Joe's Book Cafe 2016 Door 22

Art by Jean-Pierre Gibrat

2016 Books

January

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

February

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

March

20. Evicted by Matthew Desmond
21. Pax by Sara Pennypacker
22. Voyage of the Sable Venus by Robin Coste Lewis
23. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
24. Dead Man's Mirror by Agatha Christie
25. White Sky, Black Ice by Stan Jones
26. Shifting Shadows by Patricia Briggs
27. Divine Invasion by Philip K. Dick
28. Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
29. Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs
30. Fair Game by Patricia Briggs
31. Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs
32. Venetia by Georgette Heyer
33. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
34. Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer



April

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

May

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

June

68. The Royal Wulff Murders by Keith McCafferty
69. Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
70. Uprooted by Naomi Novik
71. Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
72. Dodgers by Bill Beverly
73. Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye
74. Application for Release from the Dream by Tony Hoagland
75. Waterloo: The History of Four Days by Bernard Cornwell
76. The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge
77. Silence in the Snowy Fields by Robert Bly
78. The Rook by Daniel O'Malley
79. An Infamous Army by Georgette Heyer
80. The Well Speaks of Its Own Poison by Maggie Smith

July

81. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
82. What is This Thing Called Love by Kim Addonizio
83. Charcoal Joe by Walter Mosley
84. Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong
85. The Spanish Bride by Georgette Heyer
86. Ubik by Philip K. Dick
87. Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave
88. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
89. The Wayward Bus by John Steinbeck
90. The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
91. The Last One by Alexandra Oliva
92. Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
93. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
94. Aeneid Book VI by Seamus Heaney

August

95. The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancy
96. The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu
97. Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes
98. Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry
99. Dragon in Exile by Sharon Lee
100. I Shot the Buddha by Colin Cotterill
101. A Question of Death by Kerry Greenwood
102. Alliance of Equals by Sharon Lee
103. Rogue Heroes by Ben Macintyre
104. Strike Sparks by Sharon Olds
105. A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James



September

106. A Civil Contract by Georgette Heyer
107. Lock & Mori by Heather W. Petty
108. Pines by Blake Crouch
109. Wayward by Blake Crouch
110. The Last Town by Blake Crouch
111. On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
112. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison
113. A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny
114. Gods of Gotham by Lyndsey Faye
115. Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
116. How the Marquis Got His Coat Back by Neil Gaiman
117. Disasterology by Maggie Smith

118. The Last Days of Magic by Mark Tompkins
119. The Bookseller by Mark Pryor
120. Make Good Art by Neil Gaiman
121. An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor
122. The Crypt Thief by Mark Pryor
123. Zen City by Gregoire Hervier



October

124. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
125. Apprentice in Death by J.D. Robb
126. The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine by Alexander McCall Smith
127. An Obvious Fact by Craig Johnson
128. The Hard Way by Lee Child
129. Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
130. The Lost Leader by Mick Imlah
131. His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet
132. Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson
133. Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
134. Way Station by Clifford Simak
135. Slow Burn by Ace Atkins







Graphic Novels

1. The Fade Out by Ed Brubaker
2. Concrete Park by Tony Puryear
3. The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage by Sydney Padua
4. Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
5. Killing and Dying by Adrian Tomine
6. Sleeper by Ed Brubaker
7. Where is Jake Ellis by Nathan Edmondson
8. Lucifer by Mike Carey
9. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep Omnibus by Philip K. Dick
10. Super Mutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki
11. The Fade Out Volume 2 by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
12. Low Moon by Jason
13. The Fade Out Volume 3 by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
14. Fatale by Ed Brubaker
15. Demo by Brian Wood
16. Alex + Ada by Jonathan Luna
17. Step Aside, Pops by Kate Beaton
18. The Property by Rutu Modan
19. Descender by Jeff Lemire
20. Ms. Marvel Vol. 4 by G. Willow Wilson
21. The Sleeper Omnibus by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
22. Lucifer Volume 2 by Mike Carey
23. Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan
24. The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks
25. Ruins by Peter Kuper
26. Harrow County by Cullen Bunn
27. The Story of Mu by James Cordova
28. Torpedo Volume 1 by Enrique Sanchez Abuli
29. Lucifer Book Three by Mike Carey
30. Pocket Full of Rain by Jason
31. Batgirl by Gail Simone
32. Descender Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan
34. Deadly Class by Rick Remender
35. How to Fall Forever (Black Science) by Rick Remender
36. Hawkeye Volume 3 and Hawkeye Volume 4 by Matt Fraction
37. Wonder Woman: Earth One by Grant Morrison
38. The Planetary Omnibus by Warren Ellis
39. Princess Black by Shannon Hale
40. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Amy Corzine
41. The Private Eye by Brian K. Vaughan
42. Missed Connections by Sophie Blackall
43. Patience by Daniel Clowes
44. How to Talk to Girls at Parties by Neil Gaiman
45. Maggie the Mechanic by Gilbert Hernandez
46. Almost Silent by Jason
47. Saga Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan
48. Lucifer Book Four by Mike Carey
49. Ms. Marvel Vol. 5 by G. Willow Wilson
50. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells and Lewis Helfland
51. Jessica Jones: Alias Volume 1 by Brian Michael Bendis
52. Lumberjanes Vol. 4 by Shannon Watters and Noelle Stevenson
53. Lady Killer by Jamie S. Rich
54. Morning Glories Volume 5 by Nick Spencer
55. Morning Glories Volume 6 by Nick Spencer
56. Jessica Jones Alias Vol. 2 by Brian M. Bendis
57. The New York Four by Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly
58. Rivers of London Body Work by Ben Aaronovitch
59. Velvet Volume 3 by Ed Brubaker
60. Black Widow: The Itsy-Bitsy Spider by Devin Grayson
61. The Bronx Kill by Peter Milligan
62. Lazarus by Greg Rucka
63. Lazarus Volume 2 by Greg Rucka
64. Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier

Top 5 First Quarter of 2016

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Tokyo Decadence by Ryu Murakami (finally available in the U.S.)
Evicted by Matthew Desmond
Pax by Sara Pennypacker
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Top 5 Second Quarter 2016

A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin
The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanthi
Without: Poems by Donald Hall
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren

Top graphic novels so far in '16:

Super Mutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki
The Sleeper Omnibus by Ed Brubaker
The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks
Pocket Full of Rain by Jason
How to Talk to Girls at Parties by Neil Gaiman
Saga Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan

All right, another bit more personal Joe poem. I'll put in a lighter one later.

Evening Martinis

Lovely Y-shaped glass
Filled with icy clear liquid.
Half-full, frosted,
Tapering glass pitcher, so
Cool, so healing, so refreshing.

A ritual of preparation, the father
Home from work, mother impatient for
The queen's reward.
Masterfully he mixes gin, vermouth,
A quick stir, then confidently placing the
Sacred vessel before her.

The evening begins.
The king sits kitty-corner at the open counter, the
Young prince sits across, waiting.
The princess near the queen, dreading.
King, queen, pitcher, glass.
All gathered for the sadness.

Her beautiful brain
Slows, dulls, becomes unharmable.
Anger smiles, opportunity wickedly arrives.
The canny snappish slippery thing
Darts forward and flicks,
Looking to strike -
The prince and princess
Immobilized by unstoppable loss
By betrayal, by youth.

The bite pierces deep,
The venom lingers, a sickness of spirit.
Having survived, again and again
Tolerance develops, knowledge recovers.
But somewhere deep
Children never understand,
Never forget.

Daytime, the royal scullery
Empty, all quiet.
Daughter and son watch carefully sideways,
Pour gin into the sink
Then water into the sacred bottle.
Enough to make a difference, maybe,
Not enough to get caught, maybe.
It seems unnoticed.
But that evening the slither
Re-emerges,
Anger still smiles,
Head tilting this way and that.
Sharp red eyes,
Intensely ready, hungry.

When the prince and princess confront the
King, he angers.
Understand, you'll never.
Later they learn of the other
Prince, lost, full term.
The queen's pain, her sadness.
The powerful woman denied
A man's chance, her brothers' chance.

One night, while the
Prince and princess are
Away, the queen stumbles and falls
Among her gathered subjects.
The center of laughter and pity.
Humiliated, she determines to change.
Some new evening it begins
A single short squat glass of
Shimmery orange brown liquid,
A sliver of lemon,
Small blocks of ice,
Shifting cut glass diamonds of
Yellowish light.
Less potent, less dangerous.

The darkness subdues, but it is
Still there, hidden.
No lovely Y-shape, no icy clear liquid.
Older, slower, resigned.

Still, it winds the
Paths, searching, searching.
The queen misses her companion.
Somewhere far inside
She fiercely loves its
Truth to death.

By Christina Angelina & Easeonekills in Miami



Artist Unknown

Hey Joe happy new thread have a great weekend.

Joe, do the Jean-Pierre Gibrat illustrations come from the same book? And if so, which one? Intrigued.

Happy new thread, Joe, pretty toppers, as always :-)

>6 GeezLouise: Hi Rae! How good to see you. Thanks - I hope you're having a great weekend, too!

You get a prize for first in the door:

>7 NarratorLady: They're from different books, as I understand it, Anne. He's available only on Kindle here right now, which seems singularly unappealing to me, but he'll have one coming out soon in hard copy: https://smile.amazon.com/Flight-Raven-Jean-Pierre-Gibrat/dp/1631407988/ref=sr_1_...

Needless to say, probably, I've pre-ordered it. :-)

>8 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anne! I'm glad you like the toppers. This guy has quickly become a favorite of mine.

Happy New Thread, Joe. Great toppers.

>5 jnwelch: That top one is a stunner. Love that face.

>11 msf59: Thanks, Mark! I'm watching the Cubbies.

