Joe's Book Cafe 2015 Door 10

Illustrations by Lee White

Welcome back to the cafe!

Best of 2014

*= favorite of year

Fiction

Lila by Marilynne Robinson*
Redeployment by Phil Klay
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami
The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer
The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zavin
The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys
The Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Honorable Mention: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Nonfiction

The Way I See It by Temple Grandin*
An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield
Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink
The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman
Agent Zigzag by Ben Macintyre
Bitch in a Bonnet by Robert Rodi
Leonardo and the Last Supper by Ross King
Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin
Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and the World He Made by David Halberstam

Young Adult/Midde Grade

Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky*
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Brian's Winter by Gary Paulsen
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Where She Went by Gayle Forman
Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin
Counting by Sevens by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein
Skylark by Patricia Maclachlan
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Science Fiction/Fantasy

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel*
The Martian by Andy Weir
Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber
The Peripheral by William Gibson
The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Cress by Marissa Meyer
Ancillary Justice by Ann Lecke
Hounded by Kevin Hearne
Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

Graphic Novels

Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant by Roz Chast*
Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang
The Graphic Canon Volumes 1 and 2 edited by Russ Kirk
This One Summer by Jill Tamaki
Exit Wounds by Rutu Modan
Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue
Solanin by Inio Asano
Aya The Secrets Come Out by Marguerite Abouet
A Drifting Life by Yoshihiro Tatsumi

Poetry

Blue Horses by Mary Oliver*
Incarnadine by Mary Szybist
Americans' Favorite Poems edited by Robert Pinsky
Black Boy Suite Black Boy Sweet by Danez Smith
View with a Grain of Sand by Wisława Szymborska

American Author Challenge 2015

January: Carson McCullers - Ballad of the Sad Cafe and Other Stories
Feburary: Henry James - Turn of the Screw
March: Richard Ford - The Sportswriter
April: Louise Erdich - The Round House
May: Sinclair Lewis - Babbitt
June: Wallace Stegner - Where the Bluebird Sings
July: Ursula K. LeGuin (read tons of hers) - Isabel Wilkerson The Warmth of Other Suns
August: Larry McMurtry - Lonesome Dove
September: Flannery O'Connor (read enough) Chaim Potok The Promise
October: Ray Bradbury - (read tons of his) Truman Capote Breakfast at Tiffany's
November: Barbara Kingsolver - Bean Trees
December: E.L. Doctorow - World's Fair

British Author Challenge 2015

January: Kazuo Ishiguro - Never Let Me Go
February: Evelyn Waugh - Scoop
March: Daphne Du Maurier - Jamaica Inn
April: Angela Carter - The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories
May: Margaret Drabble/Martin Amis - Jane Gardam The Man in the Wooden Hat
June: Anthony Burgess - Nothing Like the Sun
July: Virginia Woolf - Mrs. Dalloway or another if I've read that one already
August: Iris Murdoch - The Bell
September: Salman Rushdie - Midnight's Children
October: David Mitchell - The Bone Clocks
November: William Boyd - Restless
December: Hilary Mantel - A Place of Greater Safety, and maybe a Wodehouse for fun

Books Read in 2015

January

1. Ruddy Gore by Kerry Greenwood
2. Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
3. Ballad of the Sad Cafe by Carson McCullers
4. Saga Volume 4 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
5. Rose Gold by Walter Mosley
6. Serenity Leaves on the Wind by Zack Whedon
7. A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver
8. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
9. Urn Burial by Kerry Greenwood
10. The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan
11. Lexicon by Max Barry
12. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
13. Coventry by Helen Humphreys
14. The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion
15. First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen
16. The Lost Garden by Helen Humphreys

February

17. Turn of the Screw by Henry James
18. White Teeth by Zadie Smith
19. The Sculptor by Scott McCloud
20. Son by Lois Lowry
21. Raisins and Almonds by Kerry Greenwood
22. Scoop by Evelyn Waugh
23. The Evening Chorus by Helen Humphreys
24. Death Before Wicket by Kerry Greenwood
25. Dinner with Buddha by Roland Merullo
26. The Leaning Girl by Benoit Peeters
27. Claire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Dandicat
28. Stumptown by Greg Rucka

March

29. Consider the Lobster and Other Essays by David Foster Wallace
30. Away with the Fairies by Kerry Greenwood
31. No Time Like the Past by Jodi Taylor
32. March Book 1 by John Lewis
33. El Deafo by Cece Bell
34. Murder in Montparnasse by Kerry Underwood
35. Jamaica Inn by Rebecca Du Maurier
36. Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by Willaim Kuhn
37. Stumptown Volume Two by Greg Rucka
38. The Castlemaine Murders by Kerry Greenwood
39. Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
40. The Real Jane Austen by Paula Byrne
41. Endangered: A Joe Pickett Novel by C.J. Box
42. The Graveyard Book Volume One and The Graveyard Book Volume Two by Neil Gaiman and P. Craig Russell

April

43. The Best of It: New and Selected Poems by Kay Ryan
44. Night Film by Mariah Pessl
45. March Book Two by John Lewis
46. Queen of the Flowers by Kerry Greenwood
47. Obsession in Death by J.D. Robb
48. Death by Water by Kerry Greenwood
49. The Round House by Louise Erdrich
50. Younger Next Year by Chris Crowley
51. Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs
52. The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter
53. Murder in the Dark by Kerry Greenwood
54. Perfect State by Brandon Sanderson
55. The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
56. The Two Mrs. Abbotts by D.E. Stevenson
57. The Late Works of Hayao Miyazaki by Dani Cavallaro
58. Bones Crossed by Patricia Briggs

May

59. The Man in the Wooden Hat by Jane Gardam
60. Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs
61. River Marked by Patiricia Briggs
62. Displacement by Lucy Knisley
63. Bangkok Rules by Harlan Wolff
64. The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
65. And Sometimes I Wonder About You by Walter Mosley
66. Golden Son by Pierce Brown
67. Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis
68. To Dance with the White Dog by Terry Kay
69. Ross Poldark by Winston Graham
70. Artificial Absolutes by Mary Fan
71. Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
72. World of Trouble by Ben H. Winters
73. The Chimes by Anna Small

June

74. Crown of Embers by Rae Carson
75. The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson
76. A Spy Among Friends by Ben Macintyre

Happy New Thread, Joe! Love the Lee White toppers. Perfect.

"The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage presents a rollicking alternate reality in which Lovelace and Babbage do build the Difference Engine and then use it to build runaway economic models, battle the scourge of spelling errors, explore the wilder realms of mathematics, and, of course, fight crime—for the sake of both London and science. Complete with extensive footnotes that rival those penned by Lovelace herself, historical curiosities, and never-before-seen diagrams of Babbage’s mechanical, steam-powered computer, The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage is wonderfully whimsical, utterly unusual, and, above all, entirely irresistible."

^I think that is a perfect description. I just finished the "real bio" part, (it is short) now for the "rollicking" parts. LOL.

Well - Aiden Turner is certainly "gorgeous" so it is easy to see why my friend described the series using that term.

Happy new thread! Love the thread toppers, especially the last one, which reminds me of myself and Nickel, though IRL I am the one following the bird around the house.

>3 msf59: Thanks, Mark! Glad you like them toppers. His illustrations have a nice, whimsical feel, don't they?

Ha! Thanks for the heads-up on the Lovelace and Babbage GN so far.

As first in the door, you get a copy of a Spring Beer Guide. Happy Quaffing!



>4 benitastrnad: I thought you and many other patrons would find the new Poldark easy on the eyes, Benita! We should bring that photo over here to the new cafe. Here you go:

Grabbing my seat early, for a change! A long tall lemonade would be very welcome, sir.

>5 Storeetllr: Ha! I like that last one, too, Mary. I like the idea of the human following the bird around.

ETA: Wise indeed, Linda. Fresh-squeezed lemonade coming up:

I was thinking a Long Island Iced Tea sounded good.

>6 jnwelch: I must be getting old. Aiden Turner has much too 'modern' a look for my taste. Give me smoldering Robin Ellis any time.

Oops, missed your LI Iced Tea request, Benita, in >9 benitastrnad:. Here you go:



>10 ffortsa: Ha! It'll be interesting to hear the different reactions, Judy. I have to admit I'm no judge at all in comparing the looks, although I thought Robin Ellis was terrific as Poldark.

Hi Joe, I missed most of your last thread, but am here to claim a good seat for this round. I notice the excitement is building for Poldark which I believe is coming to PBS in June. I loved the books and only saw a few of the original shows so I am looking forward to seeing it.

>12 DeltaQueen50: Good to have you here, Judy! I know how hard it can be to keep up with the threads.

It's fun to hear all the Poldark talk, isn't it? I didn't even know about the books. I'm getting the first one and plan to read it soon. The original TV series was mesmerizing and unmissable in my neck of the woods. I hope the new series turns out to be high quality. It's going to be hard not to compare it against the landmark original.

We'll be traveling again tomorrow, this time in advance of the Jesse (son #1)-Adriana nuptials this weekend in Houston. Although as the groom's dad I seem fairly useless, my presence is desired in the days before. And Madame MBH is much in demand. So off we go.

I hope you all have a good time in the cafe and on the other threads. I'll check in.

>13 jnwelch: For me, the hardest part will be accepting whoever is cast as Demelza. The original actress did such a wonderful job and it will be difficult to accept someone new in that role. But I have seen pictures of the new Demelza and she is very attractive.

ETA: Congratulations on the upcoming nuptials, Joe. You and Mrs. Joe must be very proud and happy. Have a wonderful time.

Happy new thread and once again - wonderful artwork up top.

Safe travels and hope all goes smoothly with the wedding and that the things that do not go as planned are just fodder for happy memories later.

Case in point - we came home after our wedding rehearsal (in late August) to discover that my grandmother had decorated the buffet table with a Christmas tablecloth. Still one of my favorite wedding weekend memories.

Hope the celebrations are fun, and congratulations.

I noticed all the beverage posts here. Earlier I had some orange juice that I needed to use up so I did part orange juice and part Sprite. It was very refreshing!

Hi Joe, I missed a lot of your last thread, but caught the talk of bookish pubs /bars in London. I love the idea of sitting in a pub reading, it is so doable, and a highly underrated experience. Something about being in the company of others, but not really being there, if you know what I mean.
Happy newest thread!

