Ellen/EBT1002 reads 75+ in '13 - AUGUST

Paradise Lodge in Mt. Rainier National Park

COMPLETED IN JANUARY

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

COMPLETED IN FEBRUARY

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

COMPLETED IN MARCH

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

COMPLETED IN APRIL

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

COMPLETED IN MAY

33. Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver (L)
34. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (L)
35. Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
36. Marbles by Ellen Forney
37. Slow River by Nicola Griffith
38. Calling Dr. Laura by Nicole J. Georges
39. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

COMPLETED IN JUNE

40. The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison
41. Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver
42. The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker
43. The Likeness by Tana French
44. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
45. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
46. Voice of the Violin by Andrea Camilleri
47. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
48. The Waitress Was New by Dominique Fabre
49. Escape to Gold Mountain by David H.T. Wong
50. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. LeGuin
51. That Mad Ache (also La Chamade) by Francoise Sagan

COMPLETED IN JULY

52. Cop Hater by Ed McBain
53. The Three-Arched Bridge by Ismail Kadare
54. The Mugger by Ed McBain
55. The Bat by Jo Nesbo
56. Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin
57. Pusher by Ed McBain
58. Night Soldiers by Alan Furst
59. The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
60. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

COMPLETED IN AUGUST

61. Hide & Seek by Ian Rankin
62. Among Others by Jo Walton
63. The Testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín
64. Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates
65. My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf
66. The Carter Family: Don't Forget this Song by Frank M. Young & David Lasky
67. Light in August by William Faulkner

Books Acquired in 2013

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

More acquired in 2013:

61. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. LeGuin
62. The Pure in Heart by Susan Hill
63. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
64. The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope by Rhonda Riley
65. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
66. The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin
67. Last Friends by Jane Gardam
68. The Dream of a Common Language by Adrienne Rich
69. Lilith's Brood by Octavia E. Butler
70. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
71. The Big Sky by A.B. Guthrie, Jr.
72. The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers
73. Me and Mr. Booker by Cory Taylor
74. Calling Dr. Laura by Nicole J. Georges
75. The Road Home by Rose Tremain (gift from Paul)
76. A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny
77. In One Person by John Irving
78. On Sal Mal Lane by Ru Freeman (Booktopia)
79. A Hologram for the King by Dave Eggers
80. Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris
81. The Goodbye Look by Ross MacDonald
82. That Mad Ache by Francoise Sagan
83. Privileged Conversation by Evan Hunter (total trash, I acknowledge)
84. A Deadly Shade of Gold by John D. MacDonald
85. Cop Hater by Ed McBain
86. The Mugger by Ed McBain
87. The Pusher by Ed McBain
88. The Con Man by Ed McBain
89. Killer's Choice by Ed McBain
90. Killer's Payoff by Ed McBain
91. I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
92. A Fairly Honorable Defeat by Iris Murdoch
93. The Bat by Jo Nesbo
94. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
95. Light in August by William Faulkner
96. The Cry of the Owl by Patricia Highsmith
97. The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith
98. The Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper by John D MacDonald
99. Pale Gray for Guilt by John D MacDonald
100. King's Ransom by Ed McBain
101. Killer's Wedge by Ed McBain
102. Lady Killer by Ed McBain
103. As Long as You Both Shall Live by Ed McBain
104. Bread by Ed McBain
105. Let's Hear it for the Deaf Man by Ed McBain
106. Sadie When She Died by Ed McBain
107. Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here! by Ed McBain
108. Shotgun by Ed McBain
109. He Who Hesitates by Ed McBain
110. Ax by Ed McBain
111. Like Love by Ed McBain
112. The Empty Hours by Ed McBain
113. Lady, Lady, I Did It! by Ed McBain
114. See Them Die by Ed McBain
115. The Heckler by Ed McBain
116. Falling to Earth by Kate Southwood
117. The Bone People by Keri Hulme
118. Cavedweller by Dorothy Allison
119. The Art of Losing by Rebecca Connell
120. The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
121. Two or Three Things I Know for Sure by Dorothy Allison
122. Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith
123. Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead

..

That explains it! I had just finished catching up on your page, went back to the talk page, and there you were again with seven messages! Lovely picture--a place I'd love to visit.

If you are wearing a skort for your bottom, what will the top of your outfit be?

Happy new thread Ellen! What a month it will be for you. Can't wait for your big day to come next Saturday!

I saw on your last thread that your Bday is in a few weeks. Mine is on the 27th. What day is yours?

8 Roni, P and I will be spending two nights there after the big day.
I think I'll just be wearing a nice (but not fancy) v-neck shirt of a bright color. Haven't yet decided between sapphire blue, burgundy red, or purple. Oh, and flip flops. :-)

9 Roberta, yes, August promises to be memorable. A wedding. My birthday. The latter is on the 18th (yes, I am truly a Leo). I'll try to remember yours on the 27th!

Mt. Rainier in August

This was another good installment in the Sundays of 2013. I spent about two hours painting the front porch and steps. Whew. This damned wedding is getting us to do all kinds of things around the house that we need to do but might not otherwise get to. I also ran some errands, got a pedicure (which, for me, is just wonderful reading time), and watched some of the Seafair air show from our back yard. I also got in some good reading time with one of my favorite hot weather drinks: vodka, amaretto, and good lemonade. On ice, of course.

Now, taking Among Others to bed to see how far I can get before my eyelids become too heavy.

Happy Monday, everyone!

"This damned wedding" !! LOL...

It's already Monday here and I can't go to bed with a book. I have to slog away, writing two more short articles (four already done, plus my column) and then construct and insert three charts in each one. *grump grump grump*

I'd rather have been painting your front porch.

Maybe I'm missing something, but #11....huh?

Love your current reads! I cant get hold ob many Booker nominees yet (as some aren't published I suppose), but I am trying to read as many as I can this year! Last year I read only two.

Ellen, what a lovely getaway spot! *drool*

Mt. Rainier certainly looks more attractive than the late Prince of Monaco it wasn't named after. Congratulations on your latest thread at the beginning of this very important week.

Something wonky with No. 11, definitely.

I'm always a bit astonished when people post their "Books acquired this year" lists. I'm terrified to even contemplate making such a list for myself.

Hi Ellen- Congrats on the August thread! Love the Rainier photo at the top. Post 11, didn't work.

I saw post 11 yesterday and can't today! ??

I vote for sapphire blue!

Wow! great picture of a lodge I will probably never have the good fortune to visit. Ah, but I can dream!
Have a great week, Ellen!

Ellen, that lodge look like a pretty damned good reward for getting through this damned wedding! I'm betting that the whole thing will turn out to be the experience of a lifetime!
I'm enjoying your new thread. I can keep up with your book buying, but you're ahead of me in the book reading category. *sigh*

That lodge does look like the perfect place to wind down after all that goes into a wedding, Ellen. My MBH and I wrote our own vows, and still shake our heads over how we got into a big argument over them. Silly. But the wedding was great, and we'll be celebrating our 30th this Wednesday.

This is going to be some month for you! Thanks for keeping us posted.

13 Suz, LOL -- I think I would rather have been painting my front porch, too! I hope you got all done that needs to be done. Getting ready for fall, clearly.....

14 Megan, oh crap. It worked at first. It's supposed to be a lovely picutre of Mt. Rainier (obviously, based on the caption.....). I will work on that.
I can't get my hands on several of the Booker nominees, either, but The Testament of Mary was both owned by the Seattle Public Library and had relatively few holds upon it.

ETA: I chose another stock photo from the internet. Hopefully this one will stay.

15 Richard, it should, indeed, be lovely. We go camping at Mt. Rainier every summer (except this one) so I'm glad we're getting a short visit in.

16 Paul, ha! Yes, the mountain is probably easier on the eyes than said prince.
I only have to work three days this week and my sister arrives around noon on Thursday. I'm very excited to see her!!

17 Linda, yeah, I think I've fixed #11....
I have actually decided that this will be the last (and, really, the only) year for which I will post my acquired books list. I have never tracked acquired books in the past and I'm not sure it serves any purpose for me. Still, I'll see it through the end of 2013.

18 Hi Mark!! Thanks for stopping by my new thread (and I think I fixed post #11 now).

19 Richard, yeah, it worked at first. Not sure what's up with that but I assume the website from which I copied it (it was just a photo I found on line) had some way of advertising itself instead of the photo. It wasn't specially copyrighted (if I use a photo by a photographer who is making a living with their photos, I'm pretty careful to give credit and all that). Anyway, I found another photo of Mt. Rainier and the lovely wildflowers; hopefully this one will keep.

20 Morphy, even if my toenails are purple?

21 Lynda, if you ever have a chance to visit Mt. Rainier National Park, I do recommend it. The inn is open for walking through and it's quite lovely. The mountain and its surrounding territory, though, that is the real treat.

22 Peggy, LOL - I think the day will turn out to be lovely and I'm no longer dreading it. It's a bonus that my beloved sister is flying in, some dear friends from New York will be here, etc. etc.
Yes, the buying of books in large numbers is much easier than the reading of them, isn't it?

23 Joe, we are each writing something to say to the other but the vows are a simple couple of statements our officiant helped us with. I'm laughing at you and your MBH arguing over the vows. It seems to me that they could be a bit tricky. I mean, how often in our lives do we vow something???? It's daunting. Congratulations on your approaching 30th anniversary! That is no small thing.

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

I couldn't quite complete Among Others last night. Hope to finish this evening. It's an absorbing enough narrative but I'm hoping for some kind of plot tension to develop.....

Well, at least they are both cool colors! And you could wear a pink skort!

I've been remiss in reading threads, Ellen, but want to say congratulations on your big damned day! I hope it will be as close to perfect as possible. And what a gorgeous place to stay.

Have a lovely, fun, and memorable week.

Ellen, your birthday is my half birthday. Your photo also got me reminiscing about childhood visits to Seattle. My paternal grandparents lived there, and my grandfather had a motorboat which he named after me (I was their first grandchild). I grew up in Ohio so we didn't visit often, but when we did, we always went out in the boat. They were fun grandparents, so I have "fun" memories of Seattle.

Oh, but enough about me :)

I'm excited about the wedding countdown !!!

Oh I like the flip flops!

I do wish you and P the very best party (and weather) ever this Saturday!
Skorts and purple toenails can only bring fun - and being surrounded by the ones you love is always a celebration!
Enjoy your special day - I will be toasting you too! (When I finish flipping burgers at the fair.)
Wishing you adventure and relaxation on the mountain ;-)
Hugs for you both!

