Joe's Book Cafe 2016 Door 13

Art by Françoise Collandre

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
27. Divine Invasion by Philip K. Dick
28. Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
29. Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs
30. Fair Game by Patricia Briggs
31. Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs
32. Venetia by Georgette Heyer
33. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
34. Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer

April

35. Off the Grid by C.J. Box
36. Lighthead by Terrence Hayes
37. At The Threshold of Memory by Marjorie Agosin
38. A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin
39. Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs
40. The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
41. Life on Mars by Tracy K. Smith
42. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Inga Moore (re-read)
43. The Transmigration of Timothy Archer by Philip K. Dick
44. In a Different Key: The Story of Autism by John Donvan
45. Brotherhood in Death by J.D. Robb
46. The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan
47. Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer
48. The Bangkok Asset by John Burdett
49. The Swallows by Adriana Ramirez
50. The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson
51. The Siege of Krishnapur by J.G. Farrell
52. The Island of Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

May

53. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
54. Shaman Pass by Stan Jones
55. Poems from the Typewriter Series by Tyler Knott Gregson
56. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
57. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
58. Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie
59. Without: Poems by Donald Hall
60. Dancing at the Rascal Fair by Ivan Doig
61. A Whole Life by Robert Seethaler
62. Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan
63. Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit
64. Zero World by Jason M. Hough
65. The Dream of a Common Language by Adrienne Rich
66. The Highwayman by Craig Johnson
67. Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorenson

June

68. The Royal Wulff Murders by Keith McCafferty
69. Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
70. Uprooted by Naomi Novik
71. Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
72. Dodgers by Bill Beverly
73. Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye

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
13. The Fade Out Volume 3 by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
14. Fatale by Ed Brubaker
15. Demo by Brian Wood
16. Alex + Ada by Jonathan Luna
17. Step Aside, Pops by Kate Beaton
18. The Property by Rutu Modan
19. Descender by Jeff Lemire
20. Ms. Marvel Vol. 4 by G. Willow Wilson
21. The Sleeper Omnibus by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
22. Lucifer Volume 2 by Mike Carey
23. Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan
24. The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks
25. Ruins by Peter Kuper
26. Harrow County by Cullen Bunn
27. The Story of Mu by James Cordova
28. Torpedo Volume 1 by Enrique Sanchez Abuli
29. Lucifer Book Three by Mike Carey
30. Pocket Full of Rain by Jason
31. Batgirl by Gail Simone
32. Descender Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan
34. Deadly Class by Rick Remender
35. How to Fall Forever (Black Science) by Rick Remender
36. Hawkeye Volume 3 and Hawkeye Volume 4 by Matt Fraction

OK, the exchange with Paul about writing made me think of this Joe poem. It got published way back in the last century.

The Art of Writing

I want each bead to stand separately on the dark table top and glint each with a slightly different light and color. I want the table then to scoop itself concave and the beads to roll, not run, together and merge. I would say mercury but it is heavy and uniform and that is exactly not the point. I am writing too fast. There is a single bead (I am writing very slowly now) that is shouting and shouting. I will place the shout (that is, the threat) to one side, and examine the bead's texture.

It is tough; it bounces back. This is wonderful. It is there, among others, and I might say it dares me to continue, to graze its surface and move on, a shuffling anteater of a finger, in search of a texture that is smooth, well-rounded and crisp inside - yet not entirely satisfying. What do I want? A bead with authority, that would not budge at all?

That seems to reduce my responsibility and I am not writing slowly anymore. There's a girl's ass, a nice one, bending a little, giving and taking, elbows propped on the table, giving and taking as she listens to her friend's words, each word. And that must be the point. Whatever answer there is is there beside you. Can you shrug that off? Here, try this:

A crow above a leafless maple, suspended above the leafless black trees, hovering impossibly against the gray sky, absolutely still, like motion is some forced ignorance, a flight from contemplation. We move past in the car: it must have landed on a thin tree limb, too thin to be seen - but who cares? Pay attention to the first; it has authority, it won't budge - perhaps it is a threat.

New thread! Nice toppers, Joe. :-)

I finally finished my Star Trek book and will be posting my review later, but Smoke: A Novel now has my full attention.

>4 brodiew2: Whoa, you galloped over here quickly, Brodie. I was just talking to your doppelganger over in the old cafe.

Thanks - glad you like the toppers. Her colors seem so cheery to me.

I'll look forward to your Star Trek book review, and your adventures with Smoke: A Novel. I'm in the middle of Uprooted and liking it. I may be able to start Dodgers, too, now that I'm slowing down on the meds.

hullo, Joe. i love the new poem piece and will need to spend some time with it when the mind is more attuned. it speaks to me particularly b/c beads speak to me. also rocks. well, everything really but beads and rocks are special.

love the thread toppers. congraters on doing all this in your state.

no you're not complaining too much. actually, you're not complaining at all. you're articulating your experience. big difference. trust me. i know these things.

i empathize fully with your tooth experience. i have a lot of those due to autoimmune nonsense and asstd drugs. JB sends empathy. she had a similar experience. it was not fun.

i think you and Mme MBH are both very fortunate. i expect you're not above cossetting her as appropriate. 25 hrs labor? egad!

must stop babbling on. bye for now. :-)

>6 mirrordrum: Hullo, Ellie. Oh good, I'm glad that new poem works for you. Beads and rocks speak to me, too, although sometimes so quietly I have to stop and listen carefully. :-)

You know, I'm pretty much always in a goofball state, so meds just add to that. Mainly, I find it hard to follow complicated prose when Vicodin's in the picture. Saying stupid or oddball things remains pretty easy. Although Madame MBH and seasonsoflove love to tell the story of when I was on Vicodin and hosting a yard sale with them and someone needed me to make change from a twenty and I . . . just . . . could . . . not get the numbers to come together in my mind. I had to fork over the task to Madame MBH.

Glad to hear I'm not complaining, just articulating. I do trust you, so I'll use that going forward.

Please thank JB for me. Empathy feels particularly good right now. Yeah, you've had an epic battle going on for quite a while, I know, and I admire your modesty and matter-of-factness about it.

Mme MBH and I do feel fortunate. I actually try not to disrupt her busy life too much, but she was a sweetheart last night as I paced and ice-packed and tried not to think about that wince-ish ache.

I know, 25 hours labor. Poor Becca has heard that story enough that it's a family joke to just start mentioning it, to set her off.

Bye for now. I'm expecting to continue babbling, so you'll have a kindred spirit whenever you make it back to the cafe.

Happy new one, Joe!

Happy New Thread, Joe! Love the colorful toppers.

Shaping up to be a nice day out here.

>8 scaifea: Thanks, Amber!

>9 msf59: Thanks, Mark! Glad you're enjoying those colorful toppers.

I'm about to head out into that nice day to run some errands.

Happy new thread, Joe! Sorry for the tooth woes... I had to have a double root canal once, and um, yeah, not fun.

Another recent toothache sufferer wishes you a Happy New Thread.

>3 jnwelch: Reminded me (contextually not stylistically) of an anthology of Ted Hughes' Crow. Thought provoking, buddy.

>11 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!

Omigosh. Double root canal does not sound like Doublemint double the fun. You must have nerves of steel. Or a lot of tequila before you visit the dentist.

>12 PaulCranswick: I started to think we could start a Toothache Sufferer Club, Paul, but . . . no. Let's not. Kind of like starting an Ain't Mondays Grand Club. Let's stick with the Not Quite My Thing Book Club.

Oh, I loved Ted Hughes' Crow. That's a nice thought, thanks. (Makes me want to re-read Crow, too). I'm glad that one was worthwhile for you.

*Puff puff puff* doing my best to keep up with you, Joe! Happy New Thread!

>13 jnwelch: - Wish I'd thought of the tequila... I basically had ignored a bad tooth for too long and it kind of disintegrated on me (right before I was leaving for Egypt :-/). End result after much drama was a double root canal and 3 crowns. And a big bill.

>3 jnwelch: i have no idea how one is supposed to address poetry--i have no education when it comes to writing or literature. still, i wanted to say two things off the top and hope it's okay. first, i find this an amazingly sensual as well as sensory piece. second, it keeps improving as i read it. oh, and something about it speaks to me of Harukami. ????

eta >12 PaulCranswick: oh my goodness yes, Paul.

>14 Smiler69: Ha! Nicely done, Ilana - glad you made it. Thanks!

You deserve some kind of crazy, fruit-filled summer drink for the effort:



>15 katiekrug: Yeah, I think they serve up the pain to distract us from the big bill, Katie. It's hard to argue while wincing.

That sounds particularly lousy. I hope the trip to Egypt made up for it some.

>16 mirrordrum: In my mind, you're supposed to address poetry the way you do, and the way we do for our other reading, Ellie. I was thinking about it, and for me the main difference in writing it is it stands more "naked" for scrutiny. You can have a mundane connecting sentence for prose, and maybe several, and still have the piece/story/book be excellent, but with the poetry there better not be any weak serves. The (usual) relative brevity allows for a magnifying glass review by the reader. Boy, those metaphors are getting mixed like veggies in a food processor, aren't they?

I'm glad you found this one sensual as well as sensory. Both are meant to be in there, that's for sure. That's a good sign if it improves as you read it more. There's also some of that Buddhism stuff in there. Maybe that conveys some of the Murakami flavor? If the narrator started talking to a cat, we'd definitely have us some Murakami.

That Prince of Peacocks is a smart cookie, isn't he?

Ah Joe, so sorry to hear of your dental problems. No fun and sometimes even the best book can't take your mind off it.

Finished Jane Steele last weekend and recommended it to my darling daughter. I am reluctant with book recommendations for her but it seems this was a hit! I'm sure you'll enjoy it when you get to it. It was quite the weekend, my other DD also loved the book I recommended. All the Light We Cannot See was a bit of a slam dunk as she likes most books I recommend. Really. Who wouldn't like that one? (well, I'm sure there are a few.)

Ellie, it's great to see/hear from you. I tried Plainsong years ago and can't think why I put it down. Guess I'll have to take it up again!

Another sympathizer for your tooth woes, Joe. Hope it gets better soonest. I've had one root canal, many years ago. The aftermath of the surgery removing my wisdom teeth was worse. That, I still remember.

Happy new thread, Joe.

Morning, Joe!

Morning, Joe! Happy new one. Love the newest poem you've posted.

Hi Joe, I lost track for two days and find oodles of posts to catch up with. Happy new one. I fancy some grits as I have been reading about them. I am not sure exactly what they are...

