clothes and sheets on the line for the first time in 2013. :-)

It's another lovely day in Seattle - all sun and no clouds, a light breeze, and headed toward a high in the upper 70s. Too bad I have to listen to 8 interviews for the search committee I'm chairing. :-(

But I will sneak in some time in the back yard with Flight Behavior.

Paul, it is my little bit of heaven. To me, Kauai is paradise but when Seattle is lovely it is truly beyond compare.

Richard, oh good, you're getting some lovely weather, too. Do you and Stella sit outside on days like this? I have this image of you reading in the sun and Stella curled up next to you in the shade.

I've been sitting on the front porch, in the sun (glorious, hallelujah, we've got sun!), and reading on of my Booktopia choices: The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope and so far I am very impressed with the author's command of the language! Beautiful. Evocative. Has me within the first 2-3 pages.

I'm also thinking I need to cut grass in back yard as it is about 1 yard long. (vertical) Sun! wonderful Sun!

>207 EBT1002: i love that passage. And I love seeing things that kids to and relating them to the larger picture too, maybe I need to read this book. I am resisting, but my resistance is growing weaker. Thanks to you :)

Karen, I've been sitting inside listening to these darn interviews, but I'm about to give myself permission to take a break and sit outside with my book. I do need/want to read the two books I bought for Booktopia.

Megan, Give up resisting. Flight Behavior is developing into an excellent novel with lots of layers.

Time for a break, Ellen! Hope you are taking one! And wishing for you the loveliest of weekends. I know where the rain went - here! But I'm not complaining - it's a wonderful day for reading in a cozy chair, which I am just about to do. Happy Saturday to you.

Ah! Yes, Mamie. We are having a lovely weekend. And yes, Ellen, it is nice to read the book before you meet the author, but I doubt I'll be able to do that for all 4 of the ones I signed up to see. The other three books are not even here, yet.

I mowed a little lawn. Chewed the inside of my mouth and tummy about whether moving to this retirement home is workable. And read! or, and did a jigsaw puzzle on my computer.

Nice Saturday! (no academics, you'll notice)

Mamie, I did take a little break. Sat outside in the sun (but with my SPF shirt on to protect my forearms) and read a chapter, did a little emailing, had some crackers & cheese. Now I'm back to listening to an interview. Ugh. This guy likes to hear himself talk.

Karen, I'll be happy if I read at least one of the books for the June event. I do think it will help me get more out of it.
I saw on your Green Dragon thread that you're struggling with the retirement home decision. It sounds like a tough thing to be considering --- and worth giving the time to. I assume Greta and Benny would be able to come with you?
It is a lovely Saturday. I should have gotten up and gone for a run before it got so warm.

Yes, can you believe that! both dogs would be welcome; and I'd be walking the dogs a good deal more than I do now. Ha. No backyard to let them out on command. Their command of me, of course.

It has been rainy and misty for the last three days. Last night it poured rain. When I woke up this morning the sun was shining and everything was sparkling, but it was cold. So cold I had to turn on the heat. It got down to 60 last night and today was only in the 70's. Usually by this time I am in sandals and digging out the hot weather clothes. Not that way this spring.

The exhibits will close at 5. Will you be there before then?

Hi Ellen!

The cozy chair/reading bit sounds a lot better than audio recordings of interviews, but I do hope you had a productive day (I'm sure you did.)

Anyway, I should definitely put Flight Behavior on my list - what a great quote.

We had a great time in your city, Ellen. The last couple of days - gorgeous weather!

If I didn't thank you before, thanks for the tip on salted caramel ice cream with hot fudge topping at Molly Moon's - I went for it, and it was delicious.

Give up resisting. Flight Behavior is developing into an excellent novel with lots of layers
Thats easy for you to say, you havent seen the way my tbr pile looks at me, and the way I look at myself when I disregard my much-thought-out lists of books I really really must read soon. :)

Dropping in to catch up with you Ellen!

