Mark's Reading Place: Winter #24

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.)

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
147) Alex: Camille Verhoeven Trilogy by Pierre Lemaitre 4 stars (audio)
148) More Than This by Patrick Ness 3.7 stars ARC
149) Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem 4.6 stars (audio)
150) The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury 4.3 stars (audio)
151) The View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro 4.8 stars
152) Citizen Vince by Jess Walter 4.3 stars (audio)
153) Allegiant by Veronica Roth 3.5 stars (audio)
154) The Circle by Dave Eggers 3.5 stars ER
155) The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny 4 stars (audio)
156) The Red House by Mark Haddon 4.2 stars

December:

157) Troubles by J.G. Farrell 4.6 stars
158) A Conspiracy of Faith (Dept Q) by Jussi Adler-Olsen 4.3 stars (audio)

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

**This was easily one of my favorite reading ventures of the year. Thanks for contributing. Poor Zoe & Tom. Hopefully, I can make room for them.

American Author Challenge 2014

Willa Cather- January
Cormac McCarthy- February
William Faulkner- March
Toni Morrison- April
Eudora Welty- May
Kurt Vonnegut- June
Mark Twain- July
Philip Roth- August
James Baldwin- September
Edith Wharton- October
John Updike- November
Larry Watson- December

Mark's picks:

Willa Cather- Death Comes for the Archbishop *
Cormac McCarthy- Suttree (anyone here, read this?) *
William Faulkner- Light in August
Toni Morrison- Undecided. Tar Baby *, Paradise, a reread?
Eudora Welty- The Collected Stories *
Kurt Vonnegut- Mother Night. Possibly a second title. *
Mark Twain- Life on the Mississippi- Thanks to RD *
Philip Roth- The Plot Against America *
James Baldwin- Giovanni's Room- Thanks to Kerri *
Edith Wharton- The Custom of the Country
John Updike- Rabbit Run *
Larry Watson- Orchard or White Crosses or both. *

* On shelf

Of course, I can only select 12 and there are a multitude of other deserving authors but I thought this was a solid list. I left my favorite American author, Mr. John Steinbeck off the list because we recently dedicated a whole year to that Author Deity. I left off Hemingway this time around, because I didn't want RD calling 911. He has had a hard enough time lately with Chuckles the Dick.
You can read whatever you want by that particular author and if you have no desire to read that author, feel free to substitute. You will not be considered a "purist" but at least you can get a book or 2 off the shelf.

I tried to shuffle them up with past and present but that wasn't always easy. I liked Cather leading off the year, because her books are spare and I have a Bleak House G.R. to do, that month. Sorry, RD. Here are a couple Rolaids.

Is it safe for me to dip my toes into one of my favorite threads? Happy Sunday, Mark

Hemingway's NOVELS are terrible, but read some of his short fiction. It's amazing how much better his style lends itself to that format. "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" is a wonderful example of how good a short-story writer he was.

I was going to say for your new thread Mark that I would miss Tania's silhouette but then I saw those piercing eyes and below those captivating legs and I lost my way.

RD is right Hemingway's novels are duff but his short stories aren't.

*waves*

Happy Sunday! Not much planned for the day. R & R and football at noon. Sounds like a game-plan to me. I did finish up Allegiant. It was a pretty decent wrap-up to the trilogy. I still think Divergent was hands down the best of the three.
I started the Cruelest Month. I am enjoying this series, much more than I thought I would. As usual, my LT pals, rarely steer me wrong. I am making good headway into the Circle. Like, I mentioned to Benita on my last thread, I have mixed feelings. He has many good ideas but his writing is clumsy and flat. I think his strengths lay in NF, because I loved Zeitoun.

Lynda- You are number one, my friend. High five! Hope you have a great day.

RD- I like Hemingway's novels and his short fiction. I haven't read any of his classic stuff in quite a few years. Maybe my feelings will be different now. Steinbeck is still my guy, though. No question.

Paul- I am glad you like "those piercing eyes and below those captivating legs." LOL. I wasn't sure, what I was going to use as toppers and I was browsing through images and those two stuck out. I hope you are wrapping up a great weekend.

Morning, Mark! Stopping in to say Hello (and finding ways to put off getting into schoolwork)!

Hope you have a great Thanksgiving--Stay warm this week!

Good Sunday morning to you, Mark. Have a terrific day!! I hope you enjoy the Louise Penny book.

Good Sunday to you, good sir!

^Amen!

Roberta- Big hearty waves back!

Terri- Good to see you! I hope you are having a terrific weekend and that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Linda & Tam- I hope both of you have a restful Sunday. Get some good reading in.

Love that meme!

Me, too! Happy new thread, Mark, and I predict that it will not be your last of the year. How ever many there are, I will be there! Wishing your Bears good luck against those Rams. GO Bears! Go Broncos!

Hey. Mark. Got some reading in this am so I am ready for noon football!

^Almost game time! We have the fireplace on. The Man-cave is a little cool. My kids are strewn about, getting comfy.

It got cool down here yesterday. I had to take one of my plants inside overnight. This one is a toughie - but not that tough.

I saw Doris Kearns Goodwin on Booktv yesterday while I was preparing a pot of ham and beans (i'll make the cornbread this afternoon). She talked about how much in love she was with TR. She also said this book was not so much about him as it was about "the golden age of journalism." She was paired with A. Scott Berg and his new biography of Wilson. The talk and discussion was really interesting and made me think I should put those two titles on my wishlist. I've read two of Berg's biographies Goldwyn and Lindbergh and liked both of them, although the Lindbergh seemed to me to be a little lightweight. Not much was said about his anti-war stance in 1940-41.

I will spend a pleasant warm afternoon doing laundry, cooking, knitting and listening to Booktv (live at the Miami Book Festival).

Wow, what a tough and grueling Bears game! They are behind the Rams 24-14 at the half.

RD- I think most of us can relate to that meme.

Mamie- Very stressful first half. Ugh! Hope the Bears can get focused and come back and win this one in the 2nd half. And Go Broncos!

Nancy- Looks like the Pack is struggling. Must be very tough without Rodgers. At least, McCown has been excellent for the Bears.
Hope you are having a great afternoon.

Benita- I recently saw Kearns on the Craig Ferguson Show. She was very engaging. I love the history-geek side of her. I will have to get to her latest. I would also love to read the Wilson bio.

I have less than a 100 pages left in the Circle. I hope it ends satisfactorily.

13/14 I tell Mr. Leperdbunny all the time that I am giving them a good home. Yeah, that's it, a good home. :P My quirk is that I'll read a book, and if I spill anything on it ,dent the cover, or wrinkle a page etc, as soon as I am done reading it I need to buy a *new* copy. So I usually donate it or give it to a friend who wants to read it. HOWEVER, if I get a "used" book from a used book store, it has character, so I keep it. My strange logic. LOL

Mark, I'd be glad to send the Wilson book your way if and when I finish it. It's at ER book so I'd better.

What's up with the Bears and the penalties?

Happy new thread, Mark!

Sorry about the Bears game. The Rams tend to be no joke and they're getting better.

I think I'm going to skip The Circle. I haven't been hearing much good. I do want to get to Zeitoun though.

That was the ugliest Bears loss of the season! Just nasty and irritating. 42-21. UGH! I need to crack open my book and try to leave that unpleasant experience far behind me.

I did get a big kick out of this- I had emailed Ann Kingman about Boulder Booktopia and I mentioned to her, that we are considering going to Asheville. This was her spot-on response:

"but one of the things I'm trying to accomplish for Asheville is a walking tour of craft brewers and distillers ... does that entice?"

Does she know me or what??

Tam- Now, that is a hardcore, book-lover! LOL. I love the compassion.

Linda- That was a truly ugly Bears game! Those penalties were disgusting and the Rams made some big blunders late in the game too, but we couldn't capitalize.
Sure, I will take you up on the Wilson bio. Thank you. If you remember, I have been trying to make my way through the presidents, but LT has consistently put up roadblocks, blocking my progress. I need to kick-start that, along with my Civil War reading.

Kerri- I hope you are having a great Sunday. We went to the Tap House in Lemont last night and they had Enjoy By. Happy Mark!

Nice new thread Mark. I saw the end of the Packers game and their quarterback Matt Flynn tried out here in Buffalo when our first and second stringers went down but the Bills didn't sign him. I think I can see why haha. Bye week here.

Sorry about your Bears, Mark. :-(

I haven't been paying much attention to chatter about The Circle. How is it for you? Like Kerri, I want to read Zeitoun (I own it) but I have been intrigued by the cover of The Circle at least. Of course, I loved What is the What.

I'm enjoying this year's edition of Jubelale by Deschutes Brewery (Bend, OR). Last year's wasn't so good but they seem to be back on their brewing game. And I like the label art.

Mark, I love the picture of the blue-eyed girl in the snow. Is she a relative of yours? She has your eyes. ;-) My team lost today, too. It was a heartbreaker with lots of ups and downs. Too bad it was down when it really counted.

I am still reading Castle Rock. Like you, I think it reads more like linked stories about the author's family and has more cohesion than the usual short story collection. It may be December when I finish at the rate I am going. I've had a few little distractions this past week.

Wow, it sounds like Ann has you in mind for the Asheville Booktopia. I think it would be great to do a BooktopiaTribookathon some year. Spell check did not like that word!

Hi Mark- nice thread toppers! Wow, those eyes are on par with the Afghani Woman from the National Geographic cover of a long time ago.

I also love the B&W cite scape with reader, in fact, I like that the most I think. The shadows and shapes are very interesting.

Hi Mark, happy new thread! Thanks for your message earlier. I will reply to it soon, but thought I'd drop by here for now, as you've suggested. I downloaded The Circle audio from the library the other day, so should probably give that a spin to make it a shared read, even if I don't participate in the discussion. For now though, am deeply into Elantris by Brandon Sanderson and really enjoying it a LOT. It was one of my first purchases on Audible, but I sat on it all this time because I never know with fantasy/sci-fi what might work for me or not. I really recommend this one, and see you haven't gotten any of his books, or at least haven't listed them here so far.

That top picture is mesmerizing. Those eyes! Really beautiful. I agree with Megan about it rivalling that famous NG cover she mentions above.

That weird obsession with buying books is probably shared by most of us here on LT, never mind this group in particular, but I like what you posted.

Cheers mate, off to do that artwork I've been talking about!

eta: I just "stole" that picture and dragged it on my desktop. Don't be surprised if I end up using it as a thread topper too. Now that wouldn't be a bad meme either! ;-)

Hi, Mark! Nice new thread you have here. Sorry about your Bears.

Just pulling up my chair...nothing to add to football chat. Throwing out a suggestion to anyone still looking for substitutes for the AAC 2014: Robert Penn Warren. If you haven't read All the King's Men, it should be on your list. Ignore the pitiful attempts at making movies of it.

Hey Mark - just wishing you a great start to the week. Pity that The Circle isn't grabbing you. I have a couple of signed Dave Eggers on my shelves, an un-read Zeitoun. Also unread is Hologram for the King. Might wait till the jury is fully in about The Circle. Must say that he is a hero of mine so I am tempted to purchase, just because its by him....

^We just watched The Conjuring. Actually, I did, along with my son and his girlfriend. My wife and daughter had a blanket pulled over their heads most of the time.
This is a pretty scary haunted house movie and one I recommend, so if you are looking for something creepy. And as a bonus, there is a horrifying doll named Annabelle. Shudders...

Bonnie- Thanks! I hope you had a nice Sunday. And I hope those Bills are resting up.

Ellen- The Bears game was painful. I'll wrap up the Circle tomorrow. I have mixed feelings about it. I wonder if he should just stick to NF.
I like the Jubelale label!

Donna- No, the girl is not a relative. I was skimming through winter images and she jumped out at me, so I had to share. So how is Grandma, today?
I am glad you are enjoying Castle Rock.

Megan- I wasn't sure what to use as toppers, when I was creating my thread this morning and I stumbled onto both of these. I thought they worked.
I do like B & W photography and should use more of it.

Ilana- Great to see you, my friend. There is always a comfy spot for you over here. I have mixed thoughts on the Circle. I only have 50 pages left. I am not sure how an audio version would work.
I have not read Sanderson but I've heard about him for years. Maybe, I'll have to add this one to the list.
And please, steal away!

Terri- Thanks! I hope you had a perfect Sunday, filled with plenty of R & R.

Linda- Thanks for the rec of All the King's Men. I've wanted to read it for years and yes it would make a fine addition to AAC. Actually, I liked the original film version, from the '50s, although I don't know how faithful it was.

Prue- I loved Zeitoun and I really liked his memoir but so far I am not sure fiction is his best strength. Try to bookhorn in Zeitoun. It's a terrific read.

Mr. Leperdbunny and I *loved* The Conjuring. One of the better scary movies I've seen in a while.

Get a load of this- It's called A Backyard Library. A prefab building, that could house the jewels. All it needs is a comfortable reading chair. This would be a perfect dog-house for me, when I am bad, which I might have to make a habit of:

http://design-milk.com/modular-library-studio-3rdspace/

34 Wow! I want one!!! :)

#34 - Very cool! I, too, would probably tend to get into lots of trouble if that is where I went for punishment. Heh.

