Joe's Book Cafe 9

This cool item was a holiday gift from our daughter. I finally figured out how to get personal pics on here, although I might have done a bit better with this one.

Welcome back to the cafe!

Managed to goof on the number again. Darn it.

Favorites from 2013

Top 5

1. Longbourn by Jo Baker
2. Benediction by Kent Haruf
3. Stones for Ibarra by Harriet Doerr
4. Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
5. The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley

Second Five

6. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
7. Wizard of the Crow by Ngugi wa'Thiong'o
8. Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
9. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
10. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

Favorite Graphic Novel: The Nao of Brown

Three that were hard to keep off the list: Housekeeping, Song of the Lark, and How the Light Gets In

2014 American Author Challenge (kudos to Mark)

Willa Cather- January The Professor's House
Alice Walker- February The Color Purple
Cormac McCarthy - March The Orchard Keeper
Toni Morrison- April Sula
Eudora Welty- May The Optimist's Daughter
Kurt Vonnegut- June Cat's Cradle (re-read)
Mark Twain- July Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Philip Roth- August The Ghost Writer
James Baldwin- September Notes of a Native Son
Edith Wharton- October Ethan Frome
John Updike- November The Witches of Eastwick
Larry Watson- December Let Him Go

Life-changers

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - opened my eyes to so many creative possibilities, including wordplay
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury - got me believing in school again after a soon-to-be favorite teacher assigned it
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White - took a typical self-centered kid out of himself and got me thinking about others; broke my heart for the first time, too
James Wright Collected Poems - midwestern poet caught me and fueled a lifelong interest in poetry
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - read it way post-college and got walloped; started lifelong Austen fandom

Dune by Frank Herbert - got me excited about the possibilities of science fiction, and thinking about environmental effects
Dr. Strange by Stan Lee and others - this hokey, mystical comic book was my favorite as a kid, and fueled my lifelong graphic fandom
Future Shock by Alvin Toffler - he took on emerging issues like economic disparities, overpopulation and pollution; trying to look into the future fascinated me
After the Quake by Haruki Murakami - my entry into his world that started me on lifelong fandom
Remember, Be Here Now by Ram Dass - matched my youthful hippiness perfectly, still working on some of its ideas

The Chosen by Chaim Potok - for the first time, got me enthralled by lives very different from my own
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki - what a mensch this man was; still the best on this subject I've read
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder - made me a fan of both Paul Farmer and author Tracy Kidder, and got me involved with Partners in Health
T.S. Eliot Selected Poems - bowled me over, so I felt like a patient, etherized upon a table; got the complete works later
Thank You, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse - fueled my appreciation of the absurd and started a lifelong fandom for this author

2014 Books

January

1. Mad Mouse by Chris Grabenstein
2. A Conspiracy of Faith by Jussie Adler-Olsen
3. Kindred in Death by J.D. Robb
4. The Professor's House by Willa Cather
5. Fantasy in Death by J.D. Robb
6. Die Trying by Lee Child
7. The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
8. In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming
9. Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink
10. Japantown by Barry Lancet
11. View with a Grain of Sand by Wislawa Szymborska
12. Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch
13. High Heat by Lee Child

February

14. A Fountain Filled with Blood by Julia Spencer-Fleming
15. Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang
16. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
17. Cress by Marissa Meyer
18. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
19. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
20. Stone Cold by C.J. Box
21. The Martian by Andy Weir
22. Necessity's Child by Sharon Lee

March

23. The Orchard Keeper by Cormac McCarthy
24. Indulgence in Death by J.D. Robb
25. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
26. My Dungeon Shook by Danez Smith
27. Black Boy Suite Black Boy Sweet by Danez Smith
28. Mrs. Tim of the Regiment by D.E. Stevenson
29. Little Green by Walter Mosley
30. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
31. Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen
32. A Truth Universally Acknowledged: Why We Read Jane Austen, edited by Susannah Carson
33. Dream London by Ian Ballantyne
34. Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope
35. Treachery in Death by J.D. Robb
36. Our Friends from Frolix 8 by Philip K. Dick
37. Burning Girls by Veronica Schanoes

April

38. New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb
39. Refusing Heaven by Jack Gilbert
40. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
41. Sula by Toni Morrison

Hi Joe! Love the image -- great gift! Happy new thread to you, and congrats on the success and longevity of the cafe!

Woo, you are quick, Anne!

Thanks - isn't it a great gift? I'm boggle-minded at the good times we've all been having at the cafe. Number 9 was so good we thought we should do it again (yeah, right).

First one in the door gets a free watermelon margarita! If you want something else, just give a holler.

Howzabout some absinthe? I'm feelin' green.

>5 richardderus: Hiya, Richard. Wasn't that a Kermit song?

I couldn't resist this absinthe, but we'll find a different one for you. Nothing with cute green elves showed up.



Here we go. Ooo, this looked intriguing. Kind of steampunkish. I'm sure you can figure out what you're supposed to do in drinking it.

Ooh, lovely choice, Joe -- it was a warm day today, so a watermelon margarita would be perfect. A chance to enjoy a taste of summer before the weather gets cooler again. Thanks!

Joe 9 is a magical number in Irish mythology or so says Kevin Hearne. The cafe sure is magical so lets run with that.

>7 AMQS: Excellent, Anne. It sure looked good. Mmm, a taste of summer. I like the sounds of that.

>8 luvamystery65: Ha! You got it, Roberta. That is now the official story. Magical number, Irish mythology. Uh-huh.

Happy New thread, Joe! I just think you love the Number 9! Hope you are having a good time. Find any good beer?

I like it, too. Reminds me of my yooof

number nine, number nine, number nine, number nine.....

aha! I made it :)

Take care Joe...

Yay you got the picture up!

>10 msf59:
Thanks, Mark! So far some really good Spanish wine, and tasty margaritas, but no beer. What's the matter with us? We need to fix that soon.

>11 maggie1944:. Ah yes, number nine, Karen. How exactly were we supposed to play that record backwards, anyway?

>12 mckait:. Good to see you, Kath!
We saved your table, with a comfortable chair.

>13 seasonsoflove:. Yay! There she is. Yup,took me a while to figure it all out, but up it's getted. Now I just have to learn to speak English. Such a cool gift - thanks again.

Cole was excellent, btw - you would've enjoyed the show.

Nice new place...could I have a hot toddy, please?

Checking in on your new thread. I probably should have posted my fajitas here, but you'll have to go to my thread to get them.

Like what you've done with the place Joe. Did someone say fajitas?

Happy new 9th, Joe!

Mmmm, Absinthe! I'll join Richard in one of those, please!

Happy New Thread, Joe!

>15 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks, Linda. But of course. That order usually means someone's under the weather, so I hope you're doing okay.



>16 thornton37814: Hi, Lori. Thanks for checking in. Fajitas sound good. I'm going to be behind on getting around to others' threads for a while, but you're doing a good job of tempting me to get over to yours.

>17 brenzi: Thanks, Bonnie! Someone did say fajitas. ;-) Don't know whether they're near as good as Lori's, but they should be tasty.



>18 wilkiec: Ha! Well put, Diana. Thanks! We'll try to make the new 9th as good as the old 9th.

>19 scaifea: Hiya, Amber! Thanks! - absinthe on its way. It seems to conjure up some unusual images, doesn't it?

Morning Joe, and happy new thread! That pic of your gift up top is great; it looks really cool.

Is that a >21 Thebookdiva: lamp?? or just a tchotchke? I would love it as a lamp!

Morning, Joe!

McNally Jackson is easily accessible from the R train (Prince Street Station), or if you're into buses, you can take the M1 down Broadway (I think) to the same location.

There's another bookstore I stumbled into a few weeks ago, at 99 St. Mark's Place east of 1st Avenue, called (logically enough) East Village Books. They buy and sell used books, including art, photography and scholarly work. I found them because I was looking for a particular technical book and they had it cheaper than other places. It's a real throwback, long and narrow, with a back room that feels like an outdoor shed. The first time I was there, some poetry was playing on the stereo, and the reader was most obviously Richard Burton. Woohoo. it's browsing heaven.

>21 Thebookdiva: Morning Abby, and thanks! I'm glad you like that cafe pic, and that will make Becca happy, too. It's really well done, isn't it?

>22 mckait: Morning, Kath! It seems like it's a lamp to me. I agree, that would be the best. Quite a design!

>23 ffortsa: Good tips, Judy, thanks. It's also not too far from the Tenement Museum, and a restaurant recommended to us, so we're going to combine them all!

East Village Books sounds like our kind of place all right - "browsing heaven." Love it! If not this time, the next.

Good Monday morning, Joe, and company. Let's have a croissant and a cafe au lait today. Really. Time to get back to the routines. I'm setting a 40 pages a day goal so I can finishe Blonde: A Novel before the F2F book group. Wish me good luck. Coffee will help, no doubt.

And I'm with kids all day for three days, and that should provide some reading time as they will want to hang out on their computers, etc. for large chunks of time. I hope. Zoo on Wednesday is planned. Not much time to read on that day.

I hope your plans are good for the week, too. Are there some signs of the weather being a tad more gentle chez vous?

Joe, congratulations buddy on number 9 which was always The Beatles favourite number.

Have a great week buddy and fix me a Jameson's over ice if you have the time and inclination - a big double!

I got hailed on hard this morning running from the parking lot to the office. :-( As such, I'm in need of TLC in the form of a hot toddy and a big gooey mac & cheese with a side of southern fried chicken.

Good morning, Karen, Paul and Caro! We're out and about, so we'll time jigger your requests later.

I did take pics of our delicious breakfast at Sarabeths, Caro, so I'll post those later.

I hope you do manage to make it to BXL too. :-)

How was the Tenement Museum?

happy new thread. most impressed by both the topper and your fave daughter's teaching skills. obviously gifted with the challenged, she.

now, to business. i should like several galores of fried won ton, 2 scads of spring rolls and an oodle of pot stickers, please, when the chef can get round to it.

we're at 75 and sunny. nice when the temp gets higher than my age. to a point, anyway. :-)

later on, dear man.

Hi Joe!
P and I were at the wonderful soul food restaurant Kingfish Cafe yesterday and I ordered one drink, received another. Normally, I am pretty finicky about my service, but the bartender was so lovely and the drink she accidentally brought me was so yummy that I drank it in contented silence and with a smile. It was a mojito with house-candied jalapeños added to the usual recipe.
Oh my.

It's in the 60s and sunny today after some frog-choking rain over the weekend. I came home to review a document that needs my attention (no comment) and here I sit, basking in the sun from our full-west front window, messing around on LT. Oh well. The document will still be there after the sun goes down.

I hope you have an excellent week!

Ooo candied jalapenos! In a mojito! YUM!!

Hi Joe- Just checking in. I am sure you had another great day in the big city. How was the bookstore?

>1 jnwelch: Joe, this is a fantastic holiday gif. Happy new thread and

>20 jnwelch: Well, you're right, Joe. We had every sort of weather on Sunday and Monday (heavy rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow, rising temps, melting, bright sunshine and 50 degrees) and I have definitely been under it. A walking germ factory and sneeze generator (although I didn't do much walking or moving of any kind for a couple days). Marginally better this morning, as I don't feel like I was mowed down by a herd of something heavy-footed, but still a bit bloated in the head. The toddy helped, as did a kitty willing to curl up and sleep in my lap for hours. So I will be a dutiful member of the workforce and go to the office for at least a few hours today. Everyone will be so grateful. #sarcasm

Sun to bask in. I am hoping for sun today, but working so no basking for me. Still it's a step! And I am feeling inspired re:gardening. We shall see :) Hope your week is good.. and not too crazy.

