Joe's Book Cafe 2016 Door 14
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Talk 75 Books Challenge for 2016
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2jnwelch
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.
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.
3jnwelch
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.
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.
4jnwelch
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
74. Application for Release from the Dream by Tony Hoagland
75. Waterloo: The History of Four Days by Bernard Cornwell
76. The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge
77. Silence in the Snowy Fields by Robert Bly
78. The Rook by Daniel O'Malley
79. An Infamous Army by Georgette Heyer
80. The Well Speaks of Its Own Poison by Maggie Smith
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
37. Wonder Woman: Earth One by Grant Morrison
38. The Planetary Omnibus by Warren Ellis
39. Princess Black by Shannon Hale
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
74. Application for Release from the Dream by Tony Hoagland
75. Waterloo: The History of Four Days by Bernard Cornwell
76. The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge
77. Silence in the Snowy Fields by Robert Bly
78. The Rook by Daniel O'Malley
79. An Infamous Army by Georgette Heyer
80. The Well Speaks of Its Own Poison by Maggie Smith
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
37. Wonder Woman: Earth One by Grant Morrison
38. The Planetary Omnibus by Warren Ellis
39. Princess Black by Shannon Hale
5jnwelch
Joe's Top Reads for 2015
Fiction
Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
Non-fiction
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
Graphic Novels
Sandman Overture by Neil Gaiman
Mystery
Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
Science Fiction/Fantasy
Ancillary series by Ann Leckie
Top 5 First Quarter of 2016
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Tokyo Decadence by Ryu Murakami (finally available in the U.S.)
Evicted by Matthew Desmond
Pax by Sara Pennypacker
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Top 5 Second Quarter 2016
A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin
The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanthi
Without: Poems by Donald Hall
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
Top graphic novels so far in '16:
Super Mutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki
The Sleeper Omnibus by Ed Brubaker
The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks
Fiction
Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
Non-fiction
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
Graphic Novels
Sandman Overture by Neil Gaiman
Mystery
Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
Science Fiction/Fantasy
Ancillary series by Ann Leckie
Top 5 First Quarter of 2016
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Tokyo Decadence by Ryu Murakami (finally available in the U.S.)
Evicted by Matthew Desmond
Pax by Sara Pennypacker
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Top 5 Second Quarter 2016
A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin
The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanthi
Without: Poems by Donald Hall
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
Top graphic novels so far in '16:
Super Mutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki
The Sleeper Omnibus by Ed Brubaker
The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks
6mirrordrum
it's a first: i'm first. happy new thread, ducky. thanks for being glad i'm back. :-)
eeta: i'm still puzzling about the threat in >3 jnwelch: The Art of Writing.
eeta: i'm still puzzling about the threat in >3 jnwelch: The Art of Writing.
7luvamystery65
Howdy Joe! I'll be interested in joining you for Infinite Jest if I'm able.
8jnwelch
>5 jnwelch: Woo-hoo, way to go, Ellie! For being the first, you get a free pass to the Hogwarts Library.
I sure am glad you're back, my friend.
I sure am glad you're back, my friend.
9jnwelch
>7 luvamystery65: Howdy Roberta! It would be great to have you in the support group for Infinite Jest. It's one of those that, for me anyway, would be hard to do alone (or to get myself to do alone), but kind of fun to do in a group.
11jnwelch
>10 brodiew2: Thanks, Brodie! Aren't the little people cool? The first one was the first one I saw of hers, and made me want to find out more. I like that 4th one, too. Pretty funny to have them examining what's on the shelf as if it's a museum piece.
12Smiler69
Happy New Thread, Joe! I had that first Elizabeth Price sculpture you posted at the top in my 'Reading Love' Pinterest collection, but didn't have the name of the artist, so thanks for finding that out. Her little people are really charming.
13jnwelch
>12 Smiler69: Thanks, Ilana!
Yes, that's how I first found her, via Pinterest. Turns out she shows at galleries in the London area, so we may try to see some in person this fall. Her website is here: http://www.elizabethprice.talktalk.net/ Her little people are really charming, aren't they.
Yes, that's how I first found her, via Pinterest. Turns out she shows at galleries in the London area, so we may try to see some in person this fall. Her website is here: http://www.elizabethprice.talktalk.net/ Her little people are really charming, aren't they.
14EBT1002
I LOVE those sculptures. I want one (or two or three)!!! Elizabeth Price. Duly noted.
Happy New Thread, Joe!
Happy New Thread, Joe!
15EBT1002
I can't resist adding one to the cafe (and I may cheat and use her for my next thread topper, along with an Alaska image, of course -- and with your permission):
16jnwelch
>14 EBT1002:, >15 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen. Ha! You and me both. I love that one in >15 EBT1002:, too. No need for any permission from me - have fun. :-)
17SuziQoregon
Oh those sculptures in the topper photos are delightful!
18laytonwoman3rd
Love the sculptures. AND the poetry. You are fine man to share these things with us so freely. Thank you. Now where's the food?
19vancouverdeb
Oh I love the sculptures Joe! Just so darling!
20msf59
Happy New Thread, Joe! Love the sculpture toppers! How very cool.
Are you working on a review of Jane Steele? Can't wait to hear what you think. I would be shocked if you were disappointed.
Are you working on a review of Jane Steele? Can't wait to hear what you think. I would be shocked if you were disappointed.
21Crazymamie
Happy new one, Joe! Those sculptures are charming!
22benitastrnad
I forgot to tell people who might be interested in registering for the free passes to the ALA conference that they should use Librarything as the name of the company. Also the promotional code is V515. I think that if you put that code in you may not have to fill out all the required fields in the registration form.
Also if there is going to be more than one of you, you will need to fill out a form for the members of your family who are going. Kids included.
Publishers love to get real live kids on the floor to talk to authors and participate in the author signings. So if you have kids bring 'em. They are very welcome.
I will be spending some time in the exhibits on Saturday, but this is a working conference for me and I will have to attend some meetings. That is a good thing as I would get far to many books if I weren't locked into meetings.
Also if there is going to be more than one of you, you will need to fill out a form for the members of your family who are going. Kids included.
Publishers love to get real live kids on the floor to talk to authors and participate in the author signings. So if you have kids bring 'em. They are very welcome.
I will be spending some time in the exhibits on Saturday, but this is a working conference for me and I will have to attend some meetings. That is a good thing as I would get far to many books if I weren't locked into meetings.
23katiekrug
Happy new thread, Joe! I've gotten behind on the threads, but am caught up with you now :)
Thanks for sharing your poetry, and for sharing Debbi's talents, as well! I would love to just spend an afternoon with the two of you :)
Thanks for sharing your poetry, and for sharing Debbi's talents, as well! I would love to just spend an afternoon with the two of you :)
25Familyhistorian
Happy new thread, Joe. I love how expressive those little people are!
28charl08
Very pleased you are featuring an artist from Lancashire (Oldham) this month Joe. I'd not seen her work before but it's rather wonderful. Love the book ones.
29PaulCranswick
Happy new thread, my talented buddy.
I will be in Oldham in the second week of July as there are a couple of mills there I want to have a look at to see if they are capable of renovation.
I will be in Oldham in the second week of July as there are a couple of mills there I want to have a look at to see if they are capable of renovation.
30jnwelch
>17 SuziQoregon: Ah, good, Juli. Aren't they?
>18 laytonwoman3rd: Ha! Thanks, Linda. My pleasure. It's fun for me to have folks who enjoy them.
Yeah, where the heck's the food?
>18 laytonwoman3rd: Ha! Thanks, Linda. My pleasure. It's fun for me to have folks who enjoy them.
Yeah, where the heck's the food?
31jnwelch
>19 vancouverdeb: Glad you like the sculptures, Deb. Aren't they? They've each got their own personality.
>20 msf59: Thanks, Mark!
I wasn't planning on reviewing Jane Steele, but I can make a couple of comments. I did enjoy it; it was a fun read. The "Reader, I murdered him" premise was a clever one. I wouldn't have minded a little extra zing in it, that adds to our thinking about Jane Eyre, like Longbourn did with Pride and Prejudice. As you, I'm pretty sure, and others have said, it's more Dickens than Bronte. I had a good time with it.
>20 msf59: Thanks, Mark!
I wasn't planning on reviewing Jane Steele, but I can make a couple of comments. I did enjoy it; it was a fun read. The "Reader, I murdered him" premise was a clever one. I wouldn't have minded a little extra zing in it, that adds to our thinking about Jane Eyre, like Longbourn did with Pride and Prejudice. As you, I'm pretty sure, and others have said, it's more Dickens than Bronte. I had a good time with it.
32jnwelch
>21 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie!
>22 benitastrnad: Good additional info, Benita, thanks. My sympathy on being locked into meetings for part of the ALA conference.
>23 katiekrug: Hi, Katie! Sounded like you had a great trip. Thanks for the kind comments about Madame MBH and me. I'm sure some time in the future we'll all be able to meet up and spend some time together, and I look forward to that, too.
>22 benitastrnad: Good additional info, Benita, thanks. My sympathy on being locked into meetings for part of the ALA conference.
>23 katiekrug: Hi, Katie! Sounded like you had a great trip. Thanks for the kind comments about Madame MBH and me. I'm sure some time in the future we'll all be able to meet up and spend some time together, and I look forward to that, too.
33jnwelch
>24 ronincats: Ha! Thanks, Roni. You can probably appreciate the difficulty of creating those ceramic sculptures better than most of us. How she manages to infuse them with personality like that is beyond me.
>25 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg! Exactly. They're so expressive. Madame MBH and I would love to own one.
>26 LovingLit: Thanks, Megan! This has been very interesting for me. I haven't shared any poetry in a long time. Job, kids, bills, all that good stuff. I'm glad you're enjoying them!
>25 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg! Exactly. They're so expressive. Madame MBH and I would love to own one.
>26 LovingLit: Thanks, Megan! This has been very interesting for me. I haven't shared any poetry in a long time. Job, kids, bills, all that good stuff. I'm glad you're enjoying them!
34Crazymamie
Morning, Joe!
35jnwelch
>27 DianaNL: Thank you, Diana. It's a happy feeling to hear you love the poems. I'm not good at telling how people will react, so you and others are encouraging.
>28 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. It is rather wonderful work, isn't it? Forgive my geographic ignorance. Is Lancashire/Oldham near to you? I would love to see her work in person some day.
>29 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Ah, you'll be in Oldham in July. Does Ms. Price's work intrigue you at all? Is Oldham an attractive area? Looks like it's about 3 hours from London. How the heck do you determine whether the mills are capable of renovation?
I was going to say it's too early for so many questions, but maybe with the time difference you can handle it.
>28 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. It is rather wonderful work, isn't it? Forgive my geographic ignorance. Is Lancashire/Oldham near to you? I would love to see her work in person some day.
>29 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Ah, you'll be in Oldham in July. Does Ms. Price's work intrigue you at all? Is Oldham an attractive area? Looks like it's about 3 hours from London. How the heck do you determine whether the mills are capable of renovation?
I was going to say it's too early for so many questions, but maybe with the time difference you can handle it.
36jnwelch
>34 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie!
Saturday morning is one of my favorite times of the week. Sunday morning is right up there, too.
Saturday morning is one of my favorite times of the week. Sunday morning is right up there, too.
39jnwelch
>37 scaifea: Thanks, Amber! I'm glad you're enjoying the sculptures. Ceramic - how does she do it?
40scaifea
>39 jnwelch: That is pretty impressive, I have to say.
41maggie1944
Good Saturday morning. One of my favorite days of the week, with morning being the very best part. Reminds me of being a kid, sitting on the sofa, watching Saturday morning cartoons.
42jnwelch
>40 scaifea: :-)
>41 maggie1944: Good Saturday morning, Karen. I'm with you - love Saturday mornings, and I loved watching Saturday morning cartoons, too. Our one tv was in our basement, which had a rugged indoor/outdoor carpet, so I'd often be dribbling a basketball while watching, unless one of my sisters was there.