Monday, Monday! For some reason many of our old-timers really like taking off for Thanksgiving week, (not me, though) so we have 5 people out, plus a couple of our usual light duty irregulars, so it could be a tough week, for the old Markster. Plus it will be a cold one. Temps hanging around 30 for the next few days. Warm thoughts and wishes are much appreciated. I take and store every one.
I should wrap up the Circle, I hope it ends strong and I might be able to start Troubles, my First-Time Author selection, (hugs to Ellen). On audio, I am enjoying The Cruelest Month. What is very cool, is that my library has digital audio additions of the entire series. Yah!

Terri & Ellen- Wouldn't that be nice to have a little getaway place like that, surrounded by treasure? Dream, a little dream.

Beautiful photos up top, and I think I need one of those backyard libraries, although I'd miss having my books surrounding me in the house, I think...

Happy New Thread, Mark!

I see you're listening to The Cruellest Month. That's the book I'm currently reading :-)

So, so, so, so far behind that I can't even manage a decent skim!! I'm sorry!

I did see in the swift skim that you mentioned the culling discussion from BOTNS. I've been feeling guilty ever since I listened to it!! LOL

Did VT really sell out in 6 min???? Holy moly!

Love the new thread topper, Mark!

BTW, I'm somewhere in the middle of Gilead... I keep getting stopped by library books that are reaching due dates, but I am reading it finally!

Good Morning Mark! I have somewhat of a fascination with tiny house and prefab design. That sounds awesome, esp since you can see the backyard view while reading. *swoon*

I need that little time out reading house in my life.

Looks like a bad day. 2 hrs mandatory and 1 on mine. And it is snowing! Oh, goody!

Amber- I think that Backyard Library would be a nice little refuge. I would never want to give up my Man Cave.

Diana- We are reading Three Pines together! Yah! I am on the second half and it looks to be another good one.

Tina- glad you are enjoying BOTNS. It is quite infectious...like this place, by golly.
Yep, the Booktopias are filling up quick. I think Boulder sold out in less than an hour.
Hope you can get back into Gilead.

I'll try to stop by later, otherwise see you tonight!

It's been snowing here the last couple of hours. If it's snowing there, too, I hope you're staying warm and dry. Nasty, nasty weather.

Oh no Mark! *Hugs* I hope you have some warm coffee/tea available.

>43 msf59: I was riding the reception desk at work today when the mailman came in---no snow here, but ugly cold. He was dressed appropriately, but still, I felt sorry for him. And a gust of cold air issued out of the elevator when he arrrived. I wished I had gloves on just to handle the pile of mail he dropped on the desk!

It's 34F/1C here now, and boy howdy am I glad I don't HAVE to be out in it! Fine for a short trip to de-water the pooch, but I'd really dislike having to trudge around hauling ungrateful inconsiderate creeps' packages.

Love the pics up top, Mark, and the backyard library in >34 msf59:. The latter does have possibilities, doesn't it? I get in trouble a lot, too, and having to go to the library sure would improve that situation.

I recommend Sarah Plain and Tall to you if you haven't read it - very quick read, but she packs a lot in. Now I'm on another recommended in that discussion a while back, My Side of the Mountain. Don't waste your time with the gn The Girl Who Owned a City. It's not terrible by a long shot, but it's also really not worth going out of your way for.

For some reason, when I saw this, I thought of you.

Hi Mark, I wasn't taken at all with the first of the Three Pines mysteries, but have heard that they get better as the series goes along. And here you are the living proof! I do believe you weren't all that thrilled with the first one either and now you seem to be a fan. I really must pick up the second book soon.

Yep, a long tough day and it snowed. I am a bit frazzled at the moment but will try to be as coherent, as I can. I finished the Circle. I still give it 3 1/2, because of it containing so many interesting ideas, but boy is his writing FLAT, perfectly one-dimensional.
I am really enjoying my visit to Three Pines and tomorrow I will be starting my penultimate First-Time author pick, Troubles.

Tam & Roberta- Glad you liked the Reading House. I like the idea that it folds up and you can take it with you.

Linda- Yes, it snowed for quite awhile but I don't think it was much more than a half an inch, just enough to make it a bit slippery. Actually some of the side streets were pretty slick.

Tam- I am a coffee drinker but rarely have it after 9am. I did bring soup today, which I heat up at one of my stops.

Linda L- Fortunately, it wasn't ugly cold here today, just snowy and long.

RD- LOL. Yes, we have been hauling the packages. It's been crazy and we did start the Sunday parcel delivery, which sure helps us on Monday.

Joe- Thanks for the cute little reading gal! It must be very warm in that particular library. I've heard about Sarah Plain and Tall for years but haven't read it. I'll have to check it out. I am a fan of My Side of the Mountain. I first read it as a kid and always wanted to be Sam.

Judy- You are quite correct about my initial feelings about the first Three Pines entry. But after seeing all my pals, heap praise on the series, I thought I would give it another shot and I am glad I did. Give Fatal Grace a go and if it still doesn't toot your whistle, then you can leave the series behind.

Hej Mark, long time, no see. I looked at the pictures here and the texts. Nice.

Here a picture of my Adventskalender for my son:

you might recognize some...

Hi Paul- Great to see you! I haven't been by your homestead in awhile either. That will have to change. I love your beer gift pack. Your son should be very pleased.

Have a good day everyone! I hope today is just a little less brutal than yesterday. Fingers crossed.

I was wondering about the sunday parcel delivery. . . and wondering how it would go for you delivery folks.

That is a beautiful thread topper! Keep warm.

I just read A Fatal Grace and it was much better than Still Life. I'm glad I tried the second Penny and will certainly continue on with the series.

Mark, stay warm! Hope you have a good day. :O)

Glad you like the naturally warm library gal, Mark. She somehow made the transition from graphic novel to RL. I'm impressed you remember Sam from My Side of the Mountain. You got it. He's an impressive kid. Right now he's getting ready for winter in the forest.

Yeah, if you get a spot where Sarah Plain and Tall can fit in, you'll be glad you did. Reading it takes no time. I missed it as a kid, too.

>52 paulstalder: If that's Swiss Advent, I'm emigrating!

Two series I didn't think of, Mark, that we're getting the latest in: Stephanie Plum, and Precious Ramotswe. We've had a good time over a lot of years with both.

#57 & Mark

Sarah Plain and Tall is the first in a trilogy. The others are titled Skylark and Caleb's Story. I think there might be more in that series but I do know those three.

It is cold down here. Predictions are it will be icey in the morning. It might be nice because then I would have a day off. I plan on going home and having some of my bean soup that I made this weekend and sitting around and watching it rain and reading. Last night while I was watching the funeral on TV it rained buckets. Water was just streaming off the roof. In my opinion you can work in cold and snow but working in cold and rain is just plain miserable.

I laughed when I read about the number of your employees who are gone this week. Same here. I called about an order we placed a month ago and found 2 people in the department that normally has 8. One of those people told me that tomorrow she will be the only one in the department. That is not good. There needs to be somebody at work these two days.

>52 paulstalder: That is one super cool Advent Calendar :)
Who needs Christmas when you can drink your way through the whole of December.

Hi Mark!
That is all.

Just swinging by to say a quick hello Mark! Sounds like you have been experiencing some cold weather too. We are expecting a Nor'easter tomorrow, but luckily it will mostly be rain. I think the wind will be the kicker....some forecasts are predicting gusts to 65mph!

And... I'm back! Hey there Marky-Mark ... miss me much? Not at all? ;-)

How do you heat soup up along your stops? I have to admit that had me thinking a car powered microwave would be really useful on road trips.

^Thanks to RD for posting this! It's perfect.

Okay, let's just go straight to books: I finished the Cruelest Month. Another Three Pines gem. Thanks again to my pals over here, who encouraged me to continue the series, after I felt lukewarm about the first entry. Question: How does Penny keep the murders coming, in and around Three Pines, without it becoming ridiculous? This would be the kind of Canadian hamlet, that might never see a homicide.

I just started Troubles. I read 40 pages, my goal was 70. Work is tripping me up. Rolls eyes! But, Farrell grabbed me immediately. I can't believe this is over 40 years old. It feels very fresh.

Kath- I think it's mostly part-timers working Sundays. I don't think they want to pay us double-time.
Wow, I can't believe how much snow you guys are getting already. Yikes!

Morphy- I thought I was the only one who wasn't reading the Three Pines series but there were a few of us and we all were underwhelmed by the first book and now we are happily continuing. You should like book 3 also.

Tam- The temp wasn't bad today, so no complaints there. Much colder tomorrow. I'll be especially thankful for Thanksgiving this year...I'll have a day off!

Joe- I will gladly take your Sarah Plain and Tall rec. Another LTer raved about it, awhile back. I can not remember who.
The Plum books might be to "lite" for me. I am not familiar with Precious Ramotswe.

RD- "If that's Swiss Advent, I'm emigrating!" ROFL! Now, that would be my kind of calender!

Benita- Thanks for the Sarah Plain and Tall info, I'll have to check them out. We are really hurting at the P.O. this week, with so many vacancies. Carriers have been out there until 9-10, which is ridiculous and still not everything is getting delivered. One of out temps took out a full route at 7am, this morning, because it didn't go out yesterday.

Megan- Yep, that is my kind of Advent calender! Hope your week is going well.

Heidi- Keep warm, my friend! I heard the East coast is going to get hit over the next few days. They have had it pretty tough the last couple of years.

Mark, Louise Penny has had a couple of books set outside of Three Pines. There was one in Quebec City. The one from last year was set in a monastery.

I still need to read the new one.

>66 lindapanzo: It is a really really good entry in the series, Linda, really really really good.

Really.

So glad you are keeping with the Three Pines series ... there's another later on that takes a dip south of 4 stars, but keep at it .. I promise you some treasures after this small glitch in her writing.

Caro is back! Caro is back! Yippee! How is the Christmas Swap Maestro? I have always held you to a high standard but this has really boosted your ratings. LOL.

I have a gas station on my route, that I buzz into for heating up purposes. I goof around with the staff and they seem to like me. I'll be bringing a soup tomorrow too. 29 and windy. Yuck.

Linda- I think the murder in the 2nd book happened outside of Three Pines, near Montreal, I believe, but to tie these deaths in with the townspeople of Three Pines has to take some real creativity.

Wow... I'm rated above slug level. Whoohooooo......
Ahhh.... mystery solved. I was envisioning a car battery operated heating coil stuck into a giant mug of soup. Of course I didn't even consider the much simpler and more realistic option. LOL

Very true, Mark. Otherwise, Three Pines would begin to feel like Cabot Cove. Speaking of which, Mark, did you see that they're going to remake those with one of the women from The Help in the Angela Lansbury role (Jessica Fletcher)?

You hit on the real problem that Louise Penny has Mark. She has set three of the books in places other than Three Pines and each time she has had significant blow-back from readers who insist on the stories being set in Three Pines. I think she has come up with a credible solution to the problem but won't know for sure until the new one comes out. I have a theory though.

Hi Mark, I see you are starting Troubles by J.G. Farrell. I have read both The Singapore Grip and The Seige of Krishnapur and really liked the both of them. I have heard that Troubles is considered the best of the three so you should have a great read ahead of you.

Happy Hump Day! I hope this is the last work day of the week, for many of you, but it also makes me extremely envious.
On audio, I am starting the Red House. Reviews have been very mixed on this one but since my best pal Kerri loved it, I thought I would give it a go. I hate to lose a friend over this but I think it's worth trying.
Send me warm thoughts and positive vibes, that I can at least get off work today by 5. Come on, you can do it! I know the power of this place!

Caro- LOL. You have never been at slug level around here. That sounds like me, my first year or so. But I raised myself up, by my bootstraps and...

Linda- Yes, I did hear that about Angela Lansbury. I heard she was not all that pleased.

Bonnie- I think there are a legion of fans, that would prefer, that a convenient murder takes place in a tiny town every few months. I think you have to mix it up, otherwise it feels ridiculous.
For some reason, I thought the last Three Pines book was the LAST!

#74 - Reviews have been very mixed on this one... Yeah, I don't get that. What is wrong with people!? :-) And who doesn't love a good English vacation house novel? In all seriousness though, I'll still be your friend if you don't like it.

Also, I hope it works on audio. The narration constantly changes from one point of view to another.

I hope you're done by 5pm today too, Mark. You're co-workers get a D minus this week. I'm not happy with them.

The wind chill here this morning is -7! I hope you stay warm where you are today, friend!

I like the Penny books that take place in Three Pines the best. It is Three Pines that I love, Gamache, not so much. I don't not like him, I just like the folks in the village more. I do, however see that killing off all the residents of the place could be problematic. I will try to keep an open mind but, I will wait for some reviews before I run out to buy the new book, in case it wanders off to a place I don't care to read about. I'm sure my friends here will let me know if it is a must read, or an okay to skip.

Keep warm!

>77 mckait: If by the new one, you mean How the Light Gets In, run off and buy it right now, Kath. As Richard says, it's really, really, really good.

