Mark's Reading Place: Bibliomania! #14

-Francine Van Hove (I want to thank Paul S for turning me on to this extraordinary artist!) Many of these paintings show much more flesh. I showed admirable restraint, eh?

Currently Reading:



Audiobook:


Graphic:


Books Read So Far...

March:

26) Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan 4.2 stars (audio)
27) Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel G. Marquez 4.5 stars (OTS)
28) The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie 5 stars
29) Fire (A Companion to Graceling) by Kristin Cashore 4 stars (audio)
30) Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness by Alexandra Fuller 4.3 stars (audio)
31) The Collector by John Fowles 4 stars (OTS)
32) St Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell 3.8 stars (OTS)
33) Cinder (Lunar Chronicles) by Marissa Meyer 4 stars (audio)
34) My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor 4.6 stars (audio)
35) Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple 4 stars (audio)
36) Delirium by Lauren Oliver 3.6 stars (audio)
37) The Big Rock Candy Mountain by Wallace Stegner 4.8 stars GR (OTS)
38) Heads in Beds by Jacob Tomsky 4.2 stars (audio)
39) Devil's Peak: A Novel by Deon Meyer 4.5 stars

April:

40) The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters 3.7 stars (audio)
41) Galore by Michael Crummey 4.6 stars (audio)
42) The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood 3.8 stars (OTS)
43) Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach 4.7 stars (audio)
44) Old Filth by Jane Gardam 4.6 stars GR
45) The Dinner by Herman Koch 3.3 stars (audio)
46) The Hope Factory: A Novel by Lavanya Sankaran 4 stars E.R.
47) Broken Harbor (Dublin Murder Squad) by Tana French 4.3 stars (audio)
48) Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood 4.3 stars
49) Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein 4.2 stars (audio)
50) The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood 4 stars (audio)
51) Howards End by E. M. Forster 4.5 stars (OTS)

May:

52) Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson 3.8 stars (audio)
53) Benediction by Kent Haruf 4.5 stars
54) Dark Places by Gillian Flynn 4.2 stars (audio) OTS
55) Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver 4.6 stars (audio)
56) Little Wolves by Thomas Maltman 3.5 stars
57) Iron House by John Hart 4 stars (audio) OTS
58) Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala 4.5 stars (audio)
59) The Ghosts of Nagasaki by Daniel Clausen 4.6 stars (OTS)
60) The Merry Misogynist by Colin Cotterill 4 stars (audio)
61) When She Woke by Hillary Jordan 3.8 stars (OTS)
62) Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss 4 stars (audio)
63) A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness 4.7 stars (audio)
64) Nineteen Seventy-Four by David Peace 2.7 stars (audio) OTS
65) The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa 5 stars (OTS)
66) Life After Life by Kate Atkinson 4.4 stars (audio)

June:

67) Enon by Paul Harding 3.6 stars (OTS)
68) Black Irish by Stephan Talty 3.7 stars (audio)
69) Looking for Alaska by John Green 3.8 stars (audio)
70) A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra 5 stars
71) The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud 3 stars (audio)
72) The Whispering Muse by Sjón 4.3 stars
73) The Absent One by Jussi Adler-Olsen 4.6 stars (audio)
74) The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller 5 stars
75) The Godfather of Kathmandu by John Burdett 2.8 stars (audio)
76) Wool by Hugh Howey 3.8 stars

First-Time Author Challenge 2013

Gabriel Garcia Marquez- Love in The Time of Cholera- Feb (Chelle)
John Fowles- The Collector-March (Pat)
E.M. Forster- April (Katie)
Mario Vargas Llosa-The Feast of the Goat May (Caro)
Dinaw Mengestu- How to Read the Air 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 participants, I'll set up a Group Read.

Group Reads 2013:

A Fine Balance- by Rohinton Mistry July
2666 by Roberto Bolaño- October

Hola Mark!

Hi Mark: Hope you had a good time at Printers Row. Judging by your comments on the previous thread, which I've now just seen, it sounds like you did.

Hi Mark, I missed an entire thread of yours (maybe more) due to RL. :(

I love the paintings at the top of your thread.

I forgot about reading A Fine Balance in July but know exactly where my copy is so I hope to join you.

I am home safe and sound. I had a great weekend! And evidently, you all had a great time at your Lit Fest! So cool. I think I beat you on numbers of book bought this weekend... let's see.... Yup, bought 7, was given 1, and had the good fortune to have 5 (new and previously owned) signed. And the authors were all so sweet they signed with saying something specific about meeting me at Booktopia.

I think I owe you a great big smooch, and a hug, and more thank you than I can say for having told us about Booktopia, and encouraged us to sign up and go. It was very very fun!!! More pictures here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/154935#4138952

Lit Fest & Thingaversary acquisitions (as you can see I am a pretty conservative guy):

Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa- I am already sold on this guy!
Three Musketeers- Illustrated edition- Never read it and it would look perfect on the shelf. Win, win!
Sputnik Sweetheart- Haruki Murakami- Did not have this one!
Fifth Business by Robertson Davis- Never read him and Joe insisted.
The Bird Artist- by Howard Norman- Another Joe rec!
The Coroner’s Lunch by Colin Cotterill- I gave away my last copy. This belongs on my “crime keeper shelf”.

Great new thread, Mark. Paintings of sensuous reading - I wonder whether they're librarians?

Ton o' fun at the lit fest! Thanks for the Russell Banks rec, and all the others I've got rambling through my brain now. Having a beer on the porch now and enjoying the after effects of a day well spent.

Nice new thread, Mark! Sounds like you had a great time at the lit fest today - and what a great haul! Snagging a seat here early because I don't want to miss any of the fun!

Sounds like a good day, Mark. And happy new thread!

sounds like you had a great time even if you weren't at Booktopia and only at some little Lit Fest in a second city.

Ann and Mike do indeed remember you. They remembered you when I said hello for you last year in Oxford, MS. I certainly hope that you get to go to Michigan in September. It is time for you to be at another Booktopia. I can't do the one in September because it is the busy time of year for those of us involved in academe. A month later and it would not be an issue, but not in September. I am sure that as the time gets closer you will get to go.

The Lit Fest sounds like a good time was had by all! Enjoy what's left of your weekend, Mark.

I wanted to post this again:



^I finished A CONSTELLATION OF VITAL PHENOMENA! 5 stars all the way! Is that a great image from the NYT Book Review? Here's the NYT Review:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/09/books/review/a-constellation-of-vital-phenomen...



Am, I subtle or what? I am working on my own review and hopefully, I'll have it posted in a couple of days.

Roberta- You are Number One! Yah! Good to see you.

Linda- I hope you can make Lit Fest one of these years. You were at the Cubs game, right? Hey, at least they brought home a nice WIN.
And Go Blackhawks! How exciting.

Pat- Wow! It's good to see you. Joe and I were talking about A Fine Balance today. We saw many copies of it. Joe is a huge fan. Looking forward to the G.N. and I hope you can join us.

Karen- Yes, I am very careful on my book purchases. I don't think I spent much more than 30 bucks. My TBR stacks, like most of us, are so big, I hate adding to it.

Joe- Welcome, my friend. I hope you like Mr. Banks. The Sweet Hereafter is a short and powerful work.

Mamie- Good to see you! It's been a crazy day and now we are settling in to watch the finale of Game of Thrones.

Katie- Thanks! Hope you had a nice weekend.

Benita- It's nice to be remembered, isn't it? Michael and I, chat occasionally on Good Reads. I still love their book recs. I agree, I am due a Booktopia. I hope someone cancels. All crossables crossed.

Julia- If you can ever make it into Chicago, just let me know and we'll hang out. You can't beat the Chicago LT Gang. We may be small but we are mighty. Grrrrr!

Whew, at least I can rest up til game 1 of the finals on Wed.

I went to it years ago when it was still called Printers Row. Really try to cut back on my book buying this year. No room for more books. Who am I kidding, there's always room but I'm trying to clear things out.

Booktopia? What is this? I need to investigate. Oh wait, is that the book event you're doing in upper lower Michigan?

Oh I love your reading ladies up at the top Mark. And you've certainly got me convinced. I just placed a hold on A Constellation of Vital Phenomena at the library. 5 stars are hard to resist:)

Re: A Constellation of Vital Phenomena



Amazon stocks it, to my one-click sorrow.

Goodbye Game of Thrones! Adios! Ciao! See you next year. I will miss you. A good solid finale. A few terrific small moments. Is there anything better than Tyrion back-talking Joffrey? Priceless.

Linda- Booktopia events are planned by the Books on the Nightstand podcast folks. Wonderful people and they've been doing 3 events across the country, a year. I hope they pick Chicago next year.
Go Blackhawks!

Bonnie- You will love Constellation. I hope to get my review posted soon.

RD- You will not regret it, my friend. Or I sure the hell hope not. LOL.



^Good night...

Oh, now that looks like my bed!

Mark, if in 2014 BOTNS plans another Booktopia for Bellingham, I think you should come to this one. According to Ann it did not fill up so fast so you would have a much better chance of snagging a spot! We can hope. And it was a spectacular event. One small town over run by book lovers!

ETA: The dragons are quite beautiful, are they not? And really, Joffrey is the worst. Poor Jon Snow. Oh, me, poor everyone. Winter is coming but not for a few weeks. I need to buy Season 2 and watch all of it again, and then watch Season 3 again, as I missed far too many episodes. But you are right, tonight's was great. Loved it.

Happy new thread, favorite Mark of mine! I'm glad you were able to restrain yourself. I'm getting better at that at used book sales... but it's definitely something I have to work at!

*tosses glitter*

Well, five years ago today, I stumbled upon this place and what a game-changer it turned out to be. I still can not get my mind around all the wonderful people I have met and continue to meet, over here.
I think I started the 50 Book challenge, about six months in and a thread lasted me a year. At that point I was reading about 40 books a year. Wow, that all began to change quickly.

My very first friends on LT, were Joanne and Donna and amazingly enough, we are still chums. I think we may have met on the "What are You Reading Now" thread, where I ended up meeting many other LTers. I no longer go over to that thread. No time.
I hope I didn't make anyone tear up but I did a little.

Karen- I hope they pick the Pacific Northwest too. My sister and a sprinkling of other relatives live in and around Salem OR. Sorry, you missed episodes of GOT. I hope you get caught up.

Es- Yep, that's us, Models of Restraint. LOL. I have no choice. I am running out of room and my wife just might file for divorce. We can't have either of those.

Happy Thingaversary, Mark!! Wow, five years. Congrats!!

Happy Thingaversary Mark! Although I've been lurking around here a couple years longer than you, my experience is very similar. I met a lot of people in the What are you Reading Now group (and like you, I don't visit that group anymore). I also started with the 50 book challenge, "moved up" to this group, and even though my current pace doesn't justify my membership I love the people and for the most part we don't care about the numbers anyway. I have several LT friends that I met in my first year here, and those friendships have evolved and strengthened over time. This is a great place!!

Happy Thingaversary!

Happy Thingaversary, Mark. I am so happy to have LT, and the 75 Books Challenge, and you in my life. It has made my retirement a richer experience in so many ways! You're definitely a big part of that with your good humor and great comments on good books! Many happy returns of this anniversary.

Happy Thingaversary, Mark! I think Donna and Joanne were two of the first people I "met" here, too. And I should add that you made me feel very welcome when I first started and that encouraged me to reach out to more people, so thank you!

Happy Thingaversary, Mark! I cannot imagine this place without your enthusiasm and book love. You have made a difference to so many of us and to our bookshelves - I know that mine are much heavier thanks to your recommendations!! Here's hoping that your day is full of fabulous!

