Joe's Book Cafe 2016 Door 6

Art by Johanna Wright

Welcome back to the cafe!

2016 Books

January

1. Hattie Ever After by Kirby Larson
2. Saint Odd by Dean Koontz
3. Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich
4. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
5. Cold Mountain by Han Shan (re-read)
6. Bryant & May and the Burning Man by Christopher Fowler
7. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler
8. Valis by Philip K. Dick
9. Neon Vernacular by Yusef Komunyaka

February

10. Tokyo Decadence by Ryu Murakami
11. The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher
12. Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold
13. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
14. Martian Time-Slip by Philip K. Dick
15. The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie
16. Natural Birth by Toi Derricotte
17. A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver
18. Winterdance by Gary Paulsen
19. Heap House by Edward Carey

March

20. Evicted by Matthew Desmond
21. Pax by Sara Pennypacker
22. Voyage of the Sable Venus by Robin Coste Lewis
23. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
24. Dead Man's Mirror by Agatha Christie
25. White Sky, Black Ice by Stan Jones
26. Shifting Shadows by Patricia Briggs

Graphic Novels

1. The Fade Out by Ed Brubaker
2. Concrete Park by Tony Puryear
3. The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage by Sydney Padua
4. Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
5. Killing and Dying by Adrian Tomine
6. Sleeper by Ed Brubaker
7. Where is Jake Ellis by Nathan Edmondson
8. Lucifer by Mike Carey
9. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep Omnibus by Philip K. Dick
10. Super Mutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki
11. The Fade Out Volume 2 by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
12. Low Moon by Jason

Joe's Top Reads for 2015

Book of the Year: Being Mortal by Atul Gawande



Fiction

Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf



Non-fiction

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

Graphic Novels

Sandman Overture by Neil Gaiman



Mystery

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith



Science Fiction/Fantasy

Ancillary series by Ann Leckie

Top 5 Great American Novels as 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.

Happy new thread, Joe! As always, I love the topper - the last illustration is my favorite.

"oh, lovely toppers," quoth Ellie, full of donut muffles and hocho. happy new threading.

>5 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie! I love that last one, too. I almost didn't post it, as I'm eager to leave this winter behind. But it was too good not to.

First one in the door gets first pick of the cupcakes.



>6 mirrordrum: Ha! Thanks, Ellie. I believe I could live on donut muffles and hocho (if I remember to take my vitamins).

You never know what we're going to find when we go threading.

Happy World Book Day!

Me first!!!

Happy New Thread Buddy. Isn't everyday World Book Day!

>9 weird_O: I'm guessing cupcakes, Bill. You gotta be quick around here, but the good news is we've always got plenty.

>10 PaulCranswick: Thanks, pal. Ha! Good point - here in Booknerdland, every day is World Book Day. :-)

>8 jnwelch: There was a pirate in the bookshop today. I think there should be more world book day in grown up life...

That first topper is so appropriate for LT: all charming though. Happy World Book Day.

>12 charl08: Ha! Yes, lots of kids apparently dress up as book characters on World Book Day. I wonder which the pirate was from - Treasure Island maybe.

Maybe that should be our question of the day - what character would you like to dress up as, if wearing a character costume were required by the ever-vigilant world librarians?



Maybe Bertie Wooster for me. If anyone chooses H. G. Wells Invisible Man, they have to wear the bandages.

I'm glad you like the toppers; I thought the same thing with the first one. I try to make them inviting for our bookomaniac patrons.

Pippi Longstocking for me please!



"All the children sat looking at Pippi, who lay flat on the floor, drawing to her heart’s content. ‘But, Pippi,’ said the teacher impatiently, ‘why in the world aren’t you drawing on your paper?’

‘I filled that long ago. There isn’t room enough for my whole horse on that little snip of paper.’

>14 charl08: Ha! Good one, Charlotte. I've been a Pippi fan since I was a wee lad. I picked a Pippi book when I won a book prize for reading one year.

Here's me doing my Hugh Laurie best as Bertie.

you're very droll today, Mr. Giddy Biscuit. :-)

>8 jnwelch: and who alerted you to World Book Day? hmmmmm? i think i should get dibs on The book thief cupcake and i'm snitching a donut cupcake and summore hocho to go with it as my, ahem, just desserts.

oh, it's nice to be back. if i only had a sec'y, i could open a thread of my own.

and i have to ask, is Ta-Nehisi Coates quotable throughout the entire book? wow.

Happy New Thread, Joe! Love the Wright toppers. I did know it is was World Book Day, but then again it is always World Book Day, in our little universe.

I picked up a library copy of Super Mutant Magic Academy. Hope to get to it soon.

I love those cupcakes, Joe. I would however have a hard time biting into one and destroying it! For World Book Day I would dress up as Scarlett O'Hara from Gone With The Wind. Love those hooped crinolines and full skirts!

Morning, Joe! Happy Friday to you!

>16 jnwelch: Love it!!

I keep trying to convince Charlie to let me make him a Willy Wonka costume for Halloween this next time round, but he won't agree to it. I'd be Charlie Bucket, then, of course. And Mario and Tuppence could be Oompa Loompas...

>17 mirrordrum: I think all of us looney-tunes in the cafe take the giddy biscuit, don't you, Ellie?

You're right, you were the headmost and the foremost among World Book Day celebrators. Hearing nothing to the contrary, grab that Book Thief cupcake and a donut muffin and summore HoCho, and I'll meet you at your usual table.

If I could send you a Jeeves and a sec'y, I would, but even without, it's great to have you back. Hope it went well at the doc's.

Believe it or not, yes, Ta-Nehisi Coates is that quotable throughout. What a difficult but priceless gift he has given us.

To his son: “You are growing into consciousness, and my wish for you is that you feel no need to constrict yourself to make other people comfortable.”

Summore Mex Hocho, just in case:

>18 msf59: Thanks, Mark! Happy Friday, buddy.

Yes, it's always World Book Day in these here parts. I'm right at the end of Evicted, and what an amazing piece of work. Matthew Desmond immersed himself in Milwaukee's poverty-stricken community for years, and bolstered that with an assiduous study of data relating to employment, housing, evictions, education, etc., including a survey he designed that was carried out. The book is both monumental and personal - he lived it. Plus his proposals for addressing the problem are reasonable and likely to generate a lot of discussion. Wow.

I finished the Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep Omnibus GN, and it was a great way to revisit that story. The adapters were totally faithful to the original book, and wanted to create an engaging visual version of it to balance the popularity of the excellent but quite different movie version - Blade Runner.

I have to remember to tell Mamie, as she was the one who rec'd it to me.

>19 DeltaQueen50: Ha! The same thing crossed my mind, Judy - those cupcakes in >7 jnwelch: are so cool I'd have trouble biting into one. But then I thought, they're meant to be eaten, and if left alone, will just get old and stale. So maybe a photo plus scarfing them down is the way to go.

Love that Scarlett O'Hara costume idea! You'd be a sensation.

>20 DianaNL: Oh yeah! Thanks, Diana. Even the squirrels are saying Hallelujah!

>21 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! Happy Friday!

Before I forget, thank you for the recommendation to read the Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep Omnibus. I loved it. As you said, it's so faithful to the book, and that was a great way to re-experience it. I'm still thinking and wondering about Mercerism. I'm going to try to find someone's commentary on that; I'm still trying to figure it out.

>22 scaifea: Doesn't >16 jnwelch: take the giddy biscuit, Amber?

I love your ambitions for Halloween. Neither we nor our kids were ever as clever as what you come up with for Charlie - not just the ideas, but the costumes you make. I'll look forward to seeing what the two of you decide on - I'm just sorry we probably won't get to see Mario and Tuppence as Oompa Loompas. :-)

One year for a play when I was ten or so, our Dad made me this remarkably ornate bird costume, with lots of green tissue paper feathers and impressive wings and a cool beak mask. I was too young for me to remember now, but my sister tells me that, even with zero lines, I was the hit of the play.

You are so welcome, Joe! You finished it before I did!! I am still waiting for book three to arrive - it got delayed in shipping. If you figure out the Mercerism, you be sure to share. I keep trying to wrap my head around that one, too.

Morning Joe! Happy Friday! Not shabby out here. The sunshine always gives a boost.

Expect more warbling on King Leopold. It is equally amazing and absolutely appalling. How we let these things happen, is mind-blowing. I am sure you are getting the same feelings about Evicted.

>27 Crazymamie: :-) I'll let you know, Mamie. What an unusual mind that PKD had!

>28 msf59: Morning Mark! Yes, a definite improvement on yesterday, and the temp is supposed to keep creeping up.

Yes, I'm blown away by Evicted. I'm going to try to review it soon. King Leopold sounds appallingly good. :-)

"appallingly good" is actually the perfect description, Joe!

>26 jnwelch: Oh, I love the thought of a young you in a stunning bird costume!

>30 Crazymamie: :-)

>31 scaifea: Maybe one of these days I can dig out a photo of it, Amber. That bird costume was an impressive piece of work!

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond is a knockout piece of reporting. Desmond focuses on an overlooked trap for the poor, unaffordable housing. In this study of the north and south sides of Milwaukee, he shows us from the inside how housing alone takes a huge portion of what little money the poor have, and how small episodes or falling behind on the rent lead to mushrooming evictions that cause evicted tenants to spiral into worse and worse conditions. Evicted once, because your child threw something out of the window or your company was too noisy, and that blemish on your record likely means even marginally desirable housing will no longer be available. Families must move into worse squalor and more danger, often over and over. And this doesn't even include the many ways landlords screen potential tenants from getting housing in the first place, based on color (illegally) or having children (lawfully), or evict based on how they feel about the particular tenant.