>41 maggie1944: Good Saturday morning, Karen. I'm with you - love Saturday mornings, and I loved watching Saturday morning cartoons, too. Our one tv was in our basement, which had a rugged indoor/outdoor carpet, so I'd often be dribbling a basketball while watching, unless one of my sisters was there.
43GeezLouise
Happy new thread Joe and have a wonderful weekend.
44FAMeulstee
Happy new thread, Joe, lovely toppers, as usual. But the one Ellen posted (>15 EBT1002:) is the winner ;-)
45msf59
Happy Saturday, Joe! It is warming up quickly out here.
Thanks, for your thoughts on Jane Steele. I think I liked it a bit more than you but Iam glad you still had a good time with it. I didn't review it either. I have been slacking off a bit. It can be a tough pace.
Have a great day!
Thanks, for your thoughts on Jane Steele. I think I liked it a bit more than you but Iam glad you still had a good time with it. I didn't review it either. I have been slacking off a bit. It can be a tough pace.
Have a great day!
47jnwelch
>43 GeezLouise: Thanks, Rae. Nice to see you here. Hope you have a wonderful weekend, too.
>44 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. Glad you like the toppers - I love that one of Ellen's in >15 EBT1002:, too.
>44 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. Glad you like the toppers - I love that one of Ellen's in >15 EBT1002:, too.
48jnwelch
>45 msf59: Hiya, Mark!
Woo, you're right; it is warming up out there. I walked to the library and back, and it definitely went up some degrees for the way back. (I picked up Wonder Woman: Earth One and The Planetary Omnibus, so I'll keep you posted.
Ha! Yes, it can be a tough pace. I realized at some point I couldn't review them all. I do want to do more short reviews if possible.
Hope you have a great day, too, buddy.
>46 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara! I hope you have a fabulous and relaxing weekend - what a week you had!
Woo, you're right; it is warming up out there. I walked to the library and back, and it definitely went up some degrees for the way back. (I picked up Wonder Woman: Earth One and The Planetary Omnibus, so I'll keep you posted.
Ha! Yes, it can be a tough pace. I realized at some point I couldn't review them all. I do want to do more short reviews if possible.
Hope you have a great day, too, buddy.
>46 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara! I hope you have a fabulous and relaxing weekend - what a week you had!
49Ameise1
>48 jnwelch: There are still four more weeks ahead the same way like I had. *sigh*
53DeltaQueen50
Happy new thread and Happy Satuday, Joe. Although I've been retired many years now, there is still a special, relaxing feeling about a Saturday. It's nice to see the kids home from school and playing out on the street.
54lkernagh
Hi Joe! Time for a bit of a thread catch up and continuing to enjoy all the great street art being posted. Love all the uptalk of Plainsong. That one is on my reading list for this year.
Two threads back, glad to see you survived the root canal, and yikes that they had to give you more anesthetic during the process! My one experience with root canal went rather smoothly, thankfully. I tend to suffer more from strained jaw syndrome after a lengthy dentist visit.
One thread back, love the Francoise Collandre images. Those would be lovely to own, even as mounted prints. I will pass on the cheese grits. I still need to figure out what 'grits' are. Love the book fair haul! Congrats on walklover's hosting duties! She does look a natural on stage with a mic at hand.
Happy new thread!
Two threads back, glad to see you survived the root canal, and yikes that they had to give you more anesthetic during the process! My one experience with root canal went rather smoothly, thankfully. I tend to suffer more from strained jaw syndrome after a lengthy dentist visit.
One thread back, love the Francoise Collandre images. Those would be lovely to own, even as mounted prints. I will pass on the cheese grits. I still need to figure out what 'grits' are. Love the book fair haul! Congrats on walklover's hosting duties! She does look a natural on stage with a mic at hand.
Happy new thread!
55benitastrnad
#48
I just ordered Wonder Woman: Earth One for the library.
I wanted to spend the day reading and instead I spent it knitting. My local knitting/yarn shop sponsored a "knit in public day" so I participated in that.
I just ordered Wonder Woman: Earth One for the library.
I wanted to spend the day reading and instead I spent it knitting. My local knitting/yarn shop sponsored a "knit in public day" so I participated in that.
56NarratorLady
>31 jnwelch: Wow! that must be your shortest review ever Joe! I enjoyed Jane Steele too and thought it had plenty of zing ... If the reader had some prior knowledge or interest in the Punjabi wars if that's what they were called. The storytelling was good and I like the character but I thought the Indian bits required more explanation.
57Ameise1
Happy Sunday, Joe. Here it's raining again. Since more than a month it's raining heavily here only each Friday the weather is fine.
58jnwelch
>53 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy.
I'm getting closer to retirement, so I'm glad to hear that Saturday still retains its Saturday-ness for you. :-)
>54 lkernagh: Thanks for all the nice comments, Lori. Wow, you really did catch up. I'm glad you enjoyed the Francoise Collandre artwork. Yes, do try Plainsong. :-) You knew I'd say that, right?
I'm getting closer to retirement, so I'm glad to hear that Saturday still retains its Saturday-ness for you. :-)
>54 lkernagh: Thanks for all the nice comments, Lori. Wow, you really did catch up. I'm glad you enjoyed the Francoise Collandre artwork. Yes, do try Plainsong. :-) You knew I'd say that, right?
59jnwelch
>55 benitastrnad: Oh good, Benita. I like what they're doing with the Wonder Woman character, and I just picked up Wonder Woman Earth One yesterday from the library meself.
I suspect a day knitting with kindred spirits was relaxing. Have a good Sunday.
>56 NarratorLady: Ha! Hi, Anne.
I don't know, I've had some pretty short reviews, haven't I? I did enjoy Jane Steele. It's probably not fair to judge it by not having something, rather than by what it had. I'm glad you had such a good time with it.
I suspect a day knitting with kindred spirits was relaxing. Have a good Sunday.
>56 NarratorLady: Ha! Hi, Anne.
I don't know, I've had some pretty short reviews, haven't I? I did enjoy Jane Steele. It's probably not fair to judge it by not having something, rather than by what it had. I'm glad you had such a good time with it.
60jnwelch
>57 Ameise1: Ha! Thanks, Barbara. Nice planning to have the fine weather every Friday. I actually enjoy rainy days, but that's sure a lot of them. Hope it gives you a break soon. We're clear and sunny here.
63PaulCranswick
Happy Father's Day buddy.
65Donna828
I am glad to see more Joe Poems posted. I love the thoughtfulness expressed in both of them. They will give me something to think about on the long drive from Denver back to Missouri tomorrow.
I am also a fan of the sculptures. I am thinking of a more artful arrangement of the bookshelves in my Snuggery. Some of my Native American sculptures would look great in there. But first I have to read more of my own books to make room for them. I'll get on that as soon as I get home.
I am also a fan of the sculptures. I am thinking of a more artful arrangement of the bookshelves in my Snuggery. Some of my Native American sculptures would look great in there. But first I have to read more of my own books to make room for them. I'll get on that as soon as I get home.
66Familyhistorian
Hope you are having a great Sunday/Father's Day, Joe!
67Smiler69
Also hope you've had a wonderful day, Joe. I'm with you on Jane Steele: fun but not mind-blowing by any means.
69Crazymamie
Morning, Joe!
70jnwelch
>62 msf59: Thanks, Mark. Hope you had a good Father's Day. We had a great time, including Debbi reading me some more chapters of On the Banks of Plum Creek. What a different type of life they led.
>63 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Hope you had a good one - I'll bet you did.
>64 scaifea:, >68 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. You can tell I was busy goofing off yesterday. Is this the first day of summer? It's about time. I can't believe a lot of kids are still in school, in our area anyway. Seems like summer arrived a while ago to me.
>63 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Hope you had a good one - I'll bet you did.
>64 scaifea:, >68 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. You can tell I was busy goofing off yesterday. Is this the first day of summer? It's about time. I can't believe a lot of kids are still in school, in our area anyway. Seems like summer arrived a while ago to me.
71jnwelch
>65 Donna828: Very nice to hear re the poems, Donna, thanks. I saw that your visit ended - I'm sure you'll miss your family in Denver. I got waylaid this weekend, but plan to dig out another Joe poem as the week goes on.
I'm glad you're a fan of the Elizabeth P. sculptures. Yeah, we have small sculptures (not hers, darn it) scattered on our bookshelves, too. That kind of thing used to drive RD crazy (he's a purist - no knickknacks), but we like the look.
>66 Familyhistorian: It was a great Sunday/Father's Day, Meg, thanks. Our daughter spent a good bit of time with us, and our son called from Pittsburgh. (We visit him there this weekend). Among other things, we stopped at Rotofugi, so we could find some appealing little weird characters.
I'm glad you're a fan of the Elizabeth P. sculptures. Yeah, we have small sculptures (not hers, darn it) scattered on our bookshelves, too. That kind of thing used to drive RD crazy (he's a purist - no knickknacks), but we like the look.
>66 Familyhistorian: It was a great Sunday/Father's Day, Meg, thanks. Our daughter spent a good bit of time with us, and our son called from Pittsburgh. (We visit him there this weekend). Among other things, we stopped at Rotofugi, so we could find some appealing little weird characters.
72jnwelch
>67 Smiler69: Thanks, Ilana. As so often happens, you and I are on the same book wavelength. Jane Steele was fun, but not mindblowing, for me either.
>69 Crazymamie: Good morning, Mamie! Happy first day of summer, as Amber says, and happy first day of the week whose name need not be mentioned.
>69 Crazymamie: Good morning, Mamie! Happy first day of summer, as Amber says, and happy first day of the week whose name need not be mentioned.
74charl08
I like this one too. Way up there you asked re Oldham - it's the same county as me, but the county is pretty big, so in travel terms not that close. (But probably nothing in US distance terms!)
75maggie1944
I love how the sculpture shows gestures so accurately without being large! That guy looks darn real, doesn't he?
Happy New Week!
Happy New Week!
76msf59
Morning Joe! I would not bother going out for lunch. Stay put. It is oppressive out here. Thankfully, I have a short week. Whew!
77jnwelch
>74 charl08: Ha! Thanks, Charlotte. It's true, we're used to big distances here, I guess. In the same county would probably be considered close here, even in a pretty big county.
Glad you like the new one by her. She obviously has an affinity for books.
>75 maggie1944: I love that, too, Karen. He does look so darn real. I can't imagine how she does it with ceramics, but it's really cool.
>76 msf59: Morning, Mark! You read my mind. Thanks. I'll take your advice and not go out at lunchtime today. It's supposed to be cooler tomorrow. I hope they're right about that.
I have a short(er) week, too, as we'll be heading to Pittsburgh on Friday to see son #1.
Glad you like the new one by her. She obviously has an affinity for books.
>75 maggie1944: I love that, too, Karen. He does look so darn real. I can't imagine how she does it with ceramics, but it's really cool.
>76 msf59: Morning, Mark! You read my mind. Thanks. I'll take your advice and not go out at lunchtime today. It's supposed to be cooler tomorrow. I hope they're right about that.
I have a short(er) week, too, as we'll be heading to Pittsburgh on Friday to see son #1.
78jnwelch
This poem by Maggie Smith (not the actor) came out just recently, and has been making the rounds. So some of you probably have seen it. I think it's terrific.
Good Bones
________________________________________
Life is short, though I keep this from my children.
Life is short, and I’ve shortened mine
in a thousand delicious, ill-advised ways,
a thousand deliciously ill-advised ways
I’ll keep from my children. The world is at least
fifty percent terrible, and that’s a conservative
estimate, though I keep this from my children.
For every bird there is a stone thrown at a bird.
For every loved child, a child broken, bagged,
sunk in a lake. Life is short and the world
is at least half terrible, and for every kind
stranger, there is one who would break you,
though I keep this from my children. I am trying
to sell them the world. Any decent realtor,
walking you through a real shithole, chirps on
about good bones: This place could be beautiful,
right? You could make this place beautiful.
Good Bones
________________________________________
Life is short, though I keep this from my children.
Life is short, and I’ve shortened mine
in a thousand delicious, ill-advised ways,
a thousand deliciously ill-advised ways
I’ll keep from my children. The world is at least
fifty percent terrible, and that’s a conservative
estimate, though I keep this from my children.
