RichardDerus first thread of 2015!

Posting soon!

here too!

And a just-in-casenik

Oh, hi there!

*big, big smiles*

Review: 1 of seventy-five

Title: STILL MOSTLY TRUE

Author: BRIAN ANDREAS

Rating: 3.75* of five

The Publisher Says: Expands on the laughter and lunacy of the first, with over 80 of Brian's stories & drawings, including such favorites as Angels of Mercy & True Things.

My Review: Three years ago, I heard about Brian Andreas somewhere and somewhen. I got a good deal of urging by friends who had read it and thought of me the whole time (or so I'm assured).

I guess I'm weirder than I thought.

Make that "more beguiling," as I'm also referred to for reasons best left unlearned. I hope all y'all will read and review the book. I want to know why the darn thing reminds people of me!

You're here! You're here! You're here!!!!

*Smoooooooooch* Welcome back, Richard!

Welcome back, bro!

Aaaaaaaaand he's back! Let the warbling begin... :)

Smooches, you are back. I'm so happy to see you posting. oxox

RD, pleased to sort of see you buddy. Ease your way in dear fellow as you'll have us all panting whilst trying to keep up. Can say with a tinge of understatement that you have been sorely missed

So pleased to have you back Richard. *Smooch*

((Hugs)) and xx smooches xx, RD! Glad to see you back!

Thanks for the welcome! I've chosen a book I picked here at the Home to be first review of 2015. The liberry here is...eclectic, as you'd expect the leftovers of ~150 people to be. Lotsa stuff I've never heard of! W00t!

They've rung the feediin ' bell, so I'm off like a prom dress. Later!

Happy to see you back in LTland, RD!

Happy New Thread, RD! Love having the old curmudgeon back!!

Welcome back!

Now this is more like it.

LOL ... I thought you said you were going off to lunch IN a prom dress!

RD is back! *smooches*

And all is well in the LT world.

Welcome back, Richard!

What a treat! So happy to see you are back, Richard!

Welcome back, dear Richard!

Almost missed this thread!

Welcome back and try not to drown in all the *smooches* (many of them from me)!

Richard, it's good to have you back, and reviewing already!

>18 cameling: That's what I thought, too!

Welcome back, my friend.

Welcome back!!!! :D

So great to see you posting again, welcome back!

Can it be Richard is returning..Hip, Hip Hooray...We have missed you greatly Richard.

♥♥♥

All is right in the world. *smooch*

Uh oh. He's baaack. Clear out all the books by Chuckles, pour out the tea, and for Pete's sake, shoo the cats out!

I think we should keep the cats.

>13 richardderus: All my prom dresses stayed on, what a deprived childhood I had.

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I'm so glad to come here,
And find that it's YOU!

LT is a happier place today!

Nice to see you on your own thread again. I hope the limitations are resolved soon and you can resume your ever-present ways.

Why, hello, Darling.

So very nice to have you back in your true home.

xxoo from Danvers

xoxo

Good to see you RD. Got your thread starred. You will have to keep us updated on all the latest news about Chuckles the Dick, and other authors of infamous and famous nature. Are you feeling well and doing good?

Welcome home, BigDaddy! You surely were missed!

Your return gets a five-star rating!! Smooches galore.

Welcome back, Richard!

Starred with an incredibly big happy star :)

Oh and I also thought for a sec you were off to dinner in a prom dress...

You have been greatly missed Richard welcome back, I am so thrilled to see you here again have a wonderful week.

More ((hugs)) and xx smooches xx for today, RD

Leaving a *smooch* and a star. Glad to see you posting & reading hereabouts and hope all is well with you.

starred & a lot of love from our whole pack

Glad to have you in new digs, Padre.

Welcome back, Richard. 2015 now finally feels right here at LT!

Smooches on Valentine's Day!!! Miss you. Hurry back. : )

*sigh* I was hoping that I'd have my own computers with me by now, since I've got my mobile hotspot all ready to go...but it's sub-zero wind chills and ice ice baby all over Long Island. No walkies for Papaw, nope nope nope.

Both my roommate and I had the 48-hour plague virus that felt like Ebola's twin mean-girl sister-virus was in the final testing stages before being released on the whole world. When it was over I was 9lb lighter and a whole lot paler.

Fruit for breakfast and coffee galore = good mood; roommate's ummmmmmm physical traces of his passage through the valley of utter misery = need to run like a bunny so as not to uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhh contribute to the problem. So here I sit replete with donut holes and (yet more) coffee.

I'm callin' it good.

You may have lost some weight, but you haven't lost your humor, obviously. Gosh, it's good to have you among us again. Really sorry about the uuuuummmmm, though.

So lovely to hear from you, BigDaddy! Sorry that you have been sick and that you don't yet have your own computers there. But OH SO HAPPY to see you here!! How I have missed you, dear one!

Yay, RD! So happy to see you back.

*smooches* from Horrible

RD...hearing from you -in your inimical humorous style - is the best Valentine you could have offered all of us. We do love you and now that we know you are safe and sound, we can be patient and wait for this latest smackdown from Mamma Nature to pass. love love love. keep warm and be well.

I agree with Tina that your message is the best Valentine possible. Glad you are feeling better and hoping your roommate is soon much better as well!

Agree with Tina and Roni too. What a wonderful Valentine for all of us. Hope you can stay cleared of the uuuuuummmmmm and that you can somehow get your 'puters in your hands soon.

Rdear, so sorry to hear that the flu got you but very happy that you are on the bright side now. I hope you can get your own computer soon. Smooches from over the pond. ♥

>55 ronincats: >56 LauraBrook: methree

I'm so happy to see you here and back in your humorous form that my heart feels so full, I'm near to tears.

Yay! Our Richard is BACK!

>50 richardderus: Sounds cozy, with all the good and bad this implies.

Thanks so much, Richard, for sending us a Valentine of the sound track from Fifty Shades of Grey.

Good to have you back Richard.

Whoa, a Richard thread! Now we're talkin'. Great to have you back, RD.

Hope you are feeling better RD, looking forward to when you can get your own computers back and you can start stalking the intertubes in earnest.

Yay! You have a mobile hotspot! Soon the weather will pass and you will get back some of your belongings. Hope the uuuuuummmmmm is long gone and I cannot wait to hear more from you soon! I don't want your illness, but I cannot resist--sending Smooches!!!

Good idea not to go out in this miserable freezy weatherm even if it delays a reunion with your own computers. Really glad to know you have the hot spot ready so we can once again be endowed with your curmudgeonly self.

Also hoping you are feeling better, and that you can get your stuff back soon. Although it doesn't look like the weather is cooperating...

>50 richardderus: and with that post....I know that he's BACK!

*hoorah*

Hello, and good tidings to you Mr. RD :):):)

But the computer isn't working at his place just now....

Poop. No Richard today. : (

Sorry, to hear that. Waves and smooches.

I can't claim to know what the heck was wrong with these infernal old-timey Dell desktops, but whatever croup or colic or catarrh afflicted them is not hindering the poor old spavined workhorses to trudge on another day.

I want my own computers! How glad I am to bitch about such a first-world problem at last!

Good. Fixed. ish.

"Spavined workhorses"?

Hoo boy! Richard is back at last...

xxoo

nice ain't it?

*smooch*

um.

scary baby

=8-O

>78 mckait: - Scary, drooling baby ;-)

But it's the thought that counts!

true.

>72 richardderus: Wonderful to experience the high art of RD crankiness once more. :-) Horsedrawn computers - what will they think of next?

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox you get the idea!

OH! Dear Richard, t is so wonderful to see you here again. Best, best wishes to you.

Hehe....He's.....baaaaaaackkkk! :D

>84 jolerie: I hear that they are re-doing Poltergeist in 3D. creepy.

Woohoo! xoxo

Good to see "Sir Feisty" is back ((hugs))

Hooray for feistyness. We tried to be extra snarky in your absence, but it just wasn't the same. Sending you hugs from all of us nuts at the Pecan Paradisio. *smooch*

Hallo, RD!

Here's to a good Sunday with lots of books to read.

I first heard the phrase "first-world problem" from my daughter and it is always a good way to think of things.

*smooches* from Horrible

Yay, RD Is here!! Glad to see you online and doing well!
XO smooches from Clo and I :-)

I read New Scientist from time to time. This is from an article on the brain:

"Myelin is formed by oligodendrocytes, octopus-shaped cells with long arms that wrap thin layers of fat 50 to 100 times around the axon, preventing electrical signals from slipping out, and expediting the conversation between brain regions (see diagram). The cells are made throughout life by oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), which tile the brain, ready to morph when needed."