>25 maggie1944: Thanks for your patience, Karen. Sounds like you're busy with the kids this week, but I'm sure they'll take some time for their own activities, so I hope you can use some of that to make the progress you want with Blonde, and I wish you luck with it..

Yesterday turned quite nice toward the end, and we took a humongous walk back from the Tenement Museum in Tribeca (I guess) to 46th st. We brought sandwiches back with us for dinner from Zara's Bakery and we decided thoroughly earned them (caprese and a tuna wrap for me, chicken parmesan for her, with those kettle drum chips you like for both of us). Today starts out in the high thirties and ends up in the high 50s, with clear skies, so that should be fine.

We had croissants yesterday from a stand in the park at 23rd st (if I got that right). Mine was a maple swirl one, and it was really good. So let's get you that, with the cafe au lait, via our latest model time jiggerer.



>26 PaulCranswick: Thanks, mate! Jameson's, double, you got it, Paul (btw, Prisoner of Zenda was a hoot, thanks for the push):



Did you ever try the Midleton Mule, with Jameson's, Rachel's ginger beer, and lime? Hope you're having a great week.

>27 cameling: Oof, hailed on hard is not the way to start the day, Caro. Good thing we have the time jiggerer. Here you go with the vittles and hot toddy.



>29 cameling: Didn't make it to BXL this time, Caro, too bad. We're going somewhere up near the Frick today with a pal, and tomorrow it's Smith's (?) with my MBH's cousin. But I do have pics of the delicious brek at Sarabeth's that I'll post below once I go through the LT dance step to get them on here.

Progress is being made, slowly. I'm on p. 234. I was supposed to hit 245 yesterday, so I have a little more catching up to do today. I'm taking the book with me this morning and I'll read while the kids are all sleeping in (I hope).

OK, I'm off to have a Starbucks latte and cheese danish. (forgetting the careful avoidance of wheat flour for now).

>30 labfs39: The Tenement Museum was remarkable, Lisa. We'll be back. As someone said, they have multiple tours. We took the Hard Times tour, and it was an excellent choice for a starter there. It was a combination of a German Jewish family who lived there starting in 1863, and an Italian Catholic family that started living there in 1928. The tenement has 22 apartments, and is in its original condition. (It was shut down in 1935 because its stairways no longer met the fire code). The families were real, and it is the descendants who've worked with the museum to help re-create the details.

No electricity, no running water, no toilets for the first family. 5 privies outside at the bottom of the tenement that they shared with patrons of the first floor bar, and a water pump for drinking and cleaning water they'd haul upstairs in a bucket, and they'd haul up coal for the stove. The wife's life was nonstop with three children, the father was a maybe not very good shoemaker. They had to make it through the great Depression of 1873. When the father disappeared, the mother had to make it as a non-English-speaking dressmaker, helped by her two very young daughters (her little boy didn't make it past two) who had learned English at school. Kids today couldn't imagine what all those had to do.

The Italian family, from Palermo, had it better in terms of electricity, running water, and two toilets they shared with others on their floor. Of course, not much room for their family, and they had to make it through the Great Depression we're all more familiar with. A photo of FDR is above their dresser, as a savior.

Anyway, it was terrific, Lisa. Our guide, Alex, was really good, and managed to engage all of us with her questions, which isn't easy to do. She showed us some of the information they used to piece it all together, and at one point played an audio from a now elderly woman who was one of the Italian daughters who grew up in the apartment. What an eye-opener it all was.

Hope you get a chance to go some day.

>31 mirrordrum: Hiya, Ellie! Hope you're getting through it okay. I thought of you while we were at McNally Jackson's to buy books. I got Man in the Wooden Hat. You and Anne convinced me (thank you) to read the excellent Old Filth, and now it's time to read the second.

Our fave daughter is a wonder, particularly since she's missing her beloved sidekick teacher, who just had twins, and has to cover for an inexperienced and at times inept sub. But with the help of wily Sherlock on the homefront, she's pulling it off. Isn't that a cool topper she gave me? Perfect.

75 and sunny sounds perfect, too, and I'm glad you're getting to enjoy it. It's encouraging to hear that temp is possible somewhere. Maybe we'll see it in the heartland before the year is out.

Thinking of you, dear heart. Hope it's a good day and week for you.

>32 EBT1002: Ha! An unexpected and delicious mojito with house-candied jalapenos - good for you for going with it, Ellen. One of life's gifts that drop in on us every once in a while. I'm sure you had a great time at the Kingfish Cafe with P, too.

Glad the frog-choking (!) rain passed and you're enjoying some warm, sunny weather. I know what you mean about dodging documents that need attention; I'm doing the same as we speak. I'd better get with it soon. We're going to head to the Frick today to see The Goldfinch painting, among others there, and we've got lunch with a pal and the theater tonight (A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder).

>33 richardderus: Sounds awfully good, doesn't it, Richard.

Some for you:



>34 msf59: Hiya, Mark! The bookstore was great. It's organized differently, with literature divided up by geographic region. Nice folks there, too.

Here's my haul:

Man in the Wooden Hat by Jane Gardam
The Watsons by Jane Austen (one I haven't read that Virginia Woolf made me curious about in her essay)
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, which came up when folks here talked about fave childhood books
A Glass of Blessings by Barbara Pym (thank you, Bonnie)

At the very cool Tenement Museum gift shop, we got a book relating to what we saw called 97 Orchard Street, New York, Beat Poets (a collection), and The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes. I've liked other Eleanor Estes books (including Ginger Pye, of course).

Hope it's a good day for you. Temps look decent in the Chi-town area.

>35 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara! That's a beaut indeed. I'll try to take it to heart and appreciate the day.

>36 laytonwoman3rd: Ha! Oh, I know you're not alone in suffering through a miserable cold, Linda. Lots of people getting knocked around by them right now, so your colleagues at work hopefully can commiserate. My MBH has a cousin who for some reason has been posting pics of herself with her miserable cold on Facebook, and that just doesn't seem like a good idea. Although she is getting sympathy, so maybe that's the reason.

Hope you keep feeling better and better!

>37 mckait: Sun helps for sure, Kath, and we're definitely getting close to gardening time. April! Spring has to show up, right? It's in the contract.

Hope it's a good one out your way today.

>39 maggie1944: That's good progress, Karen. I just finished Treachery in Death, one of the best in the series so far with internal bad guys at the police dept., and now I'm starting Burning Girls that RD rec'd a while ago. Can't get my mind serious enough yet for Toni Morrison, so that one may have to wait.

My husband grew up in NYC, and we used to visit fairly often when his mother was still alive, but now we never go back. Unfortunately I never made it to the museum when I had the opportunity.

I have never even heard of the Jane Austen, which is surprising since I have her collected works. Must check that out. I like Jane Gardham although I have yet to read the Old Filth trilogy. Eleanor Estes is a favorite. Nice haul!

>43 labfs39: Thanks, Lisa! Old Filth is excellent. One of the tops for me over the past few years. The Watsons is an incomplete one, and Virginia Woolf in that Why We Read Jane Austen book made some intriguing comments about some things it shows us about JA's writing. I'm looking forward to reading the Eleanor Estes, which my MBH says was adapted as a play.

We're off soon to lunch at Cascabel Taquiera on 2d Ave, and then to the Frick to see the Goldfinch painting and other great ones there (Vermeer, etc.)

I hope your path leads back to NYC some day and you can go to the Tenement Museum.

What a good day you have for touristing today! It's beautiful out. Nice book haul, and glad you liked the Tenement Museum. One day you should look into the Roerich museum...Upper West Side, 102nd I think...Nicholas Roerich was an interesting artist and Far Eastern traveler.

>41 jnwelch: Joe, you're welcome. :-D

Sounds like you're having a wonderful time. The Tenement Museum sounds fascinating.

Per request:



And yet another reason I love my job :)



(It's an invitation to Q and U's wedding, as they always make words together. The big event is happening on Friday :) )

Happy New Thread Joe (and well on its way to post 50 already)

>45 richardderus: You're right, RD. It turned into a wonderful day for touristing, We're walkers, as you know, and what a day for it. Thanks for the tip on the Nicholas Roerich. That will be a new one for us, probably next time.

I forgot to do the food pics for Caro, so here's what we had at Sarabeths for brekkie yesterday.



I had the first one, the smoked salmon eggs benedict, and it's the best eggs benedict I've ever had. She apparently has a rep for excellence with e.b., and her restaurant lived up to it. Debbi had scrambled eggs with cream cheese and chives and a light as air popover. The juice you see was "Four Flowers" - orange, pineapple, banana and pomegranate. Really tasty.

I forgot to take pics of our good food at Cascabel Taqueria, but Debbi had a grilled shrimp and salad dish which she loved. I had yellow fin tuna belly tacos, and our friend had tilapia tacos. Margaritas were watermelon for me, pomegranate for Debbi, and some spicy one for our pal. We had tres leches cake for desert, which was denser than we're used to, but delicious.

I did remember to take this photo of the paintings on one wall. Our son is a big fan of the luchadores, masked Mexican wrestlers, so we made sure to forward a photo of them to him.



>46 Ameise1: Ah, thanks, Barbara. You sure know how to improve the day for me and others.

>47 SuziQoregon: We are, Juli. We love coming here. The Tenement Museum was a knockout, and we're already talking about which tour there to take next time we come. They continue to add families and tours, and told us the next they add will be for the Chinese immigrants that lived in the area.

>48 seasonsoflove: Oh good, thanks, Becca. That's one of my favorite photos ever of young furry Sherlock. Shows off the trim he got and his now-visible eyes, too. Tell him Spring will come, it's just slow this year.

The Wedding of Q and U - I think you might have the name for a mystery if you ever happen to write one. I'm sure it will be a grand event. I understand from your mom that the paper chain making for decorations was quite popular today. Is it going to be televised on Friday, on the Today Show or anything like that? It should be, if not.

>49 connie53: Hiya, Connie. Thanks! A grand time indeed. The Frick Museum was excellent, as always. Unfortunately we hadn't received the memo, and the Goldfinch painting has already traveled elsewhere, but we had a good time with his amazing collection (Vermeers, Rembrandts, Whistlers, Hals, on and on and on) and beautiful home. Love that quiet courtyard, with the fountain, in the middle, too.

Taking a break, and then we're off to see the play.

>48 seasonsoflove: awwww puppy! :)

>50 jnwelch: wow the food!

It is a nice warm day here.. people walking all over the place to soak it up, as it goes back to cool tomorrow. Glad you are having such a nice time.

One would never know you were away from home and your computer, to look at the pace this thread is keeping! Glad you are having such a good time, Joe.

Yay, the personal pics are in abundance! I love that top one, btw. I have 'favourited' a lot of those on Etsy, and dream of being able to afford the postage for them some time in the future ;)

Love the food pics too, mmm, eggs looking good at Joe's cafe! I am sure you got the recipe or the chef for your own cafe!?