I (finally) finished Evicted. Cheers to you and Mark for nudging and encouraging me to read this. The domestic violence reporting catch 22 particularly struck me.

Lots to think about and then I will try and write something about it on my thread.

>18 NarratorLady: Hi, Anne. Good to hear re Jane Steele. That's up soonest for me, after my current ones.

The tooth situation has calmed down a lot today, I'm pleased to say. Thanks for the support.

I'm glad you have a high success ratio in recommending books to your daughter. That likely means you've actually paid close attention to what she likes, which not all parents do. Yes, All the Light We Cannot See is one of those with broad appeal.

Plainsong - I would've guessed you'd already read it and were in the fan club. I can't imagine you're not liking it.

>19 ronincats: Thanks, Roni. The aftermath of this root canal is the one I'll remember. Woo, that was challenging. But today is way better. I was a little worried yesterday.

Hope all is well in your lovely part of the world.

>20 DianaNL: Thanks, Diana. Nice to have you stop by.

>21 scaifea: Morning, Amber! I'll be over soon.

>22 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie!

Oh, thanks. Great to hear you loved the new poem. I still worry about bringing them out (what if you think they're lousy? In the room women come and go, talking of Michelangelo). But you and others are encouraging.

>23 charl08: Hi, Charlotte. Oh, our daughter loves grits. Yes, very American dish. We'll bring some out. Cheese grits with shrimp are to die for.

Yay for Evicted! So glad it hit home (didn't mean to pun) with you. I know it's a project, but what an amazing book. It's likely to be my best of the year. Yeah, the domestic violence Catch 22, and the penalties for having children were two that stood out for me.

Here you go:

Happy new thread, Joe, I love the bright colored thread toppers :-)
Sorry for your tooth problems, had a root canal done once and it went all wrong, at the end they removed the tooth while I was under anesthetics...

>27 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. Glad you love the bright colored toppers. She's got a vibrant palette, doesn't she?

Yikes, I'm sorry your root canal went all wrong. I still may end up having this tooth removed, although today keeping it is looking more promising. I went most of my life with zero problems; as a co-worker said, when we start getting older, things start breaking down. Oh well.

Even during the worst of it, I remind myself how lucky we are to have professionals who can address these problems. How many people died back in the 19th century from problems relating to the mouth and teeth? I'll bet a lot. I don't know whether it's a problem today in countries with scarcer resources, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Happy new thread, Joe. I have't even caught up with your old ones yet. Good to hear that your tooth woes are mending. One of the many things I remember from my medical history course was that teeth used to be one of the most frequent reasons for death - hurrah for modern dentistry!

>29 jnwelch: - That may be my favorite of all the street art you've posted this year!

>30 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg.

One of the many things I remember from my medical history course was that teeth used to be one of the most frequent reasons for death - hurrah for modern dentistry! That makes sense to me. There are so many ways teeth can go wrong.

Because I've got replacement hips, I have to take antibiotics whenever I go to the dentist - they worry about infections traveling to the replacement site just from my gums being poked and prodded. There's controversy about whether that's really needed. It appears to be overly cautious.

>31 katiekrug: Oh good, Katie! That one's a charmer, isn't it?

Charlotte got me thinking about cheese grits with shrimp. So good!

Morning Joe! Looks like a perfect day to be off. I am getting ready to go on a bike ride.

I loved Paper Girls 1. Vaughan has done it again. He is a machine.

On the poetry front, I started Words Under the Words. I think I will like this collection.

ETA: Ooh, the shrimp & grits looks tasty!

>35 msf59: Morning Mark!

Oh, you lucky guy. I agree, perfect day to be off, perfect day for a bike ride.

I'll be enjoying the balminess of it at lunchtime.

Wasn't Paper Girls good? Can't wait for the next one.

Words Under the Words - nice. Selected poems - I'm adding this one to the WL.

I had shrimp and cheese grits for the first time at someone's birthday party a few years ago; they just knocked me over. I went back for seconds and thirds and . . .

>29 jnwelch:, >31 katiekrug: Yep. Me, too! I love that one, Joe.

>34 jnwelch: Yes, please!

Happy new thread, Joe! I like the paintings up top, and I would like to place an order for cheese grits with shrimp, if you please.

Good morning, Joe!

> 26 > 34 GRITS! I grew up in Mississippi and Louisiana so I know this well. It has been so long since I had them. It's time. Malt-o-meal is once thing, but Grits are something else altogether.

>28 jnwelch: Fantastic piece of work. I love the colors and the idea of reaching for as well as creating possibilities.

>34 jnwelch: YUM!

>38 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl. Glad you like the Collandre paintings.

Ha! What a dish. I may have to go back for more cheese grits and shrimp myself.



>39 brodiew2: You and our daughter, Brodie - and she grew up in Chicago. She's always loved grits.

Isn't that one in >28 jnwelch: inspired - and inspiring? The depiction of the water, especially at the bottom, is so good, too.

>40 thornton37814: I know, right, Lori?

ETA: >37 Crazymamie: Isn't that a good one, Mamie? This may be our most popular dish yet.

>28 jnwelch: "Even during the worst of it, I remind myself how lucky we are to have professionals who can address these problems." there ya go. JB and i were talking yesterday about how our "theme" through the last 4 years of frequent unwanted experience has been our vast good fortune and it's become a commitment to a joint world view. maybe as close as we come to religion. every day i say to myself "i could be feeling like this and be in Syria/homeless/poor whatever." it's a really good way to live, dontcha think?

>29 jnwelch: close to my favorite as well.

taking a break from this novel entitled Plainsong. just picked it up on a whim, you know, and it's really not bad. felt that i was neglecting The little drummer girl so am spending some time with it.

anybody else ever feel as though the books not being read do actually feel neglected sort of or am i the only nut in the mix?

so glad you're doing a bit better, Joe. sic transit ouchiness dente.

"anybody else ever feel as though the books not being read do actually feel neglected sort of or am i the only nut in the mix?"

^^YOU ARE NOT ALONE, Ellie! Relax!!

>42 mirrordrum: Yes, exactly, Ellie. We're lucky. I'm all in favor of grumpiness (it's an art form, really), but we (I!) need to remember how lucky we are.

>29 jnwelch: is a beaut, isn't it.

What a most excellent whim wafted you to Plainsong; I happen to think highly of that book (can't believe I haven't mentioned that before now). But a side trip for LeCarre is quite understandable.

Like Mark in >43 msf59:, I'm familiar with that feeling that books not being read actually feel neglected. I also feel as though books on my tbr get very impatient after I indicate I plan to read them, but then take forever to actually get them off the shelf and start.

Sic transit ouchiness dente makes more sense than sic transit gloria dente, I guess. As George Harrison would say, All Things Must Pass. Can't wait!

>43 msf59: Good support in a trying time for our Ellie, Mark. :-)

>42 mirrordrum: I'd venture we all nuts. However, you are not alone, Ellie. In college, I recall writing a piece for my creative writing classic purely from the perspective of the TBR sitting on the shelf. I picked three of them. As I recall P.G. Wodehouse's The Gold Bat and other stories was among them. I finally took it off the shelf but it did not engage me as some his later writing did.

Morning, Joe! I'm *so* glad that your tooth is behaving more properly now!
And I agree with the current conversation here - I get grumpy, too, but it's helpful to remember how many things we have for which to be grateful. Tons and tons.

I'm checking in as another of us who, when tempted to bitch, and moan, and whine, and generally want everyone know how much I suffer, thinks: OMG, what if you were living in 1916? or 1816? What then with bad teeth, or RA, or problems with kidneys. Dead, that's what I'd be. Dead. At a young age, I suspect. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying being 70+ with all these small annoyances being just part of the mix.

Happy weekend approaches!

Happy new thread Joe! Sorry to hear about all the tooth drama, you poor dear.

I'm proud to say that I never get grumpy. Don't believe me? Just ask my wife...ah, my kids...ah, my (former) co-workers...Shoot, just take my word for it. Okay!?!!

Thanks, everyone. The proprietor will be in late today(not the tooth!). I'll catch up in about two hours or so.

I'm thinking about Infinite Jest, which I've never read. I wonder whether there'd be enough interest for a group read late in the year, or maybe early next year?

>50 jnwelch: That one surely lends itself to a Group Read as it may get the laggards like me to go and look it up.
Good luck with the teeth, buddy.

Good morning, Joe! Got nothing else at the moment...oh yeah, Mariners win!

Morning Joe! Sweet Thursday! I would definitely be up for a G.R. of I.J.

>44 jnwelch: i get cranky rather than grumpy but respect either. groaning, particularly family groaning, can be helpful too but it has to be done mindfully and with full commitment.

hope you're feeling a bit better. should've said when i was being sententious that i didn't mean in any way to minimize the pain of your dental slings and arrows. there's a lot of nerves in them there ivories.

>18 NarratorLady: hi Anne. long time!

OK, back in the saddle, or back wearing the apron, or back working the coffee machine, or something like that. Here we go.

>45 brodiew2: Oh, I like that, Brodie. A creative writing piece from the viewpoint of three books on the tbr shelf. Hmm. That warrants more thought, doesn't it. I'll have to go look at what's on the shelf and see whether any of them talk to me.

I'm a big Wodehouse fan (and completist on the Jeeves stories), but that's one I've never read.

>46 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. The tooth situation continues to floss positively.

Yeah, I enjoy being grumpy, but readily admit that there's an awful lot to be grateful for. Cheese grits and shrimp come to mind, among other things. Little (and not so little) boys willing to take on reading War and Peace would be another.

>47 maggie1944: Yeah, right on the money, Karen. 1916 or 1816, I likely wouldn't be around either. Replacement hips - if I was around, without those and instead having my old crumbling ones, I'd be a lunatic or a drunkard. Maybe like the RA you've experienced, the pre-op pain made me nutso - no sleep, no sitting still. Instead, post-op, I'm comfortable and just take longer to get through airport (or any) security than before.

>48 Thebookdiva: Ha! Thanks, Abby. Just hearing "you poor dear" makes me feel better. Hope all is well with you and your fellow Paradisians.

>49 weird_O: I believe you, Bill. Some things are just beyond the realm of understanding of those around us. Not being grumpy, despite appearances to the contrary, must be one of them.

>51 PaulCranswick: Yeah, exactly, Paul. I'm a laggard when it comes to Infinite Jest. I've found these group reads help me get through through the tough ones - not exactly misery loves company; maybe more we few, we happy few we band of brothers and sisters.

>52 brodiew2: Ha! Go Mariners! Could we have a Mariners-Cubs World Series?