Isn't this guy great? I thought that top one would be a charmer to greet folks with.

Wait til the 8th inning. Wowza!

Are you watching the game tonight? We will be...from the comfort of the Marky-Mark Man Cave.

We will be facing Kershaw, so we'll have our work cut out for us, but it would sure be nice to go up 2-zip.

Happy new one, Joe. What a great opening.

>13 msf59: In the 8th inning right now!

Yeah, we'll watch at least some of the game tonight. Not sure how far we'll make it, but I'll be recording just in case.

Some think they overworked Kershaw the last series, right? We'll see whether it makes any difference.

I've been so impressed with the Cubs' defense this post-season!

>14 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara. Glad you like that opening.

Happy new thread, Joe!

>16 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!

Happy New Thread, Joe! I love the art at the top. A few nice books sneaking in there with the adventurous images.

Happy new thread!

>4 jnwelch: moving and thought provoking Joe.

I like the topper too.

^Speaking of stellar defense, how about that Baez? Is this a super-star in the wings or what?

Happy new thread!

>18 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen! I'm glad you love them toppers.

>19 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

>20 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks a lot, Caroline. I'm glad you caught it up there.

This artist - I'm looking forward to seeing even more from him. Good to hear you like the topper.

>21 msf59: Baez is just great, Mark. Love his attitude and instincts, and what a back story. I don't remember any player with his coordination on tags either.

>22 banjo123: Thanks, Rhonda!

I read on your other thread that Brown Girl Dreaming should have won the Newbery. I thought it was OK but a major book award winner? The teacher's I work with don't care for it either as it is hard for middle grade students to follow due to the format- free verse.

Of course, the free verse is the worst part for me. I think that free verse novels are just lazy prose. If you want to write poetry do so - just don't call it a novel. Of course Woodson isn't the first YA author to write free verse novels and Out of the Dust did win a Newbery for Karen Hesse. Of course Hesse should have won it for Letters From Rifka, just as Karen Cushman should have won for Catherine, Called Birdy instead of the inferior Midwife's Apprentice, but since historical fiction hasn't been sexy since 1972 there was no hope of any of that happening.

But prize winning committees are always making stupid choices. Little House on the Prairie never won the Newbery and Smoky the Cowhorse did. Who even reads that book today?

>25 benitastrnad: Woo, I think we're going to disagree big time on Brown Girl Dreaming, Benita. I'm surprised you would look at it that way. To me, it's a terrific book, enhanced by the free form verse. Which in my experience is not at all hard for middle-graders to follow, although I'm no teacher, just a father. What about Shel Silverstein, for goodness' sakes? Or Sharon Creech? As you probably know, the Newbery winner, Crossover by Kwame Alexander, was also free verse! Good, but not as good as Brown Girl Dreaming.

I'm always surprised by the different reactions readers have to books. You're the first one I've known to have this particular one. As you can tell, I often write in free verse (don't look at >4 jnwelch:!), so I start with a different point of view.

Little House on the Prairie is a good example of how it can go awry. We're working our way through that series right now, with Madame MBH reading it out loud.

Happy new thread, Joe. What is the story behind the topper pictures? It looks like occupied Paris and picture number 3 is particularly intriguing with the woman holding the picture of a young man that appears to have come from the envelop with the swastika on it.

>27 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. I don't know the story behind the topper pictures, but there is one for a few of them. It comes out in the USA at a yet-to-be determined date: https://smile.amazon.com/Flight-Raven-Jean-Pierre-Gibrat/dp/1631407988/ref=sr_1_...

The others are probably in the Kindle editions of two others, that I haven't seen.

https://smile.amazon.com/Reprieve-1-Jean-Pierre-Gibrat-ebook/dp/B01GU4AL76/ref=s...

https://smile.amazon.com/Reprieve-2-Jean-Pierre-Gibrat-ebook/dp/B01LZDM37L/ref=s...

Love your topper pictures, but don't seen anything in >5 jnwelch:. Wonder what's going on there?

>28 jnwelch: Those GN look very interesting, Joe. Even your pictures are BBs!

>4 jnwelch: Drew me in with that one buddy.

Happy new thread, Joe.

>1 jnwelch: LOVE the toppers.

>4 jnwelch: :'(

>4 jnwelch: Just now taking the time to read this one. Lovely, Joe. And heartrending.

Must come back to catch up, just popping in to wish you a happy new thread... I've not visited in too long! Thought you might enjoy this one by Jean-Pierre Gibrat that I've had in my 'reading love' collection for some time:


Now I think of it, I may use it as a header eventually! She sort of looks like a younger, much slimmer me.

>1 jnwelch: oh for a waist like that! And a cleavage like in >34 Smiler69:...

*dreams are free*

Your poem drew me in too, Joe. But I'm not sure I understood its meaning fully. The atmosphere is tense though, so that got through to me!

Happy new thread, Joe.

Happy new thread, Joe!

>29 laytonwoman3rd: Hi, Linda. Thanks! Try clearing your cache. Those are two art posts from late in the last thread. You used to be able to see the Alice In Wonderland-type one, but not the striking woman. As far as I know, everyone else can see them.

>30 Familyhistorian: Ha! Love it, Meg. They do look good, don't they. I've already pre-ordered his "Flight of the Raven" (no touchstone yet), which it now looks like will come out in February next year.

>31 PaulCranswick: Ah, thanks, Paul. I'm glad that one drew you in. Figured I should bookend the Dad one, although she deserves another, more upbeat one.

>32 Morphidae: Hi, Morphy. I'm glad you love the toppers!

Yeah, I know, the poem in >4 jnwelch: is sad - makes me sad every time. All that had a big impact on my sister and me. As I was saying to Paul, the Queen deserves a lighter one to fill out the picture - I miss her a lot.

>33 EBT1002: Thanks for taking the time to read it, Ellen. Yeah, oof, I say. Only one part of the story - I miss her like crazy.

>34 Smiler69: Oh, that's a beautiful one, Ilana. Thanks for posting it. I do see the resemblance!

>35 LovingLit: Ha! I'd be looking like Bogie if I could figure out a way. Thank goodness for artists. :-)

Thanks for reading through the poem. Drinking a bucket o' martinis brought out bitterness and an evisceratingly sharp tongue; after a disaster at a party, switching to one Manhattan at night helped quell that. But she was still frustrated, and she still could let loose zingers. For all that, she was a wonderful woman, and I dearly wish she were still with us.

>36 DianaNL: Thanks, Diana. Good to see you.

>37 scaifea: Thanks, Amber! Welcome back!

Happy new thread, Joe! Loving the art and illustrations you've posted. Eye candy for sure!

>42 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda! :-) We can all use some eye candy, right? Particularly on this pre-Tuesday start to the week.

>44 jnwelch:- LOVE.

>44 jnwelch:

>45 katiekrug: :-)

>46 Morphidae: :-)

>44 jnwelch: Been there.. :)

>44 jnwelch: I'd have been under a bus years ago if I tried that. I just have to remember to put my book down a couple of tube stops before I want to get off, I've gone on to the end of the line before now!

Morning Joe. Cloudy out here but very comfortable. No complaints on that front.

You mentioned the Stephen Mitchell translation of the Neruda collection. Funny, comparing these translations with other translations, of the same poems, there is a remarkable difference. I think this is the first translated poetry I have read but I find this profoundly interesting.

Thoughts?

>44 jnwelch: Like! I do this with audios...

>38 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. I did clear my cache. Still can't see those particular photos in either thread, but I see your toppers, and pictures in >9 jnwelch: and >21 msf59:. Just one of those infernal mysteries, I guess.

Goof morning, Joe! Excellent new thread. I hope you had a great weekend.

>1 jnwelch: I love the Jean-Pierre Gibrat! I think number 3 is my favorite, but I love the style.

>2 jnwelch: Velvet? Hmmm. I may have to check that out.

>5 jnwelch: Isn't this a Pasquini? I think you posted it before. I could be mistaken.

>34 Smiler69: another good one.

>48 drneutron: Ha! I'm not a reading walker, Jim, but our daughter is.

>49 Caroline_McElwee: You made me laugh, Caroline - we're alike in that. I don't risk reading while I walk either - I get too immersed. And I've learned to stop reading at least one El train stop before mine, after missing or almost-missing my stop too many times.

Yeah I'm another one who had to put the book down early. Nearly got stuck in Glasgow once because I got so wrapped up in a book in a shop that I lost all track of time and missed my train.

>50 msf59: He's (Mitchell's) just really good, Mark. It boggles my mind to think of trying to effectively translate foreign poetry into English. He's got a knack; the sense of it, not just literal word translation. You wouldn't believe how widely his Tao Te Ching diverges from the many (!) other translations. I read the Nathaniel Tarn translation of Neruda and really liked it; I'm not going to be surprised to find I like Mitchell's even more. Neruda is one of the few foreign language poets to have multiple English translators.

>51 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks, Linda. I'm just relieved you can see the newer ones. If you'd like to see the others, I could pm you with non-LT links.

Further comments on translations: Mark's question in >50 msf59: made me think of the different translations of The Odyssey. I've read Lattimore, Fagles and Lombardo. I'm not a fan of the Lattimore one, but that shows how important personal reaction is. For many, the Lattimore is their favorite. Some go back to Alexander Pope's verse translation. I start feeling stuffy just thinking about that one.