Sign of the times: I read the Marriage of Q and U to be an invitation to a real life marriage, I did think it was a wee bit odd, but these are the days. Then, I thought about how sleepy I am and thought again and realized we are talking a young woman's working in Kindergarten. Yes, the Marriage of Q and U does indeed need to be celebrated! Quite so. Quintessentially a Party! Let's Quote more words!

Joe, your family is a wonderful addition to our world. Thanks for sharing them with us.

Morning Joe!

>52 mckait: "awww puppy!" couldn't have put it better, Kath.

The food has been a wow, all right. Turned into a nice one yesterday, and it's supposed to be even warmer today, although maybe with some rain. Glad you got a good one in your neck of the woods.

>53 ronincats: It's funny, Roni, I've gotten so used to this thread moving along at a quick clip that this feels like the usual. I guess that's your point though. As long as I can check in a couple of times a day I can respond to folks. We're going to be gone again at the end of this month for a long weekend in LA, for a niece's wedding.

We're indeed having a good time. The play last night was a hoot, combined with beautiful singing. Jefferson Mays was unfreakin' believable, playing the whole D'ysquith family plus more, maybe 10 roles altogether, or close to it. With lots of quick changes. Here he is as the earl.



Lisa Hallyard as Sibella and Bryce Pinkham as Monty were terrific.



So was Lauren Worsham as Phoebe.



It was a farce, as Monty is a rejected heir in the D'ysquith family who decides to murder his way to the top and become earl. Very funny, great singing and lyrics. As Debbi said, it was unbelievable when Lisa H. and Lauren W. sang together, and Bryce P. had a beautiful alto voice. The stage and costume changes all occurred in the blink of an eye - very fast pace with no mis-steps. The rest of the cast was excellent, too.

Lots of silliness and hijinks.



We had a blast.

I love it when I visit your thread and see another play review! this one is as good as the others you have reviewed, and it looks quite funny. Thanks for sharing, it's always interesting what you post about the plays you go to see.

>54 LovingLit: We're hoping Sarabeth will want to exchange her eggs benedict secrets for ours on chili cheese fries, Megan. We'll see. Woo, her food is good.

Yes, Becca mentioned etsy for that topper. I got my MBH a small fabric backpack there that she likes a lot, too. Great site.

>55 maggie1944: Thanks, Karen! Becca is a talented ringleader for her idiosyncratic bunch, and I'm sure the Marriage of Q and U will be a highlight of the social season. Yes, the participants will be rugrats rather than grown-up size.

Thanks for the kind words re the family. We'll figure out a way for you to meet Miss Becca in person one of these visits to your fair metropolis.

>56 Thebookdiva: Morning, Abby! Hope all is well at the Pecan Paradisio. I'll try to stop by if time permits.

>58 Thebookdiva: Glad you enjoyed the post about the play, Abby. It was a treat. You would have eaten it up with a spoon, I'm sure. Those singing voices are still in my head. Extraordinary.

We're off to see After Midnight tomorrow night, and a woman sitting behind us last night was just raving about it to her pals. So I'll report back on that one, although it will take a while as we're traveling the next day.

This a.m. we're off to meet one of my MBH's cousins at Smith's restaurant - a new one to me. Somewhere in midtown.

Morning Joe- Thanks for the great updates. The tenement museum sounds amazing. Whenever, we finally make it to NYC, I'll have to stop by.
Nice book haul! I NEED to get to that Gardam too. I was another big fan of Old Filth. I have no idea why I have procrastinated.
The musical looks like a lot of fun too! Glad you enjoyed it.
Try to track down Agent Zigzag. You'll thank me later.

I'm hoping to get to the Tenement Museum one day. One of my father's uncles was an NYPD patrolman around the turn of the century; don't know a thing about his life at the time, other than his address, but I suspect he wasn't flush, and probably lived in tenement housing. I'd love to see if I can sort out what the neighborhood was like.

>57 jnwelch: Didn't you just love the doors??? It was such fun.

Smith's is up in the theater district. Used to be B. Smith's, but I think she ran into financial trouble and had to sell. Let me know how it is.

>61 laytonwoman3rd: Well worth the visit, Linda. An NYPD patrolman around the turn of the century - what stories your father's uncle would have to tell! The address of the tenement is 97 Orchard Street.

>62 ffortsa: LOVED the door scene, Judy! Got a huge ovation. So good. Looking forward to After Midnight tomorrow night.

Turns out this restaurant is called "The Smith", on 2d Ave near 50th, although I understand there are others. The service at this one was terrible (forgetful). We got coffee and tea and waited. Someone finally got us drinks (like OJ), and we waited. Someone finally took our order, and we waited. Coffee refills required us flagging someone down. We finally got our orders, and afterwards had to flag someone down to get our bill. Finally we had to flag someone down to take our bill, with a card for payment. She went over to talk to people at another table. You get the idea. Multiple waiters, all with seemingly better things to do. Not a full restaurant by a long shot. Would we go back? No way. Can't recommend it. Give me Sarabeths any day.

The food was okay. I had a Ranchero Scramble that was generous with the avo but otherwise nondescript. I did like all right my MBH's vanilla bean french toast, which I got a lot of because she didn't like it much. I can't remember what her cousin had. First disappointing meal we've had here. It was greatly redeemed by a nice visit with her cousin, who's a prof and dept. head at SUNY. One of the wittiest (and quick-witted) people I've ever met, daughter of the wonderful couple in the Berkshires we stayed with last Fall.

Joe, since you enjoyed the Tenement Museum, if you haven't already, I would recommend you read 97 Orchard by Jane Ziegelman. It's the history in one Tenement building through 4 immigrant families ..and the food that abound during their time.

>64 cameling: Thanks, Caro. We've got 97 Orchard Street, New York by Linda Granfield, which sounds similar, so maybe we'll do the Ziegelman next time. One of the advantages of the one we got is it includes the families we learned about on our tour.

^Did you actually miss your Chicago peep, up there? Wow. In New York for a few days and everything changes, old alliances break down, posts go unanswered...

>60 msf59:, >66 msf59: LOL! Just seeing whether you were on the alert back there in our home town, Mark.

You can tell I sure wasn't on the alert here in NYC.

Yes, you'd love the Tenement Museum. There's even some dark and gritty stuff. :-) Not an easy life. You come away appreciating that much more how lucky we all are. Even the improvements between the time of the 1863 German Jews and the 1928 Italian Catholics were huge (e.g. electricity, running water, indoor toilets). Still tough conditions. And tying it all to what happened with a specific family really works.

The musical was a blast. We're still raving about it.

I'm pretty sure Bonnie loved Agent Zigzag, too, and Kerri, and I know others. It does sound awfully good, so I'll line it up. My WL is getting to be a ridiculous length, but I know I've got company on that one.

Working tomorrow morning, and then I can get back to goofing off. Looking forward to the latter.

Whew! Much better now. Thank you! Hope you are squeezing in a little reading too!

>68 msf59: :-) A little reading, yes. More after tomorrow a.m.

Although I haven't read Agent Zigzag, I do own Operation Mincemeat by the same author, and I just won A Spy Among Friends through ER. It seems to be Ben Macintyre's moment in the sun on LT!

Hi Joe, just dropping by the new edition of the café to wish you a good evening.

>70 labfs39: I'm pretty sure Caro (cameling) LOVED Operation Mincemeat, Lisa. It does seem to be Ben M's moment in the LT sun. Everyone's convincing me.

>71 Smiler69: Hi, Ilana. Thanks - glad you could stop by! I haven't commented on the Sense and Sensibility tutorial thread lately, but once again you and Liz, with interesting help from the others, are doing an ace job. Much appreciated.

70labfs39: Ben MacIntyre is sensational!
I recommend one of his older ones as well, The Napoleon of Crime about master thief Adam Worth.

>73 NarratorLady: Good to see you, Anne! I'll pay attention, too, as you've tipped me off to a lot of good ones.

Our daughter is a true crime aficionado, and that sounds like one she also might like.

Morning Joe- Operation Mincemeat is mentioned in Agent Zigzag and that also sounds fascinating. Glad I finally jumped on the Macintyre bandwagon.
Enjoy another day in NYC! Cold & rainy here. Ugh!

>75 msf59: Thanks, Mark. Yeah, it looks like an ugh one back in Chicagoland. Too bad. Should be decent here, low 60s. Got to be sensible and responsible this a.m., and then I can go back to being a care-free tourist.

I'll try to find room on that Macintyre bandwagon; it seems to have an awful lot of LTers riding on it, doesn't it? Always a good sign.

My husband enjoyed Operation Mincemeat a while back. I didn't associate the author's name with the new one on offer in the ER program, unfortunately. I might have requested it for him (and forced HIM to write a review under my name if I wonit! Bwhaahhahahahh!)

>77 laytonwoman3rd: Ha! I like the strategy, Linda. I don't think I could work that one, as my MBH and our daughter are LTers and get their own ER books.

With all this Macintyre love, I'm eager to give one a try.

>78 jnwelch: Yeah, well, he's an LT'er too, in a small way, Joe. You can find him at @flamingrabbit. He follows about 3 threads and uses the database a lot, but he hesitates to contribute. Dunno why. In college I was known by a couple professors in the English department as "that little girl that sits by Craig Koons", because I rarely opened my mouth in any class we had together. I got over that, you see.

>79 laytonwoman3rd: LOL! Yes, seems like you got over that, Linda.

I hope Mr. Flamingrabbit decides to post more. It's fun to hear from other LT family members, isn't it?

Good morning, Joe and company. Sounds like you are having an excellent spring vacation in The Big Apple. Never been my fav city but it certainly does have many, many historical spots, and excellent arts spots, and much good food (some of the time). Don't waste too much time working!

I'm off for a couple few days and plan to do bunches of reading, as well as chipping away at the making a nest here activities (yard, painting, shopping for new refrigerator).

The first I heard about the Tenement Museum was when our Children's Literature expert visited it after she read Tenement: Immigrant Life on the Lower East Side. She was excited about it and told me it was very worthwhile. She loved the approach that they took in dealing with the topic. The next I heard about it was when a group of school teacher's from here went to NYC and the Tenement Museum and were very impressed. For them it was better than some of the other museums in the city that they visited. There are two books that we have about this subject are both very good. Tenement: Immigrant Life on the Lower East Side and Shutting Out the Sky. They won't take long to read but they are packed with information.

At first thought the idea of a Tenement Museum seems strange, but after reading the books and hearing the reports it makes sense. If I ever get to NYC it will be on my list of places to visit.

>70 labfs39: Yes, you're right, Joe, I absolutely LOVED Operation Mincemeat and gave 4 copies away at Christmas to some friends of mine who were too lazy to go and get their own copy. I haven't, but I'm planning to read Agent Zigzag this month. He was referenced in the Operation Mincemeat book. I've also a copy of Macintyre's Double Cross in my TBR Tower to get to.

97 Orchard, New York by Granfield is good, but it's different from the Ziegleman book. Ziegelman doesn't focus on specific families, but more the neighborhood, the food, and groups of families in that particular tenement building and the changes that they bring with each wave of new immigrants. I think you'll like both books.