No wonder you like the octopus! Good for brains!

I like the thought that I have an octopus in my brain keeping things together . :-)

>91 ffortsa: ew ew ew. I need to get a cotton bud (do you call them Q tips??) in my ear and scratch my brain out after reading that!

>92 cameling: Me, too!

Kinda cool, but kinda Cthulhu-y too.

and here I thought everyone would be blissful, thinking of all those little arms holding their brains together.

Review: 1 of seventy-five

Title: AS CHIMNEY SWEEPERS COME TO DUST

Author: ALAN BRADLEY

Rating: 3.75* of five

The Publisher Says: Hard on the heels of the return of her mother’s body from the frozen reaches of the Himalayas, Flavia, for her indiscretions, is banished from her home at Buckshaw and shipped across the ocean to Miss Bodycote’s Female Academy in Toronto, her mother’s alma mater, there to be inducted into a mysterious organization known as the Nide.

No sooner does she arrive, however, than a body comes crashing down out of the chimney and into her room, setting off a series of investigations into mysterious disappearances of girls from the school.

My Review: We all know by now what the deal is when we pick up a Bradley mystery: We're suspending disbelief in the premise of a school-girl who also happens to be a gifted forensic chemist, possessed of a fully stocked laboratory, and the youngest member of an astonishingly oblivious and neglectful family who leave the child alone to get on with her solving of the many murders that occur in her remote village home.

Yeah, right. Not even in postwar England (1950-ish) would a kid have that kind of freedom. But without that, the whole house of cards comes tumbling down. Where's the fun in that? Go with it. Surf on Bradley's wave and the reward is a mother of all waves keeping you sharp and alert lest you miss the wave's chicane.

It was fun, and while I'm no convert to the idea of more books set in Toronto (a flimsy drop-curtain illusion of Toronto as the setting was), I understand why we had to be there for this story to unwind. The mystery itself, not for the first time, failed to generate much suspense in me. I suppose this is a far-reaching effect of following a long-term series, since I see it setting in on almost all my fellow series fans. The difference for me, in this series' case, is that I am still charmed by the idea of a kid solving adult crimes, and satisfied by Bradley's humor and whimsy. Seven books and counting....

Thank you for an informed review for which I've been a-waiting. Like you and others, a mystery series, if well done, soon has me reading for the characters and ambiance more than the mystery itself. That said, I've found myself distinctly displeased with quite a few series as the authors seem to tire of their creations and just phone it in. Example? The last Gamache book. It seemed to me that none of the characters spoke or behaved in their own voices; I hope that the next book will take us back to their normal quirkiness.

But enough of my rambling. Welcome home, your Lordship.

I'm glad you're still having fun with Flavia. She never got a grip on me, but I do see that it would be grand if she had. I see something of Cordelia Flyte from my current read of Brideshead Revisited in her, but I like Cordelia better.

>97 richardderus: Good to see you back on the links, RD! I read the first Flavia book, and have never been able to overcome that crazy premise you describe so as to read more. (Our daughter loves the series and, similar to you, urges me to "get over it", suspend disbelief and have some fun). Glad you're having a good time with it. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the Phryne Fisher mysteries you turned me on to - both the Aussie tv series and the books.

>97 richardderus: Thanks so much, Rdear, for your review. I've read so far only the first of this serie. It reminds me to get soon another one.
It's great to see you're posting :-) xx

I know you don't have the greatest connection and speed at the moment, and we need to keep the load down, but I couldn't resist this little guy (he's clickable to enlarge):

Great review! I'm not a Flavia fan, but your thoughts are right on target as usual.

>97 richardderus: Now the world has righted itself. A review from richardderus. * Swoons *

Welcome back!

I hope all is well with you and getting even better. Hugs.

You've given me hope for the new Flavia. I love Buckshaw and Dogger...

Your reviews have been sorely missed on LT, my friend! A sight for sore eyes!

RD, you know I'm not a Flavia fan, but I'm so excited to see you back, that I'm inclined to think positively of the little urchin. Not positively enough to spend my time on her, but I am really into the St. Mary's series by Jodi Taylor and the Phryne Fisher series, for both of which you are to blame. So, two outta three ain't bad, and just having you back with us is the goodest mostest wonderful of all.

I am grinning, and lurking*

RD reviewed a book! RD reviewed a book! Hooray!

I listened to half of the first Flavia book, but I would have continued on with it if it wasn't due back.
Hm, half-hearted.
Revisitation may be needed. I wonder how odd it might be to listen to half then read the 2nd half! Ingenious.

RD..this old lady should read her stuff before pushing the post button . I have edited >107 tututhefirst: to indicate I luv the Taylor and Greenwood books. Smooches for the recs.

Review: 2 of seventy-five

Title: THE PRESIDENT

Author: GEORGES SIMENON

Rating: 3.8* of five

The Publisher Says: Restored to print for the first time in more than forty years, The President was hailed by the New York Times as a “tour de force.”

At 82, the former premier lives in alert and suspicious retirement—self exile—on the Normandy coast, writing his anxiously anticipated memoirs and receiving visits from statesman and biographers. In his library is the self-condemning, handwritten confession of the premier’s former attaché, Chalamont, hidden between the pages of a sumptuously produced work of privately printed pornography—a confession that the premier himself had dictated and forced Chalamont to sign. Now the long-thwarted Chalamont has been summoned to form a new coalition in the wake of the government’s collapse. The premier alone possesses the secret of Chalamont’s guilt, of his true character—and has publicly vowed: “He’ll never be Premier as long as I’m alive... Nor when I’m dead, either.” Inspired by French Premier Georges Clemenceau, The President is a masterpiece of psychological suspense and a probing account of the decline of power.

My Review: I got a CARE package from one of my old pals from Texas, filled to the brim with Simenon works...but not the Maigret stories, to my relief (read 'em all) and delight (I've never read any of the non-Maigret books)! The President is a delicate and careful autopsy of a once-powerful man's reluctant and relieved laying down his armaments. His life always consisted of public service, unmarried and childless and grasping for the levers of power to make his isolation into welcome solitude.

Simenon's Maigret novels are, as murder mysteries must be, formulaic. Simenon's gift came from creating a rich and satisfying story from these commonly available materials. It's a bit like watching Meryl Streep in a movie: She IS the role, she can't be more than glancingly perceived as the actress who starred in any other movie. Chameleons have that talent...so do cuttlefish...yet to find the gift of remodeling one's self in our smelly, sweaty human selves amazes and delights us every time.

This 152-page tale is a welcome surprise in this era of bloated, dull series books that could and should have been short stories. In my view, the less an author says, the more s/he has to focus and deliver a high-quality experience. Simenon wrote what was necessary to illuminate the long career of the eponymous president and place it in an historical setting. The impact of the actions taken by the president become, by design but still of necessity, quiet bombshells...silent even in their death throes.

This is a book to savor, to sip and ponder the complex flavors mixed in exacting proportions. A simple story, made well, translated carefully, and presented without hype. It is a treat in a literary landscape as pillowy-soft and cloyingly sweet as today's is simply to be told that great hearts still beat faster in pursuit of desired items and outcomes. And they remain great hearts, giving their all and making no excuses.

Ah, Richard, I just want to lick up that review like a hot fudge sundae. What a writer you are.

"Get behind me, Satan". Really, I am almost paralyzed right now by the huge To Be Read books I've collected. I really, really shouldn't buy another one. I have other uses for my money. Really, I do

*wanders off muttering to herself, thinking about going directly to Amazon*

Well, maybe there's room on the Kindle. Maybe I can find it for a Nook.

>113 Citizenjoyce: *baaawwwwwwwww* You spoil me, madame, with such praise! (But don't stop.)

>114 maggie1944: Kindle, Nook, whatever delivery platform you can find: this book is a high-quality addition thereto.

...I suppose that's not helping you resist...oops

You are back!!! And I have the pleasure of reading not just one, but two Ricardo Reviews! Oh, how I have missed your way with words. Big smooches!

Review: 3 of seventy-five

Title: SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME

Author: SARA NELSON

Rating: 4* of five

The Publisher Says: Sometimes subtle, sometimes striking, the interplay between our lives and our books is the subject of this unique memoir by well-known publishing correspondent and self-described "readaholic" Sara Nelson. From Solzhenitsyn to Laura Zigman, Catherine M. to Captain Underpants, the result is a personal chronicle of insight, wit, and enough infectious enthusiasm to make a passionate reader out of anybody.