The Lombardo translation is very swift and uses the most modern language. I loved reading it, and his Iliad translation. But for me, Fagles hits the sweet spot. There is a wonderful rhythm to Fagles', and a more modern take than Lattimore. My understanding is some difficult choices have to be made in deciding how to structure the translation. The Penguin website says in part,

"As Fagles points out in his postscript to the book, Homer's work is a performance, even in part a musical event. The challenge for the translator is to convey the impact of performance in the quieter medium of writing, something Fagles has accomplished marvelously. What distinguishes this translation from previous ones is the way in which Fagles has managed to find the middle ground between Homer's original creation and the expectations of the contemporary reader. As Fagles says, "my version is, I hope, neither so literal in rendering Homer's language as to cramp and distort my own—though I want to convey as much of what he says as possible—nor so literary as to brake his energy, his forward drive." Fagles also achieves a balance between Homer's more spacious hexameter line and a tighter one more familiar in English verse. He opts for a vigorous give-and-take between the two, one that offers a blend of variety and uniformity, and makes the poem "wonderfully readable," as Ted Hughes remarks."

It didn't hurt that, in addition to reading it more than once, I listened to Ian MacKellen do the whole Fagles version on audiotape!

>50 msf59: now you are onto a subject that has long fascinated me. There are so many ways in which a translation may come into being, with the final piece in English (for example) possibly coming via another language. In a volume of poems by Romanian poet Marin Sorescu: The Biggest Egg in the World a number of Irish and English poets used another translation into English of some of his poems, to make 'scrambles' of his work themselves. Sometimes collaborating, sometimes making interpretations of the same poem.

The first English edition of Sorescu's work was made by Michael Hamburger, from a German translation of the Romanian.

I once did a similar exercise. The husband of a German friend wrote poetry. A Croatian friend who spoke German, translated them into rough English, and I finessed them. As the English language has so much ambiguity, I had great fun finding the right word, with lists of possibilities going back through the translation chain, until the poet felt we had got as close to his intention as possible. It took a year to do a short volume (for fun, never published).

The Dutch writer Harry Mulich used to say at readings in English that it felt odd 'reading words I have not written', and generally he read in Dutch, with a British poet reading the English.

Off to leave you a Sorescu poem in the poetry thread.

>57 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline. How great that you actually did this with friends for fun. Maybe you can give us an example that you liked?

I loved the Sorescu one you posted over on the AAC Poetry Thread!

Joe! you missed me back in >52 brodiew2:, I think. Not sure. :-)

>58 jnwelch: it was so long ago now Joe, and probably stored on a disk, if not far enough back to be a floppy one!

It's a while since I wrote much myself, but maybe I'll post a couple of pieces on my thread later.

ETA: https://www.librarything.com/topic/234011#5764687

>59 brodiew2: Oh, I did, Brodie, thanks. I got distracted by the translation discussion. Looks like I missed Charlotte in >54 charl08:, too.

>52 brodiew2: Thanks re the thread! We did have a great weekend, including Madame MBH's kicking it off with a memorable performance at Cabaret by the Lake (a story which has her also singing, and I love her voice).

Isn't Gibrat's style charming. I like the third one, too.

Yes, check out Velvet Volume 1! I'd be surprised if you don't get hooked quickly. I did.

>5 jnwelch: is not a Pasquini. The artists are identified under the photo. It seems to me that street artists often influence each other, and this artist was (these artists were) probably influenced by Pasquini. Banksy has been hugely influential, and when someone says street art is "a Banksy", often that ain't true.

Agreed re Ilana's post in >34 Smiler69:.

>54 charl08: Ha! Yup, that's what we're talking about, Charlotte. I wouldn't mind getting stuck in Glasgow, but I suspect you had some other places (like home) on your schedule.

>60 Caroline_McElwee: Ha! I know that problem, Caroline. I'm still rummaging through boxes of poetry-related stuff, going way back. It's been fun.

I'll check out that link - don't want to lose this post!

#44
I fell going up the stairs at the library because I was reading the newspaper. Really banged up my knee. Turned black and blue from hip to ankle. On the OJI report when asked for ways such an accident could be prevented in the future I wrote, stop reading while walking up stairs. The OJI officer called me to laugh about that recommendation.

#26
I honestly didn't get it with Brown Girl Dreaming. It was a good book, but not that great, and I don't think it is Woodson's best work. I think some of her earlier fiction is better. I think it is a memoir not a biography. It certainly isn't fiction, but in libraries, unless they do their own original cataloging, it is classed as fiction. It just isn't the best work she can do. Or has done. I think she won the award for other reasons: to make a point. But whatever. Committees can make their own decisions - just as the Nobel committee did this year.

>44 jnwelch: When I was in middle school (6th & 7th grade), I had to walk almost 2 miles to school and back home. The word "almost" is key. If it had been 2 miles, I could have taken a bus, but because it was something like 1.8 or 1.9 miles each way, I had to hoof it. For those two years, once I got used to the route, I would read the entire way. Thankfully there was just one main road I had to cross and it had a pedestrian cross-walk with a light. The rest of the way was residential.

>62 benitastrnad: Ha! That kind of fall must have been a shocker, Benita. I'll bet the OJI officer got a kick out of your explanation of how it could be avoided in the future. It reminds me of the old joke where the patient tells the doctor "It hurts when I move my arm like this", and the doctor says, "Then don't move your arm like that any more."

>63 benitastrnad: Too bad re Brown Girl Dreaming. I'm sorry you didn't get to experience it the way I did. I strongly disagree that she won the award "for other reasons". It's a great book, and continues to be widely read, as I expect it will for a long time to come.

>64 Morphidae: Good for you, Morphy. Our daughter would've been right there with you.

I hoofed it to elementary, junior high (7-9) and high school (back then we didn't have middle school), but I didn't read while doing it. Most of it I probably could have, as Ann Arbor isn't huge, and the walks were mostly residential. But I was too much of a dreamer, I'm guessing. I'd enjoy the walks. It's a pretty town.

By Alice Pasquini

>64 Morphidae: Look what came up on Facebook today!

>67 jnwelch: I saw that on FB this morning. Good one.

Morning Joe! Thanks for the great comments regarding translations. I appreciate Caroline's contributions too.

I was really surprised by the differences I found with the Neruda collection, especially Ode To a Bird-Watcher. Of course, I shared the excerpts from the Mitchell version. It was like night and day to me.

>57 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks so much for this Caroline. This is the first time I have ran into translated poetry. What an eye-opener. Something I have not really ran into with translated fiction but no it makes me wonder.

Oh yeah- Go Cubs! We NEED this win.

>68 msf59: Morning Mark!

Thanks for getting us onto the translation topic. It really is an art, isn't it? I'm constantly impressed, for example, with what Stephen Sartarelli does with that Montalbano series, from Italian to English.

I'll pay particular attention to Ode To a Bird-watcher. I liked the excerpt you posted.

>69 msf59: Go Cubs! I love the way Maddon keeps them loose.

Good morning, Joe! I hope all is well with you.

>67 jnwelch: Distracted, yes, but they could be reading on their kindle apps? Nah...

>67 jnwelch: Ha! Love serendipity!

>40 jnwelch: After the explanation I had to go back and read your poem again, Joe. Alcohol is so insidious, as a short term pain reducer it can work but then take over your life and change the lives around you. Your poem captures the children's feelings so well.

>67 jnwelch: Could use a grownup version of that sign outside my place. Or maybe on my backpack.

>71 brodiew2: Hey, Brodie. It sure looks like regular books up in >67 jnwelch:, doesn't it?

Hope you caught the "in honor of Brodie" Alice Pasquini up in >66 jnwelch:!

>72 Morphidae: Me, too, Morphy. Those psychic wavelengths were really working well today!

>73 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. I thought that might help. You're right about alcohol. To this day, it's hard for me to read about addictions, including drugs and gambling.

>74 charl08: Ha! I like that idea, Charlotte. Maybe in neon green or some kind of lights on your backpack, like bike riders use: Caution: Grownup Distracted by Reading. :-)

>76 jnwelch: Libraries and books stores are my sanctuary. New bookstores, my happy place.

>65 jnwelch: count me in as another fan of Brown Girl Dreaming Joe. Curiously, I didn't remember it being free verse; I do remember that Tanhha Lai's Inside Out and Back Again was free verse and how powerful that was.

I will definitely be reading Woodson's new one...someday!

>77 brodiew2: Ha! Ditto, my friend. Those strike me as "LT Land".

>78 NarratorLady: Thanks for chiming in, Anne. I know, she is so smooth with the free verse in Brown Girl Dreaming, I'm not surprised it doesn't stick out in your mind. Now I need to look for Inside Out and Back Again. :-) I know, I don't remember the last time I was this snowed under with tbr books. I want to get to that new Woodson asap, but unfortunately it will probably be a while.

I was happy to receive Hidden Figures as an ER book, and it easily lived up to my hopes. First time author Margot Lee Shetterly has done an admirable job of depicting the black female mathematicians who became employed at NASA (originally NACA) as human "computers" in the 1940s, and their successors to the present day. We get insights not only into the African American experience in the USA beginning in WWII, but also the USA space program as it developed, including the sometimes fevered emotions underlying it.

Shetterly says in the Acknowledgments at the end that, "As the child of a Hampton University English professor and a NASA research scientist, it was probably inevitable that I would eventually write a book about scientists." In the prologue she remembers her father's "engineering colleagues with their rumpled style and distracted manner. . . . That so many of them were African American, many of them my grandmother's age, struck me as simply the natural order of things: growing up in Hampton, the face of science was brown."

WWII caused aeronautic engineering to move front and center in the USA as a critical part of the war effort. Just as previously unemployed or underemployed women were needed in many industries at that time, NASA needed reliable mathematicians who could execute complicated mathematical assignments, and could make sure their computations were correct. Small errors could have big effects. Eventually black women from good engineering programs at black schools were targeted. That they succeeded in an era in which "just 2 per cent of all black women earned college degrees" is impressive. Of course, once they started, certain adjustments had to be made (some may wish to read these details first in the book, so I've covered some of this with the "spoiler" indication):

"in 1943, America existed in the urgent present. Responding to the needs of the here and now, Butler took the next step, making a note to add another item to Sherwood's seemingly endless requisition list: a metal bathroom sign bearing the words COLORED GIRLS." Of course. The young black women were segregated into their own section of NASA, West Computing, and were relegated to their own lunch table, which had a stenciled cardboard sign stating: COLORED COMPUTERS. One of the black computers tossed the sign in the garbage every time it showed up, and finally the person posting the sign gave up. But the black female mathematicians continued to sit at that table..