>53 msf59: Sweet Thursday, Mark!

Oh good. Isn't Infinite Jest is a good candidate for a group read? I liked his essays in Consider the Lobster, but I.J. is a monster.

>45 brodiew2: >55 jnwelch: the gold bat and other stories is an early Wodehouse collection which featured school stories, but it had a lack of cohesion that I could not connect with. It is a bummer, because I love a good school story. I had two years in boarding school (freshman and sophomore of high school) which has given me an affinity for the genre.

>57 jnwelch: We can dream!

>54 mirrordrum: Hi, Ellie! I'm willing to be mindful and totally committed in my grumpiness. In fact, both seem integral parts of that exalted state for me.

No worries. I'm actually surprised I mentioned the tooth adventures, but it helped to share those fascinating tales of the ivories. As usual, the terrific support here makes it tough to remain too grumpy.

You and Anne should pull up a table for a while. Both of you always give me good book recommendations, with Madames Fadiman and Gardam coming to mind. Anne just cinched the deal on Jane Steele for me (particularly since brother Mark was still in progress), so I've started that delightful yarn of murder and, I assume, romance.

Oh, I thought you'd appreciate this one.



I find that inspiring.

>58 brodiew2: Always good to dodge a book bullet, Brodie, so thanks for the alert to give The Gold Bat a miss.

I think we talked about the extremely good To Serve Them All My Days. What other boarding school books have you liked? "Goodbye Mr. Chips" with Peter O'Toole was an excellent movie; I keep thinking some day I should give the book a go.

> 60 Funny you should mention Goodbye, Mr. Chips. I have never read it or seen either movie versions. I loved Hilton's Lost Horizon so why I have not read 'Chips' is beyond. Immediate late addition to this years plan!

A Separate Peace comes to mind immediately, though it is a more somber tale. Tom Brown's School Days has eluded me as cumbersome rather than entertaining.

My favorite both in literary and film form is The Lawrenceville Stories by Owen Johnson which also includes The Varmint. The two books were blended for the wonderful film called 'The Happy Years' featuring a young Dean Stockwell. It was also put on screen in the 80s under the title 'The Prodigious Hickey'

Anyone out there that has a good school story recommendation, please let me know.

>61 brodiew2: Oh, A Separate Peace was a knockout. A rare bird - reading assigned in high school that actually was powerfully moving.

The Lawrenceville Stories is new to me, so thanks for the tip.

Here's Publishers Weekly's list of ten best boarding school books: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/tip-sheet/article/6302...

I wouldn't have thought of Never Let Me Go, The Catcher in the Rye or Old Filth as boarding school books, but they're all excellent.

>62 jnwelch: Thanks for the PW list, Joe. I read Catcher in the Rye in school and once was enough. I check this list with interest.

Check out Lawrenceville. Good stuff for the turn of the century timeframe.

>63 brodiew2: Agreed on Catcher in the Rye. Once was enough.

Will do on Lawrenceville.

>54 mirrordrum: "...but it has to be done mindfully and with full commitment. " This totally cracked me up, Ellie.

>59 jnwelch: LIKE!

>61 brodiew2: I loved A Separate Peace.

Afternoon, Joe. Glad to hear that the tooth is behaving itself.

Happy new thread, Joe! Sorry to hear of the tooth problems -- glad that there is improvement.

Happy Friday, and good times in the café, Joe.

Talk about school, or boarding school, books has touched off my "I want to read some of those" part of my brain. Danger danger danger... more TBR books I can not get. I have dozens of boxes of books still in storage from my move, 6 months or so ago. Yikes. I need to get those boxes and start unpacking them. I feel as if I am not a whole person with them in the dark, cold, storage closet.

I also need to cultivate my "go to the library" impulses. We have a small, but serviceable branch within walking distance here. Can you imagine! A library I can walk to.... oh, joy.

Today, this very morning, may be the very last day I drive north to my niece's house to get the two youngsters out of bed, into clothes, and fed, and chased off to school on time. The adults have bravely decided that next school year they are old enough to do so on their own, with telephone support from mom. Bittersweet. The darn kids are doing what all kids do... "growing up". I will miss their sweetness, but not the darn drive of 75 miles round trip each day. Whew. My mornings will become my own.

Probably I'll get more reading into my crazy retired life now. I can hope.

I'd potentially be interesting in joining in on an Infinite Jest read...

Happy Friday, Joe!

Morning, Joe! Happy Friday!

>65 Crazymamie: Good morning, Mamie! Happy Friday!

Ellie's a peach, isn't she? I'm so glad she's able to visit us more often now.

I have to admit, I thought of you and Katie when posting >59 jnwelch:. Shenanigans!

A Separate Peace has stuck in my mind like few others. Woo.

The tooth is behaving itself, I'm glad to report. Thanks for the positive thoughts. I'm optimistic. Hard to believe it hasn't even been a week since I was trying to figure out how to screw my head off and put it somewhere better, like inside umbrella drink world.

>66 tymfos: Hi, Terri! Thanks for stopping by, and for your sympathy on the tooth flare-up. It is much improved.

Hope you're setting up for a good weekend.

>67 maggie1944: Happy Friday, Karen! Thanks - it is good times in the cafe, isn't it? I'm glad you and others enjoy it.

I think you've added another to our "books talking to us" list. The ones in the moving boxes that call out to us, asking to come out. :-)

My tbr is about to grow dramatically, too, as we're off to Printer's Row Book Fair (or "LitFest", as they now call it - what would we do without marketing people?) tomorrow. Tons of used books and new ones, needing a home. Big crowd willing to help with that.

Oh, I have mixed feelings for you with your niece's youngsters, as I can tell you do. Watching, and helping, kids grow up, is an experience to treasure, for sure. But cutting out a 75 mile round trip commute - that I know you'll enjoy. I'm sure the kids are going to miss you big time. The parents were lucky to have that help until now.

Enjoy the weekend, my friend.

>68 scaifea: Good morning, Amber!

Oh good, another possible group member for an Infinite Jest read. We'll figure out some logistics. I know we've got a doorstop one coming up, and I can't even remember which book it is. So we'll circle back later in the year on IJ.

>69 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! Happy Friday!

I am ready for this weekend, as is Madame MBH. A challenging week behind us. We've got the book fair tomorrow, and then on Sunday Madame MBH hosts a storytelling event at the City Winery. Her first hosting gig - she'll be great, as usual.

Cinnamon donut holes?

Sounds like you've got a lovely weekend coming up.

And yes, I will have >72 jnwelch: one of those, thanks.

Um...yes, please! Good thinking to host the event at the City Winery!!

>73 charl08: Hi, Charlotte. Thanks. Yes, it should be a lovely one. We're a bit worn down, so this will be nice. Madame MBH and seasonsoflove are also going out to dinner and a play tonight, while yours truly hangs out in a tree and eats eucalyptus leaves.



Don't those look good in >72 jnwelch:? Have as many as you want; we can bring out more.

>74 Crazymamie: Ha! I think we'd better bring out more pronto, Mamie.



Thanks re City Winery. She has improv training, so it should go fine. She loves being up on stage, crazy woman that she is.

Fin Dac in New Zealand

Happy Friday, Joe! It is really warming up out here. There will be sweat...

So glad you are enjoying Dodgers. How is Jane Steele coming? I am really loving that one and I also think The Fair Fight, will also ring your bells. Expect plenty of warbling on both.

Love the NZ street art.

Good morning, Joe!

>65 Crazymamie: Hello, Mamie. It has been so long since I read A Separate Peace, but the impact is undeniable.

>72 jnwelch: Doughnut holes. gotta love 'em!

>75 jnwelch: Clearly this Koala is witnessing something shocking enough to interrupt his meal.

>77 jnwelch: Interesting. The color in the mask adds a lot to this piece. The splatter seems to speak to a special awareness or ability.

>78 msf59: Happy Friday, buddy!

Yeah, I was out there, and it went from comfortable to mighty toasty. There was sweat.

Jane Steele is coming well. What a charming murderer. If I could read two books at the exact same time, I'd be doing it, because you're right, I'm enjoying Dodgers, too.

Some of these street artists really travel widely. Fin Dac is very successful, as far as I can tell, and my understanding is he's from Ireland (Cork). I really like this NZ one.

>79 brodiew2: Hiya, Brodie!

Ha! I think the koala bear just got asked for more cinnamon donut holes.

Fin Dac is known for that eye mask splatter. It really works for me, too, although it's hard to articulate why. A special awareness or ability - I like that.

Here's one of his in process:

Happy Friday, Joe! Those doughnut holes look mighty tasty. They are making my stomach growl which tells me that it must be lunch time here. We are exploring Australia and New Zealand over at the Category Challenge this month and I am having fun reading books like The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville, and currently Dunger by New Zealand children's author, Joy Cowley. I also have The Captive Wife by Fiona Kidman waiting in the wings.

Hope you are all set for a great weekend!

Hiya, Judy.

I know, I believe I could eat donut holes all day, although Madame MBH would have my hide for it.

Oh, I should check out your Category Challenge. I feel woefully under-read for NZ and Australia authors. I'll look at the ones you mention. I know I've seen Kate Grenville books referred to positively in our group.

Yes, this should be a great weekend. With a book fair in it, how could it not be, right?

OK, some of you know I'm a big Obama fan. I won't bore you with the political part. But regardless of how you might view his politics, this guy has to be way up there among the funniest presidents ever. I love the Slow Jam News he does here with Jimmy Fallon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymGENUjIdIg

>75 jnwelch: you're such a stitch! hmmm. being as i am, i had to go find out the origin of "in stitches."

soooo many things i'd love to respond to. *sigh* can't. so i'll just say thanks >61 brodiew2: Brodie for pulling Separate Peace up from the depths out of which i was trying to dredge it. not in audio nor are any of the Delderfield books. blast.

have an ab fab eve in your tree, Joe. i miss what my mom used to call "you-cal-ih-pee-tus bushes" (eucalyptus trees). did you know they were brought into California to provide windbreaks?

thanks for the clip. will be truly heartbroken to see President Obama, his smile, his sense of humor and his street stride leave office.

must aroint me.

>75 jnwelch: Ha! Thanks, Ellie. Of course it would be Willie Shakes who gave us "in stitches." How did that man do it? So many phrases we use today. Malvolio in yellow stockings. Poor deluded (and deceived!) soul.

The Delderfield books aren't on audio?! Oh, I didn't expect that. Hope it gets corrected.

I didn't know youcahlipeetus trees were brought into California as windbreaks; I did love them when I lived in Santa Barbara all those years ago. Love that smell.