I haven't read any Kingsolver yet, but you have me intrigued with your quote from Flight Behavior!

Hi Ellen! just swooping in to say hi and happy Saturday. I'm so glad I own FB and will read it when I come around to the K's again. Have a great Cinco de Mayo!

Hi Ellen - It sounds like your weather is great. I hope you got through your interviews. Good luck. My last search committee was three years ago, and I think I need another couple of years to recover-- they can be grueling.

I'm so glad you are loving Flight Behavior -- I loved the characters. It's one I will read again.

Have a relaxing Sunday.

I know you said that the rentals give you a hedge against inflation but something to think of is how long will you have the energy and ability to keep up with the demands of being a landlady?

Ellen, I think Morphy was thinking she was on my thread. It is I who worry if I have a good hedge against inflation if I sell my rental house. I am contemplating the Retirement Home still..... I do not like trying to predict the future. I would probably not be good at writing sci fi.

Hope you are having a wonderful Sunday. I'm alternating between yard work and inside resting the tired old body.

Stella and I came in from our afternoon of lazing in the sunshine just now. She sends slurps.

Individual responses to follow but I must write a bit about this day.

I had terrible insomnia last night. Just could not fall to sleep. I turned on the light to read a bit twice, finally fell asleep around 4am. Still, 7am, I wake up. It just happens.

Anyway, this was a very nice day. It was sunny and about 80F in Seattle and, after an early run to the co-op, P and I spent some time down at the p-patch (community garden). I pulled weeds and listened to The Likeness, which I think I started listening to last August. Audiobooks. They don't go quickly for me.

We prepped our garden for green beans, tomatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes, carrots, chard, beets, radishes, kale, etc. Then home and I listened to the last two interviews for this search committee on which I am serving (can you say deadly?), after which I gave myself permission to read a bit of Flight Behavior on the back patio. P and I covered a plot of grass with newspaper and compost (phew!) to kill the grass and create a flower bed. Then dinner: salmon and asparagus on the grill and a very nice 2006 Brooks Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley. It was one of those remarkable Seattle evenings when one can sit outside and it's just perfect. I do love this part of the world.

Tomorrow is Monday. Oh well. Time to earn the Science Diet for Abby.

Karen if both dogs would be welcome, that does make it more appealing.

Benita, ugh. Our weather has been notably more sublime than yours. :-|
I doubt I will get there before 5pm on the 30th. I think I'll need to ride the el to get to where you and Mark and Kerri (and anyone else?) are. We're going to have to let this be a bit fluid.....

Kerri, I was quite productive, though I had to finish listening to the interviews today (and #7 was deadly dull). Flight Behavior keeps going up and down on me.

Joe!!! I'm so glad you tried the salted caramel ice cream with hot fudge. I mean, that is the height of decadence and just plain pleasure. I do wish we had connected while you were here in Seattle, but more opportunities will present themselves.

Oh, your day sounds lovely!
Especially the grilled salmon part ;-)

Enticing comments on Flight Behavior... following your take on this book with interest. I love Kingsolver books.

Don't work too hard this week if you can help it. You need to rest up for next weekend so you can do more great stuff!

Megan, I'm not impressed by your TBR pile. I just assume it looks a lot like that of most of us around here. ;-)
I figure reading plans are, by definition, tentative and open to influence by LT buddies. xo

Tina, wait. You haven't read any Kingsolver???? This must be rectified.
How are you doing now that you are a newlywed? P and I started planning our August wedding this evening. So weird, after being together for 17+ years, to think about planning a wedding. I'm ambivalent, I admit.

But I'm not ambivalent about Barbara Kingsolver.

Lynda, there was some great Latin dancing on Red Square on the UW campus on Friday for Cinco de Mayo. It's always fun to see college students celebrating like that.
When you come around to the K's again?