For every bird there is a stone thrown at a bird.
For every loved child, a child broken, bagged,
sunk in a lake. Life is short and the world
is at least half terrible, and for every kind
stranger, there is one who would break you,
though I keep this from my children. I am trying
to sell them the world. Any decent realtor,
walking you through a real shithole, chirps on
about good bones: This place could be beautiful,
right? You could make this place beautiful.
79maggie1944
Wow! That one really resonates with me. So much to choose from in the world.
81jnwelch
>79 maggie1944: Me, too, Karen. She puts it so beautifully.
>80 brodiew2: Good morning, Brodie. Thanks. Happy belated father's day to you, right? We'll brew up a fresh pot when you get back.
>80 brodiew2: Good morning, Brodie. Thanks. Happy belated father's day to you, right? We'll brew up a fresh pot when you get back.
82Smiler69
>78 jnwelch: Hadn't come across that poem before. Powerful stuff.
83katiekrug
>78 jnwelch: - I love the poem, Joe. Posted it on FB :) Thanks for sharing.
84jnwelch
>82 Smiler69: Agreed, Ilana. She nailed it.
>83 katiekrug: Good, Katie. My pleasure. FB is where I first saw it. I've already requested a book of her poetry.
>83 katiekrug: Good, Katie. My pleasure. FB is where I first saw it. I've already requested a book of her poetry.
88jnwelch
>85 DianaNL: Thanks, Diana! Happy Summer!
>86 scaifea: Yeah, I'm with you on the oof, Amber. And the good one.
Morning!
>87 Crazymamie: I'm glad, Mamie. That's one outstanding poem, and so on-target, IMO. I've already read it at least a dozen times, and it gets me every time.
>86 scaifea: Yeah, I'm with you on the oof, Amber. And the good one.
Morning!
>87 Crazymamie: I'm glad, Mamie. That's one outstanding poem, and so on-target, IMO. I've already read it at least a dozen times, and it gets me every time.
89msf59
>78 jnwelch: Thanks for sharing the poem, Joe! That one hits hard. I just finished the Nye collection, which I highly recommend. Deciding which one to start next...
Morning Joe! It is a beauty out here. The calm before the storm, as they say.
Morning Joe! It is a beauty out here. The calm before the storm, as they say.
90thornton37814
Stopping by to catch up a bit. I'm heading out for coffee in a bit. The hotel's was not very good this morning. I need to find a coffee shop offering free wifi around 11 anyway. That shouldn't be difficult to do. I'd rather do a local one that Starbucks. Lots of coffee here in the Pacific Northwest.
91jnwelch
>89 msf59: You're welcome, Mark. That poem does hit hard, doesn't it. And she's got it so right.
I've added the Nye collection to my Poetry WL. I really liked the new Tony Hoagland, so I hope you get a chance to check him out. My next one is going to be a re-read of a guy who was important to me when I was just starting with poetry, Robert Bly - his Silence in the Snowy Fields.
Yeah, I'll get back out in this beautiful weather soonish. Glad you've got a good one today.
>90 thornton37814: Hi, Lori. Nice to have you stop by.
Where in the Pacific Northwest are you right now? We sure found lots of good cafes in Seattle when we visited there.
I've added the Nye collection to my Poetry WL. I really liked the new Tony Hoagland, so I hope you get a chance to check him out. My next one is going to be a re-read of a guy who was important to me when I was just starting with poetry, Robert Bly - his Silence in the Snowy Fields.
Yeah, I'll get back out in this beautiful weather soonish. Glad you've got a good one today.
>90 thornton37814: Hi, Lori. Nice to have you stop by.
Where in the Pacific Northwest are you right now? We sure found lots of good cafes in Seattle when we visited there.
92brodiew2
Good morning, Joe. Smoke: A Novel was a bust for me. After 186 pages, I put it down. There are a few additional comments on my thread.
That said, I started A Test of Wills by Charles Todd, which is on my list of desired reads for the year. I hope this one will be better.
I hope all is well with you. :-)
That said, I started A Test of Wills by Charles Todd, which is on my list of desired reads for the year. I hope this one will be better.
I hope all is well with you. :-)
93jnwelch
>92 brodiew2: Ah, too bad re Smoke: A Novel, Brodie. Good for you for giving it a try. I'll check out your comments on your thread.
I know a lot of folks love the Charles Todd Inspector Rutledge books, so I hope you do, too, and look forward to your comments.
Yes, all is well on my end. I just finished Waterloo: The History of Four Days, and my review comes up next.
I know a lot of folks love the Charles Todd Inspector Rutledge books, so I hope you do, too, and look forward to your comments.
Yes, all is well on my end. I just finished Waterloo: The History of Four Days, and my review comes up next.
94jnwelch
I loved Waterloo: The History of Four Days, but its appeal is probably limited to those who are interested in (1) the battle at Waterloo; (2) the Napoleonic Wars; (3) war in the early 1800s; or (4) anything Cornwell writes. This is really well done - his only nonfiction book so far. It has the page-turning character of a novel.
The battle took place in fields just south of Brussels in June, 1815. Around 200,000 men (and at least one disguised woman) fought each other in a five mile square area. The Duke of Wellington squared off with the genius Napoleon, and Wellington became known as the Conqueror of the Conqueror of the World. However, it was a brutal battle, or really three battles, with around 50,000 dead or wounded by the end. Three battles: there was Wellington vs. the French and slow-to-act General Ney at nearby (and crucially located) Quatres Bras, the French successfully attacking the Prussian army at Ligny the next day, and then the battle of Waterloo with Wellington's Anglo-Dutch forces eventually being joined by the Prussians against the French.
Telling the story well had to take discipline and persistence. Wellington himself said: “The history of a battle is not unlike the history of a ball. Some individuals may recollect all the little events of which the great result is the battle won or lost; but no individual can recollect the order in which, or the exact moment at which, they occurred, which makes all the difference as to their value or importance.”
Cornwell does a superb job of telling that story. He has honed his storytelling skills in many historical novels, including the famous Sharpe series, and this is his first venture into nonfiction. He had told the story through Sharpe's eyes in Sharpe's Waterloo, but this is much more in-depth. He has drawn on a huge archive of letters and diaries written by soldiers from all three armies at the battles. Some of the most riveting material comes from those archives. For example, the perspective of a surviving Ensign recently graduated from Eton College:
"You perceived at a distance what appeared to be an overwhelming, long moving line, which, ever advancing, glittered like a stormy wave of the sea when it catches the sunlight. On came the mounted host until they got near enough, whilst the very earth seemed to vibrate beneath their thundering tramp. One might suppose that nothing could resist the shock of this terrible moving mass. They were the famous cuirassiers . . . "
Part of why the Waterloo battles are so famous is that the outcome was very much in doubt throughout. Cornwell aptly points out many "what if"s - what if a Dutchman, Major-General Rebecque, hadn't recognized the strategic significance of Quartres-Bras, and disobeyed orders in order to protect it? What if French General Ney hadn't inexplicably waited so long to attack Quartres-Bras (probably due to wariness of Wellington's strategic reputation), allowing reinforcements to arrive? There are many of these moments described by Cornwell which could have turned the tide the other way. Napoleon's often brilliant strategy is explained, but it was subject to the vagaries of battle and at times erroneous execution by his staff in chaotic circumstances. We also get to see the bravery and clear-headedness of many, especially those who eventually turned the battle into the allies favor.
The devastating loss of lives and the awful injuries are unstintingly portrayed, with Wellington professing his hope that he would never go to war again. This is a page-turning account of the famous battle, and a great place to start in understanding it.
95weird_O
Back from Father's Day in Beantown. Visit to the Boston MFA, loaf on Deer Island watching the airliners land, good seafood and Italian pastries and ice cream too. Completed The Shipping News and commenced to begin The Big Rock Candy Mountain.
Gotta get social and get some reports completed and posted.
Nice sculptures sprinkled through the thread, Joe
Gotta get social and get some reports completed and posted.
Nice sculptures sprinkled through the thread, Joe
96maggie1944
>94 jnwelch:, oh my goodness: I need to conjure up the self discipline to read this book. It sounds just like the histories I have loved in the past. Thank you for such a thorough review of your reading it.
97SuziQoregon
>78 jnwelch: Love that poem.
98jnwelch
>95 weird_O: Good to have you back, Bill. I've always liked the Boston MFA, and haven't been back in ages. Wonderful seafood and Italian pastries in that town, and I'm sure ice cream, too. Happy Belated Father's Day!
I'll come by and see how you liked The Shipping News. I thought it was a standout when I read it back in the day.
Glad you're liking the sculptures. I'd love to know what she likes to read, among other things.
>96 maggie1944: Ha! I'm glad Waterloo: A History of Four Days sounds good to you, Karen. It's just the kind of history I love, too. You're welcome - I didn't expect to do quite such a thorough review, but I got caught up in it.
>97 SuziQoregon: Thanks, Juli. That poem surprised me - so good. I love it, too. I'm going to find more by Maggie Smith, starting with The Well Speaks of Its Own Poison.
I'll come by and see how you liked The Shipping News. I thought it was a standout when I read it back in the day.
Glad you're liking the sculptures. I'd love to know what she likes to read, among other things.
>96 maggie1944: Ha! I'm glad Waterloo: A History of Four Days sounds good to you, Karen. It's just the kind of history I love, too. You're welcome - I didn't expect to do quite such a thorough review, but I got caught up in it.
>97 SuziQoregon: Thanks, Juli. That poem surprised me - so good. I love it, too. I'm going to find more by Maggie Smith, starting with The Well Speaks of Its Own Poison.
99Berly
All caught up again at the Cafe. Feeling kinda hungry though--where's all the food? ; ) Love the ceramic figures--all of them!! And I especially like your Jesus Today poem. Happy Tuesday!
101jnwelch
>99 Berly: Thanks, Kim. Glad you like the ceramic figures and the Jesus Today poem.
You've got a good point. Where is the food? What should we be having? It's a warm one here, so let's start with some fruit salad (oh, my health-monitoring wife would be so happy with me).
>100 mirrordrum: Hiya, Ellie.
>78 jnwelch: = oof x 3
Ha! LOVE that Holt/Haruf cartoon. Thanks for finding it and posting it. Oh, I wish he was still with us. I'm so glad Plainsong knocked your socks off.
You've got a good point. Where is the food? What should we be having? It's a warm one here, so let's start with some fruit salad (oh, my health-monitoring wife would be so happy with me).
>100 mirrordrum: Hiya, Ellie.
>78 jnwelch: = oof x 3
Ha! LOVE that Holt/Haruf cartoon. Thanks for finding it and posting it. Oh, I wish he was still with us. I'm so glad Plainsong knocked your socks off.
102brodiew2
>100 mirrordrum: Nice. I'd like to see that literary map!
103benitastrnad
#67
Fun but not mind-blowing novels. I felt much the same about the Girl in the Steel Corset novels by Kady Cross. They were so much fun, for steampunk, but not great literature. Sometimes you just gotta read something fun.
Fun but not mind-blowing novels. I felt much the same about the Girl in the Steel Corset novels by Kady Cross. They were so much fun, for steampunk, but not great literature. Sometimes you just gotta read something fun.
104benitastrnad
Loved the fruit salad. My neighbor is getting ready to go off on her summer vacation and she brought over fresh picked blueberries for me and permission to pick as many as I want while she is gone. I can see that there will be lots of blueberry smoothies in my future.
105benitastrnad
I started a new science fiction series last night - new to me. The author is Elizabeth Bear and the series is the Jenny Casey series. I haven't read anything by this Canadian author and was surprised to learn that she has quite a body of work. Hammered was first published in 2005, so I would think that I should have know about her. The plot of the novel is different. The heroine is a fifty year old woman with an artificially reconstructed body that is starting to unravel. There are three novels in this series. So far the first chapter is pretty good.
106maggie1944
I think I picked up an Elizabeth Bear book, recently, too. Interesting coincidence. I think I have read something by her before and liked it.