The burden falls heavily on women, particularly with so many minority men away in prison. “If incarceration had come to define the lives of men from impoverished black neighborhoods, eviction was shaping the lives of women. Poor black men were locked up. Poor black women were locked out.” Life's issues become distilled to the point where many tenants do all they can just to stave off the departure day. Desmond stays in a horribly maintained, but lucrative to the landlord, trailer park on the mainly white south side, and in an impoverished area on its mainly black north side. He manages to bond with both landlords and tenants, for reasons that are explained in the Epilogue. He follows eight people closely, two of them landlords trying to maximize profit, who have their own views to share on who's to blame for the seeming unfairness, and the squalor and unsafe conditions.

If tenants complain, they may get evicted. If they call in a building inspector, they likely will. With rent taking up more than half of whatever small amount they are able to make at restaurants or part-time construction and so on, or from disability payments and the like, any unexpected expense - e.g. a funeral, a pair of shoes for a graduation - can irretrievably throw them off their rental payment schedule and lead to eviction.

Only a few lucky ones make it into scarce public housing or get rental vouchers. Meanwhile, the price of small, inadequate apartments in undesirable areas goes up and up.

We also see how tenants can hurt themselves, e.g. through drug addiction or conflict-causing behavior. Or how the simple desire to treat themselves to something enjoyable, e.g. a good meal, or perfume, can be so detrimental when they have so few dollars to work with. Research shows "that under conditions of scarcity people prioritize the now and lose sight of the future, often at great cost." Desmond shows up close the difficulties and frustrations of "now" that can affect every day of their lives.

He also convincingly shows the difference having a decent home makes.

{A} good home can serve as the sturdiest of footholds. When people have a place to live, they become better parents, workers and citizens.

If Arleen or Vanetta didn't have to dedicate 70 or 80 percent of their income to rent, they could keep their kids fed and clothed and off the streets. They could settle down in one neighborhood and enroll their children in one school, providing them the opportunity to form long-lasting relationships with friends, role models, and teachers."

Instead, our "cities have become unaffordable to our poorest families, and this problem is leaving a deep and jagged scar on the next generation."

Desmond gives a balanced, thorough and honest (read those notes) analysis, and provides reasonable, achievable suggestions for what we can do. One example is providing lawyers to tenants who are in court for eviction, like we do accused criminals who can't afford a lawyer. Studies have shown what a difference that makes, as normally only the landlords have a lawyer, and the tenants either don't bother to show up, figuring it's a lost cause, or have little clue as to how to help themselves. Once evicted, the downward spiral begins. More extensive use of vouchers is another example. He persuasively shows the cost savings (e.g. in shelter costs) and cites programs like one in New York that have demonstrated such savings.

Desmond says that, when giving talks, he's often asked, "How did you feel when you saw that", and "How did you get that sort of access." Desmond's answer:

I'm interested in a different, more urgent conversation. 'I' don't matter. I hope that when you talk about this book, you talk first about Sherrena and Tobin, Arleen and Jori, Larraine and Scott and Pam, Crystal and Vanetta - and the fact that somewhere in your city, a family has just been evicted from their home, their things piled high on the sidewalk.

This is the kind of extraordinary book that only comes along once in a great while. The amount of effort and dedication that went into creating it is staggering. It makes me think of There Are No Children Here, which helped convince us do away with the failed model of high rise public housing, and Katherine Boo's Behind the Beautiful Forevers, which showed us a kind of life few of us would have ever imagined. Five stars, easy.

>33 jnwelch: That sounds like a tough read, Joe...but an important one.

I love all the thread toppers, Joe. The last one is different because of the snow. I like it a lot but the girl reading under the tree gets my vote!

Thank you for that excellent review of Evicted. It looks like something I should read, and I will one of these days, but I'm still reeling from Just Mercy. I think our politicians are the ones who should be reading these kinds of books. Affordable housing and more effective prisons are things they don't talk about. Don't get me started...

It is such a shame that our capitalistic system, over the past 250 years (+/-), has not found a humane way to deal with people who just do not fit the mold. We have been doing this "War on Poverty" for my entire life. Kennedy used talking about poor people to win the Presidency, LBJ and his war on poverty started many good programs which have been argued over for years, (We are still talking about Welfare Queens who drive showy, Cadillac cars to the grocery store to use their food stamps!) Jimmy Carter we all know has dedicated his post-Presidency life to the issues of war/peach and poverty. President Clinton tried to "reform" welfare. Oh, on and on I can go. But bottom line we still incarcerate too many men of color which destroys families; after the damn welfare laws make them leave their families. Whenever someone can write a book, or tell a story, which results in good suggestions it is good! Glad you read the book, and I hope many more do, and that some copies of it are sent to public officials. Thanks for the chance to get on my personal soap box!

Hope you have a great weekend!

>33 jnwelch: This sounds important - thanks for the review. I was thinking abut the social housing available in the UK as I read it. Housing is such an important, basic thing that can help children have a good start in life (and reduce adult stress). That downward spiral must be hellish to experience. I hope decision makers are reading the book too.

>33 jnwelch: Great review Joe.

I am all muesli and wholemeal and blasted lemon juice in the mornings these days buddy. You couldn't roll me out some virtual pancakes could you with lashings of maple syrup so that I can indulge myself without my stomach quite catching on to the idea!

Have a great weekend.

Excellent review of Evicted, Joe. Big Thumb! Sounds like a very important read. I hope I can get to it, in the near future.

Great review Joe. Reminded me of Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America.
Both important books that all people in government should read. The rest of us too.

I picked up a copy of Evicted at ALA, and won't get to it for awhile because Just Mercy is in line ahead of it. I did listen to a good interview with the author of Evicted on the New York Times Book Review podcast and know that I will be reading this someday.

#28
The reason these things happen is because people don't read. What was happening in Africa in the Victorian era and the early part of this century was not hidden or unknown. People just didn't care. It took a person like Wilberforce to keep hounding the British Empire to end slavery and once that was done people thought they were done and the problems in Colonial Africa would go away. It was a case of sympathy weariness. Sort of what I see beginning to happen in Europe now with the refugees. The longer the onslaught lasts the less sympathy there is going to be for those poor people. And of course, there is already no sympathy for them here in the U.S. or we would be taking some of them, instead of turning our back on the whole thing.

>13 jnwelch: >14 charl08: Oooh, I went to some parties as Pippi Longstocking. My long hair was plaited over wire from a coathanger and bent out and up. Some eyeliner dots as freckles and some striped socks...hey presto, it was a high impact costume. I had to turn sideways to get through the door :)

Happy New Thread, Joe. What a colourful opening. Wishing you a great weekend.

Morning, Joe! Happy Saturday!

Happy New Thread and Happy Weekend, Joe!

Thanks for your excellent review of Evicted. There have been several reviews of and articles about that book, and I think I'll use my current Barnes & Noble 20% off coupon to buy it online today or tomorrow.

Hi, everyone. We had a breakfast meeting of the seasonsoflove birthday party committee at a local restaurant.

>34 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks, Linda. Agreed - big time important, IMO. It's already stimulating discussion, as I understand it, and has the potential to inspire major changes.

>35 Donna828: Hi, Donna. Thanks re the toppers. I love that first one with the girl under the tree, too.

Yes, this is most definitely a Donna kind of book. I understand the need to take time to let a book like Just Mercy sink in. I'm reading the much lighter but so far excellent Pax now.

>36 maggie1944: Hi, Karen. Right-ee-oh. Desmond spends some time discussing that, as bad as it is, it used to be so much worse. Like many things, we have progressed, but it's still awful. I hope this is widely read and discussed, too, especially among those on the front lines. He's a Harvard sociologist (amazing - humble guy, as far as I can tell), and seems to have huge support and resources. Maybe the Dr. Paul Farmer of low income housing? We'll see.

Hope you have a great weekend, too!

>37 charl08: You're welcome, Charlotte. One of the points he makes is that we can use the UK and elsewhere to see how other countries have addressed these problems. I agree, I hope decisionmakers read this. He also apparently speaks all over the place about these issues, so that's another avenue of influence. I'd love to hear him speak. I did get to hear Dr. Paul Farmer, and it was an honor.

>38 PaulCranswick: Thanks re the review, Paul.

I'm with you, buddy. We're just coming off our spartan diet of cardboard and sawdust (very small amounts of each - plenty of fiber), and my much better half is determined we'll retain our health gains.

I'd be happy to join you in a hearty virtual repast of pancakes with lashings of maple syrup.



Hope you have a great weekend, too. So far so good on our end.

>39 msf59: Thanks, buddy, and I sure appreciate the thumb.

Yes, this is a rare and important one. I was dazzled anyway, but reading in the Epilogue what went into putting the book together - wow. I don't often spend a lot of time on Acknowledgments and end notes, but I did with this one.

>40 NarratorLady: Ah, good to see you, Anne. I'd just been thinking of you. Everything going well? Any book recommendations?

You're inspiring me on Nickeled and Dimed. I've thought multiple times about reading it, but now you got me. Onto the WL it goes.

>41 benitastrnad: Cool, Benita. Did Desmond say anything interesting on the podcast? What did you think of him?

Understandable to have Just Mercy in line ahead. I know Donna thought highly of that one.

>42 benitastrnad: Thanks for your thoughtful comments, Benita. I don't think Mark up in >28 msf59: has seen them yet.

Actually, here in the U.S., Obama has made a point of admitting as many Syrian refugees as possible, despite the futile resistance of some state governors (it's not a state matter), and foolish politicos like Ted Cruz (who complains too few are Christian). But by law the limit is 10,000 a year, as I understand it.

>43 LovingLit: Great, Megan! Did you do red hair?

>44 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. Glad you like that colorful opening. Thank you for that bit of spring. :-)

>45 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! Happy Saturday!

Hope you and Abby are having a fun one - I'll bet you are.

>46 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl! Hope you're having a good weekend - knowing you, you may be working. I'll come over and visit.

Yes, Evicted seems to be lighting up all over the place. I was lucky to get an ER copy. Definitely worth your B & N coupon use. It's one of those books where I imagine people all over the country are saying "thank you" to the author. I sure am.

Hi Joe. I completely missed World Book Day.