Beautiful setting, Ellen. Have a wonderful wedding day. Enjoy it and take lots of pictures. I'm anxious to hear what you think about Among Others. I read The Testament of Mary this morning, and thought it was great.

Hi Ellen!

From previous thread: I don't know what the Vikings may have done that was boneheaded.... They traded Percy Harvin to the Seahawks. Although, that's not seeming terribly boneheaded anymore.

Paradise Lodge looks lovely.

Even if you don't post photos of the wedding, you must post one of the purple polish and flip-flops. I think that goes without saying.

Mariners. Persistent disappointment.
:-(

Orioles. Ditto.
:(

White Sox and Cubs. Oy vay. :-(

The Phillies are stinking it up this year, as well. However, the Pirates are vying to end their 20 year streak of losing seasons and are in first place in the NL Central. And, better yet, the Yankees are mired in fourth place (sorry, Caroline).

Mets. Behind Phillies. BOO HOO HOO

Are the Red Sox still #1???
Just askin'
:-)

>27 Morphidae: Morphy, one thing you can absolutely count on is that I will not be wearing a pink skort! :-)

>28 Matke: Gail, how nice to see you here! I must go visit your thread in return. It has been far too long.
Thank you for the congratulations and well wishes. I'm feeling good about it all and accepting that there will be some details we miss.

>29 lauralkeet: Laura, your birthday is my half birthday. That means that your birthday is my half birthday! I always thought I should get to celebrate it in February since my birthday fell outside school and at a time when lots of friends were away on summer vacation. Parties were a bit iffy.

I'm glad you have fun memories of Seattle. Maybe you can come visit again! We don't have a boat but I can show you a wonderful bookshop, an amazing ice cream place, and one or two excellent restaurants. :-)

Hmm....wedding countdown. I guess that is what we're into, isn't it?

>30 sibylline: Lucy, oh good, I'm glad you like the idea of wearing flip flops for my wedding. In my own unnecessary defense, I will note that they are not just ordinary flip flops. They look like this:

>31 Cee, thank you so much for the wonderful wishes. I appreciate your intention to toast us after you finish burger flipping! The weather predicatins at present are for sunny skies and a high of 79F. :-)

>32 Beth, we do hope there will be pictures to post.
I have about 20 pages left in Among Others (just couldn't finish it last night) and I started reading The Testament of Mary on the bus this morning. I'm certainly enjoying the latter more than the former.

>33 Kerri, of course, I'm the one who feels like a bonehead for not making that connection! Trades are always a bit dicey, of course. It will be interesting to see how the season goes what with all the ballyhooing and such.

The lodge is quite lovely and I'm looking forward to the down time there. And I will do my best to get a photo of the purple toenails and flip flops! And maybe the whole skort-and-t-shirt duds.

I wore a skort to work today and got some good reactions. It's the first time anyone at the U-Dub has ever seen me in a skirt but it won't be the last. These things are comfortable!!

35 - 38, Jim, Joe, Darryl, and Richard, wait a minute, there logically has to be some team somewhere that is doing well!

Oh, hi, Claudia! It's you there in that Red Sox cap.
Grr. ;-)

I can't see the flip flop picture!! :(

Try again, Ellen??

^ I think it's working now, Tina.

Purple toes... hmmm. That's an alternative for my pedicure tomorrow... (i'm in NY overnight, and am due for a summer pedicure so I can keep wearing sandals...) ETA: Currently they are a sparkly aquamarine blue.

62. Among Others by Jo Walton
2.75 stars

If we wish for something (a group of friends, a book club, a boyfriend, someone's death) and it happens, is that magic? Do we have the power to influence events by thinking about them or by believing hard enough? Where is the line between reality and fantasy? And would you rather meet an elf or a Plutonian?

Morweena, our 15-year-old protagonist, writes in her journal virtually every day and through this mechanism we witness a year after the death of her twin sister, during which she is sent to boarding school and comes of age. To say that Mori is an avid reader is a vast understatement (she would put most of us on LibraryThing to shame with her prodigious consumption of novels and short story collections). This is one of the redeeming features of this novel: the normalization and, even, glamorization of reading. And of thinking about reading and talking about reading and reading with a critical eye! I loved that Mori's greatest joy is talking with people about novels. She largely limits herself to Science Fiction and some Fantasy, but through the influence of her new-found father, Daniel, and her new-found grandfather, Sam, she begins to explore other genres. Mori speaks for so many of us when she says "I have books, new books, and I can bear anything as long as there are books."

The novel's plot, such as it is, centers around Mori's desire to belong even while she affirms her individuality, and her nascent sexuality. She meets others who share her passion, nay, her obsession with Science Fiction and begins to realize what it means to belong, to be less alone than she has felt since her sister's death. She also meets a boy (he likes SciFi, too) and attempts to introduce him to the seeing of fairies and the believing in magic. Okay, so here is another thing I liked about the novel: its understated approach to magic. This isn't hocus pocus and potions and wizards. Walton plays around in that gray area between reality and magic, and the magic of everyday reality. Well, until the end.

I won't say much more for fear of violating the No Spoilers rule, but the ending fell short for me. Walton's point is profound but she seems to have suddenly forgotten, in the very last few pages, that points are better absorbed by intelligent readers when the two-by-four is not engaged. I found it ironic that, in wrapping up a book that is a tribute to thoughtful reading, our author failed to give us credit for thoughtful reading.

Throughout the book I struggled with Mori's voice. She is 15, going on 16 (enter the piano), but her voice feels about 12 years old. Perhaps Jo Walton is targeting 12-year-olds and thinks they will be most open to her persuasion if they are reading about someone just a bit older than they. But it didn't work for me.

The book did make me glad that I have recently read The Dispossessed as Walton clearly admires and often references that work. I also generated a small list of works I think I'd like to read. Perhaps someone more susceptible to the attractions of science fiction would generate a longer list and/or more generally enjoy this novel.

So, I know I'm going against the grain here and Among Others does have some redeeming qualities. I don't typically split my stars, but I couldn't decide between 2.5 and 3, so 2.75 it is.

>45 Suz!! I love my purple toes! I recommend it. I'm trying to remember the "name" of the color I chose. It's an OPI color, anyway. Very true purple (no sparkles).

Okay, this is a bit odd, this new thing I have with toenail colors.

Works I think I might like to read due to Jo Walton's influence:

The Wind's Twelve Quarters, Vol. 2 by Le Guin
The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey (I've had this on my wish list for years)
A Touch of Strange by Theodore Sturgeon (I presume that's the one)
and
The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot

Ellen- Sorry to hear among Others didn't work for you. Well, you've always been an iconoclast. I still want to see you in a pink skort!

Hi Ellen - The thing I liked about Among Others was the importance of books. Since I am not a SF reader, I thought all the references to books I wasn't familiar with made it difficult to follow at times.

Do read The Daughter of Time -- one of my all-time favorites.

Your toes sound delightful. Have a great day.

Enthusiastic second to Daughter of Time. It's not Literature with a capital L, but if you're at all interested in history, and how we shape our ideas of the past, and puzzles, it is Fabulous, with a capital F.

Ha Mark! Maybe you can imagine Ellen in a pink skort because I think that is as close to reality as it will get. LOL!

Purple toenails, fancy flip-flops, and a wedding. Chiming in with more best wishes for a beautiful day in Seattle on Saturday! I can't wait to see the pictures. Your Mt. Ranier honeymoon sounds perfect, Ellen. I am so happy for you and P.

*picturing Ellen and P in the beach house laughing and relaxing*

Have a peaceful week, dear Ellen. Many happy vibes sent your way!

Ellen

Thanks for taking the time to post all the books you acquired this year. I'm in the process of going back and counting all those I've bought.

Alas, I hope that in doing this it will stop the crazed book buying sprees. Though, in all honesty, I doubt it.

Happy day to you. Thanks also for posting the Mt. Rainier photo. I attended a conference in Seattle, WA a few years ago. The window of my hotel room provided a beautiful vista of Mt. Rainer. Alas, I didn't have time to explore it.

What you liked about Among Others, Ellen, I liked, and I was okayer with the rest than you, sounds like. I was quite enchanted by that low key approach to magic, and all the book talk.

There was a period of time when I was infatuated with The Waste Land, and it still gets me. (I liked Daughter of Time, too). If you end up liking The Waste Land, there's a fascinating annotated version that gives you the original manuscript and Pound's comments, which caused some significant revisions: http://www.amazon.com/Waste-Land-Facsimile-Transcript-Annotations/dp/0156948702/....

Sending all my best wishes for your happy day! (Saturday?).
I love your flip flops. Please post some pictures if you can.

>49 Mark, I hardly think of myself as an iconoclast but thank you for the (I think) compliment! I do work at having my own mind about things. And as for the pink skort, keep dreaming.

>50 Beth, yes, I agree that it was cool to have books situated so squarely in the middle in terms of importance. Interestingly, I actually recommended the book to a friend today. She has a daughter who is of an age to perhaps enjoy the novel.

>51 Suz, I will have to obtain a(nother) copy of Daughter of Time. I owned it for years and then I think I let it get away during one of my piques of purging. I need to stop having those.

>52 Roberta, so right you are!

>53 Donna, thank you! I've started calling it a "mini-moon" after some mixed-gender friends of ours who took a similarly brief getaway after their wedding a couple of years ago.

>54 Richard, that is a lovely image. Of course, we'll be in the mountains with no beach to be seen, but I still like the idea of laughing and relaxing! It may sound unromantic, but I'm already having fun deciding what books to take with me.

>55 Linda, I acquired yet one more book today (I really am so bad). It's a used copy of Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead. At least the price was reasonable!

A view of Mt. Rainier is a special thing. I would actually have a spectacular view of it from my office window if they would just move that darn hospital. Really, I can see both shoulders of the mountain; the hospital sits squarely in the middle of my perspective of the mountain.

>56 Joe, I love that description - that you liked what I liked and were okayer with the rest than I was. It definitely was not without its enchantments but I had pretty high expectations!

I'm going to get my hands on a copy of The Waste Land and Other Poems.

>57 Deborah, thank you! Yes, Saturday. 4:30 Pacific Time. Send courage. :-)

Ellen! I'm so excited for you and P! Skorts, flip-flops, purple toenails and a mini-moon. It doesn't get much better than that, or does it? A wish for a beautiful day and many, many years of happiness would certainly be icing on the cake. Pre-nup hugs to you both.