107ronincats
>94 jnwelch: Joe, since I know you are reading Georgette Heyer, I am going to strongly recommend that you read An Infamous Army sometime soon. Her novel has been used to teach war strategy because of its accurate and striking depictions of the Battle of Waterloo. I'd be so interested in how you compare it to the Cornwall book.
109jnwelch
>102 brodiew2: Ha! Me, too, Brodie. That's a literary map worth having.
>103 benitastrnad: Exactly, Benita. Sometimes you just gotta read something fun. Jane Steele definitely qualifies.
>104 benitastrnad: That fruit salad looks cool and refreshing, doesn't it, Benita. Unlimited permission to pick fresh blueberries! - Madame MBH would be over the moon to have that. That's a lovely neighbor you have. Blueberries are fine by me, but Madame MBH LOVES them. Enjoy!
>105 benitastrnad: Good for you, Benita. I've thought about reading Elizabeth Bear more than once, but haven't done it yet. I'm not much of a steampunk reader, although I love the look. Looking forward to your comments on her Jenny Casey series.
>103 benitastrnad: Exactly, Benita. Sometimes you just gotta read something fun. Jane Steele definitely qualifies.
>104 benitastrnad: That fruit salad looks cool and refreshing, doesn't it, Benita. Unlimited permission to pick fresh blueberries! - Madame MBH would be over the moon to have that. That's a lovely neighbor you have. Blueberries are fine by me, but Madame MBH LOVES them. Enjoy!
>105 benitastrnad: Good for you, Benita. I've thought about reading Elizabeth Bear more than once, but haven't done it yet. I'm not much of a steampunk reader, although I love the look. Looking forward to your comments on her Jenny Casey series.
110jnwelch
>106 maggie1944: Good to hear another positive reaction to Elizabeth Bear, Karen.
>107 ronincats: Thanks, Roni! I had no idea Georgette Heyer had written one depicting the Battle of Waterloo. I'll look for An Infamous Army pronto. Jeez, she is probably the most mis-labeled author I know, or maybe my perception of "historical romance" is too limited.
>108 scaifea: Morning, Amber!
>107 ronincats: Thanks, Roni! I had no idea Georgette Heyer had written one depicting the Battle of Waterloo. I'll look for An Infamous Army pronto. Jeez, she is probably the most mis-labeled author I know, or maybe my perception of "historical romance" is too limited.
>108 scaifea: Morning, Amber!
111jnwelch
“Listen, Faith. A girl cannot be brave, or clever, or skilled as a boy can. If she is not good, she is nothing. Do you understand?” This is what her father tells our main character in The Lie Tree, and that attitude, along with the apparent foolishness of her mother, made this a hard read at the beginning. Bright, perceptive Faith is either ignored or squashed in much of the early book. She dotes on her natural scientist father, and wants to be the same, but appears to have zero chance to do so. We're in Victorian times, post-Origin of the Species, and her ambitions outstrip a woman's possibilities. A craniometrist points out women's brains are smaller than men's, and should not be overloaded.
As you can tell, author Frances Hardinge explores a woman's place in that society, and we come to see that Faith's mother is not so foolish, and that clever women find ways to subvert the system. The story begins with Faith's support being taken from under her, as her worshipped father is first vilified for fraud and then apparently kills himself on the island they've retreated to. Faith stashes his scientific papers, and hopes to clear his name and solve the mystery of his death.
This Costa Award winner was a worthwhile and entertaining read. Hardinge is a clever writer, and provides provocative and persuasive detail about the time period - Faith's brother is being trained not be left-handed, for example, and reverends try to reconcile Darwin's theories and the fossil record with the Bible.
The one aspect I found a bit odd was the title character, the Lie Tree. Found by Faith's father on one of his sojourns, it feeds on lies it's told,
113laytonwoman3rd
>100 mirrordrum: Oh, that is brilliant. I'm going to spread that around a little. Thanks so much for sharing.
114jnwelch
>113 laytonwoman3rd: Agreed, Linda.
115msf59
>100 mirrordrum: WOW! I love that one, Ellie! Thanks for sharing.
Morning, Joe! The weather is holding off, at the moment. Just a few more hours....
Good review of The Lie Tree. I will decide on that one.
Just cracked the Hoagland collection. I think I am going to like this guy...
Morning, Joe! The weather is holding off, at the moment. Just a few more hours....
Good review of The Lie Tree. I will decide on that one.
Just cracked the Hoagland collection. I think I am going to like this guy...
116jnwelch
>115 msf59: Morning, Mark!
Just cracked the Hoagland collection. I think I am going to like this guy... Yes! Can't wait to hear more. He's so good, and he seems like a good fit in the Markiverse.
Just cracked the Hoagland collection. I think I am going to like this guy... Yes! Can't wait to hear more. He's so good, and he seems like a good fit in the Markiverse.
117brodiew2
Good morning, Joe! I hope all is well with you. I am feeling LT poking me in the shoulder and threatening to take my lunch money if I don't read Plainsong soon. I have added it to my 2016 reading list.
118jnwelch
>117 brodiew2: Good morning, Brodie. Ha! Go figure. I wonder where that push for Plainsong is coming from? I'm glad you added it to your 2016 reading list. It's a reading experience you don't want to miss.
119jnwelch
i enjoy Tony Hoagland's poetry. I started with his exceptional What Narcissism Means to Me (No longer do I live by the law of me,/ No longer having the excuse of youth or craziness,/ And dying you know shows a serious ingratitude/ For sunsets and beehive hairdos and the precious green corrugated/ Pickles they place at the edge of your plate). This new one, Application for Release from the Dream, is another standout. He's a playful poet, and there's a wistfulness here for what has been lost both personally (particularly his failed marriage) and more widely. In his "Ode to the Republic", he sees the positive in America's diminished stature - "It's good to be unimportant . . . There are worse things than being/ second burrito".
On the personal level, "a third choice exists/ between resignation and/ going around the bend . . ." That choice may be accepting our and the world's limitations. "What kind of idiot would think he even had a destiny?"
"The flaring force of this thing we call identity
as if it were a message, a burning coal
one carries in one’s mouth for sixty years,
for delivery
to whom, exactly; to where?”
He takes his own measure with a glint of humor: "All those years I kept trying and failing and trying/ to find my one special talent in this life--/ Why did it take me so long to figure out/ that my special talent was trying?"
Try reading some Tony Hoagland poetry.
120mirrordrum
>119 jnwelch: oh, Joe. thanks for that and the link. i've given up on poetry books as they're invariably written in excruciatingly small print. i love what you've posted, especially the bit on identity. infinitely contemplatable.
in re: >100 mirrordrum:, here's a literary map of the US to which i've added a red and blue star to approximate Holt for you, Brodie and whomever else. and here's a nice British one. raises interesting questions about the making of the map. i couldn't find Mary Renault or Patrick O'Brian. both became expats with Renault living in South Africa and O'Brian in Spain, iirc, and both had their greatest successes after leaving England. they would still be on MY map. makes me want to create my own.
in re: >100 mirrordrum:, here's a literary map of the US to which i've added a red and blue star to approximate Holt for you, Brodie and whomever else. and here's a nice British one. raises interesting questions about the making of the map. i couldn't find Mary Renault or Patrick O'Brian. both became expats with Renault living in South Africa and O'Brian in Spain, iirc, and both had their greatest successes after leaving England. they would still be on MY map. makes me want to create my own.
121jnwelch
>120 mirrordrum: You're welcome, Ellie. More thought needs to be given to providing large print/large images to readers who need that. I'm glad you like what's posted in >100 mirrordrum:.
Thanks for the link to that literary map, including the red and blue star! I suppose we'd need one unrealistically huge to readably lay out all the folks we'd like on it?
The British one is nice. I see Mary Shelley but, like you, no Mary Renault. She was a go-to author for me growing up. My dad loves Patrick O'Brian's books; for some reason I'm more of a Hornblower/C.S. Forrester guy.
I like the idea of your creating your own!
Thanks for the link to that literary map, including the red and blue star! I suppose we'd need one unrealistically huge to readably lay out all the folks we'd like on it?
The British one is nice. I see Mary Shelley but, like you, no Mary Renault. She was a go-to author for me growing up. My dad loves Patrick O'Brian's books; for some reason I'm more of a Hornblower/C.S. Forrester guy.
I like the idea of your creating your own!
122msf59
>119 jnwelch: Thanks for sharing that, Joe! I started What Narcissism Means to Me and he grabbed me immediately.
125Crazymamie
Morning, Joe! Oh, the dentist! *shakes head* You poor thing.
126msf59
Sweet Thursday, Joe! I think you should do a live broadcast from the dentist office. Grins...
When do you leave for Pittsburgh?
When do you leave for Pittsburgh?
128jnwelch
>122 msf59: Hi, Mark! Good to hear - I thought What Narcissism Means to Me (great title) would work for you, and I'm glad it's grabbed you.
My next poetry book is a Robert Bly that meant a lot to me as a kid, Silence in the Snowy Fields.
>123 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Hope all is well at Scaife Manor.
My next poetry book is a Robert Bly that meant a lot to me as a kid, Silence in the Snowy Fields.
>123 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Hope all is well at Scaife Manor.
129jnwelch
>125 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie!
Thanks for the sympathy. This one was fine - just putting the "crowning" touches on. I'm done! Hooray!
>126 msf59: Sweet Thursday, Mark! Hard to think of a more boring broadcast than "Live from the Dentist's Office", right? Thank goodness for smart phones - I could read The Rook during breaks.
We leave tomorrow morning for Pittsburgh to see that son of ours and his bride. This time we're flying. We come back late Monday, and then on Tuesday I go into the hospital for two days for an esophogeal procedure. (When it rains, it pours, but I'm almost through all this body repair shop stuff).
>127 brodiew2: Good morning, Brodie!
The final dental visit went fine. Nothing happens fast, of course, but I'm done now with that, thank goodness.
Hope all is going well with you.
Thanks for the sympathy. This one was fine - just putting the "crowning" touches on. I'm done! Hooray!
>126 msf59: Sweet Thursday, Mark! Hard to think of a more boring broadcast than "Live from the Dentist's Office", right? Thank goodness for smart phones - I could read The Rook during breaks.
We leave tomorrow morning for Pittsburgh to see that son of ours and his bride. This time we're flying. We come back late Monday, and then on Tuesday I go into the hospital for two days for an esophogeal procedure. (When it rains, it pours, but I'm almost through all this body repair shop stuff).
>127 brodiew2: Good morning, Brodie!
The final dental visit went fine. Nothing happens fast, of course, but I'm done now with that, thank goodness.
Hope all is going well with you.
130PaulCranswick
>119 jnwelch: I will go and have a look for his work.
>120 mirrordrum: Ellie makes a good point. I will put a book back on the shelves at the store if the print looks like it would be too much trouble to read.
>120 mirrordrum: Ellie makes a good point. I will put a book back on the shelves at the store if the print looks like it would be too much trouble to read.
131jnwelch
Hi, Paul.
Great - give Tony Hoagland a go. I'll look forward to hearing what you think.
>130 PaulCranswick: Ellie sure does make a good point. It should be easy these days to create large print and large graphic books, and there are a lot of readers who would benefit. Maybe as our aging baby boomers experience this need more, more attention will be paid.
Great - give Tony Hoagland a go. I'll look forward to hearing what you think.
>130 PaulCranswick: Ellie sure does make a good point. It should be easy these days to create large print and large graphic books, and there are a lot of readers who would benefit. Maybe as our aging baby boomers experience this need more, more attention will be paid.
132jnwelch
Paul mentioned Ted Hughes' excellent Crow collection, and it made me think of this Joe poem from a ways back. It's a sestina - a form that reorders the last words in each line in a set formula.
Penumbra
It travels on my left shoulder
With the grip of a stolid black crow.
Sharp talons press through the cloth
Digging into my skin.
Is this my imagination?
I look as easily to the left as to my right.
For now I will look to my right.
I am searching for a heavy bundle to shoulder,
Tied loosely by my imagination.
High in a tree is the shape of a crow.
Below sounds the flapping of a skin
Hanging from a branch like damp cloth.
The bundle is tied loosely with strips of damp cloth;
More unbroken branches lie piled to the right.
