Mark's Reading Place: Winter is Coming #22

^Yes, the cold months are approaching but we have our books. What better insulation?

Audiobook:


Graphic:


Books Read So Far... (You can always go to my profile page and check earlier threads for my complete reading list. I don't like to make this to cumbersome.)

August :

97) Dangerous Laughter: Thirteen Stories by Steven Millhauser 4.2 stars (OTS)
98) Little Brother by Cory Doctorow 2.8 stars (audio)
99) Tampa by Alissa Nutting 4.2 stars
100) Paco's Story by Larry Heinemann 4 stars (audio)
101) The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle 4 stars
102) The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye 4.2 stars (audio)
103) Joyland by Stephen King 4.3 stars (audio)
104) The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri 4.4 stars
105) Son of a Gun: A Memoir by Justin St. Germain 4.5 stars ER
106) Thirteen Hours by Deon Meyer 4 stars (audio)
107) The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck 4.6 stars (audio)
108) Greetings From Jamaica, Wish You Were Queer by Mari SanGiovanni 4 stars
109) Lexicon by Max Barry 3.8 stars (audio)
110) Let Him Go by Larry Watson 4.6 stars
111) The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore 4.3 stars Booktopia audio
112) Safe from the Sea by Peter Geye 4.4 stars Booktopia

September:

113) Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks 5 stars (audio)
114) Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford 3.8 stars Booktopia
115) Point and Shoot (A Charlie Hardie) by Duane Swierczynski 4 stars (audio)
116) Raven Girl by Audrey Niffenegger 3.6 stars Illustrated Novel
117) Crashed (Junior Bender #1) by Timothy Hallinan 4 stars (audio)
118) Nine Inches: Stories by Tom Perrotta 4.6 stars ARC
119) Another Man's Moccasins by Craig Johnson 4 stars
120) Life After Life by Jill McCorkle 3.7 stars Booktopia
121) A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny 4.2 stars
122) Not Your Mother's Meatloaf: A Sex Education Comic Book by Saiya Miller 4 stars
123) Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin 4.2 stars (audio) Booktopia
124) Volt: Stories by Alan Heathcock 5 stars
125) Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch 4.2 stars (audio)
126) Children of God by Mary Doria Russell 3.7 stars Booktopia
127) Love Songs From a Shallow Grave by Colin Cotterill 3.8 stars (audio)

October:

128) Tilt-a-Whirl by Chris Grabenstein 3.7 stars (audio)
129) Harvest by Jim Crace 4.2 stars
130) Boxers by Gene Luen Yang 4.5 stars (GN)
131) Bel Canto by Ann Patchett 4.2 stars (audio)
132) Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink 4.3 stars
133) The Son by Philipp Meyer 4 stars (audio)
134) Dracula by Bram Stoker 4.3 stars (audio)
135) The Maid's Version by Daniel Woodrell 4 stars (audio)
136) Richard Stark's Parker, Vol. 2: The Outfit by Darwyn Cooke 4 stars GN
137) Countdown City (Last Policeman Trilogy) by Ben Winters 3.6 stars (audio)
138) 2666 by Roberto Bolaño 3.5 stars
139) A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David F. Wallace 4.5 stars (audio)
140) The History of Love by Nicole Krauss 4.8 stars
141) MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood 4.2 stars (audio)
142) Sanctuary by Ken Bruen (book #7) 4 stars (audio)

November:

143) The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vásquez 4 stars E.R.
144) The Returned by Jason Mott 3.7 stars (audio)
145) Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey 2.5 stars (audio)
146) Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson 4.5 stars

First-Time Author Challenge 2013

Gabriel Garcia Marquez- Love in The Time of Cholera- Feb (Chelle)
John Fowles- The Collector-March (Pat)
E.M. Forster- April (Katie)
Mario Vargas Llosa-The Feast of the Goat May (Caro)
Dinaw Mengestu- How to Read the Air June (RD)
Rohinton Mistry- A Fine Balance- July (Donna)
Pearl S. Buck-The Good Earth- Aug (AnneDC)
Ann Patchett- Bel Canto- September (Lisa)
Nicole Krauss- The History of Love- October (Nancy)
J.G. Farrell- Troubles- November (Ellen)
Tim Winton- December (Paul)
Zoe Heller
Tom McCarthy

I'm first?! Woo hoo!

Darn! Lisa beat me to it. Pfui.

"At times I believed that the last page of my book and the last page of my life were one and the same, that when my book ended I'd end, a great wind would sweep through my rooms carrying the pages away, and when the air cleared of all those fluttering white sheets the room would be silent, the chair where I sat empty.”

―The History of Love



^I knew very little about Nicole Krauss but she has made me an immediate fan. She was born in Manhattan. She is Jewish. She is a brainy babe. And she is married to the author Jonathan Safran Foer. Is that a power couple or what?
And I think she could have shown the late Robert Bolano a thing or two. She covers a lot of ground in the first 50 pages of The History of Love but everything is tight and perfectly contained. Sighs, in complete contentment...

Oh, that *is* a lovely quote...

Lisa- You are number one, my friend! Have you read Krauss? She's a keeper.

RD- You missed it by "This Much", as Maxwell Smart used to say.

Amber- This book is filled with quotes like this and I am only on page 50.



^Good night, my friends!

Hi Mark- I mean hi and nighty night, of course :)
I love the top and the bottom covers from your 3 currently being read, the yellow cover I could leave.
Congrats on finishing 2666! What an effort- and 15 days isn't too bad at all for a 900 page book!! Just think how quickly you could get through The Luminaries, it being only 830 pages and all....

Sleep well!

Oh, I am so glad I recommended you read Nicole Krauss!

Hi Mark - I've just started Boxers and see that you've read it already. I brought home Saints as well and my daughter read both in one evening and wants to rave about them but has to wait for me to read them first!
Impressed that you read 2666 so quickly. I need to read The history of love, it's been on my tbr pile since forever. I read Great House earlier this year and it was pretty good.

I think it is time for:



^That is a creepy cover. I loved the first 2 books in the trilogy and based on the terrific reviews this one has been getting, the trend should continue!

Happy Saturday! It is supposed to be quite blustery today, so I will try to keep my feet on the ground. I hope everyone has an R & R packed weekend. (That is Reading & Relaxing, for you newbies!)

Megan- The yellow cover will be replaced by the Atwood one, so fret not, although I loved those essays. If you could ever find a collection, sample one or 2.
The Luminaries is on my schedule. I am shooting for December.

Nancy- I did not expect her to be this awesome! Her first book looks very interesting too.

Kerry- Sounds like your daughter has excellent taste. I have "Saints" waiting nearby. I might eventually buy the boxed-set for my "keeper" shelves. It would look great up there.

Hi Mark :) Just pretending to catch up. I will read Luminaries one day, but probably not soon, based on the sage advice of a good friend.

Happy Saturday, Mark! And happy new thread! I need to get back to Atwood - I am ready for The Year of the Flood - but I think I want it on audio. I listened to the first one on audio, and I thought it worked really well that way. Good luck pursuing that R&R today.

Happy Last Workday!

Ok, so you've convinced me to give The History of Love a try...

Oh, The History of Love! It's one of those books that I bought after reading a copy from the library so I could give it a reread at my leisure. What a wonderful story. Enjoy!

Lunchtime check in! Not bad out here, just a bit windy. Both current reads are terrific.

Kath- Always enjoy your drive-bys. Are you working? If so, I hope it goes fast & smooth.

Mamie- This Atwood trilogy works perfectly on audio and I love the multiple readers. Yes, try to get caught up.
Sadly the relaxing part, won't happen until I get home but I am squeezing in the reading part whenever I get a chance.

RD- I hope you are having a fine Saturday. Have you read Krauss?

Jim- I had heard good things about Krauss but was not prepared for how good she was. Wow! Hope you are having a good weekend.

Joanne- I was deciding which Krauss to read but I am so glad I stuck with this one, which of course I had on shelf. Have you read any of her others?

Congrats on the new thread, Mark! No better insulation than books.

The decks are cleared, so I'll be cracking open Allegiant. Fingers crossed.

Happy Saturday and happy new thread, Mark.

I agree with Joe, no better insulation than books so I should be well insulated in November as my pile of books I want to read is growing by leaps and bounds.

Speaking of growing by leaps and bounds, I practically need a whole shelf just for "Mark Recommends" and now it appears I need to check out Nicole Krauss!

Hi Mark, happy Saturday. Kind of a nice day today.

I need to get out of my reading funk. It's getting worse and worse...

Happy birthday, Anne Tyler! Born October 25, 1941. She is just a year younger than my late Mom. Interesting.

What's your favorite book of hers? Mine is, The Accidental Tourist, which I was crazy about, although it's been over 20 years since I read it. I would have to hope that it holds up.

MDR pointed out on FB, that today marks the 132nd anniversary of the OK Corral shoot-out. She also mentioned that the release date, to her follow-up of Doc will not be until Spring of 2015. Yes, I am pouting. And to see a fifty-something man in this state is pretty dismal. I think I'll have a beer. Sticks out tongue.

Hi Mark! Lovely new thread. I also loved The History of Love. Glad you're enjoying it as well.

My favorite Anne Tyler book is Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant. I read many of her books but lost interest and haven't read any of her more recent titles. Oh loved Saint Maybe too.

Joe- Maybe I should pad the inside of my coat with books? I would be SO warm! I sure hope you enjoy Allegiant. Silent prayer. My brand-new copy is sitting upstairs on the kitchen table, waiting to be swiped. Clearly, Sue & Bree are not in reading mode. Poor them.

Judy- There is always a bountiful harvest of book recs, here on LT. I am sure, a very large chunk of what I read, comes directly from my pals here and I am rarely disappointed. the History of Love is a jaw-dropper.

Linda- Boo, to the reading funk! How depressing. Have you tried different remedies? Your comfort books? A reread? Shock-therapy? Let's hope it disappears soon.

Anne- Great to see you! I have no idea, how I missed the History of Love train? It will easily be one of my top reads of the year, unless, of course it derails somewhere, which is highly unlikely.

> 12 - Love that cover!!!!

Very, VERY impressed with how quickly you managed to read 2666, Mark. That doorstop of a book took me seven months to get through. Okay, I admit, tended to walk away from it at various stages of the read, which makes your commitment to just keep on going without interruptions highly commendable. Well done!

Happy new thread and happy weekend, Mark! I'm so jealous you are starting MaddAddam! I am still waiting for my name to rise to the top of the library holds list. I was No. 20 last time I looked.

“Then she kissed him. Her kiss was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering.”

"An average of seventy-four species become extinct every day, which was one good reason but not the only one to hold someone's hand.”

-The History of Love

Lori- Thanks! I was determined to finish it. I wish it could have been a stronger read and I could have whipped through the pages even faster.
I am pretty much a one print book, at a time, kind of guy and didn't want to put 2666 aside and drag it on forever.

Julia- MaddAddam is a joy. Atwood is a Goddess. I am already looking forward to April.

I have only ever read the Accidental Tourist of hers, and I loved it. Really loved it. Happy Birthday Anne Tyler! She looks fun.

Eta: Margaret Atwood ...trilogy?....intriguing. I have yet to love an Atwood novel. But I have hope....

Nicole Krauss is very interesting to see interviewed by Charlie Rose.

Mark, I am hopelessly behind after a whirlwind work week. Spent yesterday in a daze recharging my almost flat batteries. Couldn't let the weekend pass though without a visit to your new thread.

Plenty there is too - birds bedding on books, Ms Krauss, Ms Atwood and the normal good cheer.

Have a lovely Sunday.

The pile of books over the woman's right shoulder in your opening photo is frightening. I could not sit there!

I'm with Bonnie (Brenzi), Dinner at the Homesick Restuarant is superb. This was the first book of hers I read and it sent me on a quest to read the rest.

Happy Sunday and happy reading to you Mark!

^Morphy, my dear, sent me a Pinterest link, of dozens of women, in the fine art of reading. Just my cuppa, so expect me to do some sharing. Hugs to M!

Happy Sunday! Deliciously quiet. Working on my 2nd cup of java. My wife is a Halloween baby, so she chose Three Floyd's Brewery to celebrate her b'day, so that is where we will be heading in the early afternoon. It's less than an hour away, just over the Indiana border. It's a beer-lovers paradise. I have taught her well.

Bonnie- Sorry, I missed you up there. I have never read Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant or Saint Maybe, so if you give them a thumbs up, I will check them out.

Megan- Atwood has quickly become one of my favorite authors. I think this is my 6th book and I've never been disappointed. Give Oryx & Crake a go and you'll know right away, if it's your "thing".

