Joe's Book Cafe 2015 Door 20

Art by Cybele Young

Welcome back to the cafe!

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 William 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
77. Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold
78. Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs
79. Nothing Like the Sun by Anthony Burgess
80. Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs by Wallace Stegner
81. Demelza by Winston Graham
82. The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
83. Velvet Volume 1 by Ed Brubaker
84. The Mask A Vanessa Michael Munroe Novel by Taylor Stevens
85. The Graphic Canon Vol. 3 edited by Russ Kirk

July

86. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
87. Stumptown Volume 3 by Greg Rucka
88. Agent of Change by Sharon Lee
89. Two Tales of Korval and Fellow Travelers by Sharon Lee
90. Conflict of Honors by Sharon Lee
91. Ghettoside by Jill Leovy
92. Carpe Diem by Sharon Lee
93. Plan B by Sharon Lee
94. Local Custom by Sharon Lee
95. Scout's Progress by Sharon Lee
96. Particle and Wave by Benjamin Landry
97. Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson
98. Charles Simic Selected Poems 1963 - 1983
99. I Dare by Sharon Lee
100. H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
101. Landline by Rainbow Rowell
102. Duty Bound, Certain Symmetry and Trading in Futures by Sharon Lee
103. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

August
104. Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff
105. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
106. A Liaden Universe Constellation: Volume 2 by Sharon Lee
107. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson and Denise Mina
108. Night Broken by Patricia Briggs
109. Wind/Pinball by Haruki Murakami
110. Fledgling by Sharon Lee
111. Saltation by Sharon Lee
112. Marriage Can Be Murder by Emma Jameson
113. Ghost Ship by Sharon Lee
114. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
115. Wayward String Theory by Jim Zub
116. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
117. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

September

118. Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomalin
119. Rat Queens by Kurtis J. Wiebe
120. Speak: A Novel by Louisa Hall
121. The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny
122. Caleb's Story by Patricia MacLachlan
123. Redshirts by John Scalzi
124. Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera
125. The Ranger by Ace Atkins
126. The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz
127. Jeremy Poldark by Winston Graham
128. Make Me and Small War by Lee Child
129. Warleggan by Winston Graham
130. Six and a Half Deadly Sins by Colin Cotterill
131. A Beam of Light by Andrea Camilleri
132. Wild Hundreds by Nate Marshall
133. Devoted in Death by J.D. Robb
134. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and Chris Yost

October

135. Neurotribes by Steve Silberman
136. The Summer Book by Tove Jannson
137. Saga Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan
138. Cotillion by Georgette Heyer
139. The Art of Killing Well by Marco Malvaldi
140. Rat Queens Volume 2 by Kurtis J. Wiebe
141. Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov
142. The Black Moon by Winston Graham
143. The Corinthian by Georgetter Heyer
144. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
145. Drawn and Quarterly Twenty-five Years by Tom Devlin
146. The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
147. Reamde by Neal Stephenson
148. Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
149. Foreigner by C.J. Cherryh

November

150. In Mad Love and War by Joy Harjo
151. Pride and Prejudice (Eye Classics) by Ian Edginton
152. Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash
153. The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng
154. Neil Gaiman in the 21st Century edited by Tara Prescott
155. Frederica by Georgette Heyer
156. Uncommon Grounds by Sandra Balzo
157. Winter by Marissa Meyer
158. These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer
159. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
160. Facing Michael Jordan by Sean Deveney
161. The Complete Elfquest by Wendy Pini
162. Sandman Overture by Neil Gaiman
163. See You in the Morning by Mairead Case
164. Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: The Underground Abductor by Nathan Hale
165. Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie

December

166. As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee
167. Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart
168. Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie
169. Tournament at Gorlan by John Flanagan
170. The Story of My Tits by Jennifer Hayden
171. World's Fair by E.L. Doctorow
172. Yes Please by Amy Poehler
173. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
174. A Bride's Story Vol. 7 by Kaoru Mori
175. The Couriers by Brian Wood
176. Slade House by David Mitchell

Top 5 GAN Novels Voted by Cafe Patrons*

7 Nominations : To Kill a Mocking Bird
6 Nominations : The Grapes of Wrath
4 Nominations : Lonesome Dove
3 Nominations : Plainsong
2 Nominations: My Antonia and Invisible Man

*Thanks to Paul C. for tabulating the first four.

http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/0983186359?keywords=see%20you%20in%20the%20mo....

Mairead Case's "See You in the Morning" (no touchstone - see the Amazon link above) features an unnamed cusp-of-adulthood high school girl who works at a bookstore and is struggling to find her place in the world. She has a wonderful elderly neighbor, Mr. Green, who is the one adult who listens to her and gives her practical help. Her closest friend is an unconventional boy named John. She may well be in love with him, and periodically tries to tell him so, but he has eyes (and more) for her best female friend. Our heroine is an outsider desperate for love, and at one point considers a same sex relationship to salve her heart. Her struggles with youthful alienation and her yearning for love are piercingly vivid, and those, along with her insights into those around her, make this a standout read.

She's generally disconnected from her parents, and the other parents she knows are divorced or in strained circumstances. Thank goodness for the insightful, marching to a different drummer Mr. Green, who brings some small measure of stability to her life.

"Is it a big day? I said and Yeah, he said, it’s my birthday. Every year on my birthday I read a poem and eat some cake. Do you want to do that with me, kid? Okay, I said, and I wished I’d worn something nicer than my sneakers. On the other hand, I didn’t—it looked right, me with my shoes covered in that red dust I always stir up walking home, and that scab from the box top at work, and Mr. Green with his fancy belt. I did wish I’d known so I could write him a card. Usually I am better in writing. I want to tell him how grateful I am to come over and sit on his porch all the time, and that he talks to me like an adult even when I don’t know what I’m doing.
. . .
Then I sat down at the table and he played jazz he likes. It’s Mingus. You say it hard on the ming, like a bell sounding. Before I met Mr. Green, I did not know you could whistle jazz, but yes you can. He picks one instrument and just sings it, which is nice because it lets you imagine all the others. It puts half the noise inside your head, half out. When Mr. Green sat back down, he had the scarf tied around his head, and he was holding a cake."

This isn't a long book, 126 pages, but every word counts. We've all been through alienation and near-to-adulthood misgivings, and her story is at times painfully easy to relate to. But the book also has a lot of subtle and effective humor. This is a promising young author. Four stars. ( )

Whew! Look at you, new thread and a review up already!

Hope all is well with you.

>4 jnwelch: Okay, I'll put it in my cart. It sounds lovely.

Uh oh... new thread means I have a lot of catching up to do on your last one...

Happy New Thread Joe! Very quirky art up there. Wishing you a Happy December 2nd. xox

>5 bell7: Thanks, Mary! I brought the review over from the end of the last thread because I didn't want latecomers to miss it. This is a book that probably won't get big media play, and it deserves readers.

>6 richardderus: Excellent, Richard. Can't wait to hear what you think.

>7 Smiler69: Hiya, Ilana. Thanks! It is quirky art, isn't it? She has illustrated three books: http://smile.amazon.com/Cybele-Young/e/B004TI4QQS/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1449077637&a... As you'd guess, I really like her stuff. Order out of chaos? She has such a good feel for spacing, color, texture and the significance we attribute to objects, plus there's a whimsy there.

Gosh, I'm always running behind your threads, Joe. Congrats on your new shiny one. I love the opening photos. Fabulous!

>9 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara! Had to open this one a little early, because for the next few days I'll be switching to an iPad from which I can't post images. I'm glad you love the opening photos! I have a feeling they won't resonate with everyone, but I think what she does is so cool.

>10 jnwelch: It's really great. I love this kond of art, too. Well, I'm an art freak and therefore have a wide range of taste in art. :-)

>11 Ameise1: I'm with you on that, Barbara. Love the art you post on your thread.

Happy new cafe, Joe!

Back to your previous one, I am, indeed, still Ellen's friend EVEN THOUGH SHE DIDN'T READ THE HEYER LIKE SHE SAID SHE WOULD. hmph. I feel better now.

Wow...missed a whole thread. I don't think there was enough baking going on...I can usually find you by following my nose!

I love the tiny special things photographed in the top post. You do have an eye for the interesting art, Joe! I lso love the cover for "See You in the Morning" from post 4. Evocative.

Happy new thread!

>13 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!

I think it's a risky game Ellen's playing. She'd be smart to READ THAT HEYER RIGHT AWAY!

>14 laytonwoman3rd: hi, Linda! We're going to need some baker helpers, as I'll be away from my PC for a few days. This'll be a chance for cafe patrons to really show their stuff.

>15 LovingLit: Thanks, Megan!

Isn't that top one great? Glad you like the art and the book cover. I really like both, too.

Happy New Thread, Joe! Good review of "See You in the Morning". I forgot to comment on the last thread.

Have a safe trip tomorrow, bud. Enjoy your time with the newlyweds.

Happy new thread, Joe. No posting of pics and it is Christmas baking time? We'll have to fix that. Here are some of my seasonal favourites, mincemeat tarts.

Love the art, Joe. We just saw the Picasso sculptures, and what struck me there too were assemblages. These up top are so full of delight!

edited to correct fat fingers

I just finished Girl Waits With Gun. It will take me a day or two to get a review done, but I enjoyed it. I'll be interested to see what you have to say.

Happy new one, Joe!

>17 msf59:. Thanks, Mark!

I hope you try "See You in the Morning". You'd appreciate it. Plus it's a shortie.

I'm at the airport, looking forward to seeing those newlyweds.

>18 Familyhistorian:. Perfect, Meg, thanks. I hope you inspire others.

I know - holiday time! We need plenty of baked goodies.

Off to my gate . . .

>22 jnwelch: I'm just hoping I have time to bake. I've got to get the white chocolate coated pretzels off to nieces and nephews families. My mom started the tradition. I discovered a couple of years ago that they all missed getting those pretzels at Christmas time so I decided to pick up the tradition. It also made it easy to figure out what to send them for Christmas!

*sigh* I live in a baking-less place. Kosher kitchen here, and I'm sure someone would do something un-kosher in about 5 seconds.



Almond shortbread raspberry thumbprint cookies. The platter's yours too.

Congratulations Joe on 20 threads. From your last one I am happy to see that Laurie Lee hit the spot so sweetly - I have long been an advocate of his writing so your positive comments about As I Walked Out one Midsummer Morning made my day.

Finished Heyer's These Old Shades and while it wasn't one of my favorites, I found out that Devil's Cub is a sort of sequel: the story of the son of TOS's hero and heroine.

#25
Check out all the Laurie Lee talk on the November Non-Fiction thread. http://www.librarything.com/topic/198771

I love the art, Joe! So darling! I'd love to shock my son and his wife with the one of the bra flying free of it's cage! If you think I'm prudish, meet my 25 year son and his new wife! :) LOL!

>23 thornton37814:. I like that tradition, Lori. If I could, I'd post some white chocolate coated pretzels here. I like that combo of salt, crunch and sweet.

>24 richardderus:. Oh my, thanks, RD. Almond shortbread raspberry thumbprint cookies. I'm ready, brother. Yum!

>25 PaulCranswick:. Thanks, Paul. Glad the Laurie Lee appreciation made your day. :-) I'm a fan. I loved Cider with Rosie, and for some reason hadn't thought about reading more until you and others started talking about As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning. Sure glad I read it.

>29 jnwelch: I'm hoping to make some tomorrow. If I get around to it, I'll make a photo to post.

>26 NarratorLady:. Yeah, I know what you mean, Anne. I loved more the ones of hers I read before These Old Shades. But I have to say, for me Leoni was well worth the price of admission. What a character!

Who's our other big Heyer fan? She mentioned Devil's Cub, too. I'm definitely going to read it, although I have Venetia up next.

>27 benitastrnad:. Yes, thanks, Benita. The word is spreading on Mr. Lee's books.

>28 vancouverdeb:. Ha! Oh good, Deb. I love that one . I sure couldn't tell you what it "means", but it's perfect, isn't it.

Kids who are more prudish than you are - that's intriguing. I don't think it works that way too often, does it?

Hi, Joe! It looks like you arrived in Pittsburgh safely and are enjoying some fine brew. B.A.G.

Have a great time.

>4 jnwelch: Adding that to my wish list, as well. Or at least to my Amazon cart.

Hi Joe! Happy new thread!

>32 msf59:. Ha! I knew you'd appreciate that brew, Mark. Petrus.