Happy Thingaversary, Mark!



How about a tree house in the backyard to hold the new book acquisitions?

Happy Thingaversary, Mark! It's been a joy getting to know you this year, and we WILL meet someday when I can drag myself to Chicago. That's a promise!

Happy Thingaversary!

All the well-wishes for your Thingaversary:

Lather, rinse, repeat :)

Wow, Mark, those five years went by quickly. I'm proud to be one of your first friends. As you know, Joanne and I have met in person several times and hope to meet up again later in the summer. When am I going to get to meet you? It will happen one of these days. Until then I will be a faithful thread follower of my favorite mailman! Happy Thingaversary!

Happy Thingaversary, Mark! And thanks for all you've done in making LT such a great place--all the great recommendations, the group reads, the Christmas Swap, and, last but not least, the good cheer. :-)

Happy Thingaversary, Mark!

And again - Happy Thingaversary, Mark

Happy Thingaversary Mark! What a ride!!!

OMG! See! This is exactly what I am talking about. Pure LOVE! Thanks everyone for the beautiful comments. Let's do this another 25 years. I'll only be in my late 70s and still reading my old fanny off.

Linda- Thanks! We'll have to arrange a meet sometime soon. We are way over-due. Home Run Inn, right?

Laura- I think the 75 Challenge is like hanging out on a street corner or at a favorite pub. A place to congregate and shoot the biblio-breeze. And yes, numbers do not matter but if you want to keep up with what everyone is raving about, it sure can keep you hopping.

Kath- Loving waves!

Karen- What kind words. Thanks! Isn't it great to have a place to turn to, that will put a big smile on your face and give you outstanding book recs? We should bottle that baby and sell it.

Katie- Thanks! There have been a few LTers that disappeared on us, (they have no idea what they are missing) but I think the CORE has pretty much stayed intact. I am up for going on a few more years. Are you with me?

Mamie- You're trying make me cry, right? There you, did it! Wow, am I getting to be old softy! Well, you've been a shining light around here too! One of these days, I'll have to make it down south.

Joe- Thanks! It's been such a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I think we were like old book buddies from the first time we met. I can't imagine not having this sanctuary in my life.

Julia- Thanks! Remember, for any reason you make it this way, give me a shout!

RD- How thoughtful you are. Now, that's a coffee table, although I do prefer mine with a bit more on top, if you know what I mean.

>31 richardderus: yikes!

Happy Thingaversary Mark! You sure make LT a fun place to be. Thanks for the threads you sponsor and the awesome Christmas Swap!

Oh and thanks for recommending awesome shows like Call the Midwife.

I had a good book day! Although there was one clunker, The Woman Upstairs. I thought this would be much better and the opening chapter was dynamite but it slowly went down hill from there. Maybe a female reader could get more out of it. Who knows?
I did finish a very nice discovery, by an Icelandic author, The Whispering Muse by Sjon. I think his books are just beginning to find there way here. And it was only 140 pages! Yahoo!
On audio, I started the Absent One. I just can't leave that M & M behind, but I really like this series and I know the 3rd one was just released and I don't want to get behind.
And my literary high-light of the day was starting The Song of Achilles. Only 20 pages in and I am already hooked. Why did I drag my feet so long on this one? A good damn question.

Es- Thanks! It's so nice to have you along with us. Some people just fit right in and you're one of them.

Donna- Thanks for the kind thoughts. Yes, we go way back and you are correct, we will have to meet up one of these days and of course I would love to meet Joanne. Try to bookhorn the Song of Achilles as soon as you can. I think it will grab you too!

Pat- Thanks! It's good to see you! I've missed your visits and we go back a ways too! The amount of terrific people on this site is jaw-dropping.

Darryl, Kerry & Bonnie! Big hearty waves! Thanks, guys!

Bonnie- I don't know what I would do without you around. I think we orbit around each other on our book selections and what a great orbit it is.

Hey Mark, did you see the Cubs game tonight? The thing is...you can't see. It's too foggy!! Yet they're playing.

Francine Van Hove thread toppers. OH my!

happy thingaversary to you, Marky. love the back story.

i, too, finished Vital phenomena and it will be either a 4.5 or 5 star. i'm listening to it for a second time as i got very confused by the time-switching in audio and the people were blurring in my mind by the end. large print won't be out till September so i decided it was definitely worth an audio reread. thanks for the link to the NYT review.

in one review i read--something British, iirc--i came across the name of Anna Politkovskaya, about whom i knew nothing.

she was a Russian journalist, born in the US, strongly opposed to the Chechen wars and the Putin government. she wrote about atrocities she'd seen in Chechnya and about the loss of freedom of speech and the press in Russia. she was shot and killed in an elevator in her apartment building in 2006. she was found with a Makarov pistol beside her.

i ordered, and just got, a book of her unpublished work, Is journalism worth dying for?, released posthumously. very small print but i'm giving it a shot. unlike Vital phenomena, there's no humor at all, nor should there be, but it gives me a closer look at the situation from someone who was there through both wars.

Happy 5th Thingaversary, Mark!
and many more...
Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm in so many ways ;-)

>41 msf59:: Aw, shucks. Thanks, Mark. It's nice to have a place to fit in.

70) A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra 5 stars

Sadly, the recent Boston Bombings have placed Chechnya in the public conscious but this resilient little country in northern Russia was also involved in two wars during the 1990s, which didn’t seem to get much press, here in the West. This story and it’s inhabitants, are caught squarely in between these bloody bookends.
An eight year old girl watches her father hauled away, in the middle of the night, by the Feds. A friend and neighbor, also is witness to this incident and takes the girl to a nearby hospital, where she’ll be safe, under the protection of Sonja, the attending physician. Like the rest of them, Sonja has a haunted past and has been searching for her missing sister. Sonja spends many hours at the hospital, dealing with an endless onslaught of births and amputations.
How their stories begin to intertwine and flow into each other, is the magic of this novel. There is a subtle beauty to the prose, mined from these horrific events. A chain of pain, sacrifice, love and regret. I can not praise this book higher.

"The things in his life that caused him the most sorrow were the things he'd lived with the longest, and now that everything was falling they became the pillars that held him..."

“Entire years had passed when he was rich enough in time to disregard the loose change of a minute, but now he obsessed over each one, this minute, the next minute, the one following, all of which were different terms for the same illusion.”

Happy 5th Thingaversary Mark! You did show incredible restraint, IMO! :0)

>46 msf59: Wow. I have upgethumbed and now await delivery of my copy with what patience I can muster.

I enjoyed The whispering muse as well, I think I read it last year. A bit different in a good way.
Good review of the Marra book...already noted from your earlier comments.

I've been recommended Anthony Loyd's My War Gone By I Miss it So, so will mention it here.

#38 by @msf59> Now, that's a coffee table, although I do prefer mine with a bit more on top, if you know what I mean. The problem with your, er, design preference is that the drinks tend to spill all over.

Good morning! I work six days this week but the good news is, I am on vacation next week. Looking forward to it. And the carpet is being installed this Thursday, my allergies are over and I am currently reading The Song of Achilles. Is life good or what?

Linda- I never turned the TV on last night! They ended up losing again, right? they need another winning streak.

Ellie- I love all your thoughts on Constellation. Once this book comes out in paper, I will own a copy. I am not sure my skimpy review did it justice but I hope my enthusiasm does.

Claudia- Thanks, my friend. It's always good to see you. Have you read The Song of Achilles yet?

Es- You will always have a home here. It's nice having an oasis to stop at, especially when RL is being difficult.

Tina- Thanks! I have to show restraint, for my pocketbook and my book space. I have read or I am reading 3 library books in a row, while my TBR books are screaming from the shelves. Poor guys.

RD- Thanks! I should have fine-tuned it a little more but what the hell, as long as my point comes across. Can't wait to hear your thoughts.

Kerry- I am looking forward to reading more Sjon. I really like that style. Thanks for recommending My War Gone By I Miss it So, it sounds like something I would like.

Julia- That coffee table is not supposed to have a practical use, silly! Just an entertaining conversation piece. Grins, sheepishly.

As soon as one of us wins the lottery, we've got to promise to start up a library pub just for us LTers...

Nice review of Constellation, Mark. You convinced me a while ago, and I have it on the WL.

I'm about 2/3 of the way through Let the Great World Spin and liking it. I didn't expect the changing perspectives, but I'm glad Corrigan and his bro keep coming back. We just got the phone hacker's "view" of Philippe Petit's walk between the towers.

Hi Mark, great review of Constellation. I just put it on hold at the library.

I also recently finished The Woman Upstairs and had mixed feelings about it. Reading it shortly after The Dinner was probably a mistake--too many unlikeable characters.

I have The Whispering Muse by Sjon out of the library but doubt I'll be able to get to it despite the fact that it's so short. We'll be away for a long weekend and I'm only taking one book (so I have room for what I buy while I'm away) and I don't think it's going to be that one.

Lucky you that you have a vacation week to look forward to!

thumbed your review of Constellation, amigo mio. and yes, your enthusiasm about anything works wonders for me. if i hadn't already read it, i would. my favorite part of your review:

"How their stories begin to intertwine and flow into each other, is the magic of this novel. There is a subtle beauty to the prose, mined from these horrific events. A chain of pain, sacrifice, love and regret." well and beautifully said.

^ You know, I love this sentiment. It works for me throughout the day. And it sure helps when both my current audio & print books are kicking biblio-butt! I am enjoying the Absent One and I am loving The Song of Achilles. I rest my case.

Morphy- I sure love the way your mind works. An LT Pub, just outside our LT Retirement Community? Sounds heavenly to me. Come on, Lotto!

Joe- I don't think you or anyone else will be disappointed by Constellation. I think it will be at the top of many lists by the end of the year.
I am so glad you are enjoying Let the Great World Spin and that it makes you an instant McCann fan.

Pat- I am glad to see I am not the only one who felt the Woman Upstairs fell short. I kept waiting for something to happen for the middle 2/3rds and it became a slog and I don't think that ending was satisfying enough either.
I hope you can take out the Whispering Muse again. Yes, it's short but it also reads very quickly. You can read it in 2 sittings.

Ellie- Thank you, my friend. That especially means a lot coming from you, since you also read and loved the book. I hope I can set up a chain of LTers, busy reading Constellation. Fingers crossed.

I'm glad to hear that you have been having a good book period. Good books are magic in their way :)

Those paintings at the top of your thread are lovely, Mark!! I will be checking out the artist.

What?! The Tome Home MUST have a bar. That delivers. In fact, two: One for quiet drinkreading and one for boisterous booktalking, spoilers assumed!

Mark 60 posts in before I wise up to another rip-roaring installment. Good luck with Song of Achilles one of my favourite reads from last year.

It's nice having an oasis to stop at, especially when RL is being difficult.

So true, my friend. You have no idea how true for me.

>53 jnwelch:: Let the Great World Spin is one of my favorite books of all time.

Hope everyone has a good Wednesday! We are halfway there. We are supposed to have severe thunderstorms later today. Wish me luck. Hopefully, most of it rolls in just as I am finishing up the "rounds". All crossables crossed.

Kath- Yes, I have a great book stretch going and based on what I have waiting in the wings, the streak should continue.

Ellen- Glad you like the toppers! I am crazy about Van Hove. And I am crazy about the song of Achilles.

RD- "The Tome Home MUST have a bar." I like the way you think, my friend and yes, you have to have a "quiet" space. I get distracted very easy.

Paul- I've been patiently waiting for your visit. LOL. I can not believe I waited so long to start Song of Achilles but at least i finally jumped aboard.