>81 maggie1944: I used to live here lo those many years ago, Karen. I was footloose and fancy-free. Hard to have a family here. A couple of our friends have raised their kids here, but not easily. We do like coming to NYC a lot.

Today in the afternoon we went over to Central Park and enjoyed what turned out to be a beautiful day. At one point we sat up high on some big rocks on a hill, and across the way were a trumpet player, sax player, and percussionist sitting up on some other big rocks on another hill, improvising some very good jazz. Nice!

A couple of days off enjoying some reading and fixing up your new place sounds most excellent. We're heading back tomorrow, looking forward to being greeted by young Sherlock. Later his mom will join us, then we're taking her and a friend to the Bulls game tomorrow night.

>82 benitastrnad: Yeah, the idea of a tenement museum seemed odd to me, too, Benita. But in person it makes lots of sense, and is quite eye-opening. Thanks for the tips on the books. When you get to NYC, I've no doubt you'd get a lot out of the Tenement Museum and be glad you went.

>83 cameling: More love for Macintyre and Operation Mincemeat - thanks, Caro! No greater testament to the latter than giving that many copies away to friends.

Makes sense on the two Orchard Street books. We wanted one with the families after having just spent time learning about them, but the Ziegleman sounds good in a different way.

Getting caught up and see that you are having a lovely time in New York!

>66 msf59: lol, we can always count on Mark to be vigilant with un-answered questions/posts. Thanks Mark! (someone has got to keep us real)

>84 jnwelch: A couple of our friends have raised their kids here, but not easily.
You here that....what is it about? The costs of accommodation? Or the lack of space for kids to roam? I sometimes fantasize about raising our kids right in a/the city (glad of course now that we didn't given the earthquake of 3 years ago all but destroyed the center city). But I really really make use of our front and back lawns! Boys need the green green grass at or very near home, is my opinion :)

Morning Joe- Have a safe return to Chi-town. Sounds like you guys had a fantastic time in NYC.

>86 LovingLit:- We aim to please, Megan! Grins.

>85 lkernagh: A lovely time indeed, Lori. Great show last night - After Midnight, lots (lots!) of 1930s Harlem singing and dancing. Back home today.

>86 LovingLit: Schooling and cost, Megan. Finding a good school (each went to a different one) for the kid to attend, and then paying a huge amount every year for it. Both had only one daughter, and financially a second child would've been a real challenge.

A relative actually moved her family out of NYC to a suburb for that reason, and had her little girl go to public school for free there. As soon as her girl goes to college, the husband and wife are moving back into NYC. They miss it terribly.

We raised ours in Chicago without that problem (both went for free to good public schools). There's a lot more greenery in Chicago than here. We had some green green grass in our back yard, too, although a lot smaller parcel than you're probably thinking of! We are so happy we raised them in the city. Every city's different, of course, but what they were exposed to (arts, sports, people, the pace) meant a lot to them and us.

>87 msf59: As always, I spotted your post, Mark, and thought, I'd better answer that right away. Mistakenly skipping one of yours and not responding to it is unthinkable!

We're off quite soon to the airport, so please warm up the Chicagoland area for us. It's been a fantastic time here, and I'll say more about last night's amazing show later.

I have found both NYC and Chi-town to be challenging to me. I guess I need some stuff I think kids need, too: green grass, trees, dirt to dig in, a view across some significant amount of space, near by water to poke and watch, if not swim, and easy access to open, quiet, uncivilized spaces where I might see birds, and woodland creatures if I am very quiet.

I guess I like these amenities even more than I like theatre, fine restaurants, interesting art, and music. It is an interesting thought experiment to imagine from my current position where I'd like to live a whole extra life.

That's why I love Minneapolis. You get "green grass, trees, dirt to dig in, a view across some significant amount of space, near by water to poke and watch, if not swim, and easy access to open, quiet, uncivilized spaces where I might see birds, and woodland creatures if I am very quiet" and "theatre, fine restaurants, interesting art, and music" is just thirty minutes away!

All right, we're back, and about to take Becca and a friend to the Bulls game.

>89 maggie1944:. All sounds good, Karen. We sure like it in your part of the world. We just like where we are best. Both of us lived a number of other places, and this one hit the spot for us.

Beautiful Santa Barbara didn't work for me, so go figure.

>90 Morphidae:. We liked Minneapolis when we visited, Morphy.
Another pretty part of the country. Glad it suits you so well.

^Welcome home, Joe! I hope you were bundled up for your return. Ugh! Hope you are kicking back with a cold one.

Joe, I wish you Happy Weekend.

Yup! To each his own favorite place to live! And to all: A very Excellent Weekend!

>92 msf59: Ha! Thanks, Mark! Good to be back. Beer:30 is a happy time of the day all right.

Nice Bulls win last night. Milwaukee fought hard to the end.

It's not bad out today, and supposed to go up to the high 50s tomorrow. Break out the shorts and sun tan lotion!

>93 Ameise1: LOL! Thanks, Barbara. They sure do look like they're having a fun time. We're having a slow start to the day, with furry Sherlock relaxing on my lap at the moment. It feels good to have a couple of days before heading back to work.

Hope your weekend is off to a good start!

>94 maggie1944: A very Excellent Weekend to you, too, Karen! I'll stop by. Hope the new home is shaping up, and you're getting that reading done that you wanted.

Joe, you're welcome. I planed to read a lot especially tomorrow's start of the weeklong ReadaThing (Announcing the April 2014, Drop Everything and Read Day ReadaThing (April 6-12))

>96 Ameise1: Oh, thanks, Barbara. I didn't know about ReadaThing - great!

OK, a little bit about the amazing show After Midnight. It was nonstop singing and dancing, with music from the 1930s. The setting was Harlem, and Dulé Hill was the host. He was terrific, a mysterious, poetic, enraptured figure who led us through the night and at times dived into the singing and dancing himself. Some of you know him from West Wing and Psyche.



The dancing was exhilarating.



Among the funniest and most engaging dancers were the five guys who moved tightly together around the stage in expressionless perfect sync.



Although much of what was performed was 1930s-style dancing, the show did a great job of melding modern dance techniques with the 1930s music, especially these two guys. The lankier of the two was a bit of a rhythmic contortionist, pulling and sliding his body into unusual off-kilter positions, sometimes way down near the floor, while his partner followed along with mimicking but slightly different movements.



Great orchestra.



For me, the muted trumpet playing was particularly moving.

The singing was outstanding. There were a number of Harold Arlen songs like Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea and Raisin' the Rent, and the Sippie Wallace song Women Be Wise (hilarious delivery), Duke Ellington songs like East Louis Toodle-o and the Skrontch. a kooky and irresistible Digga Digga Doo, and lots of others. It powered along for 90 plus minutes, without intermission, and somewhere around 30 songs.



Vanessa Williams was the other big star, and she knocked us over with songs like Stormy Weather and Minnie the Moocher.



All in all, a wonderful night at the theater.

Just wondering if you gave up food for Lent? I haven't been drooling much lately over this thread.

That looks like an excellent show. Wish I could have been sitting next to you.

>98 jnwelch: I'm not a give up for Lent type of guy, Lori, so yeah, let's get some food out for everyone. We had some very good maple frosting banana cake the other night, so let's start with some of that.



>100 maggie1944: Oh, you would've loved it, Karen. The crowd was fired up! So well done.

Oh, very jealous here that you saw Dule live in After Midnight! I've heard such great things about the show, and I'm a fan of his.

>102 scaifea: We are, too, Amber. What a talented guy Dulé is! I didn't know he was Savion Glover's understudy for The Tap Dance Kid, and went on national tour for just his dancing. He was a pleasure throughout, and quite gracious afterwards in urging everyone to give to Broadway Cares, for HIV/AIDS victims and others with health problems.

>103 jnwelch: He does seem like such a nice person, doesn't he? And so talented, what with the amazing dancing, and the range he can play in acting (Charlie in WW vs. Gus in Psyche).

*bangs empty coffee mug on counter*

Where in the heck is my refill, and the order of gingerbread waffles with rum raisin sauce?!

>104 scaifea: Yes! We call Gus "MC Clap Your Hands", based on one of his many bestowed monikers.

>105 richardderus: All of us who work here at the cafe have developed almost a sixth sense about when a customer needs something, Richard. For example, you look like you could use a coffee refill and some gingerbread waffles with a good sauce, maybe rum raisin. So here you go.

^Ready for a pint, Joe? I know I am. Come on, I am one ahead of you.

>107 msf59: Ha! That looks mighty good, Mark. I'm just settling down to the NCAA Final Four with a Stone Levitation. I'm ready for Pint/Counterpint.

Hi Joe. I followed your west coast trip on other people's threads, and now I got to read about your adventures in NYC and see all the pictures. Looks like you had a fabulous time while missing out on some nasty Chicago weather.

I noticed that Longbourn was one of your favorite reads last year. I listened to it on the way home from Colorado and enjoyed it very much. Banana cake is my favorite. I've never had it with maple frosting but I'm pretty certain I would like it.

Ooh, Levitation...

I picked up a bomber of Stone Enjoy By...ooooooooooh.

Daylight savings ended down here this morning, so an extra hour to read with a nice strong cuppa

BTW can someone please reset the weather server 24C with 90%+ humidity is not Autumn ...

Hi Joe, I've had a great time catching up here and reading about you and the Mrs. being Bon Vivants" in New York.

I would absolutely kill to get a chance to see 'After Midnight', I wonder if there is a chance that the show will travel to Canada, and in particular, Vancouver.

>109 Donna828: Good to see you, Donna! Yes, we've had two excellent trips in a row, Seattle to see the young man, and NYC for a little biz and a lot of play.

I'm glad you enjoyed Longbourn, too. For me it combined a clever concept ("downstairs" complementary stories to P &P) with impressive writing. She really pulled off something difficult.

I'm a pushover for maple flavor. The banana cake with maple icing was really good.

>110 msf59: Oh yeah, Mark. I had one of those Stone Enjoy Bys, and it was a treat. The Levitation hit the spot.

>111 roundballnz: That's too much humidity, for sure, Alex, but I'd like the 75 F, if I've got the conversion right. We've had so much cold here that our perception of warm days is probably skewed - any seem welcome right now.

I love getting that extra hour. Using it to read with a nice strong cuppa is a fine idea.

>112 DeltaQueen50: Ha! Thanks, Judy. The Mrs. and I have had a grand time being bon vivants. We have a lot of fun together, which is a good sign for future years when I'll be around more and working less.

Could be, re After Midnight. Does Vancouver have a venue (or more than one) that brings in Broadway plays? That's usually the key, as far as I know. You'd love it, I'm sure.

Lovely waffles, thanks!

I had a maple creme egg from someone's Eastre candy...it was dark chocolate so it was okay.

I thoroughly enjoyed your NYC travelogue, Joe, and I'm glad that you and your MBH had such a good time there.

I haven't been to the Tenement Museum in years, probably not since the early 1990s. I'll have to make a trip there soon. When you go back, you may want to visit one (or more) of three nearby restaurants that are favorites of mine: Russ and Daughters, on Houston St between 1st Ave and Orchard St, the legendary appetizer shop which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year; Katz's Delicatessen, on corner of Houston and Orchard Sts, which is even older than Russ and Daughters (founded in 1888); and Creperie NYC on Ludlow St, the street which parallels Orchard St one block just to the east, which Suz introduced us to a few years ago, that makes delightful crepes.