My Review: “Allowing yourself to stop reading a book - at page 25, 50, or even, less frequently, a few chapters from the end - is a rite of passage in a reader's life, the literary equivalent of a bar mitzvah or a communion, the moment at which you look at yourself and announce: Today I am an adult. I can make my own decisions."

Really, I could stop right there and have given you a full review of this tasty li'l morsel of a book about reading, loving, choosing, and enjoying the books that mark your life.

“You know you're in a bad patch when the most interesting part of the book you're reading is the acknowledgments page.”

No, no, this would be a fine place to end one's quest for a summing-up of this aperçu-heavy literary profiterole. A pyramid of crispy pastry filled with rich, scrumptious vanilla ice cream and loaded with fudge topping.

"Reading's ability to beam you up to a different world is a good part of the reason why people like me do it in the first place---because dollar for dollar, hour per hour, it's the most expedient way to get from our proscribed little 'here' to an imagined, intriguing 'there'. Part time machine, part Concorde, part ejector seat, books are our salvation."

Heavens, what was I thinking to have left this crystalline distillation of the infinity-edged pool of publishing's unending and occasionally successful manufacture of lovely writing, pretty jackets, and escapist/timeless/delectable work.

...and so you see my dilemma...stop where? stop there why? explain or not?

Just go read the damned book already.

Hi Rdear, looked up at our local library but there isn't a copy of this book. So luckily there are still more than 500 others on my list which are waiting to be read. oxox

>117 richardderus: Read this one quite a while ago....IMHO not worth any hype at all. Thank goodness I only borrowed it.

Whew, saved by tutu!

>117 richardderus: I loved that book! So much fun. :)

>120 maggie1944: Nope. I'm on the loved it side of So Many Books, So Little Time.

So rumours of your re-emergence are sound, welcome back RD .....

>117 richardderus: Well, it's a book bullet here. I'm definitely going to give it a try.

“Allowing yourself to stop reading a book - at page 25, 50, or even, less frequently, a few chapters from the end - is a rite of passage in a reader's life, the literary equivalent of a bar mitzvah or a communion, the moment at which you look at yourself and announce: Today I am an adult. I can make my own decisions.
What a perfect quote.
I sit here eating an orange and now wishing it were a profiterole. Bad Richard, bad!

>117 richardderus: Damn it Richard! xoxo

>117 richardderus: Mostly lurking, but had to stop and comment that any book worthy of comparison to a profiterole earns a BB from me. Lovely review.

Ok. I'm going down to Portland, Or, this weekend and I'll stick So Many Books, So Little Time on my wish list for that little trip.

Hallo, RD! Nice to see you back in the groove.

Happy Sunday!

>117 richardderus: Oh my, RD. Major BB. OK, then. WL'd.

P.S. Just picked up the 5th St. Mary's book, which Kath alerted me to.

Happy Sunday, Richard. Have you managed to get all your stuff delivered to you yet? Or are you still having to use the communal Dell?

#112
Loved this review. I agree with your statement about bloated series novels that should have been short stories. I have been reading the Tony Hillerman books and at 250 pages they are so much better than some of the 500 pagers that are currently en vogue. Whatever happened to the tightly written novel where every word was important and you couldn't skip huge chunks of the story and still know what was going on? In my opinion this cardinal sin can be directly laid at the door of the publishers who have not hired and trained editors. And the reading public who continues to buy these bloated behemoths.

>132 benitastrnad: What she said times a hundred. Where oh where are the editors? Oh... I know, they can't find any because we're not teaching people to read and write anymore....

Stopping in to welcome you back! What a journey you have been on! And how you have been missed by so many of us!

Lovely to see you back posting reviews, RD!

>133 tututhefirst: Nah, it's not that. It's that editing, real editing, costs money, and as soon as writer is successful enough to sell on his or her name, there's no point in editing, from the commercial side. At least that's my impression.

" as soon as writer is successful enough to sell on his or her name, there's no point in editing, from the commercial side." I'm afraid there's a lot of truth in that. I often notice that a popular writer's later books have been subject to much less editing than they should have been. It's a disservice to both author and readership, unfortunately.

>136 ffortsa: another sad truth of life.

So nice to see you back!! Missed you bunches!!!

Great reviews, and a great start to the year.

Happy weekend, Rdear. I hope spring is round the corner at your part of the world. xoxo

Stopping by to say "hello" and hoping today holds many fine gifts for you, Richard. You deserves some fine days.

Hello, Darling.

Lovely review of So Many Books, So Little Time, which I already own (nyaah nyaah).

And how refreshing to have your on-point, unique views of books back among us...

Saturday Smooches. xoxo

Wow, it's time-consuming to be professionally disabled. Paperwork that would take a person with 50% hand function about an hour = me taking two days with three different aides.

Of course, there are screen-time hogs. My owwies. Suddenly reorganized priorities. But as soon as I get the hot-spot up and running, I will blow this popstand unless the flood waters enable the sharks to climb the fire escape.

smooches from me and slurps from The Devilles

I am sorry about all the paperwork difficulties and the owwies. Hugs.

* Pulls up a chair to await developments *

Help is on the way, Richard.

Oh, dang. I wanted to watch the sharks climbing the fireescape ladders. That Batman shows up at the most inconvenient times, IMHO

Oh! Hi, Richard. Here's wishing the trials and tribulations were over and done with. Shut the door, close the windows, turn the pages. Move on to regular life: reading, writing, and chatting about reading and writing.

Just dropping in - and so happy that I can and that you are here to drop in on and somehow this sentence has got out of hand.

Was thrilled to see another Jodi Taylor came out at the end of Feb. But as per last time I still can't get hold of it. GAHHH! I hope you are having better luck.

>145 richardderus: professionally disabled
Now Richard, I know you've read enough to realize you should keep away from loan sharks. They do seem to have an affinity for joints of various sorts. Now that they've got their pound of flesh I hope they'll back off and leave you to your reading and writing.

> 145 Years ago I heard Oprah describe herself as a professional reader. Even though it pays even less than being professionally disabled I think being a professional reader is your true calling!

You may call yourself whatever you like, Richard, just get through the paperwork and your owies so you can amuse and enlighten us again! Not that I am being selfish or anything....Smooches!! : )

Good morning, darling RD! Amusing visual of the sharks.

*smooches* from Horrible

Well, take comfort in knowing that Monsters Have Problems Too.

>

Click the link for more sadness.

Another drive-by to my own thread! There's sunshine today so I feel less like a rat in a maze.

And seriously, that's all the time I have...must go into the Labyrinth to discover the doctor I need to see today. I hope tp be less busy by the weekend. I mean, the 73 reviews from my goofy-garage written as well as the paltry 11 I've read here.

ah well, a little bit here and there will have to hold us. When you get your own hot spot and equipment, may I suggest some voice recognition software?

Loving you, my Dear.

Well here I was thinking that I hadn't heard anything from Richard for a long time and went a'searching, only to discover that I hadn't said anything on your thread, so it tumbled down the...whatever threads tumble down when they don't receive posts. Rabbit hole, probably.
Flavia: good because I am looking forward to reading this one. I am perfectly capable of willingly suspending disbelief and entering her world.
Simenon: haven't read that one. Another good.
But you really, really got me with So Many Books, So Little Time. I nearly wept for joy at "aperçu-heavy literary profiterole. A pyramid of crispy pastry filled with rich, scrumptious vanilla ice cream and loaded with fudge topping."

How I missed you here.

>155 laytonwoman3rd: Love the poor misunderstood monsters.

U.G.H.

No phone lines. Internet access spotty. All of my electronics are safe in Daddy's arms...and I can't access the phones to do the profile stuff.

Minor, minor annoyances when balanced against homelessness. *happy grin*

xoxo

Hi, Richard. Been missing the give and take, the back and forth, the chit chatting, and all the rest. What ever do you do with your time not used with all that?

I have added two people to my household. My friend, Melissa, and her son. They are trading "room and board" for helping me paint the interior and doing other bothersome household chores which seem hard for me to do, these days. Frees to me read, of course. I do love retreating to my bedroom, and closing the door, subject to the necessary coming and going of Greta Garbo and Benny. I working on learning to let the petty little irritants of living with "people" not get to me. I bet you know what I mean.