Es- I am starting to wonder how life would be without LT....shudders. I also have McCann's latest waiting at hand. I've heard nothing but good things about that one too!

Cute Camel! So where exactly do you go to hide from pop up storms? Luck staying dry today !

No, no. No "bar" - a bar is a place to get drunk, hook up and yell at a TV screen playing loud sports. A pub is a place where you meet friends, chat and get a healthy glow on.

Glad you're enjoying The Song of Achilles, Mark. I'm liking Let the Great World Spin, but maybe not at the level that many of its fans have. More time with wirewalker Philippe Petit has been fun.

Hope you get done today before the storms come!

where're all your storms? not till later i guess. you may at least rejoice in your coolth. we're at 89 F w/ a heat index of 95 and the tiger mosquitoes are *veeeeery* happy. me? nahsomuch. ah, it's the new summertime in "Tinnissee."



at least we have a lot of bats this year along with the barn swallows making a living off the stripy little biters.

Stay safe, my friend.

We're in the "high" probability of dangerous storms this evening. Only the 16th time since 1980. Very unusual here.

I see some ominous clouds are heading your way. Sorry. I hope you all stay safe and sound, and can just curl up somewhere dry and comfy and read through it all.

>65 Morphidae:: Morphy and I are obviously not frequenting the same pubs ;-)

>63 msf59:: I'm so jealous of the folks who won TransAtlantic as an ER book! I'll get my hands on it some day...

"Give me a man or woman who has read a thousand books and you give me an interesting companion. Give me a man or woman who has read perhaps three and you give me a very dangerous enemy indeed.”
— Anne Rice

^ I am not much of a Anne Rice fan anymore but I like that quote.

Well, I did get very lucky and avoided the rain and storms, although it did get extremely muggy in the afternoon. The storms are rolling in right now though and it's supposed to be severe. It got very dark out there with plenty of rolling thunder.

Kath- There are usually only a couple of options when I get caught in a downpour: Stay in the vehicle, until the worse passes or take refuge on a covered porch, which I have done many times. I prefer that over standing under a tree. Funny, I've had people hand me umbrellas, which is very kind but impractical, unless I had an extra hand.

Morphy- Our description of a bar is much closer to your version of a pub. Quiet discussion, while sipping beverages. I don't think we should even have a TV.

Joe- I am LOVING The Song of Achilles. Sorry that Let the Great World Spin is not grabbing you the way I hoped. I wonder if it's the connected stories, part of it?
Go Blackhawks!

Ellie- The storms are arriving now and since I am snug, warm and dry, I don't really care. Our mosquitoes have been busy but I think it will get worse as the summer progresses.

Linda- I am safe & sound. I hope no one in the area gets hit to bad. Fingers crossed. Go Blackhawks.

Karen- Thanks for checking in. All is good.

Katie- I am with you. LOL.

Es- Actually a wonderful LT friend sent me a copy of TransAtlantic and my plan was to kick off June reading it but as you can see that didn't happen. I do hope to get to it soon.

"I don't think we should even have a TV."

I agree. Totally unnecessary.

I second that agreement; not only unnecessary, a total distraction into nothing of importance

Thirded!

not only unnecessary, a total distraction into nothing of importance

Lather, rinse, repeat!

I haven't posted in this thread yet?! I swore I did... I've been reading it. My brain is mush.

Can we have a C3PO trolley in the barpub?

Ellie, you're in Tennessee? Did you see this article yet? Loved it.
http://www.styleblueprint.com/lifestyle/travel/nashville-city-shambles/

>22 msf59: I hope I didn't make anyone tear up but I did a little.
*sniff sniff*
(((hugs)))

Hi Marky Mark-
Im baaaaaaack! (just to quote Jack Nicholson seeing as I will be watching him in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest this evening- loose association, I know)

Thread topper pic? LOL, of course, its Mark's thread!!

Great book haul to celebrate Thingamaversary and book fair, always nice to bring tomes into the house, congrats.

"Reading makes immigrants of us all. It takes us away from home, but more important, it finds homes for us everywhere." -- Jean Rhys

Sweet Thursday! Well, this is a big day for the Marky-Mark Man-Cave. The carpet is being installed. Yahoo! We've been busy this week trying to get as much stuff out of here as possible. I'll dismantle the PC when I am through here and that will be the last thing. Now, we are looking at the HUGE project of putting everything back. UGH!
Three more work days left! Double Yahoo!



Go Blackhawks! They won in triple overtime: 4-3. Of course I was fast asleep.

Es, Karen & RD- Okay, no TV on the premises. LOL.

Kathy- Keeping up with the threads is a Herculean task. No worries! "Can we have a C3PO trolley in the barpub?" Of course we can, as long as there is not a television attached somewhere.

Megan- There's my ray of sunshine! Good to see you back and I hope you are feeling much better. I'll have to stop by and see what you are reading.

Our area has cooled off nice after the storms rolled through last night. Low 70s today and sunny. Sweet!
Have a great day, everyone!

What if we call it an inn? a tavern?

Agreed. Absolutely no TV. Though perhaps something that we could play DVDs on? A screen with no cable? We do want to be able to watch Downtown Abbey, Game of Thrones and various book based movies.

Go, Blackhawks! What a team they have this year. That Boston goalie is unbelievable. At times the Hawks were swarming all over him, and couldn't get the puck in the net. Way to go, Andy Shaw!

We dodged a bullet with the storms, didn't we. Pretty quiet out our way, just a steady, mild rain, with a lot of thunder and lightning. Looking like a good one today, cool and not muggy so far.

Yeah, I came away from Let the Great World Spin impressed by his craft in realistically conveying so many very different characters (prostitutes, artists, blue collar, upper crust), and the cleverness of the ripples spreading from Petit's wire walk, but all the different perspectives kept me from getting momentum going. I wanted one story after another to "play through", and instead he'd jump to a different story. Very well done, and I can see why it has so many fans, but for me a bit frustrating in the reading.

You must frequent a different kind of bar than I those with which I have had experience. Bars are noisy places. Lots of loud music and drunks in abundance. Pubs, on-the-other-hand, or coffee shops are much quieter and allow people to sit around and talk.

I do not like to frequent eating establishments that have TV's. A real restaurant does NOT have a TV. I don't like TV's in coffee shops either. TV, in general, is a distraction.

Joe, I have to laugh when I see you call him Andy Shaw. When I hear that name, I think of that pesky, nerdy investigative reporter who is now head of the Better Govt Assoc.

That was quite a game last night and the pinball-type, double deflection for the Hawks at the end came as a relief. I don't think I've ever given a game I've watched at home a standing ovation before. Or maybe I just needed to stand up and was excited that it was finally over.

What a game. The only way it could've been any better was if it had been a Game 7.

I was reading A River Runs Through It at the intermissions, of which there were five, to try to calm down.

Hi Mark -
Song of Achilles - you know, I had that book in my hands not too long ago and ready to read it when something else distracted me. I do so want to get to Achilles! Glad you are loving it... that gives good odds that I will too.

Do we get a picture of the Great Man Cave?
I empathize with the get everything out, then put everything back! Heavy sigh.

#72 "...Give me a man or woman who has read perhaps three and you give me a very dangerous enemy indeed.”
I don't really get this part of the quote. What is the danger???
Getting dense in my old age, I guess.

How do you like my new laptop?

I'll have to stop by and see what you are reading.
Ill make it easy for you, Mark (seeing as your man cave is in disrepair)
Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel. Dont tell anyone but I am struggling with this one. And I still have 650 pages to go!
Northline by Willy Vlautin (he may just be my new favourite author, have you read him?)

And of course the usual suspects clambering their way for coveted position of "next-up".
The Accidental Tourist, Peace Like a River, Revolutionary Road, How to Look at a Painting (if I could just find it....) and The Eye in the Door.

^ cee, LOVE your new laptop! *oooooh*

>84 lindapanzo: Ha! I know the nerdly reporter of whom you speak, Linda. I can never get used to Andrew. I have an old roommate from college who was Andy, and now is Andrew, and I always have to remind myself.

The carpet looks great! Now we start Phase 5 or 6, or maybe it's 7. Slowly putting everything back. We are still getting new furniture and new curtains but those should be the final touches. The main thing is, we are getting there.
I did finish the Absent One. I LOVED this book. It's my top crime novel of the year, (so far) alongside Devil's Peak. Adler-Olsen really delivers. And of course, I am still crazy about The Song of Achilles.

Morphy- I think calling it an Inn, would be perfect. How about The Bookends Inn?

Joe- I should watch these hockey games a little closer! LOL. I appreciate your thoughts on Let the Great World Spin. Maybe one of his novels, like his latest, might work better for you. Hope your day went well.

Benita- "Bars are noisy places." I agree and ours will be the complete opposite, with the occasional heated argument about the merits of Dickens or Faulkner.

Linda- Gorgeous day, wasn't it? I went to bed last night, right after the Hawks tied it. No way I was staying up til midnight. Hope you are enjoying A River Runs Through It. I really need to do a reread of that one.

Claudia- I am have a pretty good feeling you will love the Song of Achilles. The descriptions of the novel never quite prepare you for how wonderful her story-telling abilities are.
I agree with you about the Rice quote but I liked it anyway.

Megan- I hope to get to Wolf Hall this year. I know not everyone is crazy about it but it's one of those books, I want to see for myself. No, I have not heard of Vlautin. You'll have to enlighten me.
Those first 3 on your "next-up" list are all awesome. Enjoy picking one.

Beautiful Thread Topper of me....

( LOL)

Oh Mark, believe it or not Chicago has a cheering squad here in Buffalo. Patrick Kane is from Buffalo, more specifically South Buffalo (I know Black Irish didn't appeal that much to you but you must remember Black Irish and South Buffalo) and the Irish bar, the Blackthorn, is the stomping ground for his family. When Chicago won the Stanley Cup a few years ago Kane took the cup to the Cave of the Winds that runs under Niagara Falls. I don't have that great a memory but they ran film of it last night as a reminder showing him holding the cup over his head with the water coming down on him.

Happy Friday, folks! 2 more work days and then vacation time. Looking forward to it. We started putting things back together in the Man-Cave but of course, there is a long way to go.

Kath- You are so gorgeous, but aren't you a little chilly? LOL.

Bonnie- That is very cool about Patrick Kane. As you can tell, I am not a huge hockey fan but I do get caught up in the riotous buzz of any winning Chicago team and this is one of the best teams in sports.

I am so happy for you that your Man Cave is almost back in order. You so deserve to have your reading chair, and reading lamp, and all your TBR book stacks all around! And yay for vacation coming up. Mine is just over and I'm staring at Summer right in front of me.... ah, "the places you will go".... I'm planning trips for me and the kids: zoo, aquarium, glass museum, Northwest Trek (outdoor animal park, people kept in busses), the beach on hot days,
The Space Needle, the Experience Music Project, and I don't know what else. Everything I can think of to help keep all three from turning into zombies who only want to sit in front of their computers/game screens.

I spent a gob of money yesterday to celebrate my anniversary of finding LT - 6 books + 1 more. Go to my thread and see what I got! Happy Friday.

For some reason my reading this year has been concentrated in 15 and 16th century Britain so as soon as I get done with the Matthew Shardlake books Wolf Hall is on the list. Of course, because of Matthew Shardlake, I have a fairly good idea of the time line for Thomas Cromwell and his life. I think that is what confuses people about Wolf Hall. The politics of that era is as convoluted and confusing as that of our own.

Hiya, Mark. Sounds like you're zero-ing in on having the Man-Cave done and ready for fine ales.