I'm definitely adding Evicted to my wish list. P and I have been attending the Pac-12 Women's Basketball Tournament for the past two evenings (our UW Huskies upset the Stanford Cardinal last night in an amazing game!) and you'll like this: there is a man wearing orange (Oregon State fan) sitting in front and to the left of us who has been reading his book during the breaks. It's The Great Escape: Health, Wealth, and the Origins of Inequality which I have also added to my wish list. I always take my book to the games with me but I have to admit that I find it hard to concentrate in that environment. My current read is And After Many Days, which Beth generously sent to me. It's quite good so far.

I hope you are doing well!

Great review of Evicted and will thumb. It's a big topic of political conversation here in Canada. In Vancouver especially we try to go to great lengths to house the homeless. I suspect we have a lot less homeless in Canada due to our social welfare problems, but by no means are we free of the problem. Here in Vancouver I am especially proud of our harm reduction programmes - that is safe goverment funded sites for injecting illegal drugs - heroin, whatever. You are safe from any sort of prosecution from using illegal drugs and the government pays for a nurse to always be on site , as well as doctors and psychiatrists and rehab, if you wish to access that. But you get a clean needle, rubber gloves , a nurse watching over you , who will intervene should you overdose. Our rates of AIDS, HIV, hepatitis , and death by overdose have gone way done. We have a lot of Single Resident Occupancy Hotels for homeless people. Now we are beginning to experiment with shipping containers for housing for the difficult to house in Vancouver. Of course it is all far from perfect, but I like to think we are trying.

Happy New (well new to me anyway) Thread, Joe. I missed World Book Day but I got plenty of reading in without knowing that it was a day to celebrate. From your latest review it looks like you are reading about some important social issues.

>54 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen.

Nice to have you back from adventures and work obligations! I think a lot of people missed World Book Day - as others have said, on LT it's World Book Day every day.

I'm glad you're going to pick up Evicted. I think you'll get a lot out of it. I sometimes think we should identify secular saints (Dr. Paul Farmer would be one for me), and this Matthew Desmond may be on his way. Really impressive. Makes me want to sit in on one of his classes.

Go Huskies! How great to have a serious book reader near you at the game. It's all phones all the time when we go to games.

I'll look forward to your comments on And After Many Days. We're doing fine - we were at a nice Bulls win over the Rockets last night, with two of our injured players returning, finally.

>55 vancouverdeb: Thanks re the review, Deb, and I especially appreciate the thumb.

Those all sound like very positive steps in Vancouver. I'm not surprised - Canada in general so often is more socially progressive than the U.S., and Vancouver is such an appealing city. Giving people a reasonable chance to have a stable home is not only the right thing to do, seems to me, but has so many benefits, as Desmond shows us. Instead of so much time and energy being taken up with the fallout of being homeless or evicted, people have the chance to put more focus on family and making a living and so on.

Some will of course be drawn to drugs regardless, but that happens in every income group. (We have a big heroin problem in the suburbs here, for example). I like your city's idea of a clean, safe environment for users. That opens up possibilities of rehab, too.

Morning Joe! Happy Sunday! Let the warm-up begin! Grins...

I am loving Girl Waits with Gun. What perfect characters. I also cannot recommend King Leopold high enough.

>56 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. It's still a new thread as far as I'm concerned.

I like the idea of a World Book Day, and maybe it'll get more weight and attention going forward. Right now it doesn't seem to be a big deal, as far as I can tell, and on LT we're celebrating books every day anyway.

Yes, Evicted is an important book on a critical social issue. I'm excited to see whether the attention it's getting changes some thinking and improves the lot of at least some of those he describes.

Morning Mark! Happy Sunday!

Yeah, it's supposed to warm up. It's still chilly out here right now - we just went for coffee with Miss Becca and her furry companion. We're off soon to hang out at a neighborhood cafe for more coffee (for me - chai for Madame MBH).

Girl Waits with Gun is a treat, isn't it. Can't wait to hear what you think about those characters when you finish.

I'm keeping King Leopold in mind. Glad you've had such a strong, positive reaction to it. I feel like I know that author, Adam Hochschild, but I don't recognize any of his books. I'll bet I've read a magazine article or two by him.

Morning, Joe! I like your plans for the day.

Happy Sunday, Joe! Great review of Evicted and thanks for sharing the cupcakes. Love the toppers!

The New York Times Book Review podcast of the interview with Desmond was good. Evicted is his first book. I got to hear him talk at the ALA conference in January. He said in that talk that he was surprised that nobody had done any kind of study on the housing problems in the U.S. He got onto this topic because he was interested in who was affected by the housing crises in 2007 - besides the Big Banks. To his surprise the data showed that poor people were more affected by the crises than were the rich, even if the more wealthy home owners had more than one mortgage. He said in the podcast that he was also astonished to learn that neighborhoods with high incarceration rates for males also had very high eviction rates. The two are linked and have to do with the male/female income disparity and rates of single parent families. I don't think any of that is new.

>62 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie!

We had a most excellent time at the cafe. In a bit we're heading off to a matinee of "The Man Who Murdered Sherlock Holmes", a musical (!) in which Sherlock and Arthur Conan Doyle apparently meet up. Sherlockophile Seasonsoflove is joining us, of course. It's gotten great reviews here.

>63 Berly: Hiya, Kim! Happy Sunday!

Thanks, I'm glad you liked that review of Evicted. That book really got to me, can you tell?

Glad you love the toppers. and the cupcakes. Maybe we should get more of the latter out here?



Whoa, those look pretty decadent, don't they.

I cooked yesterday for my supper group. We had a supper that celebrated the 50th anniversary of "Southern Living" magazine. I made a molded cranberry salad and it was so very good. I would like to have more today. Does the cafe have any?

>64 benitastrnad: Thanks, Benita. Yes, he works with those ideas and others in Evicted. The combination of his living in the environments he's describing and his wide-ranging analytical use of collected data is powerful. Thanks for letting us know how it went. I'm wanting to hear him speak now.

I finished reading Winter Friday night about 2:00 a.m. Here is my assessment.

Winter was a good finish to the Lunar Chronicles series. Amidst all the teenage angst and Harlequin Romance romance concerns the author managed to tie up the plot line with plenty of action, thrills, and a few surprises that kept the novel interesting and very readable. This was a surprise, as most YA series novels have started strong and died in a bloated whimper. This last book in a series managed to go out with a bang. Kudos to the author on this accomplishment.

However, the novel was not without flaws. I got tired of reading all the Harlequin Romance trials and tribulations of the obviously paired off couples. There was the usual bloat. This book was about 50 - 100 pages to long. There were pages and pages of descriptive internal dialogue that were there to help readers who had not read the previous novels, but for the dedicated reader were just repeats of the previous contents of the novels. This was especially true of the parts of this novel that dealt with Queen Levana. I wish that authors and publishers would just forget about trying to "catch up" new readers and just write the story. If the reader is interested they can go on and read the earlier novels in the series and "catch themselves up" to the current place in the series.

>68 benitastrnad: Those are good points you make, Benita. most YA series novels have started strong and died in a bloated whimper. That does seem to happen a lot, doesn't it? One of those that really disappointed my daughter, my sister and me was Lisa McMann's Wake series, that started strong and ended terribly.

I'm glad Winter wasn't like that for you; me, either. I thought it was a really well done end to the series, going out with a bang, as you say. But it could've been trimmed - I agree with that, too.

I just finished a middle grade book Pax, about a boy and his fox, and loved it. I'll try to write a review soon. And Voyage of the Sable Venus was an excellent book of poetry. I can see why it won the National Book Award. She really got me.

>57 jnwelch: "It's all phones all the time when we go to games."
Yes, that is usually the case here, as well. I take a book with me (always) but I admit that the atmosphere makes it a bit hard to concentrate. Still, I do try. We did decide not to attend tonight's game. I hate not to support the tournament one more time but the self-care agenda dictates that I don't have a fourth late night out. So, I will watch the final game at home in my pajamas with LT on my lap(top).

I also like your idea of designating secular saints. I have to think about whom I would put in that category. I would want to set the bar pretty high.

A book about a boy and his fox. That sounds intriguing. I assume "middle grade book" means for readers in middle school or thereabouts? I have a niece who might enjoy Pax.

Have a great week, Joe!

>71 EBT1002: Hiya, Ellen.

Wow, that musical we just went to, "The Man Who Killed Sherlock Holmes', was really good. It mixed in true parts of Arthur Conan Doyle's life, including his successful real life exoneration of a jailed innocent man fictionalized in Julian Barnes' Arthur and George, and the outraged public reaction when he killed off Sherlock in The Final Problem, with a witty apparition of Sherlock, who is not sanguine with being killed off. Add to that surprisingly good music, and it makes for quite an entertaining and enjoyable time. We suspect this will be another one heading for New York. But I digress.

We used to do four late nights out in a week and then it became three as we got older. I'm down to about two and a matinee at this point. Watching the game in your jammers with LT accompaniment sounds quite excellent to me.

Yeah, other secular saints will take some thinking. I'm smitten with the good works of Dr. Farmer, as you can tell.

I'd recommend Pax for anyone who likes good stories and well-honed writing, and isn't put off by the idea of a style directed at their younger selves. I think of middle grade as that stage before young adults, generally 6th - 8th grade. But I have no doubt that many young adults and adult adults are reading Pax. The themes are beautifully handled, and a lot of complexity lies beneath the characters, including Pax the fox. So I bet your niece would enjoy Pax, and there's a good chance you would, too. My sisters are older than me, and I'm definitely going to be giving it as a present to one of them.

Hope you have a great week, too!

Sounds like you had a great Sunday, Joe. You get to take in a lot of plays - are you a member of a group associated with a theatre? Your matinée today sounds very interesting. I was supposed to be working on the research for my history project for the course that I am taking but I got sidetracked by a residential questionnaire that I had to fill out for the BC Generations Project - I believe the deadline is tomorrow, if not then very soon. Trying to come up with previous addresses can be challenging!

Morning, Joe!