I'm looking forward to hear more from you, when you can.

Found you! Your thread had stumbled down into the neverneverland part of my feed. Anyway good to see you settling in and I hope you get your connection sorted and can spend a little more time with us eventually.

Hello again! I'm back in my proper place after 3 days in the hospital for an infected finger to be seen to. Vancomycin via IV and lots of sleep later, the mummy-wrappings covering the hurt places are my souvenirs.

A bureaucratic tangle with medicAid lies in the week ahead...wish me luck!

Sending smoochings and huggings and scroodles of love to all and sundry!

Good morning, Richard! Sorry about the infection. Hope your healing continues at a brisk pace, and goes in the right directions!

Good Luck in bucketfuls for the tangles ahead......

And all those lovely expressions of love you send out into the world, back at you, multiplied many times over.

Big waves to RD! Thanks for checking in. We miss you!

Good morning, RD! Sorry to hear about the infected finger. Yeesh.

Gird your loins, so to speak, and into the fray.... go get those bureaucrats!

I'll gladly take my share of the smoochings and huggings and scroodles of love.

*smooches* and *hugs* and *scroodles of love" back from Horrible

Review: 4 of seventy-five

Title: THE WORLD ACCORDING TO MISTER ROGERS

Author: FRED ROGERS

Rating: 3.75* of five

The Publisher Says: A timeless collection of wisdom on love, friendship, respect, individuality, and honesty from the man who has been a friend to generations of Americans There are few personalities who evoke such universal feelings of warmth as Fred Rogers. An enduring presence in American homes for over 30 years, his plainspoken wisdom continues to guide and comfort many. The World According to Mister Rogers distills the legacy and singular worldview of this beloved American figure. An inspiring collection of stories, anecdotes, and insights--with sections devoted to love, friendship, respect, individuality, and honesty, The World According to Mister Rogers reminds us that there is much more in life that unites us than divides us. Culled from Fred Rogers' speeches, program transcripts, books, letters, and interviews, along with some of his never-before-published writings, The World According to Mister Rogers is a testament to the legacy of a man who served and continues to serve as a role model to millions.

My Review: By the time Fred Rogers hit the screens of American educational TV, I was too old (in my own opinion) for the baby stuff. Silly child, eh what? When I rediscovered him I was in my teens, going through a nasty depression that I wouldn't admit WAS a depression, and Fred Rogers soothed me like no one else could. Calm, cool, collected; reflective, curious, engaged; ideal company for my heavy, angry mood.

Years drifted by, events in the world took me away from the problem-solving peacefulness of being Fred Rogers' neighbor until somewhere around 1992. Another very bad time drove me (accidentally) to the neighborhood, welcomed as always by Fred Rogers' earnest, gentle lessons. All unknowing a life was in the balance, Fred Rogers let me be his neighbor until I was ready for meatier, grittier, less safe life experiences again.

This quote book offers the meat of the Rogers Experience to an older audience than he served in life. It's a wonderful grazer's delight sort of book, designed to emphasize the wisdom of its offerings by positioning one per page. It's never a good idea to gobble a quote book the one can with novels and suchlike. In this collection's case, it is a worse idea than usual: Remember that Fred Rogers was a childrens' show host, and inclined to hone, polish, and deliver information and lessons simply and directly. It's not always exciting, but it is always informative and soothing.

I treasure Mister Rogers. I miss the gentle voice and the comforting sameness of new shows. With this collection of wisdom and guidance, though, I can still feel the warm long-distance hand-holding love that was this great man's gift.

Blessings on Mr. Rogers. I hope he continues to bring you comfort when you need it.

I watched Mr. Rogers because I wanted my children to, and they loved it. This was at the time of Eddie Murphy's "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood" and many, many jokes made about the program. I loved the jokes, but I loved the program. That a man could be so comforting yet so brave in showing his real face to the world was inspirational for both children and adults.

I loved Mister Rogers Neighborhood anytime I ever tuned into it..... so different from all the frenetic slam-pow-crash TV being offered to children. Good memories. Thanks, RD for sharing the book and sharing your life with us.

Hello Rdear, I'm so sorry to hear about your infected finger. I hope it's healing soon. I keep my fingers crossed for your upcoming week. smooches from over the pond :-)

I concur on Mr Rogers....

Damn phones.

Being the hard-hearted, cynical person that I am, Mr. Rodgers and I never quite connected. BUT, I love that he was important to you and helped you and that you shared that with us.

Miss you and treasure every glimpse we get of you over here!

xoxo

Good to read you back on LT. I hope to see many reviews of books as you work your way through the pile sent to you this last winter.

Hi Ricardo! I am sorry to hear about the infected finger. I hope it heals quickly and that the paperwork behaves. I grew up on Mr. Rogers and enjoyed his program for a while. To this day, I take my shoes off at the door, just like he did. Smooches.

>165 richardderus: May straitening out bureaucratic tangles go as smoothly and hassle free as possible.

Hugs.

Driveby *smooch* glad that infection is healing and best wishes for smooth sailing with Medicaid.

I loved Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood when I was a kid... the land of make believe was always my favorite part.

O frabjous day! we seem to have a shot at phone service on the new system today! New extensions, of course, but I'll wager they will make as little or even less sense than the old ones.

Beautiful day today, one of those shiny seashore days, and cold!! *bliss*

IF I can get online after all the mishegas, I've got two mysteries to review, Regency-set procedurals by CS Harris.

Which I did not like! I do not like series books anymore! No no none at all, none do you hear!!

Scuse me, the nice young man with the big needle is smiling at me...

I am leaning towards your attitude on series books, too. They are just lazy writing.

Just seeing your name flash up on the *talk* screen is cause for quiet joy. So very, very glad of all of it. And I know you know it but what a good friend you have in Kath/McKait, who has kept us all linked to you throughout.

I don't know about the badness of series. There are some series that are a comfort and some that manage to maintain their freshness over long periods of time. There are times in my reading life when I want to return to the familiar and the known character. Series provide that. It also surprises me when an author manages to sustain a series over a period of time. I just finished listening to the tenth book in the Secret History of the Pink Carnation series and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It was tart and fresh and I confess that I thought it would be just a comfort read/listen on a long trip. I also listened to the eleventh in the series and didn't like it as much. I thought it was much more mundane and workmanlike in its plot and characterizations. I still enjoyed it, but didn't find it as zippy as the Passion of the Purple Plumeria.

I wonder if you will say you don't like series when you read another John Ceepak mystery. It was you who turned many of us on to that series, as I recall. And now the pot is calling the kettle black?

Hi, Richard! I've got that Rogers quote book waiting for me on my shelves.

>169 richardderus: A soothing review of what sounds like a soothing book, Richard. We were just in Pittsburgh, where he remains beloved. Their children's museum features an exhibit dedicated to him: https://pittsburghkids.org/exhibits/fred-rogers-us

I missed out on him, but I'm glad to hear he meant a lot to you. Seems like quite a guy.

Good morning, RD! You sound so much like your old self this morning - makes me happy.

No more series? No more of that Italian police guy you and I ATD about? No more of the Jodi Taylors? We'll see, we'll see.....

I agree wholeheartedly with what benitastrnad wrote above - some are comfort series that I go back to to get grounded, and some I go to because somehow the author was or is able to keep things fresh. Of course there are those I've abandoned, too. But Sayers, Christie, Lee Child, Susan Hill immediately come to mind, and I've got others, too, that I look forward to getting the new one or re-reading my favorites.

Happy Tuesday from your own Horrible

passing through and waving ~~~~~

Good to see you

Lovely to see you posting again, my friend. Hope things just keep getting better and better for you!

I think the no series thing was more of a... "No, no! Don't throw me into that briar patch!"

>189 Morphidae: I think you're right, Morphy. Methinks he doth protest too much. He'd be lost (LOST, I tell you) without his seriessssss.

No more series for you? Ha! I laugh in your general direction. How long do you think you can last? One one thousand, two one thousand, ....

Hahahahaha, yeah no more series for me either... after I finish the ones currently reading and TBR...

Good luck with that ;)

>169 richardderus: Fred Rogers? Never heard of 'im. Sounds like a top bloke.
Hope your connection comes through, it has been an age since you were prolific on LT! Not that I can talk... :)

Hi y'all! Not just one, but TWO networks now! I don't think I'll be AFK too terribly often now.