Hope you're fully bundled up today, Mark. Bit of a gasper out there, idn't it?

I had a good time with Sam in My Side of the Mountain. Did you ever read the sequels? I might find my way to them some time.

Now I've got the latest Spellman Files from the library, The Last Word, and once again I'm enjoying Lisa Lutz's humor. After that will probably be The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, one of the few Walter Mosleys I haven't read. My sister gave it high praise.

ETA: For Precious Ramotswe, try The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Mark. They're set in Bostwana, and every one goes on the NYTimes bestseller list as soon as it comes out, including the newest, The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon.

I got home early from work last night (6:30 pm.) only to find my driveway blocked by the mail delivery truck. He pulled out of the way to let me in. As soon as I parked I went down to pick up the mail because it was raining. He was getting back into his truck because he had dropped something on the pavement and had to get out to pick it up. I noticed he had on the U. S. Post Office shorts covered up with a parka! The kind with the fur around the hood.

Two things about this struck me. 1. the time - Last summer my mail wasn't getting delivered until after 6:00 p.m. but then they got the new routes straightened out and it was waiting for me when I got home. I am guessing that the volume of mail and packages, not to mention the holiday, as caused a problem. 2. The shorts - It was cold and wet down here yesterday. The temp never got above 50 degrees and the wind was blowing. along with the rain most people were bundled up. My guess is that he was a temp and didn't have the standard cold weather gear. Today the temps are in the 40's and the sun is shining brightly. That is very cold for this part of the country. Folks here are simply unaccustomed to it.

I have been placing my orders steadily for the last two weeks so the volume of packages being delivered to my house is definitely increasing. I suspect that is true all across the country. In turn I will be mailing many of my packages in the next two weeks as my family is going to be scattered this Christmas. I will be packing during the Thanksgiving break and hope to get things mailed by December 15.

I love the two photos at the top of your thread, Mark! I hope that your work day is short, and your Thanksgiving weekend is long and plentiful.

Happy Turkey Day eve, Marky. :-)

Marky Mark! Send me warm thoughts and positive vibes, that I can at least get off work today by 5. Come on, you can do it! I know the power of this place!

Crossing fingers and toes! I hope you have a restful day off tomorrow!

Hope your work day was over by 5 Mark, and that you get some reading time in over Thanksgiving!

Another Bad Day at Black Rock! Ugh! I am sure the positive vibes helped but I did not get off until 5:45 and the mail was HEAVY!
I think it is time for one of these and possibly a couple more:



I will return, in just a few...

Poor Mark! *hugs* Do you have to cook tomorrow?

Of course, I want to keep the bitchin' & moanin' to a minimum, but I have not seen our post office this bad, in the 27 years I have worked here. As I was punching out at 5:45, routes were just leaving the office, to hit the street. It is dangerous and reckless to have this many people working in the dark.
Our current postmaster, who works out of our Maywood office, has done an absolutely horrid job, addressing this problem and she should be fired. We are structured, to be able to allow 6 carriers to go on vacation at a time, (this actually only happens a handful of weeks a year) and management has known, that this many people would be off at this time, since late last year.
I guess, I am raving this much, because Friday and Saturday could be just as bad. Yes, we are getting well-paid for it and yes many are taking advantage, Big Time, but we are also getting wore out.

Okay, rant is over...

Judy- Sadly, I have only read 80 pages of Troubles, but I am loving it. So, you have not read this one, but just the other 2?

Kerri- "What is wrong with people!" I don't know, but I ask myself that question every day. I am really enjoying the Red House. He really is a good writer. I think so many readers loved The Curious Incident and expected more of the same. I respect the fact that Haddon took a left turn.

"You're co-workers get a D minus this week. I'm not happy with them." LOL. Actually my fellow carriers and my immediate supervisor have done a great job, keeping our office afloat. It is upper-management that has dropped the ball on this one and shame on them.

Amber- It was a chilly day today, but that was the least of my problems. LOL.

Kath- I love the Three Pines people too and Gamache. I would also like to have the setting stay in Three Pines, but I also realize that is such a stretch. I give Penny credit for trying to mix it up.

Poor Mark. Hope you get lots of rest.

Oddly enough, for the first time in a long, long time, I set foot in a post office today to buy my Christmas stamps. It was jammed. I should've gone to our village hall, which sells stamps and mails packages etc, instead.

Our mail has been arriving after 3. Used to be that it was noon, maybe 1 at the very latest. I think she has at least two routes and we're last on the list now.

Mark, I have Troubles on my shelf and it's just a matter of fitting it in to my reading schedule, it's that same ol' lament "Too many books ... not enough time..."

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, I hope you get plenty of rest and relaxation as well as a beer or two!

Happy Thanksgiving Mark! I hope it's a good break for you.

(Loving the beer advent calendar! Our Lego-lovin' kids get Lego advent calendars, which are currently hiding in plain sight in our bedroom while they pester us about whether they'll be getting one this year... Mwahahahaha.)

Joe- The weather was cold but not bad. That was the least of my problems today. No, I have not read any of the other, My side of the Mountain books. As a matter of fact, I never knew there were sequels, until a few years ago, thanks to LT.
Is the The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, edgy enough for me? You know how I roll!

Benita- Sounds like you are getting your mail late too! I can't believe a delivery dude was still wearing shorts. Maybe, it isn't that uncommon down by you. You guys are really getting some chilly weather.
Have a great Thanksgiving! What are your plans?

Darryl- Good to see you! My work day was long and I have tomorrow off and that is it. Bummer. What are your Thanksgiving plans?

Ellie- That is exactly how I perceive Thanksgiving. Thank you, my friend.

Tam- I missed the cut-off but compared to most of the other carriers, I was lucky. I am sure there are still people out there as I clumsily type this. That is a shame.
No, we are not hosting Thanksgiving tomorrow. Thank God! We have usually hosted this one and Christmas Eve, but my SIL offered this year and we jumped on it.

Heidi- I HOPE I can squeeze in at least a couple of hours of reading tomorrow before the festivities. Wish me luck.

Linda- I'll probably be a zombie tomorrow but I'll make the best of it. That is cool, that your Village Hall sells stamps and delivers packages. Are they there on Saturdays?
I like the fact that I can buy stamps at Jewel and Walgreens, where I usually purchase them.
What are your Thanksgiving plans?

Judy- How did you not read Troubles, but you read the other two? You know, us book geeks, we need to know all the book facts. We thrive on that.

Tania- Thank you! It is always a pleasure to see you. Has things slowed down for you?

Happy Thanksgiving, Mark. As one who has enjoyed my Sister-in-law's Thanksgiving table for quite a few years in a row now, I applaud your decision to let yours be the hostess. As long as she's willing, I'll happily travel over the river (figuratively) and through the woods (literally) for my turkey and stuffing.

Mark, they accept packages and sell stamps. I think someone from the USPS comes by to pick them up. Even so, there's rarely more than one or two people there buying stamp-type things.

We just get Boston Market and stay home and watch football. I think we're going to my sister's in the western suburbs on Sat.

^There are many important things I am thankful for, but one of the top ones, is LT and all the special relationships I have made over here. Tears in my coffee, but happy ones.

Good morning! I hope everyone has a nice holiday planned. We are going to the BIL for dinner, in the early afternoon, so I get to make like a zombie, until we leave. Hopefully, I can catch up on Troubles.

Linda- We've been hosting this and Christmas Eve for years, so it is nice to take a break, especially for the DW, who does the majority of the preparation.
Have a great holiday!

Linda P- Enjoy your day and continue to enjoy that long blissful weekend. Hopefully you can squeeze in some reading too!

Sorry to hear about the sucky work environment, Mark. Still, there's much to be thankful for including our LT camaraderie. Hope you have a very happy Thanksgiving today!

Gee, Mark, I don't know why this made me think of you! And yes, that's Marilyn Monroe! Happy Thanksgiving to one of my very favorite people!

154) The Circle by Dave Eggers 3.5 stars

“My God, Mae thought. It's heaven.”

Mae Holland is a smart and ambitious young woman, stuck in a nowhere job. When she finally lands a position at The Circle, she knows this is her dream vocation, something she was born to do. The Circle is a massive social networking site, that is Google, Facebook and a few others, rolled into one. It is located on a sprawling campus, in northern California and it is presented as the future, a utopian wonderland, where “transparency” is key and information is the fuel.
Mae, quickly finds out, that Xanadu, might just not be the paradise she envisioned and sinister forces loom just under the surface.
I give Eggers a lot of credit for some terrific ideas. He has created a society, that is scary, fascinating and possible. Okay, mostly possible. Some of it gets pretty silly.
My problem with the book, is how flat the writing is and how shallow the characters are. I do not think prose fiction is a strength of his. Plus the awkward sex scenes are atrociously bad. I think a hormonal thirteen year old, could have done a better job.
So, this was a mixed bag for me and I think I will stick with his nonfiction.

^Did I actually write a mini-review? What is happening here? Has the world spun off it's axis? What's next, will RD actually love a Chuckles the Dick novel?

Happy Thanksgiving Mark!!! Hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful day!!!

Laura- Thank you! Things will change next week. No carriers can take vacation time in December, so hopefully we should be set. Have a great day, today.

Morning Mamie- OMG! Turkey Day with MM! What gams! I wonder if any of the pilgrim women wore this attire? Gobble, gobble!

Tammy- Great to see you! Hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving, Mark ! I hope you get a little downtime today to enjoy some football, lots of food and ber, and plenty of quality time with family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving Mark. Go Vikes! :)

Happy Thanksgiving, Mark! Enjoy your day away from the madness. Sending hugs to you and Sue and the young people.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and Sue and the kids, Mark!

Sorry about the postal mess and its lousy effect on you and your co-workers. Ridiculous. You've earned a relaxing day off!

Happy Thanksgiving, Mark! So thankful that you (and Sue!) are in my life. :) Hope you can rest up today for what's sounding like a crappy finish to the week. I'm working Saturday and Sunday myself, though in much different circumstances. Hope the Higher Ups realize what asshats they're being and change it for next year.

I just peeled and quartered potatoes. My least favorite household task. Yes, we are bringing mashed taters and desserts to the dinner, along with some quality beer. They can sometimes be iffy with the premium stuff, so I have to be prepared.
Now, I will try to get back into Troubles before we leave.

Caro- It gets a bit loud and chaotic at my brother-in-laws. Lots of little kids milling about with runny noses and sticky fingers. I will try to carve myself out a quiet spot near the TV.

Beth- Have a great holiday too! Yep, big game on Sunday. The Vikings need to turn things around.

RD- Thank you, my friend. I will try not to think about tomorrow and the joys that will hold.

Joe- Thanks! You guys have a great day too! And enjoy that LONG weekend. Pouts a little...

Laura- I will smoke a peace-pipe with that gal anytime! It must be warm where she is at. Jealous. Have a good time today with your Mom. I know it won't be easy.

Kick back and have a very happy turkey day!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, Mark!

Happy Thanksgiving Day to you and yours, Mark! I am thankful for all of the mail carriers who bring me such delightful things in what is sometimes less delightful weather!

This is by a friend of ours. Thought you'd appreciate it.

Happy T-day Mark! Hope you had a nice brew with your dinner today and hope you've got tomorrow off too, but the ways things are going at your PO I fear not. Next time I need potatoes quartered I'll know who to call.

Sorry to hear that work has been a pain in the azz lately. I hate it when the people in charge are clueless... if only there were a way to avoid that, huh?

Hope it gets better soon.. and btw.. I agree, if the mail isn't delivered by 5 or so, the next day is soon enough, imo. Half of what you have to carry is crap, including stupid catalogs that they keep saying they will quit sending, but they won't quit. :( Sorry.

Happy Thanksgiving Mark!

The SIL, put on a nice spread. No complaints. I am bloated and tired. Should not have had that second plate. Had a few beers and then wisely switched to coffee. Early to bed tonight, but I am going to try and read for an hour or so.

Happy Thanksgiving, Julia & Terri! Hope you both had a great day.

Joe- LOL. Thanks for the clever cartoon.

Lynda- Thanks! Unfortunately, I work Friday and Saturday and they both will potentially be bad days.

Kath- Our postmaster works out of a different office and we rarely see her, but this was an emergency situation and she did nothing to make it better. Out of the dozens of offices in the neighboring suburbs, you couldn't find a couple extra carriers to help us out. That is B.S.
The one problem with holding a route to the next day, is now you have to make 2 deliveries on the same day.

Roberta- Thanks! I hope you had a great day.

Happy Thanksgiving, Marky Mark!

Hope you had a great one Mark.

Hope you have had a very happy Thanksgiving - seems like a wonderful holiday to me!

Happy
Thanksgiving evening.

Your work situation sounds horrid.

Take good care of yourself.

Happy Thanksgiving, Mark! So sorry work has been such a hassle.

Black Friday! Actually, I could care less. I am not much of a shopper, plus I am working. My kids did some shopping last night. I am not sure I agree with stores opening on Thanksgiving. Why?

I am looking forward to returning to the Red House and getting back into Troubles. I am really enjoying both books.