We're here at their nice new home near Highland Park (where we walked yesterday) and the zoo. Heading to Google now to have lunch with the youngest Welch, who sends his regards. Some touring later with his bride.

>33 EBT1002:. Oh good, Ellen. Believe it or not, Mairead Case is reading from See You in the Morning at Elliot Bay bookstore today! I'm not sure what time.

Thanks for the Happy wishes! Off we go Google-ward . . .

Joe, give your young son a "hello" from cold, rainy Seattle. Weather here is about normal or a couple degrees above normal.

I'm so sorry I did not know about Mairead Case at Elliott Bay, I'm spending tomorrow buying presents for a friend (to give away), then off to celebrate birthday with the Niece's middle son, and then home to a movie with my next door neighbor. Can't fit one more thing in, darn it.

Happy Holidays to the whole clan!

Hi Joe, I am waiting to hear what you think of Girl Waits With Gun. The cover caught my attention at the book store yesterday but I passed it by - now I wonder if that was a mistake?

Cool art up there ....

>4 jnwelch: Book bullet received another for the list - thanks

tis baking season despite the heat down here, have a yearning for jam tarts hot straight from the oven - its the simple things that give us joy ? no ?

>31 jnwelch: Who's our other big Heyer fan? She mentioned Devil's Cub, too. That would be me, Joe. That reminds me that I need to reread Devils Cub soon. I also have Venetia on the shelf unread. I am saving it for....I am not really sure, probably just want to have some unread Heyer hanging around for the anticipation factor.

Wishing you a lovely weekend, Joe.

Great Toppers, Joe! Happy new thread!

>35 maggie1944:. I'll pass onto Jesse your rainy hello from Seattle, Karen. We've got some clear weather in the 50s here in Pittsbugh - nice.

We were talking to my sister last night at a noodle-icious dinner at a Squirrel Hiil restaurant ("Squirrel Hill" sounds like a Beatrix Potter locale, doesn't it?). She and her hubby have lived here in Pittsburgh for 36 years. The steel mills were running then, and the city was down and dirty. They're long gone, and it's a beautiful, hilly, wooded city now.

I'm sorry you missed Mairead Case at Elliott Bay bookstore. I would've loved to hear a report. I'm so glad she and See You in the Morning are getting some publicity.

>36 DeltaQueen50:. I really liked Girl Waits with Gun, Judy. I had no idea it was based on a true story. I'm hoping Amy Stewart nonetheless creates more stories with Constance, Norma and Fleurette.

>37 roundballnz:. Thanks, Alex. Glad you like the art.

Oh, good, I'm happy to hear you're going to read the Mairead Case book. Small press, little known author, really good book.

Yes, I'm with you; the simple things bring us joy. Jam tarts sound mighty good. We just had Apple cider donuts from a local coffee shop (Tazza D'Oro).

>38 Familyhistorian:. Of course, Meg! Thanks for chiming in. I couldn't remember amid the distractions. Go Heyer!

We're off to walk in Highland Park . . . I'll check in some more later.

>39 Ameise1:. Lovely, Barbara, thank you. We're having a great weekend visiting with our beloved son and his new bride in their new house in Pittsburgh.

Hope you've been having a lovely weekend, too.

>40 connie53:. Thanks, Connie!

Pittsburgh is a very interesting city. I was surprised at its beauty. I've only been through it on the way to Erie, but I'd like to go back and explore a bit. Enjoy the time with those newlyweds, Joe.

>44 Donna828:. We had a great time, Donna, thanks. Off to the airport and the trip home.

Hi, Joe! It sounds like you had a nice time with Jesse and his bride. Good luck getting back home, my friend. Mild temps await...

>47 jnwelch:. Hi, Mark! A most excellent trip it was. Got some nice time with my sister and our BIL, too, without a big crowd of family around.

We're in the taxi headed to Cass Welch. Fast plane trip.

Welcome home, Joe! It sounds like you had a lovely trip!

>48 scaifea: Thanks, Amber! It was a lovely trip. I think they might even let us come back some time.

We got to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah with them, so that was pretty cool.

Heh. That was my approach for the dissertation!

>52 drneutron: I want to see those illustrations some time, Jim! :-)

Morning, Joe! Nice to see you back in the swing. It looks like a decent day and it will be mild the rest of the week. Happy Camper.

I am loving A Manual For Cleaning Women, (this will be a best of the year contender) but Book of Numbers, despite some clever prose and ambition, is a bit of a slog.

>54 msf59: Hiya, Mark! Good to be back; I can't believe this mild weather in December. We'll take it!

I've been reading about The Cleaning Women's Manual all over the place recently. Your endorsement puts it onto the WL for me, even if it is short stories. :-)

I messed up the title on that one, Joe. Duh! If I am going to warble so much, I better get the title right. Lol.

Ellen had this fun link to BBC's British Top 100 novels, as voted by non-Brits: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20151204-the-100-greatest-british-novels

I'm still muttering about Pride and Prejudice not being in the top ten, but the list certainly is intriguing.

>56 msf59: Ha! I knew which one you meant, Mark. Your warbling about A Manual for Cleaning Women has been successful with me, and I imagine with others as well.

>51 jnwelch: *snork!* Love it!

Morning, Joe! I started listening to a Newbery Honor book yesterday and already I think you'd love it (if you haven't read it already): Hattie Big Sky...

Morning Joe! Have you read the Bryant and May series? It is an English mystery series, set during WWII. I heard about it, on a podcast, recently and immediately thought of you. Plus, I would like to give it a try.

Happy Hump Day! I am currently enjoying Ms Marvel 3. As you know I am not a big superhero guy, but this one works.

#59
Hattie Big Sky is a great book. When you finish that one you will have to read the sequel. Hattie Ever After

>59 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Ha! Glad you liked that C & H. Good tip on Hattie Big Sky. I'm adding it to the WL.

The description of it makes me think of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. Madame MBH and I are reading aloud Little House in the Big Woods to each other right now, and greatly enjoying it.

>60 msf59: Morning Mark! Great timing. I have read some of Chris Fowler's Bryant and may books, and I'm getting the newest as an ER book. I've liked them, but wasn't bowled over. My sister loves them, and the series has an avid following, as far as I know.

Happy Hump Day! Oh, good to hear you're enjoying Ms. Marvel #3. It's really not the usual superhero fare in the hands of G. Willow Wilson, right?

BTW, you remind me, our niece, Amy Landecker, the one who plays Sarah in the tv show Transparent, is now in the cast for the new Dr. Strange movie with Benedict Cumberbatch. How cool is that?

http://screenrant.com/doctor-strange-movie-cast-amy-landecker/

>61 benitastrnad: Good to have another strong endorsement for Hattie Big Sky, Benita, and to know there's a must-read sequel. Thanks.

>64 weird_O: You'd think a rich billionaire like Donald Trump could lay out a buck for what he needs.

>64 weird_O: - Ha! Love it.

>64 weird_O: Ha! Does he ever, Bill. Should've been first in line.

>65 katiekrug: :-)

Jim (drneutron) posted a link to a cool NPR best-of-2015 book tool here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/202160#5367074

Oh you poor dear, lying your head on your desk over the Golden Son vs Golden Son error! :) Fifty lashes, Joe ! In other news I finally got my husband go to the library go get his own card and they told him to do home and fill out a form on the computer! I am bashing my head against a wall. LOL! For many years I have urged my husband to get his library card, but he figures he can just use mine, which is fine, until the library put in a firm 30 books for per card in . What am I going to with that husband of mine! So now I have filled out the form on the computer, but getting him back to the library. sighs!

>68 vancouverdeb:. Ha! I'm lucky I didn't get sent to the principal's office over that Golden Son screw-up, Deb. Fifty lashes with a bookmark, right? What a maroon, as Bugs would say.

Hey, at least your hubby reads books! How weird to be told, we don't want you to do this in person, go home and use your computer. What does he like to read?

>61 benitastrnad: I didn't realize there's a sequel - thanks!

>62 jnwelch: Joe: It is certainly similar to the Wilder books, but with a bit more attitude. It would make a great companion to the Little House books!

Morning Joe! Sweet Thursday! Looks like another beauty today!

Great news about your niece! Go Amy! Have you seen the first episode of Transparent? I heard Amazon released that one early. Looking forward to the new season. What a terrific show.

I'll join in and wish you a great Thursday! I'm without obligations this morning, so I think I'll go take a dip in the pool, and a laze in the hot tub, and then gear up for some reading! Yeah! Hope your day is excellent. "Beautiful weather"?

>70 scaifea:. Nice! Thanks, Amber. I'm looking forward to it.

>71 msf59:. Sweet Thursday, buddy! Isn't that great re Amy?

You're right. Terrific show.

Haven't seen the first Transparent episode of this season yet. I think the whole season gets released in a couple of days, doesn't it? They all just got nominated for a SAG ensemble award. She's making the rounds on the late-night talk shows and the whole deal. We're really happy for her.

>72 maggie1944:. Thanks, Karen!

No morning obligations - enjoy!

I've got to see the doctor first thing (nothing major), but the day should be A-OK after that. Going to the Bulls game with a buddy tonight.

"Beautiful weather": I know, seems so unlikely on the 10th of December, but we've got it. Supposed to hit 60 degrees today. We'll take it!

I'm glad that you enjoyed your visit with family in Pgh. I lived in Squirrel Hill and neighboring Shadyside for 17 years. I miss somethings about it but not the snow.

>74 catarina1:. Thanks, Catarina. My sister and her hubby live in Squirrel Hill; he headed the English Dept. at Chatham for many years and just retired.

Son #1 and his bride live near Highland Park. She teaches journalism and creative writing at Pitt.

Fifty lashes with a book mark! Sure, Joe! :) So silly about the library and my husband getting a card! sighs! Anyway, now I've filled out the info on line. What does he read - Robert Crais,James Lee Burke, C.J.Box, William Kent Krueger, Joseph Finder, that sort of thing.

Wicked weather out today! Windy and rainy! Sweet Thursday , Joe!

>77 vancouverdeb: Phew - I can handle fifty with a bookmark, Deb. Plus the head-on-the-desk timeout. I could also write "I will not discuss the wrong book" on the blackboard fifty times, but I'm worried there might be more spelling and content errors.

OK, thanks for the author info; good for Mr. vancouverdeb. I'm a C.J. Box fan meself. I wonder whether he'd like Lee Child's books? That library better cough up that library card for him, or face the wrath of your LT supporters.

Sweet Thursday! We've got surprisingly good weather in our parts here. Mild (around 60 F) and no precip. If it's windy and rainy where you are, my best advice is to stay inside and read. :-)

We are having one huge rain/wind storm after another. Crossing off all kinds of records. Yard around the retirement place is swampy. Hmmmmmm

Can we spell "climate change"?

>79 maggie1944: It sure seems like the weather's going every which way like never before, doesn't it, Karen? It's an amazingly resilient planet, but we need to get our act together on climate change pronto.

While doing some research today for ordering some books, I ran across the news that there will be a new Sci/Fi series on TV. The Expanse will be premiering on the Sci/Fi channel on Monday, December 14th. It looks like a series that I am going to want to watch. Does anybody know anything more about it?

>76 jnwelch: >78 jnwelch: Thanks for the smiles Joe (and Deb).

And congratulations to your niece too.

I hadn't realised you had read Jerusalem as well as other Deslisle graphic memoirs. I did really like this one, hoping that the library can get hold of some more. I got the new Rebel of Rangoon so reading more about Burma would be good.

>81 benitastrnad: I don't know much more about it, but yeah, it looks like it has the potential to be really good!

>81 benitastrnad: I don't know more about it, Benita, maybe someone else does. The ad did make it look intriguing.

I also saw there's going to be a three-part tv movie of Childhood's End, the classic sci-fi novel by Arthur C. Clarke. Great book - I'm hoping the tv movie lives up to it.

>82 charl08: Glad we gave you some smiles, Charlotte, and thanks re our niece. She's a sweetheart.

My review of Jerusalem Chronicles is about halfway down the book page: http://www.librarything.com/work/11945164 You'll see I agree with the suggestion to read it in tandem with Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden, an excellent graphic work.

Rebel of Rangoon looks like a contender; looking forward to hearing what you think of it.

>83 drneutron: Yeah, same here, Jim.

I'm up for some cinnamon crunch muffins, and there are plenty. Cinnamon may be my favorite spice.