>189 Morphidae: +1 Morphy! The briar patch this time is the Regency series about sleuth St. Cyr, aka Viscount Devlin. Reading a police procedural set in that time, when London's police were newly founded is fascinating. I suspect we'll be seeing a lot more historicals: Many more opportunities for suspense if the characters move slowly, wonder where the tweenie is to light the coals on the hearth, etc etc etc.

Anyway...one thing is clear now that I *can* log on: I need the energy! I'm in the middle of a course of antibiotics. These pups are very tiring for me.

I've adored being able to read my loveliest friends' fun and games. I'm working back up to full-time participation again. Bureaucracy and some rule changes here at home are keeping me busy. I feel so much more stable in my emotions with the Zoloft. What was horribly upsetting, what felt like Tragic Drama, is in perspective at last. I don't spend so much time and energy trying to keep myself from sliding into the black void inside me.

All of y'all have made my world so much brighter. Some have been unfathomably kind, generous, and loving. Some, like Kath, have transcended ordinary friendship into sainthood (second class) (after all, pagans don't have saints).

I am off to eat as much of a dozen donuts as I can. Smooches!!

Hello Sir, So nice to read anything that you have posted. You always put a smile on my face.

A wonderful 20th Century invention, or maybe it was always around, is the Family of Choice. I love being a part of this community who can be so loyal, and loving, all from afar, but nonetheless a great comfort.

Richard, I'm so glad to see your bright and shiny prose!

We had a little family meeting in my home today, too, and are finding ways to be comfortable and sharing and real with each other. One old lady, one pre-menopausal Mom trying to weave together a living from a string of part time academic jobs, and a young man, aged 24 looking to find his way in a very cold, and sometimes cruel world.

The stuff books are made of...eh?

Richard, I hope the antibiotics do the thing quickly, and that the energy comes back. Two networks! Wow.

>195 richardderus: So good to "hear" your voice around here again. I promise, I'll try to ramp up the Satanic Warbling slowly, or at least keep it to my thread. :)

Have a donut for me.

Ah modern medicine. When it works, it works.
A friend brought Pinkbox doughnuts to a baseball game the other day. Several had bacon included in various ways. Feel free to eat the bacon ones, I'll stick to jelly.

Two networks, antibiotics, a little mood adjustment and tons of friends! Looking good Sir. xoxoxox Hey, are pictures allowed or still a no-no?

>169 richardderus: So nice to see you back here! You and have Mr. Rogers in common. He proved the best therapist during my divorce! I read that book in the recent past and loved it.

It's a lovely, foggy day here, about 50F/10C. Lovely day for the purpose of my existence: read, eat, surf the web in front of the surf.

I'm in a reading funk, can't seem to settle into a book for more than a few chapters. *sigh* I can't wait to get more coffee at 10.30, since in-room electrics are verboten. No hot plates, coffeemakers, suchlike by order of the fire department. After that horrendous house fire in Brooklyn that left seven kids dead, I'm totally behind such a rule.

What on this earth could convince adult people, educated ones even, to watch crap like the Povich mishegas, with its endless repetition of "you ARE/AREN'T the father!" about people they'll never meet? It's the background to my typing. Unbelievable how horrible it sounds, mindless and miserable people parading the miseries and wretchednesses of their lives for prurient pleasure.

Coffee sounds better and better. And better. *smooches* to all!

The crap that's on TV in the daytime explains a lot of what's wrong with people. Of course, THAT doesn't explain why it's on in the first place....one of those vicious cycles, I guess. I hate sitting in waiting rooms (doctors, car repair shops, etc.) where there is ALWAYS a TV offering dreck, and ONLY dreck. Most of the time, everyone is locked into their own device anyway, so WHY IS THAT THERE?? I could be reading. Grrr... (But at least there is usually coffee, and it's often surprisingly OK.)

RD
..SO happy to see you back on a more or less regular basis. Might you be allowed a good thermos? No electricity or other heat source and I'm sure you are responsible enough to wash it out regularly. Let me know..I'd be happy to send you one. Then you could enjoy coffee on a more congenial schedule.

Also..maybe some sound deadening earphones to block out the TV drivel? Or...😊😏😍..maybe audio books would work to override the chatter?

In any case, it's so grand to have you back among us. I've missed your take on life.

Hiya, Sweetie! I cannot express the delight in seeing your postings once again!

Povich? Watched once in horror, never to be seen again.

>203 laytonwoman3rd: Good grief, I hate unto the nth degree the ever-present tv noise in waiting rooms. Usually it's turned up good and loud, too, for the deaf older people. I always bring foam ear plugs now--and woe is me if I forget. Blech.

I think a cage match between Maury Povich and Jerry Springer would be worth watching...

Happy Thursday smooch!

I can't even think of when I watched either of those two scrum-bags in the past. I am so sorry you have to listen to it, even in background. No way to shut it out? Noise canceling earphones?

*screams in horror at the thought of having to watch Maury Povich for more than 15 seconds*

When I was a resident I rotated through the pediatric walk-in clinic affiliated with the big public hospital in Atlanta, Grady Memorial Hospital. I'll never forget one surreal day when the clinic was overflowing with sick kids and their families, and tempers were starting to build as the wait time to be seen was 2-3 hours. One mother had switched the channel of the television in the waiting room so that she could watch "The Jerry Springer Show", which was blaring so loud that we could hear it in our work area. Another mother decided to change the channel, and when the mother that originally changed the channel protested, the other one said (correctly) that it wasn't appropriate for young children to watch that program. Sure enough, a full out brawl ensued, in concert with the brawl that was taking place on the show, and the staff and Security had to get between several women who were trying to beat the crap out of each other. Good times...

Richard, I didn't realize you were back until I noticed your post on Darryl's thread. Welcome back!

I will say, in defense of my own family physician, that the wall-mounted TV in his waiting room disappeared a while ago. It was briefly replaced with a closed circuit system delivering health-related programming, but now there's just some low-level music piped in. I can ignore that. I make a point of mentioning every time I'm there that I am so glad not to have the TV on anymore; I'm sure it was bad for my blood pressure, which is one of the main reasons I go there!

All the doctors I visit who have TV's on the walls have it tuned in to the Fox channel. Maybe that is why I hate going to the doctors and find that I dislike the doctors as well? Only my OB/GYN and my eye doctor don't have a wall mounted TV's. They are both women.

>210 laytonwoman3rd: I think the television in the waiting room was either removed, or at least the ability for parents to change the channel or adjust the volume was disabled after that fiasco.

My other unforgettable experience from the Grady Pediatric Walk-In Clinic came on a similarly busy day a year or two later. (We couldn't close the clinic until every child in the waiting room had been seen, so on this day and the one I previously mentioned we were working as quickly as we could to see everyone.) A woman came up to the front desk after she completely lost her patience. She said something like "I been here two f***ing hours and ain't nobody seen my child yet. I got Medicaid and I'm paying for this!" (For those of you outside of the US, Medicaid is the free public health program for children and the elderly.) Everyone (nurses, medical students, residents, and the attending physicians) almost immediately left the work area and practically ran to the lab in the back, as we were about to simultaneously pee on ourselves and rupture our internal organs to suppress our laughter, knowing that we (tax paying citizens) were the ones who were paying for her child's insurance, and not her! I am certain that I've never laughed so hard in my entire life, and it took a good 10-15 minutes for us to compose ourselves and return to clinic, although we continued to laugh like lunatics for the rest of that shift.

Richard darling sweetie!! xoxoxo

When my kids were little, they went to a pediatric dentist. There were (and still are) wall mounted TVs in the waiting room and in the exam areas. They usually played a Disney movie (Finding Nemo, Aladdin, etc.) so the kids could watch the movie while they got their teeth worked on. Made it so much more pleasant for everybody. :)

>212 kidzdoc: That's too funny!!!

>203 laytonwoman3rd: I suspect it's something along the lines of "monkey see, monkey do." There is no one perfect way to live in this world. There is likewise a multitude of ways NOT to live it, and those shows present most of 'em daily.

>204 tututhefirst: Tina me lurve! I'm thrilled to see you here. It's an interesting problem, the community TV: people fight over what to watch, how loud the thing should be, etc etc etc. I suspect I could use all that subterfugic technology to block out a bit of it, except that I'm occasionally called to referee.

*bleeurgh*

>205 Matke: Miss Lady ma'am! How good it is to see beloved Danvers in the proper place.

I just don't fit in this time. I watch the TV I'll consent to watch in private, exactly as I won't pop my zits at the dinner table: Ain't nobody got time for that.