One of the featured women is pioneer Dorothy Vaughan.

"Education topped her list of ideals; it was the surest hedge against a world that would require more of her children than white children, and attempt to give them less in return. The Negro's ladder to the American dream was missing rungs, with even the most outwardly successful blacks worried that in a moment the forces of discrimination could lay waste to their economic security."

"Separate but equal" was the shamefully accepted law and social divider. Dorothy rises to lead West Computing, but it is not until the landmark decision Brown v. Board of Education in the mid-50s that school integration begins to happen, and segregatin begins to break down. Shetterly adeptly interweaves the social environment of the times through the lives of these women and their families. When West Computing finally is dispersed and its members scattered throughout NASA, it was,

"a bittersweet moment for Dorothy Vaughan. It had taken her eight years to reach the seat at the front of the office. For seven years she ruled the most unlikely of realms: a room full of black female mathematicians doing research at the world's most prestigious aeronautical laoratory."

As full scale integration is beginning, the female mathematicians also find themselves urgently involved in a space race. It is kicked off by Russia orbiting Sputnik over the USA (causing both fear and offended national pride), and President Kennedy promising to land on the moon by decade's end - a seemingly impossible task. "As fantastical as America's space ambitions may have seemed, sending a man into space was starting to feel like a straightforward task compared to putting black and white students together in the same Virginia classrooms." One VA school system actually closes its public schools for five years to avoid integration!

Eventually, indefatigable Katherine Johnson will insist her way into the engineering inner circles, and become critical to the space missions. "Sending a man into space was a damn tall order, but it was the part about returning him safely to Earth that kept Katherine Johnson and the rest of the space pilgrims awake at night." John Glenn insists that she be the one to "check the numbers" before he'll go up. "I loved every single day of it", she says. "There wasn't one day when I didn't wake up excited to go to work." Her work in celestial navigation was essential to the space program's success, including her work product in connection with the moon landing and return. She ends up receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among many other awards.

What a remarkable story Shetterley has given us. Among many other things, we also get to see the huge social importance of the tv show Star Trek, with its futuristic multi-cultural crew and black officer Nyota Uhuru, played by Nichelle Nichols. You'll want to read about Nichols' encounter with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and its effect on her career.

This is a fascinating book, and a good resource both for a little known part of African American history in the U.S., and a behind-the-scenes look at the space program. Four and a half stars.

We'll be traveling tomorrow to eastern TN for a few days, so there may be a lag in responses from the proprietor. Please freely use the premises!

Hahaha, we get to dance, or throw food behind your back!

>81 jnwelch: think you might have hit me with a book bullet there Joe.

Happy travels.

>80 jnwelch: Looking forward to reading this one - great review.

>80 jnwelch: Nice review! That one's been on my list since it came out.

Happy travels, Joe!

I forgot to post this earlier, but I took this photo with you in mind when I was in DC last month... it's art outside of an aquarium near Eastern Market:


I have an advanced reader's copy of Hidden Figures on my Kindle and really should get to it soon...

Hi, Joe. Finally getting to your new thread, and I love the topper illustrations!

I read the poem in >4 jnwelch: and thought, somebody else who grew up with an alcoholic parent. My dad, a wonderful person, got on the wagon when I was 21 and never fell off but helped others in AA the rest of his life, but the years from 10 to 21 were rough. Glad your mom also found a solution that worked for her.

>44 jnwelch: Love it!

I am a Bears fan this year because its new tyro center is from my home town.

>80 jnwelch: I wanted to request this for my ER book too, but put all my eggs in the Hagseed basket instead, which did not work. Now I am very sorry.

Safe travels, Joe!

Morning Joe! Great review of Hidden Figures. Big Thumb! I really want to read that one.

Have a good, safe trip to TN.

Good morning, Joe! enjoy your time in TN. My brother lives in Nashville, but it sounds like you will not be in that area. He is an author, you know. He has written two post apocalyptic thrillers.

Safe travels!

Cool, Brodie. We're east in Gatlinburg.

We've arrived, and are visiting with all sorts of family (Madame MBH's). We're in the Smoky Mountains - beautiful.

I should be able to catch up a bit tomorrow.

Gatlinburg? you're in Gatlinburg? you're only an hour away. lord-a-mercy me.

are you by any chance flying out of Knoxpatch? i would love to see you even just to get a hug and a selfie, though i understand time and energy constraints very well. just askin'.

in any event, go see a creek. hope you've got more color in the mountings than we have here in the valley. also hope you'll be able to stay a coupla days and enjoy cooler weather.

Great new toppers, Joe! Have fun in Tennessee.

OHmygosh, a Joe-and-Ellie Meet-Up! Heaven. Also, totally jealous at even the possibility, I must say.

Morning, Joe! How did I miss this entire thread? YIKES! I really loved the poem up in >4 jnwelch:. Nicely done. And I am another who loved Brown Girl Dreaming - listening to the author read it herself was very powerful.

Hoping you have had safe travels, and that your trip is full of fabulous!

>80 jnwelch: Great review, Joe.

Good morning, Joe! I hope the TN in travel is without trouble!

>82 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline. I hope that bb hit - you'll be glad.

Have fun while we're gone!

>83 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. Can't wait to hear your reaction to Hidden Figures.

>84 drneutron: Thanks, Jim. Oh good, I'm glad you're going to read Hidden Figures. Your angle is going to be very interesting, methinks. All the NASA stuff was pretty much news to me.

>85 bell7: Oh my, Mary, that's a beaut. Thanks so much for thinking of posting it here. Outside of an aquarium near Eastern Market, okay. I love the feeling of joy in this one.

I'm going to be in DC really briefly next week for business. I don't think I'll be able to visit it then, darn it.

>86 ronincats: Yay for your liking the toppers, Roni! You've got that artistic eye, so I'm glad those go over well with you.

Yeah, thank you. I'm sorry you had to go through that from 10 -21. I'll bet it was rough. Good for your dad for pulling it together so well.

Our situation was weird. She wouldn't touch a drop before our dad got home, and then she overdid it and transformed, and not in a good way. I'm glad she changed the drinking, too. We couldn't believe it was true at the time, but she stuck with it. Rough on the children before that, as you say.

>87 scaifea: Thanks, Amber! We're safe and sound.

>88 msf59: Thanks, Mark! I really appreciate the big thumb!

You'll love it. We had a smooth trip, and we're having a great time. We hiked (easy) in Smoky Mountain national park today, and sat out on boulders in the middle of a creek - very peaceful. Then shopped at Debbi's brother's store here (All Sauced Up) and managed to leave a few things on the shelves for the other customers.

>89 brodiew2: Tell us about your author brother, Brodie? What are the two p-a thrillers?

Yeah, we flew into Knoxville, and won't get over to Nashville. I was there a few years ago, and liked it.

>91 mirrordrum: There she is! I wondered where you were, Ellie!

Yeah, we're over in Gatlinburg. This is our first trip back in (can I really be saying this?) thirty years, so there's a lot of family catching up going on. But we'll be back a lot more often. Both of Madame MBH's brothers now live here, so it's going to be a fairly regular thing.

We are flying out of Knoxville on Monday. Is it possible we could see you there? If so, I'll look up the flight time and we'll figure something out. That would be great!

>92 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb! We are having a fine time indeed. What a beautiful part of the country. The colors are turning, so the Smoky Mountains look particularly pretty.

>93 scaifea: Wouldn't that be great, Amber! A Joe-and-Ellie meetup - that would be so cool. Any way to fly you down?

>94 Crazymamie: Oh, thank you, Mamie. I'm happy to hear you loved that poem. Me, too, even with the sadness.

I'm going to try to go lighter with the next one.

Great to have a fellow appreciator of Brown Girl Dreaming. I'd love to hear her read it - I bet that was special.

>95 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. It was a great book to review. You know, sometimes the ER books we get aren't so good. Thank goodness this one was.

>96 brodiew2: Thanks, Brodie. Smooth and fun in TN. The only hiccup was something needed for work, but that worked out well and I should be clear for the next few days.

>101 jnwelch: yup. can do Monday. airport's about 15 min from us. i just want to lay eyes on da bot a youse, get a hug, a selfie w/ you if that works and bask in what, i'm almost ashamed to say, is a bucket list item for me: to meet you and Mme. i'll put my cell # and e-mail addy in a pvt message if that helps or i'm perfectly happy to communicate via off-thread message.

love the poem and have, as usual, many questions and they can wait.

mind how you go and have a wondrous time. happy Snoopy dance.

Yay! I'll get the details to you, Ellie. Can't wait!

>105 mirrordrum: >106 jnwelch: Oh, gosh, this is so exciting! Joe, I *so* wish I could fly down - ha!

>104 jnwelch: Well I do plan reading time into my day .... tick.

I shall look forward to evidence of that meet-up!

>107 scaifea: That would be so cool, Amber! We'll keep you posted.

>108 Caroline_McElwee: Me, too, Caroline. I like days when that's the only item on my to-do list.

If this all works out, you shall see evidence of that meet-up, :-)

By Lori Preusch

Morning, Joe!

C: Good morning, Joe!

>110 jnwelch: What and imaginative piece! It has both traditional and fanciful elements. The girl's outfit alone, with the teacup gives the impression she is playing dress up and being 'sophistcated'.