>85 jnwelch: Cinnamon is always a winner!

>87 thornton37814: Right, Lori? I like cinnamon six ways to Sunday, I do.

Happy Friday, Joe! Another beaut out here today. Do you still go out for lunch?

I am enjoying the Strike mystery and the Haruf...gazes off in the distance, with a dumb grin on my face.

>89 msf59: Happy Friday, Mark!

Yes, I can get out for lunch today. Looking forward to it!

I think I had that same dumb grin on my face while reading the last Haruf. Woo, he was so good.

Glad you're enjoying the Strike mystery. Rowling is no one trick pony, right? And they get even better.

>76 jnwelch: >86 jnwelch: Love them. Hi Joe, just waving and Happy Friday to you :-)

>91 Ameise1: Ha! Aren't those fun, Barbara? Happy Friday! *waves back*

I just read the chapter when Louis and Addie are discussing the theatrical production of Plainsong. Priceless. B.A.G.

>93 msf59: Love it! Great surprise treat for readers. B.A.G.

>94 jnwelch: This has to be a very rare treat, Joe. I can't recall other authors doing this very often. How cool.

>95 msf59: Very!

Happy Saturday Morning everyone, from a glorious if somewhat ( read very) humid down under ....

busy week so not much reading - now to find a cool spot to slide down the rabbit hole that is slade house

>84 jnwelch: Childhood's End...I would love to see that. Loved the book. Do you know what when and where?

Have a great weekend, Joe.

I am hoping to get back to the UK for Christmas and this is a sampler of Yorkshire Parkin ( a local type of gingerbread)

Ooh, cinnamon muffins and gingerbread - cinnamon and ginger are my favs!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend, Joe.

>97 roundballnz: There's our guy, post-gorgeous-hike. Hiya, Alex! I want to get my hands on Slade House, too. Have you ever read Laurie Lee? I have a feeling you might enjoy his books.

>98 Dianekeenoy: Good to see you, Diane! It looks like it premieres on Monday. Here's some info: http://www.syfy.com/childhoodsend?__source=Maxus_Childhoods_End_Season1&WT.s... What a book that is.

>99 PaulCranswick: Hiya, Paul. Oh man, that Yorkshire Parkin looks good. I loves gingerbread. Here, Parkin is what you do before you get out of your car. That photo in your post also makes the Yorkshire Parkin not only look delectable, but about ten feet tall. I know they grow folks hearty in that part of the world.

>100 Familyhistorian: Yeah, I'd put cinnamon and ginger at the top of my list, too, Meg. How about some gingerbread cupcakes with cinnamon frosting?



>101 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara. Beautiful, calming photo. Hope you have a lovely weekend, too.

I just finished The Story of My Tits, thanks to Mark's rec, and it was topnotch. It centers around the author's and her family's experiences with breast cancer, and also covers such things as her growing up and family life. It's told with wit and humor and compassion, and could easily sit on the shelf next to Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant.

I love both cinnamon and ginger, but I'm more of a savory than a sweet person, so I'd rather have cumin and garlic.

>105 kidzdoc: Hmm, I do love garlic, Darryl, and cumin's fine by me. I know you can make some excellent hummus with the two.



Another favorite is garlic bread. Our beloved daughter and I can scarf down a lot of that when it appears on the table.

Morning Joe! Happy Saturday. Glad you enjoy "Tits". I always do. Grins...

Gloomy out here but very mild. No complaints.

I am still waiting on my ebook copy of Worlds Fair, so I might just start The Grand Sophy, which I brought along. I know you are a big fan.

>107 msf59: Ha! You were a major advocate for "Tits", Mark, and somehow I wasn't surprised at all. :-)

Same downtown - gloomy but otherwise A-OK. A co-worker is planning to go to the Lincoln Park Zoo lights celebration tonight, and I bet it's the warmest night they've ever had for such a December event.

I am a big fan of The Grand Sophy; I had such a good time with it! Be a little patient at the very beginning, as the characters get established - once Sophy shows up, the book is off to the races.

Hmmm you know I think I have heard of Laurie Lee but never actually read .... must look into that one

Parkin, gingerbread, ginger cupcakes ..... lucky I have just had breakfast otherwise it might be dangerous, I love ginger

Yes still in post-hike glow ... much to the annoyance of my workmates ....nothing bothers me

I e-mailed the LT Goddess, Abby Blachely about the American Library Association meeting. The winter meeting will be in Boston starting January 8, 2016. Librarything will be offering free passes to the exhibit hall. These passes are good for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday morning. I will have more details when Abby gets back to me on Monday.

If you live in the Boston area this is a great way to spend a weekend and get free books.

>103 jnwelch: Yum, thanks Joe!



How about some spice cake with cream cheese icing? That was one of the treats on offer at the December meeting of my genealogy society this week. We also had a book sale - 6 books for a dollar. I did pretty good since I brought in 4 bags of books for the sale and only came home with 7 new ones.

>109 roundballnz:. Laurie Lee is a traveler and a keen observer, and he writes beautifully, Alex. I'm optimistic that you'd enjoy reading his books.

Man, I wish I had some ginger goodies on hand right now. Gingerbread cookies would be most excellent. I'm on the iPad, so I can't even post some, darn it.

That sounds like the perfect vacation to me. If you come back and nothing bothers you, you're still on vacation - perfect. :-)

>110 benitastrnad:. Wonderful, Benita, thanks. Wish we could be with you there in Boston.

You've all heard me on this before, but I can't recommend more highly taking advantage of Abby/LT/Benita's kind offer to let LTers attend the ALA meeting for free. We've had so much fun when we've gone. Surrounded by books and fellow book lovers, getting so many free books, having a chance to meet authors, it's a blast. Don't miss it if you get the chance.

>111 Familyhistorian:. You're welcome, Meg. Don't those cupcakes make for a great combo?

I love spice cake with cream cheese icing! Thanks for posting that. I'm trying to find my virtual fork as we speak.

I'm assuming "only came home with seven new ones" means seven new books, not seven new bags? I know it sounds Cranswickian, but in our house it would not be a surprise to take four bags of books to sell at a good book sale, and come back with seven bags of books we found there!

I thought of something I'd like to try here. What are some books that you've loved and feel are greatly under-read by others?

In my mind, the books could be a commercial success and still be greatly under-read, like maybe Marilynne Robinson's books? Or they could be obscure and little known, or somewhere in between. Paul Harding's Tinkers might have been little known, for example, if it hadn't won that book award. I just saw that their publication of Pioneer Girl, the Laura Ingall Wilder autobiography, has been a huge success for that tiny publisher.

Anyway, I'll think about more to add, but two greatly under-Read books that come to mind for me are Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman, and Strange Weather in Tokyo, aka The Briefcase, by Hiromi Kawakami.

The former we (Madame MBH loves it, too) give to any reading friend who comes within giving distance, and the latter has a compelling atmosphere to it that makes me want to do that. (Madame MBH hasn't read it yet).

So, what are yours?

Happy Sunday, Joe! Just kicking back today. Currently watching the Bears...ugh. They look awful. I might switch off the TV and curl up with Sophy.

I like your question. I will give it some thought and come back...

The first books I fell in love with were the Black Stallion books by Walter Farley. I loved them and think any 5th - 7th grade kid would love them too - if they weren't having that violent dystopian crap thrown at them all the tiime.

Right now I am really enjoying House of Orphans by Helen Dunsmore and think this is the kind of book that should have been a best seller.

>113 jnwelch: I forgot for a minute where I was posting. I guess 7 bags wouldn't be out of the question but it was just 7 books, singular, and the bags I brought in must have contained over 40 books. So a net loss of books in the stacks (in that one small instance only).

One book that I was really taken by that I think is under-read is Pearl's Secret: A Black Man's Search for his White Family by Neil Henry.

Joe, I am so enjoying your informal tribute to Calvin and Hobbes, my all-time favorite comic strip (and that is saying something as I'm still a huge Peanuts fan!).

I am very interested in reading A Manual for Cleaning Women based on Mark's warbling and the fact that it landed in NPR's best-of-2015 list.

I'll have to think about the under-appreciated and under-read book question....

For under-appreciated/under-read books, just off the top of my head:

Dreamland by Kevin Baker
Bright's Passage by Josh Ritter
Misfortune by Wesley Stace
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
Stewart O'Nan in general

I thought of a few under-read reads too:

Lark and Termite by Jayne Anne Phillips
Byrd by Kim Church

And some story collections:

Birds of a Lesser Paradise
Knockemstiff
American Salvage

>119 katiekrug: Not familiar with the Baker and Stace. It looks like I should...

I also loved Salvage the Bones. Did you read her memoir?

Agree with Mark on Byrd. Lovely book.

>121 msf59: - mark, I think you'd like both. Big, sprawling historical fiction with fascinating casts of characters....

This is a hard question, as so many books to choose from. A recent discovery was Bernardine Evaristo's Mr Loverman, would make a great follow up to reading Andrea Levy on the experiences of those migrating from the Caribbean to the UK. An old favourite is Ingenious Pain, but anything by Andrew Miller I've read has been powerful stuff. Anything in the Pushkin (fiction in translation) collection has been fascinating - and in beautifully bound little soft cover editions e.g. I was Jack Mortimer.

In terms of non-fiction Careless People is a wonderful book about the story behind The Great Gatsby. Truth can be stranger than fiction.

>102 jnwelch: Thanks so much for the info on Childhood's End. It looks great! Just got to NC to pick up my dad to spend Christmas with us in NJ and will be heading back north on Tuesday. I bet he will watch it with me tomorrow night!

All this food on your thread! I don't know how to resize photos on LT, or I'd too it. Just finished a lovely cup of tea with a couple of pieces of lovely dark chocolate!

Oh, gosh, under read titles! This author has written some fine books - Anita Rau Badami. She is from India and writes about India and sometimes Canada and India. A few titles are The Hero's Walk , Tamarind Mem, as well as several others. Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell. Really a book to break your heart and get an understanding of homesteading in Canada in the early years. I'll stop there before I list a bunch of little known Canadian authors.

I'd agree that Stewart O'Nan is under read. I loved Emily, Alone that Mark " warbled " about.

Oh! And Wayson Choyanother Canadian author who wrote about the Chinese immigrant experience to Vancouver in the early 1900's , All That Matters and the The Jade Peony.

Yes to Salvage the Bones and yes to Byrd!

>114 jnwelch:

Hmm have to think on that one, agree Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami would be there, also The Machine by James Smythe, The Auschwitz Violin.

Under-read books - of late I've read quite a number but the one I wish lots of people would discover is Assaf Gavron's The Hilltop. I liked his first novel but this was even better.

>115 msf59: Poor Bears. Yeah, I thought we were playing against Tom Brady for a long while there. Another missed field goal at the end. Close but no cigar.

I had a bunch of stuff to do yesterday, but Madame MBH and I got in some reading time with Little House in the Big Woods, which we're thoroughly enjoying.

Hope you got a chance to dip into Sophy.

>116 benitastrnad: Ha! I like a lot of that violent dystopian crap, Benita, but I should at least read Black Stallion. Good tip. I even rode horses when I was a young fellow.

I liked Helen Dunsmore's The Siege a lot, and I'll look forward to your further thoughts on House of Orphans.

>117 Familyhistorian: Ha! Right, 7 bags of books would not be unusual in this group, Meg. :-)

Pearl's Secret looks very intriguing. I feel like I read positive things about it a ways back and then lost track of it. Perfect for under-read and under-appreciated. Adding to the WL.

>118 EBT1002: Glad you're enjoying the C & H's, Ellen. Those two always make me smile. I'll keep on with it.

I know, The Manual for Cleaning Women sounds really good. Besides Mark's melodious warbling, I've been seeing "one of the best of the year" write-ups about it.

I'm kinda backed up right now, as usually happens at holiday. Last night Debbi gave Amy Poehler's Yes Please for the last night of Hanukkah, and I couldn't resist starting it, even with others already going on. She cracks me up.

>119 katiekrug: Wow, good one, Katie. That list has the virtue of being 100% not read by me. I'll have to check them out, including Mr. O'Nan.

>120 msf59: Good ones, Mark, thanks. I read a different Jayne Ann Phillips (Machine Dreamsand was impressed by it; your endorsement of Lark and Termite puts it on my WL. I don't know Byrd. I have Knockemstiff on my tbr thanks to your previous recommendation. I'll have to look at Birds of a Lesser Paradise and American Salvage, although I'm not as much of a short story reader as you.