Mary- Hey, good to see you, stranger. I'll have to see if I can find an interview with Krauss & Rose. Sounds interesting.

Paul- No explanations necessary, my friend! RL intrudes on us all, so everyone understands and keeping up around here, is a mighty, (but fun) task.
I hope you have been able to relax a bit this weekend.

Darryl- I think the gal up there reading, at the top, is so engrossed, she doesn't even notice, the impending avalanche. When my time comes, that's how I want to go out.

Happy Birthday to your lovely wife, and happy Sunday to you, sir. Your books are so inviting as are the pictures. I'd love to have those legs.

I am still pushing my way through the prepping the house for sale. Yesterday I spent several hours with a good friend in my office purging files, I hate to say how far back they went. I found paper work for houses I bought many many years ago. So many memories. But to throw the papers out is not the same as losing the memories, is it? The office calls again today, and hopefully I can finish it. Niece says she'll come over today to help for a little bit. I am a lucky Aunt.

Okay, you got me with a book bullet for The History of Love.

MaddAddam is ready at the library, waiting for MrMorphy to pick it up for me.

Happy Sunday, Mark! Hope you're enjoying the day off.

Is today Sue's birthday, or Halloween? Either way, happy birthday to her. You guys obviously are simpatico if she's choosing Three Floyd's brewery for the celebration.

I've been quaffing PranQster ale, put out by North Coast Brewing. Is that one in your scrapbook? I'm liking it.

I have History of Love on the shelves and should get it out, but I want to join you for housekeeping so will leave history where it is for the time being.

Like Karen (Maggie1944) I will be spending the afternoon housecleaning. I have a friend coming over how is going to help be move my Temperpedic mattress so that I can get my bedskirt back on. When I moved last year the movers set the bed up before I could get the bed skirt on. I told them that was OK because I could take the opportunity to wash and iron it. I just haven't had the time to get somebody to come over and help me get the mattress moved to do so. I am also going to set up the bed in the spare room and perhaps get to move books out of boxes onto some of my new shelving. Won't that be fun!

I'm also reading Maddaddam. I have sooooo many books in progress right now that my head is spinning, but my name came up on the library list and here I am. The copy is actually from another very small library 80 miles away--I have no idea who decides what our library orders, or why they decided to skip ordering this one.

Have you read any of Atwood's poetry? I actually read very little poetry, but I've really enjoyed the two Atwood collections that I've read.

I haven't read any Anne Tyler. Guess I'll have to remedy that, huh?

^Yes, we had a great time. My daughter came down with a stomach flu, so she couldn't make it, but the Beer Happy Trio, made the best of it. Somehow, (once again) I was designated driver, so I had to take it easy, but I did manage a couple pints. We also enjoyed some delicious baby-back ribs. And instead of sports, they broadcast The Return of the King and Kill Bill 2, on large screen TVs. KB2 is one of our favorites, so we were mesmerized.

Linda- Good to see you! Dinner at the Homesick Restuarant WILL be my next Tyler. Thanks.

Karen- I hope you finding a little R & R time, in your busy schedule.

Morphy- I am glad you were caught by the History of Love bullet. She definitely keeps the reader on their toes. She also demands you read it slowly, or you miss some sneaky curves.
MaddAddam! MaddAddam!

Joe- Sue's birthday is on Halloween. It is hard to do stuff during the week, with our work schedules, so today was perfect. We are going up to Milwaukee next weekend, for an over-nighter. More brewery tours. Yah!
I do not think I have heard of North Coast. Good?

Benita- I should be done with the Krauss in a couple of days and then I want to squeeze in an ER book and then Housekeeping. I should start it around the 5th. Glad you are joining our little group.

Janet- Don't you love the way MaddAddam opens with Toby telling the story to the Crakers? What a perfect recap. I grinned throughout.
I have not read Atwood's poetry, like you, I do not read much poetry, but if I were to give it a try, I would surely start with the Goddess.
And yes, try Tyler. start with the Accidental Tourist. It's wonderful.

I have only ever read The Handmaid's Tale of Atwood's work. I did like it so I'm not sure why I never tried anything else of hers. If you do another Atwood April in the spring, I might try Oryx and Crake as that trilogy sounds like something I might enjoy.

I had a coupon for %15 off at Barnes & Noble so finally broke down and purchased Snow Child. Since I got the spare bed set up today I now get to start setting up more book shelves and filling them. This one goes on the bookshelf. I have others lined up to read first.

*envious sigh* for Mark's double-weekend brewery crawl

Hi Mark- Oryx and Crake was the one that sealed the no-deal foe me and Atwood :)

But I still want to read the Handmaids Tale at some stage.

Love the leggy reader up there, gorgeous shot.

Sorry, I didn't make it around the threads today, but I will catch up...

Heidi- The Handmaid's Tale was my first Atwood too and remains my favorite. Oryx and Crake seems to turn off certain readers but I highly recommend it. Try the Blind Assassin too.

Benita- I really liked the Snow Child on audio. Good choice.

RD- I'll have to build up my stamina for next weekend. I hope to hook up with one or 2 LTers in Milwaukee.

Megan- The Handmaid's Tale is amazing. I hope you give it a shot.

Oh, life got busy again and all of a sudden I'm waaaay behind! Congratulations on finishing 2666, that's on my groaning shelves somewhere. And dagnabbit! Three book bullets! Nicole Krauss, Anne Tyler (and I do have The Accidental Tourist on my shelves somewhere), and Oryx and Crake which I MUST read.

Good to hear all is well - books, beer, Halloween. Took the kids to a large purveyor of lollies on the weekend, and we found candy corn!! Don and I are trying not to eat it all before this Thursday night. :) I think it's the first time I've found candy corn in Australia. And then I fell asleep on the sofa at 4pm on Sunday, and the kids were *awesome* and tiptoed around me until they thought it was about time I woke up and got their dinner ready at 5:30. What fabulous children!! Meant I had the energy to stay up and finish Drood last night. :)

Drood was a bit patchy - it's "narrated" by Wilkie Collins (of The Woman in White fame) and he was written as being quite unpleasant, and being in his head for 770 pages was a bit of an ask. The good bits were good, and I think I shall keep Dan Simmons on my to-read list, but I'm hoping for a shorter book next time. Or a less twerpy narrator.

Hello there! Popping in to catch up. LOVE any Atwood. All of them!

Morning! Wow, these Mondays roll around quick don't they? Give us a break, will ya? Looking forward to getting back to both my current reads, the History of Love & MaddAddam. I am loving both...Duh!

Tania- It is always a pleasure to see you and appreciate the time you take, in your very busy schedule, to stop by. I hope you and the family have a wonderful Halloween.
I've considered reading Simmons, here and there, over the years but with such a mixed LT response, I've always put him off.
Yes, read Oryx and Crake, it is just your cuppa.

Kim- Good to see you! Hope you had a nice weekend. Start lining those books up for Atwood April. I am.

Love the Kill Bill movies! High up on the violence-o-meter, as his usually are. That set piece in the nightclub in KB1, where Uma wipes out a zillion and then takes on Lucy Liu, gets me every time. Yes, the North Coast Pranqster is a good, Belgian-style ale. I've got to try that Zombie Dust.

Halfway through Allegiant, and it's okay so far. More intrigues, some twists on what's come before.

Hope your week's off to a good start.

Happy trudging! Five days in a row...I hope you've got some good audios lined up.

At least the weather is better for trudging. I would rather trudge in autumn than in summer.

Not bad out here! Partly cloudy, breezy but comfortable. I just hit the halfway point in MaddAddam. I just realized, (I am notoriously slow sometimes) that Addam & Maggie share the same initials. Coincidence? Hmmm?

Joe- Another Kill Bill fan. Yah! Sue mentioned we are way over due for a KB marathon.
Good news on Allegiant! Hope it continues.

RD & Benita- the trudging is going along fine today. I am trying avoid thinking about trudging on snow & ice. Shudders...

Hiya Mark! I can't believe you managed 2666 in just 15 days! You are DA bomb! Thanks for taking the bullet for us! ;)

You make me want to go dig out Great House from my shelves -- it's the only Krauss I have sitting around, but I still have Gilead waiting based on your last suggestion. I'm so far behind! I'll never get to all my TBR's, I'm afraid! LOL

Hi Mark! I have to come clean. I think I'm the one who started the big "let's do a 2666 group read thing" earlier in the year. Ha! I'm sorry. I would still like to read it at some point though. Oddly enough, in the book I'm currently reading (An Unnecessary Woman), the main character is translating 2666 into Arabic.

Went to my daughter's soccer game this afternoon and got HAILED on.....like, a lot! It was not fun. I hope your weather was better as you made your deliveries today.

So Mark!

13 of the best Literary Quotes About Beer.

http://flavorwire.com/421891/13-of-the-best-literary-quotes-about-beer/

R.I.P. Lou Reed! 1942-2013

Reed is a musical hero of mine. One of the most influential and underrated artists, of the last 50 years. There were only 4 Velvet Underground albums released but each one was a masterpiece.
Brian Eno’s famous quote on The V.U. —”Only five thousand people ever bought a Velvet Underground album, but every single one of them started a band”. The ultimate compliment.
Reed's solo career had it's ups & downs but he still managed to crank out great work, up until '89. Then he became an insufferable ass.

"Jenny said, when she was just five years old
you know there's nothin' happening at all
Every time she put on the radio
there was nothin' goin' down at all
not at all

One fine mornin', she puts on a New York station
and she couldn't believe what she heard at all
She started dancin' to that fine-fine-fine-fine music
ooohhh, her life was saved by rock 'n' roll
hey baby, rock 'n' roll."

-Rock n' Roll

I'll miss you, Lou!

Tina- Thanks! I put my nose to the grindstone on 2666. It would have helped, if the book didn't contain that laborious middle section. Yes, READ Krauss! I have Great House on my radar but expect major raves on "History"! It's a jaw-dropper.

Kerri- Oh, it was you! LOL. I knew there were a couple of you that encouraged me to do a G.R. of 2666 and then everyone disappeared. No sweat. I wanted to get to it and I did. A G.R. would have been interesting. I would have liked to hear everyone's thoughts. I think others would have been much less kind than I.
"the main character is translating 2666 into Arabic." Poor Arabs!

Heida- I hope you survived the hailstorm. Yikes. It was a nice fall day here. No gripes.

Nancy- Thanks for the quotes. My pals over here, sure know how to take care of me. This last 1/3 of The History of Love is amazing. About half the way through, I wasn't sure exactly what was going on but boy, does she pull it together.

**Did anyone here, read The Flight of Gemma Hardy? I had it on my WL, so someone must have recommended it. I received a nice used copy today and it really looks good.

I missed the whole Velvet Underground thing, Mark, but I have two Lou Reed solo albums that I absolutely love: "New York" and "Magic and Loss". He is (for me, anyway) a bit of an acquired taste, but I've grown to really like those two. I think they were both made after your 1989 cutoff for his insufferable ass-ness, however, so perhaps those two don't float your boat. Give me some pre-1989 recommendations if you've a mind, too; I'd like to check them out.

*I'm crawling around, trying to catch up on a few threads, pretty whipped from this non-stop house prepping marathon*

I do see an end to it. I'm reading Buddy tonight. Not Literary book, a kids book, and it is about all I can handle.

See you later!

Oh, now I see the touch stone is wrong. Buddy: How far will a boy go for the dog he loves? doesn't do it either. The author is M.H. Herlong. OK, back to the crawl through the threads.

Julia- I think "New York" was '89, that's why I included that year. It's one of his best works. Magic & Loss had some good moments too. Also Songs For Drella, his collaboration with Cale, paying tribute to Warhol, is worth hearing.
Early stuff: Transformer is a must listen, (it includes Walk on the Wild Side) and if you can find Loaded, the last Velvet album, it's a masterpiece and Reed has his fingerprints all over it.

Karen- Thanks for making it by! Sounds like you've been working hard. Gentle hug!

I've heard of Transformer, and I have heard Walk on the Wild Side, so that one I'll definitely have to look for. And I'll look for Loaded, too. Thanks!

^Amen!

Morning! I will be wrapping up the History of Love. I will be sorry to put this one down. It will easily one of my top reads of the year. I'll probably be getting close to finishing MaddAddam too, if not today early tomorrow. Love that Maggie!

Julia- Enjoy that Reed, when you find it. Have a nice Tuesday.

I kept seeing on fb that Lou Reed had passed, then that he hadn't etc.
Sad... always sad..

Hope it's a good day that flies by.

Morning Mark!!!!!! As you can see I'm overjoyed this morning. When I saw your comments about The History of Love I thought "Woe! This sounds like a great book" for that book exchange thingy I've been trying to find a book for. I think the other ladies would love it. I checked out reviews and see many 4 stars, so I'll check my bookstore for it today. Muchas gracias!!!!