>206 katiekrug: PERFECT! Now you can exec-produce this show, and we need a catchy title. Say, "Gene Pool Cleaning" or summat.

Happy Friday smooch!

>207 maggie1944: Thanks Karen for the supportive words. I'm TV free at quarter to ten, so I'm calling it a victory.

>208 kidzdoc: Hey Doc! You always have the best stories...why aren't you doing something along the lines of Diary of a Country Doctor?

Hello, RD! Good to see LOTS of posts on your thread.

*smooches*

>209 Oberon: Thanks, Erik! Hope all's well with you and yours up there in the frozen north.

>210 laytonwoman3rd: Agreed, Linda3rd, the offices that listen to the patients and cut the darn things off are +1 in my world.

>211 benitastrnad: FOX?!? *flees shrieking*

>212 kidzdoc: see comment above

>213 AuntieClio: My sweetiedove! So wonderful to see you here! *smooch*

>214 avidmom: I suspect that, given the high-stress nature of dentistry especially in kids, no mom/dad wouldn't mind a distraction of this nature. As I don't have to do that stuff anymore, it's okay by me too.

*smooch*

>217 karenmarie: Hiya Horrible! Got another series to addict you to.

*evil Muttley laugh*

Driveby *smooch* glad to see you out and about on the threads again and in the clear for internet access. Sorry about the tv woes... I don't watch it terribly often, and when I do (generally when I'm home sick and can't concentrate on a book) I'm reminded of why.

Oh, now we are talking. It's absolutely fabulous and gorgeous to see you posting and responding. Rdear, LT year can finally start. Smooches

^Glad to have you back, RD! Nice to see you posting and you seem "chipper", to boot. The drought is over!

Morning, Richard!

>221 bell7: Mary dear! So good to see you here, Evil Temptress of review magazines! My wallet and my wishlist flattened and fattened after reading those, those hellspawn evil temptation rags!

Got any more?

>222 Ameise1: Hi Barbara! Thanks so much for that warm welcome, my friend.

>223 msf59: Hi Mark! I'm likin' the springfulness of that illo. I'm back indeed, rarin' to write some new reviews.

>224 scaifea: *smooch* for the Queen of the Threads!

>225 richardderus: Yup, they come monthly at the library. I have two to read myself and I will pass them on when they have done their damage to my wishlist ;)

*smooch*

Happy Friday Rdear and it's wonderful to see you flitting around the threads. ;)

Richard is properly back!!!

*Waves banner and runs round with lit flare*

Okay, element of hyperbole from me, but so so glad you are back with us. And as sarcastic as ever :)

>216 richardderus:, >219 richardderus: My one word answer: HIPAA.

>228 jolerie: Hiya Valerie! I flit, I flounce, I traipse...anything but lowly, boring walking. xo

>229 BekkaJo: Bekka my dear dear! I love seeing you over here on the proper side of the Atlantic.

House news?

>230 kidzdoc: And a good answer it is.

Well, darn it...I left a message and now I don't see it! It was something totally pithy, filled with sensitivity and humor. Now, I just have smooches for ya!

>232 Berly: A likely tale, indeed. *hmmmfff*

*smooch*

Oh the horror of daytime tv. My lovely other tried to make it sound like that, as a mother, I would be sitting about all day watching Jeremy Kyle. He was in jest of course, as that show is as abhorrent as the one you described!! Ha. That and the fact that time is actually scarce *shock*

#231 *smoochies* I'll let that one go... And yes - moved in last November. It's awesome - I can see a castle from my window :)

So glad to see you back in form, chattering with all and sundry lovely folks who hang out here. Sorry to hear of your TV travails. Allow us to distract you.

I would have written earlier in the day, but LT is now officially part of the evil empire at work, you know, the SOCIAL MEDIA world. What a bummer. I paid them back by reading my entire lunch hour instead of staying at my desk.

Hello Richard, nice to see you back my friend. Sorry I have taken time to post on your thread, presently we are in Hereford having arrived on the 25th March and we make our way back home in the morning. On the 25th we made our way to Hay-on-Wye to peruse the bookshops, I had a lovely time and got a few books. Hope things are well with you my friend, you have been missed and I will send smooches from Hannah and Karen.

You are wicked, RD! Another new series to addict me to.

....

....

What, already? Tell me.

>234 LovingLit: Maudie! How wonderful to see you here. I share your shock at not having the same amount of time as before.

School going well?

>235 BekkaJo: A CASTLE?! *begins packing books for relocation to Bekka's*

>236 ffortsa: ...what...? Computer time maintaining friendships isn't wasted! It makes one a better, more satisfied worker.

See how that one flies.

>237 johnsimpson: John, how wonderful to go to Hay-on-Wye! My jealousy is getting unruly here so I'm gonna skedaddle. Hugs all round

>238 karenmarie: Lookee here, smoochling.

Hmm. Okay, will check it out.

In the meantime, here's a book bullet for you: Rage Against the Dying by Becky Masterman. I got it at the Friends of the Library Sale (Karen's Haul)

*smooches*

*drive-by smooch*

There's lots to tell but not today, my wrist is sore and so I needs must keep my typing and other activities to a minimum.

I want to hear your stories too please.

xoxoxoxo

50 new messages in the thread - Yep, Richard's back! When does the warbling start? :)

No! No warbling from Richard. I cannot resist!! Okay, maybe just one or two.

Absolutely Fabulous to see this corner come back to life .......

am in post book buzz having finished The Bees ... so right now I think everyone should go out & read it ... maybe one person will!

Oh it's sooooo good to take a "quick peek" at LT before I sign off for beddie-bye and see that RD has returned. It's fabulous. We've missed you so much. and you've even convinced me that I might perhaps - just a teensy bit-- like to read something from the Regency period - maybe

Hi Rdear, I hope spring is round the corner at your place or has arrived already. I wish you a wonderful weekend.

>241 karenmarie: *snickers evilly* I am immune to your warbles, oh Horrible one.

>242 ronincats: Hi Roni! *smooch*

>243 AuntieClio: I think my stories of life in the goofy garage would be less involving than One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. No Nurse Ratcheds, more's the pity. (From storytelling angle, that is!)

>244 drneutron: Lookie here doc! Ramping up the warbling machine. Literally hundreds of things I've read and want to share about. That's what I get for bein' AFK for six months.

>245 Berly: How about three?

>246 roundballnz: That's such a great cover. And still buzzing (heh!) sounds good as a recommendation, thanks Alex!

>247 tututhefirst: I cannot brain since I have the dumbth. Clearly I have gone round the twist. TINA and Regency in the same sentence without rejection!!

>248 Ameise1: Thank you for the gorgeous bouquet, Barbara! Sending hugs.

Stopping in to wish you a weekend full of fabulous, dear! I've got my happy on just because you are back.

Oh, Hay-on-Wye . . . A dream of mine, too.

So good to have you back, Richard.

I've been reporting my daughter's and my enjoyment of the Aussie Miss Fisher TV mysteries, which were a tip from you. Did you ever read any of the books? LT Caro and I are enjoying those, too.

Hope you're having a good weekend. Great to hear the encouraging news on your health and outlook.

>249 richardderus: No Nurse Ratcheds, more's the pity. (From storytelling angle, that is!)

You just made my skin crawl.

>252 Crazymamie: Thank you, my dear! I'm back...but watch what you wish for, as my previously soft and snuggly personality and gentle, sweet ways have been hardened.

>253 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe, it's better than you know to be back here among the friends whose caring has made my world a better place.

I read four or five of the Kerry Greenwood titles. It was, I fear, too much to work well all at once.

>254 Citizenjoyce: Heh. Such was my evil plot! *smooch* for you, Joyce.

So happy to see you actively connected with LT, RD! You have been missed. I made some lemon tarts this afternoon. While I am unable to send the actual lemon tarts your way- I am sure they would never get passed the customs folks at the border - here are two for you to enjoy vicariously. I wasn't sure how you like you lemon tarts, so here is one plain and one dusted with icing sugar, which is my preference as I tend to make my lemon tarts on the tart side. ;-)

>256 lkernagh: Hey Miss Pillsbury Baker Lady! One of each is perfection, since I love tart.

*mouth watering like Niagara Falls* I do love my lemon/sugar combinations like Lemon Pie, and lemon cookies, and lemon cake frosting. A lemon tart with a dusting of sugar sounds heavenly!

xo

>255 richardderus: - "...as my previously soft and snuggly personality and gentle, sweet ways have been hardened."