Too hectic here at work for my tastes, but it's almost the weekend. We're off to see Henry VIII at Chicago Shakespeare tonight with Miss Becca and a pal; it's been getting raves.

I'm liking the Tracy Kidder book, Among Schoolchildren. The inside detail he gets is, as always, amazing.

Another gorgeous summer day! Keep them coming. Last June (and July & August) were brutally hot, so this is such a relief.
I started, on audio, The Godfather of Kathmandu. I know several of my LT pals disliked this entry, (book 4) but I thought I would give it a shot anyway, to pave the the way for book 5, which did receive terrific reviews. I do like the gritty Bangkok world Burdett paints but so far this one is just okay. If you like a crime series, in an exotic locale, please give these books a try.
I had a few distractions today, so I didn't read as much of the Song of Achilles as I would have liked. 100 pages left.

Karen- It looks like you have a fun summer planned with the "kids". It sure is nice to do stuff outside, instead of being cooped up. Save that for the rainy days. Happy Thingaversary! I will by to check out the haul!

Benita- I hope to try out Wolf Hall and sample the Shardlake series, sometime this summer or fall.

Joe- I know Sunday is Father's Day but I will spend most of it working down here. I want to make a major dent, especially with all my books, movies and cds.
I am not familiar with that Kidder but I have loved the 2 that I have read. I'll be watching for your thoughts.

Yup. Summer has begun. I scheduled our first trip: to the Zoo on 6/27. Before that Logan gets to go to a 3 day Basketball camp. Everyone is jock-y-ing for time on the computer, and on the Nooks.

Me - I'm trying to figure how to do all that and read, and have my eyes operated upon, and sell my house

ohmy ohmy ohmy!

Hi Mark, running behind as usual so my comments are a little behind as well. First of all congratulations on your 5th Thingaversary, my 5th is the 24th of this month but I have already purchased my Thingaversary books!

More congratulations will be in order soon, by my calculations you will soon be posting about your 75th book of the year.

I haven't watched the final Game of Thrones yet, still recovering from that distressing wedding party!! YIKES.

ETA: I noticed that you purchased The Three Musketeers, we had a group read of The Count of Monte Cristo over on the Category Challenge and many of us are now planning a group read of The Three Musketeers for next year in case you are interested.

Did you see that I bought The Black Count which is about the "real" Count of Monte Cristo. I am looking forward to reading it.

“I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.”

― The Song of Achilles



Well, last day of the work week and then the vacation begins. Can you say: Sweet?

Karen- It looks like you are juggling a lot, my friend, but you seem to be handling it well. the Black count sounds really good. Sadly, I have still not read Monte Cristo.

Judy- Good to see you! Congrats on your upcoming Thingaversary. It looks like many of us started around the same time. I think they did a good job on the GOT finale. You'll like it. And I would definitely be interested in joining a G.R. of The Three Musketeers. Now, I'll just have to remember that.

I can not stay away from the library. It's like a huge biblio-magnet. I picked up:

There Are No Children Here- This is an audio of a book Joe highly recommended, so how could I refuse?
Among Others- Many LTers adore this one. This is in print form, so I have no idea when I can squeeze it in. Anyone see the bookhorn?

You have GOT to read The Count of Monte Cristo! School put me off reading the classics and Count was one of the first I tried as an adult. I just adored it. It's really three novels in one as it's a door-stopper. The "middle" third drags a little. But the first and last third are SO worth it. You have adventure, romance, revenge...

It's one of the few books I've bought for a relative as a gift.

Hej Mark, found your new thread. The Van Hove pictures are looking nice up there.

I am back from Greece and brought you some consolation/encouragement:

Oh my, The Song of Achilles has such lovely lines in it.

Happy last-day-of-work, Mark!

Vacation time.... almost as good as Christmas, IMO. ;-)
I hope you have a lovely time, however you plan to spend it.
The GR for the Three Musketeers will be a good one. I am hoping to work my way through all of the d'Artagnan books as I have only read Three Musketeers. Very glad to see you will probably join us when we read it next year!

Have a great weekend and a fabulous start to your vacation, Mark.

Happy Saturday, Mark! I'm all caught up here now. I have missed the threads this past week with Craig having time off from work, but I will be trying to do some catch up this weekend as he is busy with yard work.

Oh man, I loved The Three Musketeers. Oh man, I loved The Count of Monte Cristo. You have some wonderful reading ahead of you, my friend.

I've yet to read a Tracy Kidder book that wasn't topnotch. The first of his I read was Soul of a New Machine, and I got hooked. I'm trying to get to all of his. My favorite still is Mountains Beyond Mountains, and like you, I put Strength in What Remains right up close to it.

There Are No Children Here would make for a great audio book. I think you're going to be knocked sideways by it, and counting your blessings. Unforgettable. A kid in this country who says, "If I grow up . . ." Jeesh.

Happy Saturday Mark! Post pics of the Man Cave when you are done.

"The sailors heaved up the anchor, square and chalky with barnacles, and loosened the sails. Then they took their seats at the oars that fringed the boat like eyelashes, waiting for the count. The drums began to beat, and the oars lifted and fell, taking us to Troy."

-The Song of Achilles

...just a few pages left, folks, might as well finish it!

Hope you're enjoying your Sat evening, Mark.

I was hoping to finish my current book before the Hawks game but that's looking doubtful.

Enjoy your Father's Day and vacation!!

^ The 2nd game of the Stanley Cup finals has just started. Blackhawks & Bruins.

^ Yep, another full-boat for the Song of Achilles. That is 3, 5 star reads in just over 3 weeks. That is a rare occurrence. Like, seeing a white moose or something.

Morphy- LTers rarely steer me wrong. I WILL read The Three Musketeers and then slot in Monte Cristo. Hope you are enjoying the weekend.

Paul- Good to see you! I LOVE the Van Hove and I think a few other LTers do too! "I am back from Greece". Me too, just wrapped up the Song of Achilles. LOL.
Love the Beer Happy poster! Yah!

RD- Yes, sir! This is one of those rare books, we completely agree on. I am still hoping you feel the same way about Constellation.

Lori- Good to see you. "Vacation time.... almost as good as Christmas." Amen, my friend.

Mamie made it! Mamie made it! Always a pleasure. As you can see, I was crazy about the Song of Achilles. Once again, I owe many thanks to the LT crowd for encouraging me to read it.

Joe- Another rabid fan of Dumas! It looks like I better get the lead out! I never heard of Soul of a New Machine, so it's another one I better scope out.
Since I am on vacation next week, I won't be able to get to There Are No Children Here for nearly 2 weeks but I will get to it. Go Blackhawks!

Roberta- Hiya, stranger! I will be spending most of Father's Day working down here. I want to get this project over!

Linda- I know what you are doing right now! LOL. Enjoy! Go Blackhawks!

I've just started The Song of Achilles but I like the style. I think it will be a winner for me, too...

ETA: I am also rooting for the Blackhawks because my default setting is to root AGAINST any team from Boston :) I stayed up for their triple OT win the other night....

Hi Mark, just dropping by to wish you a Happy Father's Day tomorrow. I'm watching the hockey game as well, rooting for the Blackhawks - right now they are tied 1 - 1.

Happy Father's Day, Mark. I am paying absolutely zero attention to the Hockey playoffs (is that what we have going on here?) but will root for the Blackhawks just for you.

Did you like Wool? I was looking at it the other day in the store and wondered....

The Song of Achilles was such a joy! A 5 star book for me, too.

Happy belated Thingaversary, old friend! My 5 year was last month. Seems like yesterday....

Have a Happy Father's Day!

Hiya Mark!
I'm almost finished with TSoA also... not sure it's a 5-star from me but certainly entertaining for what it is.

Ellen-- I can testify for Wool. I read it a couple years ago and LOVED it. I tried spreading the word but it didn't catch! Now of course it's finally in print and my fingers are crossed it gets the exposure it deserves.

I'm so glad you loved The Song of Achilles, Mark! It was one of my 5 star reads from last year as well. It is just a beautifully done work!

>115 UnrulySun:: Maybe next time I'll carry it to the checkout stand. It looked interesting. Thanks for the endorsement!

Huzzah for five star reads!

What a great run of reading you are having mate. Wishing you a very happy Father's Day Mark.

Mark, I'm so glad you loved Song of Achilles. Such a superb book!!

^To the "pater familias" that grace my thread! Hope each one of you has a fantastic day. My daughter is in Yellowstone, (lucky lucky girl) with a friend and my son works, so we might do something later in the afternoon. Mostly, it will be Man-Cave work and hopefully I can squeeze in a few pages here and there.

Katie- It looks like the perfect timing to read The Song of Achilles. I thought I was one of the only slackers who hadn't read it and it turns out there was a sizable bunch of us.
It looks like the Bruins tied up the series 1-1. Boo!

Judy- Thanks! I went to bed, just after overtime started. Now, on to Boston.

Ellen- I don't watch much hockey but it's so easy to get swept along by your local team, shooting for the top, especially a team this damn good.
Did not crack Wool yet. Hopefully today.

Joanne- Thanks! Great to see you! I'll have to stop by and see what you are reading. Hope you are having a nice weekend.

Wool is sitting on our "new" shelf right next to Constellation and neither have been taken out even one time. Sadness.

So glad you loved The Song of Achilles! I thought it was great, too. And I'm looking forward to your comments on Wool (I'd better start hanging out here more :).

Kathy- Everyone seems to be really enjoying TSOA. I can't believe how many of us were reading it. I think Miller did an amazing job telling this story.
So you read Wool, in it's individual installments? They were posted on his blog, right?

Tina- I tried giving a little less to TSOA but I just couldn't do it. LOL. A 5 star feels limiting at times, especially when a book is jaw-dropping.

Es- Big loving waves!

Paul- Happy Father's Day to you, my friend. I hope you enjoyed your family today. I didn't have many 5 star reads, yet this year but suddenly...BOOM!

Laura- I don't know why I hesitated reading TSOA. Maybe it was the fact I hadn't read the Iliad and thought I would be lost. Boy, was I wrong.

Morning Kath- That is sad! Wool has been getting a lot of buzz, so I am surprised there isn't more interest at your library. Of course, I'll let you know what I think of it.

Mark, your waves are so lovely! Thank you, and many waves back!

A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra is now on the tbr pile. The TBR list is filled with your wonderful recommendations.

Happy Father's Day to you!

^I have such mixed feelings about handling and re-shelving all my books. The joy. The guilt. The love. The pain. Like all of us, I have acquired a butt-kicking To-Read collection but how do we bookhorn these bad boys in? And of course the majority of my current reading has been library books or books from friends. How do you explain that to those poor neglected books? Those long sad faces, staring up at you, some with yearning, some with spite. I am so glad they can't talk! Could you imagine?

Es- How about another loving wave and I'll throw a birthday hug in too!

Linda- Thanks! I can not wait to hear more reports on Constellation. I think that will be more accessible than the Ghosts of Nagasaki.

No! No! No! The books are not neglected. They have been given a place of honor in the Man Cave. They are not sad. They are waiting for that perfect moment with you. Yes, some may be waiting with yearning but that will make their time with you all the more sweeter. Some wait not with spite but knowing they will not be a match for you. It won't be in vain though, you will learn something about yourself in that experience.

Just shelve them, love them, and cast a glance at them now and then. Unlike us, they are patient.

Happy Father's Day Mark.

Wow, Roberta! That was beautiful! You turned my mood right around. Thank you very much. The wonders of LT! They never end. I think I will have a beer now.

Huzzah!

Roberta-- Yes!! Exactly.