I hope all goes well with the wedding Joe!
Safe travels.

>10 ffortsa: I agree. Robin wasn't a pretty boy, but he was intense...

Be safe, have fun, and come back soon, Joe!

Happy wedding Joe!

Happy travels and celebrations! Best wishes for our young man and his chosen young woman! May the celebration be all they wish it to be, and may you and your lovely spouse have a grand good time! 😊

Happy new thread, Joe, and safe travels, and Happy Wedding Festivities!

Have a safe trip to Texas, Joe! Hope you can squeeze some reading time in, here and there. Have a blast at the wedding!!

Good morning! I've got a couple of minutes before we leave.

>15 DeltaQueen50:. Thanks, Judy. We like Adriana very much, and her folks, too, so we're looking forward to this even more than we might otherwise.

I agree re the actress with the difficult name who played Demelza in the original. Just did a knockout job, plus she certainly was easy on the eyes. Looking forward to seeing reviews of the new one, and I hope the reactions are positive.

>16 SuziQoregon:. Thanks, Juli. Christmas tablecloth - love it! You're right, I'm sure something oddball will happen. We'll report back.

Glad you like the artwork!

OK, off we go.

Happy New Thread, Joe. I love the paintings. They are so colourful.

Wishing you safe travel and for your son #1 and his bride mazel tov.
Enjoy the wedding :-)

Safe travels, Joe, and congrats and fond best wishes to your son and his bride on the coming nuptials! Have fun at the wedding!

Happy new thread/cafe, Joe! I want to join that lovely girl in the thread topper pic by grabbing hold of an umbrella that will transport me away!

Love all of the summery drink pics! I acquired a mojito mint plant over the weekend that I am looking forward to nurturing. I have never had a mojito before but I am looking forward to giving the drink a try this summer with fresh mojito leaves.

Safe travels, Joe!

>26 jnwelch: the actress with the difficult name who played Demelza in the original Just say "Ingrid" with a Welsh accent!

I hope you have a wonderful wedding, Joe. The father of the groom should be able to enjoy the whole celebration without much stress at all.

>17 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. So far, so good. Had a nice evening with the bride-to-be and her folks, including their singing some Mexican folk songs beautifully. Heavy rain here, and power outages, so the candles came out. Quite lovely.

>18 thornton37814: There's a combo I wouldn't have thought of, Lori. My MBH likes half orange juice, half cranberry juice, with a bit of Rose's lime juice.

>19 LovingLit: Glad you could join us in the latest cafe, Megan. I like that idea of pub reading. I'm rarely in one alone with a book, but I'd like to try it. We're back in pub-land this fall, so maybe the opportunity will come up. There are pubs in Chicago and NYC and elsewhere in the U.S., but for me they're not really the same.

>20 Whisper1: Thanks, Linda. We're safely ensconced in our hotel, and all seems to be moving along swimmingly so far. Hope you're continuing to feel improved. I'm glad you like your main doctor so much. You need someone like that when you're going through something so difficult.

>21 fuzzi: Thanks, fuzzi. We'll be back in a little under a week. So far so good. The bride looks (and is) lovely, and our favorite (and only) son arrives tomorrow night.

Wish I had the Poldark book with me, as I finished The Girl of Fire and Thorns, and my diverted brain can only take a slice of Babbitt at a time.

Robin Ellis's intensity in the series was compelling, wasn't it?

>22 NarratorLady: Thanks, Anne! The Man in the Wooden Hat was as good as promised, BTW. Thanks again to you and Ellie for getting me started on Jane Gardam.

You are a travelling man, Joe. Happy new thread. Love the toppers. Where do you find your artwork? Enjoy the wedding, sounds like you have the perfect position in the wedding party.

>23 maggie1944: Thanks for the lovely wishes, Karen. Imagine the young guy you met giddy with happiness. It's fun to see.

It looks to be a wonderful celebration, and we look forward to having that grand good time.

>24 scaifea: Thanks, Amber! The flight down was smooth, and the details all seem to be working out, including hair and nail issues for the ladies. We're responsible for the rehearsal dinner (65 folks at a highly regarded Mexican restaurant (Los Cucos), and casual), and we seemed to get all that squared away fine yesterday.

>25 msf59: Thanks, Mark! I was able to get in some good Babbitt time on the plane, and finished The Girl of Fire and Thorns. The latter is very entertaining and well done; I'll be moving on to the next one soon. I'm pretty sure it's a trilogy.

>27 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. Isn't the use of color in those wonderful? Glad you enjoy them.

Thank for your kind thoughts on the wedding, and the mazel tov. He's Jewish and she was raised Catholic, so the ceremony is going to be an interesting mix, with a chuppa and ketubah, among other things.

>28 Storeetllr: Thanks, Mary! All is well so far, and the excitement is building. She's a sweetheart, as are her folks. I'm mainly here for support right now, and to help with decisions. There is an awful lot that goes into a wedding, it turns out. Our wedding, back in the last century, was a much simpler affair. But this should be really fun.

LTers would appreciate the reception table decorations, which include wreaths with book pages sculpted into flower shapes, and open books whose middle interior pages are sculpted into a heart shape.

>29 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori! Yeah, you and me both - I'd join that girl with the sky-transporting umbrella in a blink.

Mmm, mojitos. Oh, you're going to like those. With your own mojito mint leaves? Outstanding.

Got to run, but will catch up more later.

Joe, I'm sure you'll provide us with wonderful photos of this wedding. I love all yournews and updates. Enjoy it. :-)

Good to see you check in, Joe! Have you recovered from that Bulls loss? This has been a tough series. Need to come roaring back at home.

>33 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg! Glad you like the new digs and the toppers.

I find the toppers in an awful lot of different ways. Books, films and museums usually. I've been drawn to art and illustrators basically my whole life, probably starting with Dr. Seuss and John Tenniel (Alice in Wonderland) and W. W. Denslow (the Oz books). I still buy children's books by illustrators like Jon J. Muth and Inga Moore. In this case, Pinterest showed me one of Lee White's and I got interested in his.

>36 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. Yes, I'll be reporting back, and I'm sure some photos will show up. :-)

>37 msf59: Arggh, how could they toss Taj from the Bulls game, Mark, and do nothing to that jerk who locked up his legs? That deep-sixed the Bulls with Gasol out. Very poor ref-ing. It's do or die tomorrow night.

Our hosts (Houston Rockets fans) were gracious enough to watch a good bit of the Bulls game with us. At least the Rockets won last night against the Clippers.

I'm late to wish you happy new thread greetings but thrilled to hear that your son is officially getting hitched. What a fun celebration. Can't wait to see some pics of the beautiful family. :)

>39 jolerie:. Thanks, Valerie. His godfather is arriving momentarily. Fun stuff. Pics will be taken in abundance, no doubt. :-)

Good morning, Joe. I got caught up with your last thread and now this one. I see that you have started Babbitt and are enjoying it more than either of us perhaps expected. I will start it as soon as I complete Martin Amis' Success. This is a weird month for the reading challenges....

I LOVE the illustrations by Lee White at the top of your thread. Are they from one particular work?

Joe enjoy the wedding! Congratulations and best wishes to the groom and bride to be. Watch out for the mosquitoes. They are very cruel right now and I swear there are a few large enough to saddle and ride.

Enjoy the wedding Joe!

>41 EBT1002: Hiya, Ellen. Yes, I think you'll find Babbitt much less painful than we feared. I'm about halfway through; not a fast read for me, but a good one.

This is a weird month for reading challenges. I substituted in Jane Gardam for the BAC. If you haven't read her, I can recommend trying Old Filth.

Glad you love the illustrations by Lee White. Me, too! They're from different works. Here's a page on his website where you can see them and others: http://www.leewhiteillustration.com/-/galleries/store/prints.

>42 luvamystery65: Thanks, Roberta! Ai-yi-yi, we'll look out for the mosquitoes, thanks for the tip. Her parents live where you can hike down to a pond and an inlet of some sort, and maybe we'll take a pass on that for now. I've ridden horses, but I'm guessing riding mosquitoes is scarier and more dangerous - and a bite is too much to even contemplate.

>43 connie53: Thanks, Connie. It's already fun, as guests are starting to arrive at the hotel. Wonderful dinner with Jesse's godparents last night. They live in San Francisco, so it was great to catch up with each other in person. I had Gallito Shrimp, which was some of the best shrimp I've ever had.

Oh, those shrimps look wonderful. I love shrimps. Glad to hear that you're enjoying your time.

32> I recommend Gardam's Last Friends, the last of her trilogy and, she's insisted, her last book. Not as tightly written as the other two but still good. It tells the story from Veneering's point of view and since you have so recently read The Man in the Wooden Hat you'll appreciate the parallels. A few years between the books meant I had forgotten some details.

GO BULLS!!!!!

Those shrimps look really delicious! I'm glad you are enjoying the preparations and seeing the guests arrive!

>44 jnwelch: Ooh, shrimp...

^^This is a special day for your family, Joe! Enjoy, my friend. Hugs to Jesse & Adriana!!

Congratulations to Jesse, Adriana, and their families! I've enjoyed the photos that you, Debbi and Becca have been posting.

Hi Joe, I wish you a most wonderful wedding day.

Ah, yes! The big day. Very best wishes to you all. I'm sure you will have a great time!

Happy Wedding Day, Joe! Sending our best wishes to Jesse and Adriana.

My condolences regarding the Bulls, Joe. And I'm loving the rehearsal pictures on Facebook! Have a great day today!

Thanks, everyone. The big day is here! Had a terrific rehearsal dinner, including a serenade from the bride and her papa.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Happy Wedding to all your family Joe!

Joining the Poldark conversation, I only found out about the books and series thanks to LT and Peggy, who some months back was very enthusiastic about revisiting the novels. I'm now halfway through the first book, Ross Poldark, which I have trouble putting down, and am pretty much sold on reading all following 11 books, which I've just now requested the library as audiobooks and ebooks (the first 3 books were just released on audio).

Enjoy your day and festivities!

Hi Joe! Sounds like you're on the road -- hope the trip and the wedding are wonderful! Happy new-ish thread to you! 63 books already -- wow!

>46 NarratorLady: I recommend Gardam's Last Friends, the last of her trilogy and, she's insisted, her last book. Oh no -- really? I loved the whole trilogy, and also really enjoyed Crusoe's Daughter last year. I guess I'll have to read more of her earlier work.