Big, hearty hugs to Tam, Bonnie, Prue, Linda & Terri! Thanks everyone! And have a fantastic weekend.

:( Wishing you a good day!

I hope the postmaster gets a clue, but I fear that she may not :( as those in control do have the tendency to be...lacking in certain skills.

WE have a patron who ( 3 times now ) has left the only rest room filthy. By this I mean feces everywhere.. and I mean everywhere. She then goes and sits back down at the computer. This is a middle aged woman. I will spare you more detail, but I want to sa that I tried to get Laura to at least come and SEE what she is doing. Laura would not look. She gets queasy at messes. I was as furious about that, as I was at having to clean it up. Again. Tomorrow, I am taking gloves to work, but I really need a solution to this and I don't know if there is one. Especially as our person in charge is not interested in small details like this....

I cannot fathom *wanting* to shop except online. I have no desire to do so. That said, I have been to some *gruesome* Thanksgiving dinners, and the idea of escaping to a store would have sounded paradisical. I myownself never had a problem working holidays since one got double-time for doing it.

Mark....I'm sorry your work situation has been unpleasant lately. Here's hoping for better days ahead!

>120 mckait: Kath -- That is just disgusting. How is cleaning the bathroom part of your job description? And both of them are going to have to come look at the mess. Period. End of story. It's disgusting, but part of running a place is that they have to be responsible for the entire functioning. They will have to develop a solution. It's why they make the big bucks and have the "titles." Pass the buck, sister. They've told you not to be so efficient. Now seems like the perfect time to not be efficient!! :)

Hell week continues...at least it's not a bad day out, sunny and cold. And of course, I have my books, my sweet, diverting, books...sniffles a little, almost sobs, but quickly controls myself.

Much sympathy, Mark - way to bear up. :-)

It is a pretty decent day out, but I wouldn't want to work today either. Hope it goes by quickly, and you can kick back and enjoy the evening.

The new Spellman isn't hitting home with me the way I hoped. Maybe her type of humor is finally wearing thin for me. I'll finish it, but not with relish.

*hugs* Mark.

I forgot, you asked "Is the The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, edgy enough for me?" The answer is no. It's the opposite of edgy, for the most part. Relaxed pace, gentle humor. I don't think even reading it in a dangerous park at night would help enough on that score.

Much sympathy on the bleak Black Friday work situation.

I agree with your question about the stores opening on Thanksgiving. Mark. Even worse were those folks who were already lined up for Black Friday sales on Wednesday morning -- they showed them on the Today show, along with evidence that they could have gotten better deals Veterans Day weekend without the lines. I just had a rant about it on my thread.

Hi Mark! Sounds like you had a lovely Thanksgiving! Sorry you have to work today. :-(

#86 - I think so many readers loved The Curious Incident and expected more of the same. Yeah. I actually wasn't a huge fan of The Curious Incident and was reluctant to read this one, but then won it as an Early Reviewers book (Don't ask me why I requested it - no idea.), so felt obligated. I was very pleasantly surprised!

I just read through some of the reviews. Wow! Not a lot of love, overall. I suppose it's not very plot-oriented and it contains no likable characters. Two things that tend to bother some readers. Oh, well. I'm glad you're enjoying it, anyway.

Now it's time to relax, Mark. Have a cold one and a nice turkey sandwich.

Hi Mark, sorry I didn't make it over here yesterday to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. It sounds like yesterday was the highlight of your week. Sorry that work has been so crazy but glad the weather isn't too bad to be out in today.

Our weather hasn't been too bad but is scheduled to take a turn for the worse early next week with highs only in the low 20s. I'll try to make sure it doesn't head your way!

I just read Lynda's rave review of The Sound of Things Falling. I bought a copy after reading your comments about it so I'm looking forward to getting to it and may start it as soon as I finish The Goldfinch.

Hope the work day isn't too rough, Mark. The reason I haven't read Troubles yet is quite simple, I just read them in the order that I obtained them.

To the Postie with the Mostie - have a great Thanksgiving weekend mate and thanks for being a very special member of this wonderful group. You were one of the stalwarts who welcomed me so warmly into the fold a few years ago and yours is always one of the first threads I look for.

>129 Carmenere: bwahahahah!

I am finally stumbling in here, like a punch-drunk boxer. I did get home late and my wife had a couple friends over, so of course I visited with them a bit. They are now playing a game with the little ones, so I am slipping into the Man-Cave, to see what my buddies are up to.

Thanks for keeping the fires burning over here and having a cold beer waiting for me. Mmmmm...

Kath- I think the postmaster made an appearance today. I heard a few of our residents were threatening to call their congressman, about how bad the delivery has been this week. Good! I hope someone gets a mighty-fine butt-chewing.
That feces story is quite stomach-churning. LOL.

RD- How was your Black Friday? Get any online shopping in?

Tina- We will do a 180 next week. Everyone will be back from vacation and no vacation is allowed in December. It will be nice, just to worry about our own routes and that is it. Sighs!

Joe- One more day to get through and I can put this one behind me. Bye, bye Hell Week! I think I'll also take a pass on the Spellman series.
You cracked me up with: "I don't think even reading it in a dangerous park at night would help enough on that score." I think that might be just a bit "lite" for me.

Tam- Big loving waves!

Terri- With all this fuss about Thanksgiving shopping and Black Friday, I heard, according to economists, that it's going to be a dismal retail season. WTH?

Kerri- I really liked The Curious Incident and I am nearly done with the Red house and I really like it. I can see why it's not for everyone. These characters can rub you the wrong way but I love Haddon's writing and all his cool pop references. His book, A Spot of Bother did not seem to get much LT love either.

Lynda- Thanks for the naked turkey! Could we do better than Coors? You know, I am a beer snob.

Pat- It is great to see you. The weather seems to be crazy across the country. We have more comfortable temps next week, but in the long-term the cold is coming back.
I am looking forward to your thoughts on The Sound of Things Falling. How is the Goldfinch? LT opinion seems to be mixed on that one. I have an audio copy at hand.

Judy- I think you will love Troubles. This seems to be a very loosely connected trilogy, so I doubt the order matters. I will have to hunt the others down.

Paul- "Postie with the Mostie". That could make a good topic heading, although some might think I am being a shameless braggart. LOL. Thanks for the sentiments. I had a feeling you were going to be a key addition over here and I was RIGHT, my friend.

Gee Whiz, Mark I thought the exposed breasts would pull your attention away from the non-craft beer :o}

You got me there, Lynda. I adore exposed breasts. LOL.

Lynda/Mark - I have to admit scrollin back up again to double check on the exposed breasts - saves me right!

>95 Crazymamie: well, that has to win the prize for Most Random Picture Ever! Funny.

>136 Carmenere: LOL!!

Hi Mark- glad to hear you made it through a busy Thanksgiving. Bad luck to Paul that said exposure was poultry ;)

^Well, this should be the last day! Since the town is in an uproar, maybe we'll get a little help today. Nice to get out by 5. Next week should be a cake walk.

I'll be wrapping up The Red House, which I really liked. Thanks to Kerri for the nudge on that one. A little hard to follow on audio, at times, because of the constant shift of POV, although the reader was terrific.
I think I will take a left turn and visit the Department Q guys, with A Conspiracy of Faith, aka "Redemption", the third in the series.

Paul- I could picture you frantically scrolling for those exposed breasts and then being so disappointed when you found them. LOL.

Megan- Thanks. It will be nice to wrap this one up. Ugh! hope you are enjoying a nice weekend.

**I hope to get caught up with the threads tomorrow. I may be busy but you know the love is still radiates!

Glad to hear that the town might be helpful in getting you appropriate help. What happened is ridiculous. I hope next week is much better.

I hope the fire stays lit under the behinds of your bosses to figure something out for next time, Mark! Thanks to you and your dependable co-workers for doing your jobs the best you can under difficult circumstances. We may not always say it, but we appreciate it!

((hugs)) Mark. :)

Good morning, Mark. Glad you're reaching the end of Hell Week. I hope the postmaster gets an earful from the higher-ups.

Great idea to read the next Dept. Q. I'll look forward to your reaction. I'll be doing the same some time soon, I'm sure.

That's one heck of a turkey in >129 Carmenere:.

Well, 5 o' clock looks possible. Nice early winter day. Plenty of sunshine. Just started the Dept Q audio...

Kath- Next week should be great and I plan on taking my day off too, to rest the weary bones.

Julia- Thanks for the kind words. You can always count on this place for support. Hope you are having a fine Saturday.

Tam- You are spoiling us with all your activity, around here. You aren't planning on ditching us again, are you? LOL.

Joe- The Dept Q books are all hefty. I think this one is over 500 pages but they always read fast,with little bloat. Hope you are having a fantastic day.

Joe and Mark - Dept Q Book 4 comes out in the US on December 31st! I heard it's a good one. Book 5 not so much. We shall see.

I most certainly do not, Mark, plus a few of you are on my facebook now, so you can poke me if you don't hear from me. :P

Hi Mark, happy Saturday. I'm watching high school football today. State championships. My sister's local high school is playing. The kids (who are currently in middle school and grade school) are very excited that they're going to be state champs.

^"Does anyone really know what time it is?"

-Chicago (1969)

Mark - Were your eyes drawn to the glass of beer?

I have RETURNED. I finished the Red House. It was a very good family/vacation drama. Thanks to Kerri, for the guidance, otherwise I might not have chose this one, at this time. I did dive into A Conspiracy of Faith. This has quickly become one of my top crime series books. Adler Olsen has such a good sense of humor and his main characters are such a colorful bunch. This rivals the Dr. Siri bunch and that is saying A LOT!

Roberta- I can't believe there are already 5 Dept Q books. You would have thought, that these books would have caught on, right away in the states, especially with the explosion of Scandi-Crime. Sorry to hear that book 5 takes a dip.

Tam- And poke you we will. LOL.

Linda- Glad you were enjoying high school football. Hope the team did well. Are you picking up The Bully Pulpit? Looks like just your cuppa.

Mark, yes, the Batavia Bulldogs won. Their first state championship of any kind since 1912.

I picked up a Kindle copy of the Doris Kearns Goodwin book. I figure I'll start it after I finish the Woodrow Wilson bio. I need to get cracking on that one.

You are not alone in the weary postman department. On Wednesday night (day before Thanksgiving) I got home about 6:00 p.m. in time to see the postal truck driving around the curve. Friday night I got home from the coffee shop about 8:30 p.m. and checked the mailbox. It was empty. I was getting myself a glass of lemonade at the kitchen sink when I saw the postal truck drive up and put my stuff in the box. I walked out to get it and the truck was parked with the driver getting out. He had dropped a letter on the street. I told him it was a little late for the mail and he just shrugged. (It was our regular driver.) Today my mail came about 2:00 p.m. so maybe things are back to normal.

All of this was unusual. One of my colleagues has a son who is a manager for FedEx in Nashville, TN. FedEx is desperate for drivers. Out of the last 20 applicants for drivers they hired the five who passed the drug test. That is the number one reason why they reject applicants. FedEx is contracting the USPS to deliver some of their packages because they simply can't hire enough drivers. He also told her that all FedEx managers have to work 6 days a week starting last week and, like you, there is no vacation time for either office or drivers, from now until January 1. He says that the volume of deliveries has been getting steadily heavier each year and that this year will be a record breaker. Just as last year was.

Like RD, I do my shopping by mail, but I don't understand why others think this is something new. I have done so for at least 30 years. We always ordered from the Sears or Montgomery Ward catalog. Then in the 70's we started ordering from L.L. Bean, Edie Bauer, and Lands End. (We waited for the Lands End christmas catalog every year as much as we did for the Sears Wishbook.) One of the most memorable gifts offered by Lands End was a black London Cab filled with Lands End products. It was actually purchased by a man in Natoma, KS for his wife. She drove that cab until she was in her 80's and had to quit driving. At that time, she called Lands End and asked if she could return it because she no longer needed it. They took it back and paid for the shipping.

yes. I have already placed my Lands End order. And my L. L. Bean order. And a few others. On Monday I will place the last of my orders.

No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is not exactly a cozy mystery series, but they are fun. Like all of Smith's books the story is character driven. Action is not the driver. He gives you a picture of a complex society and life in Botswana. I have listened to several of them and like the recorded versions of the books. The narrator (of the early books) was very good. I think you would like them but they are not Scandi Crime or the work of Deon Meyer. They are more like the Jackson Brody books - but with less fist fighting. Not that violence is completely absent from the Precious Ramotse books, because it isn't, but it is not what propels the book along.

I also like Alexander McCall Smith's Isabel Dalhousie series as well.

I just finished listening to another Christopher Paul Curtis book and loved it. He is a YA writer of primarily historical fiction, but his work is outstanding. I have liked everything I have read by him. This was a recorded book and the narrator was great. It was a treat to listen to this book. For trudging through the day I would think this would help to pass the time. If your library has his books in recorded versions don't hesitate to give them a listen. I don't think I would read them, but they are outstanding recorded productions.

