Mahsdad's (Jeff) 2017 Thread - Part 2

Welcome to thread #2 for 2017.

If you're new, my name is Jeff. I live in Southern California. I'm an avid reader. My wife might say I'm bordering on the obsessive. But then, I think that could apply to a lot of us in this group. I also enjoy photography, movies, hiking and playing games and hanging out with my family. Book-wise, I have a pretty eclectic taste in what I read and I hope to give you not so much reviews but my impressions about what I read.

What you will find here is mostly my rambling, way too many (according to some :) ) Wishlist and TBR pile temptations and a smattering of my photography. I don't really make a plan for what I'm going to read thru out the year. Its mostly what strikes my fancy from the TBR piles. This year, I received many wonderful books from our Christmas Swap and SantaThing, so I think that will provide me with a good list to start with.

This is my 5th year in the group, but my 4th after stepping out of the shadows and started being an active participant.

2013 Reading Thread
2014 Reading Thread
2015 Reading Thread
2016 Reading Thread

Come on in and sit a spell...

Welcome!



(this image a foggy afternoon in Morro Bay)

2017 Statistics

Owned - 3
Bought 2017 - 5
Free/Found - 1
Library -
Gift - 6
Audio - 8
eBook -
Early Review - 4
Graphic Novel - 21

July
47. Human Acts - Han Kang (ER)
46. The Girls - Emma Cline (A)
45. Their Eyes were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston

June
44. Descender, Vol 1 - Jeff Lemire (GN)
43. The Asylum of Dr Caligari - James Morrow
42. Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven - Sherman Alexie (AAC)
41. Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry
40. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - John Boyne


May
39. Kitchen Confidential - Anthony Bourdain (A)
38. Kill or be Killed, Vol 1. - Ed Brubaker (GN)
37. New Boy - Tracy Chevalier (ER)
36. American Gods - Neil Gaiman
35. Gulp - Mary Roach (A)
Favorite:


April
34. The Regional Office is Under Attack - Manuel Gonzales (A)
33. In the Walled City - Stewart O'Nan
32. Superman: Red Son - Mark Millar (GN)
31. Different Seasons - Stephen King (A)
30. Batman - Brian K. Vaughan (GN)
29. Saga Volume 7 - Brian K. Vaughan (GN)
Favorite:

March
28. The Impossible Fortress - Jason Rekualak
27. Crescent Dawn - Clive Cussler (A)
26. Hellboy vol 8: Darkness Calls - Mike Mignola (GN)
25. The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins
24. Hellboy vol 7 : The Troll Witch and Other Stories - Mike Mignola (GN)
23. Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri
22. End of Watch - Stephen King (A)
21. Hellboy Vol 6, Strange Places - Mike Mignola (GN)
20. Hellboy Vol 5, Conqueror Worm - Mike Mignola (GN)
Favorite:


February
19. The Things We Lost in the Fire - Mariana Enriquez (ER)
18. Hellboy Vol 4, Right Hand of Doom - Mike Mignola (GN)
17. Hellboy Vol 3, The Chained Coffin and Others - Mike Mignola (GN)
16. This Book is Full of Spiders - David Wong
15. Hellboy Vol 2, Wake the Devil - Mike Mignola (GN)
14. Finders Keepers - Stephen King (A)
13. Hellboy Vol 1, Seed of Destruction - Mike Mignola (GN)
12. Among Others - Jo Walton
11. An Abundance of Katherines - John Green
Favorite:


January
10. Paper Girls Vol. 1 - Brian Vaughan (GN)
9. Sunlight Pilgrims - Jenni Fagan (ER)
8. Road Rage - Stephen King (GN)
7. Trees Vol 2 - Warren Ellis (GN)
6. Trees Vol 1 - Warren Ellis (GN)
5. Red Badge of Courage - Stephen Crane
4. Identity Crisis - Brad Meltzer (GN)
3. Preacher Book Six - Gartth Ennis (GN)
2. Preacher Book Five - Garth Ennis (GN)
1. The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher - Hilary Mantel
Favorite:

Currently Reading

I don't think I'm going to post here anymore. I always forget to and how often to people actually come up to the top of a thread to read? I know I'm guilty of only reading the unread posts.

Pulitzer's Read

Ongoing bucket list to read all the Pulitzer winning novels.

Total Read - 25

2016 -
2015 - All the Light We Cannot See
2014 - The Goldfinch
2013 - The Orphan Master's Son
2012 - NO AWARD
- Swamplandia - Nominee
2011 - A Visit from the Goon Squad
2010 - Tinkers
2009 -
2008 - The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
2007 - The Road
2006 - March
2005 - Gilead
2004 -
2003 - Middlesex
2002 -
2001 - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
2000 - The Interpreter of Maladies
1999 -
1998 -
1997 -
1996 -
1995 -
1994 -
1993 - A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain
1992 - A Thousand Acres
- My Father Bleeds History (Maus) (Special Awards & Citations - Letters)
1991 -
1990 -
1989 -
1988 -
1987 -
1986 - Lonesome Dove
1985 -
1984 - Ironweed
1983 - The Color Purple
1982 -
1981 - A Confederacy of Dunces
1980 -
1979 - The Stories of John Cheever
1978 -
1977 - NO AWARD
1976 -
1975 - The Killer Angels
1974 - NO AWARD
1973 -
1972 - Angle of Repose
1971 - NO AWARD
1970 -
1969 -
1968 - The Confessions of Nat Turner
1967 -
1966 -
1965 -
1964 - NO AWARD
1963 -
1962 -
1961 - To Kill a Mockingbird
1960 -
1959 -
1958 -
1957 - NO AWARD
1956 -
1955 -
1954 - NO AWARD
1953 -
1952 - The Caine Mutiny
1951 -
1950 -
1949 -
1948 -
1947 -
1946 - NO AWARD
1945 -
1944 -
1943 -
1942 -
1941 - NO AWARD
1940 - The Grapes of Wrath

Hugos Read

Ongoing bucket list to read all the Hugo winning novels

Total Read - 29

2016 -
2015 -
2014 - Ancillary Justice (DNF)
2013 - Redshirts
2012 - Among Others
2011 -
2010 -
2009 - The Graveyard Book
2008 - The Yiddish Policemen's Union
2007 -
2006 - Spin
2005 -
2004 -
2003 -
2002 - American Gods
2001 - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2000 -
1999 - To Say Nothing of the Dog
1998 -
1997 -
1996 - The Diamond Age
1995 -
1994 -
1993 -
1992 -
1991 -
1990 -
1989 -
1988 - The Uplift War
1988 - Watchmen - category : Other forms
1987 - Speaker for the Dead
1986 - Ender's Game
1985 - Neuromancer
1984 - Startide Rising
1983 -
1982 -
1981 -
1980 -
1979 -
1978 -
1977 -
1976 - The Forever War
1975 -
1974 - Rendezvous with Rama
1973 -
1972 -
1971 - Ringworld
1970 - Left Hand of Darkness
1969 - Stand on Zanzibar
1968 -
1967 - The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
1966 - Dune
1965 -
1964 - Way Station
1963 -
1962 - Stranger in a Strange Land
1961 - A Canticle for Leibowitz
1960 - Starship Troopers
1959 -
1958 -
1956 -
1955 -
1953 - The Demolished Man

Retro Hugos - this are given for years when no award was given (more than 50 years ago). Of those...

1939 - The Sword in the Stone
1951 - Farmer in the Sky
1954 - Fahrenheit 451

National Book Award Winners:

2015 - Fortune Smiles
2014 - Redeployment
2001 - The Corrections
1988 - Paris Trout
1983 - The Color Purple - hardback award
1981 - The Stories of John Cheever - paperback award
1980 - The World According to Garp - paperback award
1953 - Invisible Man

2016 Recap Statistics

Total Read - 102

Owned - 10
Bought 2016 - 11
Free/Found - 5
Library - 4
Gift - 5
Audio - 18
eBook -
Early Review - 6
Graphic Novel - 39

The full list is still in my 2016 Thread (see above), but in no particular order, here are my 5 favs from last year.



Dark Matter - Blake Crouch
Grief is the Thing with Feathers - Max Porter
The Orphan Master's Son - Adam Johnson
All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr
Dodgers - Bill Beverly

Happy new thread!

Happy New Thread, Jeff. Happy Sunday. How is Lonesome Dove coming? You know, that is one of my all-time favorite reads.

Jeff--Congrats on the new thread! I loved 2 of your three favorite reads this year. (I can't see what the orange second one is...title?) And two of your faves from last year are high on my list, too: Dark Matter and All the Light We Cannot See. Hey! We should hang out together! ; )

>9 drneutron: Thanks Jim

>10 msf59: Thanks Mark! I'm about 100 pages in. Enjoying it a lot. Last month my new boss came out to visit/lunch and the subject got round to books He said that Lonesome Dove was one of his favorites as well. A couple days later, a nice little package from Amazon came in the mail. Score. Its hard-back so its not exactly portable, that's why I started the O'Nan. Needed something else that travels. :)

>11 Berly: Hey Kim, that's what I love about this place, good people, good books, and finding out that other good people like the same good books you do. The orange cover was Jo Walton's Among Others. My new job has me traveling more, so I'll start putting the word out when I'm on the road. LT meetups are always fun!

Happy new thread, Jeff!

Happy new thread, Jeff. I will be keeping an eye on your travels with Lonesome Dove. I have read two of the other books in the series but not the most famous one as yet.

Happy New Thread, Jeff. I'm glad to hear you're liking Lonesome Dove, Great book.

Hey Amber, Paul, Joe. Thanks for stopping by.

I guess it was about time I got on the Lonesome Dove bandwagon. It seems to be liked by most. Don't know why I never thought to read it before.

Happy new thread Jeff and glad to see you are enjoying your Lonesome Dove read.

Gaiman update.

Boy was it fun to see him. Probably at least 1,000 like minded people gather to listen to Gaiman tell stories, read from books/poems and answer questions.

We didn't get an autographed book, the line was longer than the line to the bar. And I already have a signed first edition of The Ocean at the End of the Lane, so I'm okay.

He read a story from Norse Mythology, a story (The Mapmaker) from the intro to Fragile Things, Click-Clack The Rattlebag, Babycakes, the poem he wrote in response to the Poet Brothel he went to on his Batchelor Party (instead of strippers, 12 woman sat next to him reading him poetry). As well as a couple others that I can't remember.

A really cool night. So I had to fill in my back-catalog of Gaiman. I got paper versions of...

Norse Mythology
Neverwhere - paperback with the cool Robert McGinnis cover
Fragile Things

>18 mahsdad: Ooof, that sounds wonderful. *sigh*

I just saw yesterday that he's doing an event with Stephen Fry, where the two of them will apparently just sit round chatting about mythology. Lordy lou, if that isn't heaven, I don't know what is.

>18 mahsdad:, >19 scaifea: No kidding. I'd love to hear him give a talk, and to add Fry in the mix, wow!

Happy Foto Friday Folks! To celebrate, I'll share a couple funky pictures of the venue where we saw Neil Gaiman and 1 blurry picture of the man himself. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Its Amazon Prime Pilot season and I was just poking around looking for something to watch during my lunch and stumbled across an hour long sci-fi drama about a dystopian Earth and a priest who is sent to an Oasis world. It's called Oasis.

This sounded very familar to me. Looked further and noticed that the book it was based on was written by Michel Faber, and that seemed even MORE familar.

Yep, they did a pilot (with hopes of future episodes) of The Book of Strange New Things

Interesting...

Huh. I liked that one ok, but I'm not sure how well it would transfer to a visual medium. Did you watch it?

Just started. Haven't seen the natives yet.

ETA. Hmmm. I want to see more, but they are definitely taking it in a more "traditional" direction. The Oasis world isn't as harsh as in the book, but I think it makes it easier to film. The dynamic between the Priest and his wife seems to be gone. She is dead right has he leaves for Oasis. The big change is with the natives. We hear a recording of them, but we don't see them, other than a glimpse at the end where the Priest sees a bunch of robed figures.

I'm am curious to see where they take it (if they take it, as its only a pilot)

For those who care, just found out Saga Book 7 is available. WooHoo!

Blasted thru Saga Book 7 in just about 1 sitting. Excellent read, trippy as ever.

Now gotta wait for another year for Book 8 (assuming there is one) :)

http://www.pulitzer.org/winners/colson-whitehead

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead gets this year's Fiction Pulitzer.

Got to get a copy of this, and then clear out the TBR so I can even thinking about reading this year's winner. I'll probably be ready about this time next year.

I hadn't heard about The Book of Strange New Things TV pilot, I'll have to check that out. I really liked the book, but it wouldn't be my first choice for a visual adaptation.

Hey Kriti, Yeah I totally wasn't expecting it. It has potential, the linchpin will be what they do with the natives

Finished quite a while ago, but...



19. The Things We Lost in the Fire - Mariana Enriquez - I got this book through the Early Review program at LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. This is a very interesting collection of macabre, odd, sometimes magical, some times disturbing stories set in Enriquez's native Argentina.

The opening story (The Dirty Kid) is about a well off woman living in her family's nearly abandoned home in the slums and her haunting interactions with a small homeless boy and his drug addicted Mom, who live on the street outside the house. Very creepy. Enriquez takes from there on wild ride thru to the final title story about an epidemic of women setting themselves on fire to protest domestic violence. Not for the faint of heart, but a worthy read.

8/10

S: 2/22/17 - 2/27/17 (6 Days)

>22 mahsdad: I may have to check out that adaptation of The Book of Strange New Things. I loved the book. I sure hope they do it justice.

>30 mahsdad: Good review, Jeff. I really liked this collection too. There has been some amazing short fiction, being released.

Thanks Buddy!

5 years ago, I wouldn't have actively searched out short story collections, but time and age has shifted my perspective. Love 'em.

I just finished perhaps the scariest story I ever read. In O'Nan's In the Walled City, the story is called "The Doctor's Sickness". Its about a elderly Doctor and his descent into dementia, sometimes realizing it, sometimes not. As someone who is starting the back nine of life (maybe approaching 10th green), this is a scary prospect. Yikes.

>18 mahsdad: Totally jealous!! : ) Happy Friday.

Thanks Kim, it was really fun.

We seem to be on an author trend, instead of concerts. In June, we are going to go see David Sedaris at Royce Hall (UCLA). That should be fun.

My 16 yr old didn't know who he was. But when I played a clip of Sedaris on Letterman (I think), reading an excerpt from a story called Jesus Shaves, he said; "Okay, I'm in" :)

31. Different Seasons - Stephen King - Sometimes its nice to go back to old friends for a visit. Perhaps that's stretching a metaphor too far, but this is definitely a favorite of mine, one that I've had a copy on my shelf for almost 35 years. This time I was listening to on audio borrowed from the library on Hoopla (great app BTW).

Different seasons is a collection of 4 novellas that weren't strictly horror that he had difficulties publishing. They can almost be categorized by a particular season. They are all really good and provided the source material for 2 of the best movie adaptations of King's work.

Spring - "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" - Shawshank is one of my favorite movies and reading this again after seeing the movie so many times, its easy to see the differences. Some are better in the book, some beats were improved by the movie. Excellent either way.

Summer - "The Body" - This became Stand By Me" in the movies and is the story, like the title suggests of a group of 4 12 yr old friends on a two day trek to see a dead body. This one also utilizes one of King's tropes of an author/narrator telling tales of his past. I think my favorite part is the story within a story that he tells about the Pie-Eating Contest.

Autumn - "Apt Pupil" - Made into a movie with Ian McKellen. One of the creepiest/horrific stories by King, and its not horror. A disturbed teenager finds a elderly neighbor is a former Nazi death camp commendant and forces him to recount his tales. As their "friendship" develops they each go down a dark path. An excellent, but disturbing read

Winter - "The Breathing Method" - the only story not made into a movie, and the one with the most horrific aspects. Another story within a story tale. At an exclusive men's club, the members always gather at Christmas to hear one of them tell a creepy story. One of those is told by an elderly doctor about when he was a young doctor and the single pregnant woman who is determined to have her baby, despite ALL odds. A twilight zone type story that is one of my favorites.

9/10

S: 3/27/17 - 4/14/17 (19 Days)

Needed a new audio book, scrolled thru the new releases and grabbed...

The Regional Office is Under Attack by Manuel Gonzales. I could have sworn I already had it on my list, it sounded very familar, but I didn't.

Its pretty good so far. He dumps you right into a world of a secretive agency staffed by women who may or may not have super powers. Very intriguing. Not sure where its going, but I'm enjoying the ride so far.

Anyone heard of the movie Genuis? It's about Thomas Wolfe and Max Perkins. Pretty interesting

Max Perkins, literary editor who discovered Wolfe, F Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway.

Colin Firth, Jude Law, Guy Pierce and Nicole Kidman

It's on HBO right now

>36 mahsdad: I love King, and I haven't read that one yet. Nor have I seen all the movies. Might have to remedy that!! And Genius sounds awesome! Love the cast, too. Off to find it...

Has any one read Margaret Atwood's Angel Catbird graphic novel? I just did and I'm not quite sure about it I liked the premise,but overall I thought it was goofy.

>38 mahsdad: I love that movie, Jeff. Before I retired, I worked as a paralegal for nearly 40 years; much of my job involved "fixing" things my bosses wrote, from briefs to summaries for clients to opening/closing statements and the occasional "presentation". The managing partner liked to call me his "Max Perkins". One of the partners was particularly challenging, but not quite as wordy as Wolfe!

Hi Linda, very interesting. A good editor in any industry is a very good thing to have. :)

Thanks for stopping by...

Reading update...

Still banging away at Lonesome Dove, a little over a third of the way thru.
Also reading LTER book New Boy, a Hogarth Shakespeare retelling of Othello, set in a 6th grade elementary class.

Needed a new audio book, and I grabbed Gulp by Mary Roach. Someone 'round the threads mentioned Roach recently and it jumped out at me. I always "enjoy" her writing.

LA Times Arts and Books section today provided a couple BBs

Borne, a new dystopian future novel by Jeff Vandermeer. Elizabeth Hand (author who wrote the review), said that it may be the most beautifully written, and believable, post-apocalyptic tale in recent memory. Its main characters are a bioengineered bear and an intelligent cephalopod.

And...

Searching for John Hughes: Or Everything I thought I needed to Know About Life I learned from Watching '80s Movies by Jason Diamond. It started out as a biography of Hughes, but turned into a memoir. John Hughes is seminal in my growing up, I just might have to read this.

Hope you all had a great weekend.

Oh, I almost forgot, I also got a copy of Library of Souls, the 3rd book in the Ms. Peregrine trilogy. It finally came out in paperback, and as soon as I saw it in the airport newstand last week, I had to get it.

And, why have 2 current books when you can have 3. American Gods started today on Starz, and I figured I might as well try to reread it before watching. Should have done that a couple months ago.

>43 mahsdad: Hi, Jeff! I just read Gulp and thought it was great — I hope you do, too. It's hard for me to believe I have never read Lonesome Dove but there you go. I really need to get to that one someday.

Hey Julia, Mary Roach has found quite a unique and interesting niche. I think this is the 3rd or 4th of her's I've read. All good.

No problem missing out on LD so far. We all have TONS of books that we should have already read. Its a neverending struggle. :)

And if you all are looking for something audio book adjacent, check out S(hit) Town. A new podcast from the folks that made Serial and make This American Life

A twisting tale about a very eccentric man in a small Southern town. Started off in one direction and make several oblique turns along the way. Very engaging.

As I said on FB... "The man in black fled into the desert, and the gunslinger followed."

Here's the trailer for the Dark Tower movie. I liked it, but it definitely does not follow the books. Seems to be pulling from a lot of different places.

Enjoy, or don't. No big whoop. :)

https://youtu.be/GjwfqXTebIY

The danger and blessing of signing up for every little book contest that comes across your FB feed, is that occassionally you win.

I just got a signed copy of Tom Merritt's book Pilot X from some contest that I entered at Shelf Awareness. To quote the blurb, "What if a time traveler lived in a world where disrupting the timeline could destroy everything in the universe except himself.

On the stack it goes.

BTW, if Merritt sounds familar, he's the host (with Veronica Belmont) of the Sword and Laser podcast.

>49 mahsdad: Oooh, I watched that earlier today at work (shhh! don't tell). Apparently (I had not heard this) the movie is meant to be a sequel to the books rather than following the plot of the books? I don't really care, because I just want to visit Midworld on the big screen.

I had a funny IM conversation with a co-worker who is also a big Dark Tower fan, as we watched the trailer in our respective offices. He said he'd be happy with movie versions of just The Gunslinger, Wizard and Glass, and the final book, but I argued that Wolves of Calla would make a kick-ass movie. Fighting robots by throwing plates at them? Robots that eat the BRAINS of children? C'mon, you gotta make a movie out of that!

Glad to see you like The Girl on the Train - I really enjoyed it. I hear she's got a new book out that I'll be on the lookout for.

I'll have to check out Oasis on the Amazon prime season. We did watch Jean Claude van Damme Johnson, and yes, it was as bad as you would expect it to be, but also strangely interesting too. My husband and I used to watch van Damme movies a long time ago - most were bad, but some were, well, not bad. Time Cop was always a favorite!

Hey Julia and Robin, thanks for dropping by (and for the 5/4 wishes, Robin).

As I heard someone else say, does this make today "Revenge of the Fifth"?

My wife is selling her jewelry in a crafts fair this weekend (if you are in the Long Beach CA area come check out the Uptown Village Market tomorrow from 11-5 (https://www.uptownvillagemarket.com/uptownvillagemarket).

One of the vendors there was a travelling bookshop. The guy displayed his books in old steamer trunks and had a really nice selection. I picked up...

White Noise - Don Delillo
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - John Boyne
The Wind Up Bird Chronicles - Haruki Murakami
The Jazz Ear: Conversations Over Music - Ben Ratliff

With these and my Ransom Riggs purchase the other day, I'm about half way to my Thingaversary challenge (which is coming up in a couple weeks)

>54 mahsdad: It's absolutely the Revenge of the Fifth today - much more relevant to my family than Cinco de Mayo.

>55 mahsdad: would love to see pictures of your wife's jewelry - I make and have occasionally sold jewelry, but I've never been ambitious (or brave) enough to go the craft fair route. Best of luck to her!

Hey Robin, she specializes in chain maille, her Sites are...

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThreePineHill
https://www.facebook.com/ThreePineHill/

Let me know what you think

>57 mahsdad: I really like it. She is very talented. The chain work is impressive - I've tried to do some and I think I'd rather stick to the beads! I also really like those bunny and fox earrings. Does she craft those as well? I couldn't tell what they were made from.

No she bought those. I think they're glass beads

>57 mahsdad: Wow, that is really beautiful jewelry! I'm sending the Etsy link to a friend of mine who I think will love it.

Thanks Julia, that's really great!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend, Jeff

>55 mahsdad: Nice book haul! Happy Wednesday.

Thanks Kim.

Thanks Paul for the weekend wishes. Too bad I didn't respond until we're almost ready for the next weekend. :)

Happy Friday Friends. Alas, no photos for you today (I've been in a bit of a slump), but I just wanted to pass along this article about Left Hand of Darkness. A classic.

Its being developed into a TV series. No network yet, but with the amount of new content that Netflix pumps out, I'd expect it there or perhaps Hulu.

http://io9.gizmodo.com/ursula-k-le-guin-s-scifi-classic-left-hand-of-darkness-17...

Happy Friday, Jeff. Hope you are doing well. I do not see much book activity over here, is everything okay?

I finished A Wild Sheep Chase. Another trippy, weird delight by Mr. Murakami. Glad to see you snagged Wind Up Bird. Another gem.

Hey buddy,

I've gotten WAY behind in reviewing things. But rest assured I ain't stopping reading. I always update the top of my thread, but depending on how people come to a thread people might not see it. I know I use the unread thread link.

I'm currently still reading...

Lonesome Dove - paused it, but not for lack of interest
New Boy - Almost done, but paused it too, again not for lack of interest
American Gods - the reason for the other pauses. Wanted to read it again before signing up for Starz and watching it.

Audio
Gulp - finished it. Very fascinating trip thru our alimentary canal. :)
Kitching Confidential - currently reading. Ironically due to the subject of the last book. Couldn't resist because Bourdain reads it. He's another voice I could listen to reading the phone book.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Enjoying me fresh Enjoy By. Hope you are enjoying yourself a tasty beverage.

>67 mahsdad: The vagina swallowing scene is apparently causing something of a stir Jeff on American Gods as a TV show.

Have a great weekend.

>67 mahsdad: Kitchen Confidential was one of my best audio book experiences. Nobody does Bourdain like the man himself.

Going to try to catch up on book thoughts (I think I've given up on actual reviews).

In LIFO order...

Just finished Vol 1 of a new GN series by Ed Brubaker: Kill or be Killed. In Brubaker's usual style, a "graphic" story of a depressed man who, after a suicide attempt is tapped by a demon to kill one "deserving" person a month, or be killed himself. Interesting...

23. Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri - An interesting collection of stories from a culture I wasn't familiar with. "Day in the Life" type stories where you are just dropped into a situation and watch what unfolds. My favorite was the title story about an Indian/American family vacationing in India and their trip to see the Konarak Temple with a local guide.

And since it won the Pulitzer, this book was a must read for my ongoing Pulitzer challenge.

8/10

S: 2/27/17 - 3/9/17 (11 Days)

Recent Graphic Novel reads...

Batman - Brian Vaughan - A collection of Vaughan's (Saga) Batman stories
Red Son - Mark Millar - what would happen if Superman landed in Russia instead of Kansas
Kill or be Killed - which I mentioned above.

29. Impossible Fortress - Jason Rekulak - A story that could have been a teen movie that main character of the book might watch on HBO late at night. A 14 yr old geek and his friends hatch a plot to buy (then steal) copies of Playboy featureing Vanna White. They then plan to sell copies and reprints of the pictures to their fellow adolescent boys at school. As the plan gets more and more complex, is part is to befriend the daughter of the shopkeeper so they can get the security codes.

He finds that the girl and he have an affinity for the burgeoning field of game programming. An the heist story turns into a first love story, and then it all goes wrong.

Not a lot of depth, but a pretty decent YA story.

7/10

S: 3/18/17 - 3/25/17 (8 Days)

Not to toot my own horn, but today is my 10th thingaversary. (Tim sent me my Tenner badge) Yippe, my how time has flown. This is my favorite little corner of the intertubes.

I guess I gotta get going on my "required" stash acquisition.

For my beer friends...

One of my favorite brews is Stone's Enjoy By IPAs. They are all date stamped for freshness. I used to save the bottles, just because I'm a pack rat and didn't know what to do with them. Two important bottles were 12/05/14 (The date of my father's passing) and 3/14/15 (obvious on its face).

I found a crafter (https://www.ekpcreations.com/) that makes candles out of wine, liquor and beer bottles. Problem solved. I now have a wonderful memorial candle for my Dad, and new glass from which to drink my tasty brews. Go check her out if you are so inclined.

Happy 10th Thingaversary, Jeff! The time sure does fly, doesn't it? I will look forward to your "required" acquisition of 11 new books — woot!

And what a clever idea for repurposing old bottles! Those look great and the extra meaning for each makes them even more special. Well done all around.

Belated happy 10th thingaversary!
I am very happy we all found this little corner of the world wide web.

Thanks Julia, Anita!

Now as far as my anniversary horde goes, I'm counting the 4 I got a couple weeks ago, cause I got way more than I know what to do with right now anyway :) But that's par for the course around here, right?

White Noise - Don Delillo
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - John Boyne
The Wind Up Bird Chronicles - Haruki Murakami
The Jazz Ear: Conversations Over Music - Ben Ratliff

>78 mahsdad: Eclectic anniversary haul, Jeff. Not a big fan of the obtuse Mr. DeLillo but Boyne and Murakami would grace any bookcase.

Hey buddy, thanks for stopping by! I'll keep your opinion in mind when I eventually get to the Delillo. I've always wanted to check him out and I figured for the price of a used book, why the heck not.

I'm reading Boyne right now, along with meandering thru Lonesome Dove.

Happy Thingaversary, Jeff. Don't know that I approve of shorting yourself on the acquisitions...we have standards to maintain, y'know!

Thanks Linda, I don't mean that I'm done at only 4, only that I'm counting it towards my total. :)

My wife would kill me if I come home with 11 books right after getting 4. I "have" to stagger them in.

Your wife's wirework is very nice. I do wirework as well, but not chain maille as it is so fine-motor intensive that it exceeds my frustration index. And congratulations on the 10th Anniversary for LT--mine is coming up in October.

Happy Thingaversary, Jeff. Big Ten, eh?

Glad you loved the Lahiri collection. I am also a big fan of her work.

On the GN front, did you read Descender? I just started Vol 1. It is very good. Love Lemire.

>82 mahsdad: I had a friend who had that problem with shoes...she'd buy them and leave them in the trunk of her car until she wanted to wear them, and then if anyone noticed the shoes she'd say "These...oh, I've had these a loooong time." Which was sort of true by then.

>83 ronincats: Thanks Roni, I'll pass your comments along. She has a single minded focus that has lead her right to her niche; Chain maille. I've always like your ceramics, and your tree and cat pendants.

>84 msf59: Hey Mr. Postman! 10 years, my has time flown. When I started my boy was in first grade, now he's about to finish his sophomore year. I have seen Descender in my Hoopla searches, I'll have to grab it.

>85 laytonwoman3rd: I think we all pale in comparison to the problems Paul has, but despite the scale, or order of magnatude, its all the same. Too many books, not enough time.

:)

Happy 10th, Jeff!

Happy tenth! Mine's coming up on June 13.

Thanks Amber, Doc!

39. Kitchen Confidential - Anthony Bourdain (