58>I was at a reading that Gardam gave when Last Friends published and she announced it would be her last. She's in her early 80s but looks much younger and is a delightful raconteur. She has since published a collection of her favorite short stories, The Stories of Jane Gardam. But people change they're minds so we'll see!

Sad to hear she's not writing any more, I thought that trilogy was brilliant. Would love to hear her in person, she sounds wonderful from >59 NarratorLady:

>59 NarratorLady:, >60 charl08: Let's hope she changes her mind, although being in her 80s, she definitely deserves to do as she pleases!

Congratulations to Jesse and Adriana, Joe! I hope they had a great day and have many happy years in front of them.

Congrats to Jesse and Adriana!

I saw some pics on FB, and it looks as if everyone had a swell party. Yeah! And best wishes to the fine couple for a long and happy life together.

Happy Sunday, Joe! I am sure you are sleeping in late, after a wonderful celebration. I also LOVED the FB photos!

Good morning, Joe! I'm sure that everyone is in recovery mode this morning after yesterday's grand event. Thanks for sharing those great photos on Facebook.

Woo, you got that right, Darryl. The newly weds should now be in Jamaica.

What a wedding and celebration it was! We hosted a brunch at Los Cucos this a.m. for those still here, and the celebration will continue through the day. Fun to have so many friends and family members in one place.

Hi Joe, I know you're off enjoying young Jesse's wedding. Fun times!

I appreciate that you did a substitute for the BAC this month. I ended up being glad I read The Peppered Moth but, as I think you know, I bailed on Martin Amis. His work is simply not my cup of tea.

I have read Old Filth and The Man in the Wooden Hat by Jane Gardam. I own Last Friends, which is third in that series, but have not yet read it. You're spot on, as usual: I like her work a lot.

>45 Ameise1: As you can tell, I'm a shrimp fan, too, Barbara.

We've been having a blast. We're at the happy but exhausted stage, flying back tomorrow.

Glad we're connected on FB now!

>46 NarratorLady:. Thanks, Anne. You're inspiring re Ms. Gardam. From Veneering's POV? Fascinating. She handled Betty's POV, and some revelations from the hubby's side, beautifully, in Wooden Hat.

>47 msf59:. Poor Bulls! Thanks, Mark. Too bad. At least it was fun seeing Derrick Rose healthy and playing well.

Blackhawks lost today, too, darn it. Hope they can pull it off.

>48 connie53:. Don't those look good, Connie? You can tell I've been slow in keeping up with LT. The wedding celebration has been wonderful from the start.

>49 kidzdoc:. :-)

We are all so happy that the nuptials went off so well, and it seems as though everyone had a grand time, which is as it should be. No worries about the proprietor being absent, and perhaps absent minded, a bit, too. It is a good time to be with the family!

>69 jnwelch: I love all the photos on FB. Safe travel back home, Joe.

Thanks, Karen and Barbara. About to board the plane and head back home. Smiling.

Safe trip home, Joe. You are returning to some lovely weather, but things cool off dramatically tomorrow. What??

>31 jnwelch: We're back in pub-land this fall
By that do you mean the UK? If so, cool! Another trip huh? Did you like it or something ;)

>68 EBT1002: I liked the first in the "Old Filth" series, the others have been hard to come by.

>50 msf59: Thanks, Mark! What a time we had. I'll try to post some pics later.

>51 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl. It has been a treat connecting these two families up. As you may have seen on FB, Jesse and Adriana are now relaxing in Jamaica. I'm going to try to post a few here that aren't on FB. Needless to say, the family paparazzi were out, and there is no shortage of photos - and we don't even have the professional ones yet!

>52 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. Beautiful. It was indeed a wonderful wedding day. I'll probably tell a few stories as we get settled back in.

>53 maggie1944: Thanks, Karen. We had such a good time! The wedding ceremony was charming, and the reception a ton 'o fun, including terrific toasts and more dancing than I've done in a month of Sundays.

>54 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie! Jesse and Adriana are such a good match for each other. Over and over again we heard from their friends that the first time they saw the two of them together, they knew this was it for both of them, that they were going to be together for life.

>55 ronincats: Thanks, Roni. What a clunker at the end for the Bulls. The major solace I have is that it was such a pleasure to see Derrick Rose healthy and playing well. If the rest of them could have shot the ball better, it sure would've helped.

The rehearsal dinner was everything we hoped. We wanted it to be casual and friendly, so that all these folks that were new to each other, or hadn't seen each other in a long time, could have a relaxing place to have a good time. Madame MBH's toast and the serenade from Adriana and her dad Alex (Alejandro) were a couple of highlights.

>57 Smiler69: Thanks, Ilana! Oh my, can't wait to get my hands on Ross Poldark. I have a feeling my reaction is going to be very similar to yours. So glad this came up - I didn't realize the old BBC series was based on the books.

>58 AMQS: Hi, Anne! We're back from our road trip. I see NarratorLady gives you an answer on the Jane Gardam question. I need to read the last one in the trilogy, and then look into her other books.

>59 NarratorLady: I'd love to hear Jane Gardam speak, Anne. How lucky you are! I'm glad, and not surprised, to hear that she's a delightful raconteur. I can understand her going easier in her 80s. We'll see whether more stories come out.

>60 charl08: Me, too, Charlotte - I'd love to hear Gardam speak. The first 2/3 of the trilogy was brilliant for me, and it sounds like the third is, too. It's in my future.

>61 AMQS: That's my thinking, too, Anne. Hoping for more, but understanding if that's it from her.

>62 SandDune: Thanks, Rhian. Jesse and Adriana had a very happy day - hard to imagine a happier - and plan to be in it for the long haul. They certainly seem well-constituted for it. They both lead very full lives, so we're glad they have a week in Jamaica together for nothing but R & R.

>63 connie53: Thanks, Connie! I'm glad we connected up on FB. The newlyweds had a grand time and are getting some much needed R & R.

>64 maggie1944: Thanks for the good wishes for the newly hitched couple, Karen. It indeed was a swell party. After an excellent dinner and remarkable toasts (the best man hit it out of the park), we danced until our tongues were draggin'. Plus we got to catch up some with all the family and friends gathered in one place. Wonderful.

>65 msf59: Thanks, Mark! Aren't those FB photos great? More are pouring in - and we haven't even gotten to the professional photos yet! One of Jesse's groomspeople (Mike) is marrying the photographer (Shanna) in the fall, and she seemed excellent, so we're looking forward to that.

We're all exhausted, no bout adoubt it. That was a lot of excitement in a short period of time. Debbi and I also have had seven trips out of town in the first half of the year, and we are committed to going nowhere but Chicago through at least June!

>66 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl! You got that right - we're definitely in recovery mode. Glad you like the Facebook photos. More are popping up now. Debbi took an exceptional one of the two newlyweds pre-wedding that you may have seen - it may be at 200 "likes" by now.

>68 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen! It was fun indeed, and thank you for the nice comments on FB. You've met the young fellow, and you would've enjoyed seeing how happy he is. A number of his friends commented that they've never seen him so peaceful and calm. That Adriana has a wonderful impact on him.

Good to hear about the Margaret Drabble book. I would like to read one of hers some day. Would you recommend starting with The Peppered Moth?

I was very happy with The Man in the Wooden Hat, as you can tell. Now I need to read the third one, which Anne says is from Veneering's POV.

>71 maggie1944: Thanks, Karen! It was a good time to be with the family, and I appreciate the patrons cutting the proprietor a bit of slack. I managed to stay in touch with work while in Houston, too, so it hasn't been too bad coming back.

So many good memories! It really couldn't have gone better.

>72 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. Glad you like the FB photos. We had a smooth and uneventful trip back yesterday. We were lucky - we were on American, and a number of attendees on United ran into mechanical difficulties and the like and were heavily delayed. It was quite stormy in Houston at times. The officiant's plane, with no one in it yet, got hit by lightning and knocked out of commission. Instead of getting home Sunday, he got home to Portland, Maine Monday night. One of my sisters had the mechanical difficulties problem with her plane(s), and also didn't get home to Pittsburgh until Monday night instead of Sunday. And they weren't the only ones. Arggh.

>74 msf59: Thanks, buddy. We got home in the afternoon yesterday, and got to enjoy that absolutely beautiful weather. Today - thud. 50s and gray. Oh well. Hope it's going okay for you.

>75 LovingLit: We love London and England, Megan, as you probably suspected. Yes, we're going back to London in the fall. For now, as I mentioned somewhere up above, we're thrilled to be home and not going anywhere - it was a hectic, travel-filled first 5 months, although all of it was good and positive. But by the fall we'll be ready and raring to go.

I can recommend the second in the Old Filth series, and others, as you've probably seen, have recommended the third.

I think we're now all caught up! If I missed anyone, please let me know.

All right, a few photos from my phone.

Mother of the bride, Alba, and mother of the groom, Debbi, at the rehearsal dinner.



Best man, Toaster (Tim) and groom Jesse, with mother Debbi (walklover) and sister Becca (seasonsoflove) behind, at the hotel.



Yours truly, with my sisters Judy and Bambi, at the reception.

Great pics, Joe! Everyone looks so happy! I saw that last one on FB, though it's clearer here. I hadn't noticed the guy with the hat in the FB pic ~ one would know you were in Texas just by that, huh? :)

Looks like a very happy day for your family, Joe. Congratulations to the new couple.

Looks like you all had an excellent day ..... Congratulations to the couple & extended family

Congratulations to all, Joe. You all look radiant. I wish the new couple a joyful life.

Wonderful photos, Joe, and I'm so glad to hear that all went well!

You stayed in a Marriott...Renaissance? The lobby looks very familiar to some of the Marriotts we've stay in recently (Tomm gets reward points with all of his traveling).

>84 Storeetllr: Thanks, Mary. Glad you like the pics. We were a happy bunch, all right. I know, the guy in the hat must be a Texan. Never did figure out who he was. There were a lot of folks attending.

>85 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy. Periodically we get a FB post from the new couple looking quite relaxed and happy in Jamaica.

>86 roundballnz: Thanks, Alex. We did all have an excellent day. Our extended family got even more extended-er, and we like the bride's family members very much. We had met one cousin of her father in NYC, where he owns some restaurants and treated us royally. It was great to see him again, and meet his wife.