I wish I could directly quote from Hope Jahren's estimable book Lab Girl about eucalyptus trees; I can't get it to copy from Google books. But she says that "acrid and spicy and a little bit soapy" smell of eucalyptus trees is a "volatile chemical compound", or VOC. The release of VOCs acts as an antiseptic, keeping the tree's "leaves and bark healthy if it is wounded, preventing infection."

I'm going to be truly heartbroken to see President Obama leave office, too, for those reasons and many others, including his classiness.

Have a wonderful weekend Joe.

>86 GeezLouise: Rae! What a treat to hear from you!

I know from your mom that you've been working. What are you reading these days?

Hope you have a wonderful weekend, too, and that we get to see more of you on LT.

>84 mirrordrum: >85 jnwelch: If Delderfield were on audio, I would at least try to listen to God is an Englishman. I have never been able to engage his other works outside of To Serve Them All My Days.

>87 jnwelch: I am currently reading Life and Death, Naked in Death, and Hook Maggie Returns. My mom recommended the second one to me last night. Abby told me about Hook Maggie Returns. I just started all of them Life and Death will be a slower read.

I have not had time to review it, but I thought I'd let you know that I LOVED Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave. I think it is better than The Summer Before the War and it might be my favourite read so far this year. :-) Happy Friday, Joe!

>90 vancouverdeb: Adding it to my on-hold list at the library, Deb!

>83 jnwelch: "...this guy has to be way up there among the funniest presidents ever."
Who else would be on that list?

>83 jnwelch: Obama rules, no two ways about it. :)

>89 GeezLouise: Good stuff, Rae. I join your mom in recommending Naked in Death. If you like it, it's the start of a consistently good series.

The touchstones aren't working for the other two, so please let me know if you end up liking either or both.

Nice to have you back!

>90 vancouverdeb: Wowsers, thanks, Deb. I'll have to check out Everyone Brave is Forgiven. Cleave is a new author for me. You know how much I liked The Summer Before the War, so that's quite a recommendation.

>91 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen.

I thought the way Washington would fool around with those wooden teeth was really funny.

Good question - what other funny (or witty) presidents did we have? JFK could be witty, right? But not a performer like Obama. Reagan might have been closest to Obama. He could be funny, and of course was an actor before he became prez.

Lincoln supposedly was a funny guy and great storyteller, and I saw somewhere that James Garfield supposedly was funny, too.

>50 jnwelch: Great two word summary, Megan. Obama rules. I'm one of those who wishes he could do a third term. He says that, besides the Constitutional bar, Michelle wouldn't allow it.

I have sympathy with that. At one point, Madame MBH told me to cut back my responsibilities or else. She thought (accurately) that I was being way too hard on my health. Good to have a sane partner looking out for me.

>93 jnwelch: Life and Death is by Stephanie Meyers it was for the tenth anniversary of Twilight. It's a retelling of Twilight except she did a gender swap. So Beaufort is Bella's character and Edith is Edward's. So everyone was gender swapped and she made changes. Hook Maggie returns is a novel Abby discovered on the Internet. It's being written by an artist she likes and thought I'd enjoy it two.

>94 jnwelch: Good to have a sane partner looking out for me. It is nice to have a partner to look out for your best interests, that doesn't happen in all relationships unfortunately, cherish what you have.

Good to see you Dentist adventure is ending & seem to be pain free now .... to celebrate ? why not suggest another book you have not seen ...

this might pique your interest - The Queue .- if it does there is a fuller description on my log

Belated happy new thread, Joe. I wish you a great weekend. BTW some photos of my print group are on my thread.

>95 GeezLouise: Thanks, Rae. Both really interesting picks. I'd no idea Stephanie Meyer had done Twilight with a gender swap. I think the touchstone might've been right, I just didn't realize it. An internet book by an artist - I bet it's the one Abby features on her thread on a regular basis. Fun stuff - enjoy!

>96 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. I know you're right. Both Madame MBH and I were in less than copacetic relationships before finding each other. I cherish her and know how lucky I am. Doesn't keep me from annoying the heck out of her a lot of the time, but she's grown skillful at eye rolls and ripostes. I'm just filled with the joy of being difficult, and it overflows a lot sometimes.

>97 roundballnz: Thanks, Alex. Pain-free, and we're celebrating by going to a big local book fair, leaving in scant minutes.

I'll check out The Queue. You win the award for most off-the-beaten track recommendations, all of which I've enjoyed. I know you enjoy hiking off-the-beaten track, so it must carry over to your reading.

>98 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. No worries re belatedness; you've been a busy woman, I know. I'll look forward to seeing the photos of your print group.

I'll catch you all later in the day, after the book fair.

Have a good weekend Joe.

Enjoy the book fair buddy.

I cherish her and know how lucky I am. Doesn't keep me from annoying the heck out of her a lot of the time, but she's grown skillful at eye rolls and ripostes.

What is good for Chicago is certainly true of Kuala Lumpur.

To one lucky guy from another one - have a great weekend, Joe.

Happy Saturday, Joe! Have a great time at Lit-Fest and keep cool. It is a scorcher. Hope I can join you guys next year.

I hope you find some gems...

Keep cool down there, Joe. Supposed to be a hot one today. We may go tomorrow.

hope you're having a lovely book fair and that you enjoyed your time in the bush last night. poor Mme MBH. you must have smelled like a cough drop. *chuckle*

will await your list of new books with great anticip-PAYshun. and no, i do not think you're the . . . Candy man.

just in case you don't recognize the above, i found this precise clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlwnbcxBuzI

Hope the book fair was successful Joe. Love the anticipation in the picture...

>102 GeezLouise: Thanks, Rae. You, too.

>103 PaulCranswick: Ha! Thanks, Paul. "From one lucky guy to another." Ain't that the truth. If Hani and Debbi ever meet up, I'm sure they'll have a time of it commiserating.

The book fair was great but woo, the temperature went up. Probably wouldn't have caused a blip on the chart in your part of the world, but by the end it wrung us out. We're downing cool drinks and enjoying some air conditioning right now.

Hope you're having a good weekend, too, buddy.

ETA: I picked up Bernard Cornwell's Waterloo at the library, the nonfiction sidekick to his Sharpe's Waterloo. Looking forward to reading it.

>104 msf59: Hope it went okay today for you, Mark. It sure turned into a scorcher. We were at the book fair before opening, as usual, but a lot of the vendors had already opened up for business - they may have anticipated that business was going to best in the cooler morning. It was a big time scorcher by the time we left in the afternoon. Tomorrow the temp is supposed to drop way down.

It was a nice, varied haul for me. I'll post a pic, maybe tomorrow. (We've got to go to a party soon; neither of us really wants to, but it's one of those we can't duck). I was looking for Georgette Heyer hard copies, because I've read her on Kindle and would like some non-electronic keepers, but there were zero. Surprised me.

One gem: Flaubert's Parrot. I've been wanting to read that one for ages.

Becca found a truckload, and she and Debbi stocked up on cheap cozy mysteries, a comfort food for both of them. You'll probably see Becca's haul on FB, knowing her.

>105 kac522:, >106 mirrordrum: Apologies to Kathy and Ellie. Somehow I jumped. More below.

>107 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. The book fair was successful. It's such a wonderful time, surrounded by books and book lovers. We've been going for more than twenty years - our daughter was a wee lass when we first started taking her. Madame MBH used to run children's programming there, way back when.

The book fair sounds like fun except for the heat. Flaubert's Parrot was a good find - I am wanting to read that one and also his newest one.

Time for gin and tonic?

>105 kac522: It's supposed to be in the sixties Fahrenheit tomorrow, Kathy, so I imagine a lot of folks may pick it as the day to attend. Although it was packed today, I must say. One of our favorite events of the year.

We couldn't go tomorrow because Madame MBH is the host for a big storytelling event tomorrow at City Winery.

>106 mirrordrum: Ha, love that precise anticipation clip, Ellie. They've remade Rocky Horror Picture Show, and I think it's going to be released soon. It's going to be tough to match the level of the original.

It was an eclectic book haul for me. I'll post it tomorrow, one way or another. We have that storytelling event, and Madame MBH needs to be there early, so we'll see how the time works out.

Did you ever read any Tony Hoagland poetry? He's going to be my Sunday poetry fare.

Hope you and JB are having a most excellent weekend.

>110 Crazymamie: Hiya, Mamie. I liked The Sense of an Ending and Arthur and George, and the premise of Flaubert's Parrot seems like one I'll like.

G & T for you coming up; I didn't think you'd mind, and already started a Heineken meself.

Most excellent. Thank you, Joe!

>113 Crazymamie: :-) Hope you all are having a swell weekend, Mamie.

Well, it is sweltering! Very hot and humid today here at the Paradisio - I have been inside in the air conditioning reading White Noise, which I am loving. Tonight we are watching Hitchcock's Rope, so that should be fun.

I'm another who thinks a third term with President Obama would be a good thing. For the country. Not for the man or his family. I mean...eight years of that kind of service is a big enough sacrifice for anyone. It killed the only man to try for twelve. I mean....look....

Book fair sounds dangerous, Joe. It is probably a good thing that Madam MBH has something on for tomorrow to take you away from the books! Have a great rest of the weekend.

Book fair!

Flaubert's Parrot -- I have that around here somewhere.

I think you know that I would love another term of Obama's leadership but I do think term limits serve their purpose. If it were, say, Trump (*shudder*), I would be a desperate believer in term limits. And I do mean desperate.

Oh a book fair! I see you did not rent a U-Haul for tomorrow. Can't wait to see the list of purchases! Hey, we in Canada would like a 3rd term with Obama too.

>109 jnwelch: I went to the Evanston Library book sale on Friday & picked up 2 Heyer used (or should I say pre-owned?) paperbacks in decent condition: Sprig Muslin and Powder and Patch. They're yours if you want 'em.

>99 jnwelch: word of the day = copacetic. I've not heard it before and now I have! Just like my mum always says, you learn something new every day if you keep your wits about you :)

>109 jnwelch: you and David Bowie reckon Flaubert's Parrot is a good one! I want to read it too at some stage.

Morning, Joe! Happy Sunday!

>115 Crazymamie: Intriguing to hear your positive reaction so far to White Noise, Mamie. I've never read Delillo, and I'm thinking about trying Zero K. But I'll be tuned in for further WN developments.

I've seen a lot of Hitchcock, but not Rope. I know our daughter has. She's fascinated by Leopold and Loeb.