I think you make a good point about the Walton - I think, like Joe, I was so charmed by it overall, I didn't mind......

Very very nice flip flops!

Oh, here you are. Maybe you really have to believe in magic to really love Among Others? I do. I did.
Sorry it fell flattish for you.

Will there be a wedding photo? Even from the back? That way it will be like we were there. Good wedding mojo and happily ever after stuff too.

>59 Lynda, thank you! P won't be caught dead wearing a skort and, of course, Abby will be in her tuxedo (she'll also be secured in the bedroom while all the people are here).

>60 Lucy, I'm glad my observations about Among Others make sense, even for folks who liked it better than I (and there are a lot of those).

>61 Kath, hello there. I do seem to have lost your thread (and must go find it again).

Maybe that's the thing about Among Others. Most people would say that I'm very optimistic and have a playful side and it can seem like I believe in magic. But I don't really.

There will likely be an (informal) wedding photo and it may even be from the front. If we get one that turns out nicely, I'll be sure to post it.

63. The Testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín
4.5 stars

What if Mary could tell us, from her perspective, what really happened?

In this elegantly wrought novella, Colm Tóibín provides us with his imagining of this. It took me a little bit to get swept up into her narrative, but once I did, reading this was a genuine delight. Tóibín's use of language is exquisite. He believably gives voice to this grieving mother, and in the process he subtly explores the power of story, the transformation real events go through to become legend. She says

I do not know why it matters that I should tell the truth to myself at night, why it should matter that the truth should be spoken at least once in the world. Because the world is a place of silence, the sky at night when the birds have gone is a vast silent place. No words will make the slightest difference to the sky at night. They will not brighten it or make it less strange.

And yet she speaks and tells her truth.

This is almost a five-star read and I will return to it again, I am sure.

So many good reviews of The Testament of Mary on LT right now!

Best wishes for your special day. I will be awaiting pictures!!

>63 Roni, it's an amazing short read. And thank you for the kind wishes!

I'm reading The Empty Family. Slowly.
I just read the second story in the collection, the title story, "The Empty Family." I loved it.

I need to figure out a mechanism for keeping a few notes about individual stories when I read a collection, especially since I'm working on reading them a bit at a time, less in the manner with which I approach a novel.

Anyway, as Mori would say, that second story is brilliant.

Have I mentioned that I'm meeting my sister at the airport at noon on Thursday and I CAN'T WAIT!?

Currently reading:

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Zombie was highly recommended by my L.A. cousin Paul when I visited last January. I'm finally getting around to reading it.

Hi Ellen - Very nice review of The Testament of Mary. Toibin can write. I'll be interested to hear what you think of Zombie -- I've never warmed to Oates, but maybe I just haven't found the right book.

Hi Ellen!

#46 - Thanks for the honest review of Among Others. Aspects of it intrigue me, but I typically don't handle magic very well. We'll see.

I keep meaning to read some Joyce Carol Oates, but I'm overwhelmed by her catalog and don't know where to start. I have a few on my shelves. I hope you enjoy Zombie!

#67 - Yay for sister picking-up!!

ETA: Also, Seahawks preseason football starts tonight, so you can get your mind off the baseball mess.

Hi, Ellen. I love Mt. Rainier. I believe the "first people" here called her Tahoma, and I think I've heard they thought of her as the Grandmother. I like thinking of her that way. Paradise Lodge has figured in my family history with my father training with ski troops there before WWII. He did not end up going to Italy with the 10th Mountain, but was in England on Eisenhower's staff before D-Day. I was born sometime afterwards in 1944.

Speaking of grandmothers, my maternal Grandmother's Birthday was August 18, 1888. So I'll be remembering yours, too, I think. Happy, happy. And do remember the reality that the entire universe danced on the day you were born. That is magic, too.

I wish you the very best on Saturday, and I'll try to take a break from the big Garage/Yard sale at my house to think of you and P. The possibility of some clouds that day may make it just a little cooler, and no "sprinkles" I hope!

Enjoy your trip to The Grandmother. I'll be hoping you take some pictures there, too.

Tuesday is my second cataract surgery and I'm looking so forward to the day when I have two functioning eyes, and a new pair of reading glasses, and I will be able to catch up on everyone's thread. Today, yours is probably the only one I am truly catching!

See you later.

I'm glad to see that you enjoyed Testament of Mary more than I did. It just didn't have the "this rings true" feeling for me. That's the way of book people.. many disagreements!

I'm excited for your rapidly approaching weekend!

I'm glad that you also liked The Testament of Mary, Ellen. It's the shortest book that has ever been chosen for any Booker Prize longlist, but it is certainly a worthy choice IMO. I'll probably read it again early next month.

I'll do some individual checking in later, but today is going to be busy. I'm not at work (hooray!) but I want to go for a run, get some laundry done, meet my sister at the airport (hooray!), go to the grocery store......

You get the general idea. :-)

Zombie is, um, interesting so far.

Woot Woot it's Thursday and you see your sister! Skimming over some of the reviews until I read the books.

Ellen - You'll probably be too busy the next few days with your important life events. Congratulations and I wish you all the best on your wedding day. Enjoy.

Hmm, I have Zombie sitting on my Kindle. At least it's a shorty, right?!?!?

If I don't get back here, please know that I send you and P. all good wishes for Saturday and always. My wedding changed nothing about my relationship but it was lovely to stand up in front of family and friends and affirm my love for a wonderful man. And to have him do the same for me :)

#69 - Hi Beth! This is my first read by Oates. I tried something by her several years ago and couldn't get into it (I can't recall whether it was Because It Is Bitter and Because It Is My Heart, which title I adore, or We Were The Mulvaneys - all I know is that I didn't read much before setting it aside). I'll let you know how this one goes!

#70 - Hi Kerri! And thank you for those kind words about my review of Among Others. I think LT is making me more, rather than less, honest about my reactions to things I read. Another good thing about the power of LT!

I, too, have long meant to read Joyce Carol Oates (see my comments to Beth above). My cousin Paul adores her and really wanted me to read Zombie so I am. He also loaned me Missing Mom which I have not yet read but feel I should as I must send it back to Paul. I think I have resisted because it will likely hit close to home.

I will see my sister soon! Hooray! She is really important to me and I am hoping we have a lovely visit.

Oh, and Kerri, you will likely not be surprised to learn that I have never, ever watched a pre-season football game in my life. Perhaps tonight will be a first. :-)

#71 - Karen, that is so interesting about your family history and connection to Paradise Inn! It's funny that I think of Mt. Rainier as male; perhaps I need to adjust that. Thinking of her as Tahoma may help. I certainly love the mountain. Last evening we went down to Madrona Park for a swim and a picnic and the mountain was OUT. It's an amazing feature of our landscape.

And I love that I have the same birthday (though not the same birthdate) as your maternal grandmother. I love thinking that the entire universe danced on the day I was born; the truth is that I may have needed it. I'm told I almost didn't make it. Maybe that is where my resilience comes from......

Thank you for the happy wishes, both for Saturday and for the 18th.

#72 - Hi Kath! Isn't it wonderful that we bookies can disagree so civilly with one another. As we have often said around here, if we all liked the same literature, this website (and life more generally) would be dull, dull, dull.

#73 - Darryl, I agree that, despite its short length, The Testament of Mary is a worthy work. I don't often re-read things but this one warrants it.

#75 - Hi Roberta! Skimming is fine (although I do try not to wander into spoiler land, but I know it's hard for me to discern what constitutes a spoiler sometimes). In any case, thank you for visiting and cheering my sister day! :-)

#76 - Hi Beth! Yes, starting tomorrow, I will probably disappear from LT. And I'm going to be good and not take the laptop on my mini-moon. Ha! :-|

#77 - Hi Katie! Zombie is definitely a shorty. I'll post comments here when I can, although it may not be until we return from Mt. Rainier/Tahoma. And thank you for the kind wishes. I don't feel a great need for validation or affirmation from my friends and family, at least not for my relationship with P, but I suspect it may be more affecting than I'm anticipating. I know the validation means a ton to P; she came out at a much younger age and during a much less accepting era, so her path has been more difficult than mine.

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I had a lovely muggy 29-minute run this morning, the laundry is on the line, and I'm headed for the shower! Happy Thursday, everyone!

>63 EBT1002: I love that you reviewed your sixty-third book of the year in post #63.

I am such a nerd.

*smooch* for sister-happiness!

#80 - Ha! I love the symmetry of that myself!

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I posted this on Kerri's thread so it only seems fair that I post it here as well. I don't know if we'll be watching the preseason game tonight but football season approacheth.

Great review of the Walton book, Ellen. I'm on the fence about reading it.

Enjoy your sister's visit. Can't wait to see wedding pictures.

Thanks for your thoughtful review of Among Others. Like Joe I really liked this book and don't share your opinion about it, but I also realize that not every book works for every person. Or not in the same way. I also liked the lists of books in the book. It gave me some more titles to add to my ever growing list.

I read Daughter of Time many years ago and liked it. As somebody else said, it isn't great literature but it is entertaining, and now with the discovery of the body of Richard III and the scheduled reburial it is timely and relevant.

Wedding day is getting closer, so take time to relax and enjoy the event.

All caught up here, Ellen. I am wishing you joy and contentment as you head into these last few days before the wedding. They will be busy but also hopefully full of laughter and lovely moments to pull back out of your memory and your heart and revisit in the years to come. Thinking of you, dear sister, and sharing your delight in the small things that matter because they make us smile - like the perfect shade of purple toenail polish and well-chosen flip flops. Like a skort that will not possibly be pink (so forget it Mark) and a photo taken from the back so that Kathleen can feel like she was there. Like 217 LTers, as someone recently mentioned to me, standing behind you in spirit and cheering you on. Here's to soaking it all up!

Aww Mamie I got a little teary eyed reading the last part. This is such a fabulous group.

Best wishes to you and P on your wonderful day Ellen!

Yep. We'll be with you in spirit!

Hi Ellen, I started off skimming your last thread but when I reached this thread and found all these references to a wedding - well, I had to go back and read more carefully.

Congratulations to you and P on your upcoming event, it sounds like you have your day well planned and are ready to just enjoy the moment. I'll be thinking of you on Saturday and smiling about purple toenails. Best wishes to the both of you.

Oh my, this is a wonderful group. You are all wonderful. Thank you.

#82 - Gail, I can't help you with whether to read it or not. Sorry. But I thank you for your well wishes!!