>87 ffortsa: Thanks, Judy. We were all feeling pretty radiant, I can tell you, on that happy occasion. The new couple is a great team already, and I wish them a joyful life, too. Prospects look promising.

>88 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. Yeah - so many details involved, and it all went well. One of the highlights was the 6 year old flower girl. She's very bright and together, but you never know. She was charming. The bride had asked to finish her walk down the aisle with a twirl. She did that, with, as Madame MBH says, a "Wonder Woman" wide-armed twirl, followed by a bow, to great applause. Here's a photo of M'Kayla getting prep'd in her finery by her mom:



She also danced the night away with the grownups, until she got too sleepy.

We're were staying at the Courtyard Marriott Kingwood. They were terrific. Everyone working there was pals with Madame MBH by the time we left, which often happens when we stay somewhere. A stranger saw her hugging everyone and came up and said to her, "I want to be like you." Sweet. Yes, she gave him a hug. :-)

Hmmm, saw this new way to read this morning:

Reading a book is magic!

>92 maggie1944: Ha! Well said, Karen!

The Man in the Wooden Hat is Jane Gardam's second novel involving the upright and seemingly stodgy Sir Edward Feathers. He is a lawyer and then judge known as Filth, the nickname derived from "Failed In London, Try Hong Kong". In the first novel, Old Filth, he was introduced as a lonely widower residing in western England, looking back on his days of wealth and fame in Hong Kong. This one tells the story from the perspective of his beloved wife Betty, starting with her saying yes to his proposal in a Hong Kong hotel.

Gardam is particularly good at letting us see the inner workings of outwardly convention-observing characters, as they struggle with inner yearnings versus the desire to be moral and respectable, and successful in the eyes of others. When, shortly after Filth's proposal, Betty runs into Terry Veneering, Filth's rival, she wishes the proposal had come an hour later. That attraction will have have long lasting effects for all of them.

The steamy Hong Kong and austere English countryside atmospheres are vividly portrayed, and there are revelations around every corner, including a corker at the end. Betty evolves from a clever but unworldly youngster with "unpainted, sandy toenails" to a decisive ruler of her realm. What a feat for Gardam to so engagingly tell the story from two different perspectives in two different novels. A third novel, Last Friends, will tell the story from the POV of Filth's rival Veneering. Reading high quality writing always feels good, and like the first novel, this one is cleverly conceived and affecting, as you find out more about all three protagonists. Four stars, and it may well deserve more.

>94 jnwelch: Thanks for bringing back a good 'book memory'. Interesting cover you've got there though?

Joe, I'm so glad Jesse's wedding went well. Thanks for posting pictures. Would have loved to see the flower girl's twirl at the end of her walk. It looks like a good time was had by all and that the new bride and groom will have a happy life together.

I love the Old Filth trilogy. You have one more treat in store for you!

>94 jnwelch: - Such a good book! The last one, Last Friends, is good but not at the same level as the first two...

Hooray for fun weddings! I'm so glad everything went well, and it was fun knowing you were in the same state as me for even a little while...

>95 charl08: - Charlotte, the whole trilogy (published by Europa over her) has a similar design:



I kind of like them. Looking at all the Europa Gardam covers in my library, there is a similar them of facelessness/blankness throughout. Interesting...

Hmm. Prefer the HK scenery in this one



(although mine was on the kindle, so I don't even remember if mine had a cover image!)

>95 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. Is that a different cover than the one you've seen? As Katie shows in >98 katiekrug:, this is what we get on our side of the pond. I like them.

>96 Donna828: Thanks, Donna. We may get the flower girl's twirl from the pro photographer - we're still waiting on those. If so, I'll try to post it here. It was mighty cute.

I'm really looking forward to following the adventures of the bride and groom. They met on the national slam poetry scene, and they're both extremely active in their lives. They make a good team, and this should be fun.

Glad you loved the Old Filth trilogy, and that's encouraging to hear on the third one. I have NarratorLady and mirrordrum to thank for tipping me off to Ms. Gardam.

>97 katiekrug: The Man in the Wooden Hat was good, wasn't it, Katie? Among other things, I loved coming across familiar territory from a different perspective, and then being surprised by pieces of the story that I didn't know about from the first book.

Hooray for fun weddings, I agree! This one was a blast for everyone; we had so many people thank us for including them in the event.

We'll be back in your state, for sure, as we're now close to the bride's parents. I'll try to alert you and Roberta early on.

>98 katiekrug: Thanks for skillfully showing those, Katie. I didn't realize this was a "look" for Europa, but I like it.

ETA: >99 charl08: I do like that cover, Charlotte. Very different approach.

Howdy, Joe! I am sure you will be staying in for lunch today, right. Brrr...

I have to get to The Man in the Wooden Hat. It is one I keep forgetting about.
I am still working my way through The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage. It's fun and interesting but very time-consuming. Jesse will LOVE it!!

Love the pictures of the wedding, Joe. I saw some on FB. And what a lovely flower girl!

>101 msf59: I actually went out for lunch, Mark - sure hope it's better out there tomorrow!

Thanks for the reminder on The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage. I've got it on the WL for me, and I'm likely to get a copy for Jesse to surprise him.

>102 connie53: Thanks, Connie. Isn't M'Kayla a lovely flower girl? She has always been sweet and smart, but she really impressed me with how well she handled her flowerly duties and hanging out with the grownups.

Joe, thanks so much for telling us some episods of the wedding. I'm glad you're safe back and still dreaming of this event.

All this discussion of a man in a wooden hat reminds me that someone I know--I just can't remember who--has a wooden hat he turned. Not an easy thing to do. Maybe the identity will come to me. Then I can look for a picture of it.

It sounds to me like Phillipa Gregory must have taken a page out of Gardam's books. Gregory, who has written the series that starts with the White Queen, tells the same series of historical events from the point-of-view of different players in those events. That kind of technique can be boring but it can also be enlightening. In the case of the White Queen series, some characters die off and some are come into the story at different points. It is easy to say, as a reader, that I've read that before, and the story can get boring. However, the reverse is also true as you can get a richer sense of what is going on through those different points-of-view.

Great to see the photos especially the flower girl - what a cutie! Good to hear that everyone had a wonderful time.

Oh, beautiful flower girl!

>104 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. I think we'll all still be dreaming of that event for a while. It was memorable. Among other things, there were lots of happy people all in one place, and some remarkable toasts, especially by the best man.

>105 weird_O: Look forward to hearing more when you figure it out, w_O. Here's one:



>106 benitastrnad: Could be that Phillipa Gregory took a page out of Gardam's books, Benita, with the different perspectives. I haven't read any of PG's. I originally thought of Rashomon, but what {Gardam does is different, with the interwoven lives of the three principal characters viewed from the perspective of each of them. The first two Old Filth books, at least, come across as fresh and independent, not repetitive or boring. As you say, enlightening.

>107 Familyhistorian: Isn't she a cutie, Meg? And a sweetheart, too. It's going to be fun to watch her grow up - already has been!

>108 scaifea: Yes! Wish you could meet M'Kayla, Amber. You'd be even more charmed. Here she is with her dad, who is Uncle Ed to our kids, seasonsoflove (Becca), and Aunt Karen to our kids. Ed and Karen have been friends of ours from way back, and our kids adopted them, and vice versa.

Hi Joe! I'm so pleased to hear how happy Jesse is and what a good partner Adriana seems to be for him. It's a wonderful thing so see one's offspring happy and peaceful.

>80 jnwelch: The Peppered Moth is the only Drabble I have read so it's hard to say whether it's a good place to start other than that I enjoyed it. I don't know how it compares to her other works. But I liked it.

Yep, I need to get to Last Friends, as well (quick! before I forget too much from the first two!).

>111 EBT1002: Ha! I was just over on your thread, Ellen, talking about the reading challenges.

It's a wonderful thing to see one's offspring happy and peaceful. Ain't that the truth!

OK, thanks re Drabble. We'll see whether others chime in on her books - or maybe, I dread to think, I have to research her a bit. Can you imagine?

I know what you mean about remembering as much as possible from the first two while reading Last Friends. I'll try to get to it soon, too. Right now I'm enchanted by both To Dance with the White Dog and Ross Poldark.

Morning Joe! Happy Friday. I was a bit on the busy side yesterday and I was not able to drop by, for my daily salutation. I bet you are looking forward to the LONG weekend. B.A.G.

Happy Friday, buddy! You're right, should be a Blue And Green weekend. Can't wait!

>109 jnwelch: Wow! That's better than the hat I was remembering. Swell brim. Mine is a mere palimpsest in my memory. :-(

>115 weird_O: Ha! Glad you like it, Bill. I've got a few of those palimpsests meself.

M'Kayla's such a cutie, and I really like the image (>110 jnwelch:) of someone taking a picture of someone taking a picture.

Hi Joe, I wish you a relaxed weekend.

Hi! hope your are enjoying a weekend at home, with little to no obligations, just that good ole sitting around doing pretty much exactly what you want to be doin'.

I have two more "work days" with Instacart, and an Open Library tomorrow, and then I scheduled a whole week with no Instacart! On Thursday I am going on the big end of the year fun field trip with the middle child... a boat trip to Blake Island where our native tribes have developed a long house similar to the long houses they used before the Europeans arrived here. The cook a tasty salmon lunch, and show the kids some traditional dancing. Very dramatic dancing with masks of crows, and whales, and other creatures of the "olden days", and lots of drumming. I am looking forward to it, and Logan is so excited to spend the day with his "great aunt". *smiling*

I also hope next week to catch up with the reading!

>117 Storeetllr: Thanks, Mary. I'm glad you caught that someone else was taking the picture. I like that, too. And M'Kayla is such a cutie, isn't she? It's going to be fun seeing her grow up.

>118 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. Beautiful photo. Relaxed weekend is exactly what the doctor ordered. We took it easy yesterday and saw the Avengers movie (pretty good) and had dinner out. Today we're having a book sale, as seasonsoflove has trimmed her inventory by 200 books or so in her apartment move, and we have some that can find new homes, too.

>119 maggie1944: We are enjoying the weekend at home, for sure, Karen. It's good to be home!

Sounds like a lovely week ahead for you. Glad you're giving yourself a bit of a break. That sounds like a wonderful boat trip to Blake Island with Logan. He's a lucky boy.

I've been craving spice cake lately, so that's the visual breakfast today.