The mist has begun to bead up on my skin.
As I raise the bundle of sticks to my shoulder
The cry of a crow
Chills the imagination.
This cautious imagination
It has drawn close as swaddling cloth,
Impenetrable to any crow.
My sudden relief does not seem right.
Dropping the bundle from my shoulder
I stand with closed eyes, shivering as if to shed a skin.
Only the body, the skin
Should pretend to imagination.
Fields of sensation bloom between feet and shoulder.
The head is borne like a bag of cloth;
It cannot make things right.
Only my throat betrays me, filling with bitterness as with a flock of crows.
Penumbra
It travels on my left shoulder
With the grip of a stolid black crow.
Sharp talons press through the cloth
Digging into my skin.
Is this my imagination?
I look as easily to the left as to my right.
For now I will look to my right.
I am searching for a heavy bundle to shoulder,
Tied loosely by my imagination.
High in a tree is the shape of a crow.
Below sounds the flapping of a skin
Hanging from a branch like damp cloth.
The bundle is tied loosely with strips of damp cloth;
More unbroken branches lie piled to the right.
The mist has begun to bead up on my skin.
As I raise the bundle of sticks to my shoulder
The cry of a crow
Chills the imagination.
This cautious imagination
It has drawn close as swaddling cloth,
Impenetrable to any crow.
My sudden relief does not seem right.
Dropping the bundle from my shoulder
I stand with closed eyes, shivering as if to shed a skin.
Only the body, the skin
Should pretend to imagination.
Fields of sensation bloom between feet and shoulder.
The head is borne like a bag of cloth;
It cannot make things right.
Only my throat betrays me, filling with bitterness as with a flock of crows.
133jnwelch
As I mentioned to Mark, we'll be traveling to Pittsburgh tomorrow for a long weekend, so I may not be on LT much. And when I am, I'll be on my phone and unable to post images.
So please feel free to post food images or whatever. Hope everyone has a good weekend.
So please feel free to post food images or whatever. Hope everyone has a good weekend.
134ffortsa
>112 jnwelch: terrific teapot, Joe.
>119 jnwelch: I've never read Hoagland. In fact, I have years of catch-up to do regarding poetry. Maybe I can slipstream behind you.
>132 jnwelch: That's a complex poem, Joe. Not the rhymes, but the feelings. Thanks for posting it.
>119 jnwelch: I've never read Hoagland. In fact, I have years of catch-up to do regarding poetry. Maybe I can slipstream behind you.
>132 jnwelch: That's a complex poem, Joe. Not the rhymes, but the feelings. Thanks for posting it.
135jnwelch
>134 ffortsa: Thanks, Judy. Isn't that a terrific teapot? If we win the lottery, maybe we'll create a "book house" some day and fill it with all the cool book stuff we can find.
Please feel free to slipstream behind me (and Mark and Paul and Charlotte and whomever) for the poetry. The growing interest is wonderful to see.
You're welcome re the poem. It is complex, you're right - which kinda violates my rule for posting here. It's tough to stop by someone's thread and dig into and grasp complex stuff. But the "crow" got me thinking, and I thought people might enjoy the sestina form.
Please feel free to slipstream behind me (and Mark and Paul and Charlotte and whomever) for the poetry. The growing interest is wonderful to see.
You're welcome re the poem. It is complex, you're right - which kinda violates my rule for posting here. It's tough to stop by someone's thread and dig into and grasp complex stuff. But the "crow" got me thinking, and I thought people might enjoy the sestina form.
137brodiew2
>136 jnwelch:. Okay. That one's a tad spooky, though the face is just sad or melancholy or sociopathic (not even sure that's a word). ;-)
138FAMeulstee
>133 jnwelch: Enjoy your time in Pittsburg, Joe :-)
139Smiler69
Joe, I'm glad you read and enjoyed, and reviewed The Lie Tree. I read it a few months back and really enjoyed it, and thought the combination of science and fantasy was an interesting one.
141thornton37814
>90 thornton37814: I was in Portland when I posted the remark about the bad hotel coffee. I'd already returned to the Portland area from Seattle.
I found Stumptown Coffee Roasters which worked out well. It is one of those iconic places you are supposed to visit.
I found Stumptown Coffee Roasters which worked out well. It is one of those iconic places you are supposed to visit.
142mirrordrum
>131 jnwelch:>130 i didn't mean to be complaining. there have been wonderful advances in audiobooks in the last 25 years and i'm sure advances in enlargement as well. for me it's an issue of discomfort when my eyes have to track or focus. autoimmune nonsense. thank goodness for excellent narrators!
>132 jnwelch: oh lord! i start off with pondering the title. penumbra not umbra. i've had a love affair with those two words for some time. you've had me running all over the internet with your shadows and sestinas and your stolid crow. this is taking some work. thank you, i think. another sensory poem. flapping skin. i can see, hear and, unfortunately, smell it.
sorry that you're being messed about with. blech. eat well and drink plenty of fluids pre-op. ;-)
>132 jnwelch: oh lord! i start off with pondering the title. penumbra not umbra. i've had a love affair with those two words for some time. you've had me running all over the internet with your shadows and sestinas and your stolid crow. this is taking some work. thank you, i think. another sensory poem. flapping skin. i can see, hear and, unfortunately, smell it.
sorry that you're being messed about with. blech. eat well and drink plenty of fluids pre-op. ;-)
143benitastrnad
Georgette Heyer wrote two books about the Napoleonic wars that are clearly historical fiction and not Regency Romances. An Infamous Army is about the Battle of Waterloo and is centered around a character that appeared in one of her previous novels - Colonel Charles Audley.
The second novel is titled The Spanish Bride and is about Sir Harry Smith and his wife Juana. He rescued her from the Siege of Badujoss when she was 15 an married her. She tromped around the Iberian Peninsula with Wellington's army and then followed Harry all the way to South Africa. The name of the city of Ladysmith in South Africa is named for her.
Both of these books were favorites of mine. In fact they were reissued a few years ago in paperback and I purchased them for my mother to read. She was uninterested in them and I found them in a box of stuff to go to the second hand store. When I asked her how she liked the books she told me that she had never read them as the subject didn't interest her. "Who was that Wellington guy anyway?" she asked me. I told her was the man after who they named the boots and let it go at that.
The second novel is titled The Spanish Bride and is about Sir Harry Smith and his wife Juana. He rescued her from the Siege of Badujoss when she was 15 an married her. She tromped around the Iberian Peninsula with Wellington's army and then followed Harry all the way to South Africa. The name of the city of Ladysmith in South Africa is named for her.
Both of these books were favorites of mine. In fact they were reissued a few years ago in paperback and I purchased them for my mother to read. She was uninterested in them and I found them in a box of stuff to go to the second hand store. When I asked her how she liked the books she told me that she had never read them as the subject didn't interest her. "Who was that Wellington guy anyway?" she asked me. I told her was the man after who they named the boots and let it go at that.
144charl08
Glad to hear the dentist stuff is done and dusted. Wishing you a lovely time with your son and DIL.
I enjoyed your Crow poem - such a clever use of the repeating lines. I think I will dig out my copy of the Poem a Day book - I was in the habit of reading the designated one each night and somehow lost it. All the poetry talk on LT has reminded me. I found so many new-to-me poets and poems that way, having previously only really come across a few.
I enjoyed your Crow poem - such a clever use of the repeating lines. I think I will dig out my copy of the Poem a Day book - I was in the habit of reading the designated one each night and somehow lost it. All the poetry talk on LT has reminded me. I found so many new-to-me poets and poems that way, having previously only really come across a few.
145jnwelch
>137 brodiew2: Ha! I like "a tad spooky", Brodie. Pretty great to wander and come across this.
>138 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. Leaving momentarily. Hope you have a good weekend.
>139 Smiler69: Hi, Ilana. The Lie Tree was an interesting combination of science and fantasy, you're right. The oppression of Faith at the beginning is so frustrating, but that, of course, is one of the major points being made.
>138 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. Leaving momentarily. Hope you have a good weekend.
>139 Smiler69: Hi, Ilana. The Lie Tree was an interesting combination of science and fantasy, you're right. The oppression of Faith at the beginning is so frustrating, but that, of course, is one of the major points being made.
146jnwelch
>140 Berly: Thanks, Kim! Yes, done, done, done at the dentist, thank goodness. Now I've just got to get done at the doctor (next week), and a period of way too much body repair will be over. Good thing getting older makes us so wise, because this body repair stuff is aggravating.
>141 thornton37814: Oh good, Lori. Yeah, no problem in Seattle, right? I'm glad you found Stumptown Roasters and liked it. I'll try to remember that for my Portland trip, whenever it happens.
>141 thornton37814: Oh good, Lori. Yeah, no problem in Seattle, right? I'm glad you found Stumptown Roasters and liked it. I'll try to remember that for my Portland trip, whenever it happens.
147jnwelch
>142 mirrordrum: You are in a golden age of audio books, Ellie, you're right. I just read an article about how they're so popular that publishers are digging much more into their backlists for them. Good timing!
Ha! I know, I thought twice about posting a poem with flapping skin in it, but figured it would be all right. Glad you're thinking about penumbra; me, too. :-) What the mind can do to us, good and bad, right? And what's staring at us the whole time.
>143 benitastrnad: Ha! I know, Benita. Books and history that fascinate us can mean little to others. I was shaking my head over your story about your mother. I know that feeling.
Thanks for the tip about The Spanish Bride. I'm going to enjoy those two.
>144 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. We're off to see our son and DIL in just a few.
Glad you like the poem. That form is, to me, a really interesting one. In my case, I picked the end words first, and then wrote it to match the designated order of them. It makes for a really interesting rhythm and sound, in addition to being a bit of a puzzle.
Poem-a-Day - great idea for finding out about new poets. I've found having Sunday as "Poetry Day" has worked well for me.
Ha! I know, I thought twice about posting a poem with flapping skin in it, but figured it would be all right. Glad you're thinking about penumbra; me, too. :-) What the mind can do to us, good and bad, right? And what's staring at us the whole time.
>143 benitastrnad: Ha! I know, Benita. Books and history that fascinate us can mean little to others. I was shaking my head over your story about your mother. I know that feeling.
Thanks for the tip about The Spanish Bride. I'm going to enjoy those two.
>144 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. We're off to see our son and DIL in just a few.
Glad you like the poem. That form is, to me, a really interesting one. In my case, I picked the end words first, and then wrote it to match the designated order of them. It makes for a really interesting rhythm and sound, in addition to being a bit of a puzzle.
Poem-a-Day - great idea for finding out about new poets. I've found having Sunday as "Poetry Day" has worked well for me.
148scaifea
Morning, Joe! Yay for being finished with the dental business! Wishing you safe travels this weekend, and I'll be thinking of you on Tuesday & Wednesday.
149NarratorLady
>143 benitastrnad: Great story about your mother and wellingtons Benita. And thanks for the Heyer titles. They're on the list.
150jnwelch
>148 scaifea:. Hiya, Amber. So glad to have that dental business in the rear view mirror.
We've safely arrived and had lunch at Google with our much-missed son. Now we're hanging out at a nearby cafe until he gets off work. Heading to the Pirates- Dodgers game tonight.
>149 NarratorLady:. Agreed, Anne. On my WL, too.
We've safely arrived and had lunch at Google with our much-missed son. Now we're hanging out at a nearby cafe until he gets off work. Heading to the Pirates- Dodgers game tonight.
>149 NarratorLady:. Agreed, Anne. On my WL, too.
151luvamystery65
Howdy Joe! I'm glad you are enjoying some time with your number one son and his bride. Woohoo on the dental visits being done.
152jnwelch
>151 luvamystery65:. Howdy Roberta!
We are indeed. About to be picked up from the cafe and taken to their house for cleanup and some dinner, then off to the ballgame.
We are indeed. About to be picked up from the cafe and taken to their house for cleanup and some dinner, then off to the ballgame.
153Smiler69
Hi Joe, I've been meaning to thank you again for introducing me to Ayano Imai a thread or two ago. I think I had told you I'd reserved several books illustrated by her at the library. I've really enjoyed her work, which I find joyful and soothing. I've been meaning to post a commentary on those books I've seen, and will do so now, if anything, just to have an excuse to post some of her lovely illustrations on 'my' page.