Happy Friday, Joe! Hope you are having a fantastic time. I also hope you can meet up with Ellie. How cool!

Oh yeah- Go Cubs! Let's do this!!

The weather here in T-town finally turned and it is fall - just in time for the big football game. Fall is usually very pretty here in the lower Appalachians but this year the drought and heat has turned everything brown and skipped right over yellow and orange. Never-the-less, the cool weather is much appreciated. This time last year I was headed up to Sand Mountain plateau in North Alabama and it was very cool and rainy, but it was a magical trip to the "mountains," at least the tail end part of the mountain range. The area up around Oak Ridge and the Tri-Cities area is much prettier.

been thinking about you all day after our 25 degree drop last night into actual autumn weather. hope you're going on some nice jaunts.

in case you didn't know it, the Appalachians are considered to be the oldest mountains in the world, hence the smooth rolling appearance. it's a place well worth finding some solitude near a creek or river. i used to imagine what it must have been like for the Cherokee before white folks, the original illegal immigrants, "discovered" the place and sent them on the Trail of Tears. in silence, i always thought i could feel the age of those hills rising up through my feet. so different from the youthful jaggy-ness of the Sierra where i feel most at home.

oh i do hope you have some quiet time or whatever brings you joy. :-)

do you really believe that we shall meet up? it seems beyond my wildest imaginings. i'm quite a-flutter. ;-)

>115 mirrordrum: I didn't know that about the Appalachian mountains, Ellie. LT always broadens the horizons!

Have a great trip, Joe and a wonderful weekend.

HA so true :) much better than aiPhone.
Just a quick hello to you, my friend!

>111 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! (Perhaps it's a day later here? Time passes differently in this part of the country).

>112 brodiew2: Good morning, Brodie! Isn't that an imaginative piece? I agree, she must be playing dress-up at the same time she and her reading are having a great time together.

>113 msf59: Howdy, Mark! Yup, we're having a fantastic time. This morning is digging out the old family photos - Madame MBH was a doll even way back when.

Good chance it will work out with Ellie. :-) Enjoy the weekend, buddy.

>114 benitastrnad: Fall and football - always great memories for me, Benita, having grown up in Ann Arbor. Back then the town's population (with students) was around 100,000, and the stadium (the Big House) filled up with more than that. So on Saturdays, it seemed like the old town was out walking and driving toward the stadium. I'm sure you get a huge turnout.

Sorry you missed the colors this year. That's always a special time. But at least you're getting the cool air. This is our favorite time of year. Hope you have a great weekend.

>115 mirrordrum: Hi, Ellie! Yup, I think we'll meet up. We're going to figure out the when of it today, and get it to you. We leave sometime around 11 am, so it should work well. Looking forward to it!

Check out FB - Madame MBH posted a pic and video of us on a peaceful creek near where we're staying with her brother. This has been great for us - we city folk have been forced to slow WAY down. We're going to get out into some more peaceful surroundings today, after a huge craft fair (good one) and downtown yesterday.

We've been talking about the Cherokees and the Trail of Tears. At least there's a lot of knowledge of the history here. It's remarkable to look around and see the mountains around us, and the colors are turning, so they're particularly beautiful.

>116 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. LT does broaden the horizons, doesn't it? Hope you have a great weekend, too, mate.

>117 mckait: Hey, there's Kath! What a treat! Great to have you stop by. I enjoy keeping up on FB, but LT is even more fun. Hope all is going well for you, Kath. Enjoy the weekend!

History and nature? Sounds like my kind of holiday. Hope it keeps treating you well.

>'Tis, Charlotte. The wife of one of Madame MBH's brothers has family here going back to the 1600s. In the U.S., that's really unusual. We went to the graveyard the other day - remarkable to think about.

Hope you're enjoying your weekend.

>105 mirrordrum: >120 jnwelch: I don't know that I've ever looked so forward to a meet up that I'm not attending! Can't wait for the photos.

Stopping by to wish you a good weekend!

>125 NarratorLady: Ha! Fingers crossed, Anne. I've never met up at an airport before, but we'll make it work!

>126 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb! Hope you're having a good one, too.

His Bloody Project and Another Brooklyn were both excellent (and couldn't be more different). I'll try to say more later.

Happy Sunday, Joe.

Happy Sunday, Barbara. Thank you for stopping by.

Mary Engelbreit

Weird Al Yankovic with quite a song on the last Donald-Hillary debate, courtesy of the New York Times (what?):

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/20/opinion/bad-hombres-nasty-women-the-presidenti...

Borrowed with thanks from jessibud2 on Ilana's site.

Morning Joe! Happy Sunday, my friend! How about those Cubs! They are on fire. 4 more wins away...

I finally finished the Neruda collection and it is one of the best I have read so far. Have you read Rainer Maria Wilke? I see that Mitchell has done a translation of one of his collections too.

I am also having a great time with Showa. I am learning so much. Hope to finish it today.

>133 msf59: Hiya, Mark! 4 more wins! Who-da thunk it?

It sounds like Ellie may give me her copy of the Mitchell translation of Neruda. If so, I'll jump on that one. Love your enthusiasm!

Yes, I've read Rainer Marie Rilke, and he's a keeper. I've not read him as translated by Mitchell, though. You're having a most excellent run through the poetry world! Let me know how you like it.

Glad you're having a great time with Showa. It's a fascinating country.

I'm back to Great North, along with the so far very good Mister Pip.

If you are interested in Rilke you might try Riding With Rilke: Reflections on Motorcycles and Books by Ted Bishop. It had good reviews a few years back and it is a book I have long had on my TBR list.

#133
Showa is a series of graphic novels that tells the history of modern Japan. Reading the Rising Sun: the Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire by the great John Toland would be a great tag onto the Showa books.

>44 jnwelch: LOVE!

Hi Joe. You are down in the southland. It sounds like you're having a lovely time. I do love vacations that involve slowing down. For those of us who are city slickers, I think it's good for the heart and soul.

I hope you're getting to enjoy some good reading time, too!

>131 jnwelch: That's a nice thought!

Good morning, Joe. Wishing you a great start into the new week.

>132 jnwelch: Amusing. I liked how they got Trump and Clinton to "sing."

Good morning, Joe. I hope all is well with you.

>123 jnwelch: is an excellent use of color and imagination. The woman is clear, clean standout against the interior and exterior of the subway car.

>127 jnwelch: Peaceful image with some of my favorite colors. Nice sentiment as well.

Is this the day? Was there a meeting? Will there be pictures? OH, the suspense and excitement! I'm picturing it in my mind, as I've been in the Knoxville airport...maybe a group photo in the rocking chairs? Or with the bear...

Peeking over Linda's shoulder...

IT HAPPENED. a true book lovers' meetup. while Joe tries to make us listen to him reading aloud, Ellie and Madame MBH read blissfully on.

>142 laytonwoman3rd:, >143 Caroline_McElwee: This is the day, Linda and Caroline, and there was a meeting, and it was wonderful. It was terrific to spend time with Ellie and JB. I'll post a photo tomorrow; maybe Ellie will get over here before then. Ellie's a sweetheart (no surprise there!), and it was a pleasure to meet JB.

We're back a bit worn out from traveling, but otherwise A-OK. Nice to be home. :-)

>144 mirrordrum: Ha! Great timing, Ellie! It was a treat to get together, although I'm not sure how well you two could hear me while blissfully reading to yourselves. :-)

Two pals.

for me, it was a dream come true to have a meet up with two such delightful and amazing people. Chicago is lucky to have Joe and Mme. MBH. what a dream team. JB and I are still on a bit of a buzz. also, i believe in order to make this happen, Joe had to go without coffee and that, iirc, can be a deal breaker. thanks, Joe. you have no idea. *blissful sigh*

mind you don't let Mme bogart the Neruda. ;-)

Now ain't that grand.

Grand indeed. So glad this could happen.

>148 mirrordrum: We loved every minute of it, Ellie. I'm so glad you got to meet Madame MBH, and we got to meet the wonderful JB. Good to hear that I made some sense without the coffee. It was such a pleasure to spend time with you both.

Thank you also for the most excellent poetry books (Cavafy, Ondaatje, Neruda). I will find a way to pry the Neruda loose from Madame MBH's fingers. :-)

>149 Caroline_McElwee:, >150 laytonwoman3rd: It was grand, Caroline and Linda. We're still smiling about it.

No worries about missed posts - I'll catch up with you all tomorrow.

Hello Joe. These are excellent pictures of you and Ellie and Madame MBH. I'm glad you were able to make that connection.

>99 jnwelch: Glad you liked it, Joe! I hope you enjoy your trip to DC. I was just there this past weekend visiting my sisters... one lives in Maryland with her small but growing family and the other is in college - we just came back from her "family weekend" at school.

Hooray for a Meet-Up with Ellie! Love the photos! And yah, for gift books.

LOVE the meet-up photos!!

>135 benitastrnad:, >136 benitastrnad: Good tips with Riding with Rilke and Rising Sun, Benita. Thanks.

>137 EBT1002: Hiya, Ellen. Isn't >44 jnwelch: great? You're probably seeing a lot of the Pokemon wandering about where you are.

We had a great time in Tennessee. What a beautiful part of the country. The colors were turning, and we were by the Little Pigeon River and the Smoky Mountains National Park. The feeling of slowing down was immediate - as you say, that's important for city slickers. For those of you on FB, Madame MBH posted a little video of the river from our spot in the middle, on some boulders. That sound, of the water rushing, is so peaceful. We both plan to watch and listen to it when the stress piles up.

>138 thornton37814: Isn't it, Lori? Plus I love Mary Engelbreit. A dedicated supporter of reading and diversity. >131 jnwelch: is a beautiful one.