Morning Joe! Happy Sunday! I've heard the new Avengers film is not as good as the first one, so I've been biding my time. Loved the new Mad Max film though.

On the GN front, I have a few to recommend: of course- The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage, (it was a bit over my head at times but what a stellar effort), Friends With Boys, this was very engaging, a "Joe" book for sure and my current one is Yo Miss, which I am sure you and Debbi will both love.

Good luck with that book sale.

ETA: The spice cake looks delish..

Good luck with the book sale!

>122 msf59:. Thanks, Mark. The book sale is off to a good start, despite a little rain. Sherlock is doing all he can to help, which mainly involves looking cute.

I ordered The Thrilling Adventures from the library, and I'll look into the others. Thanks for the recs.

The special effects are amazing in The Avengers, and we enjoyed the banter. Even more banter would have been welcome.

>123 Ameise1:. Thanks, Barbara. So far so good. It's nice to see ones like Graceling (we had an extra copy get a happy new home.

>121 jnwelch: Mmmmmmmmmmm! Spice cake. Yes, have some! When asked, it's my preference for my birthday cake.

Yes! Vicarious spice cake is the best, I am enjoying it!

I was thinking some donuts for breakfast so stopped at Dunkin' Donuts. Good luck with the book sale. How are you pricing the books? Are you just having it in your yard?

Mmmmm, spice cake and books, what more could I ask? Well, maybe something to wash it down with, like a cup of tea.

>125 weird_O: You and me both, Bill! I'd take spice cake for birthday cake, but my standards for that are carrot cake and key lime pie.

>126 maggie1944: Ah, good, Karen. Me, too. Although I wouldn't mind having the real thing, calorie-free certainly has its appeal.

>127 benitastrnad: Good for you, Benita. It's a rare day when I have donuts. I wonder whether it nets to zero if you eat them while treadmilling?

Yes, we had the book sale in our yard, with simple pricing: $1 for hardcovers, 50 cents for paperbacks. We ended up selling lots, a major plus, as the proceeds are funding our daughter's purchase of a new bed (most of the books were hers, from her downsizing in her apartment move).

>128 Familyhistorian: Spice cake and books does sound awfully good, doesn't it, Meg? We can find you some wash it down tea, I'm sure.

I went to Teavana yesterday and spent a bundle on some great teas for summer. I drink iced tea by the gallon in the summer and I love those exotic flavorings at Teavana. This time I got youthberry and dragonfruit flavored teas as well as my standby, blueberry flavored tea.

That Poldark book was certainly engaging. I thought maybe you wouldn't find it as interesting as I did because you had already seen the TV version. As soon as I finish Gone Girl I will start on Demelza.

>130 benitastrnad: I drink iced tea by the gallon in the summer So do we, though while I love exotic flavorings in hot tea, I like my iced tea to be just plain tea. Not even sugar. So refreshing! I haven't made much yet, as it isn't even properly spring yet around here!

Hi Joe! Love the Old Filth talk here. Such a terrific series. Crusoe's Daughter was one of my favorite reads last year, and is Ms. Gardam's favorite as well.

>125 weird_O: "Yes, have some!"!! A very oft-quoted line in our house from an excellent movie! So happy to see I'm not the only one who appreciates that little nugget.

Hi, Joe! Spice Cake is a favorite for me, too!

On the subject of ice tea, I remember my honorary grandmother, Kate, discussing how to make the tea in a way which avoided it being cloudy when poured over ice. We drank a great deal of ice tea during those summers in central Idaho. I loved going to Kate and Emmett's every summer, starting when I was 8 years old, and continued until I was 16 and was too much of a "know it all" to enjoy the childhood vacations. Some of the wonderful food I ate there, then, is still loved today: lemon meringue pie, strawberry shortcake, ice cream on ripe cantaloupe, fried chicken, and yup: iced tea.

And I guess my experiences of falling off a few horses resulted in my right hip developing severe arthritis, and causing an early hip replacement. Ah life!

>130 benitastrnad: Loved the Ross Poldark book, Benita. I had warm memories of the original TV series, so it helped bring those back, but it was also fun to have more detail on the events. I already ordered a used copy of Demelza. What a great character she is!

I'm not much of a tea drinker, but I can see the appeal of stocking up on those exotic-sounding ones for iced tea weather.

>131 AMQS: We're finally starting to get stretches of warm weather here, Anne, and I hope the same starts happening in Colorado.

Thanks for the tip on Crusoe's Daughter. I'll line that one up after Last Friends.

>132 scaifea: Ah, I missed the Ghostbusters reference in >125 weird_O:, Amber! And after we'd had all those Ghostbusters discussions! Thanks for picking up on that.

We may need to plan an LT spice cake meetup, with Mark chiming in with appropriate accompanying beers.

I had my first mead the other night, an apple cinnamon one, and it was pretty darn good. Might go well with spice cake.

>133 maggie1944: Sorry about the tumbles from horses, Karen, but those otherwise sound like awfully good memories. I got knocked off a horse once; the one riding next to me got scared by something and got up on its hind legs and then came down on mine. Mine "barnstormed" through some cherry trees up in northern (lower) Michigan, and with all my bobbing and weaving, there was one thick branch I couldn't avoid. Ended up flat on my back, looking up at the sky, in some confusion.

Happy Monday, Joe! Happy Memorial Day. It sounds like you have a nice day planned with the family. Enjoy!

"We may need to plan an LT spice cake meetup, with Mark chiming in with appropriate accompanying beers." Sounds ideal to me...

Hi Joe, catching up, I really enjoyed your review of The Man in the Wooden Hat but... why is it not on the book's work page where I could have thumbed it??

Sounds like we are part of a new Poldark wave, doesn't it? I'm looking forward to getting to Demelza as well.

Happy Memorial Day!

>135 msf59: Happy Monday, buddy! Happy Memorial Day. It's been a good one today. We had a good time at Pitch Perfect 2, and a good meal afterwards at the Daily (fried pickle chips and mac n cheese for me, salad and chicken pot pie for the missus).

I had a "Pivo Pils" pilsner from Firestone Walker Brewery, which was grain-y goodness, and might work well at an LT spice cake meetup. Can't wait to see your beer menu for that one.

>136 Smiler69: Thanks, Ilana. Oops. I just posted the review on The Man in the Wooden Hat book page. I've gotten a bit slack with that, and I appreciate the reminder - and the thumb.

I love the new Poldark wave we're in; not that long ago I didn't even know the books existed. Another fine benefit from our LT exchanges. I saw they're bringing out new editions of the series, including Demelza, no doubt because of the BBC reboot. But I don't want to wait for those, so I tracked down a used copy. I know I want to keep these.

Happy Memorial Day! Thanks for the good wishes from north of the border.

I am sure that I will be reading more of the Poldark books as well. I got Demelza from the library already but probably won't get to it before it has to go back. But that is OK as I can just check it out again. I plan on reading at least the first 7 of Winston Graham's Cornwall series. The critics think that the series runs out of gas after the first 7 and I believe that Ilana mentioned that earlier, so i will try to finish the seven this year and leave the rest.

I make a mean oatmeal spice cake. Maybe, the next time I am in Chicago I will bring one.

I just got my plane ticket for San Francisco and the summer ALA conference. It is the same weekend as the Gay Pride Parade and so there are no cheap hotel rooms or plane tickets. My traveling colleague and I are taking a red eye flight back so that we can get the benefit of a full day at the conference and not have to pay for a hotel room for another night, but it will be rough. I have signed up for a tour of the Twitter library, so this should be interesting. However, if it is any consolation to you Chicagoans, Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia are the best cities for the ALA conference because they are cheap and convenient. Even with 18 inches of snow on the ground.

>138 benitastrnad: Good tip on the first 7 Poldarks, Benita. I may follow your and Ilana's lead on that. I'm sure looking forward to reading Demelza.

Oatmeal spice cake! That sounds delish, Benita. If you can bring one on your next Chicago visit, I'd be happy to help you polish it off. :-)

Ha! Good to hear that even with the snow Chicago is a prime spot for ALA. I do enjoy SF, and we need to get out there; it's been too long.

I'm up for some fruit pastries this a.m. Here we go:

I enjoyed Babbitt much more than I thought I would. It's not easy at the start, as the reader gets thrown into a rah rah early 20th century American business environment in the fictional city of Zenith. There isn't a whole lot of plot; it's more a novel of characters, including, of course, George Babbitt. He initially appears to be a pumped-up, full of himself aspirant to the 1%. For a large portion of the book he says all the right things at various local community clubs and political events about squashing unions and rewarding the go-getters needed to get the country back on its feet after the first world war. He gets a reputation as an orator, and his real estate business prospers. But even as he becomes a leader in Zenith's "boosterism", underneath it all he yearns to slip away with the fairy child of his dreams:

He was somewhere among unknown people who laughed at him. He slipped away, ran down the paths of a midnight garden, and at the gate the fairy child was waiting. Her dear and tranquil hand caressed his cheek. He was gallant and wise and well-beloved; warm ivory were her arms; and beyond the perilous moors the brave sea glittered.

After a friend's life takes a disastrous turn, Babbitt rebels and for a time searches for the fairy child among women of his acquaintance. He is reminded of his more liberal views when young, and begins to see his own rebellious son differently.

The book was a huge success in its time, and in 1930 Lewis won the Nobel Prize, the first American to do so. He writes really well, and more than once I thought this was what Updike was trying to do, with less success. Babbitt is a satire of crass American commercialism and superficial optimism, but the book also has a heart. "Babbitt" became a word in our lexicon defined as ""a person and especially a business or professional man who conforms unthinkingly to prevailing middle-class standards". To me, that definition is unfair, as Georgie Babbitt wasn't an unthinking conformist. He yearned for escape with the fairy child, but determinedly, with "pep", he tried to make the best of the hand he saw himself dealt. A four star read.

Very nice review of Babbitt, Joe! It had some hidden depths that I wasn't expecting.

>142 rosalita: Thanks, Julia! For me, too.

>140 jnwelch: Yum, those pastries look good. I'm telling myself they are healthy because of all the fruit. Thanks for the tea but it seems strange that it led to posts about iced tea. Guess that it one taste difference between the US and Canada.

Happy Tuesday, Joe! Sounds like you had a nice holiday weekend.
Great review of Babbitt. I thought it was also a good choice for the AAC. Looking forward to Mr. Stegner.