#83 - Benita, viva la difference! Yes?

#84 - Mamie, that is one of the sweetest posts I have ever received (does one "receive" posts?). Thank you, Sister!!!

#85 - Roberta, I know! Mamie made me get teary-eyed, too!

#86 - Kath, thank you! I know a whole bunch of people (perhaps approximately 217) will think of me at 4:30 Pacific Time.

#87 - Judy, hello!! Thank you for stopping long enough to read in more detail. My purple toenails are ready! (even if I am only partially so)

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Seahawks are looking good in preseason game...... :-)

Chapter 19 of Zombie made me almost nauseated on my way to the airport today.
I hand it to Oates but sheesh, that was too gruesome.

Ellen, Best wishes to you both on your upcoming wedding! I hope you have a beautiful day and life together!

Love those flip flops!

#90 - thank you, Joanne!

I'm really glad everyone approves of my flip flops. :-)

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding to P, Ellen!

Another LTer who will be thinking of you and P tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. PDT. I hope you can stay in the moment tomorrow and revel in your happiness. Weddings can go by so quickly but they're important celebrations. Wishing you and P a wonderful time tomorrow and many more years of sharing your lives together.

Wedding day eve! Hope everything is ready (I know your toenails are, and have hopes for the skort and flipflops!) and you are enjoying each other and family. *****

Sprinkling happiness confetti and flower petals along your path.. Have a ~ wonderful ~ fun ~ day!

Best wishes for today! I'll be at a beer fest, while you're getting married, so I'll drink one (or two or three) for you. I'm thoughtful like that.

Don't forget the purple toe nails photo!

Sending my good wishes as well! Have a great day!

Happy wedding Day, Ellen! Best wishes to you and P for an awesome, epic and stellar life together!

Big Big Hugs, my friend!!

I have to laugh about you reading Zombie on the way to your wedding. It's not exactly romantic material. What are you thinking, girlfriend? LOL. Have a lovely weekend and I can't wait to see a pic or two.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat as needed.

Have a happy day, Ellen!

In this part of the country, no wedding is complete without trays of Italian cookies, so I brought some, just in case...



I hope it's as lovely where you are as it is here, and that every minute of this day is perfect for you and your sweet P.

Ellen, it was about time I wandered in, and on your wedding day too! Best wishes to you and P and enjoy the mini moon!

Dear Ellen and P,

<img width="350" src="http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb48/mrshurst2/anniversary%20wedding%20and%20engagement/Congratulations-1.gif"

My thoughts are with you today Ellen. You have waited for this moment for a good while. I hope and trust that the day and beyond brings you both everything you wish for and more. xxxx

I hope you and P had a wonderful day of celebration. Congratulations!

Hope you are dancing your flip-flops off, and flashing those purple toenails!!

Congratulations and a long and happy life together...

Hi there, young lady. Did you survive? Are you and P happily ever after already? Of course you are!!! What a great day, and I imagine it is nice to have a quiet day after, too.

Have a wonderful "honeymoon" and say hello to our lovely mountain, Tahoma, from me. She will cradle you happily, I'm sure.

Toasting to you and P...
A long, healthy life full of happiness and abundant blessings!



love, loyalty, and friendship....

Looking forward to hearing tales of the nuptials, Ellen. Have a great honeymoon!

Sending Monday Back To Reality hugs to you and a tremulous smile to P.

Wow! So many wonderful wishes!

Thank you all --- Pat, Roni, Kath, Kerri, Rhian, Lynda, Mark, Morphy, Richard, Mamie, Katie, Linda, Ilana, Roni(X2), Pat(X2), Paul, Laura, Suzanne, Karen, Cee, Joe, and Richard(X2), --- it means a lot to me to receive all your congratulations and well-wishes.

Of course, some of you may recall that I'm supposed to be at Mt. Rainier on a mini-moon today, Monday, August 12. Yes, well..... sit right back and I'll share a tale.....

My sister arrived on Thursday as planned. It was wonderful to have her here and we had a lovely day on Friday: excellent croissants from the Nouveaux Bakery on Capitol Hill, enjoyed from a bench in Seward Park looking out across the lake to the mountain; picking up rental champagne glasses and plates; touring my favorite wine shop; tidying up the yard and house; running to Met Market for cheese, crackers, sparkling cider, etc., etc. Late afternoon, I had just sat down to email a dear friend (P had run out to wash the car while Carol and I went to the market and it seemed to me that she was taking a while, but I was happy to have a bit of sitting down time), and I get a text from P. "Can you please come help me with something in the car?" Sigh. Okay. Yes. I get up and bound down the 25 steps from our front door to the sidewalk, make my way inquiringly around the garage, and I stop. I was speechless (for about 3 seconds). Standing there, silently and smugly smiling, are my aunt and cousins from Tennessee. I had NO idea they were coming for the wedding! They have known since May that they would be here; they knew when I visited them for a week in early July. How this cat didn't get out of the bag is beyond me!

In any case, it was a delightful surprise and it meant that my crazy, hectic, whirlwind of a weekend was off and running. The rest of the weekend is a bit of a blur, although I will say that it was wonderful. The ceremony was very brief and the party lasted several hours. I hope to share a photo or two when they become available.

Oh, and about that mini-moon. P had rescheduled it for early September (this was very stressful for her, to change our plans like that without my involvement, although she knew it was the thing to do), so yesterday (wedding now duly checked off) we spent the day showing my Tennessee family around Seattle. None of them had ever been here, so we did the Chihuly museum (my aunt's request) and of course the Public Market. It was fun to see the city through new visitors' eyes.

And, if I ever have any doubts in the future about whether my Tennessee relatives accept and love me for who I am, I need to remember this. Clearly, they are fine with who I am. I feel so loved and lucky. We're going there for Thanksgiving, in fact. Life is amazing.

Your post made smiles all over my face.

64. Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates
3.5 stars

This was a weird read. I don't really recommend it, but it's remarkable for Oates' successful penetration of the mind of a serial rapist murderer. Chapter 19 literally left me mildly nauseated, but most of the novel is intriguing (and yes, horrifying). Oates does not appear to be interested in what "made" Quentin P into a monster, but she explores how his feelings about each new victim start as attraction, shift into an obsession, and deteriorate into rage and loathing. It's fascinating.

This is my first novel by Joyce Carol Oates and I will read at least one more. I have a hard time believing that this is representative of anything other than her range.

#116 - streamsong, I'm so glad. If I acquire courage (and technological assistance), I'll try to post the 26-second video of me when I first saw them standing there. :-)

Currently reading:

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So happy that your wedding went well and you got such a pleasant surprise!! Good on P for helping surprise you like that!!

I also am reading message 115 with a giant smile from ear to ear. I want to see that video!!

Oh, Ellen, that is a lovely story and so wonderful! Good on P. and the relatives for pulling off a successful surprise. Glad the weekend was special and memorable in so many ways.

Such a dear, dear friend you have in P, and what a loving, loving family.

All is as it should be. I am happy for you all.

Congratulations!! Sounds like a wonderful wedding. I love the flip flops.

Oh my, what a wonderful feeling to have that family support...and what a wonderful surprise. And now you have your minimoon to look forward to next month when things have calmed down. Can't wait for those pictures, Ellen. Big congratulatory hugs to the two of you.

Aww, what a wonderful wedding story!!! Made me tear up a bit, that. Congratulations Ellen and P!

Wonderful wedding story, Ellen. And how fortunate that your TN family is so accepting and loving. I see a great future starting...
XO to you and P.

So much happiness! And you weren't sure you wanted this wedding? Clearly you have picked a most excellent life partner, and so has she.

Glad to hear that the wedding was wonderful and full of pleasant surprises. It is always nice to have family around for those big days. Of course, it is nice to have good friends around on those days as well.

I went to the Chihuly Museum when I was there in January and loved it. I keep thinking that if I had time for a garden I would put glass in it - as well as flowers and plants. Pike Market is always fun.

Ellen - It is always heartwarming when people, especially family, accept us for what we are and can rejoice in our happiness whatever their own personal likes and dislikes.

Congratulations for you and P., dear Ellen!

Awesome wedding surprise from P! So nice to have those you love and mean alot to you share in your very special day AND mt. Rainer still to look forward to. You one lucky girl. *cyber rice thrown at the happy couple*

Such a fabulous surprise, Ellen! It's a powerful thing when the people we love offer us tangible proof that they love us back unconditionally. I'm so happy that you got that moment - makes me want to cry in a good way. And how lovely of P to have changed the plans all on her own, even though it was out of her comfort zone, in order for you to be surprised. Carry on, sister, carry on!!

Great story, Ellen! Wonderful of your aunt and cousins to come celebrate with you, and for P to pull off the surprise like that. Glad it's all gone so well, and I'm sure you and P are basking in it all.

Hi Ellen - Congratulations. It sounds like your day was perfect. August 10 was a great day for me, too. My granddaughter, Scout Elizabeth was born -- 10 days early.

I'm not sure I'll get to Light in August this month. I have a lot of class prep to do, and I want to help my daughter as much as I can before school starts.

*waving "hi"*

I hope settling back into RL is not too jarring; I assume more time for relaxing and reading now. The fall is looming... I see (even before today's cataract surgery) Labor Day just around the corner.... GEt some of that wonderful Summertime lounging around accomplished! Maybe a picnic at the beach? The coolness has returned in the mornings.... but I'm loving the sunshine, still. Should be good through September.

Happy Days.

What a fabulous weekend and a wonderful surprise.

I agree. Zombie isn't something you'd necessarily recommend as "enjoyable" but it's a fascinating read.

Wow! What a nice surprise to have your aunt and cousins attend your wedding and spend the weekend with you and P, Ellen. Thanks for sharing that lovely story with us!

Hi Ellen!

What a wonderful surprise that your aunt and cousins were there! An encouraging and heartwarming story too.

Um, I don't see a toenail photo anywhere. Are you working on that?

#117 - I've never read her (I plan to at some point), but I never imagined her writing could cause stomach sickness. Interesting.

Ellen - How absolutely wonderful that your family came all the way from Tennessee to celebrate your wonderful day. I bet they were stressed out when you went to see them knowing they were keeping such an amazing secret. Life can be so wonderful.

Congratulations to you and Mrs. P.

Perfect! Just what a wedding should be - family fun and rejoicing!
I'm so happy for the two of you ;-)

Ellen, congratulations to you and P, and how lovely that your family was there to share in the celebration.