BTW: I got so excited I spilled the coffee that was beside me on the sofa and now I have coffee running down my pajama leg. But I don't care, I've found a book, I've found a book!

Good morning, Mark.

I liked Lou Reed. Too bad, although I guess they knew it was coming. That's pretty young these days.

We're big fans of his genius performance artist wife, Laurie Anderson, from all the way back before they got married. We took #1 son to one of her performances in Chicago a few years ago and I'd call his reaction "tolerant." We thought as a fledgling performer he should see the creative things she does. My best reading of his mind afterwards would be, "there go my hippie parents again."

Allegiant was pretty darn good, consistent with the first two, in my view. There are a lot of new angles on what came before, one big one in particular, and one big character development that I'm sure has inflamed some folks (not me - it fits her message). She packs an awful lot into it - it moves right along, but sorting everyone out and remembering prior relationships and events can be challenging.

Kath- I think Big Lou is gone for good this time. He always brings back a lot of fine memories.

Lynda- Sorry about the spilled coffee and the damp pajamas. I know we get excited at times, over books. It can't be helped. I hope it is a book you will love.

Joe- I haven't followed Laurie Anderson as much as I should have. I remember hearing a couple of her CDs, years ago.
I am so glad you enjoyed Allegiant. Sue just started it, but I 'll probably wait for later next month. Boy, November is already action-packed, in the book department.

Mark: This came up on my Pandora shuffle today and I thought of you, naturally. Cheers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfK0Yk4BgKk

Yes, Mark, I am tired. But I still find time to sit for a minute or two and swim through some threads. Fun.

"Fill with mingled cream and amber,
I will drain that glass again.
Such hilarious visions clamber
Through the chambers of my brain.
Quaintest thoughts — queerest fancies,
Come to life and fade away:
What care I how time advances?
I am drinking ale today."

– Edgar Allan Poe

^Gotta love that Poe! And you gotta love Nancy for sending me these terrific quotes!



^Now, that is sculpture I can understand!

Waving hi as I drive by!

Ah, must be time to dust off my CD of Lou Reed's "Transformer". I think I have a Laurie Anderson somewhere as well, I did like her too. (Only I never seem to get to see her live, the one time I was able to get tickets in time she cancelled!)

However, I do have two tickets to see the 50th anniversary episode of "Doctor Who" on the big screen in 3D later in November. I'll just keep on remembering that bit of happiness while I dwell on my dentist visit this morning (no cavities, but he has scheduled me in to extract a misbehaving tooth, sigh) AND the fact that I've lost my favourite amber ring that I've worn almost every day for the last 20 years. Sigh. (Doctor Who, Tania! Big screen, Tania!)

^Hey, no one liked my Poe quote or butt poster? Pouts a little, but gets over it quickly...

Happy Hump Day! This is actually Hump Day for me, since I'll be off Saturday this week. We are going up to Milwaukee this weekend, for an over-nighter. We are going to do a couple brewery tours and HOPE to meet-up with one or 2 local LTers. Fingers crossed.

I did finish the awesome The History of Love. I am now a huge fan and deeply in love with Nicole Krauss. Don't worry, my wife knows. Next up, is the Sound of Things Falling. This is an ER selection, I received a couple months ago. It sounds great but I have not heard it mentioned anywhere on LT. Hopefully, that will change.
I only have a few minutes left in MaddAddam and then I'll decide what to move on to next...

Amber- Thanks! LOL. I love the song. It should be my theme song. I have never heard of DAVE BARTHOLOMEW.

Karen- I am glad you found time to sit down, for a minute or 2. I'll have to stop by and check your progress.

Prue- Big hearty wave back! I've missed you.

Tania- If you can find a copy of the Velvet Underground's last album, Loaded, give it a listen. It's a stunner! I know I might be held up for ridicule, (That's okay, I am used to it) but I have never seen Dr. Who. Bad Bad Mark! Hope your week is going well.

Oo, Oo, Oo! I won The Sound of Things Fallling too, Mark! If you're going to read it now, I will line that one up after The Riders of the Purple Sage. Unintentional ER GR!

I liked the Poe quote! I liked the Poet quote!

Haven't stared my Krauss yet. My library copy of Claire of the Sea Light is due soon, so I need to read that first. But I still want to get to it next. Plus, getting you to read one of my favorites was worth it, even if I don't hold up my end of the deal! Great House is supposed to be really good, though. It has been sitting on the shelf way too long.

Is it foggy down there in Chicago? Enjoy the warmer temps.

*waving happily* Yes, things are moving forward. House cleaned up - check. Anticipate the photographer today and then some other little projects for the rest of the week. Brokers on Friday. I will be so happy to see that day come and go.

Then you can hear me complain about living in a house which must be ready to show at a moments notice. I'll be happy if that is a short lived experience. I'm reading Buddy - a kids' book about a boy and his dog and Hurricane Katrina. Bound to be a tear jerker, but promises to have a happy ending. I also have Good Omens in my bag so I can chip away at it. Book group meets second Monday of the month, so that is my deadline for that book.

Have a great rest of the week. Your weekend sounds like fun!

Good morning, Mark. Fun Poe quote up there.

This warming trend seems like good news. We're hoping the rain holds off tomorrow night as the kids troop around in their costumes. We get a huge turnout in our neighborhood. I'm actually going to leave work early for it to give Debbi a hand.

I'm reading a sci-fi-er that wouldn't be your cuppa, I'm sure. My ER arrived, Rough Passage to London, which I'm pretty sure Kath managed to give a positive review to quite a while ago. She seems to have a secret deal with publishers that she attributes to working in a library. Sure. I know a conspiracy when I see one.

If I had had my eyes working properly I would have appreciated your Poe quote Mark. Perfectly descriptive of my need to immerse myself in such libations given my last ten days or so.

The Indian holiday of Divali is almost upon us and Malaysia will be multi-culturally celebrating another set of holidays this weekend. Looking forward to it too.

Haven't seen Doctor Who!!??

I've never seen a single episode of Dr. Who, either, Mark. Solidarity!

No Who for me, too ;-)

I heard a story a couple of months ago on NPR about The Sound of Things Falling. It looks intriguing, so I look forward to your thoughts on it!

Oh the horror, the horror! Who-lessness abounds here! *tsk*

I got The Sound of Things Falling too, and haven't read it yet. Must do that soon.

Cloudy, about 60 and dry. No complaints. I am really enjoying The Sound of Things Falling. He sets a deliberate pace, with clean and crisp prose.
I had a strong itch for Mr. Jack Taylor, since I skipped him for S &S, so I started Sanctuary. It's book 7 in this terrific crime series. We talked about sharing a pint with our favorite fictional character, awhile back and Jack would be high on my list, although I would prefer if he just had water, if you know what I mean.

Lynda- I'll make you a deal: If you read the Vasquez, I'll read Purple Sage, which I have wanted to get to forever and I have saved on audio.

Nancy- No fog, but warmer temps. I will be reading all of Krauss's work and have added the other 2 to my WL.

Karen- Buddy does sound like a tear-jerker, so be careful. How are you enjoying Good Omens. It was a book I read so fast, I can't remember much.

Joe- thanks for the reminder, we still have to pick up candy. Hope the day is going well.

Paul- I hope you enjoy your Indian holiday. Sounds like you could use it. Is there a lot of alcohol consumption?

Julia & Katie- I am glad I am not alone on the Dr Who neglect. Yes, I am getting a bit teary- eyed...

I will admit it...I have never watched Dr Who either. *gasp*

It was 22 degrees F this morning...brrrrr......BUT my DH and my son head off for a week of moose hunting on Saturday so there will be lots of reading time for me since it is cold weather time!! You weekend plans sound fun too.

#85 Mark! It's a deal

A good book day! I finished MaddAddam, (I only had 30 minutes left to listen to) and really enjoyed it. A nice wrap-up to a terrific trilogy. I then jumped into "Sanctuary", the 7th Jack Taylor book and knocked that out. It was just over 3hrs long. I was worried that it might have been incomplete but it was all there. Love that JT and it still remains one of my favorite crime series.
And The Sound of Things Falling has been very good. I am not sure where it is headed but I am enjoying the ride.

RD- "Who-lessness abounds here!" Yes, I was surprised myself. Maybe one of these days. I am really enjoying The Sound of Things Falling. I like his fluid style.

Heidi- Wow! Your husband and son are big hunters, eh? Where is this? In New England? Does this supply you with loads of moose meat? I don't hunt myself but I like to fish.
Have a nice relaxing weekend.

Lynda- That's my girl! LOL. I'll probably start The Riders of the Purple Sage next week some time. I am going to start the Returned first. I have been hearing good things about that one but nothing here on LT.

Hi Mark,
Recovered from Booktopia Petoskey yet?
Just wanted to pop in and let you and the rest of our BOTNS-listening LT friends know that we will be announcing Booktopia 2014 dates and locations on Friday, Nov 1.
We'll send it out via our Booktopia email list. I don't want to spam anyone, but if anyone needs the link to sign up for the list, it's here: http://eepurl.com/ee_AH
We'll also be announcing on twitter and everywhere else.

Hope to see you somewhere in 2014!

Ann

#89
Howdy Ann. Good to see you over in these parts. I can't wait to see where you are going to have the next trio of Booktopia's. I hope that this time I can actually get there.

Benita, I hope so, too!!!

>89 bookwoman: Oh Ann, please come to Denver....Sincerely, A Long Time Listener.

Hi Mark, If you're looking for an audio, I highly recommend Billy Crystal's Still Foolin' Em. I'm laughing out loud while commuting to work. He reads it himself and there are also tracks that are more like stand up routines recorded in front of a live audience. Funny and poignant!

And I finished Let Him Go. Wow, just wow.

#88 Yes, they are big hunters. We live in Maine and they will be hunting up in the Allagash which is in the far northern part of the state. If they end up getting a moose it will fill our freezer and my parents freezer for a year.

#89 Hi Ann!

Ann is here! Ann is here! Well, that just made my day!

Ann- Thank you so much for stopping by the humble homestead. I was listening to the podcast this morning and thought the announcement would be made closer to mid-November. There are several BOTNS fans over here and I talk about you guys on a regular basis.

Funny, you are bookwoman and I am bookman. Sounds almost biblical. LOL.

Benita- Fingers crossed.

Joanne- Fingers crossed, once again. I saw Billy Crystal making the TV rounds and I immediately found an audio copy of Still Foolin' Em. I'll try to bookhorn it in soon.
Glad you loved Let Him go. It was amazing.

Hi Mark, have fun in Milwaukee this weekend. I'm going next weekend.

On my reading agenda in November is the Zane Grey, Riders of the Purple Sage.

Looks like baseball season is going to end tonight.

Oh, how I love Milwaukee! Apparently Chicagoans do too!

OMG! Ann! It's like a celebrity sighting :)

Linda- All these years and I've never really explored Milwaukee, so it is about time and we might as well start with the breweries, right?
What do you do, when you go there?

Nancy- I've been in touch with Laura B too and she will try to meet us for a late breakfast, early lunch, Sunday morning. Would that work for you? Maybe we could take a run by that bookstore, you mentioned, afterwards?

Laura- She is a celebrity! This is Book Royalty. LOL. And she is the sweetest person too, with a terrific sense of humor.
Come on, we'll have to keep gushing, to get her to come back.

Mark, I've usually been there on business. Next weekend, I'm there for Murder & Mayhem in Muskego.

Muskego = good, but not quite Milwaukee.

Mark, that sounds partly, if not all, doable. Send me details when you have them.

ETA: Since neither of us need to hurry home for the big Packers vs. Bears game!

You're right, Nancy. I rarely ever stay in downtown Milwaukee. Once or twice for a concert, I think. Normally, I stay in Brookfield.

Hi Mark, here's another one who is soon going to be reading Riders of the Purple Sage. We're having a Zane Grey November over at the 2013 Category Challenge. I also hope to squeeze in another Zane Grey during November, Fighting Caravans.

Ooh, can't wait for the Booktopia announcement!

Count me as the 5th (I think, if my eyes on my tiny iPhone are right) who has never seen a Dr. Who. Who-lessness abounds, indeed!

I am shocked at the Who-less-ness around here! Well, not really, I understand it's never been big in the States. However, I did grow up with it on constant repeats, so it's always been part of my televisual life. And I've been enjoying getting back into Doctor Who fandom lately. It's just very good fun.

Oh, I'm all shy now that Ann has popped in!!

^Well, I hope everyone has a perfectly spooky day, filled with yummy treats and plenty of book-time.
It has been raining all night here and will continue, off and on through the day. Ugh! Poor kids. I hope there is enough dry spells, so they can get out and make their rounds.