Put Yo Miss on your GN WL. This one is right in your wheelhouse.

>144 Familyhistorian: Ha! Exactly, Meg. With all that fruit, those pastries have to be healthy. This is the line of thought I use all the time when trying to convince my health-conscious MBH.

Hot tea is pretty darn popular in the U.S. now. I think the iced tea responses may tie more to the warmer weather we're experiencing here - but maybe iced tea isn't as popular in your part of the world? It is a staple here, that's for sure.

>145 msf59: Oh, Yo, Miss does look good, Mark, and right in my wheelhouse, as you say. It's on my GN WL now.

It was a good holiday weekend, for sure. We're both feeling much more recovered from all the wedding excitement. Hope your weekend went well.

Thanks re the Babbitt review. Excellent AAC choice - I doubt I would've read Sinclair Lewis any time soon without the challenge.

I haven't been as taken with Stegner as some other LTers have been, so I'm hoping giving him another shot will help. I'm also looking forward to reading another Anthony Burgess for the BAC.

>141 jnwelch: Great book report, Joe. Feeds my desire to read the book. And I love that book cover; is that '40s? Or early '50s?

I'm halfway through a mammoth bio of Lewis. He's just completed Arrowsmith, still has six notable novels to get to. I'm more interested in his books than ever. Did you know Lewis' original protagonist name/book title was "Pumphrey"? He and his publisher ran through scores of alternatives before settling on Babbitt.

>147 weird_O: Thanks, Bill. Glad you liked it. Believe it or not, the blurb says that book cover is from Harcourt Brace all the way back in 1922.

Good for you for reading the mammoth bio of Sinclair Lewis. I'd never heard about "Pumphrey" as the original title. I can see the "Pump" part as fitting with the content, but Babbitt does seem punchier and catchier. Maybe that's hindsight, since we're so used to it. Great tidbit of info, thanks.

Swinging by to say hello! Glad the weekend provided some welcome R&R for you and Debbi. We are well into Spring/Summer now, aren't we. I am glad for you all who suffered through a brutal winter season ! And if you're asking, I agree, the pastries above look darned healthy!

>149 maggie1944: Hiya, Karen! It was a good weekend indeed, and yes, we seem to have finally gotten to Spring/Summer. It's a pleasure not having to layer up in the morning.

That winter was okay through December here, but after that it did get brutally cold, with cold that wouldn't go away for the longest time, and some heavy snows. Glad to have that one behind us. We had several moderate winters before the last two, so I'm hoping they come back when the time comes.

Ha! Healthy pastries, what a concept. Can we work our magic with donuts, too?

Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf just arrived! Bittersweet - exciting, but I can't believe it's the last one from this terrific author.

^^Extremely jealous!!

Morning Joe! Happy Hump Day! I forgot to pre-order the Haruf but I will eventually pick it up for the "keeper" shelves.

I FINALLY started The Graveyard Book Graphic Novel: Volume 1. I have renewed this library copy 3 times, while trying to make my way through a big stack of GNs. I am running out of time, so I thought I better jump on it. I like it, in the early going.

>152 msf59: Keeper, definitely, Mark.

I think you'll have a good time with The Graveyard Book GN.

The next GN for me is not your cuppa, I imagine - I like Kaoru Mori's work, and I'm going to be reading the sixth in the series, A Bride's Story, which probably has about a dozen male readers across the USA. Great drawing, and an interesting story. I'm pretty sure Mamie's daughter likes the series, too.

I'm loving Our Souls at Night.

We'll be bringing out breakfast shortly.

Sweet Thursday, Joe! I am glad you are loving the final Haruf.

^I love that lunch spot!

Go Blackhawks!!

>155 msf59: Sweet Thursday, buddy! I'm loving the final Haruf, for sure.

I'm ready to sit at that table in >154 jnwelch:. Go Blackhawks! What a hard-fought win last night.

Wow, I LOVED Our Souls at Night. What a wonderful last book. Ah, I wish we could have more from him. But this one is like a cold, crystal clear creek running through the woods on a hot summer day. Take some time to wade in it.

What a brilliant description of Our Souls at Night...I can't wait to dip in.

>154 jnwelch: Beautiful spot, Joe. Happy Friday!

Is breakfast still being served at that lovely spot?

Nice review of Babbitt. I'll have to add it to my wish list.

>157 jnwelch: I'm with >158 laytonwoman3rd: Linda - what a lovely way to describe a book, and a sure-fire way to get it onto my wishlist!

>158 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks, Linda. Can't wait to hear how you like it. My wife immersed herself in it as soon as I was done.

>159 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. Isn't that pretty? Happy Friday!

>160 kidzdoc: You betcha, Darryl. Breakfast is still being served at that lovely spot. We may make it a permanent addition to the cafe. :-)

I think Babbitt would fit in well on your literary menu. I look forward to hearing what you think of it when you get to it.

>161 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. I hope you can get into Our Souls at Night soon; so good! I'd barely mentioned finishing it, and Madame MBH was already a couple of chapters into it.

Happy Friday, Joe. Hope the day goes quickly for you and I hope you remembered your umbrella.

I see the Haruf love continues. I thought Benediction might have been the perfect send-off but this one sounds like it qualifies tool

Happy Friday, buddy. Yeah, I can see some rain has started out there. I do have an umbrella, I'm glad to say.

As you know, I loved Benediction. Our Souls at Night is much shorter. As I said to Debbi, it could have been 3 or 4 times as long, and I still would have loved it. She and I were talking about it at some length this morning - you'll see why. You get to know these people, and you want to go to Holt and put your two cents in.

Came across this one by illustrator Chris Dunn today and liked it:

That is such a sweet illustration. Thanks. Made me smile!

>166 maggie1944: :-)

I finished reading two books today. Troy a young adult novel retelling of the Iliad, was a book it took me over a year to read. I kept it on my desk at work for those times when I forgot to bring my current read from home. This book had a beautiful embossed dust jacket that would make any reader want to keep this book on their shelves forever. However, the inside didn't live up to the promise of the dust jacket.

Book number 2 was News From Paraguay by Lily Tuck. I enjoyed the recorded version of this historical novel. The narrator is the same as for the Number One Ladies Detective Agency and I found her very plesant to listen to.

I went out for supper tonight for Mexican food. Does the cafe have any flautas on the menu?

I just packed News from Paraguay into one of my TBR goes to Storage boxes.... still painting inside. Going to interview a couple of possible helpers this weekend, I hope.

Good morning... have a lovely weekend. I know I plan to do that.

Good morning! We're at IKEA with seasonsoflove, for her new apartment.

Happy Saturday, Joe! And happy shopping. There is a light rain falling here but at least the temps are still comfortable, although that will change later.

Have a great weekend. And Go Hawks!!

I have a confession: I love IKEA. But the stuff is not always durable. Beautiful, yes, but needs lots of maintenance and care so it doesn't become unchic shabby.

I like IKEA designs ...but their furniture tend to disintegrate after a couple of years.

>168 benitastrnad:. Lots of coincidences here. I had mentioned to Chatterbox how I had enjoyed ...Paraguay when she said a new Lily Tuck was out, and she snagged the new one for me at BookExpo.

Another coincidence. We are packing up our living room books tomorrow in preparation for painting. In our case, we plan to stack them in the bedroom. I hope we can still get to the bed when we are done.

I finally found out what all the hyperbole was about regarding Gone Girl because I finished it last night. As thrillers go I found it average. I have been burning through the books this month. At this rate I won't have to worry about how many books I mail back from ALA this next month. It is in San Francisco starting June 25. I really need to look up post office locations in downtown S.F. before I leave.

It was hot and humid here and so I stayed inside today and cleaned cupboards in my kitchen.

>141 jnwelch: Nice review of Babbitt. I had been interested in reading this book years ago, but for some reason went with Main Street instead, which I didn't find particularly compelling. Never came back around to Babbitt after that, but maybe I will now. :)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

The amateur production of All's Well That Ends Well was very nice. It was threatening to rain so the usual outdoor production was moved inside and the theater was freezing. The group did a good job. The two comic leads were very good. They played their parts exactly right and had the comic timing down pat. This is the 13th year this group has been doing these minimalist productions and they are so much fun to attend.

Happy Sunday, Joe! Go Hawks, eh? What a monster win! That looks like a championship team.

>168 benitastrnad: Sorry Troy wasn't better, Benita. Glad you liked the Lily Tuck. I heard the audio of the first Precious Ramotswe book and liked the narrator very much, so I can imagine her doing the Lily Tuck well.

Flautas? Si!



>169 maggie1944: Hope you're having a good weekend, Karen. News from Paraguay sounds like one I should take a look at.

>171 msf59: Beautiful Hawks win, Mark. They came out ready to play, led by Captain Taser, and played really well. That was one tough series.

We had a "Progressive Party" going on in our neighborhood, where we take the party from house to house, but luckily we were all keeping up with the score, and the last house had the third period on a big screen tv. Go Hawks! I taped the game, too.

I believe the Tampa Bay Lightning, their opponents in the Finals, are a "speed" team, and the Hawks love to play that way. Should be fun.

>172 maggie1944: IKEA is pretty amazing, isn't it, Karen? It's a whole world unto itself. We'll see how it all lasts. Becca didn't go for the lowest price, but rather had researched it beforehand, and appeared (to me) to get some high quality pieces, including a night table I wanted for our house, even though we don't need one. It just looked really cool.

>173 cameling: Good to know, Caro. Disintegration after a few years wouldn't be desirable, but it also wouldn't be the end of the world at this stage of our youngster's life. This is going to be the nicest furniture she's ever had, and there are likely more life transitions ahead for her.

>174 ffortsa: More support for Lily Tuck, thanks, Judy. Good luck getting through the book piles to the bed. :-)

>175 benitastrnad: I found Gone Girl a fun ride, Benita, although I have no desire to revisit with its intentionally despicable characters.

In contrast to your hot and humid weather, it has turned chilly and wet here, with our rainy day starting in the 40s. Much grumbling has ensued.

>176 sweetiegherkin: Thanks, sweetieg. Ellen and I were influenced by the enthusiastic over-beers warbling about Babbitt from DorsVenabili (Kerri) at a meet-up, and by gum, she steered us right. It's the only one of his I've read, so I can't compare it to Main Street, but I can say Babbitt stands up well on its own, and I'm glad I read it.