Mark, we're talking about this in two places now, but yes, I read them in installments. I picked them up on kindle as they were released. Wool (1) was a freebie and went almost immediately to the top of the lists. Obviously people were picking it up, but I couldn't find anyone else who had actually read it! Then the rest were released almost back-to-back at 99cents a piece. I love the story of Howey's journey of self-publication.

I think I enjoyed reading them as pieces even better than as a novel. Is the hard copy divided or is it all strung together?

Wookie made it! Wookie made it! And please visit again...soon!

Es- You can say that again!

Kathy- Yes, Wool is in one big 500 page paperback. It's split into 5 different segments. And yes, his road to publication is quite impressive.

Hope your Father's Day was all that you hoped it would be, and perhaps even more than that! Good reading in the spiffy man cave?

So, we're off to another week of work which makes it possible for us to buy our books. No complaints from me.

Happy Father's Day, Mark!

Hey Mark! I have Song of Achilles in the TBR Shelves of Shame - as it's such a goodie, I might save it for holiday reading in Bali (she casually drops into the conversation). We celebrate Fathers Day in September down here....always a bit confusing. And belated Happy Thingaversary!!

Hey Mark, finally free for more than a minute or two, so happy happy!

>127 msf59: looks like me at the library!

*cant help myself*

Wool... maybe I should just try to read the blasted thing. Then I might have a better chance at getting others to read it.. but I will wait for your comments. You will like it though. You always like them!

Good morning! My first official vacation day and it feels good. I have some errands and some chores to do but I hope to get back to Wool. Did not read as much yesterday, as I would have liked.

Karen- Thanks! Now, we are working on putting everything back in the Man Cave. There is always so much more crap than you want down here, so we have to start thinning...never easy. Most of my books are up, anyway.

Stasia- Thanks! Big loving wave!

Prue- Good to see you. "Shelves of Shame"! Boy, I can relate to that! Hope you had a good weekend.

RD- Thanks! Hope you had a relaxing Sunday.

Megan- Yep, bringing home more than you can possibly read! That's something we all do regularly. Will we ever catch up?

Morning Kath- It's easy reading. You should try the first 30-40 pages and see. Come on, I don't love everything I read, just 95%. Be fair!

I have too Hugh Hovey Wool book in my shelter, but now reading Digital mind jail by Gojim Oavin.

98.5%

Travel Alert!! I'll be in D.C. on Thursday, this week, until Sunday. I am going with a good friend of mine and we are just going to rubber-neck around and see as much as we can. He's not a reader and not much of a beer-drinker, (not anymore anyway!) and a Republican to boot. I know that's a sorry mix but but we'll make do.
I am going to hook up with Jim, (Drneutron) on Friday evening but if there is anyone else in the area, let me know!

Jamali- Good to see you and welcome to LT. You have entered a Magical Place!

Kath- :-}

Happy happy happy vacation week. So cool to meet up with Jim in D.C. I'll be very interested in what your rubber necks help you to see. Museums? Smithsonian? Parks? Bookstores?

Have fun in DC, Mark! We love visiting there.

A belated Happy Father's Day! I was too lazy to even get on LT, or I would've wished you one yesterday.

Great to hear you're going to read Wool - looking forward to your reactions. Jesse loved it, and it's in my near future.

Another beaut of a day out there - hope you have a good one.

I just checked on BOTNS, for the Petoskey MI Booktopia event and they just listed the attending authors. OMG! Especially MDR! I sent Ann a message to find out where I am on the waiting list. I NEED to go! Send those LT vibes!

Melanie Benjamin-, Alice I Have Been, The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb, and The Aviator’s Wife
Jamie Ford, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, and Songs of Willow Frost (on sale September 10)
Peter Geye-, Safe From the Sea, and The Lighthouse Road
Susan Gregg Gilmore-, Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen, The Improper Life of Bezelia Grove, and The Funeral Dress (on sale September 24)
Peter Heller, The Dog Stars
Jill McCorkle, author of nine books including Going Away Shoes, Carolina Moon, and Life After Life
Edward Kelsey Moore, The Supremes at Earl’s All You Can Eat
Bill Roorbach, author of eight books including Temple Stream, Writing Life Stories, and Life Among Giants
Mary Doria Russell, author of five novels including The Sparrow, Children of God, and Doc

Sending you those *vibes*! Have fun in DC Mark.

Enjoy your DC visit, Mark. I love going there. Great place to visit.

My first official vacation day and it feels good.

ENJOY!! And safe travels to DC.

I'm SO jealous that MDR is going to be at the MI Booktopia event. I am now reading The Sparrow and, so far, it's incredibly engaging. So, is it looking like you'll get a spot?

Have a great time in DC, Mark!

Before you leave this week you and Joe might think about where we plan to meet on Sunday evening June 30 for our big meet-up after that day of book browsing.

Karen- It doesn't look like I'll have much free time while in DC. It looks like Go Go Go but I'll always make time to meet someone for a beer. LOL.
"Museums? Smithsonian? Parks? Bookstores?" Yes, I hope to hit as many as possible.

Joe- Sounds like you had a nice kick-back Father's Day. Always nice. I haven't been able to really sink my teeth into Wool yet, maybe I can knock out a nice chunk today. I do like what I have read, though.

Roberta- Thanks for those "vibes"! I will take all I can get. This is one event I don't want to miss. I already have my reservations for the hotel too, (where many of the events will take place), so IF I get in I am set.

Linda- I was in DC for a brief visit back in the mid-80s. I NEED to spend more quality time there. A nice day out there! Warm but not bad.

Ellen- I sent Ann an e-mail this morning, so I am anxiously waiting. The Michigan Booktopia sold out in 58 minutes. My wife called about 15 minutes later, so hopefully I have a good spot on the waiting list.
I am glad you are enjoying The sparrow and it only gets better and more haunting as it goes along.

Politics and Prose. Wonderful bookstore in DC.

Smithsonian Air & Space Museum!!

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS!!!

Have a terrific time, Mark. It's a fascinating city that never gets old.

*gasp* Mary Doria Russell?! How exciting for you!

Lots of excitement here! Enjoy your trip to D.C., Mark, a place I have long wanted to visit. I will keep my fingers crossed for you re Booktopia - some great authors lined up but (SWOON) Mary Doria Russell!!!

I also have Wool on my TBR shelves and so will be watching for your thoughts on it.

I haven't been to DC since 1969. Have a great time Mark. I hope you get to see MDR. I think she is very accessible at least that's how she come across on her blog and FB page.

Wow! My day went by quick! Why doesn't work days pass as quickly? I did knock out a chunk of Wool. It's good but it's not causing me to do cartwheels or anything. Maybe those will come later.
Game 3 of the Stanley cup playoffs is on tonight. I also need to continue my research on D.C. I have a couple of guides handy and maybe I can squeeze it a little more reading too!

Darryl- Thanks! Good to see you!

Benita- Of course I sent you a P.M.! I can't believe that will be in under 2 weeks. Wow!

RD- I sure hope I can pop into Politics & Prose, even if it's for just a few minutes. I don't want to bore my buddy to much. He might start talking politics.

Es- I like the other authors listed too but she's the clincher!

Judy- I visited D.C. in the mid-80s, when I was stationed in Virginia but I only spent a short time and did not see much. And yes, MDR Rules!

Oh, Washington D.C. - how fun! I am really wanting to take the kids there - they have never been, and I haven't been in a very long time. Can't wait to see what you get up to there.

No cartwheels for Wool yet, huh? Too bad because I have that one sitting on my shelves. The authors for the Booktopia look excellent - crossing my fingers that you get in!

How is it possible that I have over 150 posts to catch up on your thread? And that's just TODAY?!! You're one majorly popular guy, Mark. I'm glad to get a small squeak in.... but now I'm exhausted after having read all the posts.

>142 msf59: I know that's a sorry mix but but we'll make do.
Haha, Mark, I have friends like that too. Lovely people, but some serious flaws! What big people we are to allow them the pleasure of our company :)

>145 msf59: Ahem, *shamefacedly* I cant say I can make sense of much of that post at all Mark. Lost in the acronyms and authors unknown to me.

Hve fun in DC.....when are you going again? And how will you get there, how long is the journey? (Im just interested, not stalking!)

Morning folks! It's much cooler and overcast out there. It's only supposed to be 70. I am picking up my daughter at the airport in a few hours. She spent a whirlwind week in Oregon, Yellowstone, Jackson Hole & Denver. I'll drive her back into the city and of course we'll have to go to lunch.

Bonnie- I sure hope I make the Michigan Booktopia. Sadly, no other LTers are making it but a few people from Good Reads, that I know are attending. Now, I better hurry up and read children of God...FINALLY.

Morning Mamie- We'll have nearly 3 full days in D.C., so I hope to make a dent. I would still like to see Mt. Vernon and a couple of the Civil War battlefields.
Wool is not bad, it just unfolds slowly, but it is a very cool and spooky premise. I have a long way to go.

Caro- Like Darryl mentioned, I guess I am one of the Big Dogs now! LOL. Good to see you my friend.

Megan- My pal and I will just have to avoid talking politics or at least keep it to the bare minimum. He did say he hopes he doesn't run into Obama on the trip, otherwise he might have to "give him a good talking to!"
We are flying to DC. It's about a 2 hour flight and then we'll just take public transportation, to get around, once we are there.
No worries about not recognizing the authors for Booktopia. I am just glad that I have heard of most of them or of their books. But you do NEED to read Mary Doria Russell. She is amazing!

Good luck with Booktopia! I've got a MDR somewhere in the house, Sparrow I think it is...

And enjoy your vacation (or was it just one day off?). Winter here in Sydney, and while it's been mild, it's a cold and rainy night tonight. Wonder where I put the heater over summer....

I would dearly love to meet MDR. She has been a favorite for so many years! Ever since I first read The Sparrow..

More talk of The Sparrow! *swoon*

I have taken the AmTrack train from BWI right down to Union Station and from there you can get on a Metro train and go almost anywhere you need to. The cost from the airport to Union Station is $8.00 if you don't go during rush hours. I would advise that you get a Metro pass and just use that to get around. So cheap and so convention.

Every time I am in Washington I make a trip to Kramer's Books and Afterwards Cafe. It is right on DuPont Circle and right across the street from a Metro stop. I go there because the food is good. (They have great coffee and desert in the bar, and the cafe food isn't bad if you can get a seat.) I also go there because this bookstore had its sales records subpoenaed by the U. S. Congress during the impeachment trial of Bill Clinton. Monica Lewinsky had purchased books there to give him as gifts. Kramer's refused to turn over the records and the resulting lawsuit went all the way to the Supreme Court. It was ruled that Bookstores don't have the same privacy rights as do Libraries so Kramer's had to turn the sales records over. Of course, the whole thing is a moot point now because of the Patriot Act, but I still like to go there and buy a book. Or two. It is the principle of the thing.

Hey, Big Dog! Sounds like you've got some primo plans for the DC area. I liked Mt. Vernon a lot way back when.

Among Schoolchildren continues to be really good. I already had an appreciation for teachers, but it's a real eye-opener on that score.

Who let the dogs out - Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof!

I'm still bummed I had to pull out of the BOTNS Vermont event. It's unlikely that I'll be traveling too far to attend their events, so I hope they hold another one out this way next year.

benita - Yep, Kramer Books was the first thing I suggested to Mark! We're meeting Friday evening at a bit of a dive bar with a huge beer selection right off Dupont Circle, if any of the locals want to join us...

I had a nice lunch with my daughter Bree, after I picked her up from airport. She even treated for Father's Day. Awwww! And of course that included a couple of tasty beverages. Now, I hope to dive back into Wool, which I haven't cracked yet today...