Great theatre reviews as well. I'll have to see if After Midnight is playing next month; my mother would probably like to see it.

Doctor! Your travelog is making my mouth water. Perhaps I need to eat some more breakfast.

Coffee, croissants with butter, and The New York Times Review of Books, perhaps?

>116 maggie1944: Coffee, croissants with butter, and The New York Times Review of Books, perhaps?

Definitely, close (power bagel with peanut butter) and definitely, Karen!

Glad folks are enjoying the cafe! I'll respond shortly, but wanted to share this short Billy Collins poem that I thought was funny and good. Here goes.

No Time

In a rush this weekday morning,
I tap the horn as I speed past the cemetery
where my parents lie buried
side by side under a smooth slab of granite.

Then, all day long, I think of him rising up
to give me that look
of knowing disapproval
while my mother calmly tells him to lie back down.

>118 jnwelch: Ha! Billy Collins is the best poultry perpetrator going.

That is funny! I love the image of his driving past his parents burial place and knowing what they might be thinking, were they thinking.

I didn't get the Big Green Monster mowed yesterday, but I did make four loaves of Challah from scratch. My house smells like baking today and it is a lovely smell. All four loaves were all consumed by my fellow supper participants last night. You would think that four loaves would be enough for 9 people but it wasn't. I thought the Matzo Ball soup was outstanding.

Woo, turned into a beaut of a day here. 50s, sunny - lots of time outside.

>114 richardderus:, >119 richardderus: You're welcome, RD. Arrggh, I want one of those maple cream eggs, now, please.

Billy C. was Poultry Perpetrator Laureate, and is sure to get elected to the Poultry Perpetrators Hall of Fame. The latter is filled with foxes right now, and could use some variety.

>115 kidzdoc: Ah, I wish we had your vittles tips before we went to the tenement museum, Darryl. Those all sound good. We love delis, and they're not as plentiful here as in NYC.

If your mom loves that era's music, and great singing and dancing, she'll have a grand time at After Midnight. I've been in some happy audiences, but this one was really fired up by what they were doing on stage.

One quirk they have is they change the special appearance star every few months - it's been Fantasia, k.d. laing, Toni Braxton and Babyface Edmonds, and now Vanessa Williams. They haven't announced who's next yet.

>116 maggie1944: Couldn't tell whether you meant for your conversation with Darryl to be heard by the kitchen staff, Karen, but here's coffee, croissants with butter, and The New York Review of Books.



>117 kidzdoc: What is a power bagel, Darryl? One that wears a suit and tie? One that plugs in? Hmm. Here's what the kitchen staff came up with.

>120 maggie1944: Yeah, exactly, Karen. I could see his dad disapproving of his son the poet, and his mom being used to cooling his dad down. Wonderful scene to imagine.

My mom used to roll her eyes at me and my sisters - she loved us dearly, but we were all terrible at behaving properly in public. Given our usual singing at her gravesite now while my dad plays his harmonica, if she could sit up, she'd probably roll her eyes at the lot of us.

>121 benitastrnad: Four loaves of homemade challah! My family would've been all over that one, Benita. The grass can wait; that's much more important. I suspect your nine attendees could've downed a loaf a piece given the chance. With Matzo Ball soup you had a little bit of heaven going there.

Howdy Joe! Loved your NYC travels.

I'll just put in an advance order, if I may, for several of those delightful-looking croissants for breakfast tomorrow. Orange marmalade or apricot jam would be welcome. And I'm sure I don't need to mention coffee....

Yum at the food!

I'll have what >125 laytonwoman3rd: ordered for the morning too. Sounds delicious.

Hi Joe! Yes, I am coming for sure to Mark's shindig. Looks like I get to stay the night, too. So it will be a mini vacay! Hope you are doing well. My brain just can't do Sherlock with no hair! He's still adorable though.

>118 jnwelch: Hah! Love it. I'm going to have to check out more Billy Collins' poultry (as RD calls it).

>124 luvamystery65: Hi Joe! What Roberta said :-)

Morning Joe- We had a good time at Half Acre. Glad we finally made it. We were seeing our cousin's baby, in Lincoln Park and thought it was a good opportunity.
Glad you are enjoying the Rosie Project.

Hey Joe! Somewhere along the line I got the impression that you are a fan of Eudora Welty. My Sister-in-Love just recommeded that I read some of Ms. Welty's writings also, but there are so many! A suggestion please? or a favorite of your?

>122 jnwelch: Sorry about that. I've been remiss in keeping up with most threads the past couple of weeks. Hopefully you'll get to try these places on your next visit to NYC.

I think my mother would enjoy After Midnight, but I don't know if she would be up for a trip into the city, which would have to be by car. They only live 70 miles away from the city, but she may prefer to see a performance in Princeton, New Brunswick or Philadelphia, which are much closer and easier to get to by car, instead.

Hi Joe, someone upthread said "orange marmalade" and that got me to ponderin' on a kidhood fave of mine: orange marmalade bread pudding. Yum.

>124 luvamystery65: Howdy, Roberta! NYC was tons o' fun. Hope all is well in TX.

>125 laytonwoman3rd: Good morning, Linda. Croissants, marmalade or jam, not to mention (so we won't) coffee . . . Here you go:



Hope it's a good one for you today.

>126 thornton37814: Yum at the food! Yum at the food! I think we've finally got a good slogan for the cafe, Lori. :-) Hmm, now we've got to think of something for the book part, as this is a book cafe.

>127 luvamystery65: You got it, Roberta. I know, I may have what Linda's having, too.

>128 leperdbunny: Yay! Glad to hear it, Tam. I'll be there at Mark's with my MBH. It'll be good to see you.

I know, Sherlock looks way different in his non-Rastafarian mode. We've decided he looks most like a lamb now, rather than an Ewok. The best part is we can see those eyes of his, which were covered by shag before.

>129 Storeetllr: He's good, Mary. Glad you like that bit of poultry. I always suggest Sailing Alone Around the Room, a collection full of gems, for those new to Billy C. I'm reading his new collection, Aimless Love, right now, and liking it very much.

>130 wilkiec: Thanks, Diana. We had a good time indeed in NYC. Great theater, good chance to catch up with friends and relatives, and we always enjoy the city.

>131 msf59: Morning, Mark. Ha! Did the cousin's baby enjoy Half Acre, too? I like the idea that the baby created that opportunity for you to go sample some good beer.

Yes, Don's a hoot in The Rosie Project, and now he's met Rosie. I'm having a good time with it. And I started Sula. Feels good to be reunited with her excellent writing.

>132 dragonaria: Must have been someone else who looks a lot like me online, Kimberly. So far I've only read an essay of Eudora Welty's on Jane Austen. Maybe someone else in the cafe can make a recommendation. I picked The Optimist's Daughter to read next month in the AAC. It won a Pulitzer Prize, and seemed like a reasonable place to start with her.

>133 kidzdoc: No worries, Darryl. I've heard rumors you have a pretty time-consuming job, and travel a bit. :-)

I can understand that with your mom. There's no way I could've gotten my folks to go to NYC in recent years, although I've no doubt they (my mom in particular) would've loved After Midnight.

>134 richardderus: I'm not much of an orange marmalade fan, Richard, but I am a fan of all things that are bread pudding. So I'm on board. This looks good.

Joe- Only Sue and I made it to Half Acre. I wish Bree could have joined us but she wasn't feeling well.
Glad you are enjoying Rosie! It's a feel good book.
Very nice out here at the moment.

>134 richardderus:. Mmm....bread pudding. Comfort food at its best. But I admit I never heard of orange marmalade bread pudding, so now I have to have some. Do you have a family recipe, Richard, or am I left to scrounge around the interwebs to see what I can find?

Joe I don't mean to be a book pusher (heck I have no shame!) but I did learn from the very best! Red Rising is on sale on all ereader formats today for 1.99. It's one I think you will really like. Really, I do. ;-)

>138 msf59: Thanks, Mark. I got holed up in meetings here, but I'll enjoy heading home in this weather, and after a bit of a dip tomorrow, it's supposed to get even better as the week goes on.

>139 laytonwoman3rd: I'll let RD answer re the recipe, Linda. I do know that if there were a radio station that sent out food waves of "all bread pudding, all the time", I'd be tuning in.

>140 luvamystery65: You're going to get fingerpointing from some, I'm sure, Roberta, and accusations of Satanic Bird Warbling. But I know you studied hard at the School of Book Pushery, and you convinced me. Red Rising is on my Kindle now thanks to your good tip. With all my book hoarding of recent days, it may be a little while before I get to it, but I'll report back.

>135 jnwelch: Oh Joe, all those lovely croissants and coffee - may I order some for my breakfast tomorrow morning (6am my time - Switzerland). Wow, that would be a feast.

Orange Marmalade Bread Pudding

8 slices commercial loaf-style Italian bread (you know, the kind with sesame seeds on it) -- works best if left out for 2-3 days uncovered on a plate.
soft butter
orange marmalade
--trim off the crusts and make croutons
--butter each slice of bread generously and plop a tablespoon of marmalade on one side. Form sandwiches and cut each into even square quarters.

3 eggs
1C milk
1/2t vanilla extract
1/4C sour cream
1/4C whipped cream cheese
1T bourbon or rye or cheapass scotch (NB: IT IS A CARDINAL SIN TO USE GOOD SCOTCH LIKE THIS)
4T light brown sugar
--Whip until smooth

Arrange sandwich quarters in a metal, not glass, baking dish. (8x8 usually does it)
Pour yum-yum over them.
Put in the fridge for a half four or so.

Preheat the oven to 350°
Dot the sandwich quarters with a bit more marmalade, or simply strew the top with some plain ol' sugar so it will caramelize a bit
Bake 45min; check for firmness. If jigglewobbley go 10min more; if slightly shaky, turn off the oven and leave it for ~5min; if set, and bread is up a bit from the custard, take it out and cool until warmish.

Do not eat entire pan of pudding. Dire things happen.

No hurry to read it Joe. Book 2 isn't out until next January. I just wanted you to snatch it up at that price. When I was reading it I thought that you would really enjoy it.

I learned my book pushery from the very, very best!

>142 Ameise1: We may have to use some time jiggery to make it happen, Barbara, but the staff has it on their "to make" list.

>143 richardderus: "When I make bread pudding, I like to use Cheapass Brand scotch. It would be a cardinal sin to use anything better!" I think you could make tens, maybe 20s, of dollars, with this idea, Richard.

I do wonder whether you should go on one of the cooking shows. You've got quite a repertoire and an impressive skill set, as far as I can tell.

*note to self - share small sliver of delicious orange marmalade bread pudding so as not to eat entire pan and invite dire things to happen*

>144 luvamystery65: Yeah, that price is irresistible, Roberta. I've noticed they've been doing this more for #1's in a series to suck us in, but I'm a series maniac anyway, so they'd probably have a good chance of sucking me in without that. Nonetheless, I'm happy for the bargain, and appreciate your pushing this one.

I remember back when you first showed up, and you had trouble pushing a few paragraphs, much less a whole book. Now you're already in the pro leagues and, who knows, maybe some day the Hall of Fame. It's a beautiful thing to see. *wipes a bit of moisture from his eyes and blames it on chopping onions*

Joe, you are my hero.