154ffortsa
>143 benitastrnad: Benita! I was just thinking of the Spanish Bride this morning. For some reason, although I read it decades ago, scenes from it stick in my mind. A terrific story, and I learned a lot about the Spanish campaign on the way.
155vancouverdeb
Glad to hear you got your dentist stuff behind you. Have fun in Pittsburgh! Enjoy your son's company - and your daughter in law! :)
156Ameise1
Happy weekend, Joe. Enjoy Pittsburgh with your family.
Here some street art which is very close to my home.
Here some street art which is very close to my home.
157msf59
Happy Saturday, Joe! Hope you are having a nice time in Pittsburgh with Jesse & his wife. We leave tonight for Oregon. It will be great to see the family.
158maggie1944
Hi! Joe. Crazy times in my life, again. I am overcommitted once again, and lost my current book, and my reading glasses somewhere in my running around yesterday. Duh!
We are looking at days of sunshine... Yay! and two Storm games next week... another Yay! They played really well yesterday with Brianna Stewart definitely showing her potential as awesome. Plus, several days worth of mandatory Board stuff.. not so Yay! but necessary.
Hope your life has all kinds of fun stuff coming this weekend!
We are looking at days of sunshine... Yay! and two Storm games next week... another Yay! They played really well yesterday with Brianna Stewart definitely showing her potential as awesome. Plus, several days worth of mandatory Board stuff.. not so Yay! but necessary.
Hope your life has all kinds of fun stuff coming this weekend!
159Crazymamie
Morning, Joe! Happy Saturday to you! I like your poem up there, and I am still mulling it over - love the imagery. And the complexity.
160jnwelch
OK, great day. Let's see if we can catch up a bit.
>153 Smiler69:. Oh, that's great to hear, Ilana. You're inspiring me to find more Ayano Imai books. Looking forward to your cooments and more illustrations.
>154 ffortsa:. Spanish Bride. Great to have another one to look forward to.
>153 Smiler69:. Oh, that's great to hear, Ilana. You're inspiring me to find more Ayano Imai books. Looking forward to your cooments and more illustrations.
>154 ffortsa:. Spanish Bride. Great to have another one to look forward to.
161jnwelch
>155 vancouverdeb:. Thanks, Deb. We've had a wonderful day, including a trip to the Pittsburgh zoo and aquarium.
Great to see our boy and his bride. We'd seen Adriana in Chicago, but hadn't seen our favorite son for 6 months. Too long. Great to catch up with him.
>156 Ameise1:. Happy Weekend, Barbara. Thanks. We're having quite a good time.
That looks like fun street art near you.
Great to see our boy and his bride. We'd seen Adriana in Chicago, but hadn't seen our favorite son for 6 months. Too long. Great to catch up with him.
>156 Ameise1:. Happy Weekend, Barbara. Thanks. We're having quite a good time.
That looks like fun street art near you.
162jnwelch
>157 msf59:. Happy Saturday, Mark.
Thanks - it's a wonderful reunion with Jesse and Adri. Safe travels, and have a great time with your family in Oregon.
>158 maggie1944:. Hi, Karen. Hope you find those reading glasses. Two Storm games sounds great. I need to see Brianna Stewart play with them.
Mandatory Board stuff - kudos to you. Your community should be grateful.
We're having a fun weekend, and I hope you have one, too.
Thanks - it's a wonderful reunion with Jesse and Adri. Safe travels, and have a great time with your family in Oregon.
>158 maggie1944:. Hi, Karen. Hope you find those reading glasses. Two Storm games sounds great. I need to see Brianna Stewart play with them.
Mandatory Board stuff - kudos to you. Your community should be grateful.
We're having a fun weekend, and I hope you have one, too.
163jnwelch
>159 Crazymamie:. Happy Saturday, Mamie. Much appreciated re the poem. I'm glad you liked it.
That's one of the published ones. I gave a clue as to one way to look at it up in a response to Ellie.
That's one of the published ones. I gave a clue as to one way to look at it up in a response to Ellie.
164Crazymamie
Morning, Joe!
165jnwelch
>164 Crazymamie:. Happy Sunday, Mamie! Lovely day in Pittsburgh. Hope all is peace and tranquility at the Pecan Paradisio.
166PaulCranswick
Your talk of sestinas and your excellent version of one got me thinking about strange but interesting forms of poetic verse. My favourite is probably the villanelle:
VILLANELLES
Developed by the devious french of 19 lines.
They are difficult constructs in that:
Lines 1, 6, 12 and 18 are a refrain
Lines 3, 9, 15 and 19 are another refrain but which rhymes with the first refrain
Lines 2, 5, 8, 11, 14 and 17 all hold the same rhyme.
Simple?
This was my stab at a villanelle which was actually written for and dedicated to one of our number - Diana.
Fiction
If we were characters in books
Who would write the words
That fact in fiction truth forsook.
Earthen axis trembled, shook
Facing a storyline absurd
In which we were characters in books
Writer's cramp those words get stuck
Leaving only platitudes to be averred
When fact in fiction truth forsook.
A crestfallen page askance to look
Upon lines unspoken and so unheard
As if we were mere characters in books.
Volumes we spied upon shelves we took
And its chapters the sensibilities stirred
Though fact in fiction truth forsook
Truth will die and have no luck
When falsehood once recurred;
If we were characters in books
And fact in fiction truth forsook.
VILLANELLES
Developed by the devious french of 19 lines.
They are difficult constructs in that:
Lines 1, 6, 12 and 18 are a refrain
Lines 3, 9, 15 and 19 are another refrain but which rhymes with the first refrain
Lines 2, 5, 8, 11, 14 and 17 all hold the same rhyme.
Simple?
This was my stab at a villanelle which was actually written for and dedicated to one of our number - Diana.
Fiction
If we were characters in books
Who would write the words
That fact in fiction truth forsook.
Earthen axis trembled, shook
Facing a storyline absurd
In which we were characters in books
Writer's cramp those words get stuck
Leaving only platitudes to be averred
When fact in fiction truth forsook.
A crestfallen page askance to look
Upon lines unspoken and so unheard
As if we were mere characters in books.
Volumes we spied upon shelves we took
And its chapters the sensibilities stirred
Though fact in fiction truth forsook
Truth will die and have no luck
When falsehood once recurred;
If we were characters in books
And fact in fiction truth forsook.
167scaifea
>166 PaulCranswick: Paul: Oh, my, that's an awful lot of math just to write a poem. And you've done it beautifully, of course!
Morning, Joe!
Morning, Joe!
168Crazymamie
>166 PaulCranswick: I remember that one, Paul! That is when I learned that Thomas' Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night was a villanelle.
Morning, Joe!
Morning, Joe!
169PaulCranswick
>168 Crazymamie: Quite right, Mamie. Almost certainly the most famous villanelle ever written - and he didn't have the internet to disseminate his writings!
170brodiew2
Good Monday, Joe! I hope all is well with you.
>156 Ameise1: Still whimsical with a dollop of oddity. Great colors.
I'm merely a third of the way through, but Michael Harvey's Brighton has me hooked. I have stayed up into the night with this one. Immediately engrossing with a ominous, menacing tone. Let the Warbling begin.
>156 Ameise1: Still whimsical with a dollop of oddity. Great colors.
I'm merely a third of the way through, but Michael Harvey's Brighton has me hooked. I have stayed up into the night with this one. Immediately engrossing with a ominous, menacing tone. Let the Warbling begin.
171Smiler69
Hi Joe, wishing you a lovely week ahead. I still haven't taken care of my Ayano Imai post as I said I would. Will drop you a line once I've done it.
172mirrordrum
hey Joe. have you much in mind. awfully glad you had a good time this weekend.
>166 PaulCranswick: wow. love the refrain. altogether superbly done.
>168 Crazymamie: really, Mamie? i have wrestled with that poem for years. for me, it comes a close second to Fern Hill and in particular, Michael Williams' narration thereof. has anyone ever come close to matching his imagery? probably but i'm too ignorant to know who. thanks for that bit of info.
>169 PaulCranswick: i'd no idea, Paul. i feel such a dolt. but i love learning and surely that counts for something. :-)
>166 PaulCranswick: wow. love the refrain. altogether superbly done.
>168 Crazymamie: really, Mamie? i have wrestled with that poem for years. for me, it comes a close second to Fern Hill and in particular, Michael Williams' narration thereof. has anyone ever come close to matching his imagery? probably but i'm too ignorant to know who. thanks for that bit of info.
>169 PaulCranswick: i'd no idea, Paul. i feel such a dolt. but i love learning and surely that counts for something. :-)
173jnwelch
Thanks, everyone. Impressive villanelle, Paul!
I head into the hospital very early tomorrow morning for a not-to-worry procedure, but with general anesthesia and an overnight stay. So I'm guessing I'll be back in touch on Thursday.
Hope everyone continues to have a great week.
I head into the hospital very early tomorrow morning for a not-to-worry procedure, but with general anesthesia and an overnight stay. So I'm guessing I'll be back in touch on Thursday.
Hope everyone continues to have a great week.
174Smiler69
Thanks for the 'not-to-worry' part, Joe. Because of course we'll all be worried anyway. Wishing you the best and looking forward to hearing from you again. xx
177NarratorLady
Thinking of you Joe and hope all is well.
179EBT1002
Joining others in the glad-not-to-have-to-worry but still looking forward to hearing from you when you are home and healed, Joe. Thursday? Friday? Whatever. Just know that we are thinking about you and looking forward to your triumphant return! xo
181charl08
Another set of good wishes from me Joe.
Serendipity to catch up and see Dylan Thomas pop up here - just reading about his last days in The Violet Hour. Shame, he didn't have such a good ending.I hadn't realised his last years were a struggle with writer's block.
Serendipity to catch up and see Dylan Thomas pop up here - just reading about his last days in The Violet Hour. Shame, he didn't have such a good ending.I hadn't realised his last years were a struggle with writer's block.
182Crazymamie
Morning, Joe! Like Roni, I am keeping you in my heart and my thoughts until we hear from you.
>168 Crazymamie: Yeppers. It's one of my favorites.
>168 Crazymamie: Yeppers. It's one of my favorites.
183laytonwoman3rd
Hope all is going as expected with you today, Joe. Hospital procedures are always cause for a little worry.
184benitastrnad
I am just back from the ALA conference and had some luck with gathering books. I got at least one box of YA and children's books for my cousin who is just embarking on a teaching career. I also got 4 boxes of books for myself and for gifts. Some are ARC's and some I had to pay for, but I think I got some good ones. And probably got some clinkers as well. I always do.
I had a grand adventure getting them mailed. In the end it cost me $140.00 to mail them back. Not exactly a bargain but still cheaper than buying all of them at Branes & Noble.
I had a grand adventure getting them mailed. In the end it cost me $140.00 to mail them back. Not exactly a bargain but still cheaper than buying all of them at Branes & Noble.
185mirrordrum
its Tues midnight. been keeping track in my mind of where you might be all day. figured you might be out of recovery by 4-ish pm unless they wanted to watch you in ICU overnight. i'm sure about now you might have started resting so they'll promptly wake you up for vitals or whatever. hope you're doped happily to the nines. have been thinking about your Missus and Seasons as well. i know it's rough on Team Welch. take care and see you whenever. :-)
186jnwelch
Hi, everyone.
All is well, I'm glad to report. My esophagus had narrowed (a "stricture") way too much, helped by scarring from "silent reflux". (I don't get heartburn and had no idea this might be a problem). I now have an inflated esophagus to match my inflated ego. They dilated it (with a "balloon"), and once I get the anesthesia out of my system and my throat isn't sore from the intubating and so on, I'll should be way better off than previously. (It was causing problems).
The best news was they let us know when we arrived that the plan was to do a biopsy of the blockage (xrays and the like hadn't shown anything). Arggh. But that turned out to be unnecessary, thank goodness. No biopsy. All clear.