#120
We have had the same problem in our library. Fortunately, we janitorial staff on duty until 2:00 p.m. and have been lucky enough that both incidents happened while they were in the building. Since I am now the "person-in-charge" I inquired about our policies regarding such behavior. Since we are not a public library, but are a public building, we do have a little more leeway. In our case I was instructed to call the campus police - if I could positively identify without a doubt who the culprit was. They would then handle the person. If it happens after hours we are to call emergency services and arrange for clean-up, after we have put up an out-of-order sign on the door.

In my experience what is happening is the result of a mentally unstable person and the person and behavior should be reported to the police. That will take care of the person, but will not deal with the residue of the problem. If you don't have janitorial staff, probably you will have to deal with it. In my time I have dealt with floods from the bathrooms, in which I had to weld a mop and a broom, so librarians are sometimes all purpose janitorial staff as well. Sometimes we just have no choice, but it should not be an assumption that you will deal with this every time it happens. Somebody will have to start making some decisions about the conduct.

Sunday morning! Blissful, Sunday morning. It is perfectly quiet. I am on my second cup of java and I need to get cracking on my Christmas Swap order.
Not much planned. Books & football, mostly. It is my FIL's birthday, so we will probably take him out to dinner, later on.

Benita- That is interesting about Fed Ex and being short drivers. You would wonder, with this economy and lack of jobs. No one is on vacation next week, so we should sail. It will be nice just to work a little O.T. on our own routes.
I am not sure I will read the Smith series or not, but I like your description of it. Have you started the Dept Q books? Now, that is a terrific series.
I am not familiar with Curtis. What is a good place to start?

>155 benitastrnad: benita. sending you a pm so as not to clutter Mark's thread with a rant :P. It isn't the clean up, it is the directors refusal to even look at it to see what is happening.

Mark.. glad to hear that you will have a more typical week this time :) Have fun at dinner :)

>153 benitastrnad: One of the most memorable gifts offered by Lands End was a black London Cab filled with Lands End products. It was actually purchased by a man in Natoma, KS for his wife. She drove that cab until she was in her 80's and had to quit driving. At that time, she called Lands End and asked if she could return it because she no longer needed it. They took it back and paid for the shipping.

::gobsmacked::

That is the single best advertisement they ever paid for! What a great story, and one that reflects very well on them.

^ And I thought it was tough going up!

#158
The return was the cover illustration and story on one of their Christmas issues. I kept that catalog for many years and finally tossed it in this last move. Funny, but I can't remember what year it was that the cab was returned.

#159
That picture made me smile (and not a Circle smile either). We had a student who was constantly caring huge stacks of books to our basement and we would repeatedly warn him that he was treading on dangerous ground. One day when he left the Circulation desk to take books to the basement we heard a tremendous crash. Fortunately for him and us, the book pile fell over, but he didn't.

Least you think he was just horsing around, he wasn't. We have a three story building with no elevators. all books have to be carried to all the floors by hand.

NO ELEVATORS!!

Even for Alabackward, that's backward.

For any of my audiophile pals, Audible is having a nice little sale. 300 or so audiobooks for 4.95. I bought 2: Huck Finn, read by Elijah Wood. I've heard very good things about his narration. I might add this to my Twain AAC.
The 2nd one is Dust and Shadow, read by Simon Vance. This also looks great, plus I loved her Gods of Gotham.

Here is the Audible link:

http://www.audible.com/mt/TreatYourself_2013_EditorsPicks?source_code=EMAOR01MRE...

I like to listen to the Christopher Paul Curtis books. They are written for YA and all of them fall into the historical fiction category. I recommend that you start with Watson's Go To Birmingham. That one is funny and one that many of the schools around here. It is a much more realistic picture of the South than was The Help Then listen to Bud Not Buddy then do Mighty Miss Malone. Then read - or listen to - any of the rest of his books. Elijah of Buxton was good.

Curtis won the Newbery medal for Bud Not Buddy and his work continues to be thought provoking and powerful. Curtis is a self taught writer. He spent years working on the GM assembly lines in Flint, MI and he read the whole time he was working there. I have been privileged to hear him speak and the first time I saw him I was shocked. He is a very tall powerfully built man. He had long dreadlocks and looks like he should have been a basketball player. He commands a room. I am unabashedly in love with his work. They should be in every 4th through 8th grade classroom. There is just so much in them. Do give them a listen. They would be great as you walk along.

I don't remember if it was HBO or one of the other movie channels that made The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency into a mini-series. It starred an opera singer (can't remember her name) and was critically acclaimed. I think it only aired for one season, but it was actually filmed in Botswana. Everybody I knew that watched it, liked it, and was disappointed that it was only for the one season. Maybe you can find it on Netflicks and watch it. If I had a DVD player I would watch it just to see what all the fuss was about.

I have not started the Department Q books yet. I have four of them in my collection. However, I plan to finish up and be current with the Matthew Shardlake books by the end of the year. On Wednesday I placed an ILL request for Seven Days the last of the Bennie Giesiel books by Deon Meyers. With a new year will come a new reading slate, and I will keep you posted on where my reading takes me. :-)

How about that football game last night? WOW

Watching another sub-par Bears game. They are behind the Vikings 7-6 at the half. Ugh! I should shut if off and read...but I won't.

Kath- Looking forward to a more routine week. Tomorrow, will probably be heavy and then the rest of the week should go smoothly. Should, is the key word there.

RD getting gobsmacked! I do not mind taking the stairs but carrying something like that? Forget about it!

Benita- Do you ever use Audible? Or do you just listen to audios on cd? Thanks for the Curtis suggestions. I will keep my eyes peeled. I requested the audio of Sarah Plain and Tall.
I am looking forward to the 3rd book in the Meyer series. Still have not got to the Shardlake series. I think I have the first 2 saved on audio.

I don't use audible. I listen to CD's. Up until a few months ago I did not have a way to play anything else. I do now but have lots of CD's waiting on my shelves. When I use them up I will move to some other way of listening.

I usually purchase the CD's used or at ALA. When I am done with them I give them to my local library. As long as they are in a library binding (that big plastic case) they take them in a heartbeat. Those are the ones I buy at ALA. I buy a good percentage of my ALA purchases are YA books.

You might want to check out the book version of Sarah Plain and Tall. The pictures in it are charming.

Arggh. The Bears find another way to lose. Hope you were drinking a good beer at least.

Wow, Denver-KC is a much more entertaining game so far. 108 yard kickoff return after a touchdown bomb from Peyton.

I agree with Benita - you might want to look at the book version of Sarah Plain and Tall. It's not long, and the pictures add to it.

That was quite a game. Both teams deserved to win. Both teams deserved to lose. Gould should've made that FG.

The most relieved guy in the world has to be that Viking player who had the facemask penalty that called back the game winning field goal.

Ugh! Another ugly loss by da Bears! 23-20 in O.T. Getting beat by a bad team, not pretty.

We did get our Christmas decorations out, from under the house. Not a pleasant job, but it is done. I'll try to get my outside lights up, (I do not put up many) on Thursday, my day off. You never know when the weather will take a turn around here, especially now that it is December.

Benita- Thanks for the suggestion on the Sarah Plain and Tall. I think I will take you up on that.

I almost exclusively use my iPod for audiobooks.

Joe- It would have been nice if the Bears could have pulled it off, with Gould's field goal, but they really didn't deserve to win. Lots of slop again, despite another stellar job by Jeffrey. I wonder if Cutler would have made a difference. McCown looked lost at times.
And yes, I had a Smithwicks and now I just finished a Bell's Amber. These help.

Linda- I appreciated your thoughts on the game and agree with all of them, especially "The most relieved guy in the world." LOL. That was an unfortunate call. It looks like the Lions are the most stable in our division at the moment.

Mark, I heard that there might be a high of 15 on Friday so I hope you can get the lights up before the Arctic air arrives. I've got to be downtown that day.

>166 jnwelch: Joe, I read your comment too quickly, and I initially thought you said that Peyton Manning returned a kickoff 108 yards for a TD. Now that would have been the play of the year!

LOL! They wouldn't need slo-mo replay for that one, Darryl. That would've been the embarrassment of the year for KC. :-)

Hi Mark! In answer to your question somewhere waaaay up there about the work load getting lighter, the answer is: no. :)

But it's Moanday, we had our Xmas party on the weekend so everyone's still a little sleep deprived and fuzzy around the edges, so I'm goofing off a little here on LT. Trying to dodge book bullets, as usual.

Can't believe it's almost Xmas. Where did this year go??

*waving* at Mark

Morning! I hope everyone had a nice weekend. We have mild temps, low 40s to low 50s the next few days and then it gets cold again.
I have about 120 pages left in Troubles, so I should finish that one tomorrow. Looking forward to getting back into the Conspiracy of Faith.

Linda- It looks like it drops to 30 on Thursday, so I'll have to bundle up, to put up the Christmas lights. It probably will be much colder on the weekend, so I might as well get it done.
Have a good week.

Big waves to Darryl & Joe!

Tania- Yes, the year did fly by. It never seems to be long enough, especially for getting to all those books we hoped to.
Hope the week goes well.

Stasia- Big loving waves! Miss you, my friend.

Morning, Mark! Here's hoping this week at work is a cake walk compared to last week...

Ugh! Another ugly loss by da Bears! 23-20 in O.T. Getting beat by a bad team, not pretty.

HEY HEY HEY! I resemble that remark...

I have decided that when I win the lottery Dan gets to have a man cave like yours... so that I can have some quiet to read.....

I need to buy another ticket.

Good day to ya!

I'm using your rough work week (and my own brother's wretched truck-driving schedule) as reality checks when talking myself into another Monday morning at the grind. I hope your route is all downhill (gently sloping) this week.

Howdy Mark. That's all :0)

Howdy from me, too, Mark. Hope Monday treats you all right. BTW, the Hawkeye gn has been good indeed. There's a backstory involving Kate Bishop that I don't know, but it doesn't really seem to matter. It's easy to pick up on the relationship.

Smooth sailing so far and a pleasant day to boot. Talk about a 180!

Amber- So far so good.

Morphy- Did not mean to diss your team, but they were 2-8. Lol. The Bears are nothing to brag about either.

Kath- I do love the Man-Cave, but I also readily share. The son sometimes plays video games down there, but only if the volume level is tolerable.
Good luck on that winning lotto ticket, my friend.

Linda- Not a bad day, just a typical heavier Monday!

*hugs* How's the weather in chicagoland?

All caught up here, Mark. SO sorry about the Bears loss - and in overtime, too - total bummer! I am glad to hear that work is treating you better today, so hooray for that.

Overtime and shockers must have been the football rule this weekend. People here in Alabama, particularly at UA, are still crying in their beer. The game on Saturday is still the topic of choice today. And they aren't talking about the Ohio State or FSU game either.

People here in the South tend to think that the SEC is the only place that plays football, so Missouri, a former Big 8 and Big 12 member, winning the SEC East division in their second season in the SEC is also a surprise.

Ugh! Another ugly loss by da Bears! 23-20 in O.T. Getting beat by a bad team, not pretty.

OR

Ugh! Another ugly loss by da Bills! 34-31 in O.T. Getting beat by a bad team, not pretty. Haha. Why don't I live in Denver or Boston or some other city that I can't think of where their team always wins Mark:(

^ I love this but they missed a couple big ones: I listen to podcasts about books and of course chatting about books with my best pals!! Now, we are complete.

sorry 'bout the Bears *and* the Bulls. quite pleased about the Broncs, tho. there was much enthusing about Peyton's passing amongst the sporty talking heads. he and Eric had *quite* the day. i loved when Decker caught that gorgeous pass for a TD and ran to the stands to high five the perhaps one and only Denver fan and give him the ball. it tickled me especially b/c he and Wes Welker don't usually show out after a TD. Welker often just tosses the ball to the ref. sort of "ho hum another day in the end zone."

as for you, oh bearer of heavy loads, you're my hero. i know it's hard work but it's a great service. i'm glad you have a job that matters and that it doesn't involve sitting in front of a screen all day. easy for me to say, i guess, but i find it most impressive and i thank you!

I finished The Circle yesterday. I thought it had some great ideas in it that unfortunately aren't ideas anymore, but rather reality. Or soon to be reality. It was not the best written book I have ever read but it wasn't the worst either. It was average so I gave it 3 stars. I didn't mind his being heavy handed. Lots of sci/fi is that way. Nothing subtle about 1984 or Fahrenheit 451. I think the author had something to say about the direction our future is headed and he said it. Perhaps the fact that I agree with him makes it easier for me to overlook the literary qualities of this book. I had a copy of You Shall Know Our Velocity and I gave it away. Perhaps I should read it as it too is Sci/Fi. I have had a copy of Zeitoun for ever and keep moving it to the back of the stack so I have no way of comparing his style of fiction versus non-fiction.

I don't have much use for social media and aside from this forum I don't participate. I think social media is like Mae - trite and unfeeling. Sending you a smile.

I was home at 5 today! Yah! And I received another Christmas Swap book in the mail, (there was another one, last week)(Keep 'em coming folks. LOL.) and a worn but perfectly readable copy of Fishing the Sloe-Black River, which I bookmooched from France. I've had this McCann collection on my WL for ages, possibly even before I read anything by him. Yes, I am pleased.