>145 jnwelch: Ha! I can tell you really love that breakfast, Barbara! :-)

>145 jnwelch: Aww…*sniffs* I owe it all to my mentor who showed me the ropes around these parts and introduced me to lots of folks around the Cafe. What nice lovely memories. Then when I met the other book pusher, also from Chicago area, then I really learned to get pushy! The beast has been unleashed. :D

Forgot to mention, re: pudding, that cherry preserves & brandy works well, but for some reason raspberry turns yucky. Oh, and canned apple pie filling with applejack is good, too.

Heh. I think a close-up of my hands would be so off-putting as to make the show unsalable!

>143 richardderus: Good thing you added that last line...'cause precautions will need to be taken. I'll be the only one in my house who will eat it, so there won't even be competition...

Edit: >150 laytonwoman3rd: OH. NOW what do I do? I myownself was contemplating apricot preserves and brandy...

>148 luvamystery65: Aw shucks, Roberta, I just helped you a bit when you were starting up in the push leagues. When you were ready to move up into the pros, we had to get you hooked up with that other Chicago area guy, who knows his book pushery like nobody else. :-)

>149 richardderus: I'm ready for a bread pudding feast after all this. Why has no one started a bread pudding shop, like all the cupcake and donut ones, etc., out there?

For your tv show, I was thinking a lovely pair of cooking gloves would take care of that problem.

I didn't like apricot preserves in the preparation. The same thing happened as with raspberries: too even consistency and therefore it got gummy. Ick. Needs chunkiness.

Joe, try the same custard and make the sammiches with challah and blueberry cream cheese!

>152 richardderus: Awww....nuts. Ooooh.....NUTS. Nuts are chunky. Walnuts with the orange marmalade....yeah???

Walnuts on top! Toasty! OOOOOO That sounds lovely!

In fact, why not toasted almond slivers? With Amaretto in place of bourbon?

Oh PS Joe, someday remind me to make gruyere and mushroom bread pudding for you.

>152 richardderus:, >153 richardderus:, >154 laytonwoman3rd:, >155 richardderus: *awestruck*

>156 richardderus: YES! I will be at your door ASAP, Richard! (Which unfortunately may take a while. Stupid work).

>156 richardderus: Wait...you could have bread pudding for main course AND dessert?

Add sausage to the mushrooms instead of shallots, double the quantity, and it should serve 4.

Hope you are having a great Monday,Joe. I've been craving marmelade ever since you posted that fantastic breakfast of croissoints and marmelade. Now I am drooling over Richard's yummy sounding recipe. That one will definitely be appearing on my table soon!

ah, that must be it, the Jane Austen essays. Thanks!

^My kind of Geek Girl! Impeccable taste.

Orange marmalade bread pudding, oy vey!

Orange marmalade! among the very best taste sensations ever! Bread pudding: best place for it.

>142 Ameise1: Your order was up on the white board in the kitchen, Barbara. Here you go:



>158 laytonwoman3rd:, >159 richardderus: As RD might say, go on with your bad selves! I will say, we're allowed to have bread pudding 24/7 here. Particularly with all the variations Richard knows, we should be able to make a balanced diet out of all bread pudding, all the time. The Bread Pudding Diet - hmm, no touchstone. There may be an opportunity here.

>160 DeltaQueen50: "Great" and "Monday" probably makes up an oxymoron in my grumpy world, Judy, particularly after enjoying our time in NYC, but it wasn't too bad. I appreciate the thought.

Does anyone sing songs about Tuesday? "Tuesday, Tuesday, you're not the start, the end, or the hump/If this were leapfrog, over Tuesday we'd jump." Better not give up my day job.

Richard gets us all with those recipes and food ideas of his. Glad this one is going to show up on your RL table. Post a pic, if you can!

>161 dragonaria: You bet, Kimberly. Good luck! Please let us know which Welty you pick, and how you like it.

>162 msf59: Love it, Mark! That's got to be by Ryan Kelly, the guy who illustrated one of my all-time fave gns, Brian Wood's Local.

Here's one of his from that one:



>164 maggie1944: Such a good combo, isn't it, Karen? It deserves a reprise:

>118 jnwelch: I love it! I laughed out loud.

>163 leperdbunny: Go for it, Tam! We've got more of that orange marmalade bread pudding right above.

>166 Morphidae: Ha! Glad you liked that, Morphy. Billy Collins is one of the rare poets with a good sense of humor. A number of his will make you laugh. He and Kay Ryan appeared together at a Chicago Humanities Festival whose theme was "Humor", and they were charming together.

>162 msf59:- I knew you would like it. I NEED to own Local!!

>168 msf59: Yeah, you know me, Mark. Right up my alley. I agree - such a good one! I own Local, and I've given it as a gift.

>165 jnwelch: Joe, merci beaucoup, it's absolutely delicious. hugs xx

>170 Ameise1: :-)

>167 jnwelch: I have one of his books on Mount TBR. I think it's the only book of poetry on it to be honest.

Joe- I finally started Underground. It grabbed me immediately. I know you are a big fan. I wasn't crazy about Blind Willow, so I am glad this one works so well.

>172 Morphidae: Worth climbing up Mount TBR and taking a peek inside, Morphy. He's an enjoyable poet. You won't feel like you're back in school doing homework.

>173 msf59: Oh good, Mark. It's a fascinating story, and he tells it in a very straightforward, respectful way.

Blind Willow is his weakest book, in my opinion. (Still has some home runs in it). Try his other novels, when time permits. The Elephant Vanishes is a good short story collection, much better than BWSW.

"one of my all-time fave gns, Brian Wood's Local."

Therefore added to my Library wishlist and tagged "75er Recommendation" on LT.

As a relaitve newbie to GNs (jsut the past couple of years) your thread and Mark's are good places for me to hang out.

>174 jnwelch: Aimless Love is on one of my TBR Soon rather than a TBR Someday list. Everyone of his poems I've seen on LT so far, I've liked.

>175 SuziQoregon: Oh good, Juli. Local is essentially a dozen interconnected short stories centering around a young woman who travels across the U.S. If you're like Mark and me, you'll get quite caught up in the stories and her character. The detailed artwork really enhances the storytelling.

We could probably identify other shared favorites for you - I know, for example, we also both liked The Nao of Brown a lot.

>176 Morphidae: Aimless Love is his new collection that I'm in the midst of reading, Morphy. I've liked every one I've read so far. It briefly made the NY Times bestseller list, almost unheard of for a non-celebrity poetry book.

I can safely recommend his previous collection, Sailing Alone Around the Room, because I've read all of that. It's outstanding.

Glad you've got him on your "Soon" rather than your "Someday" TBR.

Excellent - thank you. I've added that one to my list too!

>178 SuziQoregon: Glad to hear it! Since that's working well for you, Juli, I'll give you one more you can consider, that both Mark and I liked, The Complete Essex County by Jeff Lemire.

That one is already on my list! I just read the first Sweet Tooth by Lemire over the weekend and already picked up the second at the library. Mark recommended both that and Essex County to me at the same time.

Keep 'em coming though - never hurts to add good ones to my wish list.

#174
I agree with you Joe about Blind Willow. There were a couple of good stories in it, but it wasn't nearly as good of a collection of short stories as was After the Quake. In general I like his novels better than his short stories. I want to get to Wild Sheep Chase or Hard Boiled Wonderland sometime soon. Neither of them are the huge doorstoppers that are 1Q84 and Wind-Up Bird Chronicle so perhaps I will get to them this year.

Right now I have a good start on Cinder and am really liking it.

Joe- The chapter, in Underground, dealing with the young woman who was in a coma and then was disabled, was a heart-breaker, but it was also about love and perseverance.

^Very happy to see the Local, the Lemire and the Murakami LOVE!! Yah!

>181 benitastrnad: I vote for Hard Boiled Wonderland ......

I'm getting excited to visit! Hope you are having a lovely day Joe!

>180 SuziQoregon: Excellent, Juli. We'll ponder. My MBH is quite taken by Sweet Tooth.

>181 benitastrnad: Good to hear from a fellow Murakamian, Benita. After the Quake was the first book of his I read, and is still one of my favorites. You'll have a good time with Wild Sheep Chase and Hard-Boiled Wonderland. Both bizarre, both really good.

>182 msf59: Yes, the girl who could not speak. Very moving, I agree, Mark. I'm glad you're getting a lot out of Underground. Scary, too.

Good to see favorites being discussed, isn't it? Juli is interested in more gn recs, so we'll need to give those some more thought. How about Blankets?

>183 roundballnz: I'd pick Hard-Boiled Wonderland, too, Alex. I liked Wild Sheep Chase a lot, but I think Hard-Boiled Wonderland is one of his best. I do like all the novels. Norwegian Wood would probably be my least favorite, but I'm thinking I should re-read it some day and give it more of a chance. It seemed a bit tame after reading his more surprising ones.

>184 leperdbunny: It's a beaut over here in Chi-town, Tam. Sunny and mild. I'm looking forward to the meetup, too! Hope you have a lovely one today.

How about this for a first sentence? "I may have found a solution to the Wife Problem." In this screwball comedy, the narrator is a professor of genetics named Don Tillman, who teaches at a Melbourne university. He is tall and bears some resemblance to Gregory Peck, but is such an odd duck that he has trouble connecting with women and, really, anyone. His two friends, fellow prof Gene and his wife Claudia, understand his idiosyncrasies and appreciate his warm heart.

Don creates a questionaire for potential mates to fill out, that will eliminate unfavorable candidates like those fixated on one flavor of ice cream. (This derived from "the Ice Cream Incident", in which an ice cream store's failure to have his date's ice cream choice leads to a dating disaster). Lack of punctuality, vegetarianism, and other eliminating criteria are included. Then, via a misunderstanding, he meets the unpunctual, vegetarian Rosie. Rosie has many other eliminating qualities, but Don finds himself drawn to help her find her biological father, even though it means that for the first time he will be breaking some of his rules. Their adventures together collecting DNA from potential candidates are very amusing, and their pushme-pullyou relationship is charming. Don knows from the beginning she is not a suitable candidate and yet . . . and Rosie finds his crazy ways entertaining, but his difficulties with emotions too frustrating, and yet . . .

Many thanks to Mark for recommending this one. Simsion nails the tone perfectly throughout. A set piece at a party in which Don helps Rosie by acting as waiter and bartender, taking advantage of his phenomenal memory, is classic. This is a fun romp that has the bonus of helping us look at ourselves and our relationships from a different, gently odd, perspective.

#185
Norwegian Wood was certainly an experience. I had to keep trying to put myself back into 1968 and thinking about what the times were like. It did serve to remind me that 1968 was a year of unsettlement and discontent all over the world - not just here in the U. S. I also think it is a very Japanese book with references that might not translate well into English. It certainly was worth reading and did not put me off of Murakami. I try to read one of his books every year and so far I have been able to do so without difficulty. Even a clinker by him is readable.

>187 benitastrnad: I agree, Benita, reading Norwegian Wood was fine, and didn't put me off Murakami at all. I just like all his other ones better. It was his first big hit in Japan, so it would make sense that it's a very Japanese book with references that might not translate well into English, as you say.