This has been a mystery needing solving for quite a while, and of course we were concerned that the solution might be bad news. Instead, it's good news. Woot!
I'll circle back later to catch up. I'm home; Sherlock and his not-furry mom are visiting, and she brought banana muffins. Happy day at the Welch house.
All is well, I'm glad to report. My esophagus had narrowed (a "stricture") way too much, helped by scarring from "silent reflux". (I don't get heartburn and had no idea this might be a problem). I now have an inflated esophagus to match my inflated ego. They dilated it (with a "balloon"), and once I get the anesthesia out of my system and my throat isn't sore from the intubating and so on, I'll should be way better off than previously. (It was causing problems).
The best news was they let us know when we arrived that the plan was to do a biopsy of the blockage (xrays and the like hadn't shown anything). Arggh. But that turned out to be unnecessary, thank goodness. No biopsy. All clear.
This has been a mystery needing solving for quite a while, and of course we were concerned that the solution might be bad news. Instead, it's good news. Woot!
I'll circle back later to catch up. I'm home; Sherlock and his not-furry mom are visiting, and she brought banana muffins. Happy day at the Welch house.
187Oberon
>186 jnwelch: Very glad to hear a positive report!
188brodiew2
I am glad to hear it was a success and that you will be better than before, Joe.
"We can rebuild him. We have the technology."
"We can rebuild him. We have the technology."
191jnwelch
>187 Oberon:, >188 brodiew2:, >189 katiekrug:, >190 drneutron: Thanks, Erik, Brodie, Katie and Jim!
"We can rebuild him. We have the technology." Cracked me up, Brodie!
We could all use a bit of street art, right? This is another one by the brothers, Os Gemeos.
"We can rebuild him. We have the technology." Cracked me up, Brodie!
We could all use a bit of street art, right? This is another one by the brothers, Os Gemeos.
192NarratorLady
Good health news! The best kind. So glad that's behind you; after you finish your banana muffins, may I prescribe a day of rest and a good book?
193EBT1002
>186 jnwelch: Hooray!!! I'm so glad, Joe. And I hope you just enjoy your day with Sherlock, his not-furry mom (does she know you refer to her in this manner?), and banana muffins!
194laytonwoman3rd
>186 jnwelch: Good to hear all is well, Joe. My husband had a very similar situation a few years back...he had occasional spells of unbelieveable hiccups while eating, his only symptom. He had the stretching procedure and has been good ever since. He is scheduled for a follow-up scope for a look-see soon, since as with you, the "silent" reflux thing can cause problems behind the scenes.
195DeltaQueen50
Hi Joe, so very glad that things are good in the health department. Certainly worth celebrating!
196jnwelch
>192 NarratorLady: Thanks, Anne. The best kind of news. Your prescription is excellent. They wouldn't let me go back to work today, so I'll be following it closely. I just finished An Infamous Army, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Now I've started her The Spanish Bride.
>193 EBT1002: Ha! I love the leaping cat, Ellen, and thank you for the Hooray!!
I usually refer to "seasonsoflove and her furry sidekick Sherlock", so I thought I'd turn it around this time. Yes, I think I'll be getting an earful about it from seasonsoflove. :-)
>194 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks, Judy! We've got a beautiful day here on top of the good news, so I'm enjoying it on our porch.
>193 EBT1002: Ha! I love the leaping cat, Ellen, and thank you for the Hooray!!
I usually refer to "seasonsoflove and her furry sidekick Sherlock", so I thought I'd turn it around this time. Yes, I think I'll be getting an earful about it from seasonsoflove. :-)
>194 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks, Judy! We've got a beautiful day here on top of the good news, so I'm enjoying it on our porch.
197PaulCranswick
>186 jnwelch: A sigh of relief to see you home safe, Joe.
Had there been complications it would of course have been a difficult thing to swallow. (sorry!)
Had there been complications it would of course have been a difficult thing to swallow. (sorry!)
198mirrordrum
great leaping cats, Joe. (>193 EBT1002:) it's great to see you back so soon. take it easy.
199Crazymamie
Joe, so lovely to hear that it went well. Keeping you in my thoughts and in my heart - may your recovery be smooth and quick.
200jnwelch
>197 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. The benign outcome and improved warble source were most welcome. I choked up a bit when I read your kind comments. (sorry!)
>198 mirrordrum: Thanks, Ellie. Holy Furry Elevation, we've been pleasantly surprised. Thank you for your kind thoughts up above, too.
>199 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie. I sure appreciate it. Sleep was weird of course, and it will take a bit for the throat to calm down, but the recovery is seeming pretty darn smooth and quick as far as I'm concerned. What a relief.
>198 mirrordrum: Thanks, Ellie. Holy Furry Elevation, we've been pleasantly surprised. Thank you for your kind thoughts up above, too.
>199 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie. I sure appreciate it. Sleep was weird of course, and it will take a bit for the throat to calm down, but the recovery is seeming pretty darn smooth and quick as far as I'm concerned. What a relief.
203NarratorLady
>196 jnwelch: Those two are waiting for me at the library Joe. Looking forward to a summer with Ms. Heyer!
204mirrordrum
>200 jnwelch: >197 PaulCranswick: oh heaven help us. more and louder warbling and ever punier puns.
>203 NarratorLady: ha! beach reading i'll bet, Anne. :-)
>203 NarratorLady: ha! beach reading i'll bet, Anne. :-)
205jnwelch
>201 weird_O:, >202 charl08: Thanks, Bill and Charlotte!
>203 NarratorLady: She is such a pleasure to read, Anne. The research underlying An Infamous Army, and the vividness with which the battles are portrayed, are impressive, too. Nothing better than a summer with Ms. Heyer, as far as I'm concerned!
>204 mirrordrum: I miss having our kids around to groan when I come up with those, Ellie. Thank goodness for my Mal pal Paul.
Heyer is enough fun to read that she's suitable for the beach, as far as I'm concerned. I'd nevertheless bring access to an online or hard copy dictionary to keep up with her.
>203 NarratorLady: She is such a pleasure to read, Anne. The research underlying An Infamous Army, and the vividness with which the battles are portrayed, are impressive, too. Nothing better than a summer with Ms. Heyer, as far as I'm concerned!
>204 mirrordrum: I miss having our kids around to groan when I come up with those, Ellie. Thank goodness for my Mal pal Paul.
Heyer is enough fun to read that she's suitable for the beach, as far as I'm concerned. I'd nevertheless bring access to an online or hard copy dictionary to keep up with her.
206jnwelch
OK, my top 5 reads for the second quarter of '16 (so many good ones!)
A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin
The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Without: Poems by Donald Hall
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
Runners-up:
A Whole Life by Robert Seethaler (I need to write a review)
An Infamous Army by Georgette Heyer
Life on Mars by Tracy K. Smith
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan
Dodgers by Bill Beverly
Waterloo: A History of Four Days by Bernard Cornwell
My favorite graphic novels so far have been the Fade Out noir series by Ed Brubaker, and the thriller The Sleeper Omnibus, also by Ed Brubaker. I probably should be adding him to my favorite authors list, as I've liked so many by him.
He does a lot of mainstream super hero books, but it's his offbeat crime and thriller books, many with Sean Phillips doing the art, that particularly grab me.
A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin
The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Without: Poems by Donald Hall
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
Runners-up:
A Whole Life by Robert Seethaler (I need to write a review)
An Infamous Army by Georgette Heyer
Life on Mars by Tracy K. Smith
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan
Dodgers by Bill Beverly
Waterloo: A History of Four Days by Bernard Cornwell
My favorite graphic novels so far have been the Fade Out noir series by Ed Brubaker, and the thriller The Sleeper Omnibus, also by Ed Brubaker. I probably should be adding him to my favorite authors list, as I've liked so many by him.
He does a lot of mainstream super hero books, but it's his offbeat crime and thriller books, many with Sean Phillips doing the art, that particularly grab me.
207katiekrug
Especially happy to see Without: Poems and Last Night at the Lobster on your lists, Joe!
208jnwelch
>207 katiekrug: Both were excellent, weren't they, Katie. Thanks for the tip on Last Night at the Lobster!
209brodiew2
>170 brodiew2: I did some warbling above. You may or may not have missed it. :-)
210ronincats
>186 jnwelch: Oh, hoorah indeed!! And glad you enjoyed An Infamous Army. I know The Spanish Bride will be a hit with you as well.
211kidzdoc
I'm glad to hear that your procedure went well, Joe, and that you came through it with flying colors.
213jnwelch
>209 brodiew2: Oh, thanks for the reminder, Brodie. I read four of Michael Harvey's Michael Kelly books and enjoyed them. I'm glad you're having a good time with his new one, Brighton. I met him at a book fair, and he seems like a really nice guy, besides a good author. We corresponded by email for a while.
>210 ronincats: Thanks, Roni! Yes, An Infamous Army was an excellent read, and her researched historical underpinnings were impressive. Now I want to re-read Sharpe's Waterloo, which I think will be a good complement to it. I'm looking forward to getting further into The Spanish Bride, and I bet it will be another hit. Thanks for the help on these.
>210 ronincats: Thanks, Roni! Yes, An Infamous Army was an excellent read, and her researched historical underpinnings were impressive. Now I want to re-read Sharpe's Waterloo, which I think will be a good complement to it. I'm looking forward to getting further into The Spanish Bride, and I bet it will be another hit. Thanks for the help on these.
214jnwelch
>211 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl. Welcome back from what sounds like just a terrific trip! I'm still feeling relief. You can easily imagine what thoughts were going through our heads.
>212 scaifea: Thanks, Amber! It is wonderful. I feel like quite a lucky guy. Whew!
>212 scaifea: Thanks, Amber! It is wonderful. I feel like quite a lucky guy. Whew!
215Crazymamie
Morning, Joe!
217jnwelch
>215 Crazymamie: Morning Mamie!
218NarratorLady
>204 mirrordrum: Beach reading doesn't begin for me until August Ellie and I don't think I can wait that long! Meantime, July 4th weekend babysitting my toddler grandson (no reading possible!) followed by weeks in the recording studio. The Heyer books will be a nice antidote to the books I'm assigned which aren't always what I would choose.
But wait! The audio of Plainsong has come in. So many books....
But wait! The audio of Plainsong has come in. So many books....
219jnwelch
>218 NarratorLady: I just happened by your table and heard your conversation with Ellie, Anne. :-)
Plainsong! Did I mention I think highly of that book? I think you'll love it.
Good luck with the narrating/recording. I'm glad you have the Heyer books as a change of pace.
Plainsong! Did I mention I think highly of that book? I think you'll love it.
Good luck with the narrating/recording. I'm glad you have the Heyer books as a change of pace.
220charl08
Hey Joe, wondered if you'd come across this new GN linked to the Parisk Commune- looks interesting The Red Virgin and the Vision of Utopia.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jun/29/the-red-virgin-the-last-communard-...
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jun/29/the-red-virgin-the-last-communard-...
221RBeffa
Oh I am glad to hear the good medical report Joe. These sorts of things always cause just a little bit of worry. I have my own one day trip scheduled for next week and it worries on you until it is all done with. My wife insists that these sorts of things are hardest on those waiting, and I won't disagree.
222jnwelch
>220 charl08: Hi, Charlotte. No, that's a new one to me, and you've caught my interest. "A ripping yarn" - and Charlotte Perkins Gilman, too? I'm a fan of Bryan Talbot's Alice in Sunderland and The Tale of One Bad Rat (and Grandville was pretty good), so I'm on board. Thanks for bringing it up. Onto the WL it goes.
>221 RBeffa: Thanks, Ron. Yeah, exactly. The mystery of it (I bounced around seeing various doctors) and the biopsy plan were worrisome. It's great to be on the far side of all that.
Good luck next week! I'm with your wife - the waiting is hard. I'm glad yours comes up soon - keep up posted, please.
>221 RBeffa: Thanks, Ron. Yeah, exactly. The mystery of it (I bounced around seeing various doctors) and the biopsy plan were worrisome. It's great to be on the far side of all that.
Good luck next week! I'm with your wife - the waiting is hard. I'm glad yours comes up soon - keep up posted, please.