>73 Familyhistorian: It was a great Sunday, for sure, Meg, and a great weekend, actually. We do have friends who like theater, but it's mainly that Walklover and I enjoy it so much. That was a fun matinee of "The Man Who Murdered Sherlock Holmes", even better than we had expected, and the reviews had been good for it.







Michael Aaron Lindner did an excellent job as Arthur Conan Doyle.

Oh yeah, trying to remember residential history would be challenging. I and we moved several times in Chicago, and I wouldn't want to try to go back further than that with the west and east coast ones.

>74 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Hope all is well at Scaife Manor.

Morning Joe! Nice and mild out here. No fuss outta me.

Really enjoying Girl Waits. I like stumbling upon a new exciting author.

>77 msf59: Glad to hear it, Mark. Morning!

That's a good 'un, Girl Waits. Not sure whether you know its background; I didn't. I'll keep quiet until you're done.

Stewart also did The Drunken Botanist, which I have had on my WL forever. I just did not realize she had wrote it.

>79 msf59: Ha! That's what we call range in her writing!

Joe I loved your review of Evicted. I asked the library to purchase a copy. I'll probably buy my own but they should have this book on the shelves. My thingaversary is next Monday. What to buy? So many choices!

>81 luvamystery65: Thanks, Roberta. Good for you! Darn tootin' your library should have a copy. Every library should, IMHO.

I love the Thingaversary tradition of buying books. You probably already have that new Patricia Briggs in your sights, but that one certainly would be a good treat. I forget how you are about the sci-fi side of life, but The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is very good. Knowing me, you probably are the one who recommended it to me. :-)

>82 jnwelch: I get to buy 10 later this month. I will continue the tradition as long as I can afford to do so.

>83 thornton37814: Ha! Yes, LT longevity does mean more books and more dollars, Lori. :-) 10 books sounds awfully good.

Morning, Joe! Love the Sean Bean meme!

Hi Joe - rain here. Any chance of some warming soup at the cafe?

I think my thingaversary is coming up too! How exciting...

>85 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Sean has it right, doesn't he. There are always tables, floors, chairs and so on, to hold the extra books.

>86 charl08: Hi, Charlotte. You bet - I'm feeling like a soupasaurus today myself. Here you go.



Enjoy that Thingaversary when it comes up!

That looks pretty darn good, and warming, too. We're a little chilly this morning, but the cherry blossoms are out at the U. of Washington in Seattle and I think I'm going to find a way over there to take some pictures! Seems like it should be on my Bucket List!

Have a great Tuesday, everyone.

>88 maggie1944: Doesn't that soup look good, Karen? Cherry blossoms - I'll bet that's beautiful. I hope you post a pic or two.

Hope you have a great day, too.

By Kode in Chile

Morning Joe! Today is a beauty. I even applied sunscreen. This pale sensitive skin needs it.

Hope you get out at lunchtime.

>91 msf59: Morning Mark!

It's a beauty today, all right. I've got you beat - I'm so darn fair-complexioned that our dr. has me wearing sun screen on my face all year. Same with my dad and sibs.

I'll be out at lunchtime for sure. I just have to make sure to find time to read some more of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, as lots is happening, and fast.

I am sure having fun with the last book in the Goddess War series. Ungodly. Like the Lunar Chronicles it is great fun to see how this author has twisted and turned the Greek myths on their head. Just plain fun to read.

Evicted sounds like an important book. I am presently (six months and counting) reading a New Yorker with many articles on the aftermath of Katrina in New ORleans, in one, it appears that a significant number of the families from the Ninth Ward that left N.O. for good are doing far better in their new homes and cities. The fresh start has been a game-changer. Not that anyone is recommending anything like that, but I think there is a correlation between what the swirl that can make it harder to get out of a slowly worsening, but oh so familiar, environment.

>52 jnwelch: no read hair for my Pippi costume :(
And my hair isn't long enough now to attempt a come back.

>76 jnwelch: lol!
And lol again as Wilbur just asked me why I laughed out loud, suggesting perhaps it was that I had read the word "boobsicles". Ah, no. I didn't just read that word.

>95 LovingLit: Has Wilbur just come up with that word? (The laughter is spreading).

Joe - before being distracted by charming Wilburism, I came to say that Evicted reviewed in UK paper - in case interesting -

"Compared with the hell that is housing for so many in America, we in Britain live in nirvana."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/mar/07/evicted-poverty-and-profit-in-the-a...

Thanks for the lovely soup. Just the right thing for grim weather.

Morning, Joe! I am the one who recommended The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet to you, so you are safe with your recommendation to Roberta.

That play looks like a lot of fun! Love the images you posted of it.

>93 benitastrnad: The Goddess War series sounds good, Benita! Glad you're having fun with it.

>94 sibylline: Hi, Lucy. Interesting about those post-Katrina developments. I bounced around the country looking for the right place to live when I was a young guy, and I can understand, to some extent, how those families ended up improving their lot. What a wallop to the city Katrina was.

Yes, Evicted is well worth your time. It's a remarkable piece of journalism that addresses critical issues.

>95 LovingLit: Ha! Well, Megan, you can tell Wilbur he cracked me up with "boobsicles". How do kids come up with these?

Too bad about the red hair, but I'm sure you carried off your Pippi via attitude - that was always her best feature, IMO, anyway.

>96 charl08: Wilbur got me with that one, too, Charlotte. :-)

Ah, Desmond makes a similar point about housing elsewhere in the world in Evicted. We're too easy on the upper echelon here, and too hard on the lower.

Interesting that the Guardian review author thinks, "America shows us where Britain is heading." There's so much to be learned from this book. As I mentioned in the review, Desmond also provides some useful proposals for addressing the problems. My dad was involved in trying to create scattered-site low income housing in my town when I was growing up, and it was so difficult to sell the concept - higher income people were fine with it until a site was designated in their area. Then there were all sorts of reasons why low income people should live somewhere (anywhere) else. Vouchers seem like a smart alternative.

You're welcome re the soup. That looked awfully tempting to me, too.

>97 Crazymamie: Jeez, you sure are pointing me in good directions these days, Mamie. I had an excellent ride in The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. I hope she brings back this cast in another book. Did you see she successfully used Kickstarter to get herself a couple of months to finish the book? That sure was money well spent. She's got a pretty decent hit on her hands, and I'll bet word keeps spreading.



The science seems well thought out in it, and I see that her parents were scientists. Here's a blurb from the Guardian: "A quietly profound, humane tour de force that tackles politics and gender issues with refreshing optimism."

Make sure to let me know what I should read down the line. I also just finished an Agatha, Dead Man's Mirror, and started All the Light We Cannot See and White Sky, Black Ice.

Not sure where this is; the artist appears to be Andrés A.

I am hoping she writes a sequel to it, too. I would love that. And it's a two way street with the recommendations - I feel like I still own you for pointing me towards the Vorkosigan series and for all the help with PKD.

>102 Crazymamie: Ha! That's a great two way street, Mamie. Let's keep it up!

>76 jnwelch: Could be my very own credo, Joe.

I am taking a fair bit of soup since I have cut out rice. Dear old Erni is doing a tremendous job coping with my new dietary requirements. Five Bean Soup is something I have added into my fortnightly menu (I give Erni 12 main dishes to prepare over the two weeks - actually 10 as I prepare the ones on Saturday and Sunday is off-day). A bit like this one:

>104 PaulCranswick: Ha! >104 PaulCranswick: does seem Cranswickian, Paul. We all enjoy trying to figure out where you put those book hauls of yours.

Jeez, cutting out rice in your part of the world must be close to the same as cutting out bread, which I'd find very hard. Good for you. Madame MBH has been working me hard in the healthy eating/smaller portions category. Five bean soup - nice. Soup is one of life's great inventions, isn't it?

>105 jnwelch: It isn't easy Joe for sure. I do think your dear MBH hits the nail on the head - smaller portions is the way.

>106 PaulCranswick: Right, and lots of exercise. In my mind, folks can throw out the fad diet books. Those two, smaller portions and exercise, are the way to go, and probably the only way to go for most folks, unless you're someone who has been genetically gifted with slimness.

Happy Hump Day, Joe! Love that street art. In shirtsleeves again today. Feels good, as long as I stay dry.

My GN, is Criminal Vol.1: Coward. I love this team. Probably the best GN crime pairing in the business.

>108 msf59: Happy Hump Day, Mark! I know, it was odd but good not to be wearing layers today. I had to wear a sportcoat because we're going to that Van Gogh event at the Art Institute tonight, but that was no big deal.

Glad you like that street art. That artist is one of my favorites. I hope to track down more when time permits.

I've got that Criminal Vol. 1: Coward on my WL. I agree, Brubaker and Sean Phillips are just a great GN team. I've liked every one of their crime teamups.

>108 msf59: & >109 jnwelch: I've got that Criminal series in my sights gentlemen. Love Brubaker and Phillips team. I also love Brubaker's Velvet series as you all well know.

>97 Crazymamie: & >100 jnwelch: I'll put Long Way to a Small Angry Planet on my Thingaversary wishlist friends. I thank you kindly.

>109 jnwelch: Excellent, Roberta. You'll have a good time with Small Angry Planet. Have gotten into the Fade Out series yet? Yet another excellent Brubaker/Phillips noir.

>111 jnwelch: I am halfway through Vol. 3 in the Fade Out series Joe. Love the Brubaker/Phillip's pairing.

>112 luvamystery65: Jeez Louise, as usual, Roberta, you and Mamie are way out ahead of me. :-)

>113 jnwelch: Joe since it is only a 3 volume series and they were readily available, I could not help but indulge myself.

>114 luvamystery65: I'll probably do the same. :-) Is the third the wrap-up then? Must be. Looking forward to it.

Wishing you a lovely day, Joe.

>100 jnwelch: & >102 Crazymamie: There is what's being described as a 'stand-alone sequel' to The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet which will be released in October. It's called A Closed and Common Orbit and features some of the characters from the first book but not all.