Tania- I hope you can dig out the Sparrow. I would love to hear your thoughts on that one.

Kath- MDR is one of the major reasons I want to go the Michigan Booktopia.

Es- Yep, it's a one of a kind book.

Benita- We are going into the city on Saturday and hanging out with our daughter. We'll spend the night there, have breakfast and head to the McCormick Place. We take the Metro all the time. It's cheap on the weekends and it's only about 2-3 miles from our house.

Hey, Joe! One Big Dog to another! Speaking of big dogs, when we were walking back from lunch, we ran into a Burmese Mountain Dog. OMG! These are such beautiful dogs.

Caro- LOL. You have a very friendly bark. I am curious to see what locations, BOTNS, picks for next year. They did say they will always have one in Manchester, since that was the first place they held it, so that will most likely be there North East locale.

Jim- How close is Kramer's to the Bier Baron?

Kramer's is a couple of blocks north of the circle, if memory serves, and Bier Baron is a few blocks east. Easily walking distance.

#168

Wrong city. I was talking about your upcoming trip to Washington, D. C.

Jim- Thanks! I'll keep that in mind but I still have to be careful dragging a non-reader around. I hope to still have a chance to pop into Politics & Prose.

Benita- LOL. All is saw was Union Station and the Metra and thought you were talking Chi-Town. We are staying in Arlington, right near the train-line, so it will be easy access to anywhere in DC.

A meet up? How lovely!

Books, books everywhere...We can all relate to that situation.

Great picture ^^ took me a moment to see it. :)

Hiya Mark!

Oh, no! Is that one of those vexing picture-in-a-picture things? I can never get those. What am I supposed to be seeing? Or maybe you don't want to give it away just yet ...

Julia, look at the floor... ;)

Oh! Thank you for putting me out of my misery, Kathy. I wasn't even close to seeing it. I was trying to make the way the books were leaning spell out something. :-)

Hi, Mark! Can't believe you're 176 posts in and it's my first visit to your thread.

Belated Thingaversary and Father's Day greetings! Enjoy your trip to DC!

Benita and Jim... I will keep that in mind. I hope to be able to visit Kramer'sduring my next trip to DC area :)

^Hope the week is going well for everyone. It looks like a gorgeous day here. Sunny + mid-70s= Bliss! I need to do a few outdoor chores and then some indoors and then start packing. Of course, I'll try to catch snatches of reading when I can.

Linda- Thanks for the book poster! I have a hard time making those out too but Kathy helped me out.

Kathy- Thanks for the assistance. I knew something was happening in the center there, I just couldn't get my mind around it. LOL.

Julia- I am glad to see I am not alone. Gentle hug!

Terri- I was wondering if you may have just got tired of my shenanigans, which would have been completely understandable. LOL. Good to see you, my friend.

Morning Kath- Hi there! Remember me? ;-}

^ I just downloaded my very first e-book to my iPad. Yahoo! the title is To Hell on a Fast horse, which I have in the TBR stacks. I got it for 2 bucks.
BTW- I FINALLY purchased an iPad2 last week. it was a little spendy for my blood but I think it's going to be a lot of fun! I can not believe how easy it is to use and now I can have LT close to my little heart, wherever I go. Awwwww! Go Mark! Go Mark!

Congrats on your first successful ebook download, Mark! You are gonna LOVE that iPad! And I think you will love being able to carry as many books as you want all on the same slim device. So great for traveling. Go Mark! Go Mark!

Way back up in #128--- Roberta, that is a lovely sentiment! Like Mark, I often feel guilty for neglecting the books on my shelf for the ones recommended here or the newer ones with "must read now" vibes!

Happy vacationing Mark! Enjoy DC and meeting Jim! :)

Mark, I love the fact that, with my iphone, I can take LT with me anywhere, not to mention, if I really need it, something to read. If I don't have my Kindle or a book handy. (My Kindle and my Kindle app sync up.)

Enjoy!!

I also think you'll love that iPad, Mark. I've got a terrific Shakespeare app on that and my iPhone (and they both operate essentially the same way, so the learning curve wasn't so bad), so, as Linda says, in downtime I have something interesting I can go to. I use the Kindle for ebooks - all these gadgets! But they are fun, and useful.

Hope you're enjoying this fine day; actually, I have no doubt you are, as you are work-free this week, yes?

I finished and reviewed Among Schoolchildren (loved it), and am now going to read a mystery from that {Eve Dallas series. I'm enjoying the Feynman graphic bio. After a lot of fun stuff he just entertainingly explained quantum electrodynamics, and it actually made some sense. You can see why he was so highly regarded as a teacher.

Tablet reading is the bomb, I agree. Happy Hump Day! And thanks for the picture on my thread. Hubba hubba!

Okay, I NEED to stay away from the internet. It's like a relentless & ruthless magnet, dragging me across the house. I have chores to do, people. I did make a library run. Priorities, folks! And picked up the Wasp Factory for the Group Read. Sadly, I have not read Banks. I also picked up the audio of Escape From Camp 14, which I have wanted to read for ages. Did I mention how much I love my library??



Mamie- Thanks! I am sure I will LOVE my iPad. (Sure, lots of loving going on around here!) I probably won't read a lot of books off it but I will always have it ready if I NEED it.

Tina- Thanks! Looking forward to the trip. The weather looks like it will be gorgeous too.

Linda- I have an android cell phone, without internet, so this will come in handy for sure. Gorgeous day out there.

Joe- All my Chicago-peeps. Yah! I am getting ready to cut the grass. It is beautiful out there. Let me know if there are any other book-related apps, that are a Must Have? And yes, I am on vacation all this week. I do not even want to think about Mond...

RD- I flipped through the first few pages and it really looks nice on the tablet. Glad you liked the eye candy.

Chores, schmores. LT is more fun.

You will love your iPad, Mark! It is a tremendous time-suck, however, I cannot lie. You will soon wonder how you ever lived without it.

Yep the iPad is a huge plus but may I caution you about the siren song that is the Amazon One Click? Just soooooooooo easy to download all kinds of titles in mere seconds and go happily on your way. Until the end of the month when the cc shows up and WTH...how in the world did I spend all this $$$. What....one Kindle purchase after another. I am not counting these up. There are just tooooo many...

^Like, Duh!



^ I haven't posted one of these in awhile. They do seem kind of bored and not really into books but....so what, right?

I must not have the right App for my iPad as I find it harder to use to read books than my Nook. I also think it is too heavy a bulky. I would like one of the iPad mini's. I think those would be easier to stash in a bag and carry.

I tend to think that all of the techy toys are spendy. But don't listen to me as I am a confirmed Luddite. I still like to add and subtract the figures in my check book. It calms me to do that figuring. Getting it to balance exactly is a joy, but if I am off by $10.00 I consider that balancing the check book. I am not one of those who thinks that it as to be accurate down to the penny.

Ellen- I love schmores! I think they go perfectly with campfires and...well, beer.

Julia- I didn't realize how many LTers had iPads. That's perfect, if I run into any problems. I won't be using it a lot and only seldom as an e-reader but it will be nice to have it around and I could take it to work with me...OH NO!

Bonnie- I will be showing much restraint. The DW would not be happy if I went Ammy Happy! Between, all the TBR books I have and my beloved local library, I don't have to purchase very many.

Benita- I held off 2 or 3 years buying one. I won't be reading on it a lot and it will not get a ton of use, so it should last me a long time. I like to balance my checkbook the old fashioned way too!

Mark, one of the things I use my iPad for more than anything is watching Netflix movies. It's the perfect size screen for personal video watching (by which I mean you are the only one watching. It's a little tricky to gather the family 'round the iPad).

The Amazon Daily Deal is a menace to society. Just today I managed to "One Click" buy Agatha Christie's 4:50 from Paddington for $1.99. Evil, I tell ya!

"Terrible news for TV fans: James Gandolfini, who played mobster Tony Soprano on HBO's seminal drama "The Sopranos," died suddenly today at the age of 51."

^Wow! What a bummer. I was a big fan of The Sopranos and Mr. Gandolfini. And that's far to young!

Mark, do you ever read Vince Flynn? My sister's favorite author. Died at a young age today, I think.

Hi Mark, I read The Wasp Factory a couple of years ago and found it to be one of those book that you don't forget. I really liked it and I've been meaning to read more by Iain Banks but haven't yet got around to it.

Sad news about James Gandolfini, I still miss The Sopranos

I've been reading and watching the Blackhawks! It's an exciting game. Tied 4-4 in the 3rd. Go Blackhawks! I am all packed for D.C.!

Julia- Thanks for the iPad info! I like and use Netflix regularly. Does Ammy send you daily e-mails?

Linda- I have not read Vince Flynn but sadly he also has died on this day. I think he was 46 or 47. That's ridiculous.

Judy- Good to see you! I can't wait to dip into The Wasp Factory and it's less than 200 pages, which is always a bonus. There is no question, The Sopranos was a game-changer for TV.

Off to bed. I'll stop by for a few in the A.M...

Mark, I think you can sign up for an email from Amazon about the Daily Deal, but I see them when they get posted on Twitter, since I am on Twitter pretty much all the time. Between the daily book deals and the music mp3 99-cent specials, I am a total sucker for Ammy, as you call it. :-)

Blackhawks win in OT, and even up the series!

Yes, you can sign up for an e-mail for the Daily Deal from Amazon. You might want to look into Book Bub, too. I've found a lot of freebies/cheapies through them.

Most of the e-book vendors have apps for iPad and iPhone: Nook, Kindle, Sony Reader, and of course iBooks. I also have one for ePub books called Bluefire (?) I think, that some independent publishers/book vendors use . . . the U of Chicago Press free e-book of the month last month, You were never in Chicago, came with instructions to use that. I'm assuming most of the apps available for iPhone are available for iPad, too.

Mark, just a heads up that I will likely borrow your idea of a painting/print by Francine Van Hove for my next thread.
I mean, gorgeous semi-nude women, books, and a cat. Is that perfect, or what?

Go Blackhawks! Won in O.T.!!

Our flight is at 9, so I'll be leaving shortly. Of course, I am bringing the "new toy", so I will be able to check in with you guys but I am sure we will be crazy busy, running around D.C. I am toting Wool along and will try to squeeze whatever reading I can get in.

Julia- Thanks! I will sign up and if you see anything that's a Must Buy, let me know!

Terri- Thanks for all the tips. Much appreciated. Go Hawks!

Ellen- Steal away, my friend! That is what we do around here. Hope the week is going well!

Ciao, everyone!

oh yeah! I guess it would be polite to mention you in your thread.. um, Hi Mark!!!

#199 by @tymfos> I use Bluefire with the ePub books I borrow from the library. I think it's a much better (easier to use, less buggy and crashy) app than the Overdrive app offered by the library system.

Enjoy your trip to DC, Mark! We'll expect a full report when you return.

What a Hawks win! What a tough, close series!

Have a good one today, my friend. Should be another good one weather-wise.

Hi Mark! I am in DC too! I'm so tempted to crash your meet-up with Jim on Friday night, but that's when my sister-in-law is getting married and the family might frown upon me disappearing... I hope you and your friend have a great time! Very close to Kramerbooks and Bier Baron is Second Story Books - a good little used bookstore you might duck your head into. Politics & Prose is kind of off the beaten path but also good. And I am now a fan of Book Bank on King Street in Alexandria - just a couple of blocks from the Metro stop.

As for non-book related things, I LOVE visiting the National Archives - gives me chills every time... You can't go wrong in DC, though, so don't plan too much and just have fun!

Have a great vacation, Mark!