>121 msf59: *listens to Mark and Katie from behind the counter*

>122 katiekrug: OK, if you two endorse it, a Byrd in the hand has to be worth two or more unread. Onto the WL it goes.

>123 charl08: What varied and intriguing selections, Charlotte. I've not read a lot of Caribbean-related literature.

Oo, I may have to track down Careless People for our not-careless daughter. She's a big Great Gatsby fan.

>124 Dianekeenoy: You're welcome, Diane! How great that you're getting together with your dad for Christmas, and that he likes sci-fi. Please report back on what you think of the first episode of Childhood's End. We're on good-show overload, including being hooked on the dark Jessica Jones and needing to catch up on the new season of Transparent.

>125 vancouverdeb: I pm'd you about sizing photos, Deb.

Lots of good tips there for under-appreciated books! I may start with Emily Alone for the thrice-endorsed Stewart O'Nan. I'll check out Badami, Shandi Mitchell and Choy, too.

>126 EBT1002: Good to hear re Byrd and Salvage the Bones, Ellen, thanks. Multiple endorsements always help.

>127 roundballnz: Glad you agree on Strange Weather in Tokyo, Alex. So good!

I'll have to look at The Machine and The Auschwitz Violin, both new to me.

>128 avatiakh: the one I wish lots of people would discover is Assaf Gavron's The Hilltop.

Exactly, Kerry - ones we wish lots of people would discover. I'll check out The Hilltop, which also is new to me.

Hi, Joe! Just a quick Monday check in. Light mist and a bit breezy, but mild and mild is good.

Love the C & H! Snickers...

>135 msf59: Hey, buddy. Mild is good, I agree. Can this really be almost mid-December? Hope all goes well for you the rest of the day.

Go C & H!

Poor Bears. At least the Bulls and Hawks are doing pretty well.

>120 msf59: I agree with everything you nominated, Mark, except BYRD...but only because I haven't read it.

I'll add one more, a book I adored: MEDEA by Richard Matturro. Livingston Press has brought out all Matturro's books, even republishing the early ones. He's pretty unjustly unknown altogether. Also excellent was KING OF YIDDISH by Curt Leviant. Talk about unjustly underknown!

>134 jnwelch: Love it. Wishing you a great week.

>137 jnwelch: lol! She's considering reading over his shoulder, I can tell.

Thanks for the carrot tip, Joe. I'll give it a try. I'm so happy, my husband aka Dave came home with his very own library card today :) He seemed pretty pleased with himself! LOL! I have really helped him turn into a book worm over the nearly 32 years of our marriage! Better with age! :)

>137 jnwelch: Joe, I think you might be worse than Mark! LOL!

>138 richardderus: Hey, RD! Glad you liked my picks. I should have included Volt: Stories too, I know you were also a fan. I am sure there are many other books, I could think of, but those will do for now...

>137 jnwelch: I loved that book, Joe! A real page-turner! LOL.

Hi, Joe. Love the Calvin and Hobbs above. Feel just like that today: been "organizing" a winter potluck here at the retirement community. One advantage, there are people here who have parked on certain volunteer jobs and are happy to do it once again. We shall see next week when it is time to have the feast. We'll do it on Winter Solstice and so we have the lovely long night during which we can feast to our hearts' content!

Happy winter! Sparkly lights and long nights.

>137 jnwelch: *snork!!*

Morning, Joe!

>138 richardderus: Interesting choices, RD. I haven't read Matturro or Leviant.

You and I need to both read Byrd, looks like.

>139 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. The week is off to a decent start. I've got some catching up to do, but that's okay. Hope you have a good week, too.

>140 LovingLit: That one cracked me up, Megan. Your idea might've made even a better cover - her hugging him while reading over his shoulder. :-)

>141 vancouverdeb: You're welcome, Deb. Here's the link to the "How to Do Fancy Posts" thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/177029 I found it really helpful when I started here.

Way to go, Dave! And congrats to you for being a reading enabler. Madame MBH and I met while working in a bookstore, so I can't claim to have turned her into a bookworm, but we're sure glad we have kids who turned out to be readers. Before seasonsoflove was born we talked about the possibility of having dull, non-reading kids - you never know. Thank goodness both of them love to read.

>142 vancouverdeb: Ha! I did think of Mark when I posted that, Deb! But I'm pretty sure she'd be wearing less if he posted it. :-)

>143 msf59: Good morning, Mark! You and RD made me into another fan of Volt: Stories. I hope others pick up on that one.

Ha! >137 jnwelch: was posted in your honor, Mark. I like Meg's idea of her trying to read over his shoulder.

>144 maggie1944: Isn't that a great Calvin and Hobbes, Karen? I keep hoping that maybe Watterson is working on some more at a leisurely pace. I read somewhere that doing a daily comic strip of that quality eventually left him ready to lie on the beach with an umbrella drink. I'm hoping Gary Larson has been working on something, too.

Glad you have some volunteers to help with organizing the Winter Potluck. I sure do like the sounds of your new community. Enjoy the feasting!

Happy Winter! I'm appreciating the delay in starting the shoveling season.

>145 scaifea: I thought that one in >137 jnwelch: might get a *snork!!*, Amber. :-)

Morning! Sending healing vibes to Scaife Manor.

>137 jnwelch: LOVE it!!!

I don't know Amy Poehler but I see that she is in a couple of things....?? At work we always do a solstice celebration during the winter break, get a DVD and some movie snacks and sit around together in celebration. So next Monday we'll be watching "Inside Out" which I see she is in? In any case, I just discovered a new feature my public library has -- a "For Later" list which I can simply slap things onto when I'm not quite ready for them but don't want to put them on hold.... it's like the wish list on LT, I guess. So, Yes Please is sitting there. It's a start. :-)

By the way, are you one of the ones who read and recommended Cairo? I read it last night and it was, to quote Mark, an easy and fun read. Less rich than some GNs or GMs we've read, but worth the short time it takes to read.

I hope you have a good Tuesday, Joe!

Morning Joe! Another C & H gem. Love it!

Hope to spend more time with The Grand Sophy today. She is a hoot and I like Heyer's easy style. I should finish The Cuckoo's Calling tomorrow. I like it but I can see how it could get better, with a bit more depth.

>150 EBT1002: Ha! Glad you enjoy the book cover, Ellen. :-)

I mistakenly assume everyone knows Amy Poehler. She was on Saturday Night Live for quite a while, and does a hilarious Hilary Clinton imitation, which even Hilary Clinton appreciates (and appeared in one skit as a bartender serving Amy as Hilary). When she gets together with Tina Fey (e.g. as Sarah Palin), the two of them are just unbelievably funny. They also are the best award show hosts I've ever seen. Check out what they do at the Golden Globes: https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=amy+poehler+and+tina+fey+host+golden+globes...

If you haven't read Tina Fey's Bossypants, I heartily recommend it. Not only is it very funny, but it's insightful and interesting about the recent history of women in comedy. Hard to believe now, but when she started, there was a bias against women as not being funny (despite obvious exceptions like Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett), and in improv skits, men had to outnumber women. What?!?

I believe they're doing a movie together. Amy Poehler also is very funny on Parks and Recreation, although that's not one I regularly watch.

Yes, I was one of the Dynamic Duo (Mark the other) recommending Cairo. Glad you enjoyed it! Easy and fun, as you say, and I appreciate anything these days that conveys some of the Muslim perspective. If you haven't read Ms. Marvel yet, I'd give that one a go, too.

Most excellent Tuesday so far. I'm actually getting a number of things done with a minimum of stress. Glad your meeting went well and you can un-tense a bit.

>151 msf59: Morning Mark! Yeah, I love re-living these C & H's. So good! Improves the day to have some.

Isn't The Grand Sophy a hoot? That wit and cleverness is what makes me think of Wodehouse, even though their approaches are quite different, and Heyer is much more romantic.

Yeah, I think you're right on target with The Cuckoo's Calling. It's well done, a good start - and it turns out she develops the characters well in the two after. By the end of the third one I wanted the fourth one immediately, no delay. Having to be patient, waiting for a book you're desperate to read - a familiar problem, right?

I still have not read Wodehouse and I don't think I'll be able to bookhorn him in, for the BAC, this month.

On the GN front, I am enjoying Long Walk to Valhalla. Dark, unsettling and very original. I also have French Milk lined up. I requested Bitch Planet, which I have been hearing good things about. Have you heard anything?

>154 msf59: Read a Bertie and Jeeves when you get to Wodehouse - great fun.

I don't know Long Walk to Valhalla at all, so I'll look forward to your guidance on that one. You know I liked French Milk. I've been reading good things about Bitch Planet, too. Can't wait to hear what you think of it.

I am 34% of the way through The Cuckoo's Calling and although I'm enjoying it a bit, I could just as well put it down, too. I want to finish it before the f2f book group on Thursday evening. I hope we'll have a good discussion.

I need to get back to The Master Butchers Singing Club which I set aside to finish the Galbraith book.

>156 maggie1944: As I mentioned to Mark, Karen. for me The Cuckoo's Calling was a well done mystery, but the good news is the series just gets better, as you learn more about Strike and Robin.

ETA: I've read Louise Erdrich's The Round House, but not The Master Butchers Singing Club.

Hi Joe! Thanks for the primer on Amy Poehler. I am terrible with names but as you described her I knew exactly who we were talking about! Thanks for the link; I watched a bit and it was fun.

I haven't yet read Bossypants but I'll put it on my list for 2016! Along with Yes Please. :-)

Oh, and I'm putting Ms. Marvel on hold, too! Your thread is dangerous. I also appreciate getting to read from the Muslim perspective, both in a more serious vein and, like Cairo with a bit of humor and whimsy tossed in. It normalizes the "other" so effectively, something we desperately need these days.

>158 EBT1002: That's a lot of good, fun reading you've described Ellen. I'm almost at the point where I can turn totally to Yes Please, rather than reading bits and pieces. (I'm near the finish of World's Fair). You'll love Bossypants, if my crystal ball is working right.

This is the kind of dangerous I like for the thread! Yes, normalizing the "other", in this case Muslims - so important. A little humor always helps, along with a view from the other's perspective. Can't wait to hear what you think of Ms. Marvel - the GN's portrayal of "normal" American Muslim life is part of what makes it standout. Nothing earthshaking (although Ms. Marvel has some powers), just a good yarn that features a believable family.

If I substitute Greta Garbo and get a similar satisfied sigh from her do I also qualify for a ticket out of purgatory? I think so!

Happy Wednesday, Joe.

One of my faves... :)

>161 maggie1944: Definitely, Karen. I'm counting on similar dispensation based on furry Sherlock belly rubs. Thank goodness seasonsoflove doesn't mind loaning him out.

Happy Wednesday! Once we get by this day, it's all downhill, right?

>162 drneutron: Mine, too, Jim. This is bringing back a lot of good memories. As my wife said last night, we miss Calvin and Hobbes!

Morning Joe! Happy Hump Day! I hope this rain will move along. Otherwise, it is not bad out here for mid-December.

Should finish up the Comoran Strike book and I am really enjoying Sophy. This seems like the perfect place to start with Heyer, so thanks.

ETA- Hooray for Ms. Marvel!!

Some titles from my 5 star reads that I think may be under-read:

All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren
Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey
Addie Pray (later retitled Paper Moon) by Joe David Brown
At Swim, Two Boys by Jamie O'Neill
In the Fall by Jeffrey Lent
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

Anything and everything (that's not a title) by M. F. K. Fisher

And, judging by the reactions to it in the AAC, my pick for most underrated novel of the year is Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow.

>164 msf59: Happy Hump Day, Mark! I wonder whether the rain is headed our way. So far we're okay downtown.

I'm glad the Sophy suggestion worked out well. It is the best one to start with for Heyer, IMO.

Comoran and Robin - I miss spending time with those two.

Hooray for Ms. Marvel!

>165 laytonwoman3rd: Oh good, Linda, thanks. I plan to compile a list of all the under-read suggestions. The one I've read on your list is Cry, the Beloved Country, and even though the title is well-known, I agree that the book seems under-read. Great book.

I liked One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest a lot (a classic, in my view), but I could never make up my mind on whether to try Sometimes a Great Notion. Your endorsement helps on that score.

I'd like to second the necessity of reading any, preferably all, MFK Fisher books:

Consider the Oyster
How to Cook a Wolf
a novel, Sister Age
many others with titles eluding my 2-volt nervous system.