Also TLWtaSAP has just been longlisted for the Bailey's Woman's Prize for Fiction (formerly the Orange Prize) which I'm very happy about!

hullo, dahlink. stumbled upon this review of Transmetropolitan and though it's a comic and not a GN, thought i'd pass it on.

enjoy your slide down to Friday night from the top of the hump.

eta: what would you wear if you weren't wearing a sport coat and what do you wear on your legs, we wonders. i'm guessing cords on the bottom.

>101 jnwelch: I googled this image to see if I could out more about it. Ended up on a site that had this image along with others. Here's a mega mega:



The artist had one hell of a "canvas" to fill.

>116 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara. I hope you have a lovely day, too. I know you're busy where you are.

>117 souloftherose: Hi, Heather! Thank you - that's good news about A Closed and Common Orbit, and good news about the longlisting. She sure deserves both. Can't wait to find out which characters make it into the second one.

>118 mirrordrum: Hiya, Ellie. Thanks for the Transmetropolitan review; I will peruse it shortly. I have read a couple of volumes of that; not exactly my cuppa, but very well done snark and cynicism. I'm guessing it was partly inspired by Hunter Thompson, as its main character, last I knew, was a futuristic gonzo journalist.

We're going to be sliding into Friday in style, viewing the Van Gogh exhibit here at the Art Institute tonight, http://www.artic.edu/exhibition/van-goghs-bedrooms, and going to the Bulls-Heat game Friday.

I'd normally be wearing a hoodie in this kind of weather, if not the sport coat, fashion plate that I am. I've got olive jeans/not jeans on my legs - they feel like jeans, but look like something better.

Here you go, one with walklover and seasonsoflove, with me in my usual attire:

>119 weird_O: Wow, thanks for that one, Bill. That artist should get megabucks for that transformation. That was one dismal canvas. What a difference. Do you know where it's located by any chance?

>120 jnwelch: if you've read one, don't bother with the review. i might have known. thanks for the pic. :-)

>119 weird_O: how do people *see* like that. i wonder what that would be like. i expect i'd want to be able to turn it off, that kind of vision. actually, if i could have a vision, it would be Saul Leiter's. i've had glimpses but cld never make them work properly.

his vision is working itself wonderfully into some movies. i know it was used in the excellent Mildred Pierce, the TV movie and i'll bet my bottom dollar it was used in Carol, the movie, which i prefer to know in book form as The price of salt. 'scuse size of image. i had to go w/ a whopper original to get one w/out "Carol" lurking somewhere.

Thanks, Ellie. Here's one of his I've always liked that I'm pretty sure you posted somewhere way back when:



Another cool one:

>123 jnwelch: i did. iirc, i introduced you to his work way back when we were younger and i'd just discovered him. the bottom one is new to me. i do envy you your Van Goghing. enjoy!

>124 mirrordrum: "when we were younger" - I like that, Ellie. You did indeed introduce me to his work. We're still so darn young, aren't we?

Really looking forward to the Van Gogh exhibit. A friend told me that Van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime. How crazy is that? And I'll bet it was probably to his brother, Theo, who I believe kept Vincent afloat more than once. If only we could time jigger back to Vincent some of the vast sums now spent on his art.

ETA: Looks like I would've lost that bet. Apparently it was purchased by a Belgian artist and collector, Anna Boch. It was called Red Vineyard at Arles:



Story here: http://painting.about.com/od/paintingtrivia/f/van-gogh-first-painting-sold.htm

I will be keeping an eye out for a local production of "The Man Who Killed Sherlock Holmes." I'm rather excited that "Fun Home" is one of the plays being produced at the 5th Avenue Theater next year. It's enough, all by itself, to make me renew our season subscription. They're also doing "Man of LaMancha," which I think will be fun.

A Van Gogh exhibit would be wonderful. Enjoy.

Joe, Matthew Desmond will be speaking at Loyola's Corboy Law Center (25 E Pearson) next Tuesday afternoon, March 15:

http://www.semcoop.com/event/evicted-poverty-and-profit-american-city-loyola-uni...

Hope you enjoyed the Van Gogh.

Morning, Joe!

>119 weird_O: Wow....remarkable!

Morning, Joe! Happy Thursday!

I finished Ungodly by kendare Blake. You simply must read this series. This book is an anomaly. It is the best book in this series. Usually, by the time an author gets to book 3 in a series the plot lines are worn, the characters frayed, and the reader knows that the author is stre------tching things out just to get three books. That is not the case here. The author gets it right. There is plenty of action, romance, and plot twists that keep things going right to the end. The imagination and knowledge of the author is amazing. She is able to come up with modern twists on the old Greek myths that are amusing, interesting, and satisfying. There are so many literary puns in this series that, as well versed in Greek mythology as I am, I was entertained throughout the book. The ending did not disappoint and was a very good wrap-up with room left in the plot to provide for more novels should the author choose to write them.

I started Hounded by Kevin Hearne. Thanks to a book bullet from Mark. The first 20 pages are good.

>126 EBT1002: I hope a production of "The Man Who Killed Sherlock Holmes" does come out your way, Ellen. We had a really good time with it. The Arthur and George underpinnings were a nice surprise.

Your upcoming theater season sounds good indeed. I'll report back on Fun Home. What little we saw on the Tonys we liked, and it ended up winning Best Musical.

You would've loved the Van Gogh exhibit. Beautifully done, including a full-size mockup of their bedrooms at the Yellow House.

>127 kac522: Good info, thanks, Kathy! I wish it wasn't in the middle of the day, but "free" certainly is appealing. Hmm.

The Van Gogh exhibit was great. Highly recommended if you can make it.

>128 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

>129 laytonwoman3rd: Agreed, Linda. Dank into bright, visually appealing and interesting.

>130 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! Happy Thursday!

>131 benitastrnad: The Ungodly series sounds great, Benita. You're right, so unusual for the third in a trilogy to be the best. I think you'll enjoy the Kevin Hearne series, too.

The Van Gogh exhibition was fascinating. He believed the paintings of his bedroom at the Yellow House in Arles (Gauguin had the other bedroom) were his best. He did three, one that's at the Art Institute, one in Amsterdam, and one at the Musee D'Orsay. They're not identical. Unfortunately, online reproductions can't do the colors justice, but this will give you some idea.



Amsterdam, Chicago, Paris

The exhibit did a wonderful job of explaining the importance to him of the bedroom paintings, and the paintings' antecedents (he was greatly affected by the boldness of the Impressionists and others like Seurat when he came to Paris). It also explained some of the salient aspects of his life. As many know, the poor guy was plagued by mental illness. He had drawn when he was young, but didn't decide to become a painter until he was 27. He died at 37, with most of his famous paintings coming in the last two years of his life. He only sold one during his lifetime, to the sister of a friend, who was herself an artist and collector.

He loved to read. In one letter he said, "“be careful not to become narrow-minded, or afraid of reading what is well written, quite the contrary, such writings are a source of comfort in life.” The exhibit displayed some of the many books he read.



The books in this painting all came from the same French publisher, who "branded" its books by using the same size and colors for them. One of his favorite authors was Zola.

There was an impressive short documentary about how they physically analyzed his paintings and compared them, and then a visual comparison of their features side by side by side in a film that zoomed in and out. Really great.

His neighbors by the Yellow House petitioned to have the "red-haired madman" go somewhere else, and he checked himself into a mental asylum where brother Theo arranged for him to have a studio. He continued to paint, including an affecting one of the long asylum hallway.

>135 jnwelch: I didn't realize that there was a big Van Gogh show in Chicago. It is a shame it only runs through May as I doubt I will be able to make it for a visit. As an aside, have your read Dear Theo? It is a collection of the correspondence between Vincent and Theo. Worth the read if you like the artist.

Hi Joe, I can still vividly recall the vivid colours of the canvases in the Van Gogh museum when we visited there in Amsterdam a few years ago. The kids were grumbling about "another bloody museum" but he managed to quiet their throats awhile too.

Lovely to see Ellie here too. I have missed the sweet lady around the threads.

>136 Oberon: Thanks, Erik. I hope you can make it to the exhibit. Let us know and I bet we can get together some Chicago area LTers to meet you somewhere for a beverage or two.

They quote liberally from the Vincent-Theo letters in the exhibit and on the audio tour. I would be interested in reading them some day. Theo sure was supportive, and Vincent was often quite eloquent, wasn't he?

>137 PaulCranswick: Yes, Madame MBH and I were just talking about how we want to go back to Amsterdam, Paul. Like an idiot, as a young lad I didn't go to the Van Gogh museum when I was there. I did go to the Rikjsmuseum, which has some nice VGs, but what a dodo. I'll bet the colours were vivid; he talked in one of his letters about how paintings fade over time. He made his particularly bright with that in mind. The Art Institute was able to recreate what the pigments must've looked like when he painted the first bedroom painting - so striking. The blues were a bright violet originally, for example.

Makes me think of the cleanup of the Sistine Chapel - I saw the muddy before when I was young, and the bright after-cleanup a few years ago thanks to Madame MBH, who surprised me with the money she had managed to save for an anniversary trip.

>138 jnwelch: I get a lot of benefits from my relationship with Hani, buddy, but a source of unexpected savings she is not. Go Madame MBH!

>139 PaulCranswick: Ha! She is a wonder, that woman.

>138 jnwelch: I found it quite poignant that they are buried together. Theo could have walked away from his crazy brother and instead supported him all the way along.

>142 jnwelch: I didn't know they were buried together, Erik. That is poignant. Theo must have been incredibly patient, and from what I've seen, he truly admired Vincent's talent.

Sweet Thursday, Joe! The Van Gogh exhibit sounds great. I will have to make it down there. I have not been to the Art Institute in years. Bad Mark.

I plan on starting Super Mutant, later today.

Joe, What a fascinating Van Gogh exhibit. I didn't know he was an avid reader.

One of the best books I read last year was Johanna well-researched by author Claire Cooperstein.