Next up on audio, is the Returned, which I've been hearing good things about. Anyone else read Mott, in the past?

Linda- Bring your umbrella today and try to keep dry. I am sure traffic will be horrendous.

Nancy- The timing for this weekend worked well, with the Bears & Pack playing Monday. The Bears have quite a task in front of them. I did get your number. Smiles.

Judy- I probably mentioned this before, but I grew up on westerns, especially through my early to mid-teens. I remember reading some Zane Grey but I don't think I read this one. The timing is perfect.

Katie- I would think the Dallas area would be ideal. I am sure there is a fine independent bookstore there, right?

Tina- Suddenly, I no longer feel alone. I hope your week is going well.

Tania- You? Shy? Please. Yes, Ann caught me completely off guard. Great lady. And yes, "Who-less-ness " abounds. Bad Americans.

Hi Mark!

I'm glad you enjoyed MaddaAddam. I still have to read the second one in the trilogy. I loved the first.

Have fun in Milwaukee, and don't get lost (I say that because I get hopelessly lost every time I go up there. Not sure why, as I'm usually not directionally challenged.)

Good morning, Mark. My house is "finished" for the Brokers' Open House and now all I have to do is pick up after myself, which is a huge undertaking, I tend to leave flotsam and jetsam in my wake. Sunday is Open House Day for my home, and I'm going to drive to my old neighborhood and hang out in the club house, sitting on their comfy chairs, and read! Whoo hoo. Back to reading. I am so hoping this house sells quickly, and I can schedule my next crises - camping in some other people's homes until my other house becomes available, Feb. 1.

Let's see: I'm reading Buddy, and Good Omens, and some other stuff. I'll make the full list over on my thread sometime today.

Coppers, now I have that song in my head ... "Please come to Denver.."
Showing my age, I guess.

~Ann

>107 msf59: - I don't think Dallas is an ideal location. We have several good used bookstores, but I can think of only one independent bookseller and it's pretty small. A better "urban" location would be Denver or Portland or Seattle. Plus, I don't want them to come to my area, because I want to go somewhere! I've already told the hubs I am planning to attend one next year, so now I'm just hoping for really good locations to choose from :)

Seattle would be lovely during the months of July, August, and September. Of course, reading can be an indoor sport so Seattle could be OK during the other 9 months of the year but be prepared for complaints about the mild temperate weather. I'd love it if Booktopia could come to Seattle. I think Elliott Bay Books would be delighted to be a sponsor, but I have no "insider" knowledge. A girl can hope.....

Rain,rain, go away, come back another day...

>110 bookwoman: My evil plan worked. Earworm success! :) (Unfortunately it's in my head, too...)

Morning Mark, Stay dry!

I like the idea of Booktopia in Seattle, too, if we could match it with one of our visits to see our favorite son.

Woo, the rain was pounding down when I came in today, Mark. Hope the timing was better for your route.

This will be a shorter day for me today, as I'll leave early to help my MBH with Halloween. Our block and the next one have gotten known as good ones for trick or treating (safe and lots of candy), so we get people coming from all over the place.

I'm enjoying a sci-fi-er in the Liaden series called Dragon Ship. I grew up with sci-fi (and mysteries) the way you did with Westerns, sounds like. One of the first things I did in working at Barbara's bookstore was re-do their sci-fi section, which in turn got me into some interesting conversations with customers who noticed the change. Fun.

It is supposed to start raining here today. I hope so. It has been very dry and we need the rain. it is fall break for our students so the library is closing early today and there isn't much traffic. just to keep us librarians on our toes, today our library is getting new printer/copiers and I will spend a good deal of the day learning how to make these do what we want them to do before the students get back on Sunday. I hope to have a long evening with a good cup of coffee and my current read Devil's Brood. This one is 736 pages and I am a little over half finished. Then it will be on to Riders of the Purple Sage for that group read that Linda and I are participating in, and Housekeeping with Mark and his group. These two are short books so I think I should be able to get them both done in a week.

I am also going to participate in the LT group read of David Eggers new book The Circle. Apparently it is quite controversial with some loving it and some hating it. I decided not to wait for the library copy and so went and purchased a hardback copy. Next week i will get to see if it was worth the money.

Booktopia's are a wonderful experience for readers. They are organized but not so tightly scheduled that they are like going to summer camp. You can get away and do other things - like relax if you want to do so. The authors selected over a variety of genres and styles of writing and that makes preparing for them great fun. They are usually in a great location. The one I attended was in Oxford, Mississippi and was hosted by the venerable Square Books bookstore. Oxford is the home of William Faulkner and the downtown of the city is a wonderful place to spend a weekend. It was a great place to have a small conference and very conducive to intimate conversation. I made some good friends there. Most of them are over on Goodreads, but I do have their e-mail addresses. However, I wish that they would come to LT, but that is another issue.

I like the idea that the Booktopia events are in smaller places, away from it all. It is more like a book retreat that way. I am sure that one of the weekends will be in Vermont, the cradle of Booktopia, and I hope that I can get there for that one as I would love to see the Northshire Bookstore. But, I can't wait for the announcement about the hosts and the places where they will be having Booktopia 2014.

Well, the rain is down to a light mist, but the skies are threatening again. It is very warm though. To warm for the cumbersome rain gear.

The Returned is nice and creepy so far. It reminds me a little of Pet Sematary, one of my favorite King books.

Kerri- I hope you can get to The Year of the Flood soon. It's a terrific trilogy. Did you guys ever tour any of those breweries?

Karen- I am hoping the best for your Open House. Sending positive vibes to the Pacific Northwest.

Was that another Ann sighting? OMG!

Katie- I like your thoughts on Booktopia and have really enjoyed the places I have attended.
Just keep in mind, that these spots go quick. Beware!

Joanne- It looks like you worked your mighty mojo! Powerful stuff.

Joe- Have a nice Halloween with the kids and your better half. Hope the rain holds off.

It's a soggy Halloween here in southern Missouri, too, Mark. I hope it dries up a little before the trick-or-treaters begin their rounds. I made the mistake of putting candy in bowls this morning. Somehow I wasn't very hungry at lunchtime!

I absolutely loved the last two books by Nicole Krauss. I've read The History of Love twice and thought Great House was almost as good. You are so right about reading her books slowly. I got so much more out of my second reading of The History of Love.

Crossing my fingers and toes for a Denver Booktopia announcement tomorrow. How cool that Ann is apparently another fan of yours, Mark. I hope she keeps humming "Please Come to Denver..."

Happy Halloween, Mark! Finally making it around to more of the threads - our internet has been seriously ill lately, and it's making me even crazier than I already am. Not good. Not good at all. Please cross your fingers that we do not descend into that darkness again: Do not go gentle into that good night... Rage rage against the dying of the light...

What do you mean that poem's not about my internet being down?!

^Now, that is creepy!



^Whew! She's not as scary.

I am so glad the rain let up, so the kids could get around. My daughter is manning the door and there has been a fairly steady stream of adorable costumed munchkins.

The original jack o'lanterns were turnips. SO VERY CREEPY.

Benita- I love your thoughts on Booktopia! If you've had a chance to experience it, you know exactly how special it is.
I am glad you are tagging along on Housekeeping. I am not sure I'll do a G.R. thread yet, but I plan on starting it early next week. We are also doing the Munro collection mid-month. Interested?
I am curious to see how I will feel about the Circle. I hope I get my ER copy in time.

Donna- It looks like a big slice of the Midwest is getting rain. It was raining pretty good on the way home but then it stopped and gave the little guys a chance to get out. Yah!
I should not be surprised you are a Krauss fan. You have such impeccable taste. I am looking forward to reading her other work.
Go Denver! Go Denver!

Mamie- It looks like you are in a dark place, my friend, spouting Dylan Thomas and such. I hope they get these internet issues straightened out soon. Fingers crossed.

RD- Those turnip jack o'lanterns are spooky. Nothing friendly about those dudes.

I loved reading that the original jack o'lanterns were for carrying a live coal from the communal fire to the home to kindle the new fire after the harvest was in, summer was over, and the winter was to be prepared for…. had to keep the home fires burning. Home was a word that meant something!

If I can find Housekeeping in the "everything is put away" state of my home I'll see if I can find energy to dip into it. I think I have more time now for some reading. House is for sale. The listing is up. There's a sign in front. Open House happening on Sunday. And today 2 1/2 hours after it went up on the multiple listing service I had a realtor call to show it. Cool.

Hope your Halloween night is a fine way to head into the long winter months. More reading to be done!

Drum Roll please....Just got the Booktopia email:

April 11-13, 2014: Manchester, Vermont in partnership with Northshire Bookstore Registration opens on Wednesday, November 20, 2013 at 12 noon Eastern Time

May 16-18, 2014: Boulder, Colorado in partnership with Boulder Book Store Registration opens on Friday, November 22, 2013 at 12 noon Eastern Time

August 22-24, 2014: Asheville, North Carolina in partnership with Malaprop's Bookstore Registration date has not yet been announced; it will likely be January 2014.

I am so happy about Colorado! Yah, Joanne! The only one, I might possibly be able to make is the Asheville one and that's slim. Asheville is a beautiful location.

This is the official link to the Booktopia site:

http://booktopia.booksonthenightstand.com/

I am setting a goal of making it to the Boulder one!

OH, MYY Goodness: I've always wanted to visit Asheville! Must do some research… Of course, Colorado is an option for us west coasters, too.

Thanks for the information, Mark.

I shrieked a little when I got the Booktopia email. Will probably try for Boulder. I've wanted to go to Asheville for awhile now, but not sure I can make August work...

I loved the selections for the Booktopia locations. Asheville is the closest for me, but the timing is all wrong. That will be the beginning of the fall semester. I am thinking I may try to get in on the Manchester, Vermont Booktopia. I would love to go where Booktopia was born. Boulder is also doable for me and I love Colorado. Maybe I could get my sister to join me there as that is within driving distance from her home in Kansas and for my other sister who lives in Bozeman, MT.

It is definitely Halloween in T-town. Even though it is raining I am at the local Barnes & Noble and there have been some people in costumes make an appearance.

I also have to say that I am happy for the folks in Boston. Winning the World Series in Fenway is a good thing.

Awww, was hoping for a Midwest location. Maybe next time.

For those of you who will be going to Booktopia in Asheville:
http://teamcoco.com/video/steve-martin-edie-brickell-08-06-13

Wish I could join you. Doubt I'll make it to any again this year.

Ooh ooh, Boulder. So close to Denver. I'm in! At least I hope so. I know you were nervous about being on the waiting list for Michigan, Mark. I need to circle Nov. 22 in red on the calendar! Thanks for letting us know so quickly.

Hello There Mark. I so miss visiting your thread on a regular basis.

^ Yes, raking leaves, getting ready for the holidays, temps plummeting....snow? It's a possibility. Why did I bring that up? Shudders.

Happy Friday! Last day of my work week and I hope I stay dry today.

Karen- I hope you find your copy of Housekeeping. I would like to do the Asheville one too, but we have a busy vacation year in '14, so we will see. Oregon in January, NY in May and, fingers crossed, Hawaii in September.

Julia & Katie- I hope we have a flood of LTers this time around. We NEED to take over this thing. LOL. There are only 85 spots, so they go QUICK.

Benita- I hope to return to Vermont in the future. It won't happen next year but I sure hope I can make it to Asheville.

Linda P- They did mention, returning to Petoskey at some point. That was a great location.

Nancy- Thanks for the link, I'll check it out tonight. Do you text?

Donna- I would LOVE to attend the Boulder event but we are planning on visiting NY in Mid-May. I would LOVE to see a nice LT presence in CO.
And yes, Nov 22 will roll around quick.

Linda- Great to see you. Keeping up with threads is a full-time job, plus O.T., so I understand.

Oh! taking over Booktopia! What a great idea.

Bother, I was hoping for a Sydney location for Booktopia 2014... :)

Sure I text.

The Edie Brickell / Steve Martin video is terrific. I saw them in concert - was lots of fun.

My MBH loves the Edie Brickell/Steve Martin music. He's a pretty amazing guy, isn't he? Who would have thought the guy who had us laughing at the arrow through his head had so much in him?

Richard's turnip jack-o-lantern is educational and really creepy.

Sounds like a good Halloween in Markville. I remember when our daughter went from T-and-T'ing to liking to hand out the candy. She was under the weather last night, so Debbi and I had to do the honors. No hardship really, as the kids make it impossible not to smile.

Have to find Housekeeping! If you're starting next week, I should be able to squeeze in my ER Rough Passage to London. Even if it's not an official GR, this will help get me off my duff and reading Housekeeping.