Too far behind, too far behind! But have a great break :)

Mark & Joe,

Good news for you regarding the ALA meetup. I just got an e-mail from Random House. On Sunday, June 30, 2013 they plan on having Peter Heller signing books in the booth. He is the author of Dog Stars.

On Saturday, June 29, 2013, Random House will be hosting Naomi Novak, but I am not for sure what time in the booth. She is the author of fantasy novels. On Saturday afternoon Wolf Haas will be reading from his mystery The Bone Man at the Live Stage at 11:00 a.m. and at the Mystery Pop Top Stage at 1:00 p.m.

Maybe you can manage to do two days in the exhibit hall.

Hey Mark! Have fun on your trip. :) I agree with the dangers of the daily deals on Amz... between those and the decent freebies you can find, you'll be loaded with hundreds of books in no time.

Funny about The Wasp Factory... I remember it being and quirky and grotesque (just my thing!) but when I look at my review of it, I seem to have been less enamored with it at the time.

145: Mark, that is a stellar list of authors. I guess I didn't realize that you were on the waiting list for Petoskey. I think past attendees should go to the top of the list! I would live to meet and listen to anything Mary Doria Russell has to say. And I've read and loved the most recent books by both the Peters on the list. Crossing my fingers that you get to attend!

I am certain you are enjoying your time in DC. Have fun at your meet-up with Jim tonight! I'm looking forward to a full report.

Hope you're having a great time in DC, Mark. Send news when you can.

>208 benitastrnad: Thanks, Benita. That does sound good. I'm sure Mark will be excited about Peter Heller; I've yet to read Dog Stars, but have it on my radar.

Wish I could do the two days at ALA!

I hope it isn't too fry your butt hot in DC. The last time I was there it was 100F

*looking to see if Mark's butt is frying yet*

Actually, it was a gorgeous day in DC. Mark couldn't have picked a better time to visit. We met this evening at the Bier Baron for beer (of course!) and burgers. Spent nearly three hours talking - it was like we were already old friends! Plus, Mark really knows his beer. :)

There's a pic or two on Mark's camera that he'll probably post when he gets a chance.

Mark and beer.
That's my plan for June 30 in Chicago.

James Gandolfini...very sad news. :'(

190 -- Those three don't look interested in the books at all!

200 -- Ellen! LOL, you crack me up. But that's pretty much what I thought when I saw the picture at first. Go Mark! He hit that one out of the park, huh?

Wow, what a whirlwind! We left the hotel yesterday at 8am and got back at 1115pm.
Had another successful meet up. Jim is a good guy. Great book talk and my non-reading pal enjoyed himself too. Jim picked a good place, beer-wise. Hope to meet up with Jim again one of these days!
Enjoyed visiting Ford Theater and the best surprise of the day was the Library of Congress. Easily, one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. That Jefferson collection was jaw dropping!
We saved the day today for the Smithsonian and the National Archives. The weather has been gorgeous!

I'm glad to hear that you're having a great time in DC, Mark! Keep us posted on your doings there.

Sounds like a great trip, Mark. The Library of Congress is beautiful, isn't it? I didn't know either before we got there.

Sounds like a good time and good beer with Jim.

Have fun at the Smithsonian (that plural singular); it's one of our faves. We like the National Gallery of Art there, too. You may want to extend your vacation for another week or so. :-)

Mark - Casting envious eyes at your thread mate as you while away the time superbly in your Capital. Hope to have similar experiences with you guys soon. Enjoy the rest of your weekend buddy.

So happy to hear what a wonderful time you are having, Mark! I'm so glad the weather has cooperated with your visit.

Oooh, the National Archives! I've got that on my bucket list. Never been, always wanted to go. And oh my HECK how gorgeous is the Liberry of Congress!

Happy Perfect Summer Day, enjoy your trip, and don't forget the pictures. That is, posting them.

Sounds great!

Oh, I love my iPad too. :) Although I don't often read books on it, I'm still a luddite when it comes to reading, dead tree editions for me all the way.

Oh, a group read of The Wasp Factory? I was thinking of picking that one up sooner rather than later, I'll have to go and find the thread...

Kath- the weather has been ideal. Warm, plenty of sun and low humidity. I think I have been walking more here, than on my route.

Julia, Joe, RD, Bekka- Big loving waves!

Katie- I wish you would have crashed the meet-up. We would have loved to have you. Hope you are having a good trip.

Benita- thanks for the ALA info. Like to see heller!

Kathy- I have a copy of the Wasp Factory and I am looking to it. I cant believe July is filling in already.

Donna- I am second on the waiting list for Petoskey. Fingers crossed. As usual I wish more LTers were going. What a wonderful place for a meet-up.

Happy Sunday, folks! We are wrapping things up in DC. We'll head to the airport around noon.
Question: where are the brackets on the iPad keyboard? I can't find them.
Yesterday morning I was typing up a few responses and got disconnected and then had to leave.
We had another productive day yesterday, in the nation's capital. Saw the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution & the Bill of Rights. And then spend the rest of the day at the Museum of American History & Natural History. It really got crowded in the afternoon.
And then came back to the hotel area, ate dinner, drank beers and watched our Blackhawks win! Yah!!

Mark, to get the brackets on my iPad, I hit the .?123 button (lower left) and then the #+= button (also lower left). The brackets are then in the upper left corner.

Safe trip home!

Joe- Now, I know why everyone was recommending the Library of Congress. It was gorgeous! And those books! Of course I am not getting any reading in but I expected that. Have a great Sunday.

Ellen- We will be sharing a beer and book talk in one week. Yah!

Jim- Had a great visit with you, my friend. Good beer, better talk. Hope to come back again.

Big hearty waves to Tina, Darryl, RD & Julia!

Paul- Can't wait to share an ale and shoot the breeze with you! We might need a few hours!

Tania- I do not expect to read much on my iPad but at least I can if I want. I might have snagged the new Gaiman on ebook. Fingers crossed.

Mark - sounds like a very successful DC MeetUp with Jim, and a wonderful weekend. The Library of Congress is an incredible place and I'm glad you managed to squeeze a visit into your trip. Did you visit any bookstores and come away with any book adoptees?

Have a safe flight home.

It's raining in DC! Our timing could not have been better and I have a little time to read Wool. Yah!

Katie- Thanks for the iPad assistance. I need to take more time to figure out things on this new toy.

Caro- Now, we need to set up a Meet-up! Sounds like you had a terrific time with Darryl. Hope your weekend was a good one and your current reads are treating you well.

Mark, the keypad is the one thing that I think will be frustrating (for me) about an iPad when I get one. The keypad is the same as that on the iPhone, only larger of course, and the brackets that we use so often here on LT require several keystrokes. Still, I hope to join you in iPad ownership soon. I just blew my tech allowance on a new iPhone yesterday, so it will be a while.

Safe travels back to Chicagoland and I'll see you in a week!

We got Zagg keyboard/cases for ours, which gives protection for the iPad and a regular keyboard. We like it. But I've gotten used to the other on the phone.

Looking forward to more tales of your trip. Safe travels back. I loved Gaiman's new one, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and think you'd enjoy it.

I have a bluetooth keyboard for mine too. Instead of using it, I complain about the keypad and use that.
Contrariness.

Glad your trip was a success!

I got used to the keyboard fairly quickly (I'm using it now) but I don't use it extensively online, except now as I wait for my new laptop to arrive. Sounds like you had a great time Mark.

Happy Sunday, Mark! I just created a thread for next month's group read of The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/155666

I also have a ZAGGfolio Bluetooth keyboard for my iPad; I love it.

I like the iPad but like Ellen, find that to do many of the things here onLT it requires more keystrokes. I finally shut my auto-correct off because it caused me so many problems.

I thought that I was a techno-illiterate and then I talked to a much younger colleague who told me that he had done the same thing I did with his phone numbers. He had saved them to his contacts list and not to the phone card list so when he got his new phone he only had four numbers. Said he didn't know that there two kinds of lists on his phone. I knew but just didn't know how to save them on both lists. I didn't feel so stupid after that. I keep telling people to ask questions if they don't understand something about all these digital devices we are using now. I wish the companies that sold them to us would be more willing to help.

Whew! I spent the last hour plus, at home, trying to work out the library e-book transfer. The one that was a Kindle edition was a snap but the new Gaiman was an EPUB e-book edition and I can't seem to get it in my iPad. It transfers to Adobe Digital Editions (which is the ebook version of Overdrive) but that's not compatible with any Apple products. WTH! Can anyone give me a hand?
Please...

Welcome home, Mark.

Sorry, can't help. I download only the Kindle-compatible ebooks.

Hey, everyone! Sorry for the neglect. I'll get caught up on the threads over the next few days. I'll also get some DC pix posted.

Ellen, Joe, Kath & Bonnie- Thanks for your thoughts on the keyboards for the iPad. I like the idea of the Bluetooth addition. I really don't mind the iPad keyboard but it is difficult to type as much as I do for LT. It does feel like a lot of work. Fortunately I'll be using my computer at home for most of my chatting and visiting.

Darryl- Thanks for the link for The Wasp Factory Group Read. I have a copy from the library, so I'll be joining.

Benita- The countdown has begun for ALA. More LT Meet-Ups! Yah!

Linda- Thanks! The Kindle versions sure are easy. I hope the other type(s) are too, once I learn how to do it. Go Hawks!!

Welcome home, Mark.

*heads off to put her star on The Wasp Factory group read link*

Mark, It sounds like your DC trip was lovely!

A few years ago I attended a conference in DC. During the break, I went to the National Gallery! It was/is incredible.

Glad you are home safe and sound.

#237 It transfers to Adobe Digital Editions (which is the ebook version of Overdrive) but that's not compatible with any Apple products. Have you installed the overdrive app on the iPad? We can't borrow kindle books in the UK so all library books are other formats - borrowing them through the Overdrive app seems to work well.

Hi Mark, I don't know if will work for you (I know nothing about Ipads) but I use Calibre (http://calibre-ebook.com/)
to convert epubs to mobi files. It's free and quick and easy to use!

I putt all republic books on nook instead of pad...but one tip I have is to make sure the iPad is plugged I an turned on at the time you open that blasted adobe. Digital. That tripped. Me up a few times in the beginning. If that deoesn't help try google. Good luck!

Mondays are never fun but after vacation they are particularly odious, especially teamed up with heat & storms. Ugh! I plan on wrapping up Wool. It feels like I've been reading it forever but it has been a good solid summer read. On audio, I'll be starting There Are No Children Here. This is a NF title that Joe highly recommended. And we know Joe is an LT Guidepost!

Ellen & Linda- Thanks and big hugs to you both!

Rhian- Thanks. It says, here in my library system, that Overdrive is strictly for audiobooks and not ebooks but I will check it out.

Orlaith- Thanks for the help. I'll check it out.

Morning Kath- Thanks, my friend. My Adobe Digital thingy, clearly states, no Apple. What jerks. LOL. The good news is, I won't be using my iPad for reading, all that much but I do want to be able to snag a title, when the chance arises.

My post above was made on kindle.. lol and clearly I meant epub, but it sneaked in a quick change for me. sigh. sorry. At least you got it figured out anyway.

I don't read on ipad much.. I use kindle and nook.. but to be honest, I haven't picked up my nook in ages.
Real books are my most frequent choice, especially now.. but that means lugging things up and down the hill. Worth the effort though.

I'm so glad you had a fabulous trip and am envious of your Library of Congress visit. I hope to get there one day!

Mark, you need to install an app called Bluefire to read your library ePub books on the iPad. It works great! I'm on my phone at the moment or I'd give you more detailed instructions. I'll check back in later when I'm on my laptop.