The wife of Theo, Vincent's brother saved Vincent's paintings from destruction. You might want to find this book. It is one of the best I've written regarding the family dynamics. I'm sorry, I lent my copy, and it wasn't returned. If I still had it, I would gladly give it to you.

https://www.librarything.com/work/862604/reviews

And, those opening images are wonderful. I've added all four of her illustrated books to the tbr pile.

Thanks for the report of your gallery visit. I do like that I've got to peek into exhibitions in places I can't get to through LT. I didn't know VvG was a reader either. The painting of books is the kind of thing I could imagine having on the wall.

>143 msf59: Sweet Thursday, buddy!

Van Gogh exhibit twas great. Hope you get there. I know, the Art Institute is such a fine museum. As I start cutting back on work in coming years, Debbi and I plan to take even more advantage of it. That Renzo Piano modern wing is a complete success, as far as I'm concerned.

Yeah, Super Mutant! I don't exactly what I expected, but it was much funnier and wiser and unconventional than I was prepared for.

>144 Whisper1: I know, Linda, Van Gogh's avid reader-ness was one of the nice surprises for me, too. I assumed the books in that painting in >135 jnwelch: were just props, but no.

Thanks for the tip on Johanna. I'm adding it to the WL. Sounds like just the ticket. Nice review!

Oh, I'm glad you like those Johanna Wright illustrations up top. I'll look forward to seeing your reactions to the books when you get to them.

>145 charl08: I like to vicariously visit galleries with LTers, too, Charlotte. Glad that was a good one for you. I look forward to finding out more about what Van VvG liked to read. I'd love to have his painting of books on our wall, too. What an amazing talent he had. His brushstrokes almost lift off the painting, there's so much life in them.

All caught up with you, Joe! I've made it through 122 posts on your last thread and 147 here. Quite the workout ;-)

I'm glad you got things worked out for your dad. I'm not so glad you now have me craving donuts. A new place opened near my office - Top Pot, which originated in Seattle, I believe. They are very good. I especially liked the chai iced donut. Crazy good!

Hope you enjoy the upcoming weekend!

>135 jnwelch: Thanks for sharing your visit to the Van Gogh exhibition, Joe, I like many of his works.
If you ever want to visit the Van Gogh museum (or the Kröller-Müller museum, there are a lot of his paintings too), let me know, I will gladly join you :-)

Happy Friday, Joe. I love van Gogh's strong colourful paintings.

Morning, Joe! Happy Friday! The Van Gogh exhibit sounds wonderful - if we still lived in Indiana, I would be SO tempted.

>148 katiekrug: Good morning, Katie!

Glad you're all caught up. We do chat a lot in the cafe, don't we?

Now you've got me wanting to find the nearest Top Pot donuts. Seattle has a way of starting national crazes, doesn't it?



Hope you enjoy the weekend, too!

>149 FAMeulstee: Ah, excellent, Anita. We'll definitely let you know when we're in your part of the world. We'd love to have your company at the Van Gogh museum, and the Kröller-Müller museum, too. Thanks for the tip!

>150 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara. Strong and colourful is a good description of Van Gogh's paintings. Me, too, as you can tell. I just wish he'd had even a sliver of his present success during his lifetime. As Linda (Whisper1) pointed out, thank goodness his sister preserved so many of his paintings.

Happy Friday to you, too. You're really getting close to the weekend now. :-)

>151 DianaNL: Hey, Diana! Thanks - you, too! What a cutie.

>152 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie. Happy Friday!

Yeah, that's the advantage of living closer to Chicago. So much goes on here. I love exhibits like this at the Art Institute. They did a Yellow House exhibit a few years ago featuring Gauguin and Van Gogh, and it was really good, too.

White Sky, Black Ice by Stan Jones is a mystery set in a small rural town, Chukchi, in northwest Alaska. Getting around often involves using a "snowgo" (snowmobile to me) or light airplane. Alaskan state trooper Nathan Active is a native Inupiat whose young mother gave him up for adoption by white teachers. Now he's back in Chukchi by assignment. The opening of the nearby Gray Wolf mine has caused unemployment to drop, and over-drinking and domestic violence to diminish. Then two men turn up dead, apparently by self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Given the prevalence of suicide in the area and a local curse, their suicides are quickly accepted by everyone but Nathan. Some of the circumstances don't make sense to him, and as he presses the questioning, connections start being made. Meanwhile, he's an eligible bachelor whose status the town women seek to change. He finds himself attracted to one in particular, and fights to keep from being distracted from solving what puzzles him about the deaths.

This was a fun read set in a well-rendered and unusual location. Nathan is a straight-shooter well-equipped to handle larger forces at work. I've already picked up the second Nathan Active mystery. Many thanks to Mamie, who recommended this one a little while ago.

>139 PaulCranswick: It was a wonderful trip, Paul. I wish you couldf have seen his face when I surprised him with the money - all $100. bills.

>140 jnwelch: And a great trip was had by all!

>158 walklover: There's my Wonderwoman! This is another nice surprise, even without all the $100 bills tucked in a travel guide. :-)

It was a great trip, wasn't it? I want to go back to Italy. Maybe after Spain and Hay-on-Wye?

Morning, Joe! Happy Friday! Good review of White Sky. I read it a few years ago. I liked it too but never followed through with the other books. Series fiction has been difficult, especially since joining LT.

Very nice out here. The sunshine feels good.

>160 msf59: Morning, Mark!

Oh good, glad to hear you read White Sky, Black Ice. As you can tell, my affinity for series continues to thrive, even with all the other attractive morsels laid out on LT. I get a kick out of well done series, and I still get excited when I come across a new one like that. Roberta's gotten me hooked on the Mercy Thompson books, among others. I know you love that Kevin Hearne series, even with all the other temptations out there.

Good to hear re this sunshiny day. It was still nippy when I came in. It's supposed to warm up even more in the next few days. Yes!

Another fan here of >156 jnwelch:

NeuroTribes came in at the library after a longish wait, so I'm looking forward to getting to that. The three copies in my library system are certainly getting read.

>162 charl08: Oh, glad to hear it, Charlotte. I know when I see multiple LTers are fans of a book like White Sky, Black Ice, it encourages me to give it a try. Did you get to any of the others? I've got Shaman Pass lined up on my Kindle.

Can't wait to hear what you think of Neurotribes, and that's good news that it's popular in your library system. Seasonsoflove just lent me In a Different Key: The Story of Autism, which she thought was very good, so that's going to be my next one in this area.

I'll have you know Joe that I was the original book pusher of Iron Druid series. It makes me proud that you and Mark have continued on with one of my faves. ;-)

You got me with White Sky, Black Ice! It will be perfect for next month's GeoCAT challenge, Polar Regions and Bodies of Water.

I do love Judy's September Series and Sequels thread. It gives me the perfect excuse to keep going back to my series.

I think you got me with a book bullet with the White Sky, Black Ice title. I kept thinking I had a book by him, but it turned out I have another mystery series set in Alaska. John Straley and the title I have is Cold Storage, Alaska. I haven't read it yet, but it sounded good when I bought it and it is a one of a series.

Oh I wondered what was on tap at the Cafe and I don't mean beer like Mark would. I mean, what is on the menu? Not into doughnuts right now, still in my citrus " fit' aka lemonade and oranges, though I do love Reese's pieces lately! A sinful treat. I hope you are enjoying All the Light We Cannot See. That was a four star read for me - quite enjoyed it.

>165 luvamystery65: You were indeed the original book pusher for the Iron Druid series, Roberta! I remember it well. Good call!

You'll enjoy White Sky, Black Ice. Nathan Active is a fellow worth meeting and spending some quality time with.

ETA: BTW, as you'll see below, I'm reading some Patricia Briggs short stories, thanks to you.

I have to remember we get to Judy's Series and Sequels September. You know me; I tend to dive on a new one as soon as I can, but maybe I can save some for then.

>166 benitastrnad: Oh good, Benita. Stan Jones is new to me, but I'm glad Mamie gave me the push. I wanted to like the Kate Shugak series set in Alaska, but the first one just didn't grab me. I'll look forward to hearing what you think of Cold Storage.

>167 vancouverdeb: Thanks for the support on All the Light We Cannot See, Deb. I can use it. For some reason it's a slow starter for me, but I know so many folks have loved it, including my esteemed Madame MBH. I'm taking a side road right now with Shifting Shadows, a collection of short stories by Patricia Briggs from the world of Mercy Thompson. Another author I like that Roberta pushed me on.

Hmm, you're loving Reese's pieces, and you're wondering what we have available here. How about some handmade chocolates?

Chicago says we don't want any Heil Hitler Drumpfs around here. The rest of the country needs to tell Donald Drumpf the same thing. He's the opposite of what we want to be.

>169 jnwelch: Yes that hits the spot very nicely, Joe! Thanks for the handmade chocolates. I'll pretend one is chocolate truffle and another is a peanut butter cream center! Perfect! You know, looking back I think All The Light We Cannot See was a bit slow for me , though I very much enjoyed it. I maintain that The Nightingale was the better book regarding WW11 that I read last year. Dare I say I think it was a better , more believable story?

>171 vancouverdeb: Excellent, Deb. Glad the handmade chocolates worked.

I'm going to hang in there with All the Light, but thanks for the tip about The Nightingale. I've been wondering about that one.

>173 jnwelch: Aww! That's adorable.

>157 jnwelch: Joe, next week I head to a new dentist who discovered three mercury fillings that need to be removed, and then he is going to start with a root canal and crown. It will be at least $4,000 for all of the repairs. I sure do hope he uses the contraption in your image. Maybe, he can find one that spits out hundred dollar bills.

>174 kidzdoc: Isn't that beautiful, Darryl? I love that huge painting - it's by Seth, who has become one of my favorite street artists.

>175 Whisper1: Ha! Oh, my sympathy, Linda. Painful to the wallet as well as all the repair work. I just keep reminding myself we're lucky to have these folks who keep our teeth and gums from deep-sixing us. Our guys are really good people, and it's still so annoying to have to go there.