Wow, with all the recommendations, way more books to add to the wishlist. Looks like 2016 is going to be a busy year.

C&H made me smile - have been thinking of his snowmen horror strips this week. Hope springs eternal for a white Xmas...

>168 richardderus: I believe my beloved wife reads MFK Fisher books, RD. I will consult.

>169 charl08: Ha! Once we get some snow around these here parts, Charlotte, you may see some of those C & H snowmen horror strips. Classic.

I know, my WL has been growing, too, with all these good suggestions. Sure would help to have Hermione's Time Turner necklace.

>168 richardderus: My lovely daughter has provided me with a copy of her letters...that's when you know you're really in deep.

Doctorow's World's Fair follows the 1930s Bronx childhood of "Edgar", not coincidentally the same first name as the author's, from birth to about 9 years old. The names of the rest of Edgar's family, father Dave, mother Rose, and brother Donald, also match those of the author's family. Some of the story obviously is autobiographical, but how much is hard to say. It opens during the Depression, and cultural trivia from the time abounds - Flash Gordon and the Shadow, decoder rings, etc. Edgar has some disdain for the Shadow, who could render himself invisible to criminals: "“The Shadow had no imagination. He neither looked at naked women nor thought of ridding the world of dictators like Hitler or Mussolini.” This is one of the strengths of the novel - Doctorow's eye for detail brings the times to life, as Hitler casts a dark shadow, and the optimism of the World's Fair in NYC awaits at the end of the decade.

Edgar is smart and precocious, but his voice never sounds false, even amid all the beautiful writing by Doctorow. One winter's day his brother and his friends decide to build an igloo, and Edgar is included:

''As they slowly built the igloo up on an ever decreasing circumference, I watched with a sense of the anti-material oppositeness of the thing; bit by bit, it was eliminating itself as an idea from the light of the sun. I felt that what was being built was not a shelter, but some structured withdrawal from the beneficence of the lighted day, and my excitement was for invited darkness, the reckless enclosure, as if by perverse and self-destructive will, of a secret possibility of life that would be better untampered with.''

The igloo causes great excitement in the neighborhood, with the warmth inside marveled at, and the boys using it as an exclusive chamber. Soon enough, however, attention wanders elsewhere, as it does with boys everywhere.

His best friends are Arnold, an outsider who shares his love of imaginative role-playing games (Edgar uses his storytelling ability to make sure Edgar's always the hero), and Meg, with whom he is willing to stray from his own preferences to play dolls or view infants in a ward. Meg's unconventional mother helps him expand his thinking beyond what his strict mother would ever contemplate, often to his mother's displeasure. He is open to experience, and genuine, in a way that beguiles the reader.

''When the mother wasn't home, or when she went out while I was there, I was disappointed. The visit became less interesting. She always smiled when she saw me. She had large eyes, widely spaced, and a wide mouth. She was very kind. Sometimes she joined us in our games. She would sit on the floor with us, and we three would have a good time.''

The last part of the book, in which Edgar gets to visit the World' Fair twice, is a treat. Doctorow's love for life's minutiae makes it all come alive and we find ourselves cast back in time as Americans, in one of the country's most difficult times, nonetheless celebrate possibility and the future.

A pleasant and illuminating read. Four stars.

>171 laytonwoman3rd: Sounds like you're a major MFK Fisher fan, Linda.

I just bought a novel by M.F.K. Fisher, about whom I know very little. Glad to have Linda's endorsement!

Underrated novel - Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay. LOVED it! I want more people to read it. I also like the National Geographic Directions travel series. These are short books written by well known or well known local authors, who write a short book about a place they live as an expat or are familiar with in some special capacity. The last one I read was Oaxaca Journal by Oliver Sacks.

Morning, Joe!

I recently finished A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck, and I think you'd love it (did I mention that already? Sorry if I have - the Scaife Family Illness of 2015 is doing a number on my already-not-great memory)! It's a follow-up to his A Long Way from Home and A Year Down Yonder, which are both also fantastic reads. Just sayin'...

>174 katiekrug:. These cross-mentions on LT really help, don't they, Katie? Now you've all piqued my interest in MFK.

>175 benitastrnad:. Under Heaven - thanks, Benita. I know GGK is a fave author for a lot of people, but I've never been able to connect with him. I'll take a look at this one.

Love the idea of that National Geographic series, which I'd not heard of before.

>176 scaifea:. Good rec, Amber, thanks. Madame MBH read those first two Peck books to us, and we loved them. So we're naturals for A Season of Gifts.

Hope health is on the upswing at Scaife Manor.

Morning, Joe! Sweet Thursday! A bit chilly out here but no snow or ice to deal with, so no biggie.

Love those Cross-Mentions. We have all been ensnared and we would have it no other way.

Watched the first ep of Transparent. Nothing like it on TV and it has no problem going dark, which you know I love. And speaking of dark, we only have 2 eps of Jessica Jones to watch. Good stuff.

>179 msf59: Morning, Mark! Sweet Thursday!

Completely agree re those cross-mentions; wouldn't have it any other way. How many times have I tried a book because of them? Lots. A standout review can get me going on one, too. And then we all have kindred spirit readers - if you recommend it, I know it'll be a good read.

You've gotten ahead of us re Jessica Jones I think, although we're pretty far into the season. Great cast - Krysten Ritter is the key, of course, but how about David Tennant as the bad guy?

We've set aside a block of time for Transparent this weekend. You've probably seen the comments, but folks are just raving about the second season. I understand the wedding doesn't go quite as planned in the first episode. :-)

>172 jnwelch: Helpful review, Joe. Nicely done. I've got copies of World's Fair and The March on the shelf and plan to read one more Doctorow this month. As someone interested in the Civil War, I was planning to read the latter book. I might change horses here on the bank of the stream.

Morning, Joe!

Happy Friday, Joe. I hope it's a good one. I'm still waiting for The Cuckoo's Calling from the library. It looks like everybody has the same idea to get hold of it.

>181 weird_O: Thanks, Bill. Glad the review was helpful.

I saw a play adaptation of The March that wasn't all that swell, but I had a feeling at the time that the book likely was better. I can certainly recommend World's Fair. His only other one I've read is Ragtime, which I thought was very good.

>182 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Happy Friday!

>183 Ameise1: Happy Friday, Barbara. Phew, glad to have reached it. It should be a good one - tonight we head to a professional basketball game, featuring our beloved Chicago Bulls, and we have great seats.

I'm glad The Cuckoo's Calling continues to be popular. Such a good series. The main characters are worth the price of admission. She's such a talented storyteller - I wondered what she could possibly do after the global success of Harry Potter, and she's shown her versatility.

Couldn't resist this one for our book cafe.

Here is the link for the free passes to ALA Boston. They are courtesy of the LT Goddess Abby Blachley.

https://www.compusystems.com/servlet/ar?evt_uid=314&oi=1Trx3hK26xzHoIiGjo9vo...
That's the link to use for free exhibit-only passes!
Best,
Abby

I am on my way out of town and won't be back on LT until Monday or Tuesday. If anybody has any questions about how to do the free passes Joe will have to answer them - or you can wait for me to get back on LT.

I would encourage anybody who likes books to get these passes. It is great fun talking to the publishers, authors, and librarians who will be there. Plus the exhibit floor is a real eye-opener about information technology. I will be spending lots of my exhibit hall time talking to the people who produce databases that I need for the citation analysis part of my job. I will pick up some books, but my recent hauls have been nothing like the bonanza I had in Las Vegas two summer's ago or the one in Seattle from 3 years ago when I had lots of time to spend in the exhibits.

Before I sign off - yes, you do have to pay for some books, but they are generally $10.00 for a hardback and $5.00 for a paperback. The Advance Reader's Copies (ARC's) are the free ones. Sometimes when an author is in attendance publishers will pass out free books and you can get them signed and talk to the author.

Bottom line - if you have a free Saturday or Sunday and live in Boston area - take advantage of this opportunity.

That National Geographic series is really nice. They are short, but they are usually about some part of a place that isn't the usual tourist kind of thing.

Another underrated series I loved was the Girl of Fire and Thorns series by Rae Carson. I simply couldn't put them down. They were very well done for a YA fantasy series. Full of suspense and an unusual heroine and yet I never heard much about them in either publisher, library, or here on LT.

>187 benitastrnad: I look forward to hearing how the ALA meeting goes, Benita, and what LTers attend. Wish we could be there. Have a great time!

>188 benitastrnad: I really liked that Girl of Fire and Thorns series, too, Benita. Agree with all you say. Word should keep spreading about them - they're such a good read, as you're saying.

Happy Friday, Joe! Hope the work day is going smoothly. Are you taking off next week?
I am nearly finished with Sophy. It is ending, like a bit of a screwball comedy, which has a refreshing feel. I will miss our feisty heroine.

Chilly out here today but I am still not complaining...

>190 msf59: Happy Friday, Mark! So far so good. I just got off a phone call where the woman, located in Michigan, was saying she was surprised at how cold it had gotten, after all the warm weather, and then remembered it's December!

I enjoyed the ending to The Grand Sophy, too - screwball comedy is a good comparison. Like you, I miss our Sophy - I may have to do a re-read sooner rather than later.

Hope it's sunny where you are - it's a pretty day down here even with the chill.

I have to say that I'm pretty pleased that the weather seems finally to be doing what it's supposed to - give me downright-cold over 50-degree-weather in December every time!

Happy Weekend, Joe!

Wishing you a lovely weekend, Joe.

>149 jnwelch: Best cartoon ever! I've wanted to say "It's psychosomatic. You need a lobotomy. I'll get a saw." more than a few times in my career.

>165 laytonwoman3rd: I need to read Sometimes a Great Notion. And so delightful to be reminded of In the Fall by Jeffrey Lent. I remember loving that novel! It's a perfect nominee for under-read and underrated.

Hi Joe!

By the way, Joe, have you read In the Fall? I think you would appreciate it.
In case your docket for 2016 has some room in it. ;-)

Happy Sunday, Joe! Haven't seen you around in a couple of days. I hope all is well, my friend.

>196 EBT1002: I have not read In the Fall either, Ellen. I have wanted to and I have a copy on shelf. It. Sure looks like my cuppa.

>192 scaifea: Hope you had a great weekend, Amber! Ours was most excellent. Got to visit with our three favorite dogs yesterday, too. :-)

>193 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara. That looks perfect for a cool, rainy weekend. Hope you had a lovely weekend, too.

>194 kidzdoc: Ha! Isn't >149 jnwelch: great, Darryl? Oh, you cracked me up. I can imagine you've wanted to propose that lobotomy-saw remedy more than a few times. :-)

>195 EBT1002:, >196 EBT1002: Good to see, Ellen. No, I hadn't heard of In the Fall before Linda mentioned it. You two have convinced me. Onto the WL it goes. I never know exactly what I'm going to read going forward, but I aim for some (like Slade House and Brief History of Seven Killings), and sooner or later I get there.

>197 msf59: Happy Monday, Mark! Yeah, it was a pretty tech-free weekend for me. Went to some fun events (including a book-signing at the Geek Bar for Coin-Operated Americans by a friend of the family) and finished Little House in the Big Woods (loving this series - we're onto Farmer Boy now, with Madame MBH doing the reading out loud honors), and Yes Please, which I ended up liking a lot. Oh, and the GN A Bride's Story, Volume 7, which was quite a departure from its predecessors.

Hope you had a good one, and that the week's off to an okay start.

Morning, Joe! When I don't see my LT pals, posting regularly, I start to get worried. Mother Hen, I guess. Lol!

Yes, it started raining again. I was hoping it would move out and give me some dry time.

I did get your message. Sounds good. I will reply tonight. Hope the day goes smoothly.

>200 msf59: Thanks, Mark. So far it's a reasonably smooth day, with a lot of it taken up by issues relating to caregiving for my elderly father. He's as polite and appreciative as ever, but somewhat less "with it" as the years mount up.

Glad you got the message. Look forward to whatever you come up with.

Spread the word - the 2016 group is up!

http://www.librarything.com/groups/75booksin2016

>203 drneutron: Great, Jim. Thanks!

Hi Joe, I wanted to drop by and wish you a happy holiday as I probably won't be around much until after the New Year. I've been enjoying the C & H that you have been posting, they never fail to bring a smile to my face. Hope you and your family have a lovely Christmas.