Oh dear, I will never be able to catch up with my own thread here. I am touched by so many LT friends stopping by, reading about my "big day," and leaving such heartwarming and kind comments. P and I are settling back into RL now (we have been together for over 17 years) and tomorrow we both have to go to work. pfffft.

Today was our last day not working. We got up early and roared out of town to Snoqualmie Pass for a 7-mile hike (round trip) to Snow Lake. It was strenuous but gratifying. Then we went to Roslyn (filming site for the old show "Northern Exposure") for ice cream. Finally home, laundry, a bit of reading, and some dinner. Whew.

Snow Lake

I'll try to get back to some individual responses a bit later. For now, trust that I know each and every one of you who stopped by and I am very appreciative of your support.

Oh, and Light in August is a bit hard to read in fits and starts, which is what life is allowing right now. I hope to give it some undivided attention tomorrow evening after work.

What a wonderful surprise! And yes, even though people may think that 'of course so and so knows that I support their life/decisions/etc", it's a great reminder that this isn't always the case. We need to tell those we love and care about that we're in their corner, come what may, to be sure that those signals that we're sure we're sending aren't lost, mislaid or confused.

Here's to a deferred mini-moon. I suspect you'll enjoy it still more when it doesn't come hard on the heels of the weeks of preparation and all the excitement and hubbub. Good to have some down time after that.

Sorry about the looming return to real life, however.

Wish I knew where I could find a lake like that around here!!

Ice cream as a topper to strenuous hiking...I like the way you think!

My daughter, Bridget, made me go with her on a hike up Mount Monadnock in NH. All the way up (to keep me going) she promised we'd go to a fabulous ice cream place when we got back. The ice cream was pretty fabulous - I can't even remember how many kinds of ice cream they had... probably 100.

But the real treat was the view from the top of the mountain ;-) I wouldn't let her take a picture of me clinging to a rock - huddling behind it as shelter from the wind - and peeking out to see how high I was. (Not fond of heights). If I am struck with dementia in my old age, that is one experience I will never forget.

She now has 2 teen girls visiting from France and staying with her for 3 weeks. She pulled the same thing on them last Sunday... make it to the top and we'll get ice cream. They fell for it too... ice cream being the international bribe. Those poor girls had no idea what they were in for when they signed up to stay with Bridget!

I want Snow Lake.

Snow Lake looks beautiful! And how fun to visit the town where Northern Exposure was filed :) I liked that show a lot! A good way to spend your last day off, imo.

LOL at Cee's hike /ice cream stories :)

#120 - 142:
Chelle!
Roni!
Katie!
Richard!
Rhonda!
Donna!
Laura!
Gail!
Linda!
Benita!
Paul!
Diana!
Lynda!
Mamie!
Joe!
Beth!
Karen!
Morphy!
Darryl!
Kerri!
Roberta!
Cee!
Judy!

I can't even begin to express how much it means that you all stopped by and that so many of you were touched by my family story. Thank you all for your enthusiasm, warmth, and kind words.

I have spent today getting back into work and Real Life. Clearly it has been a crazy week-plus. I was almost glad to deal with the day-to-day details of my job!

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This morning I had a good bit of quiet bus time with Light in August and I'm finding it to be an engaging work.
Special thanks to Kerri for suggesting it as a First Faulkner.

#146 - Suz, Snow Lake is truly beautiful. The picture, of course, fails to do it justice but I'm happy to have access to it. I mean, the hike took over five hours round trip, so I suppose it depends on how one defines "access." :-)

#147 - Linda, ice cream is the perfect reward for a 7-mile hike!

#148 - Cee, that's wonderful that you had such a great hiking experience (heights notwithstanding). And it makes total sense to me that the ice cream at the end was the best you ever had! Right around age 40, I developed weird vertigo and anxiety around edges. Hiking poles have made all the difference for me. And I love the image of you peeking around the rock at the top of that mountain!

I tend to favor hikes on which one goes up and up and up, gets the view and lunch, then goes down and down adn down. This hike was unusual in that it involved going up and up and then down, lunch by the lake, and then up and then down and down. It was kind of fun hiking up and over a mountain ridge!

#149 - Kath, I always liked that show, too. It was kind of cool to walk around and see the familiar sights, including the mural and, of course, The Brick. :-)

I loved that TV show. One of the last I was genuinely addicted to watching weekly.

That show was such a hit at home in Kansas. I think everyone watched it. We would talk about it at church on Sunday and compare notes on what happened. It was so famous and well liked that the local 4H clubs started a spring cattle show and called it "The Northern Exposure" show. (The official name is the North Central Kansas Northern Exposure Spring Cattle Show.) It is held the first weekend in April, which is very early for cattle shows.

Another favorite of the Kansas locals was "Twin Peaks." I believe that one was set in Washington state, but it wasn't nearly as well liked as Northern Exposure. However, once again at church, we would gather to talk about the latest happenings on that show. We also talked about Dallas. Gosh, we talked about as many TV shows as we did church things at church. Sort of like all the talk about TV shows over on Mark's thread.

Like you, I am back to real life. Vacation ended this afternoon when I went back to work. I envy your hike to Snow Lake. Beautiful country. Do the hiking poles really help?

#152 - Me too, Karen. I tried to go back and watch it a couple of years ago and it didn't "keep" as much as I had hoped. But now that I've been to Roslyn, I might give it one more try, if only to see the set.

#153 - Benita, I had friends who were into "Twin Peaks" but I never watched it. I had a feeling it would not be my thing.
Gosh, we talked about as many TV shows as we did church things at church.
LOL! Well, I'd best not tell you some of the things I did at church. ;-)

The hiking poles help a lot! I'm completely over feeling like a middle aged person when I use them. I mean, I am a middle aged person, and I'm out hiking 7 miles, so I figure anyone who has any judgment about it can just, um, take a hike! :-)

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Picked up a couple of Graphic Novels/Memoirs from the library this evening. I will read one of them and then back to Light in August.

Tickets to the Seahawks' game against Jacksonville arrived in the mail today. I don't want to wish away the summer but I'm starting to get excited about football season. Of course, it's raining in Seattle tonight (but I'm sitting here with the windows open and the air is lovely!), so maybe that is me just facing reality.

Still.....

And there's a cat! :-)

65. My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf
3.5 stars



If you had gone to high school with Jeffrey Dahmer, had sat next to him in class and hung out with him at the mall, if you had met his mother, wouldn't you want to write about it? Especially if you're an artist and a writer?

This is an interesting graphic memoir, exploring the junior high (as we called it then) and high school years of a group of "friends" of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Backderf is clearly trying to come to terms with the surreal experience of having known Dahmer before he became a killer, of having been part of a high school milieu that ostracized and teased Dahmer, "all in good fun." Backderf appropriately wonders where the adults were who might have changed fate with some intervention (shades of Life After Life by Kate Atkinson) but he fails to fully acknowledge the meanness that was part of his own interactions with the lonely and tormented Dahmer. It was, of course, the 1970s and things were different then. I, myself, graduated from high school in the same year as Dahmer and Backderf, and I enjoyed Backderf's depictions of our culture and the much looser rules and norms than those experienced by today's high school kids. And I would be the last to assert that Backderf and his friends are in any way culpable for Dahmer's development into a monster. Societal homophobia, adult self-absorption, and mental illness are all to blame. Still, I believe Backderf's graphic narrative sheds some light on the impact of stereotypes and adolescent bullying on a lost soul's deterioration into the worst hell, despite the artist's repeated assertions that he and his friends deserve no reprimand.

A very good review of your latest read, Ellen. Thumb for you - is it posted? I'll check. And I love the photo up there that takes me back to Northern Exposure - I loved that show! Still do - we have it on DVD!! And FOOTBALL SEASON is coming! Does it get any better than that?!

Here's hoping that your Thursday is full of fabulous!

What Mamie said on that very good review, Ellen. You should post it.

The Sky take on them Seattlelinian Stormers, I think tonight. Unfortunately, EDD is out with an injured ankle. Too bad.

Ummm...Ellen dear...I probably will earn myself a slot on your "go-directly-to-hell" list for this but...we're not middle-aged anymore. How many 106-year-olds do you know, or even know OF? We's oldsters now.

*flees wrathful Ellen-missiles*

>160 richardderus: If you're the oldsters, I guess I must be decrepit. Please come visit me at The Home, won't you, while YOU can still get out on your own?

Hi Ellen!

#157 - Nice review. I do want to read this. I'm not typically interested in reading about serial killers, but this angle is fascinating. I put it on my list after reading Mark's review.

Please have a lovely Friday! Preseason game on Saturday!

#158 - Mamie, I did just post my review of My Friend Dahmer. Thanks for your intended thumb!
And I'm pretty excited about football season this year, more than usual!

#159 - Joe, I have now posted it. Appreciate your intended thumb, as well!

You know, I should pay more attention to the Seattle Storm but I do struggle with my firm belief that basketball is a winter sport. So, I watch the women Huskies in the winter. In Seattle, I don't want to go inside much during the summer (and I have never forgiven the WNBA for using their big money to put the ABL out of business and setting it up that the women have to wait until the men are done using the courts to have their own season. Grrr).

*steps down off soapbox*

#160 - Richard. Richard. Richard. So rarely am I left speechless.

*reaches for cane with which to whack Richard and then remembers will need it to hobble home*

#161 - Linda, no, Richard is old. I am ever youthful. Ha!

#162 - Kerri! My Seahawks buddy! My sister will be in town so I don't know if I'll get to see the game this Saturday. You may have to fill me in on what we learn about our team.

You know, I seem to have been on a little serial-killer kick lately (The Wasp Factory, Zombie, and now My Friend Dahmer). Perhaps I'll do a tag search and see what else I can read in this area! It doesn't quite fit with my self-image, but maybe I'm learning something about myself....

Ok, I added my thumb, sister! Thanks for posting it! And hooray for football season!!!

Your serial killer kick comments are cracking me up!

^ Mamie, glad I made you chuckle.
And thank you for the thumb for my review!

I'm in the middle of Black Out which might just feed your serial killer needs...

^ Jim, I'm on it!

Try I Am Not A Serial Killer for some fun, Ellen.

Linda3rd, decrepitude is optional...and one doesn't become Ancient of Days until one crosses into the eighth earthly decade, at 71. That's the point at which one is wise to leave the door unlatched so the Grim Reaper can get in without a fuss.