I'm feeling a bit like I over-indulged last night at our neighborhood party and victory celebration for our beloved Blackhawks hockey team, but we had a good breakfast this morning, and I'm doing my darndest to enjoy the rest of the weekend. Hope you're having a good one.

>177 benitastrnad: All's Well That Ends Well has one of those ridiculous plots that Shakespeare skillfully makes so enjoyable, doesn't it? I'm glad you saw a well-done production of it, Benita. Bertram outwitted, and everyone rejoices. Sounds like a fun group that does the minimalist productions.

>178 msf59: Happy Sunday, Mark. Woo, that was a monster win, all right. The Hawks really took it to a very good team, didn't they?

Tampa Bay doesn't do the body crushing like Anaheim, as far as I know, and reportedly likes to play with speed. So do the Hawks! This should be a really fun Finals. I'm so glad the Hawks are back in it. Third time in 6 years! What a change Rocky Wirtz has brought, along with the wonderful core of young players. I heard a commentator say Brendan Saad would be the star on most teams, and with the Hawks he trails behind several others. They've definitely got the weapons to take the whole thing.

Yes, Joe, I am looking forward to these Finals. Should be a blast. I don't watch much hockey during the regular season but I sure enjoy the Hawks in the post-season.

I started a new GN, Return of the Dapper Men. Have you heard of it? It's begins very well and is just your cuppa too.

>182 msf59: You and me both, Mark. The intensity ramps up so much in the post-season. I will say these Hawks are awfully fun to watch. Kane, Toews, Keith, Hossa, Saad, Seabrook, Crawford, it just goes on and on.

I did read Return of the Dapper Men, and liked it. That's an original vision.

I hope you are having a relaxing Sunday, Joe. Strange weather you are having, us too. I think it is summer here, our temps are in the low 70s (22c). We had very little rain in May - not like us at all but tomorrow is another month with promises of rain.

Morning, Joe! We had some of that chilly, rainy weather this weekend, too, although yesterday was amazing - it felt like a perfect fall (!) day.

>184 Familyhistorian: Hiya, Meg. It was a relaxing Sunday, but with more surprisingly poor weather - cold and rainy, starting in the 40s (8c). My MBH was quite frustrated, as we planned to spend Sunday outside. Wish we could mix ours with yours and get some balance. Still, we're both better off than our friends in flooded Houston.

>185 scaifea: Ah, I hope we get some of your amazing fall weather, Amber. It was cold and wet here. A little better today, with a high around 60, then we're supposed to go up to high 60s and mid-70s as the week progresses. We're in June, for goodness' sake. Time for the chilly weather to hibernate somewhere.

^^LOL! I think that panel says it all!

Morning Joe! Hope your Monday is going smoothly. Glad you are enjoying the Macintrye. That one is on the pile.

Were you the one who recommended The Return of the Dapper Men? If so, I am not surprised.

^ Thanks, Mark! Let's get some warm weather already; this is ridiculous.

I probably was the one who recommended Return of the Dapper Men. It's an unusual and good one, isn't it.

>187 jnwelch: Yep.

>190 kidzdoc: :-)

Calvin knows as usual. Crazy rain here and I am so not looking forward to biking tomorrow.

Almost made the Caribbean with octogenarians look tempting: finally got my hands on Displacement and loved it. Were it not that I had a crazy amount of library books waiting I'd put an order in for her whole back catalogue. Thank you!

New here, loved your thread name, so here's hoping you won't mind if I "lurk"!

>187 jnwelch: Love it. Just a quick hello and wishing you a lovely week.

>193 Tess_W: This is a friendly, happy place...nobody lurks too long. Once the food and books come out, everyone wants to mingle!

>192 charl08: Hoping the rain holds off for your bike ride, Charlotte, or that it isn't too bad. Calvin knows best, doesn't he?

Ah, good, so glad you loved Displacement. You're welcome! She's sure got a knack. Wasn't it something to suddenly see a real photo of her and her grandparents? I still need to read her French Milk.

>193 Tess_W: Hi, Tess. Welcome! Yes, please feel free to lurk and de-lurk as much as possible. Glad you love the cafe name - it goes all the way back to my second LT year. In keeping with the name, you'll see foodstuffs and beverages appearing at times, and a lot of books.

Hope you have a grand Librarything experience - it's quite the fine place to hang out.

>194 Ameise1: Hiya, Barbara. Calvin and his buddy always make me smile. Thank you, and I hope you have a lovely week, too.

>195 laytonwoman3rd: Ha! Hear, hear, Linda. I hope Tess joins in on the hub-bub.

Hmm, "once the food and books come out." Sounds like a good idea.

Love the picture. And yes, the picture was a surprise to me. Reminded me it was 'real' somehow, and the narrative of the grandparents decline even more poignant.

>197 charl08: Yes, same for me with Displacement. That little fellow in >196 jnwelch: looks like a reader for life.

>193 Tess_W: Wait until you see all the food pictures! If you have a hankering for anything the friendly cafe owner can usually rustle it up.

Morning Joe! It is a beautiful Tuesday out here. Hope you can pop out for lunch.
The town is buzzing with Blackhawks love. Should be a fun series.

>199 Familyhistorian:, Hi Meg, glad and surprised to see you here! And yes, love both food and books. In fact, have home-published my own cookbook, but always looking for something new!

>199 Familyhistorian: Good tips for our new arrival, Meg, thanks.

Dessert?



>200 msf59: Hey, buddy! I did pop out at lunchtime, and it is gorgeous. Managed to pick up some more Peet's coffee, so I'm ready for the rest of the week.

Agreed; it should be a fun Blackhawks series. Tampa plays fast, too, so this should be something to see.

>201 Tess_W: Hiya, Tess. Your own cookbook? That's most excellent. Last time we got any recipes here, as far as I recall, they were ones lunacat (Jenny) tracked down from the 17th century. I suspect yours are less bizarre.

>202 jnwelch: Nothing bizarre (not really;) about my recipes, although some are from the Amish, the Shakers, and 1600-1700's America. I call my cookbook "The Sophisticated Farmer's Wife." When I was younger I used to compete at State and county fairs, but don't have the time, energy, or inclination to do that anymore.

>203 Tess_W: Ah, good for you, Tess. Feel free to give us culinary comments whenever you wish - it takes very little time or energy here at the cafe, and only a moment's inclination. :-)

I saw that you finished the second in the Girl of Fire and Thorns series. I loved that series. They were great books. I really want more people to read them.

>205 benitastrnad: Yes, I can't put down the Girl of Fire and Thorn series, Benita. Thanks for being one of the LTers pushing it. I'm already a third of the way into the third of the trilogy, The Bitter Kingdom. I'm joining the recommenders, and Mark is going to try it at some point - I imagine he'll enjoy it, too.

Found a nice place to read today:

Yup, you did. Wow.

Isn't that inviting, Jim? I'm ready.

>207 jnwelch: Oh, that'll work.

>207 jnwelch: I'm on my way.

>207 jnwelch: Oh, my! Yes, please!!

^^make room for Marky-Mark up there! I have sunscreen, books and beverages, all lined up!

Morning Joe! Happy Hump Day!

>207 jnwelch: Because it's late afternoon here and work is finished I go stright ahead to this sunbed. I nice drink would be very welcome.

Gorgeous spot, Joe. Wishing you a lovely day.

Isn't it lovely that we ALL can decide to use that special spot* for our reading, and nibbles, and drink our fav beverage, and not feel a bit crowded! Virtual reality has so much to recommend itself.

*>207 jnwelch:

>207 jnwelch: that would be nice. very nice. Then I could catch up on my planned reads. You're a reading machine Joe.

>210 kidzdoc:, >211 rosalita:. >212 Crazymamie:, >213 msf59:, >214 Ameise1:, >215 maggie1944:, >216 RBeffa:

Hey there, Darryl, Julia, Mamie, Mark, Barbara and Karen - glad we found a good location for a virtual meetup and lots of reading. As Karen says, plenty of room and not a bit crowded.

You can rest and recoup there from recent events, Darryl. You got it, Mamie. Good to have you back, and belated Happy Birthday!

Happy Hump Day, Mark! I know the books and beverages will be topnotch. Hope you have a lovely evening, Barbara. We'll bring out some nice drinks and tidbits. Lovely to have you joining in at the special spot, Karen. Ron, I loves to read - squeezing in RL is the hard part. :-)

Here we go:

Yummie, thanks so much :-)

>218 Ameise1: :-)

BTW: Happy Thingaversary, Joe.

>220 Ameise1: Whoa! I didn't realize that today was the day, Barbara. Thanks!

Don't I get to celebrate by being even more uncareful than usual in my book buying?

Happy 7th Thingaversary, Joe. I brought a cake:



Thanks for making LT an even greater place!

Oh wow, is there any of that cake left? And happy thingaversary, of course :-)

^ Happy Thingaversary, my friend. I will celebrate my 7th on the 10th. You beat me by exactly a week. What a game-changer this place turned out to be, eh?

>217 jnwelch: Only one bottle of wine Joe? That must be just a sample of the selection for all of us enjoying the special reading spot. The chocolate bar looks good and when we OD on chocolate there is always Judy's strawberry cake, yum.

Happy Thingaversary, Joe!!

>207 jnwelch: That is very nice.

Happy Thingaversary, Joe! Seven years, that's impressive. I guess I'm in my fifth year. It feels like LT has always been a part of my life. Well, okay, maybe not, but I'm glad it's part of my life now!

>90 jnwelch: I love that your lovely wife is a people magnet...hugging all her new friends. Cool!

Happy thingamajigimaversary Joe! I saw all the 7 's and was looking for the 5 to go after it!! But you must be well past 75 by now ;) (books I mean!!)

Happy Thingading, Joe!

Ah, a June anniversary eh? Mine is approaching, too. Happy days! Congratulations for having found the best community on line for book lovers.

>222 DeltaQueen50: Oh yeah, now we're talkin'. Thanks, Judy. You know the way to my heart - cake! That one looks delicious.

>223 charl08: I'm willing to share the cake, Charlotte, but you'd better get in there quick! Thanks re the Thingaversary. It sure has been a most excellent 7.

>224 msf59: Thanks, buddy. Sweet Thursday!

Can't believe I've been on LT longer than you, even if only by a week. You sure knew your way around here much better than I did, when I first got involved.