>139 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. The start to the week was a fairly smooth travel day back to Chicago, improved greatly by a visit at the airport with Ellie (mirrordrum) and JB.

>140 Morphidae: Yes, you and me both, Morphy. Amusing is a good word for it. I can only handle Weird Al in small doses, but he's a clever guy.

>141 brodiew2: Good morning, Brodie.

Isn't >123 jnwelch: an excellent use of color and imagination? I like that her reading has her underwater in the subway car.

I'm thinking you mean >131 jnwelch:, not >127 jnwelch:? I love her style and use of color.

>154 brodiew2: Thanks, Brodie. It was such a pleasure to spend time with Ellie and JB. What a duo. I'm so glad it worked out.

>155 bell7: Thanks again for that DC street art, Mary. I can't believe I'm heading there Thursday, and without Madame MBH this time. I enjoy this DC, but this time it's going to be a bunch of meetings. Boo.

>156 msf59: Hi, Mark! Great meet-up it was. Such a treat to spend time with our Ellie and JB.

You may have figured out that the Neruda is the Stephen Mitchell translation, Full Woman, Fleshly Apple, Hot Moon - the one you liked so much. Madame MBH loves Neruda, and immediately snagged it, but I'm thinking I'll be able to borrow it here and there . . . Ellie also spoke highly of Mitchell's Rilke translation, so I'll be looking for that.

>157 scaifea: Ah, great, Amber. Love your enthusiasm! Wish you could have been there with us. Ellie is as much of a sweetheart as you'd expect.

Umbrellas on Nami Island, South Korea (artist unknown)

>163 jnwelch: I love that one!

Morning, Joe! Happy Tuesday to you. I am so glad that you and Ellie got to meet up - LOVE those photos!!

>163 jnwelch: wow, that's quite beautiful!
Hope all is well, Joe!

>164 Crazymamie: Isn't >163 jnwelch: beautiful, Mamie?

Happy Tuesday! It was wonderful to finally meet up with our dear Ellie. What a treasure she is.

>165 ChelleBearss: Good to see you, Chelle! Thanks for stopping by. Isn't >163 jnwelch: a beaut? Kudos to whomever thought of doing that.

All is definitely well. I just finished Mister Pip, and bless the Pauls (Cranswick and Harris) for recommending it. It's a standout.

mornin' Joe. off to the hemoncologist. hope to be able to visit laytah. still happily reverberating from yesterday. :-)

did want to mention that this is the Mitchell translation of Rilke i was talking about. gorgeous cover and, given the least little bit of German i can understand, my favorite translation. for the most part. i can't find my copy and i am disconsolate. and of course not the least little bit a drama queen about it.

>167 mirrordrum: Ha! I'm sure you're not the least little bit a drama queen about the Rilke, Ellie. Thank you for the link - I've added it to my poetry WL. Hearing it's your favorite translation of his poetry moved it to the top immediately. As I mentioned, I've never really been taken with Rilke, so I'm looking forward to trying him via Mr. Mitchell.

Sending lots of positive thoughts your way - I hope it's a productive and positive visit with the hemoncologist.

We're still happily reverberating from yesterday, too! :-)

Good morning, Joe! I hope all is well on your travels.

>163 jnwelch: Beautiful photo!

>166 jnwelch: I love the cover on this one, but will have to investigate further to see if it is my thing.

>168 jnwelch: & >167 mirrordrum: as a poet yourself, you'll appreciate this article at some point. it's from the Harvard Crimson and compares a newer Rilke translation (2009) by Edward Snow with Stephen Mitchell's classic one. the article is full of pithy poetic passages and words like enjambment and paradigmatic and syntactical, yet it doth not vaunt itself and is not puffed up. it's a good piece, imo.

very fine hemonc visit. potential for highly aggressive leukemia ruled out by bone marrow biopsy. side fx of iv fentanyl are well worth this bit of info. doc, JB, and i all quite pleased. i don't have to go back for blood work for 6, count 'em, 6 months. on the strength of that i'll have some cherry streusel, bitte. happy Snoopy dance while being aware of my good fortune in having the options i have and in the good results.

rest time now. hope to post more meet-up pics later, body parts permitting.

p.s. this is one of my favorite of Rilke's via Mitchell

Memory, by Rainer Maria Rilke

And you wait, awaiting the one
to make your small life grow;
the mighty, the uncommon,
the awakening of stone,
the depths to be opened below.

Now duskily in the bookcase
gleam the volumes in brown and gold;
you remember lands you have wandered through,
the pictures and the garments
of women lost of old.

And you suddenly know: It was here!
You pull yourself together, and there
stands an irrevocable year
of anguish and vision and prayer.

---------------------

okay, must away.

Oh I love that poem.

Hey Joe. Your meet up sounds like fun. And the pictures are fun.

>169 brodiew2: I'm glad you like >163 jnwelch:, Brodie. Yeah, it's a combination of the original genius idea, and one heck of a photo, isn't it?

I don't know your reading tastes well enough yet to recommend Mister Pip to you (it's a natural for Mark, I know that much). But that is a great cover, isn't it.

>170 mirrordrum: Thanks for the link to the article, Ellie. I'll circle back to it with relish. I think "enjambment" is a great word, all by itself.

Holy Happy Cells, what great news! We don't need no stinkin' highly aggressive leukemia 'round these here parts. What a relief. We knew you and JB were concerned yesterday. Six months respite from seeing the doc! You must be levitating. I think I might be off the ground a bit meself over here in the heartland. Wait until I tell Madame MBH!

Happy Snoopy dance and cherry streusel coming up!

>171 mirrordrum: Oh, that's a beaut, Ellie, thanks. I'm looking forward to exploring more of the Mitchell versions.

>172 charl08: Hey, Charlotte. Isn't that a lovely poem?

Do Brits often say, Hey So-and-So, or is that more of a USA-ian thing? We find ourselves saying "Cheers" a lot when we visit London and environs, something we rarely do here, except in toasting before a quaff.

It was fun meetup all right, and I'm glad you like the photos.

>170 mirrordrum: the fundamental difference between Snow and Mitchell’s translations—Mitchell is concerned with the force of the imagination, of the dreamy feeling in Rilke, whereas Snow is concerned with the machinery, the functionality, of the content of his conditionals. Sounds like I'm a Mitchell kind of guy! Although I may end up with both, as the "more poems translated into English" aspect of the Snow translation has its own appeal.

Thanks a lot for linking that quite fine article. I think I'll give the link to Mark, too, as he's been interested in the role of translation for poetry.

>174 jnwelch: I think it's probably an example of globalised English, as I know people my age say it - but not so much the baby boomers.

Cheers is funny - I know a few people who say it all the time, but would guess it's on the way out. There's a new book out about inwords/ jargon of particular working groups that I'm tempted by. Dent's Modern Tribes. Definitions include a 'jack brew' (the tea you make only for yourself!!). I'm guessing it's just British English though.

>170 mirrordrum: Oooh I do like a bit of enjambment! Thanks Ellie, I will enjoy reading that piece too, at the weekend. I'm guessing my Rilke is Mitchell, will check later, as my copies are pretty old.

Good news on the health front too Ellie.

>173 jnwelch: that cake looks yummy, I do like cherries in anything, thanks Joe.

>176 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. The differences and similarities always fascinate me. The Dent book looks like it might be a fun one. Appropriately? Ironically? it appears to have a different title in the USA: https://www.amazon.com/Are-You-Speaking-Language-Trainspotters/dp/1473623871/ref...

"Jack brew" is news to me. I do like the sound of it.

>177 Caroline_McElwee: Ha! I like a bit of enjambment, too, Caroline. Why do I feel like we might be starting a Monty Python skit? :-)

You're welcome re the cherry streusel. It was our friend Ellie's fine idea. Good news on the health front, indeed.

>170 mirrordrum: Congrats on the six month checkups! We know how the checkups go - MrMorphy is going to be having his yearly next week,

>174 jnwelch: My family and I do "cheers."

In Canada, we don't say" cheers" except to mimic the British, in a kind way. We would say - Hey Guys! whether you were a group of men or women or kidz. When my nephew left for University in the UK we had him a going away party with Pimms, soft cheeses, cucumber sandwiches, tea, mushy peas, scones, curried Indian take out food, every stereotype we could think of, the British Flag, Ginger Beer, and a lot of "Cheers Mate" and instructions on how to be British. (as best we could come up with :) I told him via my reading that a "punter " was a sort of a loser and that he should look out for "birds" as in girls . He told me the term " birds " is not really used ;) We have a lot of fun with that though. I'm pretty sure we even had some marmite.

>144 mirrordrum: I love that photo.

>170 mirrordrum: and >173 jnwelch: I agree wholeheartedly! Great news and the Snoopy Happy Dance is a perfect expression of great joy! Yay!!!

Mister Pip is a winner, eh?

>172 charl08: very late thought on the first line of the poem and why i like Mitchell. auf Deutsche, iirc, the first line is "und du wartest, erwartest das Eine" and Mitchell translates it as "and you wait, awaiting the One" so for me there's the symmetry. Paul Weinfield translates it "And still you wait, expecting one thing alone that your life could endlessly renew." nope.

oh carp. it's nearly 3 ack emma. why am i still up? better grab Pooh by the leg and stump off to bed.

>170 mirrordrum: Wonderful news Ellie! Enjoy your cherry streusel!

Morning, Joe! Glad to see that you've made it home safely and had a lovely time!

>179 Morphidae: Hi, Morphy. Great news on Ellie's health. I hope Mr. Morphy's checkup goes well.

"Cheers" has a happy feel to it. I can see why your family would use it. In London, it seems to have multiple uses. It can be "hi" or "hey", and it also can take the place of both "thank you" and "you're welcome." And sometimes it seems to be a kind of a "we're in the world together, and ain't that something."