I so very much love the Little House books, Joe! My mom read them to me when I was little, and then I re-read them over and over on my own as I grew up. I've already read the first one to Charlie and we'll likely get back to the series soon - he loved that first one, too!

>205 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy. Thanks for stopping by. Happy Holidays!

I'm glad you've been enjoying the C & H's. They always bring a smile to my face, too.

We head over to Ann Arbor tomorrow for a gathering of the clan. Hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas, too.

>206 scaifea: As you can tell, I'm a convert for the Little House books. I wish we'd known to read them with our kids when they were little - so interesting, so good. That must have been great with your mom reading them to you, and I can see why you'd re-read them over and over after that. I'll bet Charlie loved that first one! What a wonderful shared time you'll have reading the rest together.

Wishing you safe travels and a gorgeous time with your family, Joe.

Just stopping by to say hi, Joe. So much yummy food on your thread! Last year I found some really yummy ginger cookies with cranberries. I am really a keen chocolate person, but I do crave a ginger cookie. Safe travels , if you are off to visit your family over Christmas.

>209 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara. We may be driving through some rain tomorrow, but we'll just take it slow and careful. We've got most of the gang gathering, so it should be a wonderful time. I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday.

>210 vancouverdeb: Hi, Deb! It's the time of year for yummy food, isn't it? We're having all sorts of treats appear at home from friends and distant family, so we're packing them up to share with the multitudes in Ann Arbor. I love a good ginger cookie, too. Let's get some of those out of the oven and into the cafe.



Hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas.

best holiday ever wishes for you and yours, friend!

Ooh ginger biscuits just the thing. Happy holidays.

>212 maggie1944: Thanks, Karen! Hope you have a wonderful holiday, my friend!

>213 charl08: Ha! Ain't that the truth, Charlotte? Here are some more:



Happy Holiday to you and yours.

Hi, Joe! I hope the day is blazing along for you, so you can get home and start your holidays.

I work tomorrow but then back on Thursday. I am a big boy. I will survive.

Really liking World's Fair.

>215 msf59: Ah, I messed up the dates. I know you'll be more than fine, but look forward to your getting some holiday time off. Rather than "misery loves company", I guess I'm more of an "enjoyment loves company" kind of guy.

Isn't World Fair good? I got a kick out of Edgar's adventures and his way of viewing life.

Why do I get the feeling that Calvin is Joe's alter ego?

>217 kidzdoc: Calvin is everybody's alter ego, I think.

>211 jnwelch: Those look just like the ones I baked last weekend---have you been snitching my gingersnaps? >210 vancouverdeb: I'm intrigued by the idea of putting cranberries in...

>217 kidzdoc: I'm sure wife Debbi would agree with this theory, Darryl.

>218 laytonwoman3rd: I think you're right, Linda. We all have our inner Calvin that Watterson so cleverly expresses for us.

Can't tell you how many times I've dreamed of answering an "In your own words" exam question by making up my own indecipherable language, like Calvin does.

We TRIED to snitch your gingersnaps, but your baked goods security system deserves an A+. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so we tried to at least make ours look like yours.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

It's a travel day for us. Talk to you later on.

Morning, Joe! Have a safe trip, my friend. Check in when you can.

Safe travels, and joyous gatherings!

Have a great Christmas Joe!

For my Christmas/Hanukkah/Solstice/Holiday image this year (we are so diverse!), I've chosen this photograph by local photographer Mark Lenoce of the pier at Pacific Beach to express my holiday wishes to you: Peace on Earth and Good Will toward All!

Merry Christmas!

Mmm, ginger biscuits!

Happy holidays!

Stopping in for my dose of Calvin & Hobbes.



Happy Solstice and all other holidays related to light and peace and good will!

So, soooooo far behind with threads but I wanted to make sure I stopped by to wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas, Joe!

Wishing you a happy Christmas with your family and a year full of wonderful reading.

Have a lovely holiday, Joe

Warm wishes for a magical holiday season, Joe!

Seasons greetings whatever you celebrate enjoy - smell the roses , slow down, enjoy your time with yours

Merry Christmas

Thanks so much, everyone! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Hope you are having a great time with the family, Joe! Enjoy the day, my friend.

Joe, I've read a few under appreciated books this year. What a great question. I'll add these to the "orphans" list:

Stuck in the Middle With You
Orhan's Inheritance
Dinner with Buddha (In fact, all of the Buddha books. I know you liked them, too.)
We Are Called to Rise

I see you are in Michigan with family. Your dad looked really good in his FB picture. I hope you continue to enjoy this holiday season.

Happy Boxing Day, everyone! Thank you for the holiday posts. It's a bit difficult to get on LT with all the family doings.

The pater familias wasn't feeling too good when we arrived, but has improved each day. It's been a most excellent family gathering.

Hope you all are having a good holiday break.

Happy Boxing Day back at you! I think I'm going to take advantage of no commitments and go see the new Tarantino film, "The Hateful Eight". It looks like the 70 mm format is used to shoot some gritty human story, with some beautiful mountain snow blinding weather. Should make me happy to be who I am, where I am, right now!

Have a great day, Joe.

Merry Christmas, Joe!

A very belated hello to you and the family, Joe! Sending my love your way!

Thanks, Chelle and Mark! Hope you're having a good holiday.

Travel day, returning home.

Happy Sunday, Joe! Have a safe return home.

Yes! What Mark said X2!

Hijacking your thread to let people know--
Working on my top 10, but also working on getting books out of the house. I've a list of Xanth book, Terry Brooks books and some other miscellaneous on my thread here:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/208485#5387369

Speak up there in the next 24 hours if at all interested in any of them.

Hi Joe, I hope your time with family was wonderful. I've commented in a couple of places that the transition from 2015 to 2016 (in terms of threads) has me feeling a bit overwhelmed. On the other hand, I'm kind of excited about New Year's Eve, which I have as a solo vacation day. I will start my new thread, go for a swim, and do some reading.

I'm finally digging into Bring Up the Bodies which promises to be as outstanding as its reviews would suggest.

Merry Christmas , belatedly, Joe! As you say, the holidays make it difficult to get around the threads and get our desired amount of reading done! :)

Finally finished The Secret History of Wonder Woman - you and Mark talking about the book nudged me to order this, and it was a great read. Thanks! I thought the discussion about the personal politics involved in the 1940s debate about comics causing violent behaviour was fascinating.

Weird too how some of the actors had progressive ideas in some areas (objecting to the racist imagery in comics) and at the same time seeking to wipe out any suggestion of possible alternatives to heterosexual nuclear families. Will ask the library for Lepore's New York Burning: Liberty, Slavery and Conspiracy next I think.

>221 msf59:, >222 laytonwoman3rd:, >223 Ameise1:,>224 SandDune:, >225 ronincats: (cool photo, Roni!), >226 Familyhistorian:, >227 FAMeulstee:, >228 EBT1002: (we'll get you some C & H today, Ellen), >229 lkernagh:, >230 catarina1:, >231 PaulCranswick:, >232 katiekrug:, >233 roundballnz:, >234 luvamystery65:, >240 ChelleBearss:, >241 LauraBrook:

Thank you, Mark, Linda, Barbara, Rhian, Roni, Meg, Anita, Ellen, Lori, Catarina, Paul, Katie, Alex, Roberta, Chelle, and Laura! he beautiful photos and images are much appreciated. Happy Holidays to all of you!

>236 msf59: We had a great time with the family, Mark, thanks. Hope you did, too. It was a little rocky at the start with our Dad not feeling well, but he improved day by day, and it ended up being most excellent. We're all scattered about the country now, so it really feels good to get us all in one place.

>237 Donna828: What an intriguing list for the "Under-Appreciated" list, Donna. Yes, as you know, I've loved the Buddha books, including most recently Dinner with Buddha. Your others, Stuck in the Middle With You, Orhan's Inheritance and We Are Called to Rise, are new to me, and I need to check them out. When I get caught up on work, I hope to put together a list of all these suggestions we've gotten.

We had great fun giving books as presents this year, so there's another question for everyone: what books did you give to friends and family this year?

We gave Our Souls at Night, Brown Girl Dreaming, the Chrissie Hynde memoir (which I haven't read yet), Death and the Penguin, Signs Preceding the End of the World, To Dance with the White Dog, the first in the Elena Ferrante series, My Brilliant Friend, and Gaiman's Trigger Warning, among others.

>239 maggie1944: Hiya, Karen! Hope you had a great holiday break. How'd you like The Hateful Eight? We're fans of Tarentino's movies.

>243 msf59: Thanks, Mark. So glad we weren't driving back on this crummy weather day. Yesterday there was a fair amount of light rain along the way, but all in all it wasn't bad. Furry Sherlock was a pleasure both ways on the trip, having a peaceful time riding with his human mom. (He was a big hit at the clan gathering, too).

>244 maggie1944: Thanks, Karen! We were glad to get home, and celebrated some more Christmas with each other when we arrived.

Joe, to tell the whole truth Tarentino's latest was interesting, and I admired some elements; however, the blood and gore just was too much and threatened to make the good points of the film disappear in my response of mild disgust and unrelieved instinct to avoid his work. I have avoided his films forever due to the violence and blood and gore and general focus on the ugly. I will return to my posture of avoidance. Not a fan.

>245 ronincats: Thanks, Roni! I wondered where this thread had gone - you hijacked it all the way to the West Coast, I guess. How'd it go with the book giveaway?

>246 EBT1002: Hiya, Ellen! We know from experience that the new 75er threads will go a bit crazy at the start of 2016, as everyone reconnects, but then it'll calm down, right?

I commented over on your thread that I've learned that the holidays are not a good time for me to read more challenging books. Bring Up the Bodies is in my future, but it wouldn't work for me right now. My lighter fare currently includes The Couriers by Brian Wood, a favored GN author (try his Local some time), Saint Odd (the last in a short series I've enjoyed), and Hattie Ever After, the sequel to Hattie Big Sky, which I liked very much.

>247 vancouverdeb: Merry Christmas, Deb! Hope you and yours have been having a great holiday season.

>248 charl08: Hi, Charlotte! I'm glad you enjoyed The Secret History of Wonder Woman, and that Mark's and my back-and-forth about it helped inspire you. I've only read the lengthy excerpt that was in the New Yorker, in which the early feminism from an unlikely source fascinated me, as did the early concerns about comics (!) inciting violence that you mention. Madame MBH has the book at home, so I may read the whole thing down the line.

I'll look forward to your comments on the Lepore.

>252 maggie1944: Ah, too bad, Karen. He's (Tarentino's) such a good writer of dialog, and a good storyteller, but his movies do get awfully bloody and gory. Completely understand the avoidance.

>255 jnwelch: Love it :)

>256 Ameise1: :-)

Book meme borrowed from Roni, with thanks, based on 2015 reading:

Describe yourself: The Goblin Emperor
Describe how you feel: The Rosie Effect
Describe where you currently live: Little House in the Big Woods
If you could go anywhere, where would you go? Bangkok Rules
Your favorite form of transportation: As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning
Your best friend is: Neil Gaiman in the 21st Century
You and your friends are: Younger Next Year
What’s the weather like? First Frost, Winter
You fear: Being Mortal
What is the best advice you have to give? To Dance with the White Dog
Thought for the day: The Gift of Rain
How I would like to die: Never Let Me Go
My soul’s present condition: A Beam of Light

Cheers to the Goblin Emperor! Love your meme answers, Joe. Happy New Year to you!

>258 jnwelch: Oh, I borrowed it from Peggy and Lori and they borrowed it from... ;-) I see we had some identical responses--too apt to pass over, right!

No response to the book giveaway yet. I added all my Stasheff except for the original, and have cobbled together some odds and ends to add to the original Terry Brooks and Piers Anthony books to make a box of 49 books to give away--gotten them all off my PaperBackSwap bookshelf where they have been sitting unrequested for far too long and out of my PBS bin--unfortunately that means it doesn't free up any shelf space but hey, meets my goal of getting rid of more than I acquired this year. Now I just have to move them from My Library to Traded Away on LT.

We went and saw The Force Awakens today!

Glad you all are safely home, Joe. Stay warm!

Hi, Joe! Long, nasty, messy day. Ugh!

Just kicking back tonight. I am really enjoying the Wodehouse and should finish it tomorrow. I am also enjoying French Milk. I like her voice.