>116 laytonwoman3rd: I know, the Presidency really ages people, Linda. Obama jokes about it, too, as I'm sure you've seen.

When you think of the (relatively) little things that can keep us tossing and turning at night, and then think of having his responsibilities for this country and global events, plus never knowing when he's going to be faced with a tragedy or emergency that must be immediately addressed, plus the sheer time-consumingness of it all and endless task list, plus constantly battling an obstructionist Congress - not to mention thoughtfully raising two young girls - it's heroic, IMO, how well he's handled it all. I'd take another Obama term in a blink, but you're right, he deserves and needs to soon walk away from a job well done.

>117 Familyhistorian: Ha! The book fair is a danger we love, Meg.

We didn't break our record of coming away with 72 books, which got us into an article in the local paper many years ago, but we came close. Seasonsoflove always takes the prize, with over 50 that year. This year she found 44, plus some cozy mysteries she'll cadge from her mom after her mom's done. Madame MBH and I were pikers in comparison, with 10 and 11, and we picked up one for a sister of mine.

Here's my haul:



Sorry. No idea why that photo transferred in such a fuzzy way. I'll try to substitute a non-fuzzy one later in the day. ETA: OK, that's better. Weird.

"Becca found a truckload" Wow! That it's a shock, right? LOL.

Morning, Joe! Happy Sunday! I also have Flaubert's Parrot on my T.R. list. I want to read more Barnes, period. I should wrap up Jane Steele today. What a crackin' good read. Faye has really upped her game.

Looks like a beauty out there today! Sweet!

And hooray for Obama love! I sure wish we could at least get 4 more years.

Here's the proprietor's book haul:

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (childhood favorite, previously lost in moves)
Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House (Jane Austen as detective; co-worker loves this series)
Odd Interlude (an Odd Thomas I didn't even know existed)
Big Jack by J.D. Robb (an In Death/Eve Dallas story i didn't know existed)
Waiting for Godot (love this one; Madame MBH thinks I'm nuts)
Flaubert's Parrot (have wanted to try this one for ages)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (ditto)
Shadows on the Rock (a Cather I haven't read yet)
Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (enjoyed Tina Fey's and Amy Poehler's funny memoirs, so thought I'd try this one)
Spellman Six (the last in a funny mystery series I've liked)
Girl in the Spider's Web (the Dragon Tattoo continuation that I read on Kindle and wanted a hard copy of)

>118 EBT1002: Yeah, right you are about term limits, Ellen. They at least get the lousy/subpar ones out of there.

I can't even contemplate Trump in there. This guy is the opposite of who we are as a country in every important way. I'm hoping this has happened to force us to look at a large part of our populace that is so frustrated with politics as usual that they'll support this orange buffoon. And to force us to take a fresh look at our values and their importance to us, and to support them with stronger determination than ever before. Who are we? Not this horrible man. Who are we?

>119 vancouverdeb: Hi, Deb. Yeah, Justin Trudeau and Obama like and respect each other and make a great team. At least Justin will continue to stick around.

I may ask seasonsoflove to post her book haul over her, as it dwarfs mine. She's the one that makes us think about renting a UHaul. Hers is on Facebook, but I'll try to get it over here, too.

>120 kac522: Hmm, thanks, Kathy! That's very thoughtful of you. I don't know either of those; I was thinking I'd get hard copies of Heyers I've read. Let me check into those two and I'll let you know.

Are you going to Printers Row today?

>121 LovingLit: Hey, Megan!

I love the word copacetic. For some reason it always makes me think of beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on the old tv show Dobie Gillis.

Flaubert's Parrot is on David Bowie's list? I'm even happier about getting my hands on it now. Who knew David B. was such a serious and discerning reader? It makes sense, but I had no idea.

Morning, Joe! Love the looks of the book haul. And I agree about President Obama - I'd love to see him stay, but he needs to rest!

>122 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! Happy Sunday!

We take off momentarily for City Winery, for Madame MBH's hosting gig. Her part starts at noon, but she needs to get there early, so seasonsoflove and I will have some breakfast there and read.

>124 jnwelch: Ha! Good morning, Mark! Yes, you've experienced Becca's book acquiring up close and personal. She's amazing. Her book blog is doing really well, and she is just devouring books, per usual. She got 44 books yesterday at the book fair, and she's going to be sharing some others with her mom. Plus she wants to borrow The Girl in the Spider's Web from me.

Jane Steele is a crackin' good read, and I hope to get to more of it today. I think I'll take Dodgers with me to the City Winery, as I'm missing reading that one.

I'm sure it makes Obama feel good that so many would like him to continue. What a job he's done.

It's a beaut out there all right. Enjoy the day off!

>129 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

Thanks - part of the fun of a book fair is you get taken in so many different book directions, right? We had so much fun.

Obama needs the rest. Well put. But we're sure going to miss him leading the way, aren't we?

Off we go. Catch you later in the day.

>59 jnwelch: *snork*

>77 jnwelch: love it!

Happy Sunday Joe!

#85
Obama will make a classy ex-president.

I listened to the New York Times Book Review Podcast yesterday and Thomas Frank was interviewed about his new book on liberalism titled Listen, Liberal. He didn't like Jimmy Carter as a president because he wasn't a liberal, and said that Jimmy Carter made a better ex-president than president.

#90

I got to hear Chris Cleave talk about Everyone Brave is Forgiven at the ALA midwinter meeting. It sounded very interesting. It is based on the life of his grandparents. His family had kept their war time letters and when he read all of them he knew he had his next novel.

Your book hauls are nothing compared to Caroline, Maryanne, Suzanne, and me at ALA. However, I think that at the ALA winter meeting in Chicago Becca got a huge haul.

I finished reading the novella Binti by Nnedi. This short (96 pages) story is a rarity in YA literature these days. It is a true YA novel written for a YA audience. As such it is very well done. It is also rare because it is written by a woman of color and is now a award winner. It is published by TOR and is part of a series they are doing to promote science fiction short stories or novellas to a new and different audience.For a short enjoyable read I recommend this title.

as a change of pace from reality, i always come to Joe's. may i just say, though, that it's a bit of a slog today. i can't even listen to a book as i think of the people in Orlando waiting for news, the family of the shooter, and the police force having to wade into the mess. bless them all. i've waited for news about someone following a shooting and it's not fun.

peace out.

>133 Thebookdiva: Happy Sunday, Abby! Glad you enjoyed those.

>134 benitastrnad: Hi, Benita.

I agree, Obama will be a classy ex-President.

Jimmy Carter is a wonderful man and ex-President; unfortunately, he wasn't an ept President. Micromanaging doesn't match up well with that position, and he lost sight of the forest for the trees over and over, IMO. Too bad, because he's an admirable human being. But he has been inspiring folks in his post-presidency for a lot of years, with a ton of good works.

>135 benitastrnad: I didn't read his Little Bee, but you make this one sound interesting, Benita. Keep us posted.

>136 benitastrnad: I can haul a lot more when the books are free, like so many were at ALA, Benita. :-) Thanks again for helping us get into ALA when it was here. Yes, Becca once again demonstrated her awesomeness at that one; I had to take three huge bags full of her books back to the car after we'd only been at ALA a couple of hours. She then proceeded to fill more. And she reads them!

>137 benitastrnad: Excellent. Great to hear re Binti, Benita. It's on my WL and I expect to read it soon. Kudos to Tor for diversifying.

>138 mirrordrum: As we all create reality together, I'm always happy to have the door open to a different one here, Ellie. But I agree today is tough. Such sad news out of Orlando. People gather together for a good time, and hate finds them. Guns again - are we incapable of change? Is it possible to vote these NRA-genuflecting idiots OUT?

As you say, blessings to the people of Orlando, the family of the mentally unstable shooter, and the police force responding. I don't know how the afterlife works, but I hope the 50 are free now and transcendent.

"I don't know how the afterlife works, but I hope the 50 are free now and transcendent." A beautiful sentiment, Joe.

Stopping around to check out the book haul, Joe. Nice work! I've loved the Spellman series, so I hope you enjoy Spellman Six. I can't remember if I've read it yet. I suspect I have.

Drip...drip...drip...drip... I'm thinking this could be an interesting Presidential campaign. I wonder how long guys like Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell and all the GOP senators up for re-election will go along with Trump. He just so craven. What a role model! I'm looking forward to a smashing campaign; the President, Hillary, Elizabeth Warren are just unlimbering now. Wait'll they get the artillery positioned and dialed in.

An interesting question is how long the TV "journalists" will be continue to pander to him? What was that line? "At long last, have you left no sense of decency?" Well, I think we know Trump has never had any sense of decency. How about those "journalist" millionaires? Any decency there?

Anyway. I'm about a third of the way through The Ghost Writer. I'm often worried that I'm missing the nuances. So far so good. Read on, read on.

Congrats on the book haul! As you know, I wasn't that crazy about Waiting for Godot, but I was a big fan of Flaubert's Parrot. Look forward to seeing how you react to that one.

Have a great week ahead!

Morning, Joe!

It is a morning to be sober, and to examine what I can do differently to address this national crisis. Perhaps, as a reader, I can find some materials to help me persuade the unpersuaded that effective control must be exercised over the weapons of destruction. Any ideas?

Morning, Joe! That was a very nice haul up there - well done.

>142 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks, Linda. What a shame. We all move on at some point, but those folks and their families and loved ones had a lot ahead of them here.

Oof. What a time we're living in.

>143 vancouverdeb: Hi, Deb. Good to have a fellow Spellmanian. What a hoot. Spellman Six formerly was titled The Last Word. I read the others, but not this one, and I believe it closes out the series.

>144 weird_O: Hiya, Bill. Yeah, this should be quite an election season. Can you imagine the debates? If before this someone had written a novel with a Trump-like character getting the presidential nomination, it would've seemed far-fetched. Thank goodness for Elizabeth Warren. She rips Trump better than anyone else. I love that woman.

I read Ghost Writer for Mark's AAC challenge, having not liked Goodbye, Columbus much, or short pieces I'd read by him. I was surprised to find myself actually enjoying Ghost Writer, and I was glad I read it. Hope it continues to be a good one for you.

>145 Smiler69: Hi, Ilana. Thanks. I'd forgotten you didn't like Waiting for Godot. Madame MBH didn't either. I find it funny and profound, and unpredictable. Its weirdness fits my world view. :-)

Good to hear that you're a big fan of Flaubert's Parrot. I'm really looking forward to that one.

Hope things settle down a bit for you, and that you have a great week, too.

>146 scaifea: Morning, Amber! I'll stop by in a bit.