As I mentioned, I'm actually thinking I may read it again, because I'm not sure I was fair to it the first time - for me, it was quite different from his others, and I kept waiting for twists that didn't come. It's a simpler story than I'm used to from him, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. It has its own huge fan base, although not so much in America.

Joe I did not care for A Catskill Eagle very much. :(

I need a Mexican HoCho please.

>189 luvamystery65: Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, Roberta. It's actually one I've gone back and re-read. I know what some others haven't liked about A Catskill Eagle. What didn't you like? I thought it was a good wakeup call for the Spenser who behaved cavalierly about the relationship with Susan in that earlier book, but I know some have found the plot overblown.

Mexican HoCho on us, for the disappointing book experience.

>190 jnwelch: Thank you for my HoCho Joe! Ha! I made a funny. ;-)

I have a well documented rant on my thread detailing exactly why I did not like the book. I guess the bad thing about putting characters and people on a pedestal is that they will fall off.

>190 jnwelch: You're welcome, Roberta! *scoots over to Roberta's thread to read the rant*

>165 jnwelch: *holds out bowl* Please sir, may I have some bread pudding?

The Rosie Project sounds like a perfect, fun, and funny movie. Who will star?

>193 richardderus: Do I understand that you're asking for more, Oliver Derus, after you have eaten the supper allotted by the dietary?' I'm staggered. But you've got nothing but thumbs up from the kitchen, so here you go (we can bring even more):



Casting The Rosie Project: for Don, maybe Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Michael Fassbender, or the frumious Cumberbatch?

For Rosie, maybe Emma Stone, Amy Adams, or Jessica Chastain?

Great review of Rosie, Joe! Hopefully, you can snag a few more readers, with it.
I just heard they are going to make Eleanor and Park into a film too.

Gorgeous day, right?

oh, my, goodness. The food here at Joe's Cafe is back! The yummy pictures. Lucky for me I just ate some break-fast and think I can allow myself another cup of coffee, please, proprietor, sir. I'm glad to see you are being generous with the break puddings.

>194 jnwelch: Emma Stone and Tom Hiddleston! What a dream match.

Any more breadsy pudds?

Joe, did you use the wrong egg? Waves from good old Europe.

>195 msf59: Exactly, Mark. I'm hoping the same thing, that we get a few more LTers to give The Rosie Project a try. What a good time that was!

Eleanor & Park could make a very good movie. Besides the realism of those two, I'm still impressed that the parents were portrayed as well-meaning, imperfect, believable people. Seems so rare in this kind of book.

I had to work through lunch on this gorgeous day, can you believe it? I'll be sure to get out tomorrow. Should make for a pleasant commute home anyway.

>196 maggie1944: As a bread pudding fancier myself, Karen, I'd feel particularly curmudgeonly if we weren't generous with them. Coffee we can do. There'll be more bread pudding appearing below, so if you change your mind, bring a fork.

>

>197 richardderus: Wouldn't that be a great match, Richard? Quick wits both.

More breadsy pudds - yes, indeed.



>198 Ameise1: LOL! You always make me laugh, Barbara. Waving back from the good old USA. Hope you've had a good one today.

:-)

>198 Ameise1: LOL.

Goodmorning Joe!

Morning Joe!

h...now see? Now I want to read Rosie. I have been leaning toward it and you have pushed me over the edge :( Where will I find the time??

mmmm Mexican HoCho!

>200 Ameise1: :-) Have a good one today, Barbara.

>201 wilkiec: Good morning, Diana! Hope all is well in your part of the world.

>202 Thebookdiva: There's our Abby! Hope you're feeling aerodynamic and happy with your trimmed hair.

>203 mckait: You'll have a good time with Rosie, Kath; hard not to. Fit it in when you're in the mood for a light, charming read.

Mexican HoCho? Si, si!

Happy Thursday, Joe. I am having a day off. It looks like we might get a little rain but it will be warm. I am enjoying Underground, which I'll resume tomorrow on audio.

Looking for something a little spicy for lunch ... something to add a little zing for my day?

Hope your day is going well.

>205 msf59: Good, Mark! It's a bit overcast, but otherwise what a good day to have a day off! I'm definitely getting out into it at lunch time today.

Who reads Underground on audio? I can imagine the book works pretty well that way.

>206 michigantrumpet: Hiya, Marianne! Good to see you. Some solvable difficulties today involving my pa in Ann Arbor, but otherwise everything's okay. Hope it's good day for you, too.

Something spicy for lunch, eh? Hmmm. How about chicken fajitas?

"Who reads Underground on audio?" I do! I do! Actually it works very well, with multiple readers. Getting cloudy out there but it's nice having the house "open".

>208 msf59: Ha! I probably could have asked that a little more clearly, Mark. Multiple readers sounds like a good idea. Yes, we opened up our house over the weekend and it felt good. Debbi greeted me out on our porch last night, which is a good sign that the weather's finally turning warm.

>204 jnwelch: Joe, I'm busy as during the whole week but we have lovely weather and it's pritty warm over here. Waves.

Bread pudding for after my heart was ripped out of my chest and stomped flat.

I've finished the last available Chronicles of St Mary's and am wondering what precisely it is I'm expected to do now. I think it's mega-comfort-eating day.

So, chili cheese fries loaded down, macaroni and cheese, tamale casserole, carrot cake, curried fruit with cornbread stuffing, a few pounds of grilled Italian sausage, a jeroboam of Veuve Clicquot, a snifter of Remy Martin VSOP, and an Ardbeg Corryvreckan.

To go.

>210 Ameise1: That sounds good, Barbara. I think we're all emerging out from under the prolonged arctic blast. *waves back across the pond*

>211 richardderus: Holy empty the storage units, Batman! This obviously has had a profound effect on you, Richard. Chronicles of St. Mary's? I believe we're talking about the Jodi Taylor series, right? It says something that it's caught your fancy that much.

We called in extra staff, given the emergency. *deep breath* OK, here we go:



And a wheelbarrow to carry you back out the door, when you're done:

*oink*

That oughta do it. Bless you.

*high fives in the kitchen* Yes! Another satisfied customer! *note to self: read that one damned thing after another book that's the first in the appetite-inducing series*

I don't think you'll regret it, Joe. It's simple fun, or a deeper meditation on some issues that growing older brings to our attention, whichever you prefer at the time.

>215 richardderus: Sounds good to me, Richard. I'm on it; just got to make it through a predecessor.

Loved the chicken fajitas. Hope all's been well and properly resolved in A2 for you.

>217 michigantrumpet: Glad those hit the spot, Marianne. More to come in A2; he turns 91 this month and needs more help than in the olden days. But it will all be fine.

>190 jnwelch: Joe regarding A Catskill Eagle the world is divided into two camps ;

the ones who think Susan treated Spenser badly and

the ones who think Spenser treated Susan badly.

It's not one of my favorite Spenser books.

>212 jnwelch: I'm hungry now. Off to the kitchen to see what I can find!

>219 magicians_nephew: Makes sense, Jim. Those crazy kids. In the long arc of the Spenser series, for me, it just looks like the struggles we all go through at some point, except with lots more guns, fighting, and skulduggery. Fun to hear others' reactions to all of it!

>220 thornton37814: Sounds good, Lori. Assuming you don't mean your own kitchen (why would you look to find something in real life when you have virtual food at your fingertips?), we always encourage our cafe patrons to interact directly with the kitchen staff. The staff knows a heck of a lot more about what's going on here than the goofy proprietor does.

I think A Catskill Eagle is about the only Spenser book I've never re-read. I probably should give it another read; knowing now that the series goes on and the relationship evolves to what it does would make it more tolerable, I think.

Oh! Hi, Joe. I'm back. But I guess you know that now, eh? Not caught up in any way, shape or form, but I'm back.

>222 rosalita: Great to have you back, Julia! Hooray!

Yeah, for me, a re-read of A Catskill Eagle with an understanding of where it all goes was enjoyable. I never liked Jerry, but who would. The criticisms I've seen were based on a feeling the plot was overblown, so the personal relationships part surprised me a bit.

Looking forward to more Julia sightings in the near future!

ETA: I finished Sula, which was well-written but didn't vibrate my soul strings. Started the RD- rec'd Just One Damned Thing After Another, and I'm having quite a good time with it. You go, Miss (aka Dr.) Maxwell!

Carrot cake. I think carrot cake sounds perfect. I loved the discontinued Haagen Dazs flavor carrot cake...vanilla ice cream with carrot cake bits and a cream cheese icing swirl. It was divine, and it lasted about a year.

Plain ice cream with nothing in or on it is a step above eating yogurt.

The Chronicles of St Mary's lure another unsuspecting soul to his readerly doom...heh

>224 richardderus: Yes, I can hear the siren call from The Chronicles of St. Mary's even after lashing myself to my chair and stuffing my ears full of carrot cake. The urge to read TCOSM versus the obligation to work - the battle is unfair.

This should help with that carrot cake/Haagen Dazs craving:

Carrot Cake Ice Cream?! And I missed it?!?! Ding dang!

I must console myself with Blue Bunny vanilla ice cream, with hot fudge sauce and peanuts. Yep, I think that's what Charlie and I will have as an afternoon *ahem* snack...

Hope you can pop out for lunch today! It's a beaut!

>226 scaifea: I had a dear aunt who had a large pond on her property. My future husband and I were visiting there one summer afternoon, mainly to swim in the pond. When we came out of the water, and went inside to change, she offered us homemade hot fudge sundaes with peanuts. She declared that she was careful about eating such things....only allowing herself one a day!

>226 scaifea: The Blue Bunny is God

*pffft* on that cyanotic rabbit! Blue Bell is the shazizzle, the ne plus ultra, the most ut, in perfection of taste, in texture, in quantity for money.

I have ice creamed my way across the USA and I speak from a waist-expanding amount of research. It is The Best There Is.

carrot cake ice cream ??? befuddles ones mind, the two are great but together .......

>230 richardderus: totally agree Blue Bell is the best

I love any kind of ice cream. I keep a carton in my freezer all the time. When I get home late I eat some of that instead of supper. The trick to it is stopping before pure gluttony has taken over.

Joe, tomorrow is baking day. I am thinking it is time for more Challah. But maybe I will do an eggplant and mozerella cheese pizza with whole wheat crust.

And I forgot - a nice bottle of Chianti.

I'm putting on weight just reading your thread again, Joe!

Just wanted to let you know that the automatic continuation feature didn't work when I started a new thread, so people will have to find their way there AND remember to manually star the thread if they want to keep track of me.
http://www.librarything.com/topic/172583

>228 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: *snork!* Love it!

>229 magicians_nephew: Jim: I know, right?

>230 richardderus: *blows raspberry in Richard's general direction*

Morning, Joe!

Hey there! I am trying to pop in and say hello to friends.. Joe, rd had dragged me into the St. Mary book frenzy. I haven't begun yet. You wouldn't believe the week I just had, All indications are that the next few days are going to be out of the ordinary, too.

That carrot cake looks yum. My niece invited me down yesterday to see the boys and have coffee. And there were Chai cupcakes! She made double strong Chai tea and turned them into cupcakes with some kind of friendship bread starter, then made Chai frosting. That is what I had for dinner. delish.