>180 vancouverdeb: Marmite is too bizarre a food for me, Deb, as is vegemite down under.

We sometimes get knackered and gobsmacked, and say bugger all to our mates, particularly when it's rubbish or a damp squib. What a load of codswallop, right?

I'm sure your nephew appreciated all the thoughtful prep. :-)

>181 EBT1002: Hiya, Ellen. Yes, Mister Pip is very much a winner. I think you'd enjoy it and get a lot out of it. I'm having time issues, but I'd like to at least get a short review of it done soon.

Yay! for Ellie's health, and the >144 mirrordrum: photo. She posted another cool one on FB last night.

>182 mirrordrum: Ha! Illuminating poetry thoughts at 3 am - impressive, Ellie! Every translation comparison I've read (the others were in the article you linked here) make me want to read Mitchell's translations over the others. Hope you got some sleep!

>183 NarratorLady: Ain't that grand news, Anne? Phew!

>184 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

Yes, the flight back was fine (we got delayed an hour, sitting on the plane, but the captain was very good about explaining what was going on), and Becca and her furry companion Sherlock came over to welcome us home. It was a lovely time indeed, and we're going to start getting back there more regularly.

Good place to daydream today.

>188 jnwelch: perfect after a frustrating morning that turned me into a grumpy old woman, just inefficiencies, but they make me mad!

I love images of doors and windows Joe. It's probably why I like Dutch painting so much, there is often a door or window to wonder what's beyond it. But I also like a tantalising view. And a book... Maybe the photo is to do with a book by Adam Nicholson, who inherited an Island. Or the book is Iris Murdoch's The Sea, the Sea.

>185 jnwelch: Oh, we only use "cheers" in a very specific situation - clinking glasses before drinking as a toast.

Morning, Joe! I love that image in >188 jnwelch:.

>170 mirrordrum: Hooray, Ellie!!

>189 Caroline_McElwee: Ha! Hard to imagine you grumpy, Caroline. Should we meet at the theater for a good play? Than might help.

Yeah, I'm a pushover for images of doors and windows, too. I like being visually led to something . . . further.

I can see why you might think of Sea Room and The Sea, The Sea.

>191 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! Isn't that >188 jnwelch: photo captivating? I want to spend my day there.

Yes, Happy Dance for Ellie!

Morning Joe! What a cruddy day. Getting ready to pull on all the rain gear. Ugh...

Hope my books keep me comfy and distracted.

>194 msf59: Good morning, Mark!

It's a crummy one all right. Hope you can get lost in another (book) world. That's some of what goes on in Mister Pip.

It's supposed to be okay for Halloween. Fingers crossed. We get a caravan of little ones, and some years it's a tough go for them.

Good morning, Joe! I hope all is well with you.

>170 mirrordrum: Ellie, I am also happy to hear that your doctor visit went well.

>192 jnwelch: well I'd have relished a play were you this side of the pond Joe. Instead I had a lovely meal with friends in a Palestinian bistro. Unfortunately, one of the friends was grumpier than I had been, and we were all trying to keep her afloat. Ah well. Sometimes that happens. Home now and about to take book to bed. Not grumpy anymore.

Just catching up with your thread, Joe. It looks like you had a great vacation and wonderful meet-up.

I didn't notice anyone saying cheers when I was in England last year but I did notice that I said "hiya" lots (it had to be said with a part Vancouver, part London accent.)

>144 mirrordrum: >147 jnwelch:
Super excellent photos!!
:) :) :)

Morning, Joe!

Traveling today - enjoy the premises!

Safe travels, Joe!

Morning, Joe! Wishing you safe travels today.

Good morning, Joe! Safe travels!

I have had Mr. Pip on my wishlist for some time so I am glad to hear that you liked it. Right now I am about to head for bed so I can finish Dry Bones my latest Longmire novel.

It was nice to see the pictures of the mini-meetup. It was heartwarming and amazing. Who would think that book people would go that far out of their way to meet with other book people? Of course, it wasn't far in miles for Ellie but it was an effort and that means something.

We are having lots of problems here in my part of the country with flash fires since it is so dry. We are now 8 inches short of rain and of course with the heavy tree cover and it being fall when the leaves fall, there is an abundance of fuel for these fires. The majority of them have been alongside of roads and in some of the state parks. Campfires in all the parks and national forests here are now banned.

I am going to try to make it over to Atlanta this weekend to see the Chihuly exhibit at the Botanical Gardens, but will see how I feel tomorrow. It might be nice to just get out and drive and spend some quality time with recorded books for a few hours, and get to see some great art.

Oh - I am reading a nice YA fantasy during my lunch time at work that might interest you. CHild of a Hidden Sea by A.M. Dellamonica. There is a sequel and I will be reading it soon.

Thanks, everyone. I arrived safely, and it's been busy. I plan to check in later this afternoon.

Happy Friday!

Sneaking this in. I thought it was a good one.

What Shines Does Not Always Need To

Because today we did not leave this world,
We now embody a prominence within it,
Even amidst its indifference to our actions,
Whether they be noiseless or not.
After all, nonsense is its own type of silence,
Lasting as long as the snow on your
Tongue. You wonder why each evening
Must be filled with a turning away, eyes to the lines
Of the hardwood floor as if to regret the lack
Of movement in a single day, our callous hope
For another wish put to bed with the others in a slow
Single-file line. I used to be amazed at the weight
An ant could carry. I used to be surprised by
Survival. But now I know the mind can carry
Itself to the infinite power. Like the way snow
Covers trauma to the land below it, we only
Believe the narrative of what the eye can see.

Adam Clay

Good morning, Joe! I hope all is well with you.

>196 brodiew2:, >208 brodiew2: Hey, Brodie. All is well. Meetings tomorrow morning, and then I fly back home.

Such great news about our Ellie!

>197 Caroline_McElwee: I guess we'll have to wait until next fall for the theater, Caroline, darn it.

I'm glad the grumpy cloud passed. Personally it aggravates me when I'm grumpy, and I run into someone grumpier than I am - grumpiness, unlike misery, doesn't seem to like company. Kudos to you though for helping the grump surpasser.

>198 Familyhistorian: Hi, Meg (not Deb!) 'Twas a wondrous vacation and meetup. Such a pleasure to finally meet Ellie in person. I could've hung out for another day or three quite easily.

Intriguing on the Cheers/Hiya. I thought Hiya was USA-ian, pretty much. Maybe not anymore. I bet we've still got the exclusive on "Howdy Pardner"? (Not that I know anyone outside of a Western movies who says that).

>199 LovingLit: Ha! Aren't those great meetup photos, Megan? What a fine time for all of us.

>200 scaifea: Morning - and evening - Amber! Why do I feel like Jim Carrey in The Truman Show? "Good morning, and in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!"

>202 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl! This time I'm looking forward to my return - it's blah not having Debbi here.

>203 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie! It's all been smooth; fingers crossed the return trip tomorrow is, too.

>204 brodiew2: Oops, I missed one, Brodie. Thanks for being a cafe regular, buddy.

Happy Friday, Joe! For having a day off, I sure have been running around all day. Never even cracked a print book. Say what? Off to a local watering hole with friends to watch the game.

BTW: picked up a library copy of Tao Te Ching, the Mitchell edition. Sweet.

Oh yeah: Go Cubs!!

>205 benitastrnad: Mister Pip is excellent, Benita. I think you'll like it when you get to it.

You know I'm a Longmire fan. The new one's good, too. No dips in that series, as far as I'm concerned.

The meetup was aces. Book people are just the best people in the world, don't you think? (Boy, I'm saying that to the right crowd!) It's true, though. Great people, every meetup. It's funny, for me, it's been pretty common for whomever I'm meeting to say, "you're just like I thought you'd be." Probably because I blab a lot on this thread and others?

We had a Chihuly exhibit here at the Garfield botanical garden and we LOVED it. I wish I could see the Atlanta one.

I'll take a look at Child of a Hidden Sea. It's a good sign that you've already got the sequel slotted.

I'm reading a sci-fi-er called Great North Road, which is very well done. But anyone trying it better have their reading shoes on - it's a long 'un.

>207 jnwelch: Excellent poem, Joe. I love the ones you pick. (But I may be biased).

>213 msf59: Hey, Happy Friday, Mark! I wasn't expecting you to pop your head in at this hour.

The game's starting soon! Enjoy the watering hole - you've probably seen the stories about the huge "admission" fees many bars around Wrigley are charging. Jeez Louise.

Oh, how great - I'm really happy you got your hands on that Mitchell translation of the Tao Te Ching. I think it's terrific, and I re-read it on a regular basis. I've had to run things at various times in my life, and its advice, IMO, is excellent. Can't wait to hear what you think.

Oh yeah - Go Cubs!!

A neighbor's going to be there, lucky guy. Electric.

Go Cubs! Hope your team has a good night tonight!

>216 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Michelle! Me, too. Go Cubs!

I just remembered over on Darryl's thread, our DIL Adriana's first book (a Kindle single), comes out 11/1!

https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Kindle-Single-Adriana-Ram%C3%ADrez-ebook/dp/B01M1392...

I read it in its Pen/Fusion award incarnation and thought it was great (totally unbiased I am). She's added material, so I'm looking forward to reading it again. A lot to like for a reasonable price!

>214 jnwelch: I thought Mr. Pip was a terrific read too Joe. A completely original story. I read it a couple of years back and although I've forgotten details about many of the books I read around the same time, the story of Mr. Pip has never left me.

>219 NarratorLady: Great to hear, Anne. It's one of those LT advantages. I wouldn't have known about it if the two Pauls (Cranswick and Harris) hadn't recommended it in Golders Green in North London. A terrific read, yes. I imagine it's not going to leave me, either.

hey Joe. time for you to come home again, home again lickety-split.