223luvamystery65
Joe I am relieved to hear your procedure went well and no bad news. Whew!
224jnwelch
>223 luvamystery65: Whew is right, Roberta! Thanks!
225Smiler69
Glad the procedure went well and you are in good shape, Joe! I saw you comment favourably on NeuroTribes, I think on Ellen's thread. Just dug up your review and off to read it now. I may pick up NT for the NF challenge in July, if Suz confirms it fits into the Current Events theme.
226NarratorLady
>219 jnwelch: I did hear something about you giving your blessing to Plainsong Joe. Funny how word gets around!
227mirrordrum
heya Joe. hope the swallowing is improving. nuisance, ain't it?
>213 jnwelch: are you sure Infamous Army really wasn't a Regency Romance? i just can't do those but i love well-researched historical novels. if they must have a love interest, i prefer it to be backstage and not have a lot of gasps and bodice unbuttonings.
>218 NarratorLady: "The audio of Plainsong has come in." does that mean in at NLS for you to do or something other?
>226 NarratorLady: >219 jnwelch: i believe it was mentioned a time or two, Anne (glancing significantly at a local warbler). i may even have mentioned it myself.
>213 jnwelch: are you sure Infamous Army really wasn't a Regency Romance? i just can't do those but i love well-researched historical novels. if they must have a love interest, i prefer it to be backstage and not have a lot of gasps and bodice unbuttonings.
>218 NarratorLady: "The audio of Plainsong has come in." does that mean in at NLS for you to do or something other?
>226 NarratorLady: >219 jnwelch: i believe it was mentioned a time or two, Anne (glancing significantly at a local warbler). i may even have mentioned it myself.
228vancouverdeb
Delighted to hear of the positive outcome of your health issues, Joe! What a relief! I'd dread the procedure and worry about the outcome. I am so glad it is behind you. Happy Evening to you! :)
229NarratorLady
>227 mirrordrum: I'm listening to the one you listened to Ellie. NLS recorded Plainsong in 1999. I was narrating back then but I believe the story required a male reader so I don't feel too bad about not getting it. The NLS narrator is Jim Zeiger.
231Crazymamie
Morning, Joe! Happy Friday!
232jnwelch
>225 Smiler69: Thanks, Ilana! Oh, I hope Neurotribes fits the challenge and works well for you. That's an outstanding book.
>226 NarratorLady: Oh good, Anne. I thought perhaps I'd been a bit too quiet about how highly I esteem Plainsong. I was afraid mentioning it a few hundred times might not be enough. Did you happen to hear that Mark likes it, too? He's a reserved fellow, but believe me, he loves that book. :-)
>226 NarratorLady: Oh good, Anne. I thought perhaps I'd been a bit too quiet about how highly I esteem Plainsong. I was afraid mentioning it a few hundred times might not be enough. Did you happen to hear that Mark likes it, too? He's a reserved fellow, but believe me, he loves that book. :-)
233NarratorLady
>232 jnwelch: Yes, I have noticed Mark dropping a hint here and there. You've all been so restrained in your praise. I've felt no pressure, no pressure at all.
BTW....when is my book report due?
BTW....when is my book report due?
234jnwelch
>227 mirrordrum: The swallowing is improved, thanks, Ellie. Yeah, a nuisance, for sure. The anesthesia has been harder to shake than I expected, but each day is better.
An Infamous Army: others could no doubt answer this better than me, but to me, accusing a Georgette Heyer book of being a "Regency Romance" is "infamous." Who started that? She's smart, witty, an excellent writer, does her research, and provides, over and over again, topnotch, entertaining reads. Her light ones, like The Grand Sophy, remind me of Wodehouse. Her more serious ones, like An Infamous Army, I can't really compare. She's a better writer than Cornwell, IMO, with just as good a grasp of the underlying history. She does her homework. Her style really isn't like anyone else's I've read when it comes to these books.
Everything she's written that I've read (maybe 10 now?) has involved romance, but people have made that same wrong-headed (IMO) "romance" accusation about Austen. Love is a great driver in our lives, and romance can move a plot as adroitly as a mysterious murder or a deprived child determined to make her way.
An Infamous Army does feature a romance that connects with the Battle of Waterloo, but I think you'd like the scandalous protagonist. If you love well-researched historical novels, and some romance doesn't upset your apple cart, then this one should be a treat for you. What Wellington says in it, for example (and he's on the stage a lot), is taken directly from archives of the time.
Thank you for adding your warbling for Plainsong. You've got that deep musical background and bring some much-needed melody to the warbling. Can't wait to hear what Anne thinks of it!
An Infamous Army: others could no doubt answer this better than me, but to me, accusing a Georgette Heyer book of being a "Regency Romance" is "infamous." Who started that? She's smart, witty, an excellent writer, does her research, and provides, over and over again, topnotch, entertaining reads. Her light ones, like The Grand Sophy, remind me of Wodehouse. Her more serious ones, like An Infamous Army, I can't really compare. She's a better writer than Cornwell, IMO, with just as good a grasp of the underlying history. She does her homework. Her style really isn't like anyone else's I've read when it comes to these books.
Everything she's written that I've read (maybe 10 now?) has involved romance, but people have made that same wrong-headed (IMO) "romance" accusation about Austen. Love is a great driver in our lives, and romance can move a plot as adroitly as a mysterious murder or a deprived child determined to make her way.
An Infamous Army does feature a romance that connects with the Battle of Waterloo, but I think you'd like the scandalous protagonist. If you love well-researched historical novels, and some romance doesn't upset your apple cart, then this one should be a treat for you. What Wellington says in it, for example (and he's on the stage a lot), is taken directly from archives of the time.
Thank you for adding your warbling for Plainsong. You've got that deep musical background and bring some much-needed melody to the warbling. Can't wait to hear what Anne thinks of it!
235jnwelch
>233 NarratorLady: Ha! Restraint is our middle name, Anne. Actually, please feel no pressure. Just give it a go. Not everything works for everyone. But its enchantment is unforgettable if you find yourself caught up in it.
Your book report is due some time within this lifetime. Or, if we all manage to gather afterwards in the celestial library, one at that time would be okay, too.
Your book report is due some time within this lifetime. Or, if we all manage to gather afterwards in the celestial library, one at that time would be okay, too.
236jnwelch
>228 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb! I can't tell you how pleased I am to have it behind us. This has been a mystery that has been going on for quite a long time. It might be this, it might be that, I'd like you to go see Dr. so-and-so. Then Dr. so-and-so wants me to see Dr. such-and-such. Who sends me back to so-and-so. Who sends me to yet another one. You get the idea.
I will say, surgery always takes a big team, right? The team members for this one were all so nice and confidence-inspiring. A bunch of Darryls.
>229 NarratorLady: I would like to hear Plainsong on audio some day. We saw a small theater adaptation of it here that was outstanding. We still talk about it.
I will say, surgery always takes a big team, right? The team members for this one were all so nice and confidence-inspiring. A bunch of Darryls.
>229 NarratorLady: I would like to hear Plainsong on audio some day. We saw a small theater adaptation of it here that was outstanding. We still talk about it.
237jnwelch
>230 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Camping is being able to see trees out your hotel window? Ha!
>231 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! Happy Friday!
>231 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! Happy Friday!
238brodiew2
Happy Friday, Joe! I think its cool that you met Michael Harvey and corresponded with him for a while. I think I'll send him an email at his site to let him know how much I loved Brighton.
I hope your day is off to a good start.
I hope your day is off to a good start.
239jnwelch
>238 brodiew2: Good idea, Brodie! I'm glad you had such a great time with Brighton. I'm adding it to the WL.
The day is off to a good start. I'm feeling more with it, and we've gotten more excellent weather.
Hope you're doing well in that beautiful Pacific Northwest.
The day is off to a good start. I'm feeling more with it, and we've gotten more excellent weather.
Hope you're doing well in that beautiful Pacific Northwest.
242jnwelch
Great American Novel
Several authors just picked their "Great American Novel" in the LA Times, including our beloved DIL, Adriana Ramirez. She picked The Princess Bride: http://www.latimes.com/books/la-ca-jc-great-american-novel-intro-20160622-snap-h...
Others include Sula, Song of Solomon, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.
The online comments brought up some others we've mentioned here, like Lonesome Dove, Blood Meridian and Huckleberry Finn.
Maybe I'll raise Plainsong in a comment. :-)
Several authors just picked their "Great American Novel" in the LA Times, including our beloved DIL, Adriana Ramirez. She picked The Princess Bride: http://www.latimes.com/books/la-ca-jc-great-american-novel-intro-20160622-snap-h...
Others include Sula, Song of Solomon, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.
The online comments brought up some others we've mentioned here, like Lonesome Dove, Blood Meridian and Huckleberry Finn.
Maybe I'll raise Plainsong in a comment. :-)
244mirrordrum
>234 jnwelch: >227 mirrordrum: anesthesia effects are a nuisance but they do diminish. plenty of water and vitamin c are helpful. that means not just C in a multi-vitamin but large doses designed to do good anti-oxidant work. 'struth. and the vitamin c people do not pay me to say that. do be patient with yourself, don't let brain fog scare you and listen to the body's messages about rest and whatnot.
thanks for the Heyer reassurance. where did i ever get that idea about Heyer and RRs? well, see for example Georgette Heyer’s Regency World, by Jennifer Kloester – A Review from which i take the following quotation:
(Heyer) was a pioneer in Regency romance, and is generally attributed by many for establishing the sub genre that is flourishing today. Stylish, witty and historically accurate, her humorous plots and memorable characters serve as the benchmark for new Regency romance writers.
In her lifetime Heyer publisher twenty-six Regency-era novels, many of which are again available in new editions by Sourcebooks and Harlequin Books. than Harlequin books does one get more RR? *chortle* i could go on but won't.
that being said, reading further on her work i take your point and it sounds as though she probably eschewed the bodice-ripping bits in favor of more substantive fare. i'll give it a whirl.
>235 jnwelch: love this.
thanks for the Heyer reassurance. where did i ever get that idea about Heyer and RRs? well, see for example Georgette Heyer’s Regency World, by Jennifer Kloester – A Review from which i take the following quotation:
(Heyer) was a pioneer in Regency romance, and is generally attributed by many for establishing the sub genre that is flourishing today. Stylish, witty and historically accurate, her humorous plots and memorable characters serve as the benchmark for new Regency romance writers.
In her lifetime Heyer publisher twenty-six Regency-era novels, many of which are again available in new editions by Sourcebooks and Harlequin Books. than Harlequin books does one get more RR? *chortle* i could go on but won't.
that being said, reading further on her work i take your point and it sounds as though she probably eschewed the bodice-ripping bits in favor of more substantive fare. i'll give it a whirl.
>235 jnwelch: love this.
245jnwelch
>244 mirrordrum:. Thanks for the excellent Vitamin C advice, Ellie. We have it, and I will follow up pronto.
The wrong impression created by the Jennifer Kloesters out there! Or maybe "Regency Romance" has taken on that bodice-ripping connotation over time and outstripped what Heyer actually wrote. At least the "stylish, witty and historically accurate" is right.
Maybe you'll come away thinking the label more on target than I do, but to me it's a travesty of the highest order, causing readers who would appreciate her writing to shy away for fear that Fabio will show up.
A travesty, I tell you. An outrage. A skunk in the cabbage patch.
When she actually provides a quite satisfactory koala in the eucalyptus tree. See what you think. But don't let those chanters of Regency romance nonsense fool you.
The wrong impression created by the Jennifer Kloesters out there! Or maybe "Regency Romance" has taken on that bodice-ripping connotation over time and outstripped what Heyer actually wrote. At least the "stylish, witty and historically accurate" is right.
Maybe you'll come away thinking the label more on target than I do, but to me it's a travesty of the highest order, causing readers who would appreciate her writing to shy away for fear that Fabio will show up.
A travesty, I tell you. An outrage. A skunk in the cabbage patch.
When she actually provides a quite satisfactory koala in the eucalyptus tree. See what you think. But don't let those chanters of Regency romance nonsense fool you.
This topic was continued by Joe's Book Cafe 2016 Door 15.