Joe, I wish you

>226 scaifea: That Charlie is one lucky guy, Amber. Am I too old for adoption? Growing up was fine for me, but I never got snacks like that. Nor did our kids, poor chumps.

>227 msf59: I did get out at lunchtime, Mark, and it was a beaut, all right. I'd take as much of that as Mother Nature wants to dish up. 70s today, maybe with some rain. We'll take it!

Nice Bulls win last night. I was there with a buddy. Down 18 at the half to the Pistons, they just kept coming, and ended up winning by eight. What a pleasure this season has been. Who would've guessed, after Derek went down and Luol got traded.

>228 laytonwoman3rd: Your aunt shows admirable restraint, don't you think, Linda? :-) I've mentioned this before, but at the end of her life our mom started eating ice cream for breakfast, because she wanted to. We loved it.

>229 magicians_nephew: Who is this Blue Bunny we're worshiping, Jim? Must investigate.



Hmm. I may need to locate the ice cream church. This is new to me.

>230 richardderus: What is this Blue Bell ice cream we're shazizzling, Richard? Must investigate.



Hmm. Does the best ice cream always have Blue in its name?

Happy Saturday! I have to run away now, no ice cream in my future. Coffee is my main joy these days, and I'll go eat some healthy breakfast food, and hope for no headaches. Reading will be on the menu for today. New refrigerator on the menu for tomorrow. Yay!

>231 roundballnz: Befuddlin' delicious, that's what I say, Alex. Let's try some carrot cake ice cream:



>232 SuziQoregon: OK, Juli. Obviously we need an LT meetup Blue Bunny/Blue Bell taste test. I'm a tabula rasa, or at least a mundus autem lamina (clean plate) when it comes to these ice creams.

>233 benitastrnad: Our parents were big ice cream fans, Benita. I like it as a treat (particularly at Molly Moon's in Seattle), but we usually don't keep any in the freezer. Cookies, on the other hand, are essential to my sense of well-being.

An eggplant and mozerella cheese pizza with whole wheat crust sounds most excellent. I'd even be willing to help with the making if I could help with the eating.

>234 ronincats: All this ice cream probably is going to add to that virtual weight gain, Roni! The good news is you just need to push the "feel good" button, and it's all gone.



Thanks for the link to your new thread. How strange. It's now starred, and I'll be over soon to say hello.

>235 scaifea: You said it all, Amber. I love *snork*

>236 mckait: I know, RD's started a St. Mary's bookapalooza, hasn't he, Kath? I'm continuing to have a good time with the first one. Now we're getting ready in it to head back to the Cretaceous period. Miss Maxwell is well worth rooting for.

You've got me intrigued re your past week and next few days. What's going on? Time travel?

My MBH and daughter would be all over those Chai cupcakes. I might pass them by and snag the latte cookies, but I'm glad you enjoyed them.

>237 Ameise1: :-) I'm bound to have a happy weekend after getting a nice gif like that, Barbara. Thanks. I hope you have a happy weekend, too.

>239 maggie1944: Happy Saturday, Karen! A healthy breakfast and coffee sounds just right to me. I'm having some Peet's Major Dickason's right now. Which reminds me I need to check in on the blessed Ellie, who got me started on Peet's coffee way back when.

New fridge tomorrow? Outstanding! I know what a difference that can make. Hope the headaches leave you alone and you get lots of enjoyable reading done today. Watch out for the St. Mary's fever that's going around.

I'll trade my chai cupcakes for a carrot cake...a hummingbird cake...a lemon rosemary cake...heck, a made-from-a-box cake. Just not frosting from a can, nonono not. Not ever.

>241 jnwelch: :-), I'll try do have one.

>242 richardderus: Here you go, RD, lemon rosemary cake and no frosting from a can.



>243 Ameise1: :-)

Looks like you got yourself one great weekend project, Joe, with taste testing those two "Blue" ice creams. I know nothing about either but somehow my confidence seems to be in the one that has a cow on the package vs. the one with the bunny. I prefer my dairy products to come from a cow.

I am curling up with both The Mountains of Mourning which I am loving and a great little adventure story with the extra-long title of Bloody Jack; Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy.

Have a great weekend.

So.... I found I was out of "milk" which for me these days is a delicious mix of Coconutmilk mixed with Almondmilk (really it does taste very good); so, off I went (hungry) to the grocery store. One apple turnover and a Starbucks double tall soy latté, and some useful shopping, I came home. And ate mixed nuts while reading and finishing the latté. I am not having a productive day, and I am making some progress in reading. And oh, moving stuff out of the way of the new frig arriving tomorrow. I am excited. Hope to radically reduce the lost left over foods in the back of the shelves.

>241 jnwelch:
Cretaceous period redux, yay!!!

Wait until you read what happens in St. Mary's #2, it's cracklin' fun.

>193 richardderus: How can you have your pudding if you don't eat your meat?!?

>230 richardderus: No, no, no. Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk is the bomb.

There's also Culver's Frozen Custard. It has eggs in it which makes it dense and smooth - and yummy. It has a consistency half-way between soft-serve and "hard" ice cream.

>248 Morphidae: Life's short, eat dessert first. Words to live by.

Culver's, Cold Stone Creamery, et alii, are fine. But you have to get dressed and leave the house to get once serving at a time. I count them as "frippery" purchases, whereas Blue Bell *drool* is a staple like coffee, pasta, bacon, and scotch. A well-run household doesn't lack these items.

I've reviewed the ancient H. Beam Piper short story, the first in his Paratime series, He Walked Around the Horses in my Short Stories thread...post #32.

mmm cake. Still trying to wrap my brain around a book.....

Hi Joe- We are hanging tight at the homestead tonight, maybe we'll watch a movie. We are saving our energy for next Saturday's Meet-up, which could possibly be a maniacal blow-out. LOL.

Have you read the Chicago thriller writer, Marcus Sakey? He is consistently good and he seems to do strictly stand-alones, which is refreshing. I started Brilliance, his latest book and it's fun and fast-paced.

Hope you guys are having a great evening.

Ok, I'm with Morphie on New York Super Fudge Chunk. But also love, love, love Hersey's chocolate peanut butter. Sweet, salt, chocolate, peanuts, pure heaven!

Heading into the kitchen to make Ginger Rosewater cupcakes for the book discussion group tomorrow. then it is to bed with Cinder.

Oh! Benita, I hope you like Cinder, and Scarlet, and Cress. A great little series.

Good Sunday Morning, Joe! I admit that I skimmed in order to catch up, but I did write down a few GN recommendations, and I drooled over all the yummy food and drinks. Concerning A Catskill Eagle - it should not be reread. Ever. It should be thrown with great force across the room and allowed to slide gracelessly down the wall. Thank goodness for Hawk and Rachel or I never would have made it through that one.

Now, I'll have the usual, please, kind sir.

>255 Crazymamie: Mamie - shake hands. Said it better than I could

>256 magicians_nephew: Ha! A kindred spirit!

>251 msf59: I'll pipe up in seconding Mark with Marcus Sakey who is an eminently readable thriller writer, Joe.

I read The Blade Itself a few years ago and quite liked it. The author is scarily a doppleganger of Paul Michael Glaser if you have the chance to check him out.

Have a great Sunday, Joe.

>252 drneutron: To be honest, New York Super Fudge Chunk is more like having a little bit of ice cream with your candy and nuts.

>245 DeltaQueen50: Isn't The Mountains of Mourning great, Judy? I know a lot of folks like those Bloody Jack stories, too.

I'm still clueless on blue bunnies and bells, as we didn't make any kind of ice cream sojourn this weekend. I can speak highly of Revolution Anti-hero beer. Oh, and we had an iced molasses cookie from a local bakery that was outstanding.

>246 maggie1944: Has the new fridge arrived, Karen? Your kind of grazing matches mine - that coconut/almond milk sounds good to me, as does an apple turnover, latte and mixed nuts. I just had some toasted cinnamon raisin bread here with cheddar on top, on my MBH's rec. Good!

>247 AuntieClio: Ah, that's excellent to here, Stephanie. They just found some, ahem, problems back in the Cretaceous period. Plus Miss Maxwell has had some wild fun with the Chief.

>248 Morphidae: Horror was depicted on every countenance, Morphy, at the request for more from Oliver/Richard. The gentleman in the white waistcoat was sure he'd be hung some day.

Let's get a look at these new ice cream and dessert suggestions.



Hmm. Let the debate continue.

>249 richardderus: Having to get out of jammies and leaving the house certainly is a negative for the non-blue-b's, Richard. I normally don't want to travel for cookies, either.

I'll peruse the Piper short story review. I never found an entry read for him, so maybe this will be one.

>250 mckait: Cake can be very helpful in wrapping your mind around a book, Kath. Currently I'm going with Ginger Cats Cookies from Trader Joe's, but I could change to cake in a blink.

>251 msf59: Yeah, we took it easy last night, too, Mark, after two nights out. Debbi's performing tonight at a storytelling event, so it was good to catch our breath a bit.

Looking forward to next week's meetup. Debbi's going to make sure we have money for the tolls. :-)

I've tried Marcus Sakey without success. I don't know what it is, but so far he hasn't grabbed. I do like another Chicago mystery writer, Michael Harvey.

>252 drneutron: There's a lot of ice cream love in the air, Jim. Hersey's chocolate peanut butter ice cream? Hmm.



>253 benitastrnad: You bake some very unusual items, Benita. I love ginger, so I'd be more than willing to try one of those ginger rosewater cupcakes.



Are you still liking Cinder? My MBH is eating up Scarlet now, and I've thought all three so far (Cress being the third) were really good.

Those are exactly what my cupcakes look like. Except that my Rosewater glaze was a little on the thin side and dripped off the top of the cupcakes. Oh well! I just let it get sticky dry and put on a another layer.

I made these a year ago for the easter meeting of my book discussion group and they loved them. This is a revisiting. Add this recipe to your cake recipes - it is a keeper. Not so sweet (with that ginger in the cupcake) and that rosewater flavor and scent is really different.

I got some cleaning in my kitchen done and so today I will spend most of my time reading Cinder and talking with the ladies at book club about Cat's Eye.

>254 maggie1944: Hear, hear, Karen! I think the Lunar Chronicles series makes for an excellent read.

>255 Crazymamie: Yikes! That's a very strong opinion, Mamie, the kind I usually reserve for Faulkner. Woo, let's hope he re-kindles your enjoyment with the next one.

Your usual coming up:



>256 magicians_nephew:, >257 Crazymamie: Et tu, Jim? What's the world coming to? Thank goodness Mr. Parker isn't around to hear this.

>258 PaulCranswick: Hope you're having a great Sunday, Paul. I'll have to check out Marcus Sakey again. As I mentioned to Mark, he just didn't grab me when I tried before.

>259 Morphidae: It looks that way, Morphy. I must say, having a little bit of ice cream with your candy and nuts doesn't sound too shabby. If they threw some cookies in they'd really be talking my language.

>262 benitastrnad: Sounds like a good accompaniment to a book discussion, Benita. What's the book?

PFFFFFF, catching my breath. I can't keep up. Following you to your new thread and I hope I did not miss too much.

>264 connie53: Appreciate it, Connie. I know it can be hard! Lots of ice cream discussed, and try The Rosie Project if you're in the mood for something witty, interesting and upbeat.