>248 charl08:, >254 jnwelch:: I haven't yet read The Secret History of Wonder Woman but I had the honor of narrating Lepore's Book of Ages: the Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin for the Library of Congess. It was astounding. Ben Franklin's sister was uneducated so her letters were sparing but Lepore manages to weave a compelling story from her research into her subject's life and times.

Great work with the meme, yes. Thought for the day The Gift of Rain . I understand what you are saying, but in my part of the country give me a nice sunny day - which we are having. I'm going to look at the library for a copy of The Secret History of Wonder Woman. So much warbling in the 75's!

>259 AMQS: Ha! Thanks, Anne. The Goblin Emperor can use all the cheers he can get!

Happy New Year! Woo, 2016 is almost upon us. 2015 was a whirlwind for us, with a good bit of it due to our young guy getting hitched. 2016 may be calmer, we'll see.

>260 ronincats: Thanks again, Roni. Ha! That's all in the LT tradition, right? Hopefully, someone will pick up the book meme from here and do it on their own thread.

Our daughter got rid of a huge number of books this year when she moved into a smaller, nicer apartment. It felt really good to her. Hope it all works for you.

We're seeing The Force Awakens this weekend. Hope did you like it? It seems to be getting universally (pun groan) positive reviews.

It's mighty good to be home, but the crappy weather has finally found us. Staying warm is a challenge, as is navigating through the wet snow glop. Hope all is well in that paradise where you live.

>261 msf59: Good morning, Mark!

Ain't that the truth. What a mess yesterday and last night. Soupy glop to get through while being bombarded with ice pellets. Lovely.

Glad you're having such a good time with the Wodehouse. He was my #1 for quite a while when I was a youngster. Couldn't get enough of his witty silliness.

I liked French Milk a lot, too. Yeah, it's her voice that really carries it. She's honest, natural and appealing. Kudos to her mother and father, who show up later in the book to good effect.

>262 NarratorLady: How interesting, Anne. What an unusual subject for Lepore to choose, although that compelling story of the sister of one of our most famous Americans sure sounds worth visiting. How great that you do these audios; I look forward to hearing one of yours in the future.

Hope you've been having a relaxing holiday break.

>263 vancouverdeb: Hi, Deb! Rain is such a gift, isn't it? I'm a sucker for a good rainstorm. Maybe it's my Midwestern upbringing. Glad you liked the meme answers. I always enjoy this one around LT Land.

The Secret History of Wonder Woman tells a fascinating story (I read the New Yorker excerpt, and Mark read the whole thing). Glad the LT warbling is helping spread the word on that one.

>266 jnwelch: Reminds me on my daughter's nailing attemps in our house. It wasn't the coffee table but they marked their presences everywhere else. *sigh*

>267 Ameise1: LOL!

When we bought our present home many years ago, we knew we were going to paint the walls, so we let our then 10-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son draw all over the walls. They loved it. Thank goodness they didn't try nailing around the house; that's a lot tougher to remedy. :-)

>269 Ameise1: Our daughters were aloud to paint, too. When they got older we started to renovate one room by one. Their rooms they could paint themselves with colours they like. BTW their nailing was done with a toy hammer. Before we hadn't got a clue that you can nail a whole warderobe with a toy hammer but our elder daughter did so when she was 6 years old.

Finally all caught up with you, Joe! Whew! I could use a latte. Sounds like the holidays were good to you - they were good to us, too. And I love all the Calvin and Hobbes - we are huge fans here at the Pecan Paradisio. In fact, our dogs were originally names Calvin and Hobbes (by me), but the kids didn't get the reference and wanted to change them, so we settled for Barnum and Bailey. Now that they are older, they say, "Why, oh why didn't you keep them Calvin and Hobbes - those names were so cool!!" Ha! Life is funny, isn't it?!

Hoping that Tuesday is kind to you!

Morning, Joe! Just a quick hello. Gloomy and chilly today but at least it is dry. Just hoping stairways are cleared...

>269 Ameise1: That was one well-made toy hammer. :-)

At the house we owned before this one, Barbara, we let our young kids pick the wallpaper or color for their bedrooms. Our daughter picked a rather dramatic wallpaper of red hearts, and our son picked a bright green color of paint that was not of this earth. Maybe not the best idea we ever had. When we sold the house (actually, a 3-flat), the man buying it said, with a laugh, that the first thing he was going to do was paint over our son's room.

>270 Crazymamie: Hiya, Mamie! Good to see you.

I love that the kids now appreciate the original Calvin and Hobbes names for your dogs. That comic strip's humor is timeless, methinks.

Glad you all had a good holiday season. I'm ready for some more, as we get on toward a long weekend to celebrate the new year.

I hope today is kind to you, too. So far it's doing just fine by me.

>271 msf59: Morning, Mr. Mark!

Thanks for stopping by. Yeah, dry helps. That was lousy yesterday. Good luck with the stairways - I'm sure some folks are more conscientious than others about clearing out the snow and ice.

I have been out of touch for awhile, but finally got to some free wi-fi so thought I would report in. I have been reading! over the break. I have finished House of Orphans for the November BAC. (I am a little behind, but I wanted to participate in reading something by that author.) I liked it and thought it very well done. Helen Dunmore did a great job with Finland. I haven't done a review but will post one to the BAC list of Dunmore when I get back to Alabama. Then I raced through Ancillary Mercy and loved loved it. That series is outstanding and I am glad the author left plenty of room for more titles in that series. They are great. I finished A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, (she of the Throne of Glass series) last night. This is the first in her new series and it is good. It is billed as YA but it is NOT YA. To much sex, sexual domination, and violence for it to be YA, but it is a hot diggety-dog read for sure. This morning over my breakfast coffee I started Jeremy Poldark.

I also listened to Eldest by Christopher Paolini on the way to Kansas. I don't think this fantasy series is anything outstanding but they sure help to pass the miles while driving. The reader for them is great. I am about to finish another recorded YA novel Scorpio Races.

The temperature has fallen here in Kansas and it is COLD! It is a good thing I am baking as it keeps the kitchen warm and the house smelling good. I made some allspice muffins yesterday that were outstanding. Today I am in the process of making oatmeal cream scones.

Hi Joe!
Thinking about what morsels your cafe will provide me in 2016... Lately I have been living it up at my dads (housesitting) and enjoying his top grade coffee machine. I'll miss those...
Happy new year!

I think this question got lost in all the back and forth. I'm curious to know:

What book or books did you give to your family and friends?

For the holidays, I/We gave (among others I'm not thinking of):

Our Souls at Night
Brown Girl Dreaming
The Chrissie Hynde memoir (which I haven't read yet)
Death and the Penguin
Signs Preceding the End of the World
To Dance with the White Dog
The first in the Elena Ferrante series, My Brilliant Friend
Gaiman's Trigger Warning
The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage

Crud! I lost my posts to Benita and Megan. OK, here we go again:

>273 benitastrnad: Good to see you, Benita. Lots of good reading there. Glad the Dunmore was well done and enjoyable; I saw mixed reactions from others to her non-Siege books. I loved the Ancillary series, and thought Ancillary Mercy was a great wrap-up. I have to give that Throne of Glass series a go at some point.

I only read the first Paolini, Eragon, and thought it was a bit warmed-over, but I can see the stories helping pass the time on a car trip.

It's nippy here, too. Scones - great idea. Here are some classics:



>274 LovingLit: Hi Megan!

I'm looking forward to seeing what cafe morsels we come up with in 2016, too. Mmm, top grade coffee - that's the way to start the day.

>275 jnwelch: - Books I gave as gifts:

Harry Potter series to my 10-year old niece
Balloon Goon series to my 6-year old nephew
Me, Jane and Walk This World to my 2-year old niece
#1-3 of the In Death series to my SIL
Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words and No Better Friend to my husband
Armada to my cousin
The Oregon Trail to my other cousin
Counting by 7s and The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs to my cousin-in-law
The House at the End of Hope Street and Etta and Otto and Russell and James to my aunt
Tequila: A Guide to Types, Flights, Cocktails, and Bites to my boss
What the F*@# Should I Drink?: The Answers to Life's Most Important Question to a friend

>275 jnwelch: I can't say yet because all of the ones I purchased haven't yet been delivered. Some will be soon. Others will be mid-January.

Morning Joe! Are you working? I am shuffling along out here but at least the snow stopped.

Favor: Could you recommend a good Wodehouse collection that features the best of the Jeeves stories? I really want to read these, preferably in the order of publication. I really enjoyed "Code".

>277 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! What an interesting list. That last one's an eye-popper, isn't it? :-)

Yay for the in Death series! I hope your SIL is another convert. I read Counting by 7s and liked it. I'll have to look at the others - that's one reason I asked. I figure people will generally give books they love to family and friends. They may give some for other reasons - e.g. our niece is in a band, and we gave her the Chrissie Hynde book because they're kindred spirits (and it got good reviews), even though we hadn't read it yet.

>278 thornton37814: Gotcha, Lori, thanks. I'll make sure you know where the new 2016 cafe is located, so you can tell us later. :-)

Okay, books I gave as gifts - more or less at the reader's request! ;)

My mom I Am Half-Sick of Shadows , Speaking From Among the Bones , The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches. I loved that series too, but all of a sudden just prior to Christmas my mom read the first in the series and decided she would like to read them all. My sister , A Gift from Bob, Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow: Walt Disney and Technology, The Disney Book and for my husband, The Promise: An Elvis Cole and Joe Pike Novel , as well as several second hand books. Interesting taste :)

>281 vancouverdeb: Nice, thanks, Deb.

Actually, Madame MBH and I exchange wishlists, so we always get books we want from each other! (Graphic novels this year for moi).

I liked the first Flavia de Luce book in some ways, but she was just too precocious for me. Since I suspend disbelief with all sorts of other books, I can't explain why that would be such a reading obstacle for me, but it was/is. I'm guessing your sister is interested in cats and Disney?

For some reason I've never been able to get into the Robert Crais mysteries; I tried an Elvis Cole, and it just wasn't my cuppa. Maybe I should try a Joe Pike one.

>275 jnwelch: Books given for Christmas:

To Judi:
The Lady in Gold by Anne-Marie O'Connor
The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart

To Son the Elder:
Empire of Cotton by Sven Beckert

To DIL the Elder:
The Essential Dykes to Look Out For by Alison Bechdel

To Gracie:
Books 3-6 in the Kicks series by Alex Morgan
   Shaken Up
   Hat Trick
   Settle the Score (to be published in March)
The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
A Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey

To Helen:
The Maze Runner Series by James Dashner
   The Maze Runner
   The Scorch Trials
   The Death Cure
   The Kill Order
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula Le Guin
Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey

To Claire:
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
The Princess Bride by William Goldmann
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey

And I received:
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
L. A. Confidential by James Ellroy
Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
The Tycoons by Charles R. Morris
John le Carre: The Biography by Adam Sisman

I still may weasel a couple or three books (used) out of Judi.

>283 weird_O: Oh my, you've got a number of favorites of mine on there, Bill.

Loved The Grand Sophy, and Girl Waits with Gun was impressive, especially its being based on a true story.

So cool to see The Prince and the Pauper; loved that one as a kid. I also was quite taken with Josephine Tey, including Daughter of Time and The Franchise Affair. I still haven't read Brat Farrar, though.

The Maze Runner was good escapist fare, and my wife has liked the ones after. The Lathe of Heaven is a classic, and one of my favorite LeGuins.

I like all the ones you gave Claire. And Then There Were None is one of the best Agatha's ever, and that's saying a lot. The Princess Bride is beloved seemingly by all, and I was quite taken by The Neverending Story, too, when I was a youngster.

I loved Empire Falls, although for some mysterious reason I've never been tempted to read any of his others.

I need to check out other ones you've listed.

>284 jnwelch: I do believe we scored well, especially with Helen, Claire, and Gracie. We ferried our daughter Becky, who was visiting from Boston, from our house to theirs for a sleepover. Gracie had already finished the two Kicks books. Claire was halfway through the Princess Bride, and Helen had finished the first Maze Runner title. Mom and Dad were going to a show in NYC, so Becky would have quality time with her nieces. Becky said that after supper, they put on one of the Harry Potter movies. After a while, she looked up and realized they were all reading, with the movie as background noise. Love it!