>147 maggie1944: It is a time for sober reflection, Karen, for sure, and for sorrow and sympathy for those lost and injured in Orlando, and those who love them.

I have no brilliant ideas about bringing sanity to the guns issue. Refusing to enact a law that someone on the FBI's terrorist list can't own guns? Really? I continue to hope that we can get some of these shameful Congresspeople out of office come voting time. There are more people who are sane in this country than ones who've become bent, but there are way more bent ones than I ever imagined, as shown by the rise of Trump. Our system sure lets it all come to a boil, doesn't it? Are we learning anything?

>148 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie. We have so much fun perusing the books, talking books, and looking for keepers. Seasonsoflove is a major Dame Agatha collector, including different covers for favorites, and she struck gold this year with a number of beauts. My only disappointment was the absence of Heyers. I even looked through romance boxes, since her clever books are misnomered that way sometimes, and nothing doing there either.

There was starting to be a risk of my tbr shelves being under control, so this, thank goodness, helped get me back to a normal state of way too many.

Have a great week Joe.

>153 GeezLouise: Thank you, Rae. It always makes me smile when you stop by.

Hope you have a great week, too.

Good morning, Joe! I hope all is well. Nice haul over the weekend. Let me know how Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House works out. I've seen this series before but have never given it a try.

Morning Joe! Like most of us here, I have an ugly, dreaded knot in my stomach, over the events in Orlando. We honestly, should be ashamed as a country, for letting it get this bad. If Sandy Hook couldn't change it, I am afraid we are doomed...

Have a nice day! Shaky grin...

>155 brodiew2: Good morning, Brodie! I'll let you know about Jane and the Prisoner. I read the first one in this series and wasn't that taken by it, but my co-worker's enthusiasm has convinced me to give it another try.

I'm a big JA fan, but most of the homages that I've read have left me cold. One notable exception is Longbourn, a complementary story to Pride and Prejudice from the POV of the servants.

>156 msf59: Morning Mark!

I know, if Sandy Hook couldn't change it, I'm afraid we are doomed, too. I'm shaking my head over here - it's so frustrating.

Hope you have a good one. At least the weather's treating us decently.

Dodgers by Bill Beverly

Why the foolish requirement to wear Dodger caps and shirts on their cross-country trip?

"I don't disagree," sighed Johnny. "What can I say? White people love baseball. White people love the Dodgers."

"What do I care what white people like?"

"Boy", Johnny said, "the world is made of white people. So you just pick out a nice hat."

Here's one with a teenage protagonist that will never be considered YA. 16 year old East is a watcher for an LA drug house, heading a team that looks out for any trouble. When hordes of police descend without warning, he's not blamed, but is expected to redeem himself by joining three other gang members on a cross-country trip with murder as its goal. He's joined by his wild younger brother Ty, overweight Walter who has some education and knows tech, and Michael, the oldest but least disciplined.

Despite his age, East is the most mature of all of them, and is expected to keep the team out of trouble and on task. "{T}hey respected him, for though he was young, he had none in him of what they hated most in themselves: their childishness. He had never been a child."

With new identities, they drive from LA to Wisconsin, experiencing a world previously unknown to the younger boys, sometimes puzzling, sometimes dangerous. What East has to do to maintain order is sometimes simple and sometimes complex. Despite the circumstances he is in, he has an innate decency and reluctance to harm, kill or steal unless there is no other choice.

The cover calls this a "crime novel", and that is true. But it is East, wise beyond his years, yet still an inexperienced boy, who pulls the reader through the pages. East, and the believable, ring true dialog, keep the pages zipping along. This is a surprisingly accomplished first novel that deserves the accolades it has been getting, and a romping good read to boot.

>157 jnwelch: I have heard good things about Longbourn. It will go on my audio wish list immediately. I listened to PD James' Death Comes to Pemberley a couple of years back and thought it was ok, but not great.

Oh good, I'm glad you enjoyed Dodgers! I fully agree with "This is a surprisingly accomplished first novel that deserves the accolades it has been getting, and a romping good read to boot."

Yesterday was indeed tough. Too. Many. Guns. How is it that we, as a nation, are so unable to address this epidemic? How has our paranoia and our conviction that the right to bear any and all arms become so deeply entrenched and impermeable?

>159 brodiew2: Good deal, Brodie. Longbourn should make for a entertaining audio read. Our daughter had the same reaction to Death Comes to Pemberly - ok, but not great. Too bad, as I've liked others written by P.D. James, like Death of an Expert Witness.

>160 EBT1002: Oh good, Ellen. I'm glad you had the same reaction to Dodgers. Mark loved it, too.

Wish I knew the answers to your gun questions and why we seem unable to do anything about the problem. The NRA and its adherents evince a "slippery slope" concern that conceding on even the most sensible proposals will end up with Obama taking their guns from them. I can't believe we're in the fix we're in and incapable of doing anything about it. That doesn't sound like the U.S., does it?

By Waleska

Thanks for that Dodgers review, Joe. I've been intrigued about that one since it came out and will add it to the wishlist.

No words about yet another mass shooting. Makes absolutely no sense that this is possible and keeps happening over and over. Meanwhile, those who have invested everything in keeping the status quo are getting richer with every armed assault—probably some form of sick advertising for the efficiency of guns. Insanity.

Hi Joe
Just stopping by to catch up and say Hello!

Afternoon Joe! I think you'd really enjoy Everyone Brave is Forgiven very much. I'm kind of sad that Spellman series has finished - it was like reading Harriet the Spy for adults, a series I really enjoyed in my youth. So funny! But I suppose the series came to a sort of natural end.

>162 jnwelch: "That doesn't sound like the U.S., does it?"
Sadly, it seems to sound more and more like us in recent years..... :-(

>163 jnwelch: LOVE --- and it seems perfect for today.

Joe I'm sorry to hear about your tooth woes. I'm one for taking the antibiotic if you have a hip or knee or shoulder replacement. I am very against antibiotics for everything but I see way too many people come in with infections when they should have been taking better care of themselves. My own mom had to have a cement knee and the infectious disease specialist said the infection came from her teeth. Boo!

Have you read the 3rd Nathan Active mystery yet? I really find this series interesting and I've requested the third one from my library.

Woohoo on the book haul!

Hi Joe, just heard from Linda (Whisper1). She asked me to keep everyone updated which I have done over on her thread. I figure most everyone goes through your thread frequently!

Morning, Joe!

Morning, Joe!

>164 Smiler69: Dodgers is an intriguing one, Ilana. Glad the review helped. I think you'll like it.

The entrenched nature of the gun problem is so frustrating, Ilana, and you're right, there are those making money off the sick situation. Lot of (sad) jokes here about the NRA buying Congresspeople, among other things.

>165 SuziQoregon: Hi, Juli! Glad you could stop by. Good to see you!

>166 vancouverdeb: Everyone Brave is Forgiven made it onto my WL, Deb. Good tip, thanks. The Spellman books and Harriet the Spy! Ha! Fun comparison. Yes, they've made me laugh so many times. I'm looking forward to this last one. Lisa Lutz has been branching out, and I've seen a lot of positive reactions to her new one, The Passenger.

>167 EBT1002: An inability to do anything about a societal problem like guns is sounding more and more like us? Hard to argue, Ellen. Actions (and nonactions) speak louder than words.

You got it with regards to >163 jnwelch: - beautiful, and I thought appropriate given what's happened.

>168 luvamystery65: Thanks, Roberta. I went back to the dentist re the tooth woes yesterday, and it looks like the root canal (woo, even saying those words makes me wince) worked, and I'm in the clear.

Helpful to hear you're in favor of joint replacement folks taking antibiotics before getting invasive treatment. As you can tell, sometimes I wonder - it's been years now since the last replacement for me. But I'll keep taking the antibiotics as directed. I'd rather be cautious, and hearing reactions like this from people like you in the thick of it convinces me.

Mamie, who got me started and had loved the first two like you and me, absolutely trashed the third one. You should find her comments if you can, and her excerpts, because I'm going to enjoy the memory of the first two and go no further.

Thanks re the book haul! It's all over the place, and that's the advantage of going to a huge book fair.

>169 Dianekeenoy: Oh, thanks, Diane. I'll go over to Linda/Whisper1's thread right after this and see how the surgery went. Thanks for keeping us in touch.

>170 scaifea: Morning, my neighbor to the north! Hope all is well at Scaife Manor.

>171 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! Thanks for stopping by to start the day.

Latte?

Oh, yes, please!

>168 luvamystery65:, >173 jnwelch: I did really hate the third book - for multiple reasons. You can find my thoughts here: Mamie's Rant

>175 Crazymamie: :-)

Thanks for the link for Roberta (and others). What a shame. I still think a rock must have fallen on the author's head, or some other disaster.

Morning Joe! Terrific review of Dodgers! It has earned you a Big Thumb. I hope you get a few more of those, so you land at the top. This book should be read.

I finished a graphic memoir called Everything is Teeth, that you might like. Very dark and it is kind of scary with sharks, but very well done.

>177 msf59: Morning Mark!

Oh good, glad you liked that Dodgers review. A tip of the hat to you for encouraging warbling about it.

Thanks for the big thumb! We'll see; I can never predict which reviews get people enthusiastic. I do think the positive reactions to Dodgers will continue to spread.

Everything is Teeth? Thanks, I'll take a look. Wish I could recommend a new one to you, but my recent ones have been a bit disappointing. I'm about to start Sophie Blackall's Missed Connections, and I suspect it will be a good one.

All right, another Joe poem. Seemed appropriate for now.

Jesus Today

At the grocery store he speaks kind words.
She notices his politeness.
On the crowded train, he graciously gives someone his seat.
When asked a question, his answer
Drifts up like blue smoke, signifying
Something she remembers later, when lighting the candles.

He never mentions his Father.
Scolds no one, instructs no one.
Above the skyscrapers, a ring-shaped rainbow glows,
Encircling clear sky,
Hanging like a gateway
Touching down nowhere.

On the street below, two lovers stop.
Their anger falls away:
Each remembers the first sighting of the other.
An old woman watches from above, hand hesitating
At the window blind, light
Kissing the broken sofa where she slept.
A sip of water opens brightly in her mouth.
Waiting at the door, he takes her hand, helps her down the stairs.
A small joke, some encouragement, light and easy in his walk.
Forgiveness spreads from all he is and does. This time
No one kills him.
This time
No one is sure who he is.

>179 jnwelch: This is just beautiful, Joe. It puts peace in my heart...

>180 Dianekeenoy: Oh good, Diane. We all could use some of that, couldn't we.