Oh goody!!

>239 richardderus: school going well? hell yea, I am acing it :):):):):):)

>261 LovingLit: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAmen Miss Maudie!!

*smooch*

#239 You are more than welcome any time - though I might not be able to fit all the books in...

LThing has gone all foodie overnight - it's making me hungry!

Good morning Rdear! Just in case you woke up too early for breakfast at your place something small to bridge the time. Hugs xx

Logged on and saw piles of messages on your thread and thought: He's baaaackkkkk.. Lovely!

>263 BekkaJo: Food, books, dogs...life is good. TransAtlantic guesting would mean, I fear, that you would need to escort me on a tour of the UK's bookshops. I can only imagine how boring you'd find that.

:-)

>264 Ameise1: Ooo Barbara! I missed breakfast from oversleep. Perfect snackums!
*smooch*

>265 sibylline: Hiya cuz! *smooch*

Morning smooches. So awesome to see you popping up all over the place again!!

Morning, BigDaddy! What Kim said!

>267 Berly: Oh goody! Morning smooches back, dear Berly-boo.

>268 Crazymamie: And doubled! *swoon* I am the luckiest of old shut-ins.

:-)

It certainly does brighten my day to log on in the morning and see that you are here with us! I will have to take a picture of the painting my husband bought yesterday at the street fair--more than wiping out any profit we made! You will be SO envious!

>270 ronincats: Thanks for the lovely compliment, Roni, that made my afternoon!

Can't wait for the photo, my envy circuits are tuning up. xoxo

This is NOT THE photo, but it turned up on my Pinterest suggestions this morning, and I know you would love it.



It's all about how to create this huge wall art project from a shower curtain, a Thomas Paul Bath Octopus shower curtain (only costs $120 at wayfair.com--guess I won't be getting that!).

ETA On the other hand, if one wanted a piece of art of this size on their wall, I guess it would be a bargain!! I have no walls big enough!

>272 ronincats: That's just magnificent! Thanks for sharing it.

xo

*smooch*

xoxoxo

>273 richardderus: Sigh, even the tea towels are $24, still a bit steep.

>276 AuntieClio: *smoochiesmoochsmooch*

>277 ronincats: A BIT steep?! Does it come with a hot guy to dry the dishes?

Hello darling!

xoxo from me and The Devilles!

>279 luvamystery65: *smoochiesmoochsmooch*

*waving hello as I sashay on by, getting ready to go drive to the kids' house and chase them out, to go to school. Afterwards, a day free to do as I please.

>281 maggie1944: That sounds like a pleasant and productive morning followed by a lurvely reward!

Good Morning, BigDaddy!

>283 Crazymamie: Mornin' my dear!

I'm cranky, so thought I'd hang out over here. Lucky you!

But I brought refreshments - not sure if images still present difficulties so you'll have to use your imagination... coffee (of course) and an old treat from my childhood - Freihoffer's glazed orange donuts (which I was heartbroken to learn they no longer make...*sigh*).

>289 scaifea: GLAZED ORANGE DONUTS *drooling reaches fatal levels*

Rotten-souled bastids for cancelin' 'em!!

*smooch* to make a crap day worse

Once upon a time there was a Thread Police officer, whose name escapes me at the moment, who patrolled the group closely and gently (or, sometimes, not so gently) reminded the members whose threads exceeded 250 messages that it was time to create a new one. Apparently this nameless officer is spending more of his time consuming doughnuts and coffee, and less time on his beat.

>287 kidzdoc: Yeah, I retired on full pension due to popular unpopularity. The new limit is 300 posts, anyway.

A new review of some pleasant and fluffy farb.

Time for me to fly. xoxo

Orange glazed doughnuts, eh? In the immortal words of Dr. Egon Spengler, Yes, have some!

>288 richardderus: Oh, alright then. I'll be checking to see if you go past the message limit, sir.

>289 scaifea: I'd love to find frozen tangerine juice in the stores again. It made excellent cupcakes.

>290 kidzdoc: Cheese it! The thread Police are cruisin'!

>291 richardderus: Oooh, yum - excellent idea!

>291 richardderus: Yikes! *hides contraband books*

>292 scaifea: White cake with a heavy glaze. Bob's your uncle!

>293 kidzdoc: Yeah...good luck with that...*hello Thread Police? Hi, yeah, can I report book violations to the Book Stasi?*

>294 richardderus: They're easy to distract.

So in addition to those glazed orange donuts, now I'm craving chocolate cake with orange-juice frosting like my mom always made for Halloween... Ugh - back to my apple slices.

Good morning, dear Richard! (It still is here.) I found the perfect alarm clock for you.

No more waiting for that first cup of coffee in the morning!

#297 Okay so a) I SERIOUSLY want one of those

b) drive by smoochies

and

c) 4 day weekend!!! Only thing that got me through the day/week :/

>295 jnwelch: Ha! Charlie has that book...

Well, I won't be the one to take the thread over the limit. But whoever dares post next....

Oh, what the heck, I'll do it.

:)

I'll help! Muahahaha!!!!

Yes!!! Pushing the limit is fun. :D

Stopping by with Happy Easter weekend wishes for you, RD!

'Morning, RD!

Happy Friday, happy Five Posts Above the New Official Limit.

*smooches* from Horrible

Hooo-boy have I ever landed the right place: The rule-breaker's lounge!

>307 jnwelch: HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is hard to take a picture of--it's a glass embedded image mounted on a painting. This is the best I've been able to do--ignore the reflection of the flash.

Hi Richard, send Easter felicitations dear friend, sending smooches from darling Hannah.

>307 jnwelch: LOLOLOL me too!

Sooooooo good to see you posting regularly again, Richard. We've missed you terribly!

Hi Rdear, I wish you Happy Easter. xoxoxo

Happy Easter Weekend, Richard! Here's hoping the big rabbit brings you something good!

just smooches from me :-)

This is such a fun-filled thread Richard, thanks to your return. So good to see you posting and reviewing just like it used to be. Smooch!

Happy Easter, Rdear!

Happy Easter Ricardo!!!

Happy Spring Fertility Festival, Richard dear!

>308 richardderus: I love that one, Richard.

Hope you had a joyful pagan celebration.

Review: 5 of seventy-five

Title: ECHO LAKE

Author: LETITIA TRENT

Rating: 4.5* of five

The Publisher Says: Thirty-something Emily Collins inherits her recently murdered aunt's house, deciding to move to Heartshorne, Oklahoma, to claim it and confront her family's dark past after her dead mother begins speaking to her in dreams, propelling this gothic, neo-noir thriller toward terrifying revelations of murderous small-town justice when a horrible community secret is revealed through the supernatural pull of Echo Lake.

My Review: is an imprint of the newish press,Curbside Splendor. All part of a Chicago blooming of publishing talent, laden with the starter jobs that publishers and editors need so much.

Here's the usual rub: Amateurs are the decision makers and frequently they don't have mentors or cicerones. And now here this: To my melting happiness, ECHO LAKE has trimmed these ordinary issues far, far down and has risen to higher levels than any other first-time author could reasonably ask for.

The plot is a juicy one; the characters feel more vigorous and buzzy-bizzy than I, a real corporeal being, than I can even pretend to occupy.

At $15.95 USD, this eerie and suspenseful exploration of solitary life is a terrific value. Make a dent in your loneliness, read this book, and remember how it all began.

Sounds, good, RD! It's gotten as far as my shopping cart on Amazon.....

But, really. Neo-noir? *snort*

How can I resist at $4.99 for the Kindle version? I need something to work as a counter point to Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief.

Happy Tuesday, sir.

Hello sweetness!

I just heard from rd... he is going into the hospital for a few days. This is NOT serious, it is just to finish up treatment on his finger, which has been giving him trouble for some time now. It is actually better, but not yet healed, so he will be admitted for a few days.

Otherwise he is okay, a bit of a gravelly throat...

Thanks for the update, Kath!

Sending healing whammies!

>325 mckait: Thanks, Kath. Joining Roberta on sending healing whammies.

Thanks so much, Kath, for the update.

Sending healing vibes, Rdear. Get better soon. xx

Hang in there RD, the octopusssses of the world are depending on it!

Hugs, smooches and good mojo!!!!

Almost-weekend *smooches*

Hi Richard! Having been missing from LT for most of the last 6 months, I also managed to miss you being missing (my LT 6th sense must have been telling me that it wasn't worth checking in in your absence!). Very glad things are looking up and I hope the recent hospital visit has sorted your finger!