I/We gave as gifts:

To my mother Village School and Village Diary by Miss Read
To my mother-in-law Thrush Green and Gossip From Thrush Green by Miss Read

To my son-in-law Chaos, Making a New Science, by James Gleick (Folio Society Edition)
To my daughter Pioneer Girl; The Annotated Autobiography of Laura Ingalls Wilder

To my boss: Being Mortal (which he devoured and can't stop talking about)

To my friend and co-worker the Word Cloud edition of A Christmas Carol and Other Stories .

To my brother: The Little Book of Whittling: Passing Time on the Trail, on the Porch, and Under the Stars

>283 weird_O: My daughter is a big fan of the Kicks series. Can't say I have read them myself.

>286 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks, Linda.

That one for your brother seems to have infinite possibilities. :-)

I've got Thrush Green, probably having read your praise for it. I bet my late mother would have liked Miss Read's books.

I read James Gleick's Genius, about Richard Feynman, and thought it was terrific. How is Chaos, Making a New Science?

I got Madame MBH Pioneer Girl, and it's a beautiful book. We're waiting until we finish reading aloud the Little House series, so we'll have to be patient. I read an article that the success of that one book had a huge economic effect on its small independent publisher.

Sounds like a SCORE! with your boss with Being Mortal. Well done! That may be my book of the year.

You know I've never read A Christmas Carol? I feel like I know the story from seeing the movie so many times, but that's like missing The Princess Bride book because of the delightful Princess Bride movie. They're both great.

>287 Oberon: I didn't realize the Kicks author is THAT Alex Morgan, Erik. Great soccer player who apparently has created an empowering and popular book series. I may try one out of curiosity. Makes me think of the Catherine Gilbert Murdock (sister of Elizabeth Gilbert, I'm pretty sure) books about a girl, D.J., who is a good (American) football player. The first one is Dairy Queen. I liked them a lot.

Good afternoon, Your Majesty! Love your meme answers. That is a fun meme; someday, I'd like to collect all of them from over the years (I think this is the second or third) to see how I answered them from one year to the next.

>283 weird_O: Just curious: Which book(s) did you end up giving to the eldest of your grands (the one you asked for recommendations for over on Mark's thread)?

Essential Dykes is my favorite Bechdel.

Edited to clarify.

The eldest of the grands are the 14-year-old twins, Helen and Claire. Helen asked for the Maze Runner series, but Claire didn't specify any particular books.

>289 Storeetllr: Ha! Thanks, Mary. It's good to be the Goblin Emperor. :-)

It is a fun meme, isn't it? It seems to vary a bit in the questions from year to year, and I liked this one the best. I like your idea of compiling and comparing the annual answers.

I just completely missed the boat on Essential Dykes, even though I liked her Fun Home. I couldn't connect with ED for one reason or another, and ended up giving it away.

>288 jnwelch: Yes, well, I couldn't remember the exact title of the book I gave my brother, and had to go searching. Then I got distracted and forgot to go back and edit my post. I haven't read the Miss Read books myself, but what I've heard about them made me think both our octogenarian mothers would enjoy them. The friend to whom I gave the copy of A Christmas Carol has never read it either, although she says she thinks she has seen every movie version of it ever made. She seemed absolutely delighted with it. I'm not the one to ask about Chaos; if Michael gets around to reading it, I'll make him give me a summation and review (he accepts assignments from me rather readily; I think he's still afraid I'll take my daughter back!).

>292 laytonwoman3rd: The Little Book of Whittling! I like the sounds of that a lot. I used to whittle way back when, but didn't create anything noteworthy with it.

Makes sense with the Miss Read books, and I bet I'd have the same reaction to A Christmas Carol. Some day. A summation of Chaos from Michael sounds like just the ticket; nice work in getting his general cooperation. :-)

Hi, Joe! You missed me up there in post #279 and my important question. Sighs...and snickers.

>283 weird_O: What a great batch of books, Bill! That is so impressive. I WISH, I had family that I could give books too. LOL. My wife and daughter read and rely on me for suggestions but I just keep them busy with Kindle books and the occasional print book. I just don't like to buy books, that may not get read.

I hope to get a copy of Girl Waits with Gun and I hope you can "borrow", the Grand Sophy. That one was a lot of fun.

>292 laytonwoman3rd: >293 jnwelch: I read Gleick's Genius, but avoided Chaos. I got really intrigued by his book The Information. Bought a copy and got totally lost. I got a few chapters into it couldn't understand at all what he was writing about. It was exactly what I had foreseen happening to me trying to comprehend Chaos.

>295 msf59: Yes, Mark, it's one of the stellar things about my kids and their kids: they all READ. I do plan to read each of the books I gave Judi.

>288 jnwelch: Yup, that Alex Morgan. I am curious to know if she wrote them all herself or had help.

I mostly gave other gifts this year but bought my dad Gut which sounded interesting after Susan read it here on LT.

>279 msf59:, >294 msf59: Hi Mark! Jeez, I still have that happen every once in a while. Sorry I missed your post!

I suggest Carry On, Jeeves for your next Wodehouse. Having become a Jeeves fan, you'll have a blast. I'm not sure whether it's the first in publication - the other possibility is The Inimitable Jeeves, which is also great. Hmm. Here's an article about the "chronological challenge" with the Jeeves and Wooster stories: https://honoriaplum.wordpress.com/2014/08/10/getting-started-with-bertie-and-jee...

>295 msf59: I immediately spotted your post, Mark, and now I'll respond to it. :-) I'll get the knack of this some day.

My sisters both read, thank goodness (one of them voraciously), as do their hubbies, and Debbi and the kids do, and son #1's new bride, too, so that makes our gift-buying a lot easier. We gave the new bride Souls at Night, and she loved our enthusiasm for it.

Nice to see the love for The Grand Sophy! I suspect Girl Waits with Gun will suit you well.

Happy New Year's Eve, buddy!

>296 weird_O: The Information does look intriguing, Bill. I suspect our computer coder son would be interested in that one. I get more of a kick out of the physics books, even when I don't totally understand what the heck I'm being told. (I actually read A Brief History of Time, which reportedly may be the most-purchased and least-read book of all time).

I'm hoping someone stops by who has read Chaos and tells us about it.

Great to have a family of readers, Bill. It's lucky, for sure. Now I have to go back and see what you gave Judi that you're also going to read.

>297 Oberon: I suppose we may never know whether "that" Alex Morgan actually wrote the Kicks books by herself. No other author is listed, but I don't know enough about her to hazard a guess.

>298 charl08: That looks like one Madame MBH might like, Charlotte. She enjoys Mary Roach books, among other things. I love the idea of Gut.

>279 msf59: - Mark, I can't remember if you read your first Wodehouse or listened to it? I highly recommend them on audio, read by Jonathan Cecil. You will chuckle your day away...

Calvin and Hobbes strike again! Right on, Mr Hobbes.

*Edited misspellings

>302 katiekrug: I should try that, too, Katie. I like chuckling my day away. Although I've got to quiet down when the men in white coats show up.

>303 maggie1944: He's a remarkably astute tiger, Mr. Hobbes, isn't he, Karen? Calvin's lucky to have him as a pal.

Morning, Joe! So fun to see everyone's list of books that they gifted - what a great question. Here's what I gave:

Rae - Moon Called - she has already read all of these, but she loves them, and she read my copies which are on Kindle. Since Rae prefers physical books, I started her collection of the trade paperbacks.

Daniel - Heir to the Empire - he loves this trilogy and had been unable to find this one in the library binding to match the other two, so now he has it!

Abby - as you can imagine, her Christmas list was mostly books, so:
The Legend of Korra Book One: Air, the Art of the Animated Series
Star Wars Storyboards: The Original Trilogy
Harry Potter: Magical Places from the Films: Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, and Beyond
Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars
The Supergirls: Fashion, Feminism, Fantasy and the History of Comic Book Heroines
Spinning Starlight

Birdy - Witch Buster Volumes 5-6 and 7-8
Best Loved Folktales of the World - she kept checking this out of the library and finally just asked for her own copy

a friend: If I Stay
Spider's Bite

>299 jnwelch: Morning, Joe! I knew you would come through on the Wodehouse. Sweet! I may look into picking up both of those collections and I will check out the link, once I get home.

We are going to friends tonight for a small gathering, of games, chatter and fine beverages. How about you?

I wish I had a bigger family of readers but I do pass on so many books and recommendations throughout the year, that I really should not feel lacking.

>305 Crazymamie: That is impressive, Mamie! Love all those readers!

>302 katiekrug: I read the Wodehouse novel in print but I can easily see how well they would work, with the right audio presentation. I'll see if I can track any down. Thanks, KAK!

Best wishes for the New Year to a perfect gentleman! I hope to see you and Debbi again in 2016, Joe.

May we all make the best of what 2016 brings us .....

Looking forward to another great reading year!

Happy New Year, everyone!

I'll be back to respond and start a new cafe in 2016!

>266 jnwelch: My all-time favorite C&H. I quote it regularly.

Happy New Year, Joe. Almost time to turn out the lights in the old cafe and move over to new premises!

Happy New Year, Joe!

Happy New Year, Joe! See you on the new thread!

Looking forward to the new cafe....I hope there will be a signpost left here for stragglers.

>307 msf59:. Thought I'd put my two cents in about Woodhouse on audio. You'll find lots of more famous people have recorded his books but I agree that Jonathan Cecil is absolutely the best!

>305 Crazymamie: Thanks for sharing those, Mamie.

Like Rae, I'm a fan of that Mercy Thompson series. I think Roberta was the one who talked me into persevering with it, and now I can't wait for the new one to come out.

What an interesting list of books for Abby! I can tell she's interested in what goes on behind the scenes to create what we see on film and otherwise. That Girl in Dior book should work well for her.

I had heard that the Timothy Zahn Star Wars books were good, and Daniel's endorsement makes me think I should mention them to our Son#1, another Star Wars buff.

Good for Birdie - I had folktale and fairy tale books that I loved as a kid; if you keep taking a book out of the library, that's a strong sign you should own it.

I suspect all your girls could teach me some things about manga. Even though I love a lot of graphic novels, my Japanese loves and likes tend to be more traditional style, like A Bride's Story, Lone Wolf and Cub, and Vagabond.

Oh, and I liked If I Stay. The sequel, Where She Went, is good, too.

>306 msf59: Oh good, I'm glad the Wodehouse tips were helpful, Mark. Once you've had your fill of Jeeves and Wooster, he had lots of other good stories, including those set at Blandings Castle.

Hope your New Year's Eve gathering was fun; I'm sure it was. We have a nice annual tradition where we go to a friend's party to start the evening, and then come back home for a late night celebration together. We used to do it to celebrate with the kids, and found we liked that, so we kept it going even after they fled the premises.

We also managed to watch the Greer Garson/Laurence Olivier "Pride and Prejudice", which we had never seen. Only broadly faithful to the book (Aldous Huxley screenplay!), with a horrendous happy face change for Lady Catherine de Bourgh at the end, but fun, especially for the somewhat over-the-top performance by Olivier.

>307 msf59: Good tip from KAK, Mark. I may have to try a Wodehouse on audio.

>308 kidzdoc: Ha! Thanks, Darryl! Perrrfect C & H. :-) Hope you have a wonderful 2016. We look forward to seeing you in the fall, and we also hope to get to Atlanta one of these days.

>309 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara! Back atcha - hope 2016 treats you wonderfully well.

>310 roundballnz: That's probably the most realistic New Year's wish I've heard, Alex. We all hope that 2016 will be most excellent, but the key is to make the best we can of what's given. Good thought, thanks.

>311 Storeetllr: Nice gif, Mary! Thanks. Another great reading year - that's one we can really come through on. So many tantalizing books out there!

>313 EBT1002: Ha! I love that C & H in >266 jnwelch:, too, Ellen.

>314 Familyhistorian: Happy New Year, Meg. You're right, almost time to turn out the lights here and open the new year's cafe. We'll see you there!

>315 FAMeulstee: Happy New Year, Anita!

>316 msf59: Happy New Year, Mark! I'll start up the new one after we finish up here at the last 2015 cafe.

>317 laytonwoman3rd: Almost there, Linda. Yes, I'll post a link, since the new year means it's not an automatic carryover to the new cafe. It'll take a bit of time to get the new one set up, particularly since I want to transfer some of the book info from this one.

>318 NarratorLady: Thanks, Anne. Good to know; I hadn't heard of Jonathan Cecil before, but now I'll look for his audio narrations of Wodehouse.

Here's the new cafe: http://www.librarything.com/topic/210826