Beth, listening to the interviews was a bit of a drag but not as bad as I feared. Luckily, most (but not all) of the candidates were engaging. Still, that's a number of hours when I could not read.....
The characters in Flight Behavior are wonderful. And the whole butterfly thing.... very moving.

Morphy, I think Karen is right. I have no intention of becoming a landlady any time soon.

Karen, I hope the contemplation continues with some grace. Tough decisions to make....
It was a lovely Sunday. Yard work, p-patch work, a bit of reading, and a wonderful grilled salmon dinner!

Richard!!!! Please do give Stella return slurps from me. Today at the p-patch, a wonderful little dog named Stanley was there and I gave him many scritches on his back -- near the tail. He was so hedonistically happy. I hope your week is a good one with no pain and lots of good reading. xo

Cee, LOL --- yes, I do need a quiet week.

It will be an odd week. We have the two finalists for the VP position coming in this week. One of them will presumably be my new boss. Too weird.

Yes, the day was very sweet. A day of high 70s-low 80s is just about my definition of perfection in this part of the world. My pot luck buddies came over and we had brots, potato salads, Caesar salad, sun tea for dinner while watching Game of Thrones. Then planned next week's dinner - I think we are headed for some Indian cuisine! Yum.

Next week should be a tough one for me, but it is followed by a four day weekend so I think I can do it.

Happy week to you, too.

Monday comes too soon, but the weekend sounds like it sortakinda made up for it. Except that whole insomnia thing. Boo hiss on that.

Wow. You have accomplished so much this week! I'm quite impressed!
Weird indeed to be in on the interviews ffor your own boss. Much luck with that..
Hope that your week is a really good one in as many ways possible.

>231 maggie1944:/236 Er, oops? Where are we going and why am I in this handbasket?

I hear we've switched weather with you all, and you've got some of our fires as a result! We need the rain, though.

Ugh. Another horrible insomnia night. I fell asleep after 4am (yes, for the first time all night) and the alarm still went off at 5:45. That's 2 out of the last 3 nights with far too little sleep. I did sit up a read a bit, but spent too many hours lying awake thinking. Some of the thoughts were pleasant but they deteriorated into worry about work and I was doomed.

Karen, I hope your week is less tough than anticipated. I am, at present, planning to attend Book Club on Monday, if only to bring you the two books I borrowed.

Richard, I so agree (boo hiss on insomnia). I've been an insomniac for most of my life, having been very surprised indeed to learn at about age ten that most people (my peers at slumber parties) didn't routinely take 2-3 hours to fall asleep. Who knew??

Kath, sometimes I surprise myself at how much I can accomplish.
This morning is the first of the two interviews for my new boss. I suppose that might have something to do with the insomnia. That, and the approaching end of the budget year......
Happy Tuesday to you!

Morphy, LOL!!! Well, sometimes it's best to just hold on and go along for the ride!! I have certainly had my share of confused moments on LT.

Roni, yes, I talked with someone in LA yesterday and she said it was raining. Meanwhile, it was 87F here yesterday!!!!! Seattle gets an average of 3 days per year of 90+ temps. 87F in May is outrageous. I enjoyed it, though.

Completed Flight Behavior.

Started The Great Gatsby.

I enjoyed the heat yesterday, too. My house stays pretty cool if I remember to not open doors and windows to let the hot air in.

My solution for work related worried lack of sleep was to get a legal pad of yellow paper and to write down every problem/solution that I could think of, and then, I'd say: there. Now I can not forget that I thought all these ideas and so now, I can sleep.

But that may or may not work for you. I am not a true insomniac, probably the exact opposite. I can pretty much fall asleep on a dime and if I wake it is because I've had enough. This morning it was up at 3:30... academics were finished.

I am still only about 120 pages into my Booktopia book, though.

I am supposed to get book 2 today... oh, my. When will I fit it in?

I had to get out of the office for a little bit this afternoon. Wandered up to The Magus (used bookstore) and picked up a somewhat battered copy of The Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters. Now, back to work.