>179 jnwelch: Bravo Joe. As you say, appropriate today.

#152

You might try finding the Georgette Heyer books on a website called Alibris. It is a source for used books. There are some new books listed, but mostly it is for used books. I order most of my used books from that site. Alibris is here http://www.alibris.com/books

The prices are good and yes, you do have to wait for them in the mail, but then Mark needs something to deliver.

Of course, there is something to be said for the satisfaction of the hunt as well. I remember my cousins who spent time traveling all over the U. S. to hunt down Czech pottery. They had such fun, but then when they had their collections complete, the hunt was over, and so was the satisfaction. Today, one of them is selling off her collection. But you wouldn't do that to those great Regency Romances. You would keep them forever, and reread them.

>179 jnwelch: Nicely done, Joe. The final lines gave me goosebumps.

'A small joke, some encouragement, light and easy in his walk.'

This reminded me of Matthew 11:29-30:

'Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.'

>178 jnwelch: I do not think we are Thumbing enough of our reviews. We should do better. It's a good way for that book to have "legs" and get noticed by a wider audience, then we are doing our part of passing on the book joy!

I will come back to check out your poem. I gotta run...

>182 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul. Glad it hit home with you. Yeah, amid the craziness, some peace for us.

>183 benitastrnad: Thanks for the Alibris tip, Benita. I have used that for particular ones. This probably will seem silly, but I enjoy the non-online hunt. I did this with the J.D. Robb in Death series, and we had a good time at used book sales finding ones I was missing. With Heyer's resurgent popularity and so many bookstalls at the fair, it just surprised me that hers didn't pop up at all. If we continue to have no luck, I'll take a look at Alibris for favorites.

Ha! "but then Mark needs something to deliver." Nice.

Oh yeah, I should've read your last paragraph before starting this. Exactly. There is something to be said for the satisfaction of the hunt. Yes, no sell-off! Only ones we don't want to keep are sold to find new homes. At our yard sale, looking at our book table, one friend kept asking, what did you think of this one? E.g. The Chimes. The response each time: I liked it, but didn't love it. I'm thinking, jeez, if I loved it, it wouldn't be out here. These deserve a new home.

>184 brodiew2: Thanks, Brodie. You know, those final lines get me, too.

Nice tie-in from Matthew! I like that one a lot. I'm not a Christian (as maybe you can tell), but I appreciate a lot of what JC had to say.

This Pope seems to be getting back to what JC was really all about. We just watched an episode of the tv show Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and in it a Catholic father finding out his son is gay has no problem with it. He points to, among other things, "our gay Pope". Ha!

>185 msf59: Thanks for checking in from work, Mark. I appreciate the "not enough thumbing of our reviews" thought. I agree. I try to thumb widely - you're right, it brings more attention to deserving books. "Passing on the book joy" - well put!

>179 jnwelch: Beautiful.

>188 Thebookdiva: Thank you, Abby. I'm glad that one resonated with you.

>179 jnwelch: OH! bless you for that image. the large truck that's been parked on my chest just got a bit lighter, hope, which has been guttering, a bit brighter.

i was going to come here and josh you about just whipping up a sonnet like Lin-Manuel. scratch that.

but to books. i'm reading that little-known volume entitled Plainsong. the narrator whom i expected not to like is excellent and i stopped at the saleswoman's crib-description in the department store which is brilliantly conceived, executed and narrated. where did he get that? "incredible," she warbled. i'm paused there till i can get JB to listen.

thank you again for your gift. gifts.

>177 msf59: kind of scary with sharks i laughed aloud. love the title too. wish GNs hadn't passed out of my ken and yet delighted that they've such a happy adult fan base here.

>175 Crazymamie: Thanks for that rant Mamie. Eww...gross. No thank you.

Kimmy Schmidt! Love.

Morning, Joe! Beautiful poem - thanks ever so much for sharing with us.

>190 mirrordrum: Oh good, Ellie. I was hoping you'd like that one. I'm glad it made the load a bit lighter.

Lin-Manuel's was moving. I feel lucky that we have him.

Plainsong - I feel like I've heard of it. Any good?

The crib in the department store - yes. You make me want to re-read it. The McPherson brothers. Victoria. Holt. What a story.

Thank you for the gift of your presence here. I appreciate that the last three years were hard.

>191 mirrordrum: There should be some way to do large graphic GNs that you could read, shouldn't there, Ellie. GNs have come a long way in garnering the fan base you mention. I remember not that many years ago trying to explain what a worthwhile art form GNs are to my English prof. BIL. And his disbelieving view was the most common at that time. I finally convinced him by giving him a copy of Persepolis. Then he wanted ideas on how to teach it in his classes.

>192 luvamystery65: Yeah, that was my reaction, too, Roberta. Too bad. But thank you, Mamie, for letting us know.

>193 scaifea:

Morning Amber!

Ha! Kimmy Schmidt - yes. And I know Charlie loves that theme song.

But females are strong as hell
Unbreakable!
They alive, dammit!
It's a miracle
Unbreakable! They alive, dammit!
Females are strong as hell

Ah, my pleasure on the poem. I'm so glad you liked it. That seemed like one that might help right now.

Morning Joe! I am would have been perfectly happy, to stay safely ensconced in my Man-Cave today, but noooooooooooooooooooo!

ooh, a rare duplicate. I blame the heat or Trump....

>197 msf59:, >198 msf59: Did I see that you get tomorrow off, Mark? The weather is supposed to be way better than today's, so if you can just get through today . . .

Yeah, probably Trump's fault. :-) Sorry you can't be in your Man-Cave today.

Hope you get a look at that poem up there at some point, especially now that you're a regular poetry reader.

After a lot of years of performing, it was Madame MBH's (walklover's) first hosting gig on Sunday at the City Winery here in Chicago. The program featured bluegrass music by the Bacon Sisters and seven excellent storytellers (very diverse group!) As it turns out, she's a natural.





Smooth, comfortable and charming. This won't be the last time.

Good morning, Joe. Ah, poetry. I dabbled a bit back in the day, even wrote a handful of Star Wars fan fiction poems. Maybe, I'll share one soon. Most of my poetry was unrequited love poems in free verse from my high school and college days. The Star Wars stuff is more recent.

That said, my favorite poem remains 'Up Hill' by Christina Rossetti.

Have an awesome day!

Hey Joe >200 jnwelch: looks and sounds like a great night. Wish I had one of those HP portal thingys to attend all the fun book events. Although I suppose then the difficulty would be getting tickets?!

>201 brodiew2: Good morning, Brodie.

Star Wars fan fiction poems - yes, please share one when it feels right. I actually went to the first Star Wars movie when it first came out in NYC. Like most people, I had no idea what it was about, but a friend invited me to tag along to see it. Blew me away, needless to say. Nothing had looked or sounded like that before.

"Up Hill" - nice pick. Makes me think a bit of Frost.

Hope you have an awesome day, too, buddy.

>202 charl08: Oh, I think you would've enjoyed it thoroughly, Charlotte. Really high quality. Portkeys? I think those are the portal thingeys. I know, I wish we had them, too. We'd help you get tickets. :-) I'd like to portkey to Hay-on-Wye some day.

>179 jnwelch: Love that one, Joe!

>192 luvamystery65: You're most welcome, Ro!

Afternoon, Joe! We are finally getting a bit of rain, which has brought with it some cooler air. Thank you, merciful heavens! Ha!

>204 Crazymamie: Thank you, Mamie, re >179 jnwelch:. It means a lot when the poems work.

Afternoon! I'll bet you could use some cooler air. I envy you when we're knee deep in snow, but I'd have a tough time with some of your steamier days. Is the pool in use yet?

>158 jnwelch: looks like a gem. And I love the cover design too, which helps.

>178 jnwelch: marvellous! What wondful words :)

Hi, Megan.

Dodgers is a gem. I agree about the cover. Someone had a good eye and connection with the book.

Glad you liked "Jesus Today". As Madame MBH knows, getting the rhythm to fit the words, or vice versa, for part of that one was a challenge. The last four lines showed up right away.

>205 jnwelch: Yep. The pool's been open for months!

That's how I'd be staying cool!

Right - but Daniel can't get it in right now, so I feel like it would be mean.

>210 Crazymamie: Oh, right. Too bad. They should come up with a watertight cover for the cast.

He doesn't have a cast yet - just a splint. They are waiting for his surgery incision to heal before they cast it. Abby broke her arm a few years back, and she was able to get a waterproof cast, which was awesome.

>212 Crazymamie: Gotcha. Here's hoping Daniel ends up with something that lets him use the pool.

A beautiful poem @179. You have a big gift Joe. A very touching poem.

Love your poem at >179 jnwelch:, Joe. My thoughts keep coming back to the tragedy in Orlando and how terribly sad it is that people were attacked in their "safe" place. LT is my safe place and thank heaven the only bullets around here are book bullets. How many of these mass killings have to happen before the gun laws are changed?

>179 jnwelch: I am still just a novice, when it comes to poetry, Joe, but I like Jesus Today, my friend. Have you ever tried to publish any of your work?

>200 jnwelch: Great photos of Debbi. She looks lovely.

Morning, Joe! Love the MBH photos!

Morning, Joe!

>214 vancouverdeb: Many thanks, Deb. Felt like one we could all use right now.

I appreciate the encouraging words. It's good timing, too - I'm planning to free up my schedule more after the turn of the year, and this is one thing I hope to devote more time to.

>215 DeltaQueen50: Oh good, Judy, thanks. I'm glad you love the poem. Can we successfully battle hatred with kindness? I hope so.

I agree - the Orlando victims were in their safe place, having a good time, and that makes it even sadder.

As you may have seen by now, the Democrats did a filibuster, and supposedly there will be a vote on reinstituting the assault gun ban (that idiotic George W let lapse in 2005) and banning those on the no-fly list from owning guns. That at least would be a starting place. Recent experience counsels pessimism, though. We'll see.

>216 msf59: Thanks, Mark! I'm glad you liked Jesus Today.

Yeah, when I was a lad I had a few published. "The Art of Writing" up in >3 jnwelch: was one of them. Paul made me think of another one that features a crow, so you'll probably be seeing that soon.

Madame MBH is getting on me (has been for a while, actually) to send more out for potential publication. So, we'll see. It's been very encouraging to post some here and have people react favorably.

For a lot of years, my main focus was making sure the family was okay. Right? Now they all seem to be doing just swell without much input from me, so my perspective is changing.

Thank you re the photos of Debbi in >216 msf59:. She's a lovely lady. She reads this thread, but I'll be sure to mention your reaction to her just in case.