Lynda- Howdy!

Joe- Howdy. Not a bad Monday. What is the title of the Hawkeye? Is that the first in this current series?

Tam- Weather was mild today. Close to 50 tomorrow, but the cold returns at the end of the week and it will have a bite to it. Ugh!

Mamie- The Bears have not looked good lately. Nothing is worse than watching your favorite team struggle. A big chunk of it is injuries. We play the Cowboys on Monday Night. Hope we don't embarrass ourselves. Cutler might be back.

Benita- I don't follow college football. I did about 30-plus years ago and got away from it. I know it is pretty exciting.

Bonnie- The poor, poor Bills! It's a team I always liked too. How frustrating. It is amazing how some of these teams can always contend. Like you, I am jealous.

Ellie- I am happy for your Broncos! It sure helps picking up Manning. The guy just keeps on getting it done.
Thanks for your kind thoughts on my job. Normally, I try not to complain much. There are more positives than negatives and plus I can listen to audiobooks, for several hours each day. I am exceptionally lucky there.
Are you still running a thread? I'd like to see what you are reading.

Home at 5?!? It's a miracle!! Yay!! Hope this week continues in this vein, Marky. :)

I quite enjoyed Curious Incident so I will definitely give Haddon's new one a whirl!

Enjoy the warmth while you can, Mark. Keep up your strength, I'm sure the next few weeks are going to be heavy going with all the parcels and cards that will soon be zipping across to millions of homes. Don't you love knowing you're delivering surprises that bring smiles to so many faces?

YAY! Hope you are gettin' a good dinner in your belly. :)

*waves* at Mark

Benita- I loved your thoughts on The Circle. He has many good ideas on this one but I just wish his writing was stronger.
"I think social media is like Mae - trite and unfeeling." LOL. But please move up Zeitoun. That is an excellent book.

Tina- That was doing an hour O.T. because of the heavy Monday mail. It might be 4 tomorrow. Yahoo! Yes, give the Red House a try!

Caro- "Don't you love knowing you're delivering surprises that bring smiles to so many faces?" I will try to focus on that more. LOL.
I think this will be a record-breaker for parcel delivery! Hey, we need the funds!

Tam & Roberta- Big loving waves!

Morning! Should be a light day. Maybe 4? It would be nice to get home in the daylight. I should wrap up Troubles. It feels like I've been reading it forever but the good news is, it's a terrific book. Next up, Night Film. Another chunkster.

Have a great day, everyone!

Crossing fingers that you see your door in the daylight this afternoon!
(And watch out for those Amazon drones...?!)

Hey, they aren't *my* team. It's just the team from the state I live in. I don't watch any professional sports. Don't even get me started on their salaries or having to pay taxes for stadiums...

Meanwhile, I'm surprised they've won two games. I thought that the Bears game was the only one they won. *snorts*

Morphy, the taxes-for-stadiums thing makes me livid. These franchises are profitable, make the gorram things pay the freight for building their own bloody bedamned stadiums!!

Mark, I just discovered I bought the ebook of "Troubles" a couple of years ago (darn ebooks, always hiding themselves). I'm so glad to hear you speak highly of it. I'll need to move it up on the TBR list. And "Night Film" I haven't read but just added to the wishlist thanks to Steve (swynn).

Hope your Tuesday is nice and easy.

Good morning, Mark! Hawkeye Volume 1: My Life as a Weapon is the full name of the gn, and I just finished it. Very good. I think Vol. 2 by the same guy, Matt Fraction, is already out, with another one in the works. Snappy noir dialog and interesting stories.

Ouch, the Bulls lost in triple OT last night. Glad I was at Debbi's storytelling event. She was most excellent, and the Revolution Anti-Hero eminently quaffable.

Hope it's a good one for you today.

Hi Mark! Hope you have an early night tonight to help make up for your lousy week last week. I'm expecting far too many Amazon packages today, so I'll be giving Pam (my mail lady) a workout. Don't worry, she'll get something nice for Christmas this year. At the very least, she delivers and hauls books back and forth to this place all year long, the poor gal deserves something for bringing me so much joy.

Hope you can get your Christmas decs up and out before the cold snap hits. Just heard the weatherman up here that it's supposed to turn on Wednesday instead of Thursday. Hope that it holds out for you!

Smiles from the Midwest! The day is going well. Books are treating me just fine. And I might just my front door in the daylight. Win, win.

Amber- I saw that in the paper this morning about the Ammy drones. What a trip. They said they could deliver packages up to 5 pounds to your doorstep. Wow!

Morphy & RD- I am with you, every time I hear about the taxpayers paying for any sports arena, it turns my stomach. And we let them get away with it.

Julia- Troubles is excellent. I can't imagine anyone not loving it. Night Film might be another story. I know Bonnie disliked it.

Joe- I will request the Hawkeye. Sounds good. Glad you liked the Anti Hero. Boy, you are making me thirsty.

>198 richardderus: *fistbumps RD* You're preaching to the converted, bub!

When I think of the disparity of how we struggle and how much money they have, it makes me sick to my stomach that we are paying for not one, but TWO m-f'ing stadiums.

It's time to water the tree of liberty, Morphy.

Poor Mark! I am sorry you had such a crappy week at work last week. I'm glad this week has started out on a more positive note.

I'm really looking forward to your thoughts on Night Film!

Hi Mark, just passing through with a big wave and a wish that you have a nice day. The very thought of those Amazon drones make me feel like I am living in the Jetson's cartoon! I hear pizza companies are eyeballing these drones as well. Our skies will soon be full of packages whizzing about!

I see many people all in a dither about those drones. Am I the only one who thinks it's kind of cool?

Do hope you made it home in daylight! That's what I hate most about this time of year -- the sun sets so early. And somehow overcast days are that much more gloomy and dismal in winter. I need sun!

Don't you wish you had a drone to do some of the deliveries -- you could send it off with a pat on the head?

Actually, I confess I find the whole idea a bit spooky.

Have been pondering Night Film.

*waves*

Okay, I am home. I have showered, ate and getting ready to pour a fine ale, in a frosty pint glass. Yes, this is how I roll.
I narrowly missed the twilight, which was accelerated due to it being overcast and drizzly, but I DID IT!

Laura- Yes, this week has been perfect so far, the complete flip-side of last week. It's going to be colder on Thursday but I should have no problem throwing up those lights.
It is very nice, that you take care of your mail-carrier, especially if they do a stellar job, (which of course, I do, LOL) but giving something at Christmas is completely optional and I give the same service regardless.

Morphy- Did you throw out the MF bomb? LOL. I don't think I've heard that one since a GOP member, last stopped by.
I think the drone thing is cool but boy does that have to be thought out. Could you imagine these things buzzing around like crazy. Could get hairy.

Heidi- Hell Week is firmly behind me and now I am cruising. I read the prologue of Night Film and hope to read a few more pages tonight.

Judy, Judy, Judy! Thanks for the support on It's a Wonderful Life. Hugs. I didn't realize folks thought it was such a snooze-fest. I always thought it was perfectly crafted.
Drones delivering pizzas? OMG!!

Suz- Good to see you! Yes, with it being overcast it started getting dark around 4:30. I hope Night Film works. I know Bonnie didn't care for it. It's another chunkster too!

Tam- Waves back! Hope you had a good day.

>162 msf59: Elijah Wood reading anything is almost enough to get me over to audio books! He has a yummy voice.

>202 msf59: every time I hear about the taxpayers paying for any sports arena, it turns my stomach
We have a lot of that here too. And promises are made at construction time that everyone will be able to use it, the reality is that one company gets catering rights, the serve overpriced pies and chips, and the thing gets used twice a year!

^ I finally cracked this baby! Lot's of buzz on this one. I snagged an ARC, a couple months ago and finally bookhorned it in. This would have been a tough one to listen to, since there are plenty of articles, web-news flashes, w/photos. I hope I end up being a fan.

Did anyone read her debut, Special Topics in Calamity Physics? I don't remember hearing about it, but it does sound good.





^ She ain't bad looking either!

USPS just received a nice influx of funds today if the line of people bearing parcels at my post office (including me) was anything to go by. I mailed 13 -- yes, you read that right, 13 parcels this morning ! And I haven't even done my Christmas, Kwaanza and Hanukkah cards yet (ok, I know I'm a little late with the Hanukkah cards)

Hey Mark! Glad you got home at a reasonable hour. And that beer is making me thirsty... Shame it's only lunchtime here! (I'm so sad I missed the 80s, with their long liquid lunches...)

Anyhow, the weather's warming up, the kids only have two more weeks of school left, and are madly writing endlessly evolving Xmas wish lists. Yay? to that last one.

I heard them talking about the drone thing on the View this morning about how it would eliminate jobs for humans. There's always a catch with these new technologies... We prefer our Mark-tastic stay around, please. And thank you. I don't think we thank you guys/gals enough.

Yes, this is how I roll. bwahahah!

Morning, good people! Oddly mild day ahead, mid-50s, but it changes again overnight and returns to the COLD setting. Looking forward to my day off tomorrow, although I have a long To-do list.
I am loving the latest Dept Q book. Assad continues to crack me up. I would love to have a beer with this guy. And I am looking forward to diving further into Night Film.

Megan- I think the Wood audio version of Huck Finn was only available through Audible, so I am glad I got lucky there. Hope the week is going well.

Caro- 13 parcels! Wow! Show your love, girl! I am sure the P.O. will have a banner year for parcel delivery.

Tania- So they don't encourage you to drink alcohol at lunch, Down Under? Not like our German friends? Yep, you are warming up and we are cooling down. Hope the week is treating you well.

Tina- Thank you. Blushes a little. With this drone thing, I keep picturing these chaotic skies. How do you regulate and control these things.
And how cost effective are these drones? Aren't they a couple million bucks apiece?

Tam- You know, that would make a great T-shirt: Books...This is how I roll. I could make a fortune. Okay, maybe not. Beer money?

Yeah. I threw out the MF bomb. I know, not usual for me. But the whole paying taxes for stadiums issue has me seeing red. I don't often go off on hot topics. I prefer to keep my opinions to myself since I don't think it is possible to change someone's mind on political issues, especially if they are strongly held. But this one can make me go ballistic.

>218 Morphidae: I'm not so sure that's true anymore. Pick an issue and holler about it seems to make people reassess their position on that issue...then there is a good chance they will reassess their positions in general. At least there is a chance!

And best if it's an issue where the greed is blatant, like taxpayer-funded, privately owned stadia.

Mark, even if the drones are $5MM apiece, the advertising is super-cheap coolness. "Wow Amazon is the coolest company EVER they use DRONES and my package was delivered in a half hour!"

*shrug*

I read Special Topics, Mark, and thought it was overwritten. A lot of "look at how clever I am." But Becca loved it, especially the twists. And she loved Night Film, too.

What Richard said. The drones will be super expensive, meaning only huge companies like Amazon will be able to use them, further marginalizing and endangering smaller, local business that have actual real people to talk to you. Boo, I say. There's nothing I need so fast it's worth putting people out of work.

Sorry to rant all over your thread, Mark! Enjoy the warmer weather today. The cold is definitely on its way. I can live with that as long as the snow and ice stays away.

Mark- Assad is fabulous in book 3. What is up with him? Rose is more wackadoodle in this one but she got me in the end. Actually, Carl got me because he trusted his instinct with Rose. That's all I'm saying.

Really, that's all I'm saying. LOL

I listened to the Elijah Wood version of Huckleberry Finn. I thought he did a very credible job, with just a glitch or two. I was skeptical of Elijah Wood as a narrator for this quintessentially American story, with all its many Southern dialects and quirky country characters. But it was highly recommended and lent to me by a friend, so I gave it a try, and was very glad I did.

Pre-lunch check in! Very mild, so no complaints there. Working until 5 but my choice, so I like it that way. Dept Q is getting very exciting.

Morphy- I do not mind the MF bomb, if it is for a good cause. I gave up arguing with my righty friends. Completely pointless.

RD- Spot on about the drones. Lol! Ammy will rule the world.

Joe- Uh-oh about Special Topics. I'll see how I feel about Night Film and then decide.

Julia- Rant away, my friend, especially when I agree. Lol. Yes, I can see Ammy being a mercantile nightmare. And I agree about the snow and ice. We could do without.

So, clearly I'm the only one who is annoyed by the endless Karl-Assad banter. No comedy in crime novels! I'm such a cranky-pants-fun-hater. :-)

For the record, I really do like books one and three of the series.

I'm such a cranky-pants-fun-hater Kerri you are so hilarious! I do love the banter. Adler-Olsen said he writes the banter and characters because if he wanted to write a strictly crime novel he would do it in non-fiction. I'm with you on one and three being the best ones so far. I can't wait for number four.

From someone who sometimes forgets until the very day itself to send off a gift to a niece or nephew for their birthday and if they live a few states away where priority shipping or overnight shipping would still make the present late, I'd call in the Amazon drones. But otherwise ... while it's a cool concept, and I wouldn't mind seeing one land on my front yard delivering a parcel to me, I'd much rather wrap my own gift, put it in a personalized box or bubbled envelop and head down to my post office for regular mailing.