I thought we'd get more comments on >157 jnwelch:. It seems to sum up trips to the dentist so well.

Happy Saturday, Joe! Hope you enjoyed the day. We are heading out to a St. Patrick's Day party, that good friends are hosting. Yes, I'll probably have a beer or two. You know me.

Have a good evening, my friend.

>157 jnwelch: Oh that's a perfect image of the dentist, Joe! I think many of us are so afraid of the dentist we dare not comment. I've yet to have root canal etc, but I know that when one of my fillings needs replacing, it will have to be a root canal. I dread the thought. No offense to anyone who is a dentist, but I cannot imagine doing such dreadful work. I do understand that the " dentist is your friend " and all, but it is never fun at the dentist .

Yes, I agree with Deborah. Not a fan of the dentist.

Love that playground mural. And the kids look like they do too, which is even better.

>170 jnwelch: Glad to hear it! now let's hope the voters turn out to give the message!

>170 jnwelch: How right you are Joe! I watched him last night. He is on the news every time I turn on the tv. He now is drawing thugs to his rallies. He stands up front yelling "Get them out!!!" I can't help but think that is the same thing he will say to any foreign dignitary. Good God, what has this country come to?

On the positive side, I hope today is a day of reading and rest for you.

>158 walklover: I would certainly much like to see both your faces in the not too distant future. xx

Have a great weekend the both of you.

>177 msf59: Hiya, Mark!

It was a good Saturday; very low key, as Madame MBH has been a bit under the weather. I'll bet that was a good time at the St. Patty's Day party.

>178 vancouverdeb: Ha! Good point, Deb. I know, what a tough job to be a dentist. Ours are great, I'll say that. Madame MBH had understandable dentist-phobia from small town mishandling as a kid, and these folks were great with her, as she'd be the first to tell you. They've got good music playing, lots of high tech, senses of humor, everyone's friendly - and it's still a drag to have to go to the dentist. But if you don't go - you're asking for major trouble. Tough spot to be in if you're the dentist.

>179 charl08: I know, the joy of the kids is part of what I love about that photo in >173 jnwelch:, Charlotte. That's got to be satisfying for the artist, to fit into that joy so well.

If we have someone post about I they love to go to the dentist, I'm going to wonder about them. Maybe someone with a perfect set of teeth and gums you could make tires out of, where the hygienist does a couple of swipes with a feather duster and off you go with the dentist's blessing.

>180 dragonaria: So right, Kimberly. I'm thinking this is going to be a record voter turnout when the time comes later this year. It had better be, or we're going to be sunk.

>181 Whisper1: I know, Linda. Rachel Maddow did a great job of pulling together all the Drumpf (fka Trump) clips showing him egging his followers on to punch and hurt protesters. It's no surprise that it's all coming to a head now. He's a travesty, and a dangerous one. All the people who are frustrated and want to follow a "strong" leader are drawn to him, just like happened in the Hitler days.

We are reading and relaxing, thanks. This is poetry day for me, so I'm trying Chilean poet Marjorie Agosin. Walklover is thoroughly enjoying Pax, and I'm going to try to write a short review to get more people interested in that most excellent book.

>182 PaulCranswick: Hopefully, walklover will see that, Paul. We'd love it.

In Pax, 12 year old Peter's mother is deceased, and his father tells him he must part from his closest companion, his fox Pax. Peter will live with his grandfather while the father goes off to fight in the war. The parting from Pax, and their subsequent efforts to find each other, are the spine of the story. The war is happening all around them, and we see the harm it causes through the eyes of Pax.

Peter is determined to be a better man than his father, and comes upon a war veteran who has isolated herself n the woods, trying to forget her own memories from the war. The bond they form is moving and genuine, and she helps him in his quest to reunite with Pax.

This is beautifully written, with the POVs of the characters, including Pax, believable and page-turning. Pax, having been raised as a pet, has to learn how to survive in the woods, as does Peter in a different way. There are some nice illustrations by Jon Klassen, too. This one has the feel of a classic, and it's well worth entering its world. I'll be giving it as a gift all over the place.

>186 jnwelch: Oooh, I need to get to my copy soon!

Happy Sunday, Joe! It looks like we are going to help Bree move her things back home, later today. I would rather stay right here, with the books. It's a perfect day for it.

Hope Debbi is doing better. And Pax sounds really good. I do like Klassen.

>187 scaifea: Yes, jump it up to the top, Amber! Madame MBH is loving it. Really well done.

>188 msf59: Happy Sunday, Mark!

You're much nicer than I am, although I'm sure you'll love having Bree with you while she saves up for her own place. We told our kids, no coming back. Seasonsoflove does live nearby though, and that's perfect.

Debbi is doiing better, thanks. Sometimes cutting back on all the activity is just the ticket. Pax is a good 'un, for sure. Great Klassen cover, isn't it?

Hey, I am finally starting me first Danticut, The Dew Breaker. It is the one I had on shelf. Have you read this one?

I am enjoying Super Mutant. Unique approach. Could not have been easy.

>190 msf59: Hiya, Mark. Good for you. She's a mighty good writer, isn't she? The one I read was Claire of the Sea Light, which I thought was very good. I'll look forward to hearing what you think of this one.

Glad you're liking Super Mutant. That quality stays high throughout. Very clever.

>192 jnwelch: Empathise. Our last election was just awful - the drive to the bottom.

>194 charl08: That's what going on, Charlotte. I think (hope) it's the last gasp of older racists, at least on the presidential level. Minority populations are growing here, so that, if I remember correctly, in 2020 "whites" will be a minority. Meanwhile, there's a large group of millenials, larger than our large baby boomer population, coming into voting age. There's good reason to believe that group is mostly idealistic and liberal.

But we've got to keep Drumpf out of office and get the obstructionist Republicans out of Congress (lots and lots of those seats are up this year). Fingers crossed. If we get a large voter turnout, all should be well.

Morning, Joe! I like the election cartoon. How about that Trump, or is Drumpf?

Have not started the Danticut yet...at lunch.

>186 jnwelch: Oh! I had that in my hands at the bookstore because I loved the cover, but I put it back. Good to know that the story lives up to the cover!!

>193 jnwelch: LIKE!

Afternoon, Joe!

>197 msf59: Morning, Mark!

Drumpf is a dumbf... in my book, can you tell? Arggh, yeah, that cartoon sums it up.

Looking forward to your Danticat reactions.

>198 Crazymamie: Oh gosh, it is afternoon, Mamie! Yikes, I'm behind on this thing called real life. Oh well.

Pax does live up to that cover, and then some. Definitely one to get your hands on. Walklover just raced through it, falling asleep last night, and then reawakening to finish it. :-)

“He says he wants America to be great again. She says she wants America to be whole again. What I want is for America to be not insane again.”

Hi Joe! I know you've begun All the Light We Cannot See and I hope you can get into it. It grabbed me from the beginning and I gifted several copies at Christmas. (I had to stop reading The Nightingale; couldn't believe in the story.)

I don't know if it's the current political mess that's made me seek refuge in the past but I loved reading the Newbery Honor Book The War that Saved My Life about two children evacuated from London to Kent in 1939, told from the point of view of 10-year old Ada. A wonderful, layered story; I listened to the audiobook which was beautifully narrated by Jane Entwistle. My husband and I listened to and from a trip visiting our grandson and we both agreed it was a marvelous read.

>202 NarratorLady: Hi Anne!

Oh good, I appreciate the encouragement on All the Light. As I mentioned to Mark over on his thread, I am starting to get into the flow of it. Marie Laure's reading Jules Verne helped, as I did the same at her age. Having your strong endorsement will also propel me.

Thanks for the tip on The War That Saved My Life. I've seen nothing but positives about it, and will get on it asap. I wish audios were a bigger part of my repertoire, and I expect that they will be once I cut back on work a bit.

Yes Joe, work does get annoyingly in the way of reading time. Except my work, I suppose, which IS reading! But reading books I choose is my real luxury. I'm about to begin Paula McLain's book Circling the Sun about Beryl Markham. Looking forward to that one.

I listened to Trump the other night...forced myself, actually, since I've been reading his quotes instead of actually looking at him. People had better pay very close attention. Since he can't seem to stop talking and feeding the beast that is his ego, we may have to rely on more people becoming disenchanted over the next few months.

It was only four years ago, after Mitt's surprising loss, that the GOP realized they had to work on the Hispanic vote to win in 2016. What happened to that? Hoping that it still holds true.....

Hey, Joe. It is National Pi Day (3.14). What pies have you on the sweets trolley?

>204 NarratorLady: Hmm. You've got the right idea re working, Anne. I wonder where we might land jobs reading books we choose? Maybe there's a rich eccentric out there who likes to talk about books?

I can't listen to that Drumpf guy; I start getting too steamed up. SNL did a skit where Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick decide to pull a Springtime with Hitler with Trump, figuring they'll get their hands on all sorts of campaign money while his campaign inevitably will flop. Except every outrageous thing they have him say just makes him more popular. Which seems to have happened - is our country going insane?

Trump, of course, has alienated Latino and Hispanic voters, with his racist comments and Wall talk. Just the opposite of what the Republicans supposedly were after. They're a mess. My parents were moderate Republicans who were always willing to vote for good Democratic candidates (e.g. Obama). But even before my mother died they stopped recognizing their own party, feeling it had been hijacked by the right.

>205 weird_O: Hey, Bill. I've been seeing weirdo Pi pies hither and yon on LT, so we're going to try a little something different from the sweets trolley - pi muffins.

Hi Joe, well, my wishlist has grown quite a bit just keeping up on your thread! Definitely want to read Pax and since I also loved Claire of the Sea Light, I also want to read The Dew Breaker which I believe Mark is reading. I might get that one on audio since that's how I read Claire of the Sea Light and it was just amazing!

>207 Dianekeenoy: Nice to have fellow Claire of the Sea Light fan, Diane. That's another book I've been giving as a gift. Yes, treat yourself to reading Pax; it's a special one. I'm curious about Dew Breaker, too - I do want to read some more Danticat.