As the historical archives confirm, you were the one who convinced me to do this 75er thread, having had so much fun with yours. I didn't think I could keep up with hosting a thread, but it proved to be more possible than I thought. We've had a good time, haven't we?

>225 Familyhistorian: Yes, there's plenty of wine where that came from, Meg. That's just a slice o' life photo, with much more on either side of it. I'm with you on digging into Judy's cake.

>226 ronincats: Thanks, Roni! Part of me thinks it must have been longer than 7 years, and part of me can't believe it's been that long.

>227 EBT1002: You and me both, Ellen. I'm awfully grateful for LT. When I worked in bookstores all those years ago, I was surrounded by avid book readers, but not so since then. It's a thrill to be in contact with a huge multinational community of book lovers, isn't it? And to develop so many good friends?

>228 LovingLit: Madame MBH always amazes me, Megan. She finds people to talk to everywhere we go. As her sidekick, it sure makes my life interesting.

Actually, I just finished my 75th book for this year's list; I need to put it up there. It was the last in the Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy that Benita and others recommended, called The Bitter Kingdom; I had a very good time with it. I'm still working my way through the fascinating and detailed A Spy Among Us, centering around double agent Kim Philby.

>229 scaifea: Thanks, Amber! I'm enjoying my thingadingadingdong, and stretching it out as long as possible.

>230 maggie1944: Thanks, Karen! Well said - Congratulations for having found the best community on line for book lovers. That's the best reason for celebrating! What a great community this is. I feel very lucky to be part of it.

"We've had a good time, haven't we?" Amen, my friend. Amen!!

Soon after joining LT, I made a few key friends, including Joanne and Donna, which lead to the What Are You Reading Now thread, where I met the next wave of friends, then the lowly 50 Book Challenge, (LOL) and then to the Mighty 75. The rest is history...

Since the topic of the day is escapism (in the form of that lovely reading spot) I have run across another YA fantasy series that has grabbed me. The series is the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa. I am about 30 pages from the end of book 1 Iron King and fascinated by it. I did not retreat to the lovely virtual spot pictured above, but last night I did not pick up my knitting needles at all. Instead I sat on my little wooden bench at the front of my house and read more of Iron King. Then, as the sun was setting, I retreated to the inside, fixed some supper, and sat in the the Ekornes Stressless Recliner (that looks like it came off the deck of the Starship Enterprise after Captain Piccard has just vacated it) and read more in the book.

This series is published by Harlequin Teen. That alone put me off from reading it, even though I had purchased the entire series for the library, but me? Read a Harlequin Teen book? I don't think so! Folks, I was wrong. This series is good. Not great - and I would rate Girl of Fire and Thorns as better - but good. It is a sort of mashup containing elements of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and American Gods along with a healthy dose of steampunk and romance. Don't let the romance dissuade you. It is there and provides some tension for the story but is only one element.

There are the cliches and there is some just plain bad writing, but the plot is very well done with plenty of action and intrigue. This one might be a good series to listen to as well, since it is available on Audible. I can totally see this being read on long cross country trips. This is pure escapism. Perfect for reading on that beautiful chaise lounge and I just checked out book 2 Iron Daughter from the library.

>234 msf59: I'm pretty sure you were my main guide around LT when I started, Mark, and you were definitely the one who got me to try the mighty 75ers group and hosting a thread here. I'll bet I met a number of LT friends first on your thread. Next beer's on me!

I can't remember the name of the thread now, but there's a very helpful "how to" nuts and bolts thread for posting images and italics and all that stuff that was really helpful, too.

>235 benitastrnad: Intriguing, Benita, thanks. You certainly scored with the Girl of Fire and Thorns recommendation. I'll take a look at Iron King. Escapism is a literary meal I enjoy, although like many others, I need to alternate it with heartier fare.

Congrats on reaching 75 books.

What will be tomorrow to congratulate you? ;-)

75 books and it's only June...congrats!

And congrats on hitting the 75 book mark, Joe!

While I'm here in the cafe, let me advertise the latest project. Last year during the year-long read of Bujold's Vorkosigan series, the possibility of a similar year-long read of Lee and Miller's Liaden Universe series was bruited about for this year. What with all the issues with my brother's cancer the first part of the year, I never followed up on it, but I'm now looking for people who might want to participate in a July through June format. This would be for people currently reading in the Universe, people who want to give it a try for the first time, and those who are up for a reread or simply love to talk about the books. There is no "schedule"--you simply post when you are reading a book and invite discussion about it if you wish. It's really just an excuse to add a bit of impetus to reading these books. Suggested reading order on my thread (http://www.librarything.com/topic/191746)--let me know if any of you might be interested.

Congrats on hitting 75 and on 7 years here on LT!

Weekend!

I sure have been through this one a lot, most recently with Addie and Louis in Our Souls at Night.

>237 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. Well, I haven't gotten myself into trouble at home or at work yet, but it may be a bit early yet for congratulations . . .

>238 Tess_W: Thanks, Tess! It's been a swell year for reading so far. A quick list of my tops to date:

Being Mortal
Narrow Road to the Deep North
Coventry
Claire of the Sea Light
Consider the Lobster
The Man in the Wooden Hat
To Dance with the White Dog (I need to review this one)
Our Souls at Night

Congratulations x 2, Joe!

>239 ronincats: Hiya, Roni. Great project. I'd be up for a Liaden Universe group read, although I have some trepidation, having committed to the AAC and the BAC. I've thoroughly enjoyed the Liaden books, and am caught up, but this would give me an excuse to revisit old favorites, including the Edger and the other Clutch Turtles.

I'll enjoy reviewing the list at http://www.librarything.com/topic/191746 and hope others join in on the group read.

>240 drneutron: Thanks, Jim! What a pleasure it is to be a citizen of Librarything. The quality of my reading has gone way up while here, based in large part on enthusiastic recommendations from other LTers.

>241 maggie1944: Hi, Karen. Weekend!



>244 kidzdoc: Thanks x 2, Darryl! Hope you're feeling improved and get some time to relax before your trip.

To Regular Reader's of Joe's thread -

If you live in the San Francisco area I would like to notify you that the American Library Association Conference is going to be held at the Mascone Center in San Francisco. The exhibit hall and all of those free ARC's are available to the general public. You can buy a day pass for $25.00 per day that will get you onto the exhibit hall floor. There is also the possibility that the Librarything Gods will have free passes to the exhibit hall. I am checking on that and will let you know what I find out.

If there are LT members in the vicinity of San Francisco would you be interested in a meet-up?

I am currently participating in several group reads. I am in the mystery group that is doing a comparative read of the Tony Hillerman and Craig Johnson books. I also participate in the BAC and the AAC when I can. I had trouble doing all of that this spring, but I don't feel that I cheated myself or anybody else by just not participating in months where I couldn't. That is the beauty of the threads here on LT - they are always here, even if you are not. You can monitor and then jump in when you can. So I would encourage you to monitor the thread and comment when you think you should and then not feel bad if you don't.

I think that there is more pressure on the person who starts the group to keep it going than there is on the participants.

>246 benitastrnad: Wish we could be there, Benita. We had a blast at the ALA Conference in Chicago, and it was a pleasure to meet up with you.

>247 benitastrnad: Well said.

Oh! Benita, you are so good for us all! Anyone who can attend the San Francisco conference should do so. It was great fun to do the same when it was in Seattle.

It has been a bit crazy around the Welch household, and I forget which LTer recently reviewed this 1990 book and caught my interest, but thank you. It's a keeper, and one I'll be recommending to others.

Sam Peek is 80 and lives in rural Georgia. He has just lost his wife Cora after being married 57 years, and can't gather himself. Then a strikingly white dog appears near his house and befriends him, although it avoids everyone else. Many of Sam's 7 children live nearby, and they worry about him, concerned that the to-them invisible dog is a sign of some kind of dementia. Particularly when Sam starts talking about the dog putting its paws up on his walker and dancing with him. Sam's onto his children's concern, and enjoys putting them on about it. There's a great scene where two of his daughters sneak up to the house at night in commando gear with blackened faces, trying to either see the dog or prove its non-existence.

Others start seeing the dog, and it accompanies him on a perilous journey (Sam doesn't drive well) to a class reunion. He loses his way, but his ability to attract kindness helps to some degree. "Maybe the lesson the Lord had intended for him to learn was in the white dog.... Maybe the dog was like the whale in the Jonah story, or like the lions with Daniel, or the doves of Noah's ark. Maybe the dog was the message and Sam Peek only the messenger." The book celebrates our being alive. It's funny and sad, and authentic about family relationships, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Four stars.

Happy Friday, Joe! Congrats on hitting 75. Very impressive. You have me beat by just a few books. If I didn't have my audio books to beef up my numbers, I would be far behind you.

Good review of White Dog. Sounds very good.

Hi Joe, I wish you a fabulous weekend.

>251 msf59: Thanks, Mark. I think all the traveling in the first half of the year helped me finish more books than usual. Nothing like a plane flight for reading. I envy you the audio during work, but not those harsh weather days. One of the lures of retirement down the road is more unadulterated reading time.

You'll get a kick out To Dance with the White Dog when time permits. Really well done.

>252 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara. Beautiful. Reminds me of a white water canoe trip I did way back when. Hope you have a fabulous weekend, too. Ours should be good - Sense and Sensibility done as a musical tonight at Chicago Shakespeare (lots of positive reviews), a yard sale tomorrow with walklover and seasonsoflove, and then our local Printers Row book fair on Sunday.

I learned from Caro that this is National Donut Day. Obviously, we must celebrate here in the cafe!

As it is National Donut Day in the U. S., I assume the doughnuts are free here today...

>255 laytonwoman3rd: :-) One doughnut free today with every good book recommendation, Linda.

Oh. I see. A catch. Just like at Dunkin'...you have to buy a bevvy to get the freebie. Don't I have credit in the till for past recommendations?

*scrutinizes till credits* By jiminy, you do, Linda. Anybody who has The Chaneysville Incident in their library gets a free one today. Take your pick.

Ohhhh....all right! I will take the Boston creme, and a large cup of black brew. (I've even READThe Chaneysville Incident, so I expect the coffee is included?)

>259 laytonwoman3rd: Ha! Glad to hear it. Coffee included, yes, with refills. I've read it, too, and am glad to know someone else who has. I thought it was most excellent.