Hi Richard. I just dropped by to say how great it is to see your thread up and running and to have occasional glimpses of you out on the threads. Sorry to hear you are having a short visit to the hospital and hope to see you around LT ASAP.

Hi, RD ~ just stopped by to see how you're doing and blow you a kiss and what happens? Shot by a book bullet dead center! Echo Lake is now at the top of my WL.

Hoping your hospital stay is short and the treatment effective!

It looks like I'll be leaving the hospital tomorrow! I'll go home with another aggressive course of antibiotics, prednisone, and a profound sense of gratitude for all the help I've received.

Hey big guy! Hope you're soon feeling better and are well cared for. And yay for leaving the hospital!

*smooches!*

Yay! Glad your owies are being attended to so assiduously!

Hey you! Hope they spring you tomorrow (because it is so hard to get any sleep at night in a hospital!!) and that they have you on a course to a quick and lasting recovery. Sending good juju and a smooch. xoxo

Wishing you speedy recovering. smooches

Yay drugs, support, and help.

Get better soon!!!!! That's an order.

*smooches* from Horrible

Sounds like you are getting very good care, Richard. I've arranged for a private duty nurse for when you get out of hospital.

Hoping your back home now, BigDaddy. Sending you all of our love and wishing you well. *smooch*

I'm looking to get rid of these books--interested in any of them?

The Warlock's Curse by M. K. Hobson
The Ripper Affair by Lilith Saintcrow
Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines
Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey
The River Kings' Road by Liane Merciel
Aunt Dimity's Snowbound by Nancy Atherton

The first two are trade paperbacks, the rest are mass market paperbacks.

>342 laytonwoman3rd: heh!

Congratulations on your 1000th book review, Richard! May you write many thousands more.

Hi Richard, just passing by to send good wishes to you dear friend.

Wowie Zowie, 1000 reviews!!!! Congrats! And I'm so glad to hear that you are home and feeling better.

1.000 reviews?! *faints*

WooHoo! 1000! Congratulations.

Hey, Richard.

Two things:

1. WELCOME BACK!! I'm sorry it has taken me so long to meander over here. I'm glad you are posting again when you can.

2. CONGRATULATIONS!! 1,000 reviews. Incredible. Admirable. Amazing. Well done!!

>1000 Review? Whaaaaat???? How is that possible?

*joins Crazymamie on floor*

Wow, congrats. Hope all is going well.

1,000 reviews.... the number boggles my mind. Congratulations!

Wowsers! Congrats, compadre.

Review: 6 of seventy-five

Title: BAD PRESS

Author: LAURA WARD

Rating: 3.5* of five

The Publisher Says: Here's a ferociously funny glimpse into the history of literary, theater, art, and general entertainment criticism. Excerpts of reviews are taken from magazines, newspapers, and, in at least one case, from the lips of a powerful European emperor. A complimentary review of most books, music recordings, or plays will often inspire audiences to accept them, but the review is usually forgotten while the work of art goes on to become famous. Readers won't find such reviews in this book, because the emphasis here is on fun. For sheer glee there is nothing like seeing a really venomous critic sharpen his or her claws on somebody's masterpiece. Sometimes the critics are right, but just as often they take journalistic pratfalls. Like many other Hapsburg Emperors who ruled the vast Austro-Hungarian Empire from its Vienna capital, Joseph II was a generous patron of the arts. But when he dismissed a Mozart symphony as "having too many notes," the rest of the music world could only smile. Henry James and Mark Twain were contemporary novelists, but neither writer understood or appreciated the other's genius. Twain once said of James: "Once you put down one of his books, you simply can't pick it up again." More scathing was the famous "New Yorker" magazine critic Dorothy Parker, who said of one now-forgotten book: "This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force." Readers will chuckle as they read damning reviews of books, music, plays, television shows, movies, and even restaurants. It's pure entertainment, with just a drop or two of poison.

My Review: This was a hoot and a holler. I enjoyed myself with frequent giggling and tittering, and other such synonyms for "was the right book for the mood."

It's not hard to find many of these quotes in multiple books. There's been a sizable shelf's-worth of these nicely designed, well-sourced, attractively designed gift books. Repetition is inevitable. Not necessarily lamentable, either, since each book is aimed at a specific market segment; inevitably someone will see a great quote in a collection they'd never buy for their own.

I loved many of the additions that I hadn't seen before. It's a delight to find them for me because I've read so durned many of the items in question.

So why review another one, given all that reading sitting on night-tables, bookshelves, boxes...you know the drill.

I have tried lately to read Shakespeare, and found it so intolerably dull that it nauseated me. CHARLES DARWIN

I...it...there are no words for the deep and lasting pleasure it gives me to hear one abhorred writer dismissing a forefather so utterly!

The greatest of superficial novelists...It were, in our opinion, an offence (sic) against humanity to place Mr. Dickens among the greatest novelists. HENRY JAMES

The happy, it flows and foams...there are good writers whose disdain for my bugaboo-book-makers is also complete.

And I found it good.

What a beast! 1000 reviews. I bow to you kind sir. ;)

Hope you are well after the brief hospital visit.

>344 ronincats: Roni, if no one has spoken up for the Jim C. Hines Libriomancer, I'd like it. Also dropping you a PM.

>356 richardderus:....such a great time this sounds. could you mayhap share the title of this rib tickler? I'm good but I've not yet mastered mind reading. 😍💋💋

>358 AuntieClio: You've got it, Steph!

Ricardo! 1,000 isn't enough? 1,001 sounds even better? Okay, okay. But like Tina said, you have to give us the title of the book which prompted this beaut of a review or I am afraid we just can't give you credit. : P Glad they sprung you from the hospital. Hope you are feeling better.

Happy 1000th, Richard! Amazing.

Holy cannoli! 1000!! That's amazing. And every one interesting.

Hallo, RD! Chuckles got dissed.

"He chortled in his joy."

*smooches* from The Horrible (giving myself airs.....)

This has been a very stuffed day, workmen everywhere and into everything. Staffers whizzing from office to tour to phone calls. And, in my room, much wiring being installed for the new passive safety monitor system.

Finger report: Healing apace. Not completely done, but getting closer and a lot less scary colors under the skin.

Hugs, smooches, smooches again, and see ya when there's a good clear signal!

Less dramatic colors under skin = good thing! I am seeing more healing approaching.....

Rdear, you break soon a new record in how many posts in one thread :-).
Waves and hugs from over the pond. xx

Xoxoxo. That is all.

Hope the fingers are healing apace and that you get wireless access soonest! We miss you!

Ricardo! I am calling for a playdate. Does tomorrow work? : )

Hoping you are enjoying a relaxing weekend full of books and coffee. *smooch*

Richard it's a joy to have you back among us.

RD, hope all is well. I miss ever increasing unread counts as I try to keep up to date.

We'll keep the light on for you!

It's so nice to open my starred threads and see a whole bunch of unread messages on yours. Just great having you back.

Speaking of which.... where are you? I miss catching up with progress chez toi.

My favorite Dorothy Parker review (of a play) was

"If you don't knit, bring a book"

Laddies and gentlewomen all, my latest review (Murder in the Rue Ursulines) is herewith presented for the amusement and edification of the masses: ta-daaaa!

Haha! I was first to give you a thumbs-up! So great to be reading a review from you again!

Karen O.

Second thumb!

xoxo

Hi RD! Greetings from sunny SoCal! A great place to visit but NC is definitely home.

A review by Ricardo!! Life is good. And so is the review. : )

Hi Rdear, I wish you a wonderful weekend. smooches

Hi Richard! Just swooping in to say Hello! I've started a thread with the 75ers and will be posting reviews over the next week or so. Hope you can drop in to check them out. I have been very happy with most of what I have read so far this year and want to share them with y'all. If I don't like it I drop it like a hot potato! Life is just too short...ya know? I will have to return later to read some of your past posts but I just wanted to tell you that the pic of the bunny in post 320...? I had a bunny that looked just like that. His name was Cinder. He was a Lavender Rex. That one probably is also. I had a huge red one named Ruby, also. Anybody considering getting bunnies? So you know, if you take good care of them they live for a reallllly long time. So be ready to commit. Hope all is well with you Rdear. I have missed your witty repartee most of all I think. (Suddenly I feel like Dorothy...)

It's a new week! So what better way to celebrate than starting a new thread?