Dryer out today. Hope it's a good one for you, my friend.

oooh, Boulder! I'll definitely try to get into that one!

I just finished Maddaddam. I love the way Atood's mind works-- Sasquatch on a bicycle! Ha! But I felt let down by the ending. I'll have to think about it a bit before I do my review.

Happy ACTUAL Friday, Mark! Good weekend reading.

>137 jnwelch:. Steve Martin was good and has a ton of different talents. But IMHO, Edie stole the show.

Ok, back to books!

Mark, I should finish The Lowland today or tomorrow. So I guess I'll start Housekeeping next, otherwise I'll be in the middle of some other book and fall behind. I'm looking forward to reading it!

Cool, cloudy but I am staying dry...so far. The Returned is beginning to drag just a bit. I like the premise but I just hope he takes it to a satisfying conclusion.

Karen- Taking over Booktopia. Wouldn't that be so very cool?

Tania- I am not sure they will go international, at this stage in the game but you could always visit here...eh??

Nancy- I will check out the video when I get home. I like Steve Martin and have enjoyed his bluegrass music too. Did you read his memoir? It's very good.

Joe- I hope your Friday is going well. Yes, I am staying dry but it does feel like it is getting cooler.

Janet- I hope you can make Boulder. You will have a blast. I did not mind the ending of MaddAddam. I loved Toby and the Crakers. It always put a smile on my face.

RD- I hope you are having a good day too! We are spending the weekend in Milwaukee and haunting a couple breweries. Probably won't get a lot of reading in but I'll make it up.

Laura- I hope you enjoyed The Lowland and I am glad you are joining us on Housekeeping. We're you considering the Munro collection too?

Happy weekend, Mark! I am sitting in Starbucks, eating a "bistro box lunch" while my agent shows the house. I should be catching up with reading, but I'm strolling through the threads, instead.

I found my copy of Housekeeping and its sitting on my desk, "staging" the room…. ha ha ha!

Mark, I checked out the library copy of Housekeeping and plan to read a little of it this weekend.

I swear I was only one day behind so how I was faced with 44 posts to read I don't really understand Mark. Blech....anyway glad to have caught up for at least a few minutes. Enjoy Housekeeping. I certainly did.

Just a quick hello. I am pretty sure that I will never, ever catch up with you. No onlone time again... so, hope all is well... looks fine and reading busy ?

Okay, I am home and ready to enjoy a weekend off. All four of us, (the kids are of age now and both like beer) are driving up to Milwaukee in the morning and then touring a couple breweries and then spending the night. We are hoping to hook up with Laura & Nancy on Sunday, for brunch or lunch or whatever. Fingers crossed, it works out.

I received my ER copy of the Circle, for the LT Group Read. No one told me, it was nearly 500 pages! WTH? That makes 2 chunksters, for the end of the month. I also have Troubles scheduled. At least, my next couple of books are shorties! Whew. I plan on starting Housekeeping Monday or Tuesday.

Karen- I hope you had a fine time at Starbucks and I am very pleased you found your copy of Housekeeping. We should have a nice little crowd.

Terri- I am glad you are joining us on Housekeeping. Funny, when I first mentioned it, I thought I was the only one who had not read it! Surprise, surprise!

Bonnie- People keep coming over! What can I say? I can't ignore them, poor little guys & gals. Actually, all this Booktopia talk spiked some interest.

Kath- No problem, my friend! Keeping up with the threads can be a major challenge. Thanks for finding time for little ole me!

Ann & Michael posted a special podcast, talking exclusively about Booktopia 2014 and how Booktopia works. It's a great overview, check it out:

http://booksonthenightstand.com/

#135
I met a great family from Denmark at the Booktopia in Oxford, MS. She follows the podcast from Denmark and they were planning a family trip to the U.S. and decided to make the trip to the Southeast part of the country. They flew into Memphis, rented a car and ended up going to Nashville, Atlanta, and New Orleans. I plan on making a trip to Denmark at some point in the near future because of them. In fact was thinking about a trip there this October, but work got in the way. Maybe in the spring before the airfare goes to outrageous. The next time there is a Booktopia on the West Coast of the U.S. Mark or I will let you know.

I have my copy of Housekeeping on the bedside table and I only have 250 pages left in Devil's Brood so hope to get started on Housekeeping or The Circle early next week.

The introductory thread for the LT group read of The Circle have been incendiary. I think there are lots of newbies participating and they don't know how to conduct an on-line discussion with decorum. I put in a long post this evening about not insulting groups of people and that if you don't like a character or the writing that is one thing, but to make fun of a group of people and continue to do it is really bad form. One person made fun of the author for giving the main character the surname of Holland and said that since the character was empty headed it was a good thing to name her after a whole nation of blondes. Really? I mean REALLY?

I told them that the word holland brought to my mind Holland, Michigan. I wonder if all residents of Holland, Michigan are blonde?

I forgot to mention - I bought a hardback copy of The Circle and the dust jacket is beautiful. It has a wonderful "feel" to it. Sort of silky. It is an amazing book to hold. It feels the same as Sea of Poppies and River of Smoke. It might have been worth spending that much money on the book simply for the sensual way that it feels.

Maybe this has already been discussed but there is a movie of Housekeeping (1987). I remember thinking it was great. Robinson is one of my favourite writers. I think she has a new fiction book coming out soon along the same theme as her last 2 fiction books.

Add me to the group of folks who are hoping to get to Booktopia Vermont in 2014. I have not yet been able to attend a Booktopia event and this next year might be doable for me! All the talk here on your thread has gotten me so excited Mark!

I never new turnips were the first jack o'lanterns....that IS creepy!

Happy Saturday! It is so dark out there and it's almost 7am. I am having coffee and some fruit and I am going to try to surf a few threads. I'll have to start waking up the troops in an hour or so. We hope to hit the road by 9:30.

Benita- Glad to see all the excitement being generated over Booktopia. The next step, will be getting people to sign up. The only one, I might have a chance to attend, is Asheville.
The G.R. thread for the Circle sounds tedious. I prefer our 75 Challenge versions. I won't be able to start the Eggers' for at least 2 weeks.

Mary- I LOVED the film version of Housekeeping, although I had no idea it was based on a book, way back then. Maybe, I can encourage the group, to watch the film afterwards.
And yes, I also heard her next book will feature characters from her last 2 books.

Heidi- I attended the very first Booktopia, in Manchester, back in '11. It's a lovely little town. The nice thing about New England, is everything is in a reasonable driving distance. How far would it be for you?

Have fun in Milwaukee, Mark.

Today is the latest sunrise of the year, even later than right before Christmas.

I've got my car in for routine service this morning so I ought to get some reading in while I wait.

Say hi to Laura from me!

Have a lovely trip, Mark! We're going to hit some Chicago beer sites today, and maybe a trip to Myopic Books.

Have a great day in my fair city today! Looking forward to meeting you and you and your family tomorrow. And to seeing Laura.

Have a great time in Milwaukee, Mark! Have fun meeting up with Nancy, and say hi to Laura for Becca and me.

Have a great trip to the American brewing capital - hope the place has some left when you return to Chicago.

Hi Mark - Have a great weekend. As I browse through your thread...

Wow - You zipped through 2666. MaddAddam sounds great. I also am intrigued by The Sound of Things Falling. I am waiting for it to be available at the library.

I was hoping for a Booktopia in Minnesota. I know there's an independent bookseller in Wayzata. Maybe next year!

Mark I am all caught up on your thread. For now at least. I hope you are having a great time on your trip.

Happy Sunday! We had a great time yesterday. Both breweries were a blast. We were lucky that we could use the hotel shuttle to take us to the 2nd brewery and then it came back, picked us up and took us to dinner. Perfect.
It looks like we will be meeting Laura & Nancy for brunch, later this morning. Yah! And then we will return home.

Linda & RD- I hope you are both having a terrific weekend.

Kerri- Hope you had a good time in the city. Did you drink any exceptional beers?

Nancy- We had a very good time yesterday. This area has a load of very promising bars and brew/pubs, so we will have to come back. Looking forward to seeing you later this morning.

Joe- I'll say hi to Laura for you. I am glad we will be able to see them. Hope you are having a fine weekend.

Paul- Yes, we left a little beer, for the next guy or gal. I wish we could take you on one of these brewery tours, when you visit the states.

Beth- It's great to see you. Yes, I really enjoyed MaddAddam and The Sound of Things Falling has been very good. I should finish it today or tomorrow.

Morphy- Let's hope they pick Minnesota next time. It is close enough, for us, for a road trip.

Roberta- Thanks for checking in on me. Yes, we are having a terrific time. Hope your weekend is going well too.

*waving*

I know you are having a great time. I hope the Meet-Up works out. I'm contemplating Booktopia this morning, and realizing it will depend on my house sale….. nevertheless I want to do at minimum Boulder, and maximum joy would be Asheville.

I just realized you got an extra hour in our city! Yay! See you in a bit.

I went running over to The Circle thread hoping for a FIGHT FIGHT and didn't see anything except for some people complaining that the people on the thread were being too mean or contentious or something to that extent. I searched and searched but couldn't find anything like that. So... boring.

Sounds like you had a fun day. Have a good time at brunch!

#163 - Yes, we did drink some exceptional beers. We went to Local Option (have you been there?) where they serve unique and also obsolete styles. We both had a red wheat beer. I had a barley beer (but not a barley wine). Joe had a gose, which is a German sour lager, and we shared an amber beer made with coffee, with a wood flavor. They were all excellent. I highly recommend this place. They make some of their own stuff (in partnership with local breweries) and serve other strange stuff. So, basically, it's all weird, but very high quality.

BTW - About 20 years ago, when I lived on the east side, my then boyfriend and I went to The Plaza for breakfast regularly. But I haven't been in at least 15 years - so thanks for coming to Milwaukee so I can be a tourist in my own town!

Well, I made it down to the lobby, for juice, coffee and fruit, while the dear family sleeps away. I have my book and iPad. Do you need anything else?

Karen- I am glad you are mulling over your Booktopia options. Asheville may be are our only possibility and that may be a slim one.

Nancy- It looks like a beautiful morning out there. I am enjoying the city so far.

Morphy- Itching for a fight, on this fine morning, eh? Have you started The Circle? I'll start in a couple of weeks.

Kerri- It is so nice to have you posting again. Always a pleasure. Have you been to any of the breweries in Milwaukee? They were a lot of fun.
I have heard of Local Option but have not visited. Sounds great.

Nancy- Our shuttle driver said the Plaza was right around the corner from here, so we can probably walk. Of course I will double-check.

Nah, I'm not reading it. The group read is only for those who can afford to buy the book. If you are a library user, you are out of luck. Sometimes I just like to be a spectator to dust-ups. I'll even go into Pro and Con once or twice a year just for the entertainment of it all. But when reading The Circle thread and seeing the complaints about "contentious" it was, all I could think of was, "Are you reading the same thread I am?" Yeah, some people didn't like the book and made it VERY clear how they felt about it. But that's not the same as being contentious.

Glad to hear that you're having a great time!

Your theme song should be On The Road Again.....

:)

Morphy- I received a copy of The Circle through ER, otherwise I wouldn't be reading it. I don't think they should do a Group Read of a book that just came out. It makes it very difficult to find a copy and I am also hesitant on buying brand new books.

Kath- We have been planning on a trip up here, for ages. I am glad we managed to do it. Next year, is already shaping up to be a crazy year for traveling.

Happy Sunday, and meetup day. Enjoy the Plaza!

>166 Morphidae:: Ha ha, Morphy, I did the same thing! And was also disappointed ;-)

>166 Morphidae: & 174 LOL! I was thinking about looking in at that thread to see what the fuss was about but Morphy did the work for me! I also think its a bad idea to have a sitewide group read with a brand new book. It seems very exclusive to me.

>153 msf59: Mark, Manchester, VT is about an 8 hour drive for me. I need to do some research about costs of lodging, etc. I think I would have to leave Thursday after work, spend the night somewhere about halfway to VT, and then arrive in Manchester on Friday morning. That way I would get there in time for the Yankee swap!

>174 katiekrug:: Me, three! Too funny!

Have fun at your meet up, Mark!

RD, Katie & Mamie- Big, loving waves!

Heidi- It sounds like you already have a plan. Yah! Make sure you book right away. These things book fast. If you can, stay at the main hotel, it's actually like an old B&B, very cool place and many of the events will happen there.

Hi Mark!
I just put Housekeeping on hold and I should get it pretty quickly; there isn't much of a queue.

Also, I'm very disappointed that Booktopia! is going to be in Asheville (for which I had hoped!) about a week before P and I are scheduled to head to Scotland. Malaprop's has long been one of my favorite bookstores and I could have built in a visit to my sister who lives in Asheville. It's a wonderful city and a wonderful bookstore. I'm actually tempted to still try to squeeze it in. Ha!