“Read, read, read. Read everything -- trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it."
~William Faulkner

One more:

“Given the choice between the experience of pain and nothing, I would choose pain.”
~William Faulkner

LOVE those Faulkner quotes! Good Friday morning, sister! Hope you weekend is full of fabulous!

Hi Ellen- How are the newlyweds? I am so glad everything went well. I am very happy for you. Love the shot of Snow Lake. Good review of My Friend Dahmer. I was crazy about the creepy illustrations and the amount of research he did, especially detailing the sources of all his information, at the end.
Have a wonderful weekend!

Good Friday morning, Ellen.

The Sky beat the Storm last night in the last couple few minutes. But otherwise, it was a good game. The Storm is doing quite well considering its having lost two very capable players. Sad. Last night they honored a gaggle of accomplished women - Judge Bobbie Bridge, Gov. Chris Gregoire, and 6-8 more. It was great! You really should consider going more often as it is a great good time in an intimate setting. Only a few thousand spectators, not tens of thousands. But of course, if you are feeling too aged .... well, all I can say is hold on to your pants, honey, it just keeps getting more interesting. Approaching 70 is quite interesting, but at least I can "see clearly now".

Yes, still reading about the crazy eccentric woman who spent all her money maintaining houses she did ot use. Sigh.

Hmm, somehow it was okay with me that the Sky won last night. Not sure why . . .

My Friend Dahmer duly thumbled. Happy Friday, Ellen!

Hi Ellen - Should we worry about this trend in serial killer fascination? Great reviews.

I love the Faulkner quotes. I wasn't sure I would get to Light in August, but it is calling my name. Just reading the first couple of pages reminded me how much I loved it -- a reread might be just the thing right now.

>168 richardderus: "decrepitude is optional" -- I like that. I'm going to use it on my husband, who thinks nothing is ever wrong with me because I don't moan and groan about it like he does.

#168- That looks like an interesting read, Richard, probably the most interesting of the works that came up with a "serial killer" tag search.

And since my sister is about to turn 70, I would like to vote for telling the Grim Reaper to wait another decade or so....

#171- Thank you, Mamie. My weekend started a bit early and that is a good thing. You know, a glass of wine at 4pm on Friday. :-)

#172- Mark! We are doing fine, thank you. Of course, mostly we're just settling back into what was already a good life and a good routine.
I agree that Backderf did a ton of good research. The drawings of Dahmer were indeed creepy. Those blank eyes. He captured that well.

#173- Hi Karen. It's so good to have you out and about - in Seattle and on LT. I do want to go to a Storm game; whenever we go we have a good time. And I have this pair of tickets sitting on the buffet..... :-)

#174- Joe, well, perhaps your loyalty is suspect.
Thank you for the thumb!

#175- Hi Beth! I don't think you need to worry, but it is an odd thing I seem to be exploring. I truly think it's coincidence. The books came in from the library at the same time. Of course, I could interpret that as a sign or something...... mwaahahaha....

I hope you join us for Light in August. I took a break today to read another short story in The Empty Family, which I want to complete soon.

#176- Linda, I agree with Richard. Decrepitude is optional. If we're lucky.

Skittering in a bit late with the Congratulations! (shouted loud: CONGRATULATIONS!).

I've been a bit sloppy here on LT this week, being on holiday and I got it in my head your wedding was next week but then I saw how many posts you had and thought 'uh oh'! I'm so happy for you both.

Be careful, Ellen: only a few games left. August 17th, 20th, 29th, Sept. 7, 10, and 14. And that is it! Except for playoff games. I just scored 2 additional tickets for the Sept. 10 and 14 games. So if you, or any other LT readers, might be interested, let me know via PM. First come, first serve of course.

I love the basketball games. They are so fun.

There was a guy there at the last game who was 104 years old. No decrepitude with him, I'm thinking. I think the basketball games help hold it off.

Ellen - With SWMBO away for more than a week I will be able to get myself fully caught up and reading can get back to July levels.

I know nuts about basketball. I share with Napoleon vertical curtailedness and the ability to look stupid in outsized headwear. Have a lovely weekend.

Sports. Sports everywhere. I bet Cathy has some sports channel on the TV at work. As if a TV in a library isn't bad enough, to have it blaring sports? Woe is me.

Weekend ! Hope yours is good :)

More sports.

Hey Ellen, the US open is coming up. Rafa is looking good on the hard courts this summer... And Serena, as always is crushing opponents.

Hi Ellen! Happy Saturday! I hope you're having a good time.

I had a plan to get into the WNBA this summer (I mean watch it, not play in it. Obviously), but I dropped the ball. While I may try again next year, I think there may only be room in my heart for one sport.

School starts here next week. On Wednesday and the influx of cars started this last week. The summers are so peaceful here and I get more and more accustomed to them. I swear the summer gets shorter and shorter each year.

I face the new year with trepidation. My colleague has been causing me trouble for the last month. He just doesn't like it that I am the person-in-charsge. I thought he would eventually get over it, but, doggone, it has been four - almost five months - and he is still challenging me on everything. I am about our of patience.

Even my reading life has suffered. But I sleep well at night -so all is not hopeless.

#178- Lucy, thank you for the well wishes, regardless of which week they arrive. I'm glad your holiday is so good that you're losing track of things!

#179- Karen, we will definitely get to a game. It's an easy bus ride for us to Key Arena. Will the Storm be going to the playoffs this fall?

#180- Paul, I guess I could find this out on your thread but where is SWMBO going for a week? I can imagine that will be good reading (and LT-ing) time for you!

#181- Kath, sorry. It does seem a bit odd for some of us who are sincere book-lovers to also love sports, doesn't it? I will have to think about what they have in common. There must be something contemplative about sports.

Or not.

In any case, my weekend is lovely so far. I hope yours is, as well.

#182- Beth, another one who comes to my thread despite the occasional lapses into sports talk.
P is a HUGE Serena fan so we watched a bit of her match this evening before heading downtown to Dahlia Lounge for the best dinner I've had in months!! Tomorrow is my birthday and this was my birthday treat from my sister. Salmon to die for. Yum.

#183- Hi Kerri! My Saturday was truly lovely, thank you. It wrapped up with dinner at Tom Douglas' Dahlia Lounge where I had the most divine salmon I've had in a very long time. And good wine. And a wonderful peach shortcake for dessert. My oh my.

I think, if you must choose one sport to follow and one team to adore, it's football and the Seahawks. Right?

#184- Benita, the summers do seem to get shorter, don't they? I'm sorry you have a colleague who makes work a struggle. It's amazing how one person can affect the whole climate. Ugh.

Meanwhile, you're sleeping okay, so there is that. :-)

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

I'm very much enjoying Light in August and most of the stories in The Empty Family. The latter is different than any other collection I've read (not that the list is terribly long).
Still, I think I might detour into reading The Carter Family: Don't Forget This Song, which I got from the library this week.

So, while my sister was planning her trip over to the Olympic Peninsula, she wondered if I might have any books she could borrow. Um. Yes.

She took several with her and came back saying that she started and didn't finish any of them:
The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope -- nope.
The Night Watch -- nope.
The Highest Tide -- nope.

Back here in Seattle, she decided to try awakening by SJ Bolton but reports that in the very first chapter there is a snake in bed with a baby. My sister has a snake phobia, so -- nope.

Then she picked up The Yellow Birds. She is loving it!

All this apropos of nothing, but I've enjoyed watching her search for just the right holiday book.

Sheesh.
Now I am cross at myself. I missed your wedding!
*kicks self repeatedly with good foot* (bad foot being operated on tomorrow, so better not make it worse)
I am so sorry I didn't visit earlier - I really hadn't realised it was coming up so quickly! I am so glad it went well, and that you got some surprise guests!! A bit of a rip off having to go back to work so soon...but hey, you are MARRIED now!!!

Congratulations!!

(so did you wear the swanky flip-flops?)

^ Megan, no worries. I was ambivalent all along, so this is good. It feels good to have legal protections, though, that's for sure.
And yes, I wore the swanky flip flops. I mean, how many people get to say they got married in flip flops? I hold this as another indication that Seattle is a hip place in which to live.

Good luck tomorrow on the foot surgery. You know we'll all be thinking about you!

*phew*
I am not barred from this thread for my tardy congratulations :)

^ Absolutely not! I rarely bar anyone from my thread for anything. :-)

Sunday: Woodland Park Zoo to see the baby giraffe! Yay!!

Happy Birthday Ellen and many happy returns. It sounds like you are having a great b-day weekend.

Sometimes I pick up four or five books before I find the right one.

Isn't Faulkner great? He may not be a fast read, but he rewards his reader.

Did the flip flops have sparklies?

Baby giraffe? fabulous! I love giraffes :)

Oh dear! Your sister did have a hard time of it, finding the right book. Is she a "serious" reader, or an occasional reader? If she is a hard core reader, she must have a hard time of it ! I hate it when I get in one of those moods where nothing suits :P Glad your weekend is going well.

Happy Birthday, Ellen!! Big hugs to my friend. Have a great day!

*smoochings* just cause you're fabulous

Congratulations on your wedding! May you have a long and happy life together.

Happy Birthday. I think your dinner sounds just fab! Many happy returns of the day, girl!

I think I'm going to start a Seattle-centric bucket list and having a meal in a Tom Douglas restaurant is going on that list right now. the Chihuly museum is there, too. Any other suggestions? Oh? A Seahawks game? Well, probably not this year.

Happy Birthday!

Since I won't be on LT tomorrow -

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

There! Now that's out of the way. Just clip'n'save for your actual 70th birthday! The cake was too pretty to pass up. That flower is *amazing*!

Happy Birthday!

Eating in Seattle is a fabulous experience. I did not get to eat at one of Tom Douglas's places this last trip. I did make it to Salumi - the charcutery started by Armandino Battali and now owned by his daughter Gina Battali while there. It was so much fun and we took back several types of sausage which we ate with our Washington state cheese from the fromagier in Pike Place Market. I also got to eat chowder from Ivar's at the Deception Pass State Park. Does that count as gourmet food at a first class resturant?

Happy, happy birthday, Ellen! I think the term Middle age is a stupid term and extremely racist. In fact, stealing ones Metamucil should be a hate crime. Uh hem, that said go crazy and live it up!

BTW: doesn't look as if I'll be getting to Light in August this month, so sorry in advance cause I'll be removing it from TIOLI.

It's your birthday, so be sure to indulge yourself! Happy, happy birthday, sister!

Okay, I'm not sure if your birthday is today or tomorrow, I am so confused. I think that Mamie wins the birthday picture contest.....