Loving the Pi Muffins, Joe! My heart goes out to you with the Drumpf! What a nut! Our old PM Harper was no where near as crazy as Trump, but I loathed him more and more with each passing year. And we had him in power for 10 or so years. I am so glad to have the Liberal Party with Justin Trudeau as our PM. What a relief. You guys are making me nervous with Trump, I'll tell you that.

>209 vancouverdeb: Good morning, Deb! Glad you like them Pi Muffins. :-)

Oh my gosh, I can't imagine having someone approaching the loathsomeness of Drumpf being in power for 10 years or so, Deb. The U.S. is gaga over Justin Trudeau, as you probably noticed. What a breath of fresh air.

Drumpf is making us all nervous. "We" (the non-Trumpers) had no idea there are so many people in this country who share his views. "He speaks for us", "he says what we're thinking". Really? Because then you should be ashamed of yourselves. It has been a real eye-opener. I think the number of people in this country who are not insane far out-number those who are, but we've got to get them out to vote!

Morning, Joe!

Morning, Mamie!

Ooh, a Drumpf rant! I love it!

Morning, Joe! Hoping I beat the rain and the wind.

Really enjoyed Never Cry Wolf and love those shorties.

>214 msf59: Ha! I just can't resist ranting when it comes to Drumpf! How can we possibly have that many Drumpf supporters in this country?

Good morning, Mark! Glad you beat those two. Great to hear re Never Cry Wolf. I should re-read it - it was a favorite of mine when I was a young guy.

I'm now caught up in the stories in All the Light We Cannot See, and enjoying the bizarre Mr. D's work in The Divine Invasion. I finished The Fade Out trilogy, and that sure was a good noir, wasn't it? I've got Low Moon up next.

By Tokidoki (Nomad) in Miami Beach, Florida.

>216 jnwelch: Love it!

>216 jnwelch: Hi, Charlotte! :-)

>206 jnwelch: Well, they are round, Joe, and they've got the proper labeling. But but but...eating cupcakes for Pi Day doesn't have the same...Je ne sais quoi. It's pie for Pi Day.

>219 weird_O: Understood, Bill. There was just so much weirdo pie all over the 75er group that I thought we'd supply a small change of pace. Here's some day-later pi pie.

You should see my campaign against the Drumpf on facebook Joe! It ain't pretty I can tell you that! :) I do understand that he does not speak for most Americans. It does startle me that some Americans do support the dufus, apparently quite a few. What I am reading is that the establishment of the GOP is getting nervous about the Trump. That is good news. It is worrisome though. We'll be needing to build a big , big wall at the border if the Drumpf gets into power. oh the horror of that thought.

I am very pleased with Trudeau.

Do try out The House at the Edge of the World and I'm off with a piece of the Pi!

Tonight my cousins and I will have our "Decanting" of the sauerkraut that we made at Christmas time. We didn't make enough and we will have to divide it among lots of cousins. My cousin, who hosts the sauerkraut making party, and I are going to have to break down and purchase a bigger crock. Ten gallons of kraut isn't enough for all of our families!

We laughingly called it a "decanting" party because, like fine wine, really good sauerkraut deserves to be treated with great ceremony. Our family really likes sauerkraut.

>211 jnwelch: yes! Do! Otherwise, everyone else will, and you might not like who they are voting for :)
Even I can think of *one* person who some might vote for that I wouldn't be happy with, and that's from the relative safety of a little country in the Pacific!

Re: the Drumph....funnily enough, we have a politician here who is also not using her original family name. But, she has chosen her ethnic name in preference to her family/married one, as (I think that she thinks) it gives her more credibility. Her name is Hekia Parata, but apparently her 'real' name is Lady Patricia Gardiner. Anyway, she's pretty far right, and has lately been on a closing schools bender.

>222 benitastrnad: ah the joys of homemade sauerkraut. My aunt was Queen of 'Kraut making. As a youngster I used to grab a pint jar of her sauerkraut and fork when I got home from school. And yes I usually ate the whole thing in one leisurely sitting while watching after-school programs. I really should get her to teach me how to make it while there's time.

Morning, Joe!

>221 vancouverdeb: Yes, we'll have to connect on FB. The more anti-Drumpf the better! As I understand it, the Republicans hope that they go into the convention with no one having enough delegates for the Presidential nomination, and then they can work to have it be someone else. IMO, Cruz would be a disaster, too, as a potential President, and Rubio just withdrew. That leaves Kasich, who is the most moderate of the bunch and a decent human being.

Thanks for the tip on The House at the Edge of the World, and enjoy that pie.

>222 benitastrnad: Ha! I can tell your family really likes sauerkraut, Benita. Have fun with the decanting. It's not in my personal repertoire, but we do have some here in the kitchen.

>223 LovingLit: Yes, it was Super Tuesday here, Megan, for the primaries and other local offices, and it was a good voter turnout.

Quite a different name for your local politician. The world has changed, where she thinks Hekia Parata is more politically expedient than the name Lady Patricia Gardiner. And that she joins that with far right political views.

>224 dragonaria: For some reason I never succumbed to the charms of sauerkraut, Kimberly. That does sound like a fond memory. For some reason my after school go-to was applesauce, and now Madame MBH and I make some mighty good applesauce.

>225 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

I'm feeling a bit under the weather (woke up after midnight with an upset stomach), so I'm heading back home soon. Enjoy the cafe; I may be conked out today.

Morning, Joe! Sorry to hear that you are feeling under the weather. Hope that you are feeling much better very soon.

Morning, Joe! Happy Hump Day! I am enjoying a day off. Yah! Very blustery out there. Glad I am sitting tight.

I should finish Dew Breaker today or come pretty close and I hope to make a big dent in Super Mutant.

Have you read the Fiona Griffith's series. I am currently enjoying Talking to the Dead, that kicks off the crime series. Mary warbled about it.

Sorry, Joe! I did not notice you were not feeling well. Bummer, dude. I hope for a quick recovery.

This whole political fray gives me the hives, so it's good to see some intelligent discussion here, as well as some optimism that we're really not going to end up with that bully in the White House. I heard a bit of Kasich's speech last night after he won the Ohio primary---he does sound like a decent guy and I guess I could live with most of his policies; I was especially comforted to hear him say he would not take the low road to the highest office in the land. Somebody needs to change the tone of this discourse.

I hope you feel better soon, Joe!

>232 laytonwoman3rd: - Amen about changing the tone. It's disgraceful. Kasich's ok. A little socially conservative for my taste, but I'll take that over an idealogue (Cruz) or a demagogue (Drumpf) any day.

Joe, I hope you get to feeling better soon!

Joe get better soon.

ETA: A Manual for Cleaning Women Group Read

Feel better Joe. Sorry to hear you're under the weather.
Some tea? Tea is good for most things (or maybe that's just for the British).

Hi Joe, sorry to read that you are not feeling too well. Maybe an overdose of Drumpf! I am just about to start The Fade Out graphics and I am looking forward to these!

Hi Joe. Sorry you are under the weather. :-(

I love that you posted some photos from the Van Gogh exhibit. You're right, I would have loved it. Right up my alley. Maybe it's traveling and will make it to the Seattle Art Museum?

Ro set up a thread for a shared read of A Manual for Cleaning Women and I hope you'll join us. The link is on my thread.

Oh, dang, Joe. I hope you're already feeling much better!

Morning, Joe! Sweet Thursday! I hope you woke up, feeling much better today, my friend. Fingers crossed.

Morning, Joe! Hope you're feeling better today.

Thanks for the good wishes, everyone. I am feeling better, although even slower than usual. I'll try to catch up as the day goes on.

Thanks for posting the Van Goghs, Joe. I'm a fan! There is a billboard reproduction of his Sunflowers just off I-70 in Goodland, Kansas. It lets me know that I am 2/3 of the way to Denver when I'm driving here from Missouri!

Sorry about the upset stomach. Maybe it was from the sauerbraten pic?

>243 Donna828: I think you've got it, Donna. It must have been the sauerbraten. :-) I'd have been better off having some of Benita's.

Glad you're a Van Gogh fan. The Sunflowers no doubt make for a perfect milestone for your trip. Some day, some day, we'll come to Denver for one of these.

>241 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie! I am better, and starting to feel like my old young self again.

>240 msf59: Sweet Thursday, Mark! I'm feeling improved, thanks. Plus we've got the tax forms largely out of the way for last year, so we're feeling ahead of the game. Hope all is well in Markland.

>239 scaifea: Ha! Thanks, Amber. I am feeling better. Who knows what bug grabbed me, but it seems willing to let go now.

>238 EBT1002: Hiya, Ellen. On the upcurve now, thank goodness, from feeling lousy.

I don't know what the plans are for this exhibit. This is the first time the three bedroom paintings have been together. I could see it going to the homes of the other two, in Amsterdam and Paris, but I haven't seen anything about that or somewhere like Seattle. It would be interesting to get in on some of the inter-museum horse-trading (that is, art-trading) that goes on.

I'll definitely join you and Ro for A Manual for Cleaning Women. I don't think I have that link yet, so I'll get it from your thread.

>237 DeltaQueen50: Ha! You may be right, Judy. Donna and I thought it might have been the saurbraten that got me, but it maybe it was just too much Drumpf. I'm sure Hillary and Bernie are already getting ready for his insult tactics, just in case. He certainly is stomach-turning, so that's more support for your theory.

I think you'll enjoy the gritty Fade Out series. Strong stuff, very well done.

>236 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. Appreciate the tea. Our family certainly is one that thinks tea can be good for what ails ya. Madame MBH made me peppermint tea to help settle my stomach.

>235 luvamystery65: Thanks, Ro - and thanks for the link for the Manual for Cleaning Women mini-group read. I'll star it. I'm glad we're doing this. Sometimes a little extra push helps.

Group Read link for A Manual for Cleaning Women.
Not that I want to discourage visiting my thread. :-)

>248 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen. I'm signed in and ready to go!

Please come on over to the new cafe.