For those not participating in The Circle group read because the book is to new. I hope you let LT know. Perhaps they can mix it up and pick an older book next time.

I love Katie's RL book club idea about picking books out in paperback so they can get them from the library or not spend so much on a copy.

>179 luvamystery65: Oh, believe me. Tim knows EXACTLY how I feel about it. :D

Enjoy your Sunday, Mark! I assume that you're all set for the big MNF game.

I am the one who said there was a fight over on The Circle discussion thread. There was - or at least I thought so. Some dufus made a remark about empty-headed blondes and the country of the Netherlands being full of them. All this in a loose connection because the protagonists name is Mae Holland. One person, who apparently was blonde, took exception and opted out of the thread because of the insulting tone. I entered the fray because I asked the person if the reference to empty-headed blondes was somehow symbolic or had some kind of meaning in the context of the book. Got no answer from the provactour. My guess is that person just wanted to vent - not discuss the book. Of course the book discussion doesn't even start until November 18, so I am not sure why that person even wrote what they did when they did. Up to that point , the Big Guys from LT hadn't said much, but now they are doing some writing and the tone of the discussion has changed. It is much more of book discussion and not an attack on empty-headed blondes or The Netherlands.

I agree with Mark, I generally don't purchase brand new books unless I think they are titles I will read. I did purchase 1Q84 off the new book shelf and today I am going to take home a new hardback copy of The Goldfinch (Barnes & Noble card holders get a 40% discount so for that price I am going to buy it) because I am sure that I will read it in the future. At almost 800 pages it will be hard to read the library copy so this one I will purchase. I am going to the library this afternoon to renew Devil's Brood and at 736 pages I still have 200 pages to read and the book is due. I hope there is nobody in line behind me waiting for this one as I really want to finish it this time around. I am looking forward to the 250 pages of Housekeeping. These big hefty tomes are really cutting into my yearly totals for books read!

Mark - Be sure to take pictures of your meet-up and post them. I think I will try to register for the Vermont or the Boulder Booktopia as that time of year will work much better for me than will August. I don't have much hope of getting in to Vermont as that one has sold out almost as soon as it is opened for the last three years. I don't think 2014 will be any different.

#180 Ha! You go girl!

>183 luvamystery65: Of course, then I got called a whiner...

^I love this! Of course Wisconsin is much more, but I still get a kick out of it. I like how Minnesota is a ? mark, although I am not sure why. And Michigan? Funny!

We had a terrific Milwaukee visit and a nice breakfast with Laura & Nancy. Chatted rapid-fire like the usual book geeks we are. My daughter has the photos, so as soon as she sends them to me, I will share.

Ellen- I am glad you are joining us on Housekeeping. Had another successful Meet-Up. I am batting a 1,000 on those. There is a small chance, we might be able to do the Asheville Booktopia. We are going to have busy 2014.

Roberta- I completely agree with you on the LT Group Read(s) and waiting for the softcover editions to come out, is perfect.

Morphy- Loving Wave!

Darryl- I am nearly done with the Sound of Things Falling and I am enjoying it. He is very low-key but I like his style.
I am sort of dreading the game tomorrow. I hope the Bears are rested and have a plan. It's going to be TOUGH!

Benita- the Goldfinch sounds really good but I doubt I'll buy the hardback. That might also be a good e-book choice, like The Luminaries, which I want to read even more.
I should start housekeeping tomorrow, of course the book and not the real thing. LOL.

Mark - I have Countdown City! Thank you my friend.

Laughing at the Wisconsin map, Mark. And Iowa is just good for pheasant hunting, I see — or as hunters around here call them, ditch parrots.

This the the gang at the Milwaukee Brewery Company. On Saturday nights, from 5-7, they do an Open House. They present you with a new pint glass and your goal is to refill that baby as often as you can. They also did a brief mini-tour of the brewery, but the details are a bit fuzzy.

What a fun picture. BTW, I started Housekeeping today before the Open House and I love it already. It is a little bit slow but the language is lovely. I'm going to go read some more tonight, hoping I don't fall to sleep too soon!

Wonderful family photo Mark. Looks like you all had a great time.

^Laura, Me & Nancy! Another successful Meet-up. Everyone always looks so sad at these things.



^The view from the rooftop of our hotel. The lovely Milwaukee lakefront.

Roberta- Glad you got it. Have you tracked down the first one yet.

Julia- Ditch parrots? You gotta love it!

Karen- Hope to start HK tomorrow.

Bonnie- I am glad the "kids" came along. We have a good time together.

Nice pictures, Mark!!

The family photo is great, Mark, and so is the meetup photo. Looks like a very successful weekend in Old Milwaukee.

Fun photos, Mark! You're rivaling Darryl on the meet-up mojo. Have a good first day back, Mister Meet-Up!

Great family and meet-up pictures, Mark!

Boulder will be a wonderful Booktopia venue!! (Great choice Ann!) I should have crossed crossables regarding the dates as well but I have a few weeks to decide if I can get it to work.

I'm enjoying Housekeeping so far Mark. I managed about 50 pages this weekend. I agree with Karen's comments but I'm starting to get sucked in now.

Back to the grind, Monday! Ugh! And it will be six straight. Double Ugh! Okay, try not to focus on the negative and think about the sweet books I'll be reading/listening to. I did finish the Sound of Things Falling. It was a good solid read, with some gorgeous prose. Now, I can jump into Housekeeping. Once again, I can not believe it has taken me this long to read it. And I call myself a reader! Ha!
I will also be wrapping up the Returned. I am curious to see how this one concludes. Next on audio, will be The Riders of the Purple Sage for the G.R. If I didn't have this one saved on audio, I probably would be skipping it. It is only the 4th of the month, but I am already booked solid.

Linda, Julia & RD- Thanks! Nothing beats a little getaway, topped by a mini-MeetUp.

Joanne- I sure hope you can squeeze in Boulder Booktopia. Fingers crossed. We will be going to New York in May, so it is out for us.

Laura- Glad to hear the report on HK! I will crack it today and give my impressions tonight.

Everyone, have a great day! I'll try to check-in at lunch...

>188 msf59: looks like fun!

I don't have six straight, but I have to work at least 2 days ( probably 3 ) where I was originally scheduled off. This was going to be a short week for me. Woe. Oh well, it helps to pay the bills. :)

Look, day one of your 6 is started, the waking up in the cold has been achieved!

Wonderful photos! Excellent WI map! So glad that you had a good trip!

I am finished prepping for the Open House, it is done and over with. Might have a couple of "interested" parties. We shall see. Meanwhile, I'm reading! Housekeeping is definitely good and I might finish it this week easily.

>191 msf59: Usernames, pretty please?

A nice fall day. Breezy enough for a light jacket and my ball-cap. The autumn colors are striking. Just a few pages into Housekeeping, but her prose captivates.

Kath- I'll just take it one day at a time and the next thing, I'll know, it'll be Saturday. I hope that works.

Amber- So you are a hippie, eh? LOL. Do you know what the question marks are for Minnesota?

Karen- I just started HK. I need to wrap up my visit here so I can get back to the book, before lunch-time runs out. Glad you are enjoying it.

Sorry, Morphy! Laura is LauraBrook and Nancy is Alphaorder. Due to a heavy work load, Laura does get around the threads much but she does get her reading time in. Bless her heart.

#169 - No, I haven't done any of the beer stuff in Milwaukee. I was just telling Joe that we should go up there one of these weekends. We'd also like to take a trip to Minneapolis next year, once Surly opens their place.

#188 and #191 - Great Milwaukee photos!

Mark, did you feel the earthquake in the west/southwest suburbs at about 12:35?

Turns out it was a 3.7 tremor but it was caused by a quarry blast.

Didn't feel it at all up this far north.

November 4 and booked solid. I hear ya, Mark! Don't you feel sorry for those poor people who can't find anything they like to read?

Love the pictures of your getaway to Milwaukee. Everyone looks like they are having a great time!

The Bears are underdogs in this one! They have their hands full, especially in Lambeau Field. Maybe the Monsters of the Midway can pull out some tricks. They are going to need it. Game time 7:30 Central



Go Bears!!

Go Bears!!

Love the photos, Mark! Thanks so much for sharing.

^ I started Housekeeping. I adore this cover. It is so evocative, especially when the train comes into play, in the opening chapters. I love this style of writing. I still can not believe this was written in 1980! 26 years before Gilead? Wow!
Sylvie has just showed up. This is going to be interesting...

Kerri- You guys would have a blast up there. Both tours were good but Milwaukee Brewery Company has the better beer, plus you get to drink a lot more of it.
That's right, Surly was the new brewery you mentioned? It's not available anywhere yet, is it?

Linda- No, I did not feel the tremor. LOL. I was having lunch at that time too! Maybe I was deeply involved in my book? I did hear about it on the radio, on the way home. Many people called in, freaking out.

Donna- "Don't you feel sorry for those poor people who can't find anything they like to read? " Thanks for the chuckle. It cracked me up. Yes, I do feel sorry for those people.

Mamie- Go Bears! Denver & Indy won again too, right?

Great photos Mark. Go Bears!!!

>209 msf59: What a BEAUTIFUL cover image that is. Wow. I am tempted to buy it for that alone.

Go Packers! Will be checking in on your thread during the game.

You know how everyone else job always sounds so interesting when compared to your own? Well, I am jealous of your job Mark because you get to listen to audiobooks while you work! LOL Maybe I should consider a career change.....

Good luck to your Bears. My husband is a Steelers fan and it looks like its going to be a long, losing season for us!

Go Pack!!

That is a wonderful cover! I am a little bit over 1/2 the way through. It is a wonderfully evocative book, and set in a part of Idaho where I recognize some of the place names. I really enjoy the descriptions of the small town, of the lake front, of the seasons. Lovely. I'm sure you will like it.

Bears lead the Pack 17-10! Go Bears! Go Bears! Rodgers was knocked out in the 1st quarter. I never want to see anyone get hurt, but still....

Paul- This was going to be a tough one to win. The Pack has been red-hot, but without their ace quarterback, we might have a chance.

RD- Have you read Robinson?

Nancy & Linda- Sorry, to see Rodgers get hurt. Hope it's nothing serious. That Lacey looks real good but the Bears seem to have made the right adjustment to contain him.
I am an early to bed type but it looks like I'll be staying up for this one.

Heidi- Yes, it is a bonus in my job, that is for sure. I've only been listening to audios, about 3 or 4 years. I wish I could have started years before that. I know, I am greedy. Plus, it really makes the day go by quick and that really helps when the weather is crappy.

Karen- It looks like you are coasting right along on Housekeeping. My copy is only about 220 or so. Love those shorties! I am so glad you decided to join us.

Can you please explain where the group link is for Housekeeping? Thanks.

^Yep, Bears pulled it off, 27-20, snapping a 6 game losing streak in Green Bay. It might not have have happened, if Rodgers wasn't hurt, buy hey, we'll take it.

Okay, back to the books: I finished the Returned. I liked this book. Good premise and likable characters. I just wish it was shorter and tighter.
I also started Riders of the Purple sage. I have not read Mr. Zane in 25-30 years. Some of it is dated and clunky but I do like his vivid descriptions of the western landscape.

Mary- I didn't start a G.R. for Housekeeping, but feel free to leave any comments over here. Did you start it yet? I will start a thread for the View of Castle Rock.

Good Tuesday Morning, Mark. I'm happy your team won yesterday. I took the time to finish reading Housekeeping. Fascinating how Robinson was able to build tension one gentle sentence at a time. I'll be very interested to see what you think.

No reading for me yesterday. Busy Before, during and after work... but finally reading the Valente books. Two of them, anyway... Or I should say, I have begun book one, barely, and will read them asap. Which may mean tomorrow.

Sorry, but I have no idea what the questions marks are all about (I'm not a native, after all).
Glad to hear that you're enjoying Housekeeping; I remember loving it when I read it, oh, years ago.

Hiya, Mark. Looks like a great trip to Milwaukee. "the details are fuzzy" - love it! Glad you were able to meet up with Laura and Nancy. You're right, so somber, these meetups.

Bears win! Didn't see that one coming. The battle of the backup quarterbacks, and our guy McCown looked pretty darn good again.

Great cover for Housekeeping, and I hadn't made the connection with the train at the beginning. I wonder whether there will be more? I'm about 20 pages in.

Hope your week is off to a good start. I'm catching up after finally eluding that bug that was chasing me.

"Fingerbone was never an impressive town. It was chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere."