So Happy Birthday Week To YOU!!!

Waaaayy back up there in post #10, Ellen said that her birthday was on the 18th, so it's today.

In that case... Happy Birthday!!!

(sorry, no cute cat pics here... too busy dealing with the reality...)

Happy Birthday, Ellen!

Hi everyone! Yes, today is the day. Fifty-three years young. It's been a lovely day. More about that in a moment.

#194- Thank you, Beth! Yes, I do know the feeling of looking for something good to read and having several false starts. I'm pleased that she found one that has sucked her in.

#195- Morphy, the flip flops did not have sparkles. I draw the line at sparkles. Everyone has to draw the line somewhere.

#196- Kath, the baby giraffe was adorable!!! He's 12 days old and about 7 feet tall. He is in a barn and outdoor area with his mom and his aunt. He's so cute; it just killed me!

#197- Hi Mark, and thank you for the birthday wishes and hug!

#198- Richard! *smooches* back (and thanks for the "fabulous" comment).

#199- Hi Kerri! Thank you for the handsome birthday cat!

#200- Linda, thank you. So far, getting married hasn't changed much, but that's probably a good thing.

#201- Karen, thank you for the birthday wishes! The dinner was stellar. I have decided to add eating at every Tom Douglas restaurant to my own Seattle Bucket List. I've eaten at Etta's, Palace Kitchen (a fave), Serious Pie, Lola, and now Dahlia Lounge. I still have several to get to. I certainly recommend Dahlia Lounge but it was quite spendy; it was a treat to have my sister pick up the tab.
I would definitely put the Chihuly Museum on the Seattle Bucket List. A Mariners' game (Safeco Field is lovely). I will go to my first (and likely only) Seahawks game next month. I want to ride the ferris wheel down by the waterfront and one of these days I'm going to ride The Ducks just to be cheesy. :-)

#202- Thanks, Katie!

#203- Cee, I love the banner-hanging cat and you got the day just right. August 18. Today. Thank you!

#204- Well, Richard, you're definitely getting things done well in advance! No procrastination for you! Thank you for the lovely cake. My sister does turn 70 next month, so I'll save the cake for her. :-)

#205- Benita, I think you got some of the classic Seattle eats under your belt there. I know the sausages you probably picked up in the market and the cheese -- Beecher's? Yum.
Besides, Deception Pass is one of the more beautiful places on earth, so you get points for that!

#206- Lynda, LOL about the Metamucil stealing. Luckily, I haven't needed it yet..... And thank you for the birthday wishes!
No worries about getting to (or not getting to) Light in August. Madeline is always good about reminding us of what the "LI" in "TIOLI" stands for.

#207- Mamie! Thank you, sister! I may look like that cat later tonight. P is making a Syrah Soy Tri-tip on the grill, we're having fresh corn, cucumber salad, cake and ice cream, and (of course) wine. I'm glad I don't have to go to work tomorrow!

#208- Kath, LOL. Mamie is right that today is the day. But I very much like the idea of a birthday week!! Thank you for that!

#209- Nothing gets by Mamie. I wish I could say the same about myself (but I can't).

#210- Suz, the happy birthday wishes are enough --- thank you! I will wander over to your thread to see what's up in RL. I appreciate you're stopping by and wishing me well.

#211- Joe! A running shoe birthday cake! I like it. Now I need to get back out there and go for a run. I have been quite lazy this week. I know I can use the excuse of all the craziness in my life this week, but I also know I'll feel better when I get back into the running routine.

Happy birthday Ellen! I hope you've had a fun day.

Happy Birthday, Ellen. August will be a big party month for you with an anniversary and a birthday to celebrate. The baby giraffe is so cute. Our little zoo has an elevated giraffe feeding station that is fun for the kids as they can look them right In the eye.

How long does your sister get to stay? She has good taste in books! I liked The Yellow Birds very much.

When your birthday falls on a Sunday, you automatically get a birthday WEEK. Please alert P.

You are my absolute hero!!!! Thank you for the pic of the baby giraffe ... adorableness.

Happy Birthday Ellen! Sounds like you had a nice time with your sister. All this food talk is making me hungry. Enjoy the rest of your evening and I'm thrilled you are off tomorrow.

P and Sis should never be allowed to forget the birthday WEEK phenomenon. Lovely for Sis to pick up the tab! Now maybe she can club together with P and get you an all-expenses-paid trip to Elliott Bay!

This has been the month of months for you, hasn't it? Certainly a magnificent start on the rest of your life.

I wouldn't say I enjoyed this Faulkner, but I am glad I read it. I have Absalom around here somewhere, but usually I read only two of his in any year. Indulging in some mind-soothing lighter books for a bit.

Hope your return to work will be as pleasant as possible.

Who knew baby giraffes were so adorable?! Wow, Ellen, you enrich our lives in so many ways around here. :-)

Enjoy your lovely dinner, although I have no idea what tri-tip is!

Happy Birthday, Ellen!! Hope you are having a great one.

So glad I stopped in again, so I can say HAPPY BIRTHDAY on the actual day!

Love the sneaker cake!

Happy Birthday, Ellen!

Happy birthday!

Belated Happy Birthday wishes...I spent yesterday out of town, celebrating my uncle's 92nd birthday (which was actually on the 8th). There's plenty of cake left from that party, in case yours is all gone.

Bountiful Birthday Blessings!

And now! for excitement and thrills: Happy Monday.

Picture of the giraffe is darling. Simply cute. And attractive.

I have friends who are very big supporters of the zoo and treat me to pictures of all the bablies on their FB page! We've had a bunch of babies this summer.... river otters? some big cats? too cute for words. I need to go to the zoo with my friend, his camera, and mine. What a great idea. Maybe in September when the kids are all in school.

66. The Carter Family: Don't Forget This Song by Frank M. Young & David Lasky
2.5 stars

This graphic history of The Carter Family tells the story of an early pioneer family in country and gospel music. It gives a sense of the radio biz of the first half of the 20th Century, the politics and business of it, and the early days of the music recording industry. A.P. Carter, the patriarch of the family, is the main character but his wife Sara, along with her cousin, Maybelle (who married A.P'.'s cousin, Ezra), and the children of both these couples, are important. I appreciated the family tree and referred to it pretty regularly.

The story got a bit boring. A.P.'s character -- his love for music, his belief that it should be available for everyone's enjoyment, his naivete in dealing with the industry, and his love for Sara -- fell just a bit flat. The author captured some of life's bittersweetness and gave a sense of the family's deep religious foundation and firm commitment to one another. I enjoyed the accurately captured southern accents ("Law, thank goodness Coy wadn't here"). And it's not like it requires a lot of hours to complete. In sum, I recommend it with a fair dose of ambivalence.

There is a CD in the back of the book and I plan to listen to it while I make pesto for dinner. I have no idea whether I'll like the music.

#229 - Oh, fiddlesticks! I was hoping to read that, but I just looked at the other reviews too, and they seem to be negative to meh. Maybe the CD is good? I do have an appreciation for terribly old country music, so perhaps that will help. I'm not sure. Oh well.

I think the running shoe cake might have your name on it - one of these years. Enjoy that glass of wine and that good steak tonight. Store up all that good stuff as the semester starts you will probably need the good memories.

Well, I'm only a day late with my birthday wishes, Ellen. Sounds like you had a great day!

I was *almost* suckered in to adding The Carter Family: Don't Forget this Song until I twigged to the fact it's a comic book. Almost got me!

#215- Laura, thank you!

#216- Donna, yes, August has always been a favorite month of mine (and now, add to that the fact that it's always gorgeous in Seattle in August). It will continue to be an important month.

An elevated giraffe feeding station sounds wonderful! Forget the kids, I want to try it!

My sister flew out last night and I got an email today that she already misses me. And it's mutual. She does have good taste in reading. She loved The Yellow Birds and she started Dark Voyage before she left and could hardly put it down. I haven't read that Furst yet, but I let her take it for the plane and I'm confident she will bring it to Thanksgiving in Tennessee. I was pleased to introduce her to a new author she loves!

#217- Kath, I believe one gets a birthday week no matter on which day of the week it falls! But I will alert P and see if I can milk it just a bit more.....

The baby giraffe was so cute, he almost out-cuted all the baby big cats we've had at our zoo!

#218- Hi Roberta! It was a lovely birthday topped off by a wonderful meal and excellent company. It's been a busy and fun couple of weeks. Now I feel like I need a vacation. :-|

#219- Richard, I am reputedly pretty good at milking my birthday WEEK. Even I acknowledge that I'm pretty generally spoiled. Still! an all-expenses-paid trip to Elliott Bay! --- now that would be a birthday!

#220- Gail, it has definitely been a month of months! Whew!

I'm sorry Light in August isn't doing it for you. Of course, I'm still just a wee bit shy of the halfway point, but I'm liking his writing a lot. The story is challenging, and I can see the need for some lighter fare as counterbalance. You may note that I took a couple of detours into what Richard calls "comic books." :-)

#221- Hi Kerri! The giraffe was, indeed, cuter than anyone (me) knew!!

you enrich our lives in so many ways around here. Methinks you need to take that tongue out of your cheek now, m'dear...... :-|

You don't want to know what a tri-tip is.

#222- Thanks, Roni! It was a good day It's being a good WEEK!

#223- Hi Lucy! Thanks for stopping by and wishing me timely birthday wishes!

#224- Thanks, Darryl!

#225- Thanks, Rhian!

#226- Hi Linda! That looks like German Chocolate Cake. Did you know that it originated with a particular sweet (but not milk) chocolate that was developed by a guy named German, and that it was supposed to have an apostrophe in it (i.e., German's Chocolate Cake) but the aforementioned apostrophe was accidentally left out and..... the rest is cookery history! Who knew?

#227- Morphy, thank you for the flip flop cake!

#228- Hi Karen! I definitely recommend a trip to the zoo, especially before the babies get any bigger. They all still look like youngsters but they grow quickly! The giraffe was 5'6" when born and, only 12 days later, he was 7 feet tall!

#229- oh, wait, that's me writing about a book!!

#230- Um, yes, Kerri, "fiddlesticks" captures it quite accurately!
The CD was not good, per se, but it was interesting and helped ground my understanding of the book more firmly in early hillbilly music. I think you might find it more interesting, given your appreciation of the earlier country music.

#231- Benita, thank you for the thoughts, but we're on the quarter system. In terms of students, we're about to enter the quietest two weeks of the whole calendar year! My job won't ease up much, but campus should be very peaceful. Still, I did enjoy the glass (ahem) of wine and the red meat.