>205 benitastrnad: ha, Benita. i had to laugh at "mini-meetup." there's temporal mininess, as in short, but then there's Joe and Mme. MBH as they are in the world. in that regard, i doubt that anything they do is mini. they're amazingly engaged (even without caffeine) and, as JB says, "they know what matters" (a ferocious compliment) and "they notice little things." (huge) "they pay attention and they care." like Mamie, JB truly knows stuff. comes of working with death, dying, docs and drug moms in the NICU for all those years i reckon.

>215 jnwelch: >213 msf59: that translation doesn't get critical raves from some but i love it.

>218 jnwelch: Adriana? wow. just wow. like endless raves and stuff. but in audio? nahsomuch. well, shouldn't be long.

awwww, Cubbies. this morning on 538, they were given 65% chance of taking the series. be interesting to see tomorrows prediction.

>218 jnwelch: Ohh that is very exciting! I'll have to keep an eye out for that book, Joe! How proud you must be. I sure would be if my daughter in law penned a book. Sorry, all of you sports fans, I am just not into sports .

Going to charge my kindle, Joe! Looks fabulous!

Hi, Ellie and Deb. Off to the morning's obligations, then the plane back home. Yay!

I'll catch up with you. Have fun in the meantime!

Morning Joe! Happy Saturday! Licking our wounds this A.M. after a lack luster performance last night. It is amazing how quickly our bats can go stone cold.
I felt for all those fans at the game, who sat there stunned. We need to come roaring back tonight.

I might go on a solo birding walk this morning, to a nearby lake. Take advantage of this mild weather.

>218 jnwelch: Wow, Joe, your DIL has a book published, that is great, congratulations!!

>218 jnwelch: See that her book got a very positive review from Terrance Hayes, Joe. How cool is that?

Have a great weekend, buddy.

>214 jnwelch: Mr Hamilton does like a long story, am guessing this is not the part where I tell you Great north road is one of his shorter ones ?

Good to hear you are enjoying the ride though...

>221 mirrordrum: Hiya, Ellie! Made it home, greeted by eight lit-up skulls in our window boxes. Must be Halloween time.

Time to go on our coffee run. Back later!

>221 mirrordrum: It was such a pleasure to spend time with you and JB, Ellie! I agree, nothing mini about it. Thank JB for us for those kind comments. We'll do the best we can to resemble those remarks. That JB knows stuff, all right. We were quite taken by JB, we were. Already looking forward to seeing you two again.

I know some folks feel Mitchell took too many liberties with the Tao Te Ching, but it's the translation that works the best for me. Honestly, if you read a bunch of the translations (sounds like you have), they're all very different; most are to my ear "wooden", and none has the rhythm, depth and resonant messages of Mitchell's, IMO.

You might get a kick out of this one, the "Tao Plainly Stated". It doesn't have the beauty of Mitchell's, but it's fun with its directness: http://www.beatrice.com/TAO.pdf

Thanks re Adriana's book. Adriana is a force, and she and son #1 are gaga over each other. So great. I'd love to see Dead Boys (oops, no touchstone yet) come out on audio. Her big book, "The Violence" comes out next year, I think in the Spring. That one may rate audio from the publisher, we'll see. Her book of poetry, The Swallows, is here: https://smile.amazon.com/Swallows-Adriana-E-Ramirez/dp/194254703X/ref=sr_1_4?s=b... We liked it a lot (totally unbiased we are).

The Cubbies have a big hole to climb out of. Others have done it, so we'll see. I know we have some Cleveland LTers who're very happy so far, and that's the way of sports, right?

>222 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb! We are very proud of Adriana. She's got a heart of gold, too. Give Dead Boys (no touchstone yet) a try if you get a chance. It's very well-written (the original is the one that won the Pen/Fusion Emerging Writers Award), and we found it quite moving.

>225 msf59: Hiya, Mark! Happy Saturday and Sunday!

Poor Cubbies. Hope those bats come to life. Wish there was some way to get Schwarber in there, but the docs haven't cleared him to play in the field.

The Bulls have started surprisingly well, beating two very good teams (Boston and Indiana). Looks like they're going to be fun this year. Now, if we could just get a pro football team . . .

Good idea to go on a birding walk. This warmish weather has been unbelievable. We just took a long coffee walk (it's easier to spot coffee than unusual birds, as far as I can tell).

>226 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita! Our DIL is such a hard worker; we're very happy for her. I'll keep you posted on when her big one comes out from Scribner's next year - we have our fingers crossed it'll do well.

>227 PaulCranswick: Isn't that very positive review from Terrance Hayes cool to see, Paul? We're really happy for her.

We're having a great weekend, thanks. Hope you're having a great one, too.

>228 roundballnz: Alex! Good to see you, buddy. Great North Road is one of his short ones? Oh my.

Is this the Neal Stephenson effect? Honestly, all of Great North Road so far is very well done, but you can believe it's crossed my mind that he could've increased its popularity by making some choices as to what to include and what not to. That's probably unfair - lots of great books are lengthy. I'm enjoying it, that's the main thing.

So, Adriana's book seems to only be available in Kindle edition, is that right?

In reading news, I'm digging into Do Not Say We Have Nothing and my early response is very positive. I'm also planning to start listening to my next Longmire, A Serpent's Tooth, during my days of car commuting this week.

I hope you have a great week ahead!

>234 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen. Yes, Adriana's one coming out Tuesday is a Kindle Single. Amazon's the publisher. If it does well (or if it doesn't), she can pursue other forms of publication. It's about novella length. She's got one coming out next year that will be in hardcover and electronic - and I'd love it, for folks like Ellie, if it came out in audio, too, but that probably will be a wait and see. Her poetry book is paperback.

Oh good, glad to hear you're having a very positive reaction to Do Not Say We Have Nothing - I came close to buying it in London, but it's a big hardcover, right? It's definitely in my future.

Go Longmire!

Should be a decent week ahead - tomorrow's Halloween, so that's a good start. We get a river of kids coming by. Hope you've got a great week lined up, too!

By Esaú Andrade

>144 mirrordrum: What could be better than meeting up and reading. I love the picture!

>147 jnwelch: More traditional; very sweet. I can tell you and Ellie connected. Aren't meetups the best?

Thanks for all the poetry. I am a Rilke fan....and also a Joe fan. I'm glad you liked Mr. Pip. What a fine and very memorable book.

Go Cubs!

>218 jnwelch: Great review of your DIL's book, Joe. You all must be proud! Hope your weekend was good and will sustain you while we slide into another work week.

>237 Donna828: Isn't >144 mirrordrum: funny, Donna? Imagine our surprise when we looked up from our reading and found we were in a meetup. :-) Ellie and Madame MBH barely noticed I was reading out loud.

Meetups are the best, you're right. I think Ellie and I connected from Day One, way back there in the mists of time. She's a sweetheart, as you can tell.

You're welcome for the poetry. It's fun to see it spring up in various places among the 75ers, isn't it. Good to hear you're a Rilke fan. I've not, in the past, connected well with his poetry. I'm excited about trying this new translation.

Mister Pip was a fine and very memorable book, indeed. Glad you liked it, too. I'm shaking my head a bit - not sure how I missed knowing about it before, but thank you again to the Pauls for recommending it.

Cubs are still in it after winning last night. Go Cubs!

>238 Familyhistorian: Isn't that great with Adriana's book, Meg? We are proud, for sure. The best part is how nutso she and our son are about each other. I managed to marry a remarkable woman, and we're glad he did, too.

The weekend was good - I had to be at meetings and travel on Saturday, but from arriving home on, it was most excellent. You can tell, I'm pacing my slide into the work week. :-) Hope you had a good weekend and this week treats you well.

Happy Halloween!

>240 jnwelch: How lovely!

>241 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks, Linda! It seems to fit this year - moderate temperatures all over the place. I'm really happy for the young 'uns - they've had to be bundled up the last few Halloweens in Chicago, and tonight they'll be pretty darn comfortable.

Good morning, Joe! I hope all is well with you.

Not much to report. I'm ha;way through Until Proven Guilty and am really enjoying. I am also 8 discs into the The Count and John Lee's narration continues to impress.

>243 brodiew2: Good morning, Brodie! Other than its being Mmphmumble Day (the day which shall not be named), all is well.

I've never read J.A. Jance, so I'll look forward to hearing more from you on Until Proven Guilty. As you probably know, I'm a big fan of The Count of Monte Cristo (and its sci-fi extrapolation, The Stars My Destination). Fun stuff. Some day I want to read an Alexandre Dumas bio; he seems like a most interesting fellow.

Artist Unknown

I like J. A. Jance's Joanna Brady series starting with Desert Heat. They are crime fiction/mysteries with a pleasant but strong female sheriff. Unlike other mysteries the main character has a family and while there are troubles within the family, overall, it's not all that dysfunctional and rather happy overall. The family and work relationships play a significant, if secondary, part of each book.

I didn't care for her J. P. Beaumont series (Until Proven Guilty) as it has the typical crime fiction/mystery male lead who is down on his luck, has no long term relationship, has no family, people at work don't like him, etc.

>246 Morphidae: I don't fully agree with you on this, Morphidae. Though he follows a common mold, I find Jance's characters and style help this rise above the tired stereo-type you described. I don't know if she has me for life, but I am enjoying Until Proven Guilty.

>274 I understand. I'm referring to the series as a whole. I'm glad you are enjoying the first book and, of course, YMMV.

>245 jnwelch: Nice!

Morning, Joe!

>246 Morphidae:, >247 brodiew2:, >248 Morphidae: Interesting to hear about the J.A. Jance books, Morphy and Brodie. Thanks.

>249 kidzdoc: Isn't >245 jnwelch: a clever one, Darryl? Makes me laugh every time.

>250 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

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