- Housekeeping

Karen- I am so glad you enjoyed HK. I am also glad we all finally pulled it down off those shelves, dusted it off cracked it open.

Kath- Have you read Housekeeping or any other of Robinson's work. I think you would like this one.

Amber- I am sure there is much grumbling in your state over the Packers loss. I know they take their football very seriously up there.

Joe made it! Joe made it! Good to see you. Yes, another nice Meetup. We are getting overdue for one, ourselves and then start talking about our Spring gathering.
Glad you started HK.

Mark I have Seven for a Secret in my hot little hands. A brand new spanking book from the library. Woo!

>216 msf59: I have it in reserve, for a book-funk, because it's universally loved. I'm sure I'll hate it, so I'm waiting until I can blame it on the book-funk.

I just started reading a Western, a first for me. Zane Grey's Riders of the Purple Sage.

Different, but good.

Hello to Mark and all! It was so great to see you and Sue again, and to finally meet your kids! And, as always, to see Nancy! I'll echo Nancy and say that I'm glad you guys came up here so I got to be a mini tourist in my own town. Hoping to get the work load to a more reasonable level at some point soon - though I don't know how, it's on my shortlist of things to accomplish.

BTW, that's a great map of Wisconsin - will email it to my Uncle in Alaska, he gets a real kick out of WI humor.

Hope you're having a good week!

^This should be on our 75 Challenge T-shirts, if they ever print them up.

Here is a fun link for all of us book geeks. The 23 Best Parts Of Being A Book Lover:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/ariannarebolini/the-23-best-parts-of-being-a-book-lover-...

^I am particularly fond of: 1,4,7,14,19, 20, 22 and of course 23.

>59 msf59: I am so glad to see a Lou Reed tribute around here, I was pretty much offline around the time he died on account of my ill grandfather and busyness looking into uni stuff, and I had thought that his death had passed under the radar. He was a legend, really.
My lovely other claims he "married me" (we aren't married though, legally) because I was the first girlfriend he'd had that had Velvet Underground CDs! I really admired his being so different in a world of soft rock and disco....he was a pioneer and a gritty gutsy poet.

Housekeeping looks like one to go for! I loved the one she wrote 26 years on! (wow- that is some career)

BIBLIOBIBULI- that is really fun to say ten time in a row, fast!

Roberta- Good for you! I NEED to start looking around for the audio of Seven for a Secret, since the first one worked really well in that format. When do you think you'll get to it?

RD- Honestly, I am not sure which way you'll go on Housekeeping. I know showy prose turns you off but I don't think she does that here. She is a smart, gifted writer, with just the right amount of edge.

Linda- I am over halfway through Riders of the Purple Sage. If this wasn't considered such a western classic and it is part of a Group Read, I might have jumped ship. I do not think it has aged well.

Laura made it! Laura made it! It was nice seeing you again, LT friend! We had a nice breakfast, although we barely skimmed the surface on our book talk, but that is usually the case.
I heard you are meeting Linda P soon too?
Where in Alaska does your Uncle live?

Megan- I should have known you were a V.U. fan. Believe it or not, I didn't get into them, until the early '90s but boy, what a revelation! Did you ever listen to the V.U. 5 disc box-set? OMG! Even the outtakes were fantastic.
Try to find a copy of Housekeeping. It's just your cuppa!

Did you ever listen to the V.U. 5 disc box-set?
My lovely other has it. On account of it being revered so much, it is stored way out of the reach of little hands.

I am not surprised. LOL. I haven't heard that in many years. I am due. I also love the Loaded: Special 2-disc edition. Heavenly!

Loaded is one of my faves too, I considered calling any girl children we might have had....Nico! But we had boys.
And plus, my friend has a boy called Nikau (which, when pronounced correctly in Maori, is Nico, not knee-cow like a lot of people will pronounce his name, poor lad).

Mark I started Seven for a Secret today. It's new and I was lucky to get it first but there will be folks wanting this from the library so no renewal. I put on hold The Yard by Alex Grecian and The Circle by Dave Eggers. They'll be up next.

> 224 - Wonderful quote from Housekeeping, Mark and really impressed the author wrote Housekeeping at such a young age.

I'm glad to see you enjoying Housekeeping so much, Mark! It's a good one.

And speaking of The Returned (the TV show not the book), the series on Sundance Channel is pretty darn good (so far, after one episode anyway). It's in French with subtitles and very creepy! Have you watched?

It's a rainy morning out there. Ugh! I better leave a few minutes early. I can't really say I am enjoying riders of the Purple Sage, which easily could be retitled "Writers of the Purple Prose". I really like his descriptions of the outdoors but as soon as these characters start to speak...OMG! Well, I am over halfway done, so I'll finish it, but no more Grey for me. On the flipside, Housekeeping is spare and beautiful.

Megan- Go Nico! Go Nico! I think I remember listening to a couple of her solo works too, way back when.

Roberta- I'll be watching for your thoughts on Seven for a Secret. I have not read Grecian, although I've heard mixed opinions. I do have an ARC of the Circle, which I'll start in a couple of weeks.

Lori- I just can't believe it has taken me this long to get to HK, but I will soon have it under my belt. And then, we wait for her new book.

Joanne- I've read a couple very positive reviews of "The Returned". I'll have to see if I can record it. Looks great.

Howdie Doo, Mark! Great pics from the land of beer! Smiles, smiles, smiles! Love it!

I did not win an ER of The Circle and I was finally notified from my library that my ebook is available for download. Problem is my dance card is really full for November and I don't think I'll be able to get anything in but a quick step.

I'm going to check out Housekeeping for the cover alone. I love train tracks and the possibilities they hold. I also feel that way about toll booths and airport runways. OK my weirdness is seeping thru...............so have a great day - it's a golden morning in CLE and a good day to finish up some pruning.

BTW: I'm almost done with "Purple Prose" and I'm really enjoying his descriptions of Utah. I love the state and his observations are spot on, I can almost smell the Pinon Pines. But it seems to me there's a lot of verbiage and little action leading up to what I assume will be one major confrontation.

Is the TV show The Returned based on the book?

Nope. Never read Robinson. I am beginning to be afraid of another book slump. What's wring with me this year?

This is going to be a long, ugly, damp day. Ugh! Wish me luck out there. I'll be back...

Stay warm and dry, Mark!

#209 - Surly the beer has been around for a while. I think this is a brew pub opening, maybe?

Stay dry today! What an icky walk in I had. I wouldn't want to be out in it all day.

What I like in the Zane Grey is the landscape descriptions. Not much of a plot.

Liking those 23 best parts of being a book lover, Mark. What a crappy weather day! Hope you're doing okay with it.

Housekeeping is as good as advertised. How old was she when she wrote this? I know it was a couple of decades before Gilead, right? The writing maturity is hard to believe.

I looked for an interview, and found this interesting bit from The Paris Review about how Housekeeping evolved:

INTERVIEWER

Is it true that Housekeeping started as a series of metaphors you wrote while you were getting your Ph.D. in English literature?

ROBINSON

When I went to college, I majored in American literature, which was unusual then. But it meant that I was broadly exposed to nineteenth-century American literature. I became interested in the way that American writers used metaphoric language, starting with Emerson. When I entered the Ph.D. program, I started writing these metaphors down just to get the feeling of writing in that voice. After I finished my dissertation, I read through the stack of metaphors and they cohered in a way that I hadn’t expected. I could see that I had created something that implied much more. So I started writing Housekeeping, and the characters became important for me. I told a friend of mine, a writer named John Clayton, that I had been working on this thing, and he asked to see it. The next thing I knew, I got a letter from his agent saying that she would be happy to represent it.

Who knew? Here's the link: http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/5863/the-art-of-fiction-no-198-marilynn....

>246 jnwelch:: that's really interesting. Thanks for sharing!

She's an interesting person, this Robinson lady. I like her.

Howdy, Mark!

I LOVE the 23 "best parts of being a book lover" list!! It's so ME -- I'm sure it's so ALL of us! LOL

Lovely photo of you, Laura and Nancy at your meetup! Thank you for sharing it with us.

I just listened to my first podcast of Books on the Nightstand... I've been following their blog notes in email for a while, but finally decided to give it a listen today thanks to you. :)

Howdy Lynda! You great simple child! You sad-eyed girl. Lynda- Seeing you in these parts, gives me a certain throbbing in my breast. Well, I got to mosey. Get back on my old hoss and head onto Deception Pass, where my sweetheart awaits.

Meanwhile, back on the ranch,(yes, this line is actually used):

Morphy- I do not think the new French series is based on The Returned. The book is not about zombies.

Kath- Boo to book funks! Do not like 'em at all.

Julia & Kerri- Thanks! The rain has eased off but the wind is picking up. I'll bundle up, so I'll be okay.

Linda- Did you see my ode to Lynda up there? I like Grey's outdoor writing too but that dialogue? Oh, Lawdy!

Joe- thank you kind sir, for the Robinson info. I'll check out the link when I get home.

RD- Is that a nudge in the right direction? Hmmmm?

Mark, I wonder if that book was actually the original source "Meanwhile, back at the ranch" which has become a cliche? In other words, when Grey wrote it, it was fresh, but time and culture has made it into a cliche?

Author Alert!

Doris Kearns Goodwin is scheduled to be on the Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson tonight! Set your DVRs if you're interested!

^Ah, reading in the tub! Personally, I don't do this, especially in this direction but I like looking at certain people that do.

Okay, long day on the range! I am nearly done with Purple Sage, (THANK GOD) although it has been unintentionally funny. This could have a little to do with the narrator, who seems to paint everything a bit cartoonish, but I seriously doubt it.
Thankfully, Housekeeping continues to impress, as I hit the homestretch, on that one too!

Tina listened to her first BOTNS podcast! Tina listened to her first BOTNS podcast! You know, I always say things twice when I get excited. What did you think? Was it today's episode?

And yes, it was another very nice Meet-Up!

Julia- You probably have a good point about Grey but "Meanwhile, back at the ranch", is the least of the books problems. LOL.

Laura- Thanks for the author alert! I will have to do that.

"Meanwhile back at the ranch" was in Owen Wister's The Virginian. It was published in 1904.

I think that the trouble with these cliches is that they are old to us, but back in 1924 they weren't. It is like reading Jane Eyre. The whole darn book isn't exciting because everybody already knows the plot. When you stop to think about it, the plot back in the 1830's was fresh. Same is true of Riders in the 1920's. Face it - We are a jaded culture!

I have 25 pages left in Devil's Brood and then will start Housekeeping. I have a busy couple of days coming up so you won't see much of me around these parts - (yes, folks in Kansas still talk that way) - at least for the next week or so.

>253 msf59: And yet no comment at all on the book she's reading... How to Help Your Husband Get Ahead by Dorothy Carnegie (also known as Mrs Dale Carnegie on the book jacket). LOL

>250 msf59: I do not think the new French series is based on The Returned. The book is not about zombies. They're zombies?? They look/act so normal...so far, anyway...

I do read in the bath Mark, but I don't think I'd finish my chapter if I had the prospect of that young lady reading to me.

I myownself take showers. Reading is right out.

Hate baths. Showers, and quick ones... all the way. Still not reading much. Not sure if it is the book, me, or the combo of the two. Hope you are at least dry today. Your cold is headed this way. I won't tell you what our weather was yesterday. It's just better.

Sweet Thursday! Actually, this is my Hump Day for the week. Only in the 40s today, so I will bundle up but at least it will be dry.

On audio, I think I will try to get as far away from the Purple Sage as possible and start, Alex: The Commandant Camille Verhoeven Trilogy. Has anyone heard about this French crime series? I first heard about it from Ann on BOTNS and then a couple other favorable reports.
I should also wrap up housekeeping. Sad, to see that one go.

Benita- Thanks for your "cliche" comments and I agree with you but the problems with Purple Sage, are not just cliche related. Funny, I just listened to Dracula recently and thought that remained fresh and look at the baggage that one brings?
Love to hear your thoughts on HK.

Joanne- LOL. I intended to mention the book title our bathing beauty was reading, but got distracted.
I am basing my comments on The Returned, on a review or 2, I read. They mentioned it being a completely different kind of zombie approach. I have recorded the show.

Paul & RD- I am a shower person too! I can not remember the last time I took a bath. Hope you both are having a great week.

Morning Kath- Boo to Book Funks! Hope it is fleeting. what do you do to try to snap it? Or do you just wait it out?

Good morning, Mark. I kept getting distracted by other books-in-progress that I wanted to finish, but I finally started Housekeeping. I am only through a couple of chapters, but liking it so far.

I finished Devil's Brood last night so will start reading Housekeeping today during lunch. It will seem like a breeze to have a book with only 250 pages instead of those hefty tomes in which I have been immersed in my reading life of late.