#232- Judy, day-late birthday wishes are still wholeheartedly accepted! Besides, as Kath and Richard pointed out, I have a birthday WEEK so you're really right on time. :-)

#233- Richard, my 2.5-star rating almost suckered you in? Hmmmm, not sure what to make of that. Have you ever read even one comic book graphic novel or memoir? Even one???

Okay, I am now officially caught up on my own thread. It may take a day or two for me to get caught up on everyone else's!

Oh, my dearest married friend Ellen & the lovely we're certain P, ....
Happy belated wedding wishes and congratulations! May the two of you live a blissful and blessed life full of love, longing and lust with zip, zeal, and a zest for life!! :)

About Zombie... I tried to like it. I really did. I usually am a fan of true crime and serial killer bios. Heck I read Helter Skelter and other such related books in college and found them much more palatable than Zombie. I have no idea why... perhaps because there was NO attempt at trying to analyze the sickness? Anyway, I don't think I ranked it highly and I remember thinking I probably wouldn't read any more Oates after that introduction to her work.

Post #115 made me cry. Yes, I'm a bit behind the game in reading the action, but the heart was all in it reading what your family and P pulled off to make your day so extra special. You are one LOVED woman, Ellen!

Lastly, Happy belated, again birthday, my friend! I love your baby giraffe and I hope that you will always remember this month of wedding and birthday as full of incredible moments of love surrounding you like light.

We love you Ellen!

I have indeed read comic books, and even one this year! Superzelda. I *even* gave it 3.5 stars. Nyah!

They're just so much work for so little reward. Like eating winkles. More calories expended getting the bloody thing out of the shell than eating one could ever supply.

I was tempted not by your stars but by the Carter family. They interest me. June Carter Cash is a big part of the reason we ever heard of Johnny.

mercy me, mercy me, to be just 53. wishing you love and happiness and all kinda good stuff.

and how nice it is to know that your Tinnissee family is so damn cool. what an amazing story. just makes me smile all over my face.

in re: giraffes, the most amazing thing to me is watching one born. i mean, sister, those kids have to just drop cause no way mom can lie down. check it out.

#239- Tina, thank you for stopping by and sharing such lovely thoughts! I appreciate the wedding wishes.

I read Helter Skelter back in high school, too. It was a great read! Zombie is, well, quite different. I will give Joyce Carol Oates a second try (it seems only fair since I think this was an odd example of her oeuvre) and I'll let you know if I get one that I think you would like.

And thank you for the birthday wishes, as well. I do feel loved (and thank you for that as much as anything!!!).

#240- Okay, Richard, I stand duly chastised and corrected. I still think the first two graphic memoirs I read were the best so far: Fun Home and Stitches. They both so effectively captured a painful childhood and adolescence with a deep sense of being "other", but neither of them digressed into self-pity or maudlin navel-gazing.

And yes, the Carter Family. I was hoping June Carter Cash would emerge as a more important character near the end of the story but she remained in the wings.

#241- Ellie, I'm liking 53. I'm handlin' it. I'm grateful to have a healthy body and a relatively agile brain.

That video is amazing!! We were thinking baby giraffes had to get up and at 'em pretty quickly in the wild to avoid those hungry lions and hyenas!

you know about the true blue moon! i saw you mentioned it at RD's. Wunderground dispatched the incorrect notion of blue moon today as deftly as you dispatched German chocolate cake. i love stuff like that.

i was adoring the almost-full moon last night, but tonight all is socked in and impenetrable. so, alas, i missed it and 2016 seems far away. well, that's alright. last night was quite festive and bright.

#237 - Well, I'll listen to the CD, I suppose, but I'm not overly thrilled about reading the book anymore. :-( And I carted that damn thing in my suitcase from Seattle!!

I hope you're having a lovely Wednesday!

Hi Ellen - I'm behind in Light in August, but I'm so happy you are loving the language. Not everyone appreciates Faulkner, so I'm always happy when someone does.

I saw the full moon for the first time in months. It has been a cloudy and overcast summer so having all that bright moonlight was so odd it really caught my attention.

*whines* I only had you read Zombie because you had read a similar book recently and thought that a comparison would be of interest. Mea culpa!

I didn't really like the Carter GN either, but the CD is AWESOME.

Happy belated birthday, Ellen!! I'm only a tiny bit older than you (tiny being a relative term).

Love the baby giraffe! A Grevy's zebra was just born at the Denver Zoo on Monday.

The August full moon has been stunning! It is my favorite full moon because usually we can see it, and we are not looking through our usual cloud cover.

I'm trying to make progress in Under the Banner of Heaven. If you have been "hooked" reading about true crime, and the "sicko" personalities which seem to inhabit that universe, this book fits right in. Starts out with a most bizarre crime!

Enjoy the good weather, because..... (wait for it) Winter is Coming. (You have read some of George RR Martin's work, haven't you?)

--- for real life married and another wonderful birthday!!!!
You make me happy as I watch your happiness!!

Happy Belated Birthday!! Hope you had a wonderful day and got royally spoiled :)

#243- Ellie, yes, I know about the true blue moon. I knew there were different "versions" of it out there.....
Luckily, we've been having clear nights lately so the moon has been huge and beautiful.

#244- Kerri, you might enjoy the novel! I know you grabbed it when you were here in Seattle and lugged it back with you. You have more knowledge and interest in music than do I, so you might enjoy the story. Remember, tastes vary around here.

#245- Beth, I'm not sure I'll be able to handle some of Faulkner's more difficult novels, but I'm loving this one.

#246- Benita, I'm glad you got to see it!

#247- Morphy! No need to whine or apologize. You were actually the second person to recommend Zombie to me. The other was my cousin who lives in LA, who adores Oates, and who particularly wanted me to read this work. I actually liked it, but it was different.

#248- Hi Rhonda! "Awesome." I would perhaps not use that exact adjective to describe teh CD, but it was interesting and I kind of enjoyed hearing them and thinking about an audience that had never heard such music, and especially not on a radio!!

#249- Joanne, thank you for the birthday wishes. I hope you get to the zoo to see that baby zebra when it's available for the public to see. I have really enjoyed all the baby animals at the Woodland Park Zoo; we seem to have a fairly successful reproductive program going.

#250- Hi Karen! I agree; the moon in August is always the best. I must get better at remembering to leave the city around August 12-15 to see the meteors. I always forget.

I am waiting for Under the Banner of Heaven to be ready at the library. It's never been on my TBR list but I think I'll try to get it read for RLBC. I have read other things by Krackauer and enjoyed them.

Winter will certainly come but I have not yet read anything by George RR Martin.....

"Winter is coming" is always read/said with great foreboding.... ah. Evenings are cooler, aren't they. We are going to go to the Monroe State Fair tomorrow, that is definitely a sign of Fall.

#251- Peggy, thank you for the joyful hearts and kind wishes!

#252- Thank you, Chelle! I defnitely got spoiled. A wonderful day and a wonderful dinner. And I got two new shirts:

My annual t-shirt from the Village Art & Craft Fair in Asheville (thank you, sister), and a Kam Chancellor Seahawks jersey (thank you, spouse).



One thing I like about the Village Art & Craft Fair t-shirts is that each year a different artist designs the image and every image has a cat in it. :-)
I think this year's cat is particularly handsome.

#255- Karen, yes! I can already feel a bit of autumn in the air. I have been sitting on our back patio with shorts and a long-sleeved t-shirt in the evenings. And the days are definitely getting shorter.... I think we're losing more than four minutes of daylight per day at this point in the annual cycle!

Still reading Light in August, by the way.

256 >>>LOVE the TEE!!

Hey Ellen, cruisin' through. Nice gifties!

I like them gifties, too, Ellen. Kam C. really came on, didn't he. The Seahawks wrapped him up for a good while with a big contract, right?

I don't know the Asheville Village Art & Craft Fair, but that image makes me want to go. I was in Asheville many, many moons ago and remember the area as a beautiful one.

Happy weekend! Eyes still improving but the reading is not yet back to normal. Dang. I'm doing the best I can.

I think I'm pretty much caught up on threads, now, I need to finish the book for next book group meeting..... sighing.

Happy Friday Ellen!

Oh dear...Ellen's fallen off Mount Rainier or hiked into a fumarole and been roasted or something...poor P, widowed so soon...RIP, dear old Ellen...

#257 - I love the Kam Chancellor jersey! Also, where are you? Also, you need to start a new thread. :-)

Hi folks. I have been a busy girl, it's true. I worked at home on Friday (and I stayed off LT because I knew that, without the structure of actually being at work, I would spend way too much time here!). I snuck in a 34-minute run (that's probably about 3.25 miles for those of you who think in distances). Then I spent much of yesterday reading!! Also, P and I went down to the International District and did some exploring. I was pretty determined to finish Light in August and I did so. More about that in a minute.

This morning we went over to Mercer Slough where I had a lovely 36-minute run (about 3.5 miles) on trails. Nice. Then a quick trip to the Capitol Hill farmer's market for peaches (we are having a fabulous peach year!!!), corn, blueberries for the freezer....

Now, finally, I'm checking in here.

#260 - Kath, I wore that tee yesterday and I really like it. It's good chocolate brown.

#261 - Richard, yeah, not bad for a 53rd birthday.

#262 - Hi Joe! Yes, the Seahawks have Kam Chancellor pretty well wrapped up, as I understand it. I wore the jersey while watching their preseason game Friday night. It was a win. An unimpressive win, but a win nonetheless.

I recommend the Village Art & Craft Fair in Asheville. Heck, I just recommend Asheville.

#263 - Karen, I'm glad you're on the mend. I guess it makes sense that it would take a while to feel back to normal. I got a copy of Under the Banner of Heaven from the library and hope to start it this evening or tomorrow. I am planning to come to Book Club in September!

#264 - Roberta, thank you for the Friday wishes! Of course, it's now Sunday.....
I think one reason I have stayed away from LT for the past couple of days is knowing how far behind I've been falling on all the threads. I was afraid I'd be overwhelmed.

#265 - Oh dear Richard, I give fumaroles a very wide berth!! If I fall into one, do have the detectives look into things, will you? It might be that, now that it's legal and all, P might decide that I'm worth more dead than alive. :-|
(kidding!)

#266 - Hello there, Kerri. I thought you'd like the Kam jersey. :-)
Regarding where I am, see above.
Regarding a new thread, you are right. I will take care of that.