I also envision some drones getting lost or blown off course, perhaps during bad weather and delivering packages to the wrong front yard. What if it's raining? would they put plastic wrap around the parcel like my delightful postal officer does when delivers in inclement weather?

#226 - Adler-Olsen said he writes the banter and characters because if he wanted to write a strictly crime novel he would do it in non-fiction. Ok, fair enough, Adler-Olsen. Hrmpft. :-)

HI Mark, I hope you don't mind my making a small public service announcement here on your thread. It pertains to your AAC and you get more traffic than my thread so here goes

NEWS FLASH............NEWS FLASH..............NEWS FLASH
If you are one of the many joining in on Marks AAC in 2014, Kindle Daily Deal is offering Larry Watson's American Boy for $1.99.

You will now be returned to Marks regular thread

Ha, I already blamed Mark on my thread for "forcing" me to purchase that one. :-)

Ooh, thanks, Mamie! I somehow missed that Daily Deal today.

Honey, I'm home! Hope everyone had a good Hump Day. I finished A Conspiracy of Faith, which was another top-notch Dept Q book.
BTW- I need to make a correction on an Assad comment I made, about having a beer with him. Assad is a Muslim and does not drink alcohol. So, I'll have a beer and he can have coffee or tea or whatever.
I knocked out the first 100 pages of Night Film. So far, so good. I am hoping Pessl can carry this for the next 500 pages and keep it interesting.

Roberta- My only quibble with this Dept Q entry, was not enough Rose. She was easily one of my favorite things about book 2.

Linda- Thanks for chiming in on Huck Finn. I will definitely check that one out. Glad you liked Wood's performance.

Kerri- Are you on a hating-roll again? LOL. I love the banter between those characters. There are plenty of Scandi-Crime books out there, including the Nesbo, that are relentlessly bleak, so I find this refreshing.

Caro- Yes, getting your head around all the logistics of those drones. Mind-boggling. We definitely have become a society of "We Want it Now!"

Lynda- You stop by anytime with those kinds of public service announcements. I might just purchase the ebook of American Boy since I do not own that one. Thank you.

Julia- Call me the Enforcer! LOL.

I read Special Topics in Calamity Physics years ago and really liked it. It was one of my top books of the year when it came out. How did you miss all the buzz about that one. Marisha Pessl wrote the book as an undergraduate. She is a Harvard graduate and the book was published by the time she was 25. She was paraded all over the country. Come on Mark - get with it! I wouldn't advise that you listen to Special Topics. It has some drawings in it that you should see.

Yay, I hope you have a productive and relaxing day tomorrow, Mark. :)

^I think I found my next topper. Is this perfect or what?

Benita- Good news on Special Topics. I do not know how this one got by me. Sh*t happens, I guess. Usually I catch those biblio-waves.
Night Film also contains photos, photo-copies, police reports, emails and so forth. It looks like her books are meant o be read in print form.

Tam- Thanks! It supposed to be 20-plus degrees colder tomorrow, but I need to get those lights up. At least, it should be dry.

Re: the drones. I don't mind stirring the pot a little, Mark. Although I can't predict how the Amazon drones will work out I will say that they are going to be used by corporate America in some way or other. One thing I'm pretty sure of is that there is no way of stopping technology once it's here. It's only a matter of when and how the drones will be used but they certainly will be used. Why should our government, killing innocent civilians, be the only one to use drones? To protest their use reminds me of when robotics was just getting started and people were afraid they would replace workers on the assembly line and that is exactly what happened. The protests did no good then and will do no good now. We'll all get used to them doing whatever it is they will be used to do. We can kick and scream all we want but that's not going to help at all.

I actually own Special Topics but haven't read it yet. After Night Film which I didn't hate but I thought was the author's attempt at being cute and coy, I don't know whether or not I'll read it.

Hi Mark.
200 posts behind, not even pretending to catch up. I'll just have to start anew.

Enjoying a wonderful Elysian Bifrost ale while I do said starting anew. Very tasty.

Extra Sweet Thursday! It's going to be quite a bit colder than yesterday, hovering around the freezing mark but I have to get these lights up. I will also try to get the tree up, (yes, we do fake) and then we'll all help decorate it, over the weekend.
I guess, staying in, warm & snug with my books, is out of the question? Well, I definitely plan to squeeze in some reading time, whenever possible.

I might be finding myself in a biblio-quandary. As I mentioned before, I plan on starting the Luminaries, about mid-month and it will be my first ebook. I will be reading it on my iPad, but guess what? I am not sure I can leave my iPad in my vehicle, in very cold weather. There isn't a lot of info on the web, about this situation. I will keep it wrapped up snug and the vehicle will be warm, while I am reading, so it's not like it will be sitting out in the elements all day.
I am wondering if I should see if I could snag a library copy too, just in case?

Speaking of weather, I heard the upper Midwest and the upper Great Plains are getting slammed with bad weather. Up to 3 feet of snow, with single digit temps. Yikes! I better keep my baby-boy complaints to myself.

*the Morphy-cle turns blue*

It's 13 degrees here in Iowa, Mark, and I suspect it's heading your way. So I'd get those lights up soon if I were you! At least there is no snow here, unlike some places.

Re: the iPad and cold weather. My understanding is that the problem would be not so much keeping it idle in the cold car, but that you should let it warm up completely to room temperature before using it to avoid condensation forming on the inner bits. That's probably not practical for you, since you want to use it on your lunch hour (I'm guessing) and probably don't have time to let it warm up before using it? I guess I'd be a little leery of doing it.

Bonnie- Points well taken about the drones. That technology will come no matter what. Just imaging the sky filled with these things, is a bit unnerving.
I like Night Film so far, but I have a LONG way to go.

Ellen- Miss seeing you over here. Thanks for the Bifrost Ale. Cool label.

Morphy- It is looking cold, overcast and windy out there, at the moment, but at least we will be dry. stay cozy, my friend.

Julia- Thanks for the advice. I will tread cautiously, with the iPad. These things are way to expensive to take a chance on. I think it hits about 31 today and then in the 20s, for the next few.

Hi Mark! Don't let the exposed bits freeze in the light-hanging. The Luminaries isn't a tree book I'd want to carry around, at ~5lbs. I myownself wouldn't risk a stupidly pricey item to read even it, a Top-Ten read for me.

Have some reinforced cocoa:

Gosh, Mark, that is an interesting book dilemma that you have. Can you rig up some kind of carrying case to be worn under your coat? If not, I would advise saving The Luminaries to read on your next vacation.

It is in the low 20's here in Missouri. We've had a little sleet this morning with snow to start falling in a few hours. I had to don the cold weather gear and my hiking boots for the walk this morning. I will add a hard hat to my charming outfit once those drones start flying around neighborhoods delivering packages!

Enjoy your day off!

I'm with the others regarding the use of the iPad for reading in cold weather. I had the same trouble with the first Nook I had. Nobody in Alabama told me that I shouldn't use it in very cold weather. It needed to be warmed up to room temperature first. I would get a library copy of the book for the lunch hour. Or just read a different book over lunch when it is cold.

By-the-way, when it is cold where do you take you lunch hour?

Glad to hear that you liked the third Dept. Q book, Mark. It's on my WL. I loved Rose in #2, too, so I'll just have to enjoy whatever appearances she makes in #3 and hope she gets more face time later in the series.

I had a good time with Precious Ramotswe and her cohorts (you're mentioned at the start of the review), and just started a YA alien invasion book, The 5th Wave. So far it's suitably disturbing.

Re: Night Film.....I did not love the last bit of the book. I felt the author lost some steam at the end and she had a very "literary" ending which did not blend seamlessly with the fast paced, suspense type thriller the rest of the book was. That's just MHO. Of course, I still really liked the book! :)

#245
I like the Precious Ramotswe books. They are great to listen to. I like the narrator's accent. We just got 5th Wave in the library and I know it has gotten good reviews. His other books Monstrumologist series are very good. I read the first couple of the Alfred Kropp books and liked them. (Actually I listened to them as recorded books.) I just haven't gotten around to the last two in that series.

#246
Special Topics in Calamity Physics was also very literary. But there was a reason. A friend of mine thought that the references to other works given in that book were real. She tried to look them up to find out and discovered that they were all made up. Even the citations. But they were done in MLA style.

It is supposed to be bad weather tonight, are you getting any of that in Chicagoland Mark? Anything with LCD or any kind of screen technology is best not to risk extreme heat or cold, in my experience.

Okay, lights up outside. Cleaned up the rest of the leaves out front. Looking good. Bought a new laptop, big screen, bigger hard-drive. My PC was becoming a dinosaur, slow and plodding. Now, I can zip around with the big boys & girls.

Reading: Zero! Actually I did read a few pages of a GN, Joe recommended.

I do not like changing my reading plans. I seem to do very well, sticking to a schedule but this time I'll have to bite the bullet and postpone The Luminaries, until the weather warms up, which could be awhile. Since I paid for the ebook, I might as well read it in that format. Thanks, everyone for the input.
Sadly, I'll have to leave my iPad at home, so no lunchtime check-ins. Weepy face.

RD- Ooh, reinforced cocoa! Mmmmmm...It was chilly out there this morning, but I kept busy, so it wasn't that bad.

Donna- Thanks for your suggestion on The Luminaries. This is advice, I will heed. I was looking forward to that title.
It looks like we are locked into the 20s the next few days. Boo! Wearing a hard-hat, as a preventive measure against drones, is a terrific idea. LOL.

Benita- It looks like I'll be leaving my ipad at home for the winter. I usually have lunch in my vehicle, where it is quiet but with the cold moving in I might move to a Dunkin Donuts or the BP on my route. They have no problem with me chilling in the heat.

Joe- You will love book 3, Dept Q. Looking forward to your thoughts on The Fifth Wave. Sounds like a good one.

Hello Mark - quick update on my own reading front...The Marriage Plot - meh. It was ok. Not great. Wouldn't rush to read it. Really enjoying The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven - might be a five-star read for me, too (I think you gave it top honours? I am sure you raved about it way back when you read it). You could just change the names and place and style of talking and you would probably have an Australian aboriginal version. But the stories are very sad and evocative. I'm also reading The Good Doctor and find that it, too, is very atmospheric. Great writing - just as well as I ordered a couple of books by the same author. Hope you are travelling well - though it is summer here, you wouldn't know it. I'm all rugged up with scarf and thermals today!

Hi Heidi- So far so good on Night Film. Her prose is not earth-shattering but it moves along at a fast clip. I've got a LONG way to go, so we will see!

Benita- I will hold off, deciding on Special Topics until I finish her latest. I am curious in what your opinion of this will be.

Tam- Dry and cold here. That is something I can handle. It looks like I will leave my ipad at home. Sad Mark.

Prue- I love your book report. I'll probably still give The Marriage Plot a try, but I see there is no hurry. I still have The Virgin Suicides waiting in the stacks too. Have you read that one? Glad you are enjoying the Alexie. That is a terrific collection.

I've had Special Topics sitting on my book shelf for years now. It's one of those books I keep meaning to either read or give away.

Cold weather reach you yet? It's below zero here now. I think it got all the way up to 5 degrees this afternoon. Sunny though, so not too awful in sort doses.

>242 richardderus: Mmmm, yum!

Our first arctic blast. Ugh! low 20s today and those temps will stick around for awhile. At least there is no snow. Silver linings, folks.

I am closing in on 200 pages of Night Film, almost 400 to go, whew! On audio, I will start Un Lun Dun, for the group read. I have not read Mieville in awhile, I hope he keeps me warm.

Sorry, I did not get a chance to visit many threads yesterday. I read in between chores. Since I will be leaving my iPad home, no daytime check-ins. Sniffles a little...Just remember the love is still there.

Joanne- Great to see you! Wow, you guys are COLD! Yikes! I think you will like night Film but it is one for print. There are many photos and news articles. Hope the week is going well.

So behind, I just skimmed. I don't see those drones becoming a reality. It sounds cool and fun at first glance, but frankly... it's just silly. And bad for birds. As someone said, I think... cool advertising for Ammy though and I think that is the whole point.

Sorry about the arctic blast...

I did read a book yesterday... didn't like it. sigh. Maybe I will have time to read another one today.

I am mulling over the thought of reinforced cocoa...

take care

Hope you're staying warm today, buddy! I'm not a fan of Un Lun Dun (nor is my Mieville-loving sister), but plenty of folks are. It has the virtue of not being very long, as I recall, compared to his others.

The Fifth Wave is good so far. The means for alien takeover are surprisingly believable, like maybe we should prepare for this happening. ;-)

So what do you do on your iPad? I won one that I'll be picking up on the 21st and though I'm thrilled, I'm not sure what I'll be doing with it. I like my Nook because I can read PDFs on it and I'm pretty sure I can't do that on the iPad.

Okay, so I'm nearly a thread behind... sorry :( Love the piercing topper (though I'll retaliate with one of my Will's pics), wishing you a very happy thanksgiving and also the usual amounts of ale and beer.

Okay, here i am : Hello, Stranger :-)

Okay, survived Arctic Blast Day One. It was only 19 on the way home. Actually, I can handle the cold. I just dress for it. I just don't like snow & ice. It's hard on an old guy.