Well, it was Hump Day, and sure enough. Last night the ESPN Game Day trucks were here on campus and parked on the lawns by 5:00 p.m. Then it rained last night. A good rain. I wondered if they had gotten the trucks off the lawn and when I arrived at work I discovered that some of them were now parked in the paved parts of the Victory Garden (the place where they have immortalized in bronze our true warrior heroes - Wade Wallace, Paul Bryant, Gene Stallings, and now Nick Saban). The wind is still blowing here as the front is still moving in and it is still misting. Tomorrow they will close off our streets and normal access to the parking deck where I have to park. (Parking passes are not transferable from one deck to another on our campus.) The port-a-potties have been moved in and their sanitizing smell now permeates the atmosphere along some of the most used walkways on campus. Football season is a beautiful thing around here. Oh, and did I mention that this weeks game is with Louisiana State University. That is the school from which UA stole their last successful coach. It was some guy named Nicholas Saban. The poor sods at LSU could only pay him 2 million dollars a year. UA can afford to pay him 5 per year, so he moved. Nice guy isn't he. So willing to sell himself. Sort of reminds me of those Wall Street bankers of fame and FORTUNE.

Regarding the purple prose. The more I think about it, the purple prose in Riders of the aforementioned color, might not be all that purple. Many people where I come from use phrases that others might thing are purple in flavor. For instance, I always say Howdy, instead of Hi, and am surprised how many people comment on that. People at home wouldn't turn an eyelash at the use of that word. Just like they wouldn't when you use the word parts for place. The more I think about it, the prose might not be purple. It might be that in this day and age, colloquialisms are disappearing and feel corny to us when we read them. At any rate, I am anxious to reread this book now that you have so heavily criticized it.

Happy unconventional Hump Day, my friend!

Good morning, Mark. Crisp out there!

Just finished Housekeeping and, as expected, it was a knockout. Powerful book. Thanks again for kicking that one into gear.

Hope you have a good one. Long meeting for me, darn it, so I'll be out of touch for a while.

Mark, I took Alex (stupid touchstones...) out of the library and read the first 10 pages or so. There was something about the writing I found awkward, so I returned the book. It may just have been a case of wrong book, wrong time - look forward to hearing what you think of it!

Midday check-in. It is a chilly, breezy fall day. "Leaves are falling all around. Time, I was on my way." Anyone know that tune? You'll have to reach way back.

Benita- thanks for the college pigskin update! In regards to Purple Sage, I am not ripping on it for the dialect or the language, I am just referring to the flowery, over-heated dialogue, Grey uses.

Julia- So far, so good, my friend. Hope your day is going well too.

Joe- I am also nearly done with HK. Just a few pages left and then I plan on starting More Than This, the latest Ness book, I snagged at ALA.

Katie- Good to see you! So far "Alex" is fairly routine, as it establishes the characters and the crime. We will see. I do like the idea of a tiny policeman. LOL.

"Books are good company, in sad times and happy times, for books are people — people who have managed to stay alive by hiding between the covers of a book.”

— E. B. White

Finished up for the day. When I go home tonight I will start reading Housekeeping and am looking forward to a smaller but just as meaty book.

“Every spirit passing through the world fingers the tangible and mars the mutable, and finally has come to look and not to buy.”

"It is...difficult to describe someone, since memories are by their nature fragmented, isolated, and arbitrary as glimpses one has at night through lighted windows..."

-Housekeeping

Yes, I finished HK and it was a beauty. Dark and unsettling. A question for the folks that have read it: What is the theme here? Freedom? Isolation? Free spirit or not, Ruthie made me sad.

Fortunately, I have Purple Sage in my rear-view. As most of you know, I am not a hard-ass on books but this one got me plumb riled. This is mentioned on my profile page, I owe Zane Grey a debt, for kick-starting my reading, at a tender age, but I am wondering if I would have started with Purple Sage, it could have ruined me forever. I could have been one of those people that read a book every couple of years. The Horror...

Mark I just finished HK. Beautiful writing and sad but I'm not sure what to make of it overall. Dark and unsettling is a perfect description.

Hi Mark, I have to admit you have scared me off of Riders of the Purple Sage a little and so I have decided to start my Zane Grey read with Fighting Caravans which so far I am really enjoying. This book makes me feel as if I was watching a 1950's western. I will get to Purple Sage later in the month.

Kudos to you for sticking with it!

Mark!

So not all westerns are alike, is that what you're saying Mark? This one was no Lonesome Dove? Fortunately, you have The Luminaries to look forward to. While not actually a western it's a lot like a western and certainly a lot better than the Zane Grey you just read.

LOL, I must admit, the idea of the purple prose in Riders of the Purple Sage is tickling my fancy. :) Call me contrary...

(Just "caught up" by reading the last few comments only. Sorry, life caught up with me again!)

Happy Friday! (For some people. Sad face) Hey, at least my week is moving along and I have a holiday on Monday to look forward to.

A Monster Calls was one of my favorite reads of the year and I just started More Than This, his latest, which I scarfed up at ALA. Kerry seems to be the only one who has read this, around these parts, so I'll have to shake the tree a little.

Laura- Glad you liked HK. I think Gilead remains my favorite but this was one pretty terrific.

Judy- I don't like turning people off books, especially beloved genre classics but Purple Sage just didn't work. I think it was his first book, so maybe they got better.

Roberta!!

Bonnie- Yes, Purple Sage and Lonesome Dove are polar opposites. LOL. I grew up reading Louis L Amour, where men were laconic. I preferred it that way, although I could listen to Gus chatter on all day.

Tania- Hey, give Purple Prose a shot. You might like it, many do and if anything it is good for a few laughs.

We talked about doing a Group Read of Castle Rock, in honor of Munro. Is there still some interest, or should we just read it on our own. I am starting it around the 15th.

Purple Sage also seems to be the only Zane Grey available locally...

Mark, I've read More Than This. I think you'll like it and probably finish it by tomorrow. :p

I have my copy of Castle Rock on the Kindle or maybe the Nook but I'm ready to try it after the 15th. I have too many partially started books to count, but I do like reading books with you all. It is so fun to imagine us all reading at about the same time.

Theme of Housekeeping - I do think Freedom is a strong element with the Train metaphor reaching off into an unseen future. And I also felt there was something about the "you just can't keep 'em down" mythology of the American West. If it is not good here, get on the rails and go there….

I'll be interested with what others think……

I received RL copies of Doris Kearns Goodwin's new one - The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism and Nicola Griffith's Ammonite. Now I have more books "I need to get to reading."

Enjoy your holiday on Monday. I have always enjoyed no end of joy that my birthday is a national holiday, although I am sad to think of how many men and women we have lost to wars.

Mark, I've been meaning to try an Alice Munro and The View from Castle Rock is as good as anyplace to start, I guess.

I'm off today so, this morning, I'll head off to the library to pick up a copy.

This is my Murder & Mayhem in Muskego weekend. Fun times ahead!!

Theme of Housekeeping - this one stuck out for me: "It seemed to me Lucille would busy herself forever, nudging, pushing, coaxing, as if she could supply the will I lacked, to pull myself into some seemly shape and slip across the wide frontiers into that other world, where it seemed to me then I would never wish to go. For it seemed to me that nothing I had lost, or might lose, could be found there, or, to put it another way, it seemed that something I had lost might be found in Sylvie's house."

The train metaphor Karen mentions, the lake, and housekeeping, all thread through the book. Why do we keep up appearances and do what's "normal"? What happens to children when the ones to teach them how to do that are lost?

P.S An American author a month sounds good to me, but expect me to drop out during Faulkner month. I'll be in some alternate universe.

*waves* Hi Mark!

Hi Mark. Chuckling at Joe's remark about Faulkner and an alternate universe, LOL.

Maybe you can read Dickens instead, Joe? I bet Richard would do a group read with you. :-)

I shall Loftily Ignore the slur upon my character. To imagine that I would sully my ocular units with such...such...*helpless gesture*

Heh heh heh.

"Alex" has taken a couple dark and unusual turns, which is exactly what I was hoping for.
More Than This is slowly unfolding. I am on a strange roll of books and TV shows about people returning from the dead. And no, not the ubiquitous zombie, thank the Gods.

If I get a couple more yes votes for Castle Rock, I'll do a G.R.

Tania- Purple Prose is the only Grey available in your area? Lucky you!

Kathy- Good to see you. I am glad the Ness book continues to entertain. I like his clean crisp prose.

Karen- I hope you can join us on Castle Rock. And thanks For your thoughts on HK. I think the themes here are pretty complex and not always neat.
Any plans for the big b'day?

Linda- I hope you can snag a copy of the Munro. Have a great time in Muskego and enjoy your time with Laura.

Joe- Thanks for your thoughtful comments on HK. I do not think it is supposed to be a tidy read.
Why are you afraid of little old Faulkner?

>287 msf59: Yes, HK could use a little housekeeping to be tidier. Actually, it seems perfect as is - so the untidiness probably carries its own message, right? I'm with you on the sadness of Ruthie. I'm still mad at Helen. That, to me, was the unforgivable part.

Not 'fraid of the F Man, just want to be elsewhere than where his books are. I keep wanting to throw them - far away. Really far away.

Dickens came to America, so he's an honorary American, maybe there's some way to make the substitution work . . .

#288
I agree with you about Faulkner. And I agree with Richard about Dickens. I don't think I will ever finish reading David Copperfield and probably won't pick up any others of his books. So far, in my lifetime, I have read two Dickens. Tale of Two Cities which my fourth grade teacher read out loud to us, and I have almost finished one volume of David Copperfield. I loved the tale of two cities when I was 10 and I simply can't find the gumption needed to complete David Copperfield. I look at it and think that an unfinished thing is not good - then I say Nah! and go pick up a different book.

I agree about Faulker as well. I'd rather poke out my eyes with toothpicks. Love the idea of the American Author group read though.

No "big" plans for the B'day yet. Unfortunately, I need to go in for an infusion of medication against my RA, and I have an appointment with the guy who manages our clubhouse, at the homeowners' association where I am not the Chair of the HOA. Not good stuff for a birthday, but maybe the niece and her gang will come up with something nice. Maybe dinner out?

SLANDER! LIBEL! ANYWAY RUDENESS AND HORRIPILATION!!

Chuckles the Dick is in no way, shape, form, or fashion, now, in the past, or ever in the future world without end, to be considered an American author.

Nix, nyet, nein.

Imagine lumbering our fragile Body Politic with the weight of verbiage and the stodginess of character present in the "novels" of Dickens. The only thing "novel" about them is that the CIA uses them as torture devices. I have it on good authority that they force prisoners to listen to Fran Drescher narrating A Christmas Carol and Matthew McConaughey narrating Bleak House until they crack.

What an interesting idea: a visit somewhere makes you an honorary citizen of that "where", eh? Ben Franklin is thus a Frenchman, surely. Who else?

Horripilation! I LOVE that! Totally stealing that! And I snorted my drink when I got to the part about Fran Drescher narrating A Christmas Carol - I can HEAR that in my head now, Richard.

Hello, Mark. Happy Friday!

Poor Chuckles the Dick, still catching crap a 140 years after his death. I did get a giggle out of those CIA practices.

I think it is time for a beer. I keep pint glasses in my downstairs freezer. Ahhhh, now that is fine...

Joe- I wonder if some of those messages in HK were a little cloudy. Maybe on purpose. Helen was flat-out bad and I wonder how happy Ruthie was at the end, living like a vagabond.
Who brought up Dickens? LOL.

A leperdbunny sighting! A leperdbunny sighting! Laura and I were talking about you last weekend. Where is she?

Big loving waves to Nancy, Julia & Morphy!

Benita- Of course Dickens & Faulkner are strictly a matter of taste. I admire them both, although I have a lot more homework to do on Faulkner.
So you won't be joining us on Bleak House? Tee, hee. I do hope, you'll consider joining us on the American Author Challenge. That should be great.

Karen- I am sure you will have a swell birthday. I hope we don't get hammered to bad at work tomorrow. There will be many vacant routes. Ugh!

RD- Don't they realize how fragile your health is but they still have to bring up that horrid little dead guy! And this is supposed to be a loving & caring community. Bah!

Mamie- Aren't these bookish spats a hoot? Never fails to put a smile on my face.
I think I came up with an American Author list, that I think will work. I'll post it later.

Horripilation!

How about a little book porn, to take the nasty taste out of your mouth:



^Altenburg Abbey in Austria. What a stunning library but honestly, there should me more BOOKS!

Can I just get a couple more posts, so I can start a new thread. Would that be to much trouble? Huh?

Nope.

No trouble at all, really.

You guys are the best!!



New Thread time: