scaifea's thread #18

Welcome to thread XVIII!



Below you’ll find an explanation of my reading habits, which, I warn you, is a bit crazy. Usually I have about 10-15 books going at once, one each from the following groups (and occasionally other books slipped in there, too):

1. A book from the 100 Banned Books book (at least currently. As soon as I finish this list, I'll replace it with another, and oh, I've got tons of lists).

2. A children's book, for Charlie's library. I'm trying to collect books from various award lists, and I like reading them before reading them to Charlie or deciding to add them to Charlie's shelves. For this category, I’m currently working through three lists:
a. 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Die
b. The CYOA books
c. The Newbery Honor books
d. Cooperative Children's Book Center list

3. A book from the Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List, in chronological order.

4. A book for the Presidential Challenge. Books for this category are read in chronological (presidentially) order.

5. An audio book, which I listen to as I knit/sew/otherwise craft/drive.

6. A list I'm working through together with my best friend, Rob: The Hugo/Nebula/WFA/Bram Stoker (and other) lists (combined, in chronological order)

7. For this category, I cycle through 7 different stacks:
a. A book from my shelves which I haven't yet read
b. Agatha Christie's bibliography (in chronological order)
c. Neil Gaiman's bibliography (in some order other than chronological (don't
ask)).
d. Christopher Moore's bibliography (in chronological order)
e. Stephen Fry's bibliography (in chronological order)
f. The NEH Timeless Classics list
g. The National Book Award list (in alpha order by title)
h. The Pulitzer list (in alpha order by author)
i. John Boyne bibliography (in chronological order, sort of)

8. A read-aloud-to-Charlie-at-bedtime book.

9. An unread book from my shelves.

10. A book from my Classics shelves.

11. A book from our Science Shelves corner.

12. A book on Buddhism or from the Dalai Lama's bibliography.

13. Book-a-year challenge: Two years ago, along with a few others in this group (*cough* Paul *cough*), I made a year-by-year list to see how far I could go back with consecutive reads. I've decided, again, to follow Paul's lead and try to fill in some of those blanks, and so I'm adding an entry here to my lists.

14. An audiobook for the car.

15. A full-on re-read through Shakespeare's stuff.

16. This slot is reserved for books that just grab me and shout that they need to be read Right Now.

And on top of these, there will be a multitude of picture books and easy readers, which Charlie and I read together. I've decided again this year also to list our re-reads, but I'll just list them each day and not number them.

So, now you've got a glimpse of just how neurotic I am.
Please feel free to post comments, recommendations, or whatever else strikes your fancy. And Happy Reading, everyone!



What I'm reading now:
-The Catcher in the Rye (Banned Books)
-(awaiting trip to the library) (Newbery Honor Book)
-The Well at the World's End (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy)
-Franklin Pierce (Presidential Challenge)
-Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William Mackenzie and me, Elizabeth (audiobook, Newbery Honor Book)
-Red Moon and Black Mountain (Mythopoeic award)
-Collected Stories and Other Writings (Pulitzer)
-The Sandman and the War of Dreams (Charlie's bed-time book)
-Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (another Charlie bed-time read)
-Don Quixote (an unread book off of my shelves)
-The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Justinian (from my Classics shelves)
-Introductory Astronomy & Astrophysics (from the Science Shelves)
-Old Path White Clouds (Buddhism list)
-A Lear of the Steppes (books by year, 1870)
-Due or Die (series that my mom wants me to read so we can chat about it)
-Prairie Tale (from the Read Soon shelf)
- (everyday audio book in the car)
-The Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare re-read)
-War and Peace (because Charlie wants me to)

In addition to these, I have some classics-related texts that I'm working through (quite slowly):
-Asinaria by Plautus (reading in Latin)
-Iliad by Homer (reading in Greek)
-Latin Literature by Gian Biagio Conte
-The Cambridge History of Classical Literature Volume 1 Part 1

Books Read:

JANUARY

1. The Quaint and Curious Quest of Johnny Longfoot (Newbery Honor book) - 8/10 = B+
2. Slaves of Quentaris (audio book/1001 Children's Books) - 7/10 = C
3. Runner of the Mountain Tops (Newbery Honor book) - 7/10 = C
4. The Blue Cat of Castletown (Newbery Honor book) - 8/10 = B+
5. Princess Academy (Newbery Honor book/ audio book) - 8/10 = B+
6. Olive's Ocean (audio book/Newbery Honor book) - 7/10 = C
7. The Wanderer (audio book/Newbery Honor book) - 8/10 = B+
8. The Terrible Two (potential Charlie book) - 9/10 = A
9. The Puppy Place: Scout (Charlie's bedtime book) - 8/10 = B
10. A Daughter of the Seine (Newbery Honor book) - 8/10 = B
11. Roller Girl (Newbery Honor book) - 8/10 = B+
12. Abe Lincoln at Last! (Charlie's school library chapter book) - 8/10 = B+
13. How I Live Now (audiobook, 1001 Children's Books list) - 8/10 = B+
14. The Terrible Two Get Worse (loaned to me by a school librarian) - 8/10 = B+
15. Ella Enchanted (audiobook, Newbery Honor book) - 8/10 = B+
16. Echo (Newbery Honor book) - 9/10 = A-
17. Bone Gap (Printz award winner) - 9/10 = A
18. The Ghosts of Heaven (Printz Honor book) - 8/10 = B-
19. George (Stonewall Award winner) - 9/10 = A
20. The Return of the Native (audiobook for the car/book-a-year challenge, 1878) - 9/10 = A
21. Hoot (audiobook, Newbery Honor book) - 8/10 = B
22. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (1001 Children's Books) - 9/10 = A
23. Magic Tree House #17: Tonight on the Titanic (Charlie's school library book) - 8/10 = B+
24. The War That Saved My Life (Newbery Honor book) - 9/10 = A
25. Magic Tree House Fact Tracker: Abraham Lincoln (public library book) - 8/10 = B+

FEBRUARY
26. Crenshaw (public library book) - 8/10 = B+
27. Noah Barleywater Runs Away (Charlie book) - 9/10 = A-
28. The Midnight Dress (Blind Date with a Book) - 8/10 = B+
29. Twilight (audiobook, 1001 Children's Books) - 9/10 = A-
30. Don't Break the Balance Beam! (public library book) - 8/10 = B
31. Hattie Ever After (sequel read) - 8/10 = B
32. A to Z Mysteries: Secret Admirer (Charlie bed-time read) - 8/10 = B
33. A Good Night for Ghosts (Charlie's school library book) - 8/10 = B+
34. The Brilliant World of Tom Gates (audiobook) - 8/10 = B-
35. Zachary Taylor (Presidential Challenge) - 8/10 = B-
36. Books Can Be Deceiving (series I'm reading with my mom) - 8/10 = B+

MARCH
37. The Magic Tree House: Leprechaun in Late Winter (Charlie's school library book) - 8/10 = B
38. Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus (school library book) - 8/10 = B-
39. Bink & Gollie (school library book) - 8/10 = B+
40. The Magic Tree House #3: Mummies in the Morning (school library book) - 8/10 = B
41. The Spoonflower Handbook (just because I wanted to) - 9/10 = A-
42. The BFG (Charlie's bedtime read) - 9/10 = A
43. Circus Mirandus (audiobook) - 8/10 = B+
44. Mr. Pants: Slacks, Camera, Action! (Charlie book) - 9/10 = A
45. Hour of the Olympics (school library book) - 8/10 = B
46. Junie B. Jones and That Meanie Jim's Birthday (Charlie's school library book) - 8/10 = B
47. The Puppy Place: Patches (Charlie's bedtime read) - 8/10 = B+
48. Black Boy (Banned Books list) - 9/10 = A-
49. The Religions Book (Charlie book) - 8/10 = A
50. The Boy Whom Swam with Piranhas (Charlie book) - 9/10 = A
51. Blizzard at Black Swan Inn (CYOA list) - 8/10 = B
52. The Nest (audiobook) - 8/10 = B+
53. Belle Prater's Boy (audiobook/Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B+
54. Pax (potential Charlie book) - 8/10 = B+
55. Fleece Navidad (series I'm reading with my mom) - 9/10 = A-
56. Dandelion Wine (NEH Children's Classics list) - 10/10 = A+
57. The Crystal Cave (Mythopoeic award list) - 8/10 = B+
58. The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket (Charlie book) - 9/10 = A

APRIL
59. Stay Where You Are and Then Leave (Jeffers/Boyne bibliography) - 9/10 = A
60. The Naming of Tishkin Silk (1001 Children's Books) - 8/10 = B+
61. Minn of the Mississippi (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B
62. High Tide in Hawaii (Charlie's school library book) - 8/10 = B
63. The Apple and the Arrow (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B
64. My Side of the Mountain (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B+
65. Rascal (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B+
66. Millions (1001 Children's Books) - 8/10 = B+
67. The Magic Tree House #10: Ghost Town at Sundown (Charlie's school library book) = 8/10 = B+
68. Davy Crockett (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B-
69. To Be a Slave (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B
70. Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King (Charlie's bedtime read) = 10/10 = A+
71. Serafina and the Black Cloak (book fair purchase) - 8/10 = B+

MAY
72. Detective Gordon: The First Case (CCBC list, easy reader) - 8/10 = B
73. Grimpow (audiobook/1001 Children's Books list) - 7/10 = C
74. Magic Tree House #24: Earthquake in the Early Morning (Charlie's school library book) - 8/10 = B
75. Enchantress from the Stars (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B+
76. To Your Scattered Bodies Go (Hugo Award) - 9/10 = A-
77. Millard Fillmore (U. S. Presidential Challenge) - 8/10 = B-
78. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (audiobook for the car) - 10/10 = A+
79. The Arrival (1001 Children's Books) - 10/10 = A
80. Finding Serendipity (book fair purchase) - 9/10 = A
81. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (bought as a potential Charlie book) - 8/10 = B
82. Magic Tree House #44: A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time by Mary Pope Osborne (Charlie's school library book) - 8/10 = B+
83. Ollie's Odyssey (William Joyce bibliography) - 10/10 = A+

JUNE
84. E. Aster Bunnymund and the Warrior Eggs at the Earth's Core! (Charlie's bed-time read) - 10/10 = A+
85. The Knight at Dawn (Charlie book) - 8/10 = B
86. Moby Dick (audiobook) - 9/10 = A-
87. The Three Muskeeters (1001 Children's Books) - 9/10 = A
88. Memoirs of Hecate County (banned books list) - 7/10 = C+
89. The Neil Gaiman Audio Collection (audiobook) - 10/10 = A
90. A Fine White Dust (audiobook/Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B+
91. The Sonnets (Shakespeare re-read) - 10/10 = A
92. Five Days at Memorial (from my Read Soon shelves) - 8/10 = B-
93. The Light of Asia (Buddhism reading list) - 8/10 = B+
94. The Centaur (National Book Award) - 8/10 = B
95. The Sign of the Beaver (Newbery Honor Book, audiobook) - 9/10 = A-

JULY
96. The Amazing Spider-Man Storybook Collection (Charlie book) - 8/10 = B+
97. Nimona (checked out from the Lancaster public library as part of our Library Visiting Adventure) - 8/10 = B+
98. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Charlie's bedtime read) - 10/10 = A+
99. The Waters of the Wondrous Isles (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy list) - 8/10 = B
100. The Sandman: Overture (Gaiman bibliography) - 10/10 = A+
101. The Kalahari Typing School for Men (series I'm reading with my mom) - 8/10 = B+
102. Not My Father's Son (audiobook) - 9/10 = A
103. Graven Images (audiobook, Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B
104. Far from the Madding Crowd (Book-a-Year Challenge) - 9/10 = A
105. The Fledgling (audiobook, Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B
106. The Gods Themselves (Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards lists) - 8/10 = B+
107. Danny the Champion of the World (audiobook for the car) - 10/10 = A+
108. Dear Committee Members (Read Soon Shelf) - 10/10 = A+
109. The Silver Dream (Gaiman bibliography) - 9/10 = A
110. Eternity's Wheel (Gaiman bibliography) - 9/10 = A
111. Phoebe and Her Unicorn (75er recommendation) - 9/10 = A
112. Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians (audiobook, The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy list) - 8/10 = B-
113. The Path to Enlightenment (Buddhism reading list) - 9/10 = A
114. Attack of the Monster Plants (CYOA list) - 8/10 = B
115. The Miss Liberty Caper (CYOA list) - 8/10 = B
116. Clues in the Woods (Charlie book) - 9/10 = A
117. George's Marvelous Medicine (audiobook for the car) - 10/10 = A+
118. A Necklace of Raindrops (1001 Children's Books) - 8/10 = B+
119. Inside Out and Back Again (Newbery Honor Book) - 9/10 = A
120. The Boy at the Top of the Mountain (Boyne bibliography) - 10/10 = A+

AUGUST
121. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (because one must, of course) - 8/10 = B+
122. Puppy Pirates: Stowaway! (Charlie read-aloud) - 8/10 = B
123. A Newbery Zoo (Charlie book) - 8/10 = B+
124. The Bluest Eye (Banned Books, audiobook) - 8/10 = B+
125. Toothiana, Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies (Charlie's bedtime read) - 9/10 = A
126. Audubon (Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10 = B-

The Charlie Topper:

Charlie's Summer Books Read List:
1. Little Mouse Makes a Mess
2. Mr. Pants: It's Go Time!
3. Little Owl Leaves the Nest
4. Three Stories You Can Read to Your Dog
5. I Will Take a Nap!
6. Little Panda Gets Lost
7. Little Duck Finds a Friend
8. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
9. The Friendship Tree
10. Dinosaur Planet
11. Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!
12. Little Puppy's Rainy Day
13. The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!
14. The Knight at Dawn
15. Mona Is Missing
16. Haunted Harbor
17. Stuart Little: Stuart at the Library
18. Amelia Bedelia
19. What Pet Should I Get?
20. Red: A Crayon's Story
21. Stuck
22. Battle Bunny
23. Fly Guy's Amazing Tricks
24. Little Bear
25. HiLo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth
26. Lego DC Comics Super Heroes
27. The Book with No Pictures
28. The Great Paper Caper
29. The Incredible Book-Eating Boy
30. Puppy Pirates: Stowaway!

And the Bonus Question:

I'm still in Vacation Brain Mode, so I'm having trouble coming up with a good one. How about this:
While in Columbus, we tried a new restaurant for breakfast, which is run by one of my former Latin students. It was *amazing*. Absolutely the best breakfast I've ever had. The place (The North Star Cafe) specializes in all local produce, organic stuff, all-natural, all-deliciousness. I had a simple breakfast sandwich of two eggs and gouda cheese on the sweetest biscuit I've ever tasted. The eggs were perfect, the cheese delicious. It was The Best Thing Ever.

So, tell us about your very favorite breakfast joint and what's good there.

Happy new thread, Amber.

My favourite breakfast joint is the French bakery about five minutes drive down the road in Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.
A cooked breakfast is great with home-made turkey sausages, but the fresh orange juice, wonderful coffee and simply wonderful almond croissants are to die for. The campest of North African French proprietors is also great entertainment.

Welcome home, Amber! Now you need a vacation to recover from your vacation :)

That Charlie topper is priceless - frame-worthy, for sure!

My regular breakfast place is Cindi's - billed as a NY-style deli and run by a lovely Vietnamese woman. There are actually five of them around Dallas. I usually stick to pancakes with a side of bacon. But I do love a nice breakfast sandwich, so sometimes I build my own by ordering a bagel, a fried egg, a slice of cheese, and some bacon a la carte.

But probably the best breakfast I've ever had was at Biscuit Head in Asheville, NC. Biscuits as big as your head, served on a pie plate, with whatever kind of gravy or eggs or whathaveyou you want. I got sausage cream gravy and it was amazing. I think I ate about a third of it, though, before waving the white flag. Soooo good!

>5 PaulCranswick: Paul: Oh, those almond croissants sound pretty amazing!

>6 katiekrug: Katie: Yes, today is the designated recovery day from vacation. Also laundry day. Ugh. Oh, and we have a Harry Potter Party to go to at the library this afternoon. So, yeah, I guess not much recovery time after all...
That biscuit sounds WONDERFUL. I LOVE sausage gravy! Yum.

I didn't get much reading done during our trip, but I did manage to finish two:

118. Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai (Newbery Honor Book, 262 pages) - 9/10 = A
A beautiful part novel part memoir of a Vietnamese girl and her family fleeing her home country and trying to adjust to life in the U.S. Told in free verse, the writing is gorgeous. Joe, if you're reading this, I think you'd love this one.

119. The Boy at the Top of the Mountain by John Boyne (Boyne bibliography, 262 pages) - 10/10 = A+
The story of an orphaned boy who goes to live with his aunt, who happens to be the housekeeper for Adolf Hitler. Hoo boy, just like all of Boyne's stuff, this one is not an easy read, but it's still an excellent one. Powerful in its story and beautifully told. Get the tissues ready (generally a good rule when reading Boyne's work).

Happy Sunday, and Happy New Thread, Amber!

We love Victory Banner on Roscoe near us for breakfast, especially the chilquiles and the smoked gouda and veggie sausage omelet. Very friendly place with great food.

>9 jnwelch: Joe: Smoked gouda? Sold!

And here's my vacation haul:

Howdy Amber! That is the best Charlie topper so far. ETA: love the vacation haul.

My favorite local breakfast joint is Jupiter Pizza and Waffles. They have the best brunch with a selection of savory and sweet Belgian waffles. My favorite is The Homestead which is prosciutto, eggs cooked to order, muenster cheese, arugula, tomato and honey mustard. Yum. They have lots of other yummy food including pizza. I love their mimosas and the meaty marys are a spicy taste of heaven.

Here is their website http://jupiterpizzaandwaffles.com/#comfortcuisine

Bonus is they bring you your check in a paperback book!

>12 luvamystery65: Hi, Roberta! Thanks! I do love that photo of Charlie. What an adorable goof, eh?

And pizza and waffles is the best combination ever! Love it! I'd love to try it sometime, as Belgian Waffles are my favorite kind.

Oooh, look what just came to the front door!!!

>14 scaifea: Mine is waiting for me at one of the local independents. I'm at work (shh...don't tell anyone) so I will have to wait until tomorrow to pick it up.

>15 luvamystery65: Exciting! And we saw a preview for Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them this week (before The BFG, which was lovely, by the way), and it looks AMAZING. I'm super excited about that one, too.

Welcome Home, Amber! Happy Sunday, Happy New Thread too!
Awesome vacation haul! Where'd you find such great books?!

The best breakfasts I've ever consumed were at the Royal Mayan, Royal Hacienda and Royal Cancun in Cancun, Mexico! Besides the stunning surroundings I found that huevos rancheros and divorced eggs were not only delicious, they're simple to prepare at home too! Chilaquiles on the side and mmm, mmm, mmm, heaven!

>14 scaifea: Yup I'm picking ours up at the local independent bookstore (to add to our set) with my store credit!*Squeal*

Hope your trip was great! That Charlie topper is excellent.

Bonus: Favorite breakfast joint? Mom's kitchen? I *love* breakfast, but we don't manage to get out for it much when we're not traveling. Mom makes excellent waffles and French toast. Good bacon. If you can get her to cook up some scrapple, that's aces. ;-)

The best breakfast I remember eating NOT cooked by a loved one was at our hotel we stayed at a few times when we vacationed in Maine when I was a kid. The restaurant at the Booth Bay Harbor Inn. Everything was crazy fresh and amazing. They served fresh yogurt with blueberries and strawberries that was incredible.

>14 scaifea: Wait. It was delivered today? How'd that happen? Who delivers on Sunday? I'd pre-ordered mine from amazon but cancelled the order when I found out they wouldn't be delivering it til Wednesday. Husbeast and I were in Barnes and Noble within ten minutes after open this morning instead. (Where we bought two copies, because he decided he couldn't wait til I finished. It's pretty fun that were reading it at the same time now.)

Hell-oooo Amber. Nice that you had a good vacation. I'd swipe the top three books from your vacation haul, given the opportunity.

Breakfasts. Hummm. What pops into my mind is the Williamsburg Inn, where my wife and I breakfasted two or three days during a visit to Williamsburg. Large buffet, large room, few customers, tablecloths and cloth napkins, attentive waiters.

>12 luvamystery65: I'm curious, Roberta, about the paperback book your check was in. Was it a good book? Could you request a different title? Was it included in the cost of the meal?

>17 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda! Must go google 'divorced eggs'...
My haul all came from a gloriously ginormous Barnes & Noble in Columbus. One of my favorite bookstores.

>18 Carmenere: Lynda: WOOT!!

>19 lycomayflower: Laura: Ooof, but doesn't breakfast at your mom's with you sound pretty excellent right now. No scrapple for me, though, please.
And we have Amazon Prime, and Amazon contracts out POs to deliver on Sundays. So, yeah.

>20 weird_O: Hi, Bill! Just the top three, eh? No love for the knitting book, then? C'mon, now...
That Williamsburg joint sound delightful. We had breakfast yesterday morning in our fancypants hotel and it was also buffet with cloth napkins and excellent service. The oatmeal with all the fixins was lovely, as were all of the various pastries, all of which Charlie and I sampled, of course.

Chocolate Cake in the oven now, using Hagrid's recipe, of course. It *is* Harry's birthday, after all. We'll be decorating it accordingly, of course.

Amber! You were an hour away from me and I didn't know! Not that it matters, my car might be broken down again... :(

14: Sooooo jealous!!!

Bonus question: I don't go out to eat often, and when I do its for dinner. My favorite breakfast thing to cook, however, is definitely a simple fried egg sandwich. 2 fried eggs over easy with cheese on bread = bliss.

>23 Ape: Stephen: I know! We didn't do any meet-ups, though, mostly because this was meant to be a super-relaxing, not-a-lot-of-plans vacation, and meeting-up with adult strangers is really not relaxing for Charlie at all. Someday, though. SOMEDAY.
Also, I love your favorite breakfast! Perfect.

Hi Amber, and happy new thread! Oh, I loved Inside Out and Back Again when I read it a few years ago.

Favorite place to go for breakfast? Our local French Press Cafe. They make excellent crepes of all kinds, and I often get their zucchini and pistachio pancakes. Great bennies, and breakfast burritos. They were ina tiny strip mall right by our house, which was razed to make room for a condo complex (blech), so they moved a little farther east, but still close. Now their location is nice and big, with outdoor cafe seating, etc. It's a local treasure!

I have lots of questions:

Did Charlie like the BFG? It was lovely I thought.
Does the playscript read well? Do you plan to see the plays sometime?

I love the idea of going out to breakfast. It was so foreign to me the first time someone asked me I thought they were joking and had already eaten when we got to the place. My favourite was a buffet car on a train: they did muffins and coffee and they were a lovely way to start a day at the library!

>21 scaifea: Oooo, LT breakfast meet up at LW3's! *ducks flung spatula from the lady in question*

Huh. We have the Prime too. Is why I was so perplexed/disgruntled/sad at that Wednesday delivery estimate. I was expecting to have to wait til Monday, but Wednesday seemed absurd for a release like this. *shrug* No harm done. And now I get to spend the afternoon curled up with it!

Bonus question: I've really never understood the concept of going out for breakfast. In my book breakfast is what you have before you go out, preferably within about five minutes of getting up. So I have no favourite breakfast places locally. But the prize for favourite breakfast has to be a tie between a tiny B&B in the West of Ireland which served four course breakfasts and made the best porridge ever, and a much bigger fancier B&B in Annapolis Royal in Nova Scotia.

>20 weird_O: I suspect they buy paperbacks at Goodwill or the 5 for $1 bin at the friends of the library sale. I don't read them. If they brought the book when they seated you, then I might be tempted. Glad they don't. Don't want to be rude. :D

Happy Sunday, Amber! Happy New Thread. And Welcome Home! Hope you had a nice trip.

Not sure we have a favorite breakfast place but I sure enjoy a Mexican breakfast now and then. Note to self...I am due for one of those.

Happy new one, Amber. I'm with Rhian, breakfast is something I eat at home before leaving the house for work or shortly after I got up. I don't have therefore a location I would go to.

>25 AMQS: Anne: Yes, Inside Out and Back Again certain is lovely, isn't it? And I love the sound of The French Press!

>26 charl08: Charlotte: We *all* loved The BFG! I thought the girl was every so slighly annoying, but the BFG himself was spectacular. Such a fantastic actor! I nearly cried every time he smiled.
And I can't answer your second question because I haven't had time to crack it open just yet. I don't anticipate any issues, as I'm pretty used to reading plays. But, yes, I'd LOVE to see it sometime; maybe if it ever gets to Chicago...?

>27 lycomayflower: Laura: Ha!
Weird about the different delivery days. I'm at a loss, really.

>28 SandDune: Rhian: I get that. But I've never been able to enjoy breakfast as soon as I get up. I need time first, and at least one cuppa. Even so, breakfast out is definitely a weekend thing.

>29 luvamystery65: Roberta: Oh, you get to keep the books?! V. cool!

>30 msf59: Hi, Mark! Yep, we had a great time.
And Mexican breakfast sounds fantastic!

>31 Ameise1: Barbara: Yep, I understand that.

Happy new thread, Amber!

My favourite breakfast place is actually not to far from my apartment. It's called DeDutch and they do traditional pannekoeken (massive pancake that's thicker than a crepe but thinner than a normal pancake) that you can get with all kinds of different toppings. The last time I had one I went for the Dutch chocolate sprinkles that they normally put on bread, strawberries, and whipped cream. They also do an amazing (and affordable) breakfast platter. I had it the last time I was there and got 2 eggs, turkey bacon, hashbrowns, fresh fruit, and raisin toast. Mmmmm.

Charlie, Tomm and I had a great time at the Potter Party today, put on by the local library:

Adorbs!

>27 lycomayflower: Well, thanks for loving my breakfast joint! And thanks for inviting everybody to come by...we'll talk about that later. You missed a mess of scrapple this morning, btw. And wasn't that Maine breakfast at the Ocean Point Inn? And didn't it also include fresh-squeezed OJ, or was that somewhere else?

My favorite place to get breakfast is a little diner called The Gourmet, just a couple miles down the road from us. The decor is so kitschy it was out of style 30 years ago, but the food is gooood. I love their giant (plate-sized) cranberry/walnut pancake with crispy bacon and lots of coffee. And they will happily serve you just one if you ask. I have a good friend who I meet for breakfast there once or twice a year as she passes through on the way to visit her daughter. So it's special for that reason too.

Favorite breakfast joint: My own house. ;-) I don't eat breakfast out much, and around here, there is really nothing very good. I found a place called "Another Broken Egg" in Grayton Beach, Florida that I liked pretty well on vacation once. I discovered it's actually a chain later.

When I was growing up, my dad always made us leave the house early in the morning so we'd get through Memphis and across the bridge before rush hour. We'd usually stop at a truck stop restaurant called "Earl's Hot Biscuits" in West Memphis. I don't know if it is still in existence or not.

Around here, Cracker Barrel probably offers the best breakfast. Again, it's a chain, but it is decent.

>34 scaifea: Charlie is the new Harry Potter! He's perfect. Quick, we must mount a stage production of the first book, with him as the star!

And, btw, I think I need that life-sized Dobby figure.

>29 luvamystery65: No Amber we don't get to keep the books.

One of our local bookstores put on a midnight party for The Cursed Child. It was packed. I didn't go because I'm working but they did a great job. Love your costumes. Looks like you had a great time.

>35 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky!

>36 laytonwoman3rd: The Gourmet sounds amazing - I love the idea of out-of-date decor, too. Love those types of places.

>37 thornton37814: Lori: I think we had a Cracker Barrel discussion recently, didn't we? I fall under the Meh category. Most stuff there is too salty for me, honestly.

>38 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Ha! You can't see it in the pictures here, but he even has a scar on his forehead... And yes, that Dobby is awesome, isn't he? The library keeps him out on display all the time, dressing him up seasonally and such. Love him.

>39 luvamystery65: Roberta: Wha?! That's bush-league.
And woot! I love those midnight release parties! My costume (the Fat Lady in one of the portraits, dontchaknow) was cobbled together from an old one that I made when I was in grad school for a classics party (Greek lady and all that).

>41 scaifea: You should not be dressing as the Fat Lady, but I love the recycle. I would probably go as Luna Lovegood or Professor Trewlany or Bellatrix Lestrange so I could have an excuse to act crazy. I'd be in character of course. ;-) As a nurse I should probably go as Madame Pomfrey but she is too strict for my liking.

>ETA: You need a frame for your costume! Did you have one?

>26 charl08: Now that you mention it: trains! Yes! Years ago, I went to Chicago on the train via the old Pennsy route. On the way home, I learned the train would be going through the famous Horseshoe Curve just west of Altoona, PA at about 7 a.m. I remember sitting in the nearly deserted dining car, eating breakfast and watching both ends of the train as we cruised through the curve.



Horseshoe Curve, October 12, 1934. Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/item/2007661523/

Fat lady!? More like Greek goddess. ;)

>42 luvamystery65: Roberta: It's the costume that I knew I could put together on short notice. No, I didn't have a frame - I stepped out of my frame to attend the party, naturally.
Charlie wants to be Harry for Halloween this year, and so I'm tinkering with the idea of making myself a Professor McGonagall costume. We'll see how it goes...

>43 weird_O: Bill: Oh, yes, eating in the dining car of a train is fabulous. I used to travel cross country on Amtrak tons when I was still working, and I loved that you were forced to sit with people you didn't know, who were nearly always very friendly, and the story-swapping was lovely.

>44 Ape: Stephen: Snork! Aw, I'm blushing! You smooth-talker, you.

Love the Harry Potter celebration and photos!!

Favorite breakfast spot is the actual original House of Pancakes, located 1/2 mile from my house. They have the most awesome potato pancakes with apple sauce and sour cream on top. Yum!

Your bonus questions always lead to fascinating nuggets of information, Amber. I had no idea breakfast out was more of a thing in North America than in Europe (at least according to this sample)!

What about brunch?

Like Amber, I can't eat when I first wake up. On work days, I eat when I get to the office, and on weekends, if we go out for breakfast or brunch, it's usually around 10am.

>46 Berly: Kim: The ORIGINAL?! Oh, I'm so jealous right now!

>47 katiekrug: Katie: That *is* interesting, isn't it? And yeah, I'm with you: when I was still working, I'd pack my breakfast and no eat until I'd been in the office for an hour or so.
And yet, oddly, I've never really been a fan of brunch.

Love the pictures!

For breakfast, Morning Glory in Ashland, Oregon. They have an awesome tofu scramble. (I am allergic to eggs so breakfast joints tend to be problematic for me. )

>48 scaifea: - Is it the timing you don't like, or the mix of breakfast-y/non-breakfast-y foods.

I usually just have breakfast food, I confess, because I love it so... And a bloody mary, of course :)

Hmmm. Best breakfast place. There's the place down the road that makes fantastic crepes. Or the Mexican restaurant a bit farther away that makes great huevos rancheros for Sunday brunch. Or biscuits I make on some Saturday.

Yeah, we like breakfast. For any meal ever. :)

The Cursed Child was so so good! Love the Potter Party picks. Favorite Brakefast place um... the Polish place in my local high street make the best Full Englishes.

>49 banjo123: Rhonda: Oh gosh, the no-egg thing would make it difficult. Jeez.

>50 katiekrug: Katie: I think it's the kinds of foods that are generally served. Plus, it's not really breakfast and it's not really lunch. That bothers me for some reason. I need order in my life, and brunch seems too much like chaos.
And you know, I've never had a Bloody Mary... Weird...

>51 drneutron: Jim: Oooh, homemade biscuits! I love making pancakes on Sunday mornings, and I've recently found a waffle recipe that Charlie and I LOVE. I agree, though, that breakfast for any meal is pretty great. A good egg, cheese and bacon sandwich is an excellent dinner.

>52 BBGirl55: Byrony: Oooh! I'm about 1/4 through The Cursed Child so far. The writing is okay, but yeah, the story is pretty great, and I love what she's decided on for some of the characters' 'futures.' V. cool so far. It's been really difficult for me to keep from blabbing some of the cool stuff to Tomm tonight...

I don't have a favourite breakfast place but have had several memorable breakfasts including the turkish eggs dish at one of Peter Gordon's restaurants in London, two poached eggs on whipped yoghurt with hot chilli butter and sourdough.

I also loved Inside Out and Back Again.

I usually eat breakfast at home and only go out for it while traveling. I remember having a really good breakfasts while I was in Scotland even when we were staying at Universities (love the full breakfasts with mushrooms (sorry Amber), fried tomatoes and beans as well as the regular stuff). At one hotel they actually had eggs and soldiers (soft boiled eggs and strips of toast for dipping). The only time I go out for breakfast/brunch when I am at home is after the Sun Run and then it is down to Chinatown for Dim Sum.

There used to be a place near-ish to where I lived in California that I loved to go to for breakfast. It was a real greasy spoon called Little Amsterdam. It was run by an actual Dutch family, and they gave you Dutch service (service without a smile ;)). The "regular breakfast" was too much food for most people to finish, but the cook did over-medium eggs to perfection.

I also liked another greasy spoon (see the theme here?) in Denver. I like crispy, dark hash browns and eggs over medium. If you can do both those things, I'm good.

In Italy, lots of people go out for breakfast, but breakfast is a coffee and a brioche (croissant), so it's not really the same.

>54 avatiakh: Kerry: Okay, clearly I need to look up both Turkish Eggs and this Gordon fellow...
And wasn't Inside Out & Back Again great? I'm so glad you liked it, too!

>55 Familyhistorian: Meg: I've heard the term 'full breakfast' before, but I don't really know what it is. Must investigate, although I'm certain it would be too much for me. I love eating breakfast out, but I rarely am able to finish what's put in front of me.

>56 ursula: Ursula: Love those greasy spoons, too. Little hole-in-the-wall places are excellent.
And yeah, breakfast out just isn't proper to me unless it involves hot food, I think.

45: Smooth talker? Ah, the best thing about the internet is that no one can hear all the times I stammer and my voice cracks when reading my messages. :P

On the agenda for today:
Charlie and I need to go back to the library today (we have some books due and we're out of new books to read, picture-book/easy-reader wise, plus I'm finished with the adult summer reading challenge, so I'm ready to claim my prizes!), and then Charlie has gymnastics this afternoon. Also, a bit of cleaning, we'll maybe walk The Gals if it isn't too hot this morning, some Latin book writing, some sewing, possibly some treadmill time (I *need* to get back into that exercise business). Pizza Soup for dinner tonight, I think.

On the reading front:
I'm made it nearly halfway through Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and the story is very good. So fun to revisit old friends and make new ones. I enjoyed yesterday's Potter-filled fun immensely - the party at the library and making (and eating!) the cake were perfect backdrops to starting the new book/script.

The calendar book today: The Panther by Nelson DeMille. Another thriller. Not really my thing, I'm afraid.

The Newbery/Caldecott Trivia: "Walter D. Edmunds (The Matchlock Gun, 1942 Newbery Medal) said he considered declining the Newbery because he thought novelists should write and never make speeches. He decided to accept the award due to another of his philosophies: Never decline anything that doesn't cost anything."
Ha! I think I like this guy.

Also, Happy Birthday to Herman Melville, born on this day in 1819!

>58 Ape: Stephen: Ha! Ah, yes, but I think that sort of thing is pretty adorable, dontchaknow.

What We Read Yesterday:
-Zen Shorts (another Scaife Manor favorite)
-Chapter 23 of Toothiana, Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies
-The second half of chapter 10 in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Morning Amber!

>62 msf59: Morning, Mark!

Hey Amber. I've remembered Another Breakfast. Can I show a picture?


(The best thing about it was it was a good walk from my friend's flat, so I felt justified in ordering the Whole Thing)

>64 charl08: Charlotte: Whoa. That looks pretty good!

Good morning, Amber!

Can't wait to hear what you think of the new Harry Potter play book. Love those pics from HP day at the library!

I just got Zen Socks, another good one by Jon Muth. Zen Shorts remains my favorite.

>66 jnwelch: Joe: That's funny, because I can't wait to finish it! Ha!
We've read all of Muth's Zen books, but for some reason only own the one. Huh. They're all lovely, I think.

Happy Monday, Amber! You're showing Charlie one amazing summer! Still some to go, so keep on keeping on!

>8 scaifea: Ten out of ten is a great accolade. I have now added The Boy On The Mountain to the tbr pile. I also like Boyne's writing style.

Delurking to say hi. Summer is flying by, Amber. Are you starting to get ready for school?

>68 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda! We're both having a fabulous time this summer.

>69 Whisper1: Oh, I think you'll love this one, Linda! I can't wait to see what you think!

>70 BLBera: Hi, Beth! We'll likely go school supply shopping soonish (I LOVE shopping for school stuff!), but we have a little over a month left before school starts (on Sept. 6th) - there's a state law here that it can't start until on or after Sept. 1st. Right now, this morning, I'm starting the birthday party planning...

Happy new thread my dear, loving the photos.

>72 johnsimpson: Thanks, John!

>57 scaifea: I've heard the term 'full breakfast' before, but I don't really know what it is. Full English (or Scottish) breakfast should be bacon, sausages, fried eggs, black pudding, fried bread, grilled tomato, mushrooms, baked beans ... Preceded by cereals and or fruit, and followed by toast and marmalade. Personally I always give the tomato and baked beans a miss.

>74 SandDune: Rhian: Ooof. Black pudding, tomatoes, mushrooms...nope. The other stuff sounds great, though!

The Original Pancake House has this baked German pancake with sauteed apples and cinnamon sugar to die for!

Happy new thread, Amber! I would probably choose The Flying Biscuit Café in Atlanta as my favorite breakfast spot. It has several locations in and outside of the city, including the one in Midtown, 1/2 mile from where I live, and it serves upscale Southern breakfast and lunch all day long. My favorite dishes are the Clifton omelet ("three eggs stuffed with goat cheese and mushrooms, topped with warm tomato coulis and basil, served with a side of creamy dreamy grits"), the smoked salmon scramble ("three eggs scrambled with wood-smoked salmon and fresh dill cream cheese, served with a side of creamy dreamy grits"), the organic oatmeal pancakes with peaches, the shrimp & grits, and the blackened tilapia ("served over our creamy dreamy white cheddar grits, topped with our homemade spicy, fresh herb marinara sauce and garnished with spicy Southern collard greens"), all of which come with a hot biscuit and a side of apple butter.

  

  

>76 ronincats: Roni: Yum!

>77 kidzdoc: Darryl: Whelp, if we ever do have a meet-up, we should probably choose a bookstore and not a restaurant. I'm beginning to think the our tastes in food are polar opposites. Ha!

happy new thread, Amber.

>78 scaifea: er, what's the polar opposite of, say, an egg? salmon? grit? just my 'satiable curtiosity.

Charlie's lookin' good. very wizardly.

i've been trying and trying and trying to remember the name of one of my favorite children's books from my childhood. and what lo! i was strolling through a list of Newbery winners and i found it. it's Marguerite De Angeli's The door in the wall. another one recommended by my mom. i do not assert that you and Charlie will like it but i suggest that you might.

g'night.

>79 mirrordrum: Ellie: Eggs are, of course, just fine. But Darryl tends to like things that make my taste buds cringe (grits, salmon in scrambled egg?!, Satan's Lettuce,...).
But, yes, The Door in the Wall is absolutely excellent; there's a copy awaiting Charlie on his shelves.

On the agenda for today:
Charlie's butt was dragging all day yesterday, in a way that makes me hope he's just over-tired from the trip and not coming down with something. So, all plans cancelled for today so that we can have a nice, quiet day at home, mostly sitting on the couch racing each other in Mario Kart, watching movies and reading. I'll pop in and out of the couchal (in)activities, alternating them with some laundry, some Latin-book-writing, possibly some sewing, some HP party planning. Leftovers for dinner tonight, I think.

On the reading front:
I finished Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - more on that one later - and listened to a bit of The Bluest Eye (whoa, NOT an easy listen, folks) while sewing.

The calendar book today: Creativity, Inc: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Creation by Ed Catmull. I normally don't care for self-help-type books, but this one's blurb describes it as also a behind-the-scenes look at Pixar, which sounds interesting, maybe. Anyone read this one? Is it more memoir or self-help, I wonder?

The Newbery/Caldecott Trivia: "It's Like This, Cat (1964 Newbery Medal) is credited with being one of the first 'tough teen' books."
There are some rough bits in this one - I remember reading it as a pre-teen and getting pretty upset at one particular scene. This was the first book I remember reading that I both kind of disliked (because it made me unhappy) and sort of loved for being a well-written story. The Bluest Eye is currently producing a similar reaction from me, but on a grander scale in all aspects.

Morning Amber! One of my biblio-goals is to read and reread Morrison from the beginning. She is easily one our American treasures.

>82 msf59: Mark: Agreed. Her stuff is difficult at times, but the writing is absolutely gorgeous.

What We Read Yesterday:
-What to Do with a Box by Jane Yolen & Chris Sheban (public library book, picture book) - 9/10 = A
A sweet little picture book about two children, imagination, and a box. We loved it.

-Chapter 24 of Toothiana, Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies
-The first half of chapter 11 in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (The dueling club!)

121. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Hm. Yes. Well.
The good things: I LOVE some of the reveals about what various characters are doing now, and some of the little twists of fate that come with the new characters. And despite what I'm about to say about the writing itself, the story was pretty fun.
The not-so-good things: I thought the writing wasn't very good at all. Yes, I know it's a play, but the dialogue felt really stiff in most parts (to the point that I cringed thinking of how some lines would play out live), and the characters (with one exception: I love Scorpius to bits) are way too one-dimensional and the old favorites not at all the dynamic people I know and love from the books.
Also, (this is kind of a huge spoiler, so click at your own mental and emotional peril) Voldemort has a daughter? By Bellatrix?! Really? I mean, honestly. This smacks of bad fan fic, no? I was disappointed in that quite a bit. To the point, really, that I had to put the book down and walk away for a while.
But, (watch out, another really big spoiler here) I did very much love seeing Snape in here, and the scenes between him, Hermione, Ron and Scorpius were lovely.

So, I'm glad I read it, but I kind of hope she's now very much done with Harry's story.

ETA one more thing: I kind of love the title, and that it can be applied to so many different characters in the story. A nice touch.

>78 scaifea: Well! Although I knew that you wouldn't care for the Clifton omelet and probably the fish & grits I thought you would be drooling over the pancakes, and possibly the smoked salmon scramble. I'm sure that we can find something at The Flying Biscuit Café that would be more to your liking...how about biscuits, eggs and gravy (an open-faced fluffy flying biscuit, topped with two scrambled eggs and smothered with our homemade chicken sausage gravy, served with a side of creamy dreamy grits), or their signature French toast (thick-sliced whole wheat bread topped with raspberry sauce and honey crème anglaise)?

  

ETA: For the record, fish + grits = heaven on a plate.

>86 kidzdoc: Darryl: Yes, well, okay, that sounds better. Although I don't want the egg in my biscuits and gravy - that's just weird.

>87 scaifea: Sweet! Flying Biscuit also serves more basic fare, like buttermilk pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon and, of course, hot biscuits. When I first moved to Atlanta in 1997 there was only one café, in the city's Candler Park neighborhood. There are now 14 Flying Biscuits, 10 in metro Atlanta, one in Gainesville, FL, two in Charlotte and one in Raleigh, NC. They are insanely popular here, and waits of an hour or more for a table on weekends is the norm more than the exception.

I haven't had their biscuits, eggs and gravy plate, but I would like to try it with eggs. I might have to go there for lunch today or tomorrow, as the photo of the fish & grits is making my salivary glands go into overdrive.

ETA: I meant to mention that I took an old college friend to my local Flying Biscuit Café when he was in Atlanta last month, along with his three kids, who are very finicky eaters, and they all loved it.

>85 scaifea: - Interesting. I have zero interest in reading it, though I would maybe see the play if an opportunity arose... Did Rowling actually write it? I thought I read somewhere that it's based on a story by her or at least got her seal of approval (hence her name in giant type on the cover!) but that it was written by someone else.

And I've heard others describe it more as fan fiction which *shrug* - no thanks. But then again, I came to HP late and while I enjoyed the series, I wouldn't call myself a real "Potterhead" (is that the right term?), so what do I know? Ha!

>88 kidzdoc: Darryl: *grumph* Just because I don't like any of the things you like to eat doesn't make me a finicky eater. *tsk*
(Just kidding, of course.)

>89 katiekrug: Katie: Ha! One of my spoilers contains the phrase "bad fan fic," so, um, yeah. But no, I'm pretty certain that Rowling didn't write it, just gave the story ideas to those who did write it. And it shows - this is clearly not her level of talent, writing-wise. So you'd be okay skipping it, I think. As I said, the neatest part, I think, was the reveals about what the original characters are up to these days, career-wise and such, but you could easily look that stuff up online even today, I suspect.

I'm not a big breakfast person, so I usually don't go out for breakfast. My mom makes really good waffles, though. And my best friend makes excellent poached eggs on potato pancakes.

When I worked food service, one of the cooks used to make an "egg mcmuffin" sort of thing with English muffins, fried eggs, sausage, and cheese. She'd toast the muffins in butter on the griddle and then wrap the whole sandwich in aluminum foil and let them steam under the heat lamp for 2-3 minutes before she'd let us eat them. They were excellent.

>85 scaifea: I also thought some of the dialogue landed with a clang, but I guess I was just happy to chalk that up to the fact we aren't seeing a final version (either of the script or of the thing itself, that being the play). I didn't have any issues with the concept of Voldy having offspring except in the sense that that means he had to have had relations with Bellatrix, which I think it's pretty clear from the books she would have been about but he would not. I think this is the bit that will most rankle and feel wrong as I continue to think about it and/or reread.

>91 casvelyn: I made my husband an English muffin breakfast sandwich with link sausage (butterflied), egg and cheese the other day, which he requested after I told him about getting this variation from a local deli when I was working. When I gave it to him I told him that properly it should have been wrapped in foil long enough to be walked 3 blocks before being eaten!

>91 casvelyn: Oh gosh, that muffin sandwich sounds amazing!

>92 lycomayflower: Well, I would have chalked it up in a similar way, too, except that I've read tons of plays which were well-written enough that simply reading them and not viewing them was still excellent, so I know it can be done. And I'm confident that JK could have pulled it off, if only she'd written it herself. Or just written it as a novel and not a play. Ohwhydidn'tsheforsobbingoutloud!
And yeah, that's the thing about Voldemort having a child - he'd have to have, um, done stuff with Bellatrix, and that seems *way* too out of character for me. I've pondered the 'wouldn't it have been neat' idea of him having a secret child before, but in my mind for it to work it would have had to have been way back when he was still Riddle or perhaps recently Voldified, and it would have been with someone that he honestly and sort of surprisingly (mostly to himself, really) loved. And, of course, that love would have been agonizing for him (and her, I suspect, too) and obviously doomed to fail in some horrible, tragic way, preferably with the tragic and untimely death of the lady, of course. And, of course, the daughter (I've thought of her as a daughter, too), would be secreted away (V wouldn't know about her at all) by Dumbledore, raised much like Harry - not knowing who she was, really - and then, of course, sorted into Gryffindor and be all on the good side but troubled by her lineage and stuff. Not that I've thought about it much, mind. *ahem*

>93 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: You're not helping your chances of not having me should up for breakfast sometime, you know...

>90 scaifea: Sorry, dearest! I was only referring to Karl's kids, not you, and I should have enclosed finicky in quotation marks, as that was the adjective he used to describe their eating habits. (Insert his eye rolling as well.)

If I ever get back to Madison we could have Indian buffet in town, as I think we both would enjoy that. :-)

>95 scaifea: If you're in the vicinity and DON'T stop in for breakfast (or something) you'll be in big trouble!

Good morning, Amber!

Jeez, it's tough to resist those HP spoilers from you and Laura, but resist I must. How great that you and the young man are now embarked on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

>96 kidzdoc: Darryl: Ha! And YES. There's an excellent Indian buffet place just right round the corner from one of my favorite Madison bookshops...

>97 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Noted!

>98 jnwelch: Morning, Joe! Oh, yes, do resist. But also, hurry up and read it! Ha!

>94 scaifea: Jumping into the Harry Potter spoiler conversation: But part of the whole "deal" between Harry and Voldemort is that V. cannot feel/experience love... something about being conceived under a love charm/spell. Can't remember where I read that, but it was from Rowling herself. Pottermore, maybe? Whereas Harry is protected by his mother's love for him. But just because one can't love doesn't mean one can't experience lust or desire, I suppose. (What is this, Dr. Phil: The Fictional Characters Edition?)

>100 casvelyn: Yeah, I can't believe that someone, even a fictional character, is wholly incapable of love. I just can't.

>94 scaifea: I love your thoughts about possible Voldy offspring! And I agree that it seems like if that were going to have happened, it would have to have been earlier in his life. As we see him reborn in the books, I think he would both consider Bellatrix too much beneath him to have sex with her and look on sex at all as something that would sully him. It's messy and involves giving up control and there's "a little death." He's not going anywhere near it.

I'm enjoying the Harry Potter spoiler conversation, which I've been shamelessly reading since I don't imagine I'll be picking up the whatever-it-is anytime soon.

>102 lycomayflower: Laura: I agree completely.

>103 rosalita: Julia: Ha! I'm awful about feeling that I Must. Click. On. All. Spoilers. So I get that.

>104 scaifea: Spoiler tags are so tempting! I can usually resist if I know there's a legitimate chance I might read the book within the next year, but other than that I usually click away. It's so nice to have the option, though, for folks who are much more spoiler-adverse than I am.

>105 rosalita: Julia: Agreed.

Hi Amber - I've only read the first Harry Potter, so I can happily skip the conversation. I hope Charlie is feeling better today. I do love school shopping, too, and usually end up with more supplies than I need. I have Post-Its to last me until the next millennium, I think. And pens. I love pens.

>107 BLBera: Hi, Beth! Yep, he seems to be doing better today, and enjoying his Mommy-enforced lazy day, I think. I've got Orange Peanut Butter Cookies in the oven right now, to go along with the video game playing and movie watching this afternoon.
I love school supply shopping, too! And this year will be more fun, because he gets to keep his supplies as his own, in a pencil box and such, instead of in past years, in which we've had to buy supplies that were used communally. Not nearly as much fun.

>100 casvelyn: through >102 lycomayflower: simply riveting. not. ;-) do need to learn that HTML code for spoilers though.

a) thanks for the comments on Bluest Eye. sorta what one expects from Toni Morrison but she does always throw in something realistically generous, suggestions of kindness or something redemptive. and her writing is stunning.

>108 scaifea: b) i'm so out of my age peer group here. it's a gas. orange peanut butter cookies? heavenly betsies. unfortunately, i've recently developed anosmia. soooooo while i can remember the smell of oranges and peanut butter and baking cookies, can't smell or taste 'em. or rain on hot earth. or warm cat. tarsome.

enjoy your cookies, your Charlie, everything. kiss it all.

couldn't smell sharpened pencils, either. one of the world's olfactory joys. or old books.

Happy new thread Amber!
>4 scaifea: No favorite breakfast joint, some coffe and one banana in the morning & I am happy :-)

>11 scaifea: I just started reading A man called Ove, I think I am going to like it!

>14 scaifea: WOW, that is fast, enjoy!

>109 mirrordrum: Ellie: There's a thread somewheres with all the various coding stuff...check the 75ers homepage, maybe? I'll have a look in a minute...
The Bluest Eye is taking me for a crazy ride, indeed. So beautifully written, but so, well, awful, content-wise. Gah. Definitely stunning, though, on multiple levels.
The cookies came out okay (new recipe), but not as scrumptious as I'd imagined they'd be. Charlie seems happy enough to cram them in (not that that has anything to do with his growing 3/4 of an inch in the past month).
And tarsome, for certain! Goodness. Is this a temporary thing or a permanent one?
Consider all things smooched on your behalf.

>110 FAMeulstee: Anita: Oooh, coffee sounds pretty good right now - I think I'll make myself a cup in an effort not to eat too many of the cookies.
I've heard really good things here about Ove, which is why I picked it up - I hope you enjoy it!
And yes, fast, indeed, as I'm finished already! Ha!

>109 mirrordrum: It's easy to make the spoiler cut. It's just almost impossible to explain how because typing any of the code acts as code, if you see what I mean. I have managed to explain it somewhere, but right now I'm failing miserably at doing it here. Basically you type the word "spoiler" without quotations marks between the left and right carets at the beginning of what you want to hide, and then type it again preceded by "/" between the two carets at the end.

Oh, thanks for reminding me, Linda, that I was going to have a look for that... Here it is, Ellie:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/177029

Oh my gosh, I started out reading this thread and had to give in and skim the rest of it - it's making my mouth water! Sounds like you guys had a nice vacation.

Breakfast out is my favorite meal. I'm happy nearly anywhere, but this morning my BFF, her new baby girl, and I went to First Watch Cafe in Brookfield. I think it's a chain, but it's fairly new to Wisconsin, and I hadn't heard of it before. I got the "Chickichanga", whipped eggs with spicy all-natural white-meat chicken, chorizo sausage, green chilies, Cheddar and Monterey Jack, onions and avocado rolled in a flour tortilla. Topped with Vera Cruz sauce and sour cream. Served with fresh fruit and fresh, seasoned potatoes. YUM-O! I'd eat it again right now if I could. But really, any diner/cafe is perfect, and I like to switch out sweet and savory meals, trying different things almost any time. In general I'm a big fan of a veggie omelet with hash browns and a side of bacon. Man, I have to get something to eat, I'm starving....

>111 scaifea: thanks, Amber. i'm sure i can find it online. i took both HTML and CSS coding some years ago but most of it vanished from lack of use.

the bluest eye shall have to wait until i've finished Brief history of seven killings. Marlon James is not a punch puller, just an effing genius. he's scary good. i can't do, or won't do, both together as each would get short shrift. did you know "short shrift" originally meant barely time for a confession before execution? shriven. of course.

dunno whether temp or perm. whatever. Genius ENT so i'm in frighteningly good hands.

eternity's sunrise, then, for sure if you kiss joy as often as i do. :-)

>112 laytonwoman3rd: oops, missed it. Linda you are a redoubtable resource and a good friend!

>113 scaifea: well that was nice. i sometimes marvel at the very kind people i run into happenstance, or otherwise. five today. what a fine thing.

SHRIEK. i went to the link and it had a real spoiler and not thinking it could be spoiling anything i'd be interested in, i clicked it. oh hellfire and damnation. well, they warned me. cr*p!

that's the second horrible spoiler in 2 weeks. i'm besot!

>57 scaifea: I tried making the turkish eggs myself and it didn't turnout that well. I'm not adept at getting butter to turn slightly brown (pale beurre noisette) without burning it!
Anyway Peter Gordon is a New Zealand chef with a couple of restaurants in London and one or two here in Auckland. He's famous for being at the start of the food fusion movement but most loved for his amazing salads.
He has a column in our local newspaper where he answers readers' basic food questions which I've found quite informative over the years - http://www.bite.co.nz/kitchen-tips/ask-peter-gordon/


Peter's turkish eggs (not mine)

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - still not sure if I can be bothered to read this, but I probably will as I don't want to be all spoilered out by the time I change my mind.

>114 LauraBrook: Laura: Ooof, that sounds like a wonderful breakfast place! I'm with you on diners - I'll take 'em all!

>115 mirrordrum: Ellie: Oh, gosh, I'm pretty sure I'm not woman enough for James' stuff. I'm honestly struggling to handle The Bluest Eye...
I'm so glad to hear, though, that you have an excellent doctor - yay for geniuses taking care of us, eh?

>116 mirrordrum: Ellie: You're most welcome, friend.

>117 mirrordrum: Ellie: OH, NO! Ha! Well, I went and braved the spoiler, and I have to say that it honestly won't ruin it for you, should you ever chose to read the series.

Here's what we've been up to this afternoon, among other things - a tea party, which was, of course, delicious:

>118 avatiakh: Kerry: Yeeeeaaah, I'm pretty sure I'd fail miserably at that recipe. I can't do the butter thing well, either, and I've never poached an egg - looks incredibly difficult. I like the looks of the cook, though...

>2 scaifea: Gorgeous photo.

>4 scaifea: I think the best breakfast I have ever had was at Snooze in Denver.

Sweet Potato Pancakes
Our signature sweet potato buttermilk pancakes topped with homemade caramel, candied pecans and ginger butter.

Oh my.

>34 scaifea: Your library goes all in. Whoever is in charge of events is the coolest.

>120 scaifea: Poaching eggs is not difficult. When you stop by for breakfast, I'll give you the crash course. Nuthin' to it, really, but you need reallllly fresh eggs to get the best result.

>113 scaifea: Oooh...thanks for that link. I've seen others that gave some of that information, but I don't visit the Green Dragon group, and that post has some really fine stuff I didn't know about. But now I really want to know how they put all those instructions in there without engaging the HTML.

>121 nittnut: Hi, Jenn! Oh boy, you lost me at 'sweet potato.' Nope. You're welcome to my share. Huh. Maybe I *am* finicky...
And yes, we have the coolest librarians here, and we absolutely love them!

>122 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Oh, excellent! I'm excited for my egg lessons!
And you're welcome. I don't frequent the Dragon much these days, either (no particular reason other than this group takes all my time just to keep up), but that thread is very useful. And no, I have no idea how they did it, either.

I second both the "poaching eggs is really easy" and the "sweet potatoes are NOPE NOPE NOPE."

Although I do like sweet potatoes in curry.

>122 laytonwoman3rd: In order to type out the html you have to use the HTML escape codes ... http://www.theukwebdesigncompany.com/articles/entity-escape-characters.php

They start off with & and end with ;, with either numbers or for the common ones, an acronym between them. For the HTML brackets, it's easy to remember them because they are "lt" and "gt" (for less than and greater than).

So you can type that in place of your actual character and they'll show up instead of triggering HTML.

<spoiler>Type your spoiler here </spoiler>

>124 casvelyn: Tomm loves sweet potatoes, but I just can't get past the texture. And the color.
Hm, I've not thought about them in curry - perhaps the spices would mask those aspects? I may try it someday...

>125 ursula: Ursula: Oh, neat! I'm so impressed right now with your technical prowess.

On the agenda for today:
Well, the lazy recovery day yesterday seems to have worked (I hope - he's still sleeping, of course, so we'll see what he feels like when he wakes, but by bedtime last night he seemed back to normal). So, if he's feeling all better this morning, we're planning on going School Supply Shopping today - WOOT!! My favorite kind of shopping! I also have a list of things we need to make our decorations and favors for the birthday party, so we'll go to the craft shop while we're down in Dubuque. But before that, we need to take Tuppence to the vet first thing this morning for her monthly spa treatment laser treatment on her joints for her arffritis. Likely not much else will get done today, but I'll try to squeeze in some writing time at least this afternoon. Leftovers for dinner tonight, I think (that Pizza Soup recipe makes A TON and is so good reheated!).

On the reading front:
I finished the Newbery story collection I had started before we left for vacation, and I also read another chapter in The Catcher in the Rye. I'm about 1/4 through this one and can tentatively say that I like it...? I certainly admire his character building - Holden is so vivid and real. This is another one that I can't believe didn't get assigned or read all through my Humanities training...

The calendar book for today: Dissident Gardens by Jonathan Lethem. Sounds like it may be interesting - anyone read it? Thoughts?

And the Newbery/Caldecott Trivia: "Katherine Paterson received a letter from a child praising The Great Gilly Hopkins (1979 Newbery Honor Book). This previously reluctant-reader wrote, 'I love the book, I am on page 16.' The child did finish the book - four times - and then read Bridge to Terabithia (1978 Newbery Medal)."
Ha! I think getting letters of this sort from young readers would have to be one of the best things about being a writer of children's books, no?

Also Happy Birthday today to - my dad, born on this day in 1932!

What We Read Yesterday:
-Chapters 25 & 26 in Toothiana, Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies
-The rest of chapter 11 in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
And Charlie finished reading aloud to me:
122. Puppy Pirates: Stowaway! by Erin Soderberg (Charlie book, 84 pages) - 8/10 = B

123. A Newbery Zoo edited by Martin H. Greenberg (Charlie book, 179 pages) - 8/10 = B+
A collection of animal stories all written by Newbery-winning authors. Some were better than others, but in general it's a solid collection.

Morning, Amber! I want to read more Jonathan Lethem. I want to read more Jonathan Lethem. I want...

>130 msf59: Morning, Mark! Okay, so you like Lethem then? Ha!

>126 scaifea: Sweet potatoes in curry are quite good. They blend into the sauce well color-wise. This is my sweet potato Thai curry recipe, which I made up based on what I had in my pantry the first time I made it, so it's totally not authentic. But it tastes good.

Sweet Potato Curry

1/2 large onion, diced
2 ribs celery, minced
1 bell pepper, any color, diced
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2"-ish chunks
3 carrots, peeled
A couple tablespoons red curry paste
1 can full-fat unsweetened coconut milk
(or substitute your favorite pre-made curry sauce for the curry paste + coconut milk)
1 can chickpeas
1 can kidney beans
Couple dashes fish sauce (optional)
Fresh basil and cilantro (optional)
Rice for serving

Put the onion, celery, and bell pepper in a large skillet with a bit of olive oil and saute until cooked. While that is cooking, steam the sweet potatoes and carrots in the microwave. You want them cooked through but not mushy.

When the sauteed veggies are done, add the curry paste and cook for a couple minutes. Then add the coconut milk, chickpeas, and beans.

Cut the carrots and sweet potatoes into bite-sized pieces (I usually go with "coins" for the carrots and 1/2-inch dice for the sweet potatoes) and add them to the curry. Add the fish sauce, if using.

Serve over rice, garnished with chopped cilantro and basil.

Morning, Amber! Tea parties are awesome!

Good morning, Amber!

>115 mirrordrum: I've always wondered about "short shrift". What the heck is a shrift, and where the heck did "shrift" come from? Thanks, Ellie: from "shriven", with "shrift" a confession given to a priest (the short one coming before execution). Fascinating.

I loved a lot of the early Lethem, which was more bizarre and sci-fi-oriented (e.g. Gun with Occasional Music and Girl in Landscape), but I'm way behind on his later stuff, and I haven't read Dissident Gardens.

>132 casvelyn: Thanks for the recipe!

>133 Carmenere: Lynda: I know, right?!

>134 jnwelch: Morning, Joe! I love the short shrift explanation. It reminds me of our Mine Tour at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry last week - the guide to us that the elevators (if such primitive things could be call such) in which the miners went down into the mines would be so crowded - and of course they didn't have walls and so the walls of the actual shaft were the elevator walls - that the guys on the outside could and generally did suffer pretty nasty scrapes from bumping up against the walls on the way down. Hence, 'getting the shaft.' I felt really dirty-minded, then, because that's *really* not what I assumed the meaning of that phrase was. Ha!

>125 ursula: Thank you, Ursula! HTML is so useful...and fun.

>132 casvelyn: That does sound good... I tried a jarred curry sauce once, and didn't care much for it. This sounds like a good compromise between that and the full-out authentic curry-making.

>135 scaifea: LOL! I wouldn't have guessed that one either. :-)

>135 scaifea: Hence, 'getting the shaft.' I felt really dirty-minded, then, because that's *really* not what I assumed the meaning of that phrase was. Ha! *sporfle*

>136 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Agreed and agreed.

>137 jnwelch: Joe: Ha! I'm glad I'm not the only one!

>138 lycomayflower: Laura: I mean, honestly.

Wait a minute. You were in Chicago last week and didn't tell us?! You could have joined my partners and I for tapas at The Purple Pig (duck liver pâté, crisped pig ears with kale and fried egg, grilled octopus, etc.) or Girl & the Goat (crisped duck tongue, goat empanadas, baby octopus), or had Peruvian cuisine for dinner with Becca, Debbi, Joe and I (ceviche, arroz con mariscos) at Via Lima.

What Darryl said.

>140 kidzdoc: >141 jnwelch: Darryl & Joe: As tempting as all of that, um, food? (you call that stuff 'food,' right, Darryl?) sounds, I'm afraid we just couldn't do a meet-up this time round. We were only in town for a day and a half, and since it was meant to be a family, lazy/relaxing vacation, I couldn't very well ask my introverted husband and my even more shy son to endure having dinner with (to-them) strangers. Some day - soon, I hope! - though, I'd LOVE to come back to Chicago especially for a meet-up!

On the agenda for today:
No solid plans for today, although, if it doesn't rain and Charlie is amenable, I may try to cobble together a meeting at the pool for him and a couple of friends this afternoon. Otherwise, I need to do the menu-planning for next week and get my grocery list in order for tomorrow's shopping, some cleaning, some writing, and then Charlie and I will probably work on some of the crafts for the birthday party. I *love* that he is not only excited about having a Harry Potter-themed party, but that he's very much willing and excited actually to help with the preparations. He spent a good amount of time yesterday afternoon carefully coloring little house crests, which we found and printed off from the interwebs, and which we'll use to make buttons for our Sorting Hat station. He worked really hard on them and they look amazing!
Red Beans and Rice for dinner tonight, I think.

On the reading front:
I started Red Moon and Black Mountain last night, which is pretty cool so far - it feels a little like Susan Cooper and Madeline L'Engle, at least here in the first chapter...

The calendar today offers up a mid-week author quote: "One forges one's style on the terrible anvil of daily deadlines."
Ha! Any guesses?
Here's the answer, in case I forget to post it later (I'm always afraid that I *will* forget): Émile Zola

And the Newbery/Caldecott trivia: "Russell Freedman, as well as many others, was surprised when his nonfiction book Lincoln: A Photobiography won the 1988 Newbery Medal. He noted that, up to that point, only six nonfiction books had won the award and the last one had been thirty-two years prior. He also pointed out that all the nonfiction winners were biographies except for the first winner in 1922, The Story of Mankind."
Hmmm, I can't be the only one that senses a little cattiness in that bit of trivia, am I? Whoa.

What We Read Yesterday:
-This Is Sadie by Sara O'Leary (public library book, picture book) - 9/10 = A
A lovely little picture book about a girl who spends half her life in books (one of my favorite pages from the book: "Sadie's perfect day is spent with friends. Some of them live on her street, and some live in the pages of books."). Excellent literary references here to Alice in Wonderland, The Jungle Book and others. Gorgeous illustrations, too. Highly recommended.

-Chapter 27 of Toothiana, Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies
-The first half of chapter 12 in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Morning Amber! I did catch the Yaa Gyasi interview. I liked it. She is smart and engaging, as one would expect. I wish she had more time on there. Thanks for the heads-up.

It's the 'as well as many others ' bit. Ouch.

Sounds like the HP party is going to be fun. What's on the menu? Will there be butter beer?

>145 msf59: Morning, Mark! And you're welcome! I love that Myers has authors on his show frequently, and he's been known to say that they're generally his favorite kind of guest.

>146 charl08: Charlotte: Excatly! Very snarky, no? Weird. I thought it was a very good book.
And yes, Charlie and I are already having a blast with the planning and such! The menu: We're having the party at a local pizza joint (the one owned by the school librarian, who will, of course, be in attendance (she's on the guest list, per Charlie's request)), so, of course, pizza. Also chocolate cupcakes, according to Hagrid's birthday cake recipe, with the message "Happee Birthdae Charlie" spelled out, one letter per cupcake. Also, yes, I think likely Butter Beer, and Pumpkin Juice (plus muggle fruit punch for the less adventurous guests). And Chocolate Frogs (I ordered a frog-shaped candy mold yesterday) and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

Have a good Thursday, Amber!

Morning, Amber!

>148 connie53: Thanks, Connie!

>149 Carmenere: Morning, Lynda!

>135 scaifea: >134 jnwelch: shaft. i always assumed it had something to do with an arrow or otherwise piercing weapon went in all the way to the , ouch, frack, shaft. not ignoring the tendency of we moderns to make it sexual. fwiw, OED opines " Originally Posted by OED

1959 Amer. Speech XXXIV. 155 A girl or boy who makes a play for another's date is snaking... If he succeeds, the loser gets the shaft (sometimes with barbs), the purple shaft, or the maroon harpoon, depending upon the degree of injury to his pride. 1960 WENTWORTH & FLEXNER Dict. Amer. Slang 461/1 Shaft.., an act or an instance of being taken advantage of, unfairly treated, deceived, tricked, cheated, or victimized; a raw deal. Usu. in ‘to get the (or a) shaft’. Fig., the image is the taboo one of the final insult, having someone insert something, as a barbed shaft, up one's rectum."

more than we needed to know.

have a good 'un, you and Charlie. have fun with the supplies.

>151 mirrordrum: Aha! If the OED goes blue with it, I feel justified!

Sweet Thursday, Amber!

>151 mirrordrum: Ouch! The mining explanation was a bit easier to take. I do think we should revive the use of "snaking".

I'm very glad to hear from Mark in >145 msf59: that Yaa Gyasi was smart and engaging. That is what we'd expect, as Mark says, but sometimes folks surprise you in the wrong direction, and I'm glad she didn't.

House badges for the HP birthday party are finished. Charlie did the coloring - pretty good, eh?

>153 jnwelch: Joe: Ha! I agreed about 'snaking.'
And yes, it's sometimes nerve-wracking watching a favorite author in an interview - you so hope that they're as wonderful as you hope they will be...

>154 scaifea: Nicely done! Including the coloring by Charlie - easy to make a mess of that.

>156 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe! I love that he's eager to help with the party - so sweet.

Food sounds lovely, and the badges are beautifully done.

I think I've been lucky at author events. Usually it's the audience (dumb questions) that disappoints rather than the writer.

>158 charl08: Charlotte: Thanks!
And, oh, the audience. Gah.

Love the badges.

>160 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara! We had fun making them.

124. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (Banned Books, audiobook) - 8/10 = B+
Ooof. I mean, OOOF. This was a tough one for me to get through. Not because it wasn't excellent, because, of course, it was. The writing is stunning. But the subject was too much for me, really. I'm fully aware that this is my own shortcoming and not the fault of the book or its author, but I have so much trouble reading about child abuse in any form. Let me say this again, though: the writing is *stunning*.

Have a good Friday, Amber!

The badges are beautiful. Charlie did a good job!

>154 scaifea: Awesome badges!

>162 scaifea: me too. Just. Can't.

Lovely badges, Amber! The party sounds like a lot of fun.

On the egg poaching discussion, I've never tried either, because I know it would end in disaster if I did it the old-fashioned way. But last night I bought two "poach pods" which sit in a saucepan and make it all easy: http://www.lakeland.co.uk/12116/Green-poachpod%C2%AE-2-Silicone-Egg-Poaching-Pod...

>163 connie53: Thanks so much, Connie!

>164 nittnut: Thanks, Jenn!
And yeah, I'd say it's a parent thing, but I couldn't read that sort of thing very easily B.C. either, although Charlie's existence has made it even more difficult.

>165 susanj67: Thanks, Susan! Oh, Poach Pods! Interesting! Now, another tiny bombshell: I've never tasted a poached egg, either. How different are they from fried ones?

On the agenda for today:
Grocery shopping this morning, and then this afternoon we'll make a trip to the library - they're having their annual book sale right now. In between those two events I'll try to squeeze a bit of cleaning, some laundry, weekly bills and photos, and some work on the birthday party crafts. Leftovers for dinner tonight, I think.

On the reading front:
I managed another chapter in War and Peace last night in bed, and although I'm only a few chapters in, I'm already enjoying it more that I thought I would. It's still gonna be a long time readin', I suspect.

The calendar book today looks sort of interesting: The Daring Ladies of Lowell by Kate Alcott. Anyone read it? Thoughts?

And the Newbery/Caldecott Trivia: "Ruth Sawyer based Roller Skates (1937 Newbery Medal) on a year in her life when her parents were abroad."
This is one of the medal winners that I did in fact read as a kid, and I LOVED it. I don't remember much of it now, but I have fond memories of the reading of it, at least. My own old copy is sitting on Charlie's shelves.
And Happy Birthday to Ruth Sawyer, born on this day in 1880!

What We Read Yesterday:
-Chapter 28 of Toothiana, Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies
-Chapters 1 & 2 of Amelia Bedelia: Unleashed (read aloud by Charlie)
-The second half of chapter 12 in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (polyjuice potion!)

"the writing is *stunning*" That is always the perfect way to describe Morrison. I have not read The Bluest Eye in many years, so I am looking forward to a revisit.

Morning Amber! Happy Friday! I am off the weekend, so I am a Happy Camper!

>169 msf59: Morning, Mark! Morrison definitely is a wordsmith.
And Happy Weekend-Off!

Have a lovely weekend Amber. xx

Good morning, Amber!

Glad to hear you're continuing the journey with War and Peace. It's a long slog, but worth it.

And you've got Charlie reading aloud to you? Well done. Jeez, I never pulled that off with our kids. Does he let you drift off to sleep while he's reading?

Have a great weekend Amber.

>165 susanj67: I would call those eggs "coddled", rather than poached, because the egg itself never touches the water. Not much difference in taste, probably.

>166 scaifea: A true poached egg is "all egg"....no fat involved in its prep at all; it doesn't get crispy edges, of course. A purist's favorite presentation, I'd say. Have you really never had Eggs Benedict, for instance?

>171 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul! I hope you're already feeling much better, friend.

>172 jnwelch: Hi, Joe! Yep, I'm in for the long haul with W&P. We'll see how it goes.
And yes, Charlie's been reading aloud to us every day since, well, since he could talk, really. It started with him 'reading' a picture book of his choosing to us every night - and let me say that he can make up stories with the best of them, such a hoot! - and then, as he started being able actually to read, he would pick easy readers each night, and then now he reads from chapter books. The rule is that he must read at least 2 pages aloud and then, if he wants, he can hand over the book to me and I'll finish the chapter. His choice varies from day to day, depending on how exciting the chapter may be, or what kind of mood he's in, of course. The great thing about it is that he's not only practicing his reading skills, but he's learning the subtle art of reading aloud well - he really loves making up different voices for the various characters, whispering when it feels needed, shouting when it's appropriate, with now coaching at all from me (beyond his experience listening to me read to him every night, and I can get pretty still, I grant you) - his choice completely to do so. He's a reading ham, for certain. And, of course, I love it.

>173 GeezLouise: Thanks, Rae! How's Momma Mamie doing?

>174 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Coddled, eh? Interesting. And no, believe it or not, I've never had Eggs Benedict. Is that on the breakfast menu for my visit, then? *ahem*

I think I've said this before: This is such a freaking busy place! Us ol' country geezers get overwhelmed.

The Bluest Eye was assigned reading in my freshman literature class in college. I hated it so much that I didn't read another Toni Morrison book until last year. So, 26 years. I liked the second one (Beloved), though!

>154 scaifea: love the badges. mad props to Charlie. but won't there be some contesting over the Gryffindor badges? i'd like to be a Ravenclaw myself but only b/c i like corvids so much.

really, really enjoying Far from the madding crowd. thus far, it's a book to wallow in. very nice in audio. feeling tremendously fortunate to be able to hear it.

also, you're scaring me abt Bluest Eye. chit!

have a glorious party weekend. can't wait for pictures of Charlie and whomever else bolts across the lens while you're taking piccies of him. ;-)

I loved The Bluest Eye but I totally understand your comments about it.

And you must try eggs benedict - I was a bit of a skeptic, but it's really delicious, as long as the Hollandaise is good. Lots of restaurants do all sorts of variations now - I like ones involving crab but only when I'm on the East Coast, because I'm biased like that :)

>175 scaifea: >172 jnwelch: fascinating how highly verbal you become when the concepts "Charlie," "books" and "reading" are combined. *chuckle*

>181 jnwelch: Which is such a rarity on Amber's thread, isn't it, Ellie? :-)

>176 weird_O: Ha! Apologies, esteemed sir.

>177 ursula: Ursula: I think I would have had a very similar reaction at that age, honestly.

>178 mirrordrum: Ellie: Ah, no, see, there will be a Sorting Hat station, and the Sorting Hat will determine who is in which house. (read: Charlie has already decided which guests will be sorted where.) And then we'll chant the grade school mantra, "you get what you get and you don't throw a fit."
But don't hold your breath for those photos - the party isn't until mid-September. We just got a ton of prepping to do...
Oh, I do hope I've not scared you off of The Bluest Eye. Do give it a go. The writing will knock your socks right off.

>179 katiekrug: Katie: I'm honestly not sure why I've never tried it. Will assuredly put it up on the Breakfasts to Order list.

>180 mirrordrum: >181 jnwelch: Ellie & Joe: Oh, now, c'mon, guys. Cheesing me (as Charlie would say) on my own thread. Jeez.

My library book sale haul:

>183 scaifea: Such restraint! ;)

>183 scaifea: It's all Ellie's fault! *whistles as he eases out the door to misbehave some more*

>184 MickyFine: Micky: It was mostly romance and westerns, so no, not really any restrain necessary. I bought everything there that I wanted. Ha!

>185 jnwelch: Joe: Fine, just go make fun of me elsewhere. *shuddering sigh*

>186 scaifea: Ha! No way, Amber. There are plenty of other ways I can get myself in trouble. I didn't even think that one was making fun of you - books, reading and Charlie talk - what's not to like?

Ooh, Missoula! One of those books everyone should read that is also very readable, if that makes sense.

>187 jnwelch: Joe: Ha! I'm just joshing you.

>188 rosalita: Julia: Makes total sense! All the good talk about it round these parts is why I picked it up.

>189 scaifea: Oh good. Then you'll find me on other threads cheesing you. (I just have to figure out how best to cheese).

>190 jnwelch: *snork!*

>187 jnwelch: >186 scaifea: yep, this is why neither Joe nor i ever visit your thread, your Facebook page nor, indeed, LT itself. wouldn't come here for worlds.

hey Joe, i'm coming over to your place to cheese Amber. you down with that?

>182 scaifea: too late. i'm already unconscious from holding my breath for the party and being afraid of Bluest eye. see, in audio there's no skimming. clever with the sorting hat, you.

> 185 hey there, you. watchit. ;-)

>183 scaifea: Medieval cookbook. that sounds potentially rather scary. i looked up some medieval recipes and found that food poisoning is "period," at least in meat dishes.

Can't imagine never having eaten a poached egg. They are really easy to make, no problems at all, but always use very fresh eggs.

I just thought of something I really enjoyed for breakfast. In Raleigh, North Carolina, there's a restaurant called Cafe Carolina that has incredible sweet potato biscuits. They are sprinkled on top with just a little brown sugar to add a bit of crunch. You can order them with ham and swiss in them. They are so good--with or without fillings!

>192 mirrordrum: Ellie: I can only assume you two are gluttons for punishment.
And what do you mean, "in audio"?! There's no skimming *ever*!! Oi with the poodles, already.
I'm also unsure why everyone so not-that-excited about my Medieval Cookbook find. It's totally cool! Plus, it adds to the set (I have the Classical one in the same series)!

>193 SandDune: Rhian: That's funny, because I can't imagine ever having eaten a poached egg. (Ha! Sorry - long day and my humor's a bit punch drunk. I promise to think about trying one some day.)

>194 thornton37814: Lori: I think I established somewhere upstream that I'm really not a fan of sweet potatoes, so you're welcome to my share of those biscuits. Happy to hear the you enjoyed them, though!

Edited to change my response to Lori, which, after reading this morning, seemed completely snarky and I didn't intend any snark at all! Apologies, Lori! Boy, I was tired last night, I think. Ha!

On the agenda for today:
We've got a nice, cozy day at home planned: I need to finish up the bills that didn't get sorted yesterday, then I think I'll do some baking (Caramelitas) and I may make some Peanut Butter Ice Cream, too. Charlie and I will likely work on some birthday party crafts, and then I may try to find some sewing time, too. Also, of course, reading. Tomm and Charlie are working on a big Lego project - Tomm pulled out one of his own sets (this one: http://main-designyoutrust.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/lego-parisi... ) and they're putting it together, um, together. I'm looking forward to sitting in my rocking chair with my book and reading while half-watching them work on it. Meatloaf and baked potatoes for dinner tonight, I think.

On the reading front:
I didn't manage much reading time yesterday, but I did get another chapter in The Catcher in the Rye finished. At this point I can't decide if it's going to turn out to be one of those books in which nothing really happens or if I'm going to be hid upside the head with something huge soon... (SHHH! Don't tell me!)

The calendar book weekend author quote: "No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow."
Spoken by Alice Walker

The Newbery/Caldecott Trivia: "In illustrating Amos Fortune, Free Man (1951 Newbery Medal), Nora Unwin visited many of the places and examined many of the things Amos Fortune found important such as his home, his church, and his tanning tools."

What We Read Yesterday:
-Electrified!: Pioneers of Electricity by Eileen McWilliams (public library book, easy reader) - 8/10 = B+
-Chapter 29 in Toothiana, Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies
-The first half of chapter 13 in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (the diary!)
-the first half of chapter 3 in Amelia Bedelia: Unleashed (read aloud by Charlie)

Morning Amber! Happy Saturday! Hooray for a library book sale. Missoula is a very disturbing but very important read.

Getting ready to go on a bike ride. Perfect morning for it.

>198 msf59: Morning, Mark! Oooh, a bike ride sounds fabulous!
And yes, I'm looking forward to Missoula, although I know it'll be rough.

>175 scaifea: I'm afraid I've never tried my hand at Hollandaise sauce, so my poached egg concoctions are much simpler fare. My husband is a fan of Eggs Benedict, and usually manages to order them for breakfast somewhere whenever we're on vacation.

>183 scaifea: Nice book haul...I sympathize with the "mostly romances and westerns". I went to an annual church bazaar yesterday, where they have a large book stall. Even though I managed to come home with a sack full (photos will appear on my thread in due course) I was disappointed by the preponderance of James Patterson and Danielle Steele. I just always tell myself those are the books no one hangs on to...they keep the good ones. I can't say I brought home "everything there that I wanted" though, because several times I picked up what I thought was a lovely volume only to find it had stains or marginal notations...by the handwriting one student must have donated an entire college career worth of unwanted literature. Made me really sad for multiple reasons.

>200 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: I think part of the reason I've never tried Eggs Benedict is that, in general, I'm not a huge fan of sauces (I prefer seasoning over sauce, I guess?). But I'm becoming determined to try it the next time I see it on a menu...
And ooof to the stains and writing in books. Definitely smad-making. I can't wait to see what you did find, though!

Happy new one, Amber! Very late in getting here, but I had fun catching up. I like almost any kind of breakfast food, and I love having breakfast for dinner. My favorite place to eat it is...at home. Ha!

Here's hoping that your weekend is full of fabulous!

>202 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie! I think fondly of you whenever we have brinner, knowing that you love it as much as I do! Ha!

Hi, Amber!

>192 mirrordrum: Yes, I'm down with cheesing Amber, for sure, Ellie.



This is what you meant, right?

>204 jnwelch: Joe: Oooh, yes, please! We LOVE Wallace & Gromit here at Scaife Manor!

Hi Amber. Just catching up on all the party prep and egg discussions at Scaife Manor!!

>206 Berly: Ha! Good to see you, Kim!

What a great book haul!

Hi Amber, have a nice Sunday with lots of fun things!

Good morning, Amber. Wishing you a lovely Sunday.

>208 Whisper1: Linda: I know, right? I usually come away from this library's books sale with good stuff.

>209 connie53: >210 Ameise1: Thanks, ladies!

On the agenda for today:
Not much planned, although Tomm mentioned something about maybe playing frisbee golf. Otherwise, just hanging out here at home. Tomm's in charge of dinner tonight: Bacon Cheeseburgers on the grill.

On the reading front:
I started Audubon yesterday and read a few pages of Red Moon and Black Mountain, too. Too early to say anything about the former, but the latter is shaping up into a nice fantasy already.

The Newbery/Caldecott Trivia: "An article about swans in Betsy Byars's college alumni magazine sparked the idea for The Summer of the Swans (1971 Newbery Medal)."

What We Read Yesterday:
-The second half of chapter 13 in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
And we finished up:
125. Toothiana, Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies by William Joyce (Charlie's bedtime read, 226 pages) - 9/10 = A
Love this series so much, and I'm very happy that Charlie is, too.

Morning Amber! Happy Sunday! Looks to be another gorgeous day in the Midwest! Enjoy!

>214 msf59: Morning, Mark! Thanks!

Hey Amber! Have a wonderful Sunday!

Oh! Bacon cheeseburgers!! Sign me up!

Happy Sunday, Amber! I am here with you on most Sundays as it is a good day to catch up with threads. Yours is one of the long ones, but I thoroughly enjoy reading about your life with Charlie and Tomm. I don't say much because your thread moves so quickly and any comments I make will be stale.

I understand your reticence about The Bluest Eye. It is one of my favorite books ever. I think I have read it so much that I can finally read about the child abuse without cringing. I can't remember the first time I read it, but I'm pretty sure I must have been horrified.

>205 scaifea: Ha! See, getting cheesed isn't so bad. I'm a big Wallace and Grommit fan, too.

Happy Sunday, Amber!

>216 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda!

>217 Crazymamie: Mamie: I know, right?!

>218 Donna828: Good to see you, Donna! No, you comments aren't stale and I love having you visit!
I understand why people love The Bluest Eye - her writing is incredible.

>219 jnwelch: Ha! Happy Sunday, Joe!

I finished Tomm's bookscarf - he's in Ravenclaw, of course:

>222 scaifea: Ohh, I love the bookscarf!

I came for the book talk and I stayed for the pancakes (>76 ronincats: ) :)

I went to the US as a kid with my family when i was little and we had McDonalds for breakfast (NZ didn't have any McDonald's restaurants then), i thought it was the best breakfast ever. Then a nice family took us in for breakfast when we were stopped outside their place in our campervan and the lady made us proper American fluffy pancakes with butter and maple syrup, and I almost died and went to heaven . No more McD s for me. I now make mine with buttermilk to try and recreate that 33 year old memory.

I may be way out of order here....have you been on holiday already? Are you going? I see you have Wild in your stack, hooray! Loved it, loved the film, love love love.

>223 connie53: Thanks, Connie! I've got two more to make: a Slytherin one (I've already made one for myself, but I recently found out that one of the librarians here in town, who is also a friend, is a Slytherin, so I want to surprise her with it) and a Hufflepuff, which will be for one of the children's librarians here, who is so lovely and sweet and loves that she's a Hufflepuff, which is, honestly, perfect for her.

>224 LovingLit: Megan: Huge fan of buttermilk pancakes, here, too. I love making pancakes or waffles from scratch for a lazy Sunday breakfast (we did the waffles yesterday).
And yep, we've already been on holiday, although Charlie and I are leaving again tomorrow to visit my parents for a few days - we want to get one more leisurely summer visit with them before school starts back up.
I picked up Wild because I knew so many folks here loved it, and I'd love to see the movie, too (I'm a big fan of Ms. Witherspoon).