I am continuing to enjoy Night Film. Her prose isn't stellar but she keeps the story moving very well. I listened to a chunk of Un Lun Dun. Of course, it immediately reminded me of Neverwhere but it's not as strong as that one, at least not in the first third or so.

Kath- Sorry about the dreaded book funk. I hope it breaks soon. I am very blessed, that I rarely suffer that malady.

Joe- I might be leaning a bit towards you in the early going of, Un Lun Dun, although I did like the way he initially set it up. I have a long way to go, so we will see. Hope you have a nice Friday.

Morphy- When the weather permits, (which will be in a couple of months. LOL.) I can use my ipad to connect to the internet but I also have to be able to get an internet connection, which is not always easy outdoors. I also will use it as an e-reader, although I haven't yet crossed that bridge, despite the fact I have ebooks saved on there.
Congrats on the ipad win. That is sweet!

BekkaJo- Good to see you! And thanks for the holiday wishes. I'll have to stop by and see what you are reading.

Jaydit666- Be still, my beating heart! Great to see you my friend. You also running a thread?

**I am going to be taking off. I am meeting Kerri and her husband at the grand opening of a brewery in her hometown. Celebrate, celebrate, dance to the music!

^ Have fun, Mark! Don't drink too much (heh)!!!

Have fun you guys and tell Kerri I said hi!

Morphy, you can read PDFs in iBooks on the iPad. You may even be able to read them in the Nook app for iPad (assuming they are Nook books in PDF format), but I'm not as sure about that. There are other apps that can open PDFs as well. I use one called iAnnotate for marking up PDFs that I read for work. It's very handy to be able to highlight and make notes right on the document, and have those show when my colleague opens it in Adobe Reader.

Stay warm, Mark! Have fun!

^Yep, that will be me walking the route today. You can't see the ear-buds but they are there. It is supposed to be 18. All warm thoughts are welcome. Fingers crossed it's just a straight 8 hour day.

Had a very nice visit with Kerri and her husband Joe. The time flew and the beers went down smoothly.

Ellen & Lynda- Had a perfect visit with Kerri. Lots of laughs. The beer was good too. I was a good boy. I was driving and I worked today. No choice.

Julia- Waves! Hope you are keeping warm.

Tam- Thanks! I hope you have a fine weekend. Stay warm.

I love my iPad. It is magic and it can do anything. I can read, watch tv shows, play on the internet...it does anything I want to do :)

Mark, at the PGH Zoo they take the penguins out for walks, weather permitting.. I would like to see that. I do hope that today goes quickly for you!

Hi Mark, stay warm today. Brrrr.

Last night, I had the show, Mary Poppins, at Marriott Lincolnshire. I didn't want to leave my Kindle out in the freezing car for 3+ hours, including dinner, so I brought it in with me. I hate to take any chances with it.

Hope you're doing okay on Arctic Blast Day #2, Mark. Thank goodness we're all off tomorrow.

Un Lun Dun and Kraken are the two Mievilles that just didn't grab me. On the other hand, I think I enjoyed the weirdness and challenge of his Embassytown more than a lot of folks.

The Fifth Wave continues to zip along, and I've been enjoying the nostalgic revisit to The Secret Garden. I've got to find some more time for Montalbano's first case, as I'm really enjoying his introduction to Vigata, and meeting for the first time longstanding characters like Fazio.

Keep warm mate, but if that's you in #264 where on earth have you hidden your bag?

Have a good weekend once you get the shift done.

*hugs* Mark and warm thoughts! I bet you'd make an adorable penguin. ;)

^Yes, the work week is over and it is now time for beer. I just completed a Bell's Amber Ale in a frosty pint glass. YUM!

It was cold today but the lack of wind, saved the day. Night film continues to entertain and Un Lun Dun is diverting enough, I just wish it was a bit stronger.

Kath- Do you have a separate keyboard with your iPad? I have a Bluetooth version, but I just haven't had enough opportunities to use it. It is a very cool accessory.

Linda- Looks like the cold will be around for awhile. Like I mentioned before, at least it hasn't snowed, that I am grateful for.

Joe- You'll have to let me know, what your problems were with Un Lun Dun. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something is just not working, despite some fresh and inventive wordplay.
I have still not read Kraken, although I have it saved on audio, along with Embassytown.
Hope you had a good Saturday.

Paul- I wear my shoulder bag on my left shoulder, so it's just hidden. I bet you wonder where I am hiding my iPod. I will never tell. LOL.

Tam- Thanks for the warm thoughts. Always appreciated. Now, I have tonight and all day tomorrow, to relax and thaw.

Mark I finished Un Lun Dun today and I enjoyed it. It seems to suffer with some because, it is labeled YA but it is definitely written for a much younger audience. I like reading children's lit so I did think it held up well for that genre. This is my first Miéville so I can't compare to his other works. I think it also suffers from comparison to Neverwhere.

Thanks for joining us in the group read.

Did you ever get a book copy from the library for the illustrations? I think I may dress like a binja next Halloween. That is if I don't go as Annie Wilkes. Bwahaha!

Enjoy your days off, Mark! Stay warm and read. :-)

Night Film sounds like a good one. I await your final review!

I did enjoy Un Lun Dun, but it is quite different to his other works. (My favourite: The City and the City.)

And I use my iPad for everything. :) I do have wifi set up at home, so I watch tv, catch up on YouTube, chat on LT (typing this right now on my iPad!), read my email, potter on IMDB, and try to not waste my time on stupid games. The kids have filled it with many a time wasting stupid game. :)

And you can read PDFs, using any of the PDF reader apps (if iBooks etc don't work, must admit I haven't tried that).

Hope you're having a good weekend, Mark!

Morning! I try to keep things cheerful over here but I want to mention that my uncle, my godfather and all around terrific guy, is seriously ill. He resides in Atlanta but he was diagnosed while visiting his children here, so he will have his treatments locally. We are going over to my cousins this afternoon and visit with him and watch some football. I haven't seen him in quite awhile, so I am bracing myself. He is only in his early 70s. Let's pray he has some quality time left.

Okay, let's move on...

Roberta- I am not sure Un Lun dun being a children's book is the reason I am not crazy about it. Maybe it's the pacing? I am not sure. I still have a chunk left, so we will see. I am definitely not disliking it. It has it's charm and wacky creativity.

Ellen- "Enjoy your days off, Mark!" Did someone give me an extra day off and no one told me? I sure hope so. LOL. Hope you have a great Sunday.

Stasia- Wow! Great to see you. And yes, I think you will like Night Film. Dark & creepy.

Tania- The City and the City is also my favorite Mieville, although I haven't read a lot of his work. I have some of his later stuff, I would like to get to.
I was loving my iPad but since we are plunging full bore into winter, I will have to leave the little guy at home. It would have to sit in my cold vehicle for big chunks of the day and I don't want to damage it in any way.
I think you will like Night Film. I hope you are having a fantastic weekend.

Good morning Mark. I'm sorry to hear about your uncle's illness. You know you don't have to keep things cheerful right? We're here for each other through thick & thin. I hope your visit goes well today.

Hi Mark!

I'm so sorry to hear about your uncle, and hope the treatment is successful. Hugs.

We had a lovely time as well. There is an open invitation to visit the house, once the beer is ready.

You've reminded me that I should get back to Mieville. I loved Perdido Street Station, but then never finished that trilogy. I think I've been avoiding them, due to length. However, in 2014, I'm going to make a concerted effort to read more chunksters, including these and also Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks. I may count them as two books, or something like that.

Morning, Mark! Sorry to hear about your uncle - sending my thoughts and prayers your way, and wishing him every success with his treatment.

Your Bears don't play today, so you can root for my Broncos!

>270 msf59: Well, if you are the typical white male, you have no butt. So most likely, you have hidden your iPad in the back of your pants. No one would notice it there.

So sorry about your uncle - I'll be keeping you and yours in my thoughts, Mark.

Prayers going up for your uncle, Mark! Have a wonderful visit with him today.

Mark I'm sorry about your Uncle. It is difficult to see someone you love so sick. Enjoy your time with him.

Oh dear, missed the part about your uncle. Sorry to hear about that.

>Laura, Kerri, Mamie, Morphy, Amber, Stasia & Roberta- Thanks for the kind thoughts on my Uncle Jack. One of my favorite stories, was the one where my uncle drove my Mom to the hospital, to give birth to me and he was just a nervous 17 year old. My Mom was 19.

Kerri- "There is an open invitation to visit the house, once the beer is ready." Nice. This thought will carry me through a few cold days. Maybe, I will join you on Cloudsplitter. I've wanted to read that one for ages.

Morphy- There is no way I would carry my iPad on me, while I am walking, especially not on my rear-end, where falling is always a possibility. LOL.

I'm sorry to hear about your uncle, Mark. I hope that the treatments are successful.

Successful treatments for Uncle Jack *whammy*

I'm sorry to hear about your uncle, Mark. I hope things go well for him!

Mark, I'm very sorry to hear of your uncle's serious illness. I hope the treatments go well.

My good thoughts are with your Uncle Jack and all the rest of your family. It's so hard to have things like this happen around the holidays, but perhaps it's a blessing that he will be close to his children while he's being treated.

Hi Mark. Just catching up. Sorry to hear the news about your Uncle Jack. Hope the treatments are both easy for him and successful.

Me, too, Mark. I hope your uncle's doing okay, and you have a good reunion with him.

One problem with Un Lun Dun for me may have been expectations - it's the first one of his that didn't cast a spell on me. Plus it just felt too "dumbed down" for me - as has come up, it's really pitched at a children's level more than YA, and for me it didn't have the narrative drive I like to find in his books.

I still enjoying the 5th Wave, and the finish line is in sight. Hope you're having a relaxing Sunday. Just started watching Seattle-SF, which should be a good one.

Sorry to hear about your uncle, Mark.

The roads are treacherous. I was out meeting friends for bfast, about 20 miles away, when the snow arrived early. Made it home in one piece but it was bad out.

Good news, my library has 5 copies of Night Film, they must be brand new in too, as they are all listed as there, and also listed as being not there yet. I have cunningly deduced that this means they are about to be hitting the shelves. So I will go and hang about the shelves...waiting....to pounce.

Plus, this is a very good time to go library booking as the due date will be after Christmas camping holiday so can take the piles I get with me!

>185 brenzi: my uncle drove my Mom to the hospital, to give birth to me and he was just a nervous 17 year old.
That is a special connection between the two of you, and a lovely memory I bet. I hope he is doing OK, and is in the company of people who care about him.

Thanks everyone for the kind thoughts about Uncle Jack. As usual he was quite the trooper. He was a thin and bit more frail. He loves football, so he was getting a big kick out of the games. Starting tomorrow, they are going to hit him with both chemo and radiation, so he's probably going to take a beating but he sure has a strong, positive attitude.

Hugs to Darryl, RD, Terri, Terri 2, Julia & Pat! You guys are great.

Joe- Quite an exciting football day. My cousin has the Red Zone package, (I have not heard of this) where they keep switching to the exciting moments of each game. Very cool.
I think you hit it on the head, with "and for me it didn't have the narrative drive." Also my issue with Un Lun Dun.
Glad you are liking The Fifth Wave.

Linda- My cousin lives way out in St. Charles. The roadways were very slow and slippery. There has been a light snow coming down, nearly all day.

Megan- Yes, I've always had a nice relationship with my Uncle and I ended up making strong friendships with a couple of my cousins. This illness is going to hit this family hard. I really feel for them.
I hope you can snag a copy of Night Film. I should finish it this week.

So sorry to hear about your uncle's illness Mark but I'm glad he will be near family at this difficult time.

I had a busy weekend with Christmas parties so didn't get much reading done this weekend. I hope to start Un Lun Dun this week.

The cold front got here Friday night just as I was on my way to a College Christmas party the heavens opened. I don't understand why the institution for which I work can't make sidewalks that don't become cement bottomed rivers? There is nothing hard about sidewalk technology. I soaked my dress shoes and had wet feet for the rest of the evening. The party yesterday went much better. Cold but not wet. Today it rained. It poured - complete with lightening and thunder.

I spent yesterday cooking. I made a liver pate complete with aspic. It was very good with crackers. I also made a salmon mousse that was delicious. Both were French recipes. The pate was from Jacques Peppin and it worked exactly as he said it would. After reading through Peppin's cookbook Essential Peppin I am convinced that the French eat all parts of the animal. There can't be anything left by the time they get done cooking it. Making that pate was an adventure in cooking.

Next weekend will be just like this weekend with another round of parties and baking for Christmas gifts. This week is finals so the library will be crowded but shouldn't be that busy for me. That is good as it will give me a chance to catch up on paperwork that has been delayed.

This whole weekend was quite a football weekend.It was a bummer that Missouri lost - but that is the way it goes.

Bonnie- Thank you, my friend. Let's hope he has awhile longer to spend with his very loving family.

Benita- I don't know if you watched much pro football today but many of the games, played in snow. It was crazy.



New thread time, boys & girls! Probably the last of the year.