Good to have you back, Mark! I'm glad you're starting out on There Are No Children Here. Looking forward to your reaction.

Hope you can figure out the doohickeyness needed to get The Ocean at the End of the Lane. As a Kindle user, I don't have any useful advice.

On your rec, I'm about halfway through Liesl and Po, and enjoying it. Big Mo is trying to help Will, and Liesl and Po (and Bundle) are adventuring together.

Hej Mark, it sounds that you enjoyed the trip to D.C.

Mark, I thought we saw everything DC had to offer on our family vacation many years ago. I guess the Library of Congress wasn't on the kids' list! I'm adding it to my bucket list...along with a meetup with Mark! Forget about downloading books until after you get those DC pictures posted!

Mark - I use the Overdrive app on the iPad all the time. When they give you an option to download a book, pick ePub format. Then you can use the Overdrive app as a reader.

#246
That's why I had to turn off the auto-correct. It would make the wacky changes on me that weren't what I wanted to type.

I have the Nook app on my iPad and didn't have any trouble with it until I had to get a new Nook. Then I did have problems. I hope to have gotten it worked out, but like others here, I don't use the Nook much. I use the iPad and real books.

Hi Mark, sounds like you enjoyed your trip to Washington, I bet it's a great city to just stroll around and absorb the sights in.

Can't help you with your downloading woes, the whole thing just makes my head hurt! I use Kindle and it is so easy but unfortunately library books in Canada aren't compatible to the Kindle so I then purchased a Kobo for that, but I have only used it once and now forget how to do it. Computer savy I'm not!!

Mark, I'm back at my computer now with more info about Bluefire Reader, the app I use to read library books on my iPad. You can download the free app from the App Store on your iPad, and this is a link to the instructions from Bluefire on how to transfer books to your iPad:
http://www.bluefirereader.com/using-library-books.html

If you have any questions, just ask!

Howdy Mark. I hope you get the ebook thingamajiggy working for you! The new Gaiman is wonderful so far (I'll probably finish it tonight, if I ever get off the innerwebs).

It was a long hot day and some pretty strong storms just rolled through but it looks like the worst of it, stayed north. There were tornado warnings too!

Thanks everyone for your iPad recommendations. Hopefully, I can get it figured out. I finished and liked Wool and I am LOVING There Are No Children Here but this one is heart-rending.

Kath- Hope the day went well. I don't think I'll be reading much on the iPad but it would be cool to snag a new title, sooner than waiting for a print copy.

Morphy & Paul- Big hearty waves!

Julia- Thanks for taking the time, my friend. Much appreciated. I was going to ask Jim this too: Do you transfer the ebook straight form your library system to the iPad and bypass itunes? I will download the Bluefire app too.

Joe- There Are No Children Here is amazing and the audio is wonderful too. This going to be a heart-breaker. It's also helpful that the neighborhoods are familiar. Have you read Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx ? It's also an outstanding look at inner-city people and it's a perfect companion piece to this one.

Donna- I did not intend to go to the Library of Congress either. It was semi-accidental but I sure love those kind of accidents. It was breath-taking. I will have to return for a White House tour, a full-tour of the Capital building, to climb the Washington Monument and of course to Meet-Up with Jim again.

Jim- That's great news. Thank you. Do you transfer the ebook directly to your iPad?

Benita- Just a few more days, my friend!

Worst of it was south of here though, for a couple of minutes around Deerfield/Lincolnshire, it felt like tornado-force winds blowing me off the road. I was aiming for the Lake Forest oasis, a mile or two up the road, but by then, it stopped raining and it was clearing. Home safely now, rooting for the Blackhawks.

Mark, for the library systems that I've borrowed books from, I download the book from their site, and open it in Adobe Digital Editions (that happens automatically when I double-click on the downloaded file). Then, I hook my iPad up to my computer and open iTunes if it isn't already open. I click on the Apps tab at the top of the sync screen, and down toward the bottom of that screen is where you see Bluefire in the list of apps that you can download documents to. I click the add button and find the book's file on my computer (usually ADE creates a folder where these are all gathered, so you only have to hunt for the folder once, then the computer remembers where you last accessed a file). You double-click to add it, then sync the iPad with iTunes and the book gets transferred to the Bluefire app.

It sounds rather complicated, but you'll see when you do it that it's pretty straightforward. holler if you need more help. I'm sure Jim can chime in if he has a different method or app that he uses.

Meeting Jim in DC! I think this was our 3rd beer. My friend Carl took the photo.

I've added There Are No Children Here to the tbr pile. It sounds sad, but worth the read.

^Is this a book stack or what? This was at the gift store, next to the Peterson House. (For those not in the know, it's across from Ford Theater). 6,000 Lincoln books. I think there are over 15,000 in print.
That is me, at the middle railing.

So happy to hear that you had such a good time, and what great photos! I think if I had stumbled into that bar and seen the two of you, my reaction would have been akin to a fan at a celebrity sighting.
Just finished a great GN and so thought of you: Mr. Punch - a Gaiman/McKean work. Definitely recommended.

Kathy- Everyone seems to be loving the new Gaiman. If I can't get the ebook to work, I might just have to buy it. Hey, not a bad idea anyway, eh? And yes, I hope I can get to the " thingamajiggy" working. LOL.

Linda- I am sure you are deeply immersed in the Hawks game. It's a tight one. Glad the storms bypassed you. It cooled things off here, which feels super nice. Go Hawks!

Julia- You have to come to Chicago now, so I can buy you a couple of beers. Thanks for the help. I ran out of time tonight but I will try again tomorrow night and see if I can get this up and running.

Linda- It so beautifully written but I better keep the Kleenex handy.

Amber- "a celebrity sighting." You are right! Jim is LT Royalty and I forgot to get his autograph. LOL. Thanks for the Mr. Punch rec. Sounds good. Great collaboration.

Aw, shucks!

Woo-hoo! Stanley Cup, baby! What a game! Go Hawks!

The Blackhawks Win! The Blackhawks Win!

Another Stanley Cup!! The 2nd in 4 years.

The Blackhawks Win! The Blackhawks Win!

What a game! What an amazing last minute and a quarter!

Confused me for a moment there, with your cheers for the Blackhawks in the same post as the Korean War Memorial. (they aren't related, are they?)

I'm glad your hockey team won, Mark!

>237 msf59: Aaaargh! *brain explodes*
Ill stick to my paper books to avoid exactly that. I hope you get it sorted though- how irritating!!

>262 msf59: Hi Mark!- middle railing ;)
You arent coveting that stack are you? Come on now, be honest. :)

Morning! It sounds like Chicago is still celebrating! A lot of bleary but happy fans, still milling about. I'll be starting How to Read the Air. It's part of my First time Author Challenge and I want to bookhorn it in, before the end of the month. I really want to finish Marbles too. A GN memoir I am really enjoying.

Jim- You Da Man!

Joe- It doesn't get anymore exciting!

Terri- What a finale, huh? I don't watch a lot of hockey but that was jaw-dropping!

Ellen- LOL. I wanted to include that Korean War photo, before I went to bed. I switched it around to make it flow better. See you Sunday!

Megan- Yes, I was coveting the stack. Not surprising, I saw several books in that stack that I read and loved.



^The Korean War Memorial

>264 msf59:: I was talking about you, too Mark, not just Jim! Ha!

Wow, all those books are just about Lincoln?

We've got a lot of happy but bleary-eyed people working this morning, Mark, including yours truly. Still can't believe that Blackhawks comeback win with only a minute and a half to go! Enjoyed the post-game hand-shaking tradition with the Bruins (why can't all sports be like that?), and then the Hawks one by one skating with the Stanley Cup, starting with captain Jonathan Toews, and then going first to the older players. Very cool.

Finished Liesl and Po, which was a fun one, so thanks for the rec. Starting Song of the Lark by Willa Cather, who is becoming one of my favorite authors.

Stay dry today, Mark. It's pouring.

After enjoying all the Stanley Cup festivities til 1am, I was able to sleep in today because I've got the day off. Sadly, I took the day to attend the funeral of my friend, Pat.

Y'all who're in Chicago are planning on an ALA trip, right? Well, Dr. Siri's publisher tweeted this today:

Soho Press ‏@soho_press 9m
We'll have author signings and mountains of galley giveaways at the ALA conference in Chicago. Stop by and say hello! http://bit.ly/19ywTYq

Oh Mark... too far behind. Just stopping by with Master The E-reader Mojo

have fun with it :)

Mourning the Broooons' loss but happy for you that your Blackhawks took home the Cup, Mark. They were the much better team. We'll just have to try again next year.

I loved that photo of the giant stack of books. Now confess - were you tempted to try and pull one of the books out to see what would happen?

#271
I really like the Korean War memorial. It is very effective as a Memorial. Unlike some of them on the Mall. One year in December my sister and I spent a weekend in Washington D. C. It was snowing when we visited the Lincoln Memorial at night and it was so pretty that we decided to walk down the Mall in the snow. All of a sudden the big figures loomed up out of the snow. It took us a while to realize that we had stumbled onto the Korean War Memorial. At that time there was no fence around it. You could walk right in and among the figures.

I was happy to see that SoHo will be bringing Tim Hallinan to Chicago. He is an author for whom they have great hopes. I am starting to finalize my plans for the trip. Tomorrow I have to get cell phone numbers entered into the phone so I can find people. Remember, I will be riding with you to the restaurant on Sunday so I will need to find you.

^The Vietnam Memorial

Yuck! It was a hot & sticky day. I think it was the most humid day, so far this year. It actually wears you out. I am on the last 1/3rd of There Are No Children Here and it's been excellent. I also read a chunk of How to Read the Air and it's a pretty good start.

Amber- LOL. I am not sure I qualify for LT Royalty but I sure appreciate the compliment.

Morphy- Yes! All those books are Lincoln based. I asked someone who works there and she admitted that it's only about 200-300 books but repeated over 6,000 times.

Joe- As usual, I am an old fart and once I saw the Hawks clinch it, I went to bed. When I turned the radio news on at 530 this morning, they were still partying. Bree said she couldn't sleep with all the noise in her neighborhood.

Linda- Lots of traffic lights still out from the storms. It rained this morning for about 45 minutes. I took refuge on a porch a couple of times. It was Way to Hot, to put on that dreaded rain-gear. Glad you were off today. Sorry about the funeral.

RD- Thanks for the link for Soho Press. I will have to make sure I stop over there.

Kath- I will take all the mojo I can get. LOL.

Oh but you are LT royalty Mark. You should embrace that title. You surely are a prince of a guy.

I see South Buffalo's Patrick Cane was skating around hoisting the Stanley Cup over his head:)

Okay, I was able to download the Overdrive app on my iPad and then snagged the new Gaiman from my library, using the iPad and then it worked fine. But then, I only have a week to read it on my Overdrive, right? And then it disappears?

Caro- Sounds like you are a very good sport, about the Hawks & the Bruins. I am not a big hockey guy but it does not look like there is any argument that the Blackhawks were the best team, this season.
"were you tempted to try and pull one of the books out to see what would happen?" Yes, I was. LOL. Actually, they were fake books, with slipcovers, which is not a bad idea, since you don't want to tie up perfectly good books, in a display.

Benita- Of course, I have no problem with giving you a ride to Haymarket, but if we could leave at 5 or earlier, that would be great. I know Ellen will be showing up shortly after.
I have not read Tim Hallinan but I have heard good things. This might be the opportunity.

Bonnie- Aw, shucks! Since this will be as close as I will ever get to royalty, I'll gladly take it. LOL. Yes, Patrick Kane deserved every bit of that MVP title.

**Grab your essentials and come join me on #15! Be there or be: