Joe's Book Cafe 2016 Door 25

Illustrations by Quint Buchholz

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. Paxby 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

November

136. Great North Road by Peter Hamilton
137. Dead Boys by Adriana Ramirez
138. The Poet's Dog by Patricia MacLachlan
139. The Last Star by Rick Yancey
140. Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer
141. Night School by Lee Child
142. The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly
143. Florence Nightingale by Catherine Reef
144. A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers
145. Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood
146. Crooked House by Agatha Christie
147. Hero of the Empire by Candice Millard
148. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

December

149. The Nakano Thrift Shop by Hiromi Kawakami

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
65. Bandette by Paul Tobin
66. Morning Glories Volume 6 by Nick Spencer
67. The Unwritten Vol. 4 by Mike Carey
68. March Book Three by John Lewis
69. Serenity Better Days by Joss Whedon

Latest review



Early in Hag-Seed, our protagonist Felix is deposed from his long-standing position as Director at the local Shakespeare Festival, via the conniving and betrayal by his assistant and his connections. Cut adrift, Felix catches on as the head of a prison literature program in which prisoners learn a Shakespeare play in depth and perform it, with the resulting edited video shown to the entire prison. Felix is dynamic and successful in working dramatic magic, and continues to keep an eye on his betrayers with an intent to wreak revenge.

This is another novel in Hogarth's growing collection of Shakespeare retellings, this one based on The Tempest, one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. Margaret Atwood has done a very clever job of both analyzing The Tempest and extrapolating the play (one assignment for the prisoners is to decide what happened to their character after the play's conclusion). Like Prospero directing events on the island to revenge his brother Antonio's betrayal and return matters in Italy to their proper state, Felix uses his direction of the play to manipulate his betrayers (who have come to see and terminate the highly regarded program), hoping to return himself to his former glory.

I found myself thoroughly entertained by Atwood's conception and forceful writing, while obtaining a better understanding of the themes and characters in The Tempest. "Noble people don't do things for the money, they simply have money, and that's what allows them to be noble. They don't really have to think about it much; they sprout benevolent acts the way trees sprout leaves.” For a modern retelling of The Tempest that draws the reader in and also illuminates the original, Atwood can say "Mission accomplished." Very impressive. Four stars.

* * * *

P.S. Please read The Poet's Dog. It will take you no time at all, and you'll be very glad you did.

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

Meetup with Mark Photos (jnwelch, seasonoflove, walklover, msf59)

Still behind on the Joe poem archives, but here's a wonderful one from W.B. Yeats:

When You are Old

WHEN you are old and gray and full of sleep
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true;
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face.


And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead,
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

Some more 3D street magic by Julian Beever (thanks, Charlotte!), an English artist based in Belgium

Happy new one, Joe!

And you featured my favorite Yeats poem. Thanks :)

Happy new thread, Joe! Katie just beat me to the door. I love the toppers - especially the first two. And the photos! And that poem speaks to me - I hadn't read it before.

>8 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! I love that Yeats poem, too. It's one of his very best, IMO, and he's got a lot of good ones.

Hmm. What should your prize be for first in the door? A good bottle of wine seems appropriate.

>9 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie!

I imagine Katie will share a glass or two of wine with you, and we can always bring out more.

Glad you like them toppers, and the photos, and the poem - isn't that poem a beaut?

P.S. I substituted two bolder toppers for the original third and fourth. See what you think.

>7 jnwelch: terrific!

>11 jnwelch: Hi, Ron. Isn't >7 jnwelch: terrific? Mind-boggling that someone can pull that off so well.

I love the thread topper illustrations. They're so whimsical and wistful.

>14 lunacat: Hi there, Jenny! Wonderful to have you back with all of us!

I'm glad you like those Buchholz illustrations. They do have that feeling of whimsy and wistfulness, don't they. I love his work.

Hi Joe. Reading The Unknown Ajax and having a wonderful time. Thanks for the recommendation!

>16 NarratorLady: Hi Anne. Oh good! - I loved The Unknown Ajax, as you know. The Yorkshire slang will crack you up. I'm glad you're already having a wonderful time with it.

Very nice replacements, Joe.

>18 Crazymamie: Ah good, Mamie. I liked the others, but I don't think they came across as well on a computer.

Happy new thread, Joe! Absolutely love the toppers, as usual.

Did I miss that wine already? Oh no!

According to
http://www.demilked.com/3d-sidewalk-chalk-art/
The 3d street artist is Julian Beever

"Julian Beever is an English, Belgium-based chalk artist who has been creating trompe-l’œil chalk drawings on pavement surfaces since the mid-1990s.

Website: julianbeever.net "

The lighthouse is my favourite topper. I've not seen one with books before. Saved!

>20 scaifea: Thanks, Amber! Oh good, I'm glad the toppers make the grade.

>21 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte! I'll put Julian's name up there and give him proper credit. I think you deserve some wine for that, too, don't you?



Isn't that lighthouse topper entrancing? I've wanted to post it for quite a while.

Happy new thread, Joe! In honor of the excellent toppers you have on this new thread and our mutual love of comic books, I am sharing two of the longest lasting favorite images of Superman/Ckark Kent. That sounded like way too many words. :-P

,

The first is from the six issue Man of Steel mini-series (1986) written and illustrated by John Byrne. This was a moment in the retelling of his origin that I thought had high impact.

The second is from Kingdom Come, painted by Alex Ross. This image is right after the government has attempted to nuke Superman.

Both images have his face in shadow and seem to show and anger and disappointment. These are feelings not often associated with Superman which is why I think both of the artist captured the moments perfectly.

>21 charl08: Julian Beever and Kurt Wenner are the 2 sidewalk chalk artists I know of. Fantastic.

>23 brodiew2: Ha! Nice ones, Brodie, thanks. I read Kingdom Come (kind of a comic book classic, right?), but not the mini-series. Amazing the different treatments the super guy has received over the years, and I'm sure will receive way into the future.

>24 jessibud2: Good picks, Shelley. Here's one of my favorite Kurt Wenners:

>25 jnwelch: - So, was the one you posted on your last page Wenner or also Beever? I had guessed Wenner but in truth, I can't really distinguish the differences in their styles just by looking at them. To my eye, they are equally talented and have similar styles

>26 jessibud2: Julian Beever, Shelley. It's the same one as up above in >7 jnwelch:. Charlotte cleared it up.

Yeah, it's hard to tell some of the 3Ders apart. David Zinn is one with a very distinctive style.

I sometimes see chalk artists in the summer on the streets of downtown Toronto. So much talent and time and effort, it seems to me, and so sad that one downpour of rain can wash it away. Yikes!

The next few days will be Bring Your Own Images Days, as I'm going to be on a tablet, and I haven't figured out how to copy images on it so far.

>28 jessibud2: I know. Maybe that's part of the charm. Appreciate it while you have a chance. But I'm glad so many have been preserved in photographs.

Happy New Thread, Joe! Such darling images! Love the meet - up photos too!

MrMorphy and I both laughed at the zebra/toast topper.

Happy New Thread, Joe! Love those toppers! And thanks again for sharing the Meet-Up photos! Lots of joy there.

I will definitely move Hag-Seed into the audio rotation and I requested The Poet's Dog from the library.

Hi Joe, wow, I love those 3D street images, especially the one with the kids on the flying carpet. I'm here to wish a Happy upcoming Thanksgiving to you and your family, Joe. Enjoy your holiday.

Happy T-Day, Joe, and love that lighthouse topper. Very calming in these uncertain times.

>31 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb! Glad you like the Buchholz illustrations, and that was some meetup. As Mark says, a lot of joy.

>32 Morphidae: Oh good, Morphy. We can all use a laugh these days, right? I'm glad those pop-up zebras got you and Mr. Morphy going. :-)

>33 msf59: Thanks, buddy! I'm glad you like them toppers, and you're right, that meetup had lots of joy. Great time.

You'll like Hag-Seed. I bet it makes for a really good audio - let me know. I'm particularly curious as to how Felix sounds. You'll step right inside the world of The Poet's Dog once it arrives. What a charmer.

>34 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy - thanks! Aren't those 3D images something? I love that one with the flying carpet, too.

Thanks very much re Thanksgiving. We miss our son! And love his bride. We're really looking forward to this. I hope you enjoy the weekend.

>35 kac522: Isn't that lighthouse topper calming, Kathy? What an atmosphere he creates.

Happy T-Day to you and yours, too. Enjoy the holiday.

Knowing that it's often a hotbed of food around these parts, can I interest you in some eating? Or at least, a form of eating?

http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-worst-paid-freelance-gig-in-history-was...

>5 jnwelch: pic 4 Becca nails it again. that always cracks me up. she's so good at it. practice, i suppose. ;-)

amazing toppers. simply amazig. amazig? huh.

> 6 oh yes. always a favorite. i do like the "old" ones, the classics. would you believe a fave is Milton's On his blindness? "'doth God exact day labor light denied,'" i fondly ask." why fondly? why? and then "Patience to prevent that murmur" something something. oh rats. memory shot. here 'tis.

WHEN I consider how my light is spent
E're half my days, in this dark world and wide,
And that one Talent which is death to hide,
Lodg'd with me useless, though my Soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, least he returning chide,
Doth God exact day-labour, light deny'd,
I fondly ask; But patience to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts, who best
Bear his milde yoak, they serve him best, his State
Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed
And post o're Land and Ocean without rest:
They also serve who only stand and waite.

seriously, Milton couldn't be just a bit PO'd w/out risk of offending? but i do like how he mixes his grief and anguish with his desire not to offend. kind of sidles into it. i like the last line even tho it's all cliche and overused b/c i believe it's true if one can eventually find a proper humility not necessarily vis-a-vis a supreme being but as in Levertov's refrain of each of us as "one among the dark multitude." putting oneself in perspective, as 'twere. i think i'll post the entirety of that on AAC.

aha, HagSeed sounds nifty. i've got Henry V (Kenneth Braugh's movie w/ Sir Derek, Dame Judi, Paul Scofield, Emma T, Geraldine McEwan and who knows who else) to watch, then i shall see if i can find a decent movie of Tempest and whether or no, i shall be watching Julie Taymor's



Mirren rocks and altho i doubt Taymor can do much of a job directing Shakespeare, at least Mirren and Cumming can perform it.

Great toppers up there Joe ....

Been a stranger around these parts - Enjoy the Holiday weekend away

Happy new thread mate.
Difficult to beat a little WB Yeats to kick things off with.

Happy new thread Joe, and great images as ever, including the new photos of the meet up. I do enjoy a sip of Yeats.

I haven't worked out posting photos from the tablet either.

Morning, Joe!

Thanks, everyone. Great Milton excerpt and thoughts from Ellie (I've seen that Henry V and thought it terrific; not the Tempest yet). Hi to Alex, Paul, Caroline and Amber.

It's a travel day, so I'll be in touch later.

Safe travels, friend!

Happy new thread, Joe!

>1 jnwelch: The book lighthouse is beautiful!

>3 jnwelch: Yes, understood, I have wishlisted The Poet's Dog :-)

Good morning, Joe! Happy new thread!

>40 mirrordrum: 'The Tempest' has never been my favorite Shakespeare, but this is an amazing poster and you can't go wrong with this cast. It does, however, remind me that I have been wanting to revisit Mel Gibson's Hamlet, or Branagh's for the matter.

Safe travels, Joe! Have a great Thanksgiving!

>40 mirrordrum: Branaugh (sp?) did a wonderful job with Henry V. My sister, who is otherwise more than thoroughly educated, is not too well versed in Shakespeare. When she saw the film, she called to ask me how 'modernized' the language was! Ha! Not a word. It was just excellently done.

>40 mirrordrum: Talk about timely! I'm narrating some stories by Isaak Denisen for NLS and one is titled "Tempests". I'm unfamiliar with the play but have read some synopses but still am flummoxed by the parellels between the play and the short story. So guess who's going to watch the movie this weekend? Thanks for the idea Ellie!

hiya Joe. if you check in, happy gratitude day to you and your'n.

>50 ffortsa: >40 mirrordrum: hi, Judy. well, if it gets your imprimatur, then i'm comfortable in having been sold by the snippets i saw of Henry V. i stumbled upon bits of Sir Derek as The Chorus on youtube and had to fish my socks out from under the computer stand. ordered it immediately

>51 NarratorLady: oh lordy, Anne. you're welcome for the idea but i hope you're not going to watch the Taymor Tempest. it's all full of CGI and weird stuff. there's a 2014 UK Tempest that gets 8.5 stars (Taymor's gets 2.5) and a BBC production from the Shakespeare series they did that's at least considered to be truly Shakespearean and gets quite decent reviews.

narrating Isak Dinesen, you say. that would be Anecdotes of destiny. of the book, Kirkus Reviews says "Seven Gothic Tales set a mold from which it is difficult for Isak Dinesen to escape the demands and expectations of her readers. Here again are stories with a suggestion of the "Gothic". There is the perfection of design, the sense of brooding fate, the intricacy of motivation, and a kind of remoteness that marks all of her writing. Here is no concession to formulas of today. Each of these five stories bears the hallmark of Isak Dinesen." sounds great! would you consider letting a person know when you've finished the narration? I expect it will take 3-6 months to get it but I could be on the lookout.

Happy Thanksgiving, Joe, to you and your family. Relax, restore, enjoy.

Happy new thread, Happy Thursday and Happy Thanksgiving, to you and yours, Joe!

Oh my GOSH! How I love those Buchholz pics! I want!!

Ha! Thanks, Lynda!

Happy Thanksgiving to all our USA-ians, and I hope all our other friends have a great day!

Happy Thanksgiving, Joe! Have a great time in PA, with the family. Hope they found you a few good beers.

Buddy, I am thankful for sure to count you as a pal and to have such a talented fellow-scribbler in the group.

I am back in Alabama after the first leg of my Thanksgiving trips. I used the 8 hours in the car to finish listening to Altered Carbon. Wow what a ride!! I think I will request the second book from Inter-Library Loan and take it with me during my Christmas break. I had lined up Hard-Boiled Wonderland and Lost City of Z and Lies of Locke Lamora but just have to make room to squeeze in the second Kovacs book. This is a series that Mark would love to listen to while walking his rounds. I have to get over to his thread and put in a warble.

Hi Joe!! Love the meetup photo with Mark. Safe journey. : )

>52 mirrordrum: Indeed it is Anecdotes of Destiny Ellie and thanks, I'll steer clear of Taymor. They are much like Kirkus describes and include "Babette's Feast"; I didn't enjoy the film but the short story is much better. Isn't that (almost) always the way?

I will probably finish narrating on 12/8, then it has to be proofed, then I make corrections so it will be on its way to DC by Christmas. So I would say 2-3 months after that it will be up on Bard.

Happy Day After! Wow, did Adri put on a spread! Culminating in delicious apple cheesecake pie and fresh pumpkin pie. Great food, great time.

Walklover (Madame MBH) and seasonoflove (lovely Becca) wish our USA pals a Happy Thanksgiving weekend, as do I.

>38 lunacat: Hi Jenny!

Yikes, sin eaters in Wales. How bizarre is that? Thanks for the article. Such a strange practice, and in one of my home countries. They should have been appreciated, not reviled, don't you think? You'd have to be desperate in that time, I suppose, to take it on for meager pay.

>39 mirrordrum:, >40 mirrordrum: Thanks, Ellie. I'll look forward to reading the entirety of that Milton poem on the AAC Poetry thread. That's certainly a powerful excerpt, and I can see why it would intrigue you.

I'm going to track down that Tempest.

>41 roundballnz: Good to see you, Alex. How you doing these days? Glad you like the toppers. I think I need to fix the very top one when I get back into Image Country.

Have you tried A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet? It and its follow-up, A Closed and Common Orbit, are both very good.

>42 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Our man Yeats can swing the cricket bat, can't he? (Is that a saying?)

>43 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline. I'm glad you like the toppers, the meetup photos, and the wee sip of Yeats.

I'm hoping to have our brainiac Google son show me some tablet tricks this weekend, including maybe image copying. If I learn anything worth passing on, I'll let you know.

>44 scaifea:, 46 Morning x 2, Amber! What a slowpoke this proprietor is sometimes.

Thanks for the safe travel wishes. Biggest rainstorm ever, seems like. It rained for the entire 7 hour or so drive. Eesh. But it went safely enough, and the arrival was worth it. Plus we listened to most of Agatha's Crooked House, a re-read pick by seasonoflove.

>47 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita!

Ha! I'm glad you caught that subtle message about The Poet's Dog. Someone I suppose might find it too "light", but otherwise I can't imagine any reader not enjoying that one.

Isn't that book lighthouse topper enchanting? He's got a touch.

>48 brodiew2: Thanks, Brodie.

There's a lot of good Shakespeare out there on film, isn't there. I keep thinking about going back to watch Laurence Olivier again at some point.

>49 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! We safely arrived and had a great Thanksgiving. Hope you did, too. We have a couple of more days of relaxing family time here before heading back. One nice development is the three dogs, Bolita, Maleta and Sherlock, are getting along, which we thought might not happen. They're still trying to figure out the pecking order (or sniffing order), but otherwise are hanging out together. Maleta's only three months old, so we suspect Sherlock may still be trying to figure out what kind of moving squeaky toy she is.

>50 ffortsa: Ha! I also like that Branagh Hamlet a lot, Judy. That's funny with your sister. I love that she thought the language was modernized - that's quite a compliment for the delivery by the actors, too.

>51 NarratorLady: That is great timing, Anne. Let us know what you think of the Helen Mirren Tempest if you have a minute. Wish I could help you with the Isak Dineson story, but it's a washout for me. (Best watery pun I could come up with, sorry).

>52 mirrordrum: LOL! You got me with "had to fish my socks out from under the computer stand", Ellie! That Derek Jacobi, he's knocked more than a few off in his time. I Claudius was a tour de force, back in the day.

Oh my, I had no idea the Traynor Tempest was lousy. What a waste of Helen Mirren. Do I have the right one?

That Isak Dineson book does sound good. I sense that you and Anne are once more pointing me to an author I need to read. It would be fun to hear Anne narrate, too.

>53 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley. We are doing those good things. Great time with the family, and Jesse and Adri invited some Thanksgiving "orphans" who were a pleasure to meet.

I hope you had a great time y'self.

>54 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda! I just realized that Thanksgiving was on "Sweet Thursday", so Sweet Thursday and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Aren't those Buchholz illustrations great? I often wish I could have one like these framed on a wall, or that illustrators more commonly sold collections of their illustrations. At least we can enjoy them on our computers, and in the books they illustrate.

>56 msf59: Thanks, buddy. Hope you're having a most excellent holiday y'self. No craft beers, but Coronas, which I always enjoy. We also had a professional bartender as a guest (friend of Jesse and Adri's) who made us a New Orleans milk cocktail that was similar to horchata, and a blackberry and sage martini. Both delicious.

>57 PaulCranswick: Ditto, mate. We're lucky to have you leading the way for the 75ers, and I'm so glad we got to meet you and Hani in person in September.

>58 ronincats: Thanks, Roni! I'm a little over halfway in Hero of the Empire (very good!) and near the same in The Underground Railroad. We've been doing a lot of yakking and game-playing (a laugh-filled Apples to Apples wound up the day), but we still managed to work in some reading time.

I hope you're having a nice holiday in your lovely part of the world.

>59 benitastrnad: Oh good, Benita. Isn't Altered Carbon a wow of a ride? Hard-Boiled Wonderland is one of my favorite Murakamis, but I know he can be a tough read sometimes. I hope you enjoy it. If you liked the first, you'll enjoy the second Takeshi Kovacs, I'm sure.

>60 Berly: Thanks, Kim! The meetup with Mark was as good as you'd imagine; maybe we can all get together some day.

Hope you're having a good holiday weekend.

>61 NarratorLady: Sounds good, Anne. Disappointing re the Traynor Tempest. Let us know if you find a film of it you'd recommend.

Good morning, Joe! Happy belated Thanksgiving!

>68 jnwelch: I watched I, Claudius a few years ago. I loved it. Very good. I was not able to get into Jacobi's Cadfael as much, however.

>74 brodiew2:. Hiya, Brodie. Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you and yours are having a good holiday weekend.

Ditto for me. Loved I, Claudius, and never got caught up in his Cadfael.

hullo, Joe dear. happy vacationing to you and yours. wishing you much for which to be grateful. that apple pie don't sound too shabby.

>69 jnwelch: >52 mirrordrum: this is why i want to watch the Taymor version and you probably won't.

and this. give me a tempestuous gender-bending Helen Mirren kicking arse and taking names in metallic feathers and i'm on board. hint: i am not watching this for the Shakespeare. good cast though, so something must have tempted them.



will still be planning to watch a decent version first, and maybe even follow the dialogue in large large print. they're very accommodating w/ LP Shakespeares.

also, in re: D-Jac, his Alan Turing was, imo, better than Cummerbunds, although they're in such different time periods, perhaps it's apples and oranges. also, the earlier one just looks more period. somehow.

>72 jnwelch: >59 benitastrnad: does that bend both ways? i ultimately enjoyed Hard-boiled so logically you'd think i'd like Altered carbon, que no?

Happy newish thread, Joe. The pictures are amazing as usual, the 3D art especially. Have a great Thanksgiving weekend.

This is an experiment in copying images.

Was your experiment successful? Looked like it to me!

Usually lurking,

Karen O.

>79 klobrien2: It's working, Karen! Bless our wonderful son. Copying on a tablet - the café is open. Let's try again.



Yes!

>80 jnwelch: Love it.
And congrats on the tech working too.

>81 charl08: Ha! Thanks, Charlotte. I knew it was worth raising that young man. :-)

>76 mirrordrum: Hi, Ellie. Now you've got me wanting to see the Traynor Tempest again. I'm flip-flopping more than the President-Elect. Oops. I'm trying to give us a break from that guy. I'm flip-flopping more than an ace acrobat?

I saw Limberbuns do Alan Touring and liked it a lot, but I didn't see D-Jac's. Walk time for the multiple dogs. I'll be back.

ETA: Hmm. I'm so glad you liked Hard-Boiled Wonderland, Ellie. I know it can be not-easy. I'm not sure whether you'd like Altered Carbon. Is there some way you can give it a try? It's very sci-fi. But if you like it at the beginning, you'll like it all the way through, methinks.

>77 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. I'm glad you're enjoying the visuals. Isn't that 3D art amazing?

We were just saying what a great Thanksgiving visit this has been. Our daughter and I even got to have breakfast with my sister and BIL this morning. (At Pamela's, for those who know Pittsburgh. Delish).

Plus son #1 figured out how I can copy images on this tablet. Zounds!

Looks like you're making great techie progress, Joe.

These signs have been popping up on lawns in my neighborhood:



It was started by a group in my North Park neighborhood in Chicago, and you can find out more here:
https://www.gofundme.com/hate-has-no-home-here

>84 kac522: - Love this. And good for that neighbourhood. Action is better than no action and this particular action is a positive one. Love it. I hope it spreads far and wide

>84 kac522: :-) Wondering if this has a British equivalent.

>84 kac522: Oh, nice one, Kathy. I showed it to her, and Madame MBH just informed me that she ordered three before we left. Ha! She's always way ahead of me. Very cool.

>85 jessibud2: Yup, yup, yup. Me, too, Shelley.

>86 charl08: I hope so, too, Charlotte. And you wouldn't even have to correct the spelling. :-)

Can you tell I'm psyched up about the image copying?

Travel day. Catch you later on. Have a good one!

Morning Joe! Happy Sunday! Have a safe trip home. Looks like the weather will be good.

Congrats on the image posting. You will have to send me some pointers. I still don't copy any on my iPad.

I finally finished Tao Te Ching. It is interesting and I will have to revisit it a few times, so more of it can sink in. It looks like Mitchell did a perfect job.

Morning, Joe! Safe travels today!

>90 msf59:. Happy Sunday, Mark!

Isn't that Mitchell translation of the Tao Te Ching right on target? I've re-read it a lot, and still do. It's online, too, at "Daily Tao". When I ran our office, I was following its principles and similar Buddhist ideas. Worked beautifully.

I'm using a Surface Pro 4 these days, so I can't help on image copying on the iPad. I could do it for a long time on my old iPad, and then they did one of those stupid software updates and made it impossible.

Debbi's giving me a break on the driving. Way better than the rainy drive out so far. I finished Hero of the Empire- great! Turns out our DIL is a big Winston fan, so I'm going to give her a copy.

Next up on Kindle, you'll be glad to hear, is that Oregon Trail book - Rink Buck? Something like that.

>91 scaifea:. Thanks, Amber! Much better for this trip home.

Hope you're having a good Sunday.

Morning, Joe! Wishing you safe travels today.

My Thanksgiving Trek is over. I drove lots of miles and had lots of smiles. The highlight was the self-guided driving tour of the Vicksburg National Battlefield. I purchased a copy of the self-guided tour on CD, but if you have a smart phone or iPad with internet you can just get the app, and it was an amazing tour. The recorded book featured Civil War historian, and ex-National Park Service Ranger and Superintendent Edward Bearss. I love his storytelling style, and he ain't a bad author either. I didn't allow enough time as a 2.5 hour tour turned into 6 hours and I had to do the last two stops in the dark. So dark I couldn't read the signs without a flashlight.

I love the National Park Service. They do a great job and I want them to get more of our tax money. Less dollars on defense and policing and more on education. I count the Park Service as education. They are doing the world and us so much good.

Joe, thanks for starting out with that poignant Yeats poem, one of my favorites. Yay for Yeats! Also loved seeing the meetup pictures again. You and Mark are getting to be great friends. I know there is so much to talk about when seeing book friends. I will have that privilege in Joplin, Missouri, on Tuesday.

It's great you can copy images on your tablet now. I had to learn that tricky business because I usually just travel with my phone and iPad.

I have started a book recommendation list for 2017. Your raving about The Poet's Dog makes it first on the list. I have some very long books lined up so it will be good to squeeze a shorty in sometime in January.

You may be home by now… I hope the roads weren't too busy. haha Sounds like your Thanksgiving was a great feast and a good time. It's my favorite holiday!

Happy belated Thanksgiving, Joe, to you and yours! Safe travels back to Chicago. :)

(Also, how do you like your Surface Pro? I haven't had a laptop in at least 4 years, and I've never owned a tablet, so I'm thinking the surface might be a good compromise.)

Morning, Joe!

>94 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie!

We safely arrived back home, grateful that it was dryweather all the way back. Much easier. It rained the whole way there. Blah.

Great Thanksgiving weekend with our baby boy and his bride and various guest appearances.

>95 benitastrnad: Hi, Benita. Lots of miles and lots of smiles is most excellent. Sounds like a fascinating tour of the Vicksburg National Battlefield.

I love our national parks, and I agree re the National Park Service.

>96 Donna828: Hi, Donna!

Yay for Yeats! Maybe we'll bring some more of his to the cafe.

Mark's a great guy to spend time with, no bout adoubt it. I'll look for details on your Tuesday meetup in Joplin. I've seen some of the photos from this get-together in the past, I'm pretty sure. What a terrific group of folks we have on LT.

Yes, exactly - I travel with the Surface Pro, and it was frustrating not being able to figure out the image copying. Feels great to have that one resolved. Mark's looking for iPad help on that - maybe you can give him a tip or two?

You're going to love The Poet's Dog. You're one of the first people I thought of after reading it. Wait until you meet Teddy. :-)

Yes, the trip back was fine, and we're home. So good to get all of us back together; it does make for a wonderful holiday, doesn't it.

>97 LauraBrook: Hi, Laura! Good to see you, friend. :-) Happy Belated Thanksgiving to you. I hope you had a good holiday weekend.

If you haven't had a tablet before, you might want to start with an iPad. That's what I did, and Madame MBH still uses one. It's more intuitive by far than the Surface Pro. (Our former Microsoft-employee son says, if you're going to get a Surface, make it a Surface Pro. He's not a fan of the non-Pro). The Surface Pro can do a lot of cool things, and comes close to being the hybrid PC/tablet we've all been looking for. But, from my POV, there was a steeper learning curve than I expected. It really helped this T-giving vacation to have our son take me through the things that were stymying (is that a word?) me, and show me how to do what I wanted to do with it. If you're near an Apple store, they're really helpful with the iPad, and have classes you can take, too. There's nothing like that kind of store support with the Surface Pro, as far as I can tell.

I got the Surface Pro 4 in part because I want to write with it as well as use it in other PC/tablet ways, and I'm used to Word. I love its keyboard, and the way its touchscreen works.

>98 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

Young Winston Churchill was as fascinating as the elder version. He was filled with ambition and belief in himself, and bubbled over with the need to express his thoughts (which of course got him into trouble at times). In this book he's 24 and involved as a correspondent in South Africa's Boer War. One surprise for me is he first drew the public's attention with his superlative writing skills. He had already published two books before this assignment. Even at this young age, he believed he was destined to lead England, and many in his life agreed.

This is from Hero of the Empire's Prologue:

"Although he was still a very young man, Churchill was no stranger to situations of great personal peril. He had already taken part in four wars on three different continents, and had come close to death in each one. He had felt bullets whistling by his head in Cuba, seen friends hacked to death in British India, been separated from his regiment in the deserts of the Sudan and, just a month earlier, in November 1899, at the start of the Boer War, led the resistance against a devastating attack on an armored train."

As you can tell, this is an exciting book. It centers around his participation in the Boer War, his capture by the Boers, and his remarkable escape. Candice Millard has written that rare treasure, a page-turning nonfiction account of one of history's most important figures. Four and a half stars. (It loses 1/2 only because I wanted even more).

By Varázslat

Joe--Congrats on arriving home safe and sound and on conquering the steep tech curve on your new tablet! Your thread will be even more amazing now that it can be picturesque as well!

Katie is warbling about the Kindle Cyber-Monday sale on Amazon. I just want to point out that A Civil Contract, The Grand Sophy, The Corinthian, Frederica are all on sale for $1.99 instead of the usual $9.99 today.

Morning Joe! I bit busy with work today but wanted to check the in. Good review of Hero. I am so glad you are now a Millard fan. She is one of the best NNF authors working today.

**your touchstone is off.

>104 jnwelch: Thumb!

Morning, Joe--sounds like you had a great Thanksgiving. Just wanted to share that we went to see "Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley" yesterday at Northlight Theater, and it was clever and a lot of fun. Focuses on Mary Bennet, the middle nerdy sister. The two main actors were outstanding--I think one was in the Chicago Shakespeare "Sense & Sensibility" a couple of years ago.

Good morning, Joe! I hope you had a good weekend.

>83 jnwelch: >88 jnwelch: Very cool 3D pics. I like the tiger best.

>103 jnwelch: Excellent review of Hero of the Empire! I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I did.

>104 jnwelch: also a cool image.

>105 Berly: Ha! Thanks, Kim. It has bugged me when I've traveled and couldn't do the images, so this is a big step forward.

>106 ronincats: Woo! Thanks, Roni. I have those, but I'll go cybering for others.

Here's the CyberMonday link from Katie: https://www.amazon.com/b/ref=s9_acss_bw_hsb_HRBBSLKU_s2_n?_encoding=UTF8&ie=....

That's a long link! I don't know how to shrink it like you other experts. I certainly second your endorsements of the $1.99 Heyer books. A whole lot of enjoyment for a modest price.

P.S. I see you can get Poldark, the first in that series, for $1.99. Another good one at a modest price.

>107 msf59: Morning, Mark!

Touchstone fixed, thanks. There's a whole thread on which we're begging the LT folks to fix the touchstones so exact title match comes first. Lorannen says they hope to get to it early next year.

Glad you liked the review of Hero of the Empire. Thank you for the thumb, buddy. Yes, I'm a Millard fan now.

>108 kac522: Thank you for the heads-up on "Christmas at Pemberly", Kathy! We saw it was being done, and wondered whether it would be any good. Glad to hear it is. I'll see whether we can squeeze it in. It gets so busy this time of year, doesn't it.

>109 brodiew2: Good morning, Brodie! It was a most excellent weekend. Hope yours was, too.

I'm glad you liked that review. You and Mark and others convinced me I had to read this one, so thank you. I loved it.

Isn't that a cool image in >104 jnwelch:? That's the way I want to start the day.

Heh. Another Millardian!

Hi Joe. I am afraid of my own thread but thought I'd check in on yours.

I have a copy of a notecard with that top image on it; have been holding on to it, waiting for the right "occasion" to send it to a book-loving someone. And I LOVE the zebras and the toaster! That is awesome!!

I'm looking forward to listening to Hero of the Empire as my next audiobook.

I hope you are doing well. More soon, my friend, just as soon as I get over my avoidance (so many un-responded-to posts!). :-)

>113 EBT1002: LOL! You cracked me up with your fear of your own thread, Ellen. Ah, yes. I knows whats you mean.

How great that you have our friend Buchholz's work in your life. Aren't those pop-up zebras awesome?

You'll get swept up in Hero of the Empire once you start listening, I'm sure. I'll look for what you think of it on audio. It turns out our DIL is a big Winston fan, so I'm going to give her a copy for the holidays.

All is well on my end. Hope the same is true on yours. Great to hear from you. Good luck with that thread of yours, my friend. :-)

Morning, Joe!

>115 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Hope all is well with the Scaife clan.

Morning, Joe! I really enjoying Hag-Seed. Thanks for giving me just the right nudge. Felix has just purchased the costumes and props.

I hope you have as good of a time with Buck brothers, as I did and I hope we can continue to spread the book joy on that one.

On the poetry front, I am enjoying Head off & Split. Have you heard of Finney? These are mostly longer pieces but they all pack a punch.

>118 msf59: Oh good, Mark; I'm glad you're really enjoying Hag-Seed. How is the voice for Felix (who's the narrator)?

So far so good with the Buck brothers in The Oregon Trail, although I've only met Rinker. What an interesting guy their father must have been.

Head Off & Split and Finney are new to me. I've been negligent on the poetry front, and I'm still in the early part of that Rilke collection.

I am not familiar with the audio narrator, doing Hag- Seed but he is perfect. It is Felix's voice.

Wait until you meet Rinker's brother Nick. That is when the fun starts.

hi Joe. any word from your folks in Gatlinburg, TN? been worried. it's heartbreaking as the Smokies are already so terribly stressed by climate change, over use and drought. JB's going down to staff one of the Red Cross shelters at Pittman Ctr east of Gat'burg on Friday. that's where all the mtn folks who got driven out of the Gat'burg area settled. artsy craftsy.

>113 EBT1002: chuckle aciaphobia?

off tw'eat oatmeal and listen to Faith Fox.

>121 mirrordrum: Hi, Ellie. We have been worried, too. Lots of phone calls last night. Our folks in Gatlinburg have evacuated to friends' houses outside the area. One of Madame MBH's brothers and our SIL normally live in Pittman Center (he works at a woodcraft place). They're okay.

We're just hoping their homes and stores (the latter for the other brother and SIL) aren't burned down.

Should it be linonophobia for >113 EBT1002: - thread fear? :-)

Faith Fox - Jane Gardam's novel? (Your touchstone goes to St. Augustine).

mornin' Joe. up much of the night w/ storms and torrential rain, little of which has reached the Smoky Mtns where fires continue to burn in Sevierville and separately in two of our fave haunts of yore: Nantahala Nt'l forest and Joyce Kilmer forest. we're desperately hoping the latter doesn't spread to our favorite place, Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness.

>122 jnwelch: changed the Gardam link. thanks.

since "thread" has no direct translation to the Latin, i just picked one of the indirect options of which there were many.

for the poetry-crazed amongst us, gotta check out the NYT piece on Icelandic poetry. kewl stuff.

here comes another torrent. well, goodness knows we need it.

have a lovely day, ducky. i'm off to see if i can fall asleep listening to In the country of men. very strange book.

>123 mirrordrum: Oh, I hope those storms and torrential rains reach the Smoky Mtns, Ellie. I share your desperate hopes.

I figgered you were referring to thread phobia. Linonophobia was as close as I could get. :-)

I'll pursue that Icelandic link all the way to the poetry.

In the Country of Men - you had me thinking of No Country for Old Men, a powerful one from McCarthy. ITCOM looks like a tough, challenging read. I'll look forward to hearing what you think.

Have a lovely one y'self, my friend. I hope good things happen regarding that fire. We're all glad you and JB are safe.

What an historic, critically important graphic series this is. March Book Three, the third volume on the U.S. civil rights movement from the perspective of Congressman John Lewis, lives up to the first two volumes and then some. Lewis, who recently led a House Democratic sit-in over gun control, tells the story of his participation in the movement, which followed principles of non-violence. Lewis himself got beaten and imprisoned many times over in asserting rights of equality for blacks. Much of this volume concerns the constitutional right to vote, which for black voters was impeded in every way possible in Alabama (under Governor George Wallace) and other Southern states. The non-voters in the recent election (nearly half our country's population, including many minority voters) must break Lewis's heart. But, as these volumes show, it has been broken so many times I suppose he can handle anything.



While many of us lived through that time, he provides insight, context and immediacy to the events in an unmatched way. These volumes also give a perspective on the Black Lives Matter movement, and underscore the struggles to make what progress exists in racial equality. There are villains aplenty, one of the worst being Jim Clark, a vicious and determined segregationist sheriff in Dallas County, Alabama. Lewis writes that Clark, “was made all the more dangerous by the sundry gang of white men he deputized for the sole purpose of doing whatever it took to stop black people from voting.”

The Deep South resisted recognizing constitutional rights, and the federal government in Washington, under President Lyndon Johnson, dithered. Tv news replays of the brutality and injustice, as police beat and in some instances killed nonviolent protestors, helped forge public opinion and force a governmental response. Lewis and Dr. Martin Luther King and others simply refused to give up, knowing their cause was right, and believing in this country more than it believed in itself. Johnson finally rose to the occasion, and a federal judge permitted the famous march to Selma. What Lewis and others went through to vindicate their right to vote is jaw-dropping.

Nate Powell's art is just right throughout, and the story well-paced.



The cover illustration for the first volume:



If the subject matter holds any interest for you, you'll want to read this stunning series.

>125 jnwelch: - I'm going to see if my library has this series. Thanks, Joe, for your insights into this powerful documentary.

>126 jessibud2: Oh good, Shelley. You're mighty welcome. Let us know what you think.

I watched two great shows on PBS last night. Celtic Woman Christmas was good, but it was outshone by "The Highwaymen" in concert. I found myself singing along with Waylon, Willie, and the Boys. (Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson) The only thing that equals them singing "Bobby McGee" was Janis herself. And nobody tops them when it comes to "Sunday Morning Comin' Down."

>123 mirrordrum: Little ditty for 'mirrordrum' - keep on banging that drum for poetry.

Pastime or Past Times?

"Poetry is a national pastime"
in Iceland where indeed it is no crime
that words are constructed without rhyme
so long as they don't jar.
In those awfully frigid Nordic climes
Of twenty hour winter night-times
"Poetry is a national pastime"
under a Northern star.

pc 30/11/16

Typed straight onto Joe's thread.

*ahem*
(puts on Ye Olde Teacher of Latin & Greek Hat)

...

Linonophobia is the proper term here, I think. linon literally means "flax" but was used to mean the thread of a conversation as well. And we need the Greek term, not the Latin, because "phobia" is from the Greek and the heavens forbid we should mix a Latin prefix with a Greek word.

However, if we were looking for the proper term in Latin, it would be filum, which means, literally, "thread" and also was used - by the likes of my man Cicero, no less - to mean the thread of an argument.

(quietly steps down from box and puts away hat)

>128 benitastrnad: Sounds like fun, Benita. What a collection of strong individuals in "The Highwaymen'. That's an all-star line-up.

>129 PaulCranswick: and >123 mirrordrum: Nice ditty, Paul, and I'm with you on banging the drum for poetry.

From the article: Far more poetry books were published in Iceland that year {2014} than books about economics or public administration. (There were apparently none at all about finance).

Oh, that does sound idyllic right now, doesn't it.

>130 scaifea: Nice hat, Amber!

Once again, I'm getting a lovely education on LT. Thank you!

Can we put together a word or phrase with equivalent Latin words? Filum metum? (Forgive me, I've never taken Latin - both our kids did, but where are they when I need them?)

>132 jnwelch: metus fili or timor fili
Both metus and timor mean "fear" and are pretty much interchangeable. We'll need filum as an objective genitive (hence the -i ending) in both cases: "fear of thread."

>133 scaifea: Nice! Thanks, Amber. I always get a bit mixed up when it comes to the objective genitive. :-) Thank goodness you don't.

Linonophobia has more of a lilt to it than metus fili, to my ear, anyway. Now the challenge is to work it into party conversations.

>134 jnwelch: Ha! Best of luck with the party chitchat - report back on how it goes.

>135 scaifea: It'll be a challenge. On the other hand, if social media comes up (as it so often does), maybe I can work it in . . .

>129 PaulCranswick: very good Paul. I've often wondered what so much darkness would be like, and it's in the ideas pot to try a long weekend somewhere that is the case sometime, but making a life lighter in such long periods of darkness must take quite an effort. I'm glad they like poetry!

>137 Caroline_McElwee: I have always been fascinated by the locale Caroline. I think it is one reason I enjoy much of Scandi's profusion of grey skied maudlin murder. Great sense of place.

>130 scaifea: I like you with that hat, Amber!

>131 jnwelch: I thought "The Highwaymen" were commonly well known at your side of the pond, Joe, I love their song "Higwayman":

I was a highwayman.
Along the coach roads I did ride
With sword and pistol by my side
Many a young maid lost her baubles to my trade
Many a soldier shed his lifeblood on my blade
The bastards hung me in the spring of twenty-five
But I am still alive.

I was a sailor.
I was born upon the tide
And with the sea I did abide.
I sailed a schooner round the Horn to Mexico
I went aloft and furled the mainsail in a blow
And when the yards broke off they said that I got killed
But I am living still.

I was a dam builder.
Across the river deep and wide
Where steel and water did collide
A place called Boulder on the wild Colorado
I slipped and fell into the wet concrete below
They buried me in that great tob that knows no sound
But I am still around
I'll always be around

I fly a star ship.
Across the Universe divide
And when I reach the other side
I'll find a place to rest my spirit if I can
Perhaps I may become a highwayman again
Or I may simply be a single drop of rain
But I will remain
And I'll be back again, and again and again and again and again...

>137 Caroline_McElwee: I'm a lots of light guy, Caroline, so that more darkness aspect would be hard for me. But Iceland is supposed to be beautiful. They say that Iceland should be called Greenland, and Greenland Iceland. Our DIL blames Erik the Red for screwing that up.

>138 PaulCranswick: I do enjoy those Scandi grey sky maudlin murder mysteries, Paul. Particularly as I can sit in a sunlit room and read them. :-)

>138 PaulCranswick: Amber looks good in that hat, doesn't she, Anita.

Friend of Amber's:



The Highwaymen are well-known over here, for sure. Mr. Cash ain't with us any more, unfortunately.

Great lyrics, thanks.

You made me think of Leonard Cohen's famous one:

"Anthem"

The birds they sang
at the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don't dwell on what
has passed away
or what is yet to be.
Ah the wars they will
be fought again
The holy dove
She will be caught again
bought and sold
and bought again
the dove is never free.

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.

We asked for signs
the signs were sent:
the birth betrayed
the marriage spent
Yeah the widowhood
of every government --
signs for all to see.

I can't run no more
with that lawless crowd
while the killers in high places
say their prayers out loud.
But they've summoned, they've summoned up
a thundercloud
and they're going to hear from me.

Ring the bells that still can ring ...

You can add up the parts
but you won't have the sum
You can strike up the march,
there is no drum
Every heart, every heart
to love will come
but like a refugee.

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
That's how the light gets in.
That's how the light gets in.

>140 jnwelch: That is for sure one of the most beautiful lyrics Mr Cohen wrote, Joe, it is from his album "The Future". That CD lived for years in the cd-player in our car :-)

>141 FAMeulstee: :-) I was a latecomer to appreciating him, Anita, although I always liked "Suzanne". We got his live CD a couple of years ago, and play the heck out of that one.

>142 jnwelch: So were we, Joe, we saw him perform at the BBC with Jools Holland when "The Future" was released in 1992 and we both fell in love. Better late than never :-)

>117 jnwelch: LOVE.

>121 mirrordrum: My sister, who lives in Asheville, was just expressing gratitude the other day that the fires in her area have had not spread to the Smokies. I am heartbroken by the tens of thousands of acres that are going up in smoke.

But there's no scientific evidence for climate change. :-|
I'm glad your family is safe, Joe.

More to come. Must go.

>143 FAMeulstee: Truth, Anita. Fascinating guy.

>144 EBT1002: Isn't >117 jnwelch: spot on, Ellen? That really expressed my mood that day, too.

Yeah, I know there's some good in it for forests when there's a fire, Ellen, but tens of thousand acres is a tragedy, and there have been some deaths.

Our relatives down there want to take us to Asheville. I was there on biz many years ago, and thought the area lovely, but didn't really have time to explore it.

Yes, the family in eastern TN is safe. Two are back in their house, and the other two aren't only because there's no power back yet. Parts of Gatlinburg burned down, but it could've been much worse.

Looking forward to the More to come. :-)

There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.

Is one of my favorite quotes.

>146 Morphidae: Me, too, Morphy. Inspired.

Hi, Joe! I think you missed my response, in post "120". Just sayin'...I hope you are still enjoying The Oregon Trail. It is such a enjoyable journey.

Great review of March: Book 3. Big Thumb! Such an important trilogy.

Thanks to Mamie, I started Pigeon Tunnel. This might be just your cuppa. Are you a fan of Le Carre?

>130 scaifea: Another fan of Amber's hat here. Fun to find the Latin/Greek conversation when I am reading the latest in the Medicus series, about a legionary doctor (originally in Roman Britain but now in Rome). The history is fascinating to me.

The forest fires sound very scary to me. I was once camping in Portugal and we were told the fires across the river would not jump the water. Then we got moved as they *had* jumped the water... I am reminded to be grateful for the regularly wet weather here. Glad family is safe.

Wonderful review of the latest March. He is an inspiring man.
Did you post the review on the book page? If so I will thumb.

#140
Waylon Jennings died in 2002. He was the first of the Highwaymen to go. Then Johnny Cash. Willie Nelson is in his early 80's and Kris Kristofferson turned 80 this year.

Kristofferson said that he wanted the first lines from Leonard Cohen's Bird on a Wire on his tombstone.

Like a bird on the wire
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free

hey Prop. i'll bet you're at the Lakers @ Bulls tonight. GO LAKERS. didja see how i time-jiggered there? cause my tonight is your last night.

>130 scaifea: oh Amber. i could just listen to you for hours when you're wearing that hat. contented sigh you remind me of a friend of mine, a scholar of late antiquity Christianity centering on the Mediterranean. she speaks and/or reads Latin, Greek (ancient), French, German, Syriac, Aramaic, Hebrew and Arabic. "you people" delight and scare the bejeebers out of me. she would do exactly the same thing you did with the same humor and grace. such treasures.

>124 jnwelch: disquieting quote from In the country of men: "Gradually, we begin to apprehend the ways in which any despotic system is like any boy’s inner life. Short-lived in their affections, easily offended, impressed with showboating stadiums of cheering automatons, blindly vicious, the boy and the system embody a topsy-turvy puerility."

i find the book difficult in audio but would love to read it visually. here's the first chapter. worth a glance just to get a sense of his tremendous fluidity. he writes gently about frightening things and throws them into blinding light.

>144 EBT1002: yep, Ellen. i have difficulty getting visions of non-human deaths out of my head. there are at least people to try to save the humans. the wildlife? not even mentioned. 'nuff said.

>151 mirrordrum: Aw, shunks, Ellie. Hows come you're always makin' folks blush?
Your friend is way more impressive than I could ever hope to be; I can claim reading fluency only, and mostly just in the dead kind of languages (Latin, Greek, Hittite (no, seriously) and Medieval-ish Italian). I can read modern stuff (French, Italian, German, Spanish), but not nearly as well. Super-useful skills, eh? Definitely.

Mornin', Joe!

>152 scaifea: Hittite? Awesome! Ain't many people can claim that one. :)

>148 msf59: Ha! Sorry about >120 msf59:, Mark. That may be a function of our recent yakking - I read it, and in my mind I answered it, but I must have forgotten to type!

Felix seemed to me to have a theatrical, carrying, powerful voice in Hag-Seed. Like a MacKellen or Patrick Stewart. I'm glad the narrator comes through as him.

I have met Nick Buck, and you're right, the interest level picked up immediately.

The March trilogy is so important, I agree. I hope lots of our folks read it. It seems a bit miraculous that we have it. I suspect it will become a staple at schools.

Thanks a lot for the big thumb. Maybe the trilogy will get some added attention. It deserves it.

I have read a couple of (a few?) LeCarre George Smileys, although it's been a long time. I wasn't as carried away as some have been, but I liked them. Pigeon Tunnel - I haven't heard anything about it yet. Glad you're enjoying it.

>149 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. I did post the March Book Three review on the book page. Thank you for the thumb. I hope the word spreads. Among many other things, it's an example of how well the graphic form can work in conveying immediacy.

Those fires are scary. Seven dead now, and the fires are still not completely under control, from what I understand. Very high winds, up to 87 miles (140 km) per hour, and the recent drought, made them spread really fast. Sad for many reasons, including what a beautiful part of the country that is. We were just there a little over a month ago.

That had to be frightening in Portugal. I've never been that close to a big fire, although our yard's fence caught fire where we lived before in Chicago. We had a three flat, living on the top two floors, and our first floor tenant (who became a lifelong friend and uncle to our kids) grabbed our hose and managed to put it out. (Some loons were setting the city's plastic garbage cans on fire; the house across the street lost most of its roof after a wooden fire escape went up in flames next door). Very scary for the kids, as we had to evacuate at about 3 in the morning. Madame MBH, of course, thought to grab a pitcher of orange juice for the firefighters.

>150 benitastrnad: Thanks, Benita.

Nice info about Kris K. More beautiful lines from Leonard Cohen.

>151 mirrordrum: Hey, patron. :-) We sold those Lakers tickets (we can get back some of the season's cost with Laker, Cavs, and Golden State games - although I may go when they play Golden State). Sounds like our poor Bulls were just flat as a pancake. It happens.

I'm with you re Amber and her hat.



I've never heard anyone speak knowledgeably about the objective genitive before. We'll have to think of ways to encourage her hat-wearing.

Oof. It's sometimes difficult to read about how horrible we can be. And we have authors who can write about it so beautifully. The Underground Railroad is an example, although it has its moments of happiness and transcendence. Not to mention persistence despite the awfulness. In the Country of Men - I'll check out the first chapter. That excerpt certainly is well-written, and reminds me (as so many things do right now) of our recent election.

Yes, you're right about the wildlife. The Smoky Mtn fires must have been terrifying and devastating. I hope someone does tell us about that aspect; many may have known to flee asap, but those fires were traveling fast, according to reports.

>152 scaifea: Mornin', Amber!

I'm with Ellie on her blush-inducing comments. I love that stuff, and it's fun to have someone so expert. Maybe we should have a weekly cafe hour, dedicated to Latin, Greek, Hittite (seriously) and Medieval-ish Italian? My Hittite is rusty, and I'm deficient in the other ones, too, but I can drink coffee and listen with the best of them.

Please keep that hat handy.

>153 drneutron: Good morning, Jim. My akkalan is akkant. (My plow is dead). My Hittite is limited, but very useful, as you can see.

>158 jnwelch: - Wow!!!

>153 drneutron: Jim: We're a small tribe, for certain. Incidentally, I took that Hittite course with the guy with whom I'm writing the Latin textbook. It was a very cool class.

>156 jnwelch: >157 jnwelch: Joe: Careful now. You may regret encouraging me.

I revel in Objective vs. Subjective Genitive chit-chat, but my all-time favorite piece of Latin grammar is the Quod Clause of Alleged Reason. Okay, here we go (feel free to move on from here if you're not at all interested):

In Latin, quod can be a conjunction that means "because," and when it means "because" it can be followed by a verb that is either in the indicative mood (one that indicates a factual statement) or in the subjunctive mood (a mood that takes care of pretty much everything else, all the 'maybes' and 'coulda/shoulda/woulda' type ideas). When it's followed by an indicative verb, it just means "because" plain and simple. Example:

omnes timent quod Caesar iratus est. = All are afraid because Caesar is angry.

But, when quod is followed by a subjunctive verb, the meaning changes in a pretty cool way, at least to my way of thinking; the subjective changes the clause into a Quod Clause of Alleged Reason (woot!):

omnes timent quod Caesar iratus sit. = All are afraid because Caesar is allegedly angry (but he may not really be angry).

Now, with just that small change in the mood of the verb, instead of Caesar most definitely being angry, the speaker is hedging a bit and saying, well, those guys are totally scared because Caesar is really mad, or so some people are saying, but I'm not taking responsibility for the truthfullness of that statement (i.e. I've not fact-checked this). Ha! Pretty cool, eh?

Apologies - double post!!

Morning , Joe! Sweet Thursday! I am enjoying a day off. Hope to get plenty of reading in. I may also go on a nocturnal birdwalk, this evening, in Oakbrook.

I have always wanted to see an owl, in the wild. Maybe...

>160 scaifea: I like your hat even more now, Amber.
With a teacher like you I might have been able to continue my Latin lessons after the first year :-)

Hittite! V cool.
Sorry to hear about your plough, Joe.

Mme MbH sounds must be very good in a crisis thinking of the OJ. My friends managed to rescue their neighbours from a house fire during undergrad degree. Pesky irresponsible students eh?(!!)

>159 jessibud2: Isn't that cool, Shelley? I've never seen one like that. All I've got for the artist is "Vihls"; not one I know.

>160 scaifea: Hi, Amber! Sweet Thursday!

I took that Hittite course with the guy with whom I'm writing the Latin textbook. Wow, those are words we haven't heard around these here parts before. You're elevating our discourse - don't stop. :-)

I'm pretty sure "The Quod Clause of Alleged Reason" is one of those Vorkosigan books by Lois McMaster Bujold, right? Readers love all the books in that series because she's a talented writer. But some say, readers love all the books in that series because she's allegedly a talented writer, but she may not be. I suppose then we have to figure why they're loved if she's not talented?

Anyway, the Quoddies are great characters.

>161 scaifea: Apologies! Double response!!

>162 msf59: Sweet Thursday, Mark! A day off - sweet words indeed. Ah, owls in the wild, me, too. We did see them down in Australia, on a nocturnal guided ramble. Also platypuses (platypi?). Enjoy the R & R!

>163 FAMeulstee: Me, too, Anita. With a teacher like Amber, I might have actually wanted to take Latin. I took French and Spanish, but my skills in those are about as rusty as my Hittite.

>164 charl08: Ha! Thanks, Charlotte. So few are truly sympathetic about dead ploughs. Emerson said, "It is the secret of the world that all things subsist and do not die, but retire a little from sight and afterwards return again.” So maybe, somehow, some day, we'll see that Hittite plough again.

Mme MBH is very good in a crisis, for sure. Plus she's thoughtful of others, a quality she's encouraged in me - but I seem to be a slow learner. Yes, we suspect our fire-starting loons were students, or at least youngsters. Setting trash cans on fire seems like something done by ones whose frontal lobes haven't grown in.

Aw, you guys are too much. I did love teaching Latin, though, so much.

>168 scaifea: OK, here we are, ready to learn, Amber. Please pop in with a lesson any time you like.

>169 jnwelch: Wow. I...just...wow. Clearly you're ready. *ahem*

>170 scaifea: How do we say/snort *snork* in Latin?

Wow, coffee just spewed allllll over my keyboard.

>172 drneutron: LOL! Can't beat fun in the old cafe. :-)

>171 jnwelch: Joe: Oh, now that's an excellent question. How would the Romans have snorked? No idea, but it likely involved a lisp. (At one point, lisps were fashionable in The City.)

I am SO far behind on cafe chat...I've skimmed the last thread and this one, and struck some gems. Love the Yeats poem; I just picked up a volume of his complete poems from the library's sale shelf last week. Pure gold. Glad to see praise for Hag-Seed, as I received an ER copy of it which I must get to soon. I'm really enjoying the Hogarth Shakespeare series, by and large.

Also thrilled to see love for The Highwaymen...that was one very special collaboration. Cash and Kristofferson pulled off some amazing stuff in their later years. Somehow the age and roughness work so well for them. Now Johnny's gone, and Kris is struggling with memory loss, but he still has tour dates booked through April. Willie just keeps doin' what Willie do, and he can keep on doing it forever, as far as I'm concerned.

>174 scaifea: *thnork!*

>175 laytonwoman3rd: Hi, Linda. We've missed you!

Complete Yeats = pure gold, I agree. I revisit him on a regular basis. Glad you loved that one; he has a bunch of way up there ones.

Hag-Seed is the only Hogarth Shakespeare entry I've read so far; as you can, I loved it. So smart.

Yes, the Highwaymen is one very special collaboration. I'm not a country music fan, but each of those guys got me with their music one way or another. Memory loss for Kris K., and Glen Campbell, too. Tough stuff. GC is supposedly in the end stage of Alzheimer's.

Ha! I can see Willie continuing on forever, doing what he do. Are there life preservatives in weed?

By Fiona Staples

Madame MBH and I went to see Sharon Olds perform at the Poetry Foundation last night, and she was terrific. She was more down-to-earth, personable and funny than I expected, although I should have known from reading her poems. She talked about how when she was first trying to get published, one of the ones she wrote about being a child and a mother was rejected, with the comment to her that she might try "Ladies Home Journal", but "we are a literary magazine". Jeez. How times have changed, thank goodness.

She's known for her braveness and frankness in her poems, many about sex, and three of the last ones she performed were "Ode to the Clitoris", "Ode to the Hymen", and "Ode to the Penis". I think it's fair to say all three were affectionate and grateful.

She did a very moving one about 9/11 (she said it took her years to find the way to write about it), and a joyous one about praising someone in the airport that I hope to find and post here. She took a break in the middle to have a conversation with the audience, and was so eloquent. As someone said, one of her responses could've been a poem itself.

It was my first time seeing her, and I hope not the last. If you have a chance, jump at it.

Found it!

Departure Gate
Sharon Olds

She was standing near a departure gate,
sandal-footed, her wiggly hair
and the latticework of her mercury footwear
the same satiny gold, and there was something
wistful about her, under the burnish
of her make-up she looked extremely young,
and a little afraid. I wanted to speak
to her, as if I were a guardian spirit
working the airport -- God knows
I was crazed with my fresh solitariness --
so I did a little double-take
when I passed her, and said, Could I ask, where did you
get your sandals -- my husband, I lied,
wants me to get some, and she said a name, as if
relieved to speak. Thanks, I said,
they look great with your hair -- actually
(my head bowed down on its own), you look
like a goddess. Her face came out from behind
its cloud, You don’t know how I needed that!,
she cried out, I’m going to meet my boyfriend’s
parents. You’ll do just fine, I said, you look
beautiful and good. She looked joyful. I bustled off --
so this is what I’ll do, now,
instead of kissing and being kissed, I’ll
go through airports praising people like an
anti-Christ saying, you do not need
to change your life.

>179 jnwelch: Oh, whoa. That's beautiful, Joe. Thanks for sharing.

>180 scaifea: Hi, Amber. Thank you for enjoying it! She blew us away.

>181 jnwelch: I bet she did! She's definitely on my radar now, thanks to you!

>182 scaifea: Glad to hear it! :-)

She's one of the bravest poets, maybe the bravest poet, I know.

Sounds like a great night, Joe, and I love the poem in >179 jnwelch:!

>184 katiekrug: Oh good, Katie, thanks. It sure struck home with us.

As I told Madame MBH, it made me think of her, as she often will compliment people we don't know in airports and elsewhere.

>176 jnwelch: "life preservatives in weed" Well, Willie certainly thinks so. And I love that one of his books (which I've recently skimmed through) is titled "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die". Personally, I prefer that I be treated to this when I go out: Your loved one's ashes preserved in glass art.

>186 laytonwoman3rd: Ha! Roll Me up and Smoke When I Die - perfect title for him.

Very nice way to preserve ashes. We're both going to have ours scattered in the woods somewhere - currently east Tennessee in the Smokies. We plan to live a long time, so hopefully the woods there will recover before then.

Good morning, Joe! I missed you all while I was gone (however briefly).

I love the image in >177 jnwelch:. Pretty cool.

What do you think of this one?



-Travis Charest

>188 brodiew2: Good to see you, Brodie! We missed you here. Glad you're feeling improved.

That one in >177 jnwelch: is by the illustrator of the Saga graphic novel series by Brian K. Vaughan. If you haven't looked at Saga, I recommend it. Really well done.

That's one tough woman Travis Charest drew!

oh, Joe. such riches! the Olds poem has sent me off to visit more of her work. ah, to hold a book of hers. it really is a gift, to be able to hold a book and read. i wonder if the ancients felt that way about their parchments, their tablets of clay, their high vision-quest cliffs. the way we feel about the smell of pages and print, was there an equivalent love of the aroma for one who could write in wet clay, like the literate Sumerian or Hittite.

>177 jnwelch: huzzah!

>185 jnwelch: oh! i do that too and much more since the election. i thank people a lot. easier with women than men. women are receptive of compliments and thanks, men seem to get embarrassed. maybe b/c i'm a kind of funny looking LOL? (cackle) i always carry on about my oncologist's ties. he favors deep purple. i can compliment those and he blows it off. if i tell him how much i appreciate him, how good he is, he leaves the room. silly man.

JB's deployed today. at work with the angry, grieving, fire-displaced and traumatized. our friend who's her superior says it's down to the tough part now for the SAR and fire crews as they begin to deal with what they've experienced, what they've seen. she's been liaising (?) from home with hospital, police, firefighters, SAR folks and HABIT (service dogs) about bringing the HABIT dogs down next week.

and here i sit, nattering on. break over. gotta go to "work."

this particular thread seems exceptional somehow. thank you for you. and that's a tremendous shirt you're wearing. suits you to a tee. ;-)

>178 jnwelch: >179 jnwelch: sounds like a great evening Joe. Wonderful when someone outshines your expectations too. I've got out of the way of going to readings in recent years. I will kick my butt in 2017 and change that.

>179 jnwelch: Love the poem Joe. Thanks for sharing it and your experience listening. I lived round the corner from a poetry library for a while, just loved going to hear words.

>190 mirrordrum: Isn't that a great Olds poem, Ellie? She was so impressive.

I agree, it really is a gift to be able to hold a book and read. I was thinking today, there are some types of books I can read on an e-reader, but not a poetry collection. That's got to be in book form. You should have heard Sharon Olds describing her writing process - she lovingly described her Pilot pens, which have supplanted the too thick-writing Bics, and she uses different kinds of notebooks, some fancier than others. Then she types them up, and reworks them - I don't remember her mentioning aroma, although she does in at least one poem, but all the other sensories came up.

It doesn't often occur to me to compliment someone (I attribute this to my being an oaf), but I'm trying to get better at it. I'm not very good at accepting them either, although I don't get all that many opportunities to try that out! I'm glad you like my shirt - it's the pink-striped one, and it does seem rather natty. Now I'm going to look for a deep purple tie.

When the sainthood vote next comes up, JB's got mine. I'll bet there are a lot of people needing some kindness and understanding where you are right now, among many other things.

Why are dogs so wonderful? Their presence so often brings happiness with it. I was just emailing with a friend of my Dad's 98 year old brother. Every morning the caregiver's dog leaps up into his lap and starts his day right. My Dad just loves it when dogs visit, too.

I'm getting ready to go to "not-work" soon. Thank goodness you'll be picking up the slack. I hope you and JB have a great weekend.

>191 Caroline_McElwee: 'Twas a great evening, Caroline. I've been to some not so great poetry readings (Jorie Graham and Robert Bly come to mind - although for him, I'm just not an Iron John kind of guy). This one was outstanding. Billy Collins and Kay Ryan performed together here, and were funny and wonderful. Robert Pinsky was another good one.

Anyway, I encourage you in your butt-kicking next year, and look forward to hearing what comes of it. :-)

P.S. Are there some from yesteryear that you've seen that you'd recommend if they come this way?

>179 jnwelch: Lovely. (from your neighborhood non-poetry person)

>189 jnwelch: I said to myself when I saw >177 jnwelch:, "Is that by the Saga illustrator?" It sure looked similar.

>193 jnwelch: I tend to compliment people when I'm waiting around doctor's offices and such - usually on their hair, clothes, accessories, etc.

>177 jnwelch: >189 jnwelch: >194 Morphidae: I figured it was Saga, but image reminded me of the work of Travis Charest, whom I have enjoyed in the past.

>87 jnwelch: love it that Madame MBH had already ordered the cool signs that hate has no home here....cool idea.

>179 jnwelch: have times changed though?
When I approached my old university to discuss post-graduate study. I was pretty much channeled to sign on because in a year or so someone would be coming back from maternity leave who it was assumed I would want to work under, for the mere fact of me also being a mother of children. He kept talking about her research of children and mothers....and assumed that that is what I would be interested in.
Bear in mind that this is the same person who stated to me that his wife " is getting dumber and dumber being at home with the (his!!) kids".

I may have just stumbled across a middle ages man in the body of a middle-aged man!!

>194 Morphidae: Oh good. I know you're not a poetry person, Morphy, which makes me extra-glad when you like one.

I think that >189 jnwelch: illustration may even be from Saga, I'm just not sure. She reads that bizarre novel, as you remember.

Jeez, when I'm in a doctor's office, I'm almost in a stupor. Doctor visits just make my metabolism zero out. Good for you for complimenting people there; that probably gives them a boost they can really use.

>195 brodiew2: Yup - glad you know about Saga, Brodie.

>196 LovingLit: She's a keeper, that Madame MBH. It is a cool idea, isn't it, Megan. This adversity at least is motivating people to take a stand against hate.

I know you're right, that there's a lot of progress still needing to be made on gender assumptions and inequities. But what Sharon Olds described (the arrogant referral to the Ladies Home Journal) just wouldn't happen today, and it seemed wondrous and ridiculous. That's not to say she doesn't experience other gender-based problems; that would have been a good question to ask her in the conversation section.

Sorry you had a doofus making those assumptions. Assumptions are the source of so much trouble in our world. And it's so annoying when people make the assumptions. And sometimes much worse than annoying.

Ooh, great phrase. A middle ages man in the body of a middle-aged man. Love it!

On my way. See you all tomorrow.

>198 jnwelch: assumptions yes. I heard about a book on the radio about a newspaper in the 1960s (or 70s??) that refused to hire women as writers, only researchers. The wome went on strike, or something, and managed to change the system where they worked anyway. But what struck me was that the author said that it had never even occurred to the boss to allow women into the journalist role. It just wasn't even on his radar. Which I guess was him operating with the assumption that men are journalists. Full stop. // or 'period' as you might say ;)

>179 jnwelch: I shamefully admit to not having much time for poetry. I remain respectfully silent when the subject comes up. But this one I get, (I've done it myself) and her language is just lovely so Sharon Olds is on my radar.

But tell me, doesn't our friend Ellie in the first paragraph of her post >190 mirrordrum: have the makings of a poem?

>187 jnwelch: The nice thing about the Artful Ashes production is that it only uses a small portion of the ashes; the remainder can still be scattered. So you can have it both ways! I'm afraid there are too many ashes in the Smokies right now, but I too hope they recover looooong before you and your delightful BH are ready to contribute.

>125 jnwelch: Glad to see you liked March Three, Joe. I need to make room for that. And I like the clip you posted. When I met Mr Lewis earlier this year and shook his hand he called me brother, which immediately warmed my heart, just as he does in your panel and looking at that his voice sounded in my ears. In conversation he speaks quietly - and in speech he thunders.

>186 laytonwoman3rd: I saw that preserving ashes in globes of glass on FB and thought it was so cool of an idea.

mornin' Joe. 'sup?

>193 jnwelch: JB's no saint but she is damn good at what she does. one would think it's all compassion and listening. general misunderstanding of the tremendously complex work real social work mental health folks do. it's changed a lot since 9/11 and Katrina, thank goodness. no more "debriefing." the focus is on a calm, orderly, practical approach. what you don't want is people reliving their most traumatic experiences by talking about them and "processing" their feelings about what has happened. in general, you don't focus on emotions or talk a lot about feelings because that makes things worse, not better. you focus, and want survivors to focus, on actions and thoughts that will help build resilience over time. this doesn't mean you shut people up but rather help them focus on what has happened, what they need to do, what they need, what they are able to do, what step to take next.

i got enthused and wrote too much more on this so i cut and copied it to my thread if anybody is interested in what mental health crisis responders actually do. it's pretty amazing.

>201 NarratorLady: hey Anne. what a giggle. i saw yours and went up to see what i'd writty at >190 mirrordrum: and found an unfinished sentence w/ a question mark. lordy. i do not do poetry but i can sometimes write down coherently the way my brain works which is pretty much like that.

i'd love to see you in a pink-striped shirt. i think i'll call you peppermint Joe. :-)

have a good 'un this weekend.

>200 LovingLit: Hi, Meg.

Seems ridiculous now, doesn't it, to not even think of women being journalists? It used to be (many decades ago) that women couldn't go to law school in this country and become lawyers. Now 50% or more of the classes are women. There still is a big glass ceiling problem - women are woefully underrepresented in the law firm partnership ranks. But it's improving, at least.

You also made me think of Hidden Figures, about the black female mathematicians who became critical to NASA during WWII and after. They had to overcome both race and gender assumptions.

This needs attention day by day, person by person, situation by situation, doesn't it. As always, the work starts inside each of us. There is what is sometimes called implicit bias, too. So even though we're liberal as can be, we don't invite a woman, or someone from a minority, to the "room where it happens" (Hamilton play), because they just don't "fit" with the rest of us. Well, the reason it feels that way is we've grown up with and always been surrounded at work by white males, right? So the effort has to be made to transcend the idea of "fit", and go with qualifications, and welcome new perspectives. We have to be willing to be uncomfortable sometimes - oh no!

>125 jnwelch: Great review of March: Book Three, Joe. As you know, John Lewis has been my US Congressman since I moved to Atlanta in 1997, and he is revered and respected by nearly everyone here. I've only read Book One, but I'll get to Books Two and Three early next year.

>201 NarratorLady: I love the idea, Anne, of turning Ellie's first paragraph in >190 mirrordrum: into a poem. I love the way her mind works. Maybe we can talk her into trying?

"Poetry (ancient Greek: ποιεω (poieo) = I create) is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. It consists largely of oral or literary works in which language is used in a manner that is felt by its user and audience to differ from ordinary prose." (From poetry.org).

That's a bit of, we know it when we see it, but it sounds doable, doesn't it?

I'm very glad you like the Sharon Olds poem, and that she's on your radar now. She's very much worthy of your time.

I know we have lots of folks who aren't used to reading poetry a lot - or graphic novels, for that matter. They're just different ways of "I create", and you bring the same reading skills and reactions to them, IMO. Does that reach me inside? Do I like it? Is it beautiful, is it moving, does it teach me? Does it entertain me, does it make me laugh? Do I want to read more by this person?

It's true that the form can make it difficult - should we read David Foster Wallace? Should we read Gertrude Stein? What the hell is John Ashbery talking about? It's just a matter, again IMO, of whether there's enough there for us, personally, that we want to try. And we may try and not like, just as happens all the time with regular prose.

Mark is an exemplar of the open-minded reader. He's taken on poetry reading this year and found lots he likes. There's lots out there to like, if we don't treat it as a foreign language we're not schooled in. It's just people creating, trying to express the stories and feelings inside them.

Poets try to add a different kind of aesthetic quality (that's what they're hearing in their mind); graphic novel authors and teams add visuals, like filmmakers do (it's no coincidence that so many films are comic-based and graphic novel-based these days).

Aren't you glad you asked? Or meant to ask? Or would've asked if I'd shut up for a minute?

>202 laytonwoman3rd: Having it both ways does sound appealing, Linda, thanks. I'll mention it to my delightful BH. We should have plenty of time to sort this out. (I hope so!)

>203 RBeffa: I LOVED March Book Three, Ron. I thought it surpassed the first two, which is really saying something. I've no doubt you'll find it a worthwhile and fascinating read.

I'm envious of your having met John Lewis. How great that he called you brother. I can just see him speaking quietly in person, and thundering in public speeches. He has given us yet another gift with these books.

I agree, preserving ashes in glass art is a great idea.

>204 mirrordrum: 'sup, Queen of the Southeast?

Thank you for explaining some about what JB and others do to help the traumatized. I'm clueless, as you can tell, and I'd like to have a clue. It sounds positive and proactive, and I know I'd feel in good hands with Saint Notta Saint JB. And her fellow social workers, I'm sure. I'll go to your thread after this to find out more.

"You can do it"!! You've got the makings of a cool poem there - lots of folks write prose poems, if you're more comfortable with that. Just listen to the wet clay writers and others in your adventurous mind, and write it down and play with it.

Sharon Olds said, I love to describe things. She doesn't often throw in an unusual use of language, because she doesn't want to distract/distance the reader. But someone smartly asked why she used "isolateness" instead of "isolation". Her first reaction was "I needed the 't' sound there - 'isolation' doesn't have it." Her second reaction she realized on the spot, having not thought about it before: "the speaker in this poem doesn't really understand 'isolation', finding it foreign, and I needed to show that, for this person, it was a feeling of 'isolateness'". Something new and tangible. Fascinating.

I love her choice of "anti-Christ" in "Departure Gate". Why not angel? Because there's more to be said. Christ is all about change, our need to change, to transform ourselves through his teaching She says to the girl, you don't need to change, you don't need to worry about his parents, you look beautiful and good. You're fine just the way you are. And the poet's going to go through airports, telling others just that. Wonderful.

And "like an anti-Christ" really gets our attention, doesn't it? What? What did she just say? What does she mean by that?

Great!

That really was a pink-striped shirt yesterday, and you're welcome to call me Peppermint Joe. It's a step up from "Tequila Nose" in my view, although I have fond memories of that one. I'll try to remember to bring the pink-striped shirt on our next visit, so you can appreciate its nattiness in person.

>206 kidzdoc: Ah, great to see you, Darryl. Thanks re the March Book Three review. You know how it is; when you really like a book, you want to convey its specialness to everyone else. I'm glad that came through a bit.

I know, I often think of you in that red state, with John Lewis as your representative. I'm glad to hear he's revered and respected by nearly everyone; that was my impression, but you're much closer to the action there. What a gift he's given us with the three books. It would have been tragic not to have them. I look forward to hearing what you think next year when you get to the last two.

Artist unknown. Hope this isn't too weird for folks!

Happy Saturday, Joe! Long day at work but I am now ready for a friendly, social visit, involving my favorite beverage.

Hope your day went well and I hope you can get back into The Oregon Trail. Sorry, to hear it wasn't tooting your horn. Hope it was just a mood thing.

The Pigeon Tunnel was FANTASTIC!! It is not technically a memoir but what a life, this man has led. It is mind-boggling.

>211 jnwelch: The feet give me the heebee jeebees but otherwise "awesome!"

>207 jnwelch: That sounds like a very heartfelt explanation, Joe. I hope you are having a great weekend.

Hello Joe. Happy Saturday! I'm enjoying a pleastly mellow evening at home.

Random question of the day: What is your favorite holiday song?

Mine, at present, is 'Baby, it's Cold Outside'. I especially love Deano's version.

Have a great weekend Buddy. I have sorted out my books and am now going through my scribblings with a view to keeping a commitment I made to a local publisher here. Let's see.

guten Morgen, mein Freund. wie geht's?

your thoughts on poetry in >207 jnwelch: and Olds' poem and the way she writes in >209 jnwelch: were enlightening and happy-making. very clear and yet personal.

>211 jnwelch: too weird. but then, i don't have to look at it so who cares?

thanks for reading the stuff about mental health crisis responders from >204 mirrordrum: and my thread. i appreciate it. it's sort of like it's all i can do so i ramble. anyway, thanks. we're both a bit twitchy and tired. she says for the first time she really understands about soldiers coming home and then going back for repeat deployments and having difficulty staying home at all. she said it was hard to leave and she keeps wanting to go right back.

finished in the country of men. it was very good and very difficult as it seemed so much like a cautionary tale. like that quote i left somewhere miles above.

have open slots now, one of which will be filled by Madame Bovary due to all Mark's carrying on about it. i've never read any Flowbear before.

wish i could read the Hon. John Lewis's books. damn and blast.

oh, must to bed. mwah mwah manah manah.

Just a quick stop to say HELLO and happy Sunday.

>211 jnwelch: that is a very unsettling image Joe!

Morning, Joe!

>212 msf59: Hey, Mark! Happy Sunday!

Yeah, mood thing re The Oregon Trail. Just wasn't the right time. It was feeing slow, so I switched. I did finish The Nakano Thrift Shop; it was okay, but not great. Next up is Danticat. Plus Zero K.

I'm glad Pigeon Tunnel was so good.

>213 RBeffa: Ha! Yeah, those feet are creepy, aren't they, Ron? I'm glad the rest is awesome. Clever!

>211 jnwelch: It is weird, Joe, but certainly not TOO weird, more intriguing and I am wondering how he/she did that with the feet.

>214 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. 'Tis. It's something I think about, as you can tell.

We are having a great weekend. Last night we got together with some friends at a nearby Italian restaurant (Piazza Bella). Dinner was delicious (bruschetta and potato gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce for me) (with a couple of glasses of Marbec), and we all had a ball catching up. Today was poetry day 'till now (after a morning walk), and now our beloved daughter with her furry sidekick are visiting.

The snow is coming down, but that was inevitable. We've been lucky - it normally doesn't take this long to get our first snow.

>215 brodiew2: Hello, Brodie. Happy Saturday/Sunday!

Favorite holiday song, hmm. I'm partial to "Good King Wenceslas". Mysterious - who's he? The Feast of Stephen? Saint Agnes' fountain? And it doesn't turn up all that often.

Baby It's Cold Outside is a good 'un all right.

>216 PaulCranswick: You, too, mate. Hope you and Hani and the kids have had an enjoyable weekend.

Scribblings for a local publisher sounds exciting! Keep us posted.

>217 mirrordrum: Guten Morgan, mein Freund. What's happenin'?

Glad that all made sense to you in >207 jnwelch: and >209 jnwelch:. I thought of you with your close reading of poems when talking about her use of "anti-Christ".

I thought >211 jnwelch: would be too weird for some here. It's just such an amazing execution of an unusual idea.

That stuff about mental health crisis responders you posted was really helpful. Not only did it enlighten me as to the difficult work done by JB and her co-workers, but it gave me some ideas as to how to better help people who sometimes appear in our life needing support. I'm really glad it has been thought through that thoroughly.

I'm glad you mentioned In the Country of Men. I couldn't get the linked first chapter to work well; it froze after the first three paragraphs. I'm going to return to it and try again. I did like what I read.

I haven't read Flowbear either. The plot of Madame Bovary has never called out to me. I'll look forward to hearing your reaction.

I wish there was a practical way to help you with the John Lewis GNs.

>218 Ameise1: HELLO, Barbara. Good to see you! Thanks. Happy Sunday to you, too.

Madame MBH and seasonoflove are watching the Great Bakeoff while I LT. Sherlock is napping on Becca's lap.

>219 Caroline_McElwee: It is an unsettling image, isn't it, Caroline. I've never seen anything quite like it.

>220 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Hope you and Charlie and your hubby are having fun this weekend.

>222 FAMeulstee: Right, Anita. I'm thinking the feet are sculptural. What a sleight of hand to pull of the non-feet like that, and then the 3D feet really make it eerie.

" due to all Mark's carrying on about..." Oh, this man is relentless. He needs to be stopped...

Happy Sunday, Joe! Just made a library run. It is nasty out there. Our first snowstorm. My daughter is out doing real estate work. I hope she is careful driving out there. There was a head-on collision, about 2 blocks from our house.

On a lighter note, I picked up The Poet's Dog.

>217 mirrordrum:, >224 jnwelch: - I haven't read the good Madame either but I once bought a book, (still on my shelf, unread), strictly for its delightful title Madame Bovary's Ovaries - A Darwinian Look at Literature by David P. Barash and Nanelle R. Barash. The cover is rather bizarre and the concept, intriguing, but I somehow feel I really ought to at least try to tackle the real thing before I dip into this one. I have a weird sense of humour sometimes and I actually love skewered versions of familiar books. Please tell me I'm not alone in buying books for their covers (or titles, or whatever...!) ;-p

oh good morning, Joe. i envy you your weekend gnocchi and accompaniments. i love 'em. also, i adore Gorgonzola. the pairing of the two evades me somehow.

>224 jnwelch: alas, you know me too well, Joe. i pondered the "anti-christ" at some length and still am. that's a tremendously ponderable poem. your thoughts were helpful and interesting.

>219 Caroline_McElwee: >211 jnwelch: thank you Caroline. i can tell that you are a sensitive, perceptive, deeply aware, intelligent, discerning woman who recognizes a deeply unsettling, not to say unhinged and bizarre, image when she sees one. one cannot expect the same discernment from the masses in a watering place such as this. alas, the colonies. heh heh heh.

>226 msf59: well, Mark, you did carry on and i was casting about for a classic and thought of you. of course, if i don't like it, it will be all your fault. ;-)

>227 jessibud2: Shelley, it is very late and i am very werid (see?) but i think i speak for all bibliophiles everywhere and everywhen when i say that no one in all our long history has ever, ever been so foolish as to be seduced into buying, begging, borrowing or liberating a book for its cover, title or its whatever! i believe my brothers and sisters in bibliophilia will bear me out. i refer you to, for example, my recent post on this subject. covers do not sway me at all. not at all.

have a good 'un. JB's off w/ Casey to visit another shelter but only as Casey's person. she's hoping to get to the fire, police and other responders this week w/ C-dog in tow. they're just gonna be slammed.

these late night rampages should probably stop. but probably won't.

anon.

Morning, Joe! I have to say that I'm happy that we finally have some snow! Makes the season more seasonable, or something.

>226 msf59: Good morning, Mark! Please keep carrying on about . . . the latest. :-)

I haven't been to the library in too long. Good for you. Looked like a most excellent haul.

Yeah, when it gets snowy and slick out there, not all drivers handle it well. Hope Bree's day was A-OK.

You'll have an easy, good time with The Poet's Dog. This is good weather for reading it.

>227 jessibud2: Madame Bovary's Ovaries: A Darwinian Look at Literature - what a title, Shelley!

You're not alone in buying books for their covers/titles, that's for sure. I think Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, for ex, sold a ton just based on the title, which conjures up a lot of silliness. I love the across-the-pond covers for Hiromi Kawakami's books. Here's the latest:

>228 mirrordrum: That weekend gnocchi, and its accompaniments, were so good, Ellie. I love Italian food, and we don't get to it all that often. Some folks love gorgonzola and some (like Madame MBH) don't. If I see it, I'm likely to get it.

Ha, I'm glad you're pondering the Sharon Olds poem, including the "anti-Christ". From what we saw, I think you'd find her a valued soulmate in person. One of those people who makes us proud to be a human being - we sure can use that these days, can't we.

I agree with all you say about our Caroline. Some can tolerate more weirdness than others, that's all I'll say. If >211 jnwelch: is too much, try the cover in >230 jnwelch:.

Since Mark has probably read whatever book you happen to be reading, particularly if it's recently published, I think it's fair to blame him whenever it's one you don't like.

Yeah, despite my just saying the exact opposite, I'm completely with you on bibliophiles never buying books based on the cover, title, or whatever. I only do it when they catch me and won't let go, and I can't help myself. I'll look forward to reading your no doubt frank and honest assessment of that issue in the linked material.

I'll bet the crisis responders are slammed this week, Ellie. What a devastating experience for so many in your part of the country. Dolly Parton is a mensch, isn't she? Bless JB for what she does.

I get a kick out of the late night rampages, so I'd vote "don't stop". :-)

>229 scaifea: Good morning, Amber! Yeah, a friend in San Francisco texted me that he was pleased it looked like Chicago is going to have a white Christmas. It was in the 60s and sunny in SF. I don't think he was making the same point you are. There seemed to be an implicit raspberry issuing my way.

Morning, Joe! That's all I got today, 'cause you know...it's Monday.

So I started Great North Road last night. I'm 68 pages in, which I'll point out is 7% of the way through. It wouldn't even fit in my briefcase this morning... But so far it's great fun!

>193 jnwelch: I've been pondering on who I saw way back when Joe, some are sadly departed, but Simon Armitage, Paul Muldoon, Liz Lockhead, Jackie Kay, Paul Durcan were among those I saw more than once. Oh, and Ted Hughes' daughter Frieda, who tends to paint more than write these days I think. I did see her pa once as part of a PEN event. I used to make photo journals then, and took photos of many of the writers I saw, I'll dig them out and scan them sometime (project for next year on my thread perhaps).

>228 mirrordrum:, >230 jnwelch: - HA! That's all I gotta say. Maybe some others might be willing to share some of their favourite *bought-it-for-the-title/cover/whatever*... They say confession is god for the soul... ;-)

C'mon, ya know you want to...

Good morning, Joe! I hope you had a good weekend.

Here is some William Joyce Santa for the season:



I have read this book, Santa Calls, to my kids more than once in the last couple of weeks. I love it. I enjoyed it so much, I recorded myself reading it. That was fun.

>232 Crazymamie: Ha! I know, Mamie. Mmphmumbleday needs to retire from the lists, IMO.

>233 drneutron: Ha! Great North Road is fun, isn't it, Jim. And a whopper. I read it on Kindle - much lighter in weight, and fits in the backpack better (my briefcase days are over). Looking forward to hearing what you think as the percentage completed climbs.

>234 Caroline_McElwee: Oh, thanks, Caroline. I know Paul. C. is a big Simon Armitage fan, and he's got a good poem of his posted today. (I've read his version of The Odyssey and some scattered poems, and I've got a collection Paul C. rec'd while we were in London). Paul Muldoon I know, but not Liz Lockhead, Jackie Kay or Paul Durcan. I would've loved to have seen Ted Hughes.

>235 jessibud2: Good idea, Shelley. OK, cafe patrons, what books have you bought for the title/cover/whatever?

For me:

Cover: Miss Buncle's Book



Title: Yoga for People Who Can't Be Bothered to Do It

Whatever: A Guide to the Birds of East Africa (not sure what combination got me to read this one, but I liked it a lot)

>236 brodiew2: Good morning, Brodie. That was quite the good weekend for us, and I hope yours was, too.

Nice William Joyce! Nothing better than reading to the kids. You'll all have fun memories of this one, I'm sure, and that recording of you reading it will bring it all back.

This is from streetartutopia. The artist is unidentified, but it sure looks like an Alice Pasquini to me. I love the way the colors match up.

>239 jnwelch: Excellent Pasquini, Joe! I love how the colors blend the image into the real scene.

>240 brodiew2: Isn't that excellent, Brodie? Me, too.

>239 jnwelch: I really love that one, Joe!

>242 Crazymamie: Oh good, Mamie. Kudos all around - she was smart with the artwork and colors, wasn't she, and the photographer was smart with the photo.

Hi, Joe! Had a busy day today, so didn't make it around the threads much. How is Zero K coming? It is definitely not for all tastes but I find there is a strong, hypnotic allure to his narrative, some of it leaves me baffled and some of it is fascinating. No arguing that his writing chops are top-notch. I am also a bit surprised how well it works on audio. Maybe, it is just a good narrator. It is a guy I have not heard of.

I am loving A Gentleman in Moscow. This one has your name stamped all over it. Just sayin'...

Hi there, Joe. So this is the "more to come" but I don't have much to say. I'm fighting a cold, which seems totally unfair, and I am soon headed to bed. I was hoping to make more thread rounds this evening but the flannel sheets are calling.

So you are reading Zero K and you said on my thread that it's a bit of a struggle. I'll be interested in your final verdict (not that I plan to read any more DeLillo any time soon).

Did I tell you that I loved The Poet's Dog? If not, I loved The Poet's Dog. Thank you for that recommendation.

Happy Tuesday, my friend!

>244 msf59: Hiya, Mark!

Zero K is coming all right. Ellen's comment about White Noise, "brilliant and tortuously dull" still fits. You're right, no arguing his writing skills are top-notch. Not sure I'd choose to do this with those chops, though. I'm about 3/4 of the way through, so we'll see whether the ending elevates it. I'm glad it's going well on audio.

Oh good, glad to hear it re A Gentleman in Moscow. That one likely will be in my future.

>245 EBT1002: Hi, there, Ellen. Thanks for stopping by, even with a lousy cold going on. It's that time of year - people here are having them persist for weeks. Hope you've got the milder version.

As I mentioned to Mark, your "brilliant and tortuously dull" still applies to Zero K as well as White Noise. I'm in the last 1/4, so we'll see whether anything causes that to change. Right now, I sure don't plan to read any more DeLillo any time soon. I do know one guy who just loved his books way back when. So far, I don't get it.

Yay for The Poet's Dog! I thought you'd love that one. Teddy, what a great character. Wish he was here right now.

Happy Tuesday, my friend! Feel better!

Morning, Joe!

Back to add that I actually liked White Noise - the beginning was the best part by far. The middle was a complete slog, but the ending saved it for me. The book would have been much better with about a third of it missing, I think.

>247 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie!

>250 jnwelch: Fair enough, Mamie. I'm hoping the ending saves Zero K for me. He certainly is a talented writer.

By Giclee

BTW, two books I really liked this past year won Goodreads' Reader Choice awards: Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys (YA), and Morning Star by Pierce Brown, the conclusion to the very good Red Rising Trilogy (sci-fi).

>251 jnwelch: Like!

Morning Joe! Glad you are hanging in there with Zero K. It sounds like you will not be in any hurry to try him again but at least you gave him a shot. I should finish it today.

Ooh, Salt to the Sea. What a gem that one is.

>253 Familyhistorian: Ha! Glad to hear it, Meg. Calvin & Hobbes in Van Gogh-land.

>254 msf59: Yes, I'll finish Zero K, probably today, too. Wasn't Salt to the Sea a gem? I hope this causes more folks to try it. I do recommend you finish the Red Rising series with Morning Star. It's a well done conclusion.

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

Excellent image in >251 jnwelch:. Again, love the use of color.

I have to say when I saw Red Rising, I thought of Red Storm Rising, which is excellent book as well. :-P

>256 brodiew2: Hiya, Brodie. All is well.

Isn't that a fun one? We know it's Van Gogh, and we know it's C & H, but he's played with it.

I read the early Tom Clancys, but didn't get to Red Storm Rising. Sounds like I should.

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