I wish you had seen her host. So good.

>217 scaifea: Morning Amber! Oh good, thanks re the MBH photos. She's a special one, and I'm a lucky guy.

>218 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! Hope you and Daniel and the rest of the Paradisio clan are doing well today.

My wife and daughter love Nutella. Here are some Nutella cupcakes to start or continue your day.

Hi Joe - I think I saw on Mark's thread that you are reading The Lie Tree - is that the winner of the Costa award? I haven't heard of anyone who has read it...and my library doesn't even have a copy! So I'm eager to hear what you think.

>223 vivians: Hi, Vivian. Nice to see you.

Yes, The Lie Tree is the Costa award winner. I haven't heard of anyone reading it either. I liked the last Costa winner I read a lot - The Shock of the Fall. So far so good, but I'm at the very beginning. I'll keep you posted.

Hi, Joe. I've caught up with you again today but am off in a minute to another "meeting". The nice thing is that all these "meetings" are right here in Silver Glen which means I can go to lots of meetings and not waste timing driving all over "Kingdom Come".

Random thought: I wish I knew from where that expression, "Kingdom Come" came?

I'm doing a bit better with reading by just picking up what floats my boat at the time.... I'm listening to A Man Called Ove and reading Cry Wolf. Both are entertaining which seems to be what I need these days.

Sweet Thursday, Joe! Sorry, I missed you over on my thread. You can be stealthy at times, my friend.

I love the fact you have been published. That is the big time, sir! Take MBH's advice and consider submitting more.

I have the day off and hope to spend the afternoon, huddled up with the books.

>225 maggie1944: Hi, Karen. You may have seen in my exchanges with Ellen, I'm not very tolerant of meetings in general. Sometimes useful, mostly boring, from my POV - even when I lead them! :-) I'm glad at least you don't have to drive all over the place.

I couldn't resist looking, and "Kingdom Come" comes from, "Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done" in the Lord's Prayer. How it came to be used like this (e.g. driving all over tarnation), I don't know. Maybe someone else can fill in the blank on that one.

I applaud your reading strategy. Entertaining and floating your boat - that sounds good to me. I'm very much a mood reader. I've seen nothing but good things about A Man Called Ove, and I had a lot of fun with Cry Wolf, and others in Patricia Briggs' Alpha/Omega series.

>226 msf59: Sweet Thursday, buddy. Nice out but overcast where I am.

A stealth poster! I like that. I'll have to come over and see how I stealthified at your place.

Thanks re the being published. I've learned that it's almost always a good idea to take Madame MBH's advice, so at some point I'll get on it with submitting new ones. It may be after the turn of the year, when my schedule will get easier, but we'll see.

Good day to have off! Enjoy!

It is time for the summer American Library Association Conference. It is going to be held in Orlando, FL from June 24 - 27, 2016. Once again the LibraryThing gods are giving people free passes to the exhibits. Here is the link.

https://www.compusystems.com/servlet/ar?evt_uid=133&oi=ZUA4vg3DqUrHoIiGjo9vo...

Just go there and fill out the registration form and print your free pass. The free pass will allow you to collect free, or low cost, books from the publishers. Please take advantage of this offer. It is well worth the time and effort to go to the convention center and get free books. Not only can you get free books, you might get to meet great LT people. That is how I met, Mark and Joe - at the ALA winter conference several years ago. Joe can attest to the fact that it is easy and simple to register and the result is well worth the effort. Caro, Suzanne, and Marianne, can also vouch for the numbers of books that you can get if you take advantage of the free passes.

>225 maggie1944: well, silly, it's a Christian thing. Lord's prayer. means, you know, till heaven comes or forever or endlessly--like that. first appeared 17th century or thereabouts.

hello, dear Joe. in re: Children of Paradise and Mme MBH (from Mamie's thread). i am relieved to know she had at one time a small flaw. i was beginning to wonder . . . made me chuckle.

hope Friday is good to you.

Thanks, Ellie. It seems to be used to refer to going all over the land.... Until Kingdom Come. Which I guess suggests a very long time, but these days maybe not ..... What do you think?

Just out found ReejecttIIon - a number two Daniel Clausen is one of the authors is going for free on amazon kindle for next few days ... you might want to grab it or others on here ....

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CF3MK4I/ref=cm_sw_su_dp

Morning, Joe! I'm with MBH - get crackin' and send those poems out into the world, mister!

Morning, Joe!

>229 benitastrnad: Wish we could join you at the Orlando ALA conference. I can indeed attest that registration is simple and that going is a blast. Lots of free books, and author signings. So good of you, Benita, to help coordinate this. It's one of our favorite events.

>230 mirrordrum: Hi, Ellie. Drive all over Kingdom Come - kind of a kooky combination, but it's not the first and won't be the last. I realized tarnation (drive all over tarnation) is from "damnation", so I think we've got the full spectrum covered.

Ha! Yes, Madame MBH may perhaps have a minor flaw or two. She's very funny about Children of Paradise. It also was showing that night at a cheap theater (no longer with us) that had the most broken, uncomfortable seats in town. She decided it was some kind of test of the strength of our relationship. :-)

Friday is good so far. I have a doctor visit later this morning, and then I plan to head into work for a half day. Hope you're having a good one.

Morning, Joe!

>231 maggie1944: Ha! The apocalypse and Kingdom Come may be upon us, Karen. So many good and bad things happening at the same time. I envision showing up at the pearly gates and St. Peter saying, oh, you need to go over there. And over there is a gate with a sign: "Other". Hope Other has a good library.

>232 roundballnz: Whoa, I'll circle back and pick that up, Alex. Some Daniel Clausen for free. Hard to argue with that. I was just thinking about him. Thanks for the tip.

ETA: Ah, I'm not signed up for Kindle Unlimited. I may have to pay for an old-fashioned hard copy.

>233 scaifea: Ha! I appreciate the thought, Amber, and I'm sure Madame MBH appreciates the support. I'm working on it. Posting them here is helping me get a bit more organized, too.

>234 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! I was just over visiting at your place. Another most excellent day at the Pecan Paradisio, I imagine.

>236 Thebookdiva: Morning, Abby! Nice to have you stop by. Hope you're setting up for a good weekend.

Os Gemeos

>237 jnwelch: There couldn't be a heaven without a library of hellish proportions! The mush-minded morons who propose to be islamic martyrs do so on the basis of a supposed promise of 99 virgins. Setting aside the crassness of the theory I reckon that would be far too much like hard work; I'll curl up in my little corner of infinity with Dylan Thomas, Ted Hughes, TS Eliot and Somerset Maugham by my side.

Have a great weekend, buddy.

>240 PaulCranswick: Ha! I'll have to visit your little corner of infinity, Paul. I'd gladly spend time with those folks. I'm not a big Maugham fan, but my mother was, so I'd escort her over, too.

I figured I wasn't going to get into the celestial library unless I had read Moby Dick, so I finally did that. Hopefully there aren't any other difficult requirements.

Hope you have a great weekend, too, mate.

Ooh, a Library of Hellish Proportions! Sounds like a great place to visit...

Morning Joe! Happy Friday! I am enjoying all the sunshine out here, plus there is a decent breeze.

Hope your day goes smoothly.

>200 jnwelch: Wonderful! Thank you for posting the photos. That was a really, really special evening for Debbi (and for you), I know.

>239 jnwelch: and other posts along the way. Sometimes I wonder where you find the art you find to post. Do you google? What do you google?
I'm not really asking, just sharing out loud my internal thoughts. I almost always love the images you post and they are so outside my own realm of awareness. (This is a good thing.)

Wishing you a wonderful Friday and an even more wonderful weekend!

>241 jnwelch: I figured I wasn't going to get into the celestial library unless I had read Moby Dick, so I finally did that. That's my project for 2017. I'll start the year out with it and get er done like War and Peace. ;-)

>241 jnwelch: >244 luvamystery65: Mine, for this year, is The Count. I'm still trying to determine if I push it next year and finish my first year as a 75er with a higher book count. :-)

cheerio, Joe. a celestial library is the very first notion of an afterlife that actually appeals. i also wouldn't sneer at an ocean in the background.

sorry 'bout the doc appt. hope all's well and you can just sliiiiide on in to the weekend.

>242 msf59: Hiya, Mark!

Ha! Only we LTers and other bibliophiles would think that particular "hellish" is a wonderful thing.

I just arrived at work after a dr. appointment and enjoying this beautiful weather. Hope it's a smooth day for you.

>243 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen. You're welcome re >200 jnwelch:. You would've loved it. Great group of storytellers, excellent bluegrass, and Debbi was in her element.

The street art: mainly I find it via Pinterest, which turns out to be a cool way for folks with similar artistic interests to connect up. I do sometimes "Bing" a particular artist (I like the Bing image search better than Google's), like Hebru Brantley or Os Gemeos or Alice Pasquini. I'm glad everyone is enjoying the street art - I almost stopped posting them, and then Darryl in particular urged me to continue.

I know, one of the things I like on LT is people bringing us things out of my realm of awareness.

It's been a good Friday so far, and I'm looking forward to the weekend. I hope you're setting up for a good one.

>244 luvamystery65: Yeah, Roberta, some of these whoppers, like Moby Dick and War and Peace, you just have to take on and get er done.

I'm planning to do the same with Infinite Jest either late this year or early next year.

>245 brodiew2: I hope you have as much fun with The Count as I did, Brodie, when you get to it. For me, it and The Three Musketeers were much easier than Moby Dick and War and Peace. The stories just pulled me along. Some day I want to read a Dumas biography, as he seems like quite the interesting guy.

>246 mirrordrum: Doesn't a celestial library sound like a good place to end up in the afterlife, Ellie? It makes me think of Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives, a really good collection of very short stories in which Eagleman imagines all sorts of possible afterlives. Terrific book, and a good one for gift-giving to readers. (A hit in my extended family).

Having the celestial library on an ocean sounds good to me. I wonder who we see about getting this done?

Thanks re the dr. appointment. I'm setting up for a procedure where they're going to explore my esophagus and maybe dilate it. All is well, I just have to see about a bazillion doctors to make it all happen. I've already seen a half a bazillion, so I'm getting close.

Otherwise, the weekend looks most excellent, including being taken out to brunch tomorrow by the parents of a young lady we happily put up at our place for a couple of weeks while she was apartment hunting. (Friend of son Jesse's, and a sweetheart).

Hope you and JB have a great weekend. So nice to have you stopping by regularly again!

OK, the new cafe is open. See you there!