On the agenda for today:
A trip to the library is in order - I need to stock up on audiobooks for the drive to and from Indiana. Also, I suspect Charlie and I will work on some birthday party crafts. Otherwise, I'm not really sure what we'll do today. I've been playing with the idea of having another Summer Library Adventure, so we may do that, although I also kind of feel like being a homebody today, and Charlie and I do need to work on the Annual Closet Cleanout, wherein he tries last year's long pants and shirts to see which ones can stay and which are too little, so that I can make note of what needs to be purchased for school clothing. Charlie is making dinner for us tonight (deli-style sandwiches, apparently), and then the Scaife Men are taking me out for ice cream afterwards. There will also be present unwrapping in there somewhere...

On the reading front:
Not much happened in this category yesterday; only a few pages in Audubon. Instead, we went frisbee golfing and then I took a big old nap, which was pretty wonderful, honestly.

The calendar book today: My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind by Scott Stossel. Not really something I think I'd be interested in, but possibly interesting for others.

The Newbery/Caldecott Trivia: "Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings's (The Secret River, 1956 Newbery Honor Book) book The Yearling won the 1939 Pulitzer Prize for fiction."
Well, I've read the Pulitzer winner, but not the Honor Book yet. As you know, I don't do well with that type of animal book, though.

What We Read Yesterday:
-That's (Not) Mine by Anna King (public library book, picture book) - 9/10 = A
-Chapter 1 of The Sandman and the War of Dreams
-The first half of chapter 14 in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Morning Amber! Back to work for me but I would gladly continue to hang out with the books in the Man-Cave. Oh, well...

Love the book scarf. Perfect.

>228 msf59: Morning, Mark! Sorry about the back-to-work business. But those audiobooks are sort of like carrying around a little piece of the Man-Cave, no?
And thanks! They're pretty fun to make, too.

^Have a wonderful day, my friend!

Glad you have a good time making the book scarves. Keep this old mailman in mind.

>230 msf59: Ha! Thanks, Mark!
Well, I'll need to know what house you're in, of course...

Happy birthday my dear and great photo of Tomm's book scarf, I must get Karen to make me one. Have a really lovely day on your special day, sending love and hugs.

Morning, Amber! Hoping that your birthday is full of happy!

Happy Birthday? Happy Birthday, Amber!

Happy birthday, Amber!

>232 johnsimpson: Thanks so much, John!

>233 Crazymamie: Ha! Perfect! Thanks, Mamie!

>234 jnwelch: Joe: *snork!* How dare that pug not look pleased that it's my birthday! Poor thing.

>235 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!

Look, everyone, at the awesome gifts Charlie and Tomm presented to me this morning:



Charlie is a sweetheart and knows (with honest-to-goodness no help from his dad) what my favorite lotion and perfume are, and he always gets me candles, too, which I love. And the Stitch = so, so adorable. And I'm SUPER excited about my Ninja!! I can't wait to make my lunch smoothie today! I told them, though, that every time before we press the on button, we simply must shout, "Ninjaaaaa-GO!!" (That's a Lego Ninjago reference, for those of you not in the know.) I think Charlie doesn't believe that I'll actually do it every time, but Tomm knows me better... Ha!

Happy birthday, Amber :-)). Love your gifts!

Happy Birthday, Amber. Love the Ninja! I really should replace my blender as it may possibly be the oldest item in my house excluding DH and me. My mother gave me her old Oster when she got a new one before I was married. It is at least 50 years old and still makes a decent smoothie. Have a lovely day.

Happy birthday, Amber! Glad to see the Scaife men are spoiling you appropriately. :D

>237 susanj67: Thanks, Susan!

>238 Donna828: Donna: I love the idea of it being a blender, smoothie-maker and food processor all-in-one. It'll make my cabinets less cluttered (always a good thing), and I'm so happy that there will be less clean-up for smoothies!

Happy Birthday Amber!

"Mega Kitchen System 1500"---how Very Amber! There's no stopping you now. I can see you're having an excellent birthday so far...do carry on!

Stopping in to wish you a very Happy Birthday, Amber. And I traded in my Oster on that very same Ninja set-up earlier this year (yay, Costco!). I've only used the blender so far--when I make smoothies, I'm making for the two of us so using the single serving smoothie container isn't really that practical. And I've never really been a big food processor user. I tell myself it's because the appliance didn't come along until after I was well set in my food-preparation ways, but actually I just use a knife for most things. When I remember though, and for things like cole slaw, I love the convenience. And I also was able to throw away the bulky food processor that I'd picked up at a garage sale years ago. It really is a lovely, compact system. Enjoy!

>241 luvamystery65: Thanks, Roberta!

>242 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Woot! Charlie and I have had smoothies already (well, I had a smoothie and he had an orange julius) and I already LOVE it!

>243 ronincats: Roni: I use my food processor quite a bit, mostly for putting pie dough together. I'm super excited to de-clutter my cabinets a bit, too.

Pie dough? I would love to use mine for pie dough! I am lousy at making it from scratch using traditional methods. Got a good recipe?

>245 ronincats: Roni: I only have THE BEST RECIPE in the HISTORY of EVER. Practically impossible to mess it up, it rolls out so nicely. And it bakes up flaky and delicious, every time.

Basic Pie Crust

Ingredients:

double crust:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup cold butter
• ¼ cup cold water

single crust:
• 1 ¼ cups flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup butter
3-4 tablespoons water

1. Place steel blade in work bowl of food processor.
2. Add flour, salt and butter.
3. Process with on/off turns until most of the mixture resembles cornmeal but a few larger pieces remain.
4. With machine running, quickly add water through feed tube.
5. Stop processor as soon as all water is added.
6. Scrape down sides.
7. Process with a couple of on/off turns (mixture may not all be moistened).
8. Remove from bowl and shape into 1 or 2 equal balls.
Chill for 1 hour or overnight, if desired.

(I generally don't even bother to chill it and it still rolls out lovely.)

I found this recipe in Cooking at a Glance: Pies and Pastries.

Happy Ninjagoing on your birthday, Amber. have a blast. :-)

Happy Birthday, Amber!

Happy Birthday, lady. :-)

OH!! Lovely birthday gifts - I adore kitchen stuff, especially. And thanks for that pie crust recipe!

>248 Ape: >249 Ameise1: Thanks, Stephen and Barbara!

>250 Crazymamie: Mamie: I know, right?! And you're most welcome! I love that recipe so much.

Happy birthday Amber. Looking forward to the culinary reports featuring ninjas...

THANK YOU, THANK YOU for the pie crust recipe. Apple pie season is coming and I will definitely give this a try.

Happy birthday Amber hope it was full of fabulous.

>252 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte!

>253 ronincats: You're most welcome, Roni. I hope you love it as much as I do!

>254 GeezLouise: Thanks, Rae - it most certainly was!

Here's my birthday dessert:

>236 scaifea: I love the thought that you will call out Ninja-go! Every time you use the mega kitchen system 1500 (which is what I would be tempted to refer to it as!).

That reminds me of the random Proncess Bride references that you inject into daily life for the future amusement (bemusement?) of Charlie. Too funny!

Happy birthday!!!!!

Happy Birthday! Looks like it's been a very good one. :)

>246 scaifea: Hey- that's my pie crust recipe. *grin*

Happy Birthday - a little late.

I'm a fairly recent convert to eggs benedict, though wouldn't want it too often.

Happy Birthday, Amber!

>255 scaifea: Sweet! Sounds like a lovely day.

>256 LovingLit: Megan: Ha! Oh, and we totally did it, too. And I will continue to do so. Every. Time.
Funny that you remembered about the Princess Bride quoting! Just yesterday Charlie said, "I mean it!" and of course, I had to say, well, you know...

>257 nittnut: Thanks, Jenn! It was a very good day. And, oh, you use that same recipe? It's a good one, no?

>258 avatiakh: Thanks, Kerry! Good to know I'm not the only one who hasn't been eating poached aggs all my life... Or, wait, is it just Benedict that you've just recently tried?

>259 connie53: Thanks so much, Connie!

>260 charl08: Charlotte: It was a fantastic day!

On the agenda for today:
Charlie has a haircut appointment this morning, after which I'll drop him off at his best friend's house for a few hours (this is the one who is moving soon, so we moms are trying to give them as much time together as possible before that happens). He'll be there through lunch, and since they're in the process of packing, I'm packing Charlie a lunch so that his friend's mom doesn't have to worry about cobbling something together for him. Charlie is insisting on soup for lunch because he wants so badly to try out his new soup thermos, which we bought for school lunches. So adorkable - love this kid. I also love that almost certainly his friend will geek out about the thermos, too - they're so much alike. We're all so sad that he's moving, because they're perfect for each other. Gah.
Anyways. While Charlie's off playing, I'll get our stuff packed up here for our trip to Indiana, which starts tomorrow. Then, if there's time, I'll do a bit of work on the Latin book and possibly some sewing. It also looks like I need to start a new thread here. Leftovers for dinner tonight, I think.

On the reading front:
I finished Audubon yesterday (meh) and also read a bit more in The Catcher in the Rye, which is coming along nicely, I have to say. As I think I may have mentioned earlier, I'm liking that it's one of those nothing-is-happening-but-I-feel-like-something-big-is-coming novels. I used to not-at-all like those kinds of stories, but the more reading I do in my life (which is another, less awful way of saying 'the older I get,' and after turning 41 yesterday, I feel I need more euphemisms for that particular fact of life), the more I appreciate the books that keep you eager to see what (else) is (not) going to happen next...

The calendar book for today: Little Failure: A Memoir by Gary Shteyngart. Anyone read this one? Thoughts?

And the Newbery Caldecott Trivia: "While speaking at a school, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor overheard a child say, 'Seventy books, and she's never won the Newbery?' Soon after, Naylor won the 1992 Newbery Medal for Shiloh."

What We Read Yesterday:
-Kipper Story Collection (We LOVE Kipper here at Scaife Manor, so this is an old favorite.)
-Chapter 3 of Amelia Bedelia Unleashed (read aloud by Charlie)
-Chapter 2 in The Sandman and the War of Dreams
-The rest of chapter 14 in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Morning Amber! Ooh, love that birthday dessert. You may have to do an extra few miles on the treadmill but I am sure it will be worth it.

I really liked Little Failure. (ER book?) But have still not read any of his fiction.

>264 msf59: Mark: It was definitely worth the extra treadmill miles! Vanilla custard with hot fudge sauce and peanuts. YUM.
And it was wondering if maybe you'd read that one - it sounds like something you'd like.

126. Audubon by Constance Rourke (Newbery Honor Book, 342 pages) - 8/10 = B-
A biography about the bird enthusiast person, written for kids, apparently. Ooof. Yeah. Not in my field of interest, really, and not the writing wasn't riveting, either. *shrugs* It ticks a box on the list, though.

There is some great quirky photos in the memoir too, including that terrific cover.

>255 scaifea: YUM!

Morning, Amber!

255: *Licks screen*

>268 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! Culver's is one of my favorite places for dessert, for certain. Do you have then down your way?

>269 Ape: Stephen: *snork!*

>255 scaifea: Yum, num, num, num! Looks like the perfect ending to a perfect day!

Taking Charlie's lunch to his friends house is so thoughtful of you!! I can learn a thing or two from you :0)

>271 Carmenere: Lynda: Ha! Well, I feel guilty for not offering to have them over here, but I've got trip-packing to do and they've played here the last two times. So you may want to re-evaluate that thoughtful thing.

Nope. No Culvers - is it frozen yogurt? I can't eat that for some reason - it makes me nauseous. I have to stick with ice cream, unfortunately. But hot fudge and peanuts!! So good!

>273 Crazymamie: Mamie: Oh, it's so much better than FroYo - it's frozen custard!

Culver's was put on earth to make Midwesterners happy.

Good morning, Amber!

Looks like I need to check out Culver's some time.

>275 rosalita: Julia: And you can thank Wisconsin for that. Ha!

>276 jnwelch: Morning, Joe! Yes, you do! Their butter burgers are pretty excellent, too.

"after turning 41 yesterday, I feel I need more euphemisms for that particular fact of life" Ohh.....poor baby! *snickers* You are not allowed to say "the older I get" as long as Charlie lives at home. And even then, see me first, OK?

>278 laytonwoman3rd: Ha! Good advice. What a youngster.

>278 laytonwoman3rd: Linda: Oh, and I suppose that at 41 you never had such thoughts? Right, then.

>279 jnwelch: Joe: You, too, mister. See above comment.

The new thread is up:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/228688

Best breakfast? Nothing tops our home cooking!

1. Homemade custardy popovers, with turkey or beef bacon. Gobblicious!
2. Fried eggs on buttered wheat toast topped with just picked asparagus.

>283 jjvors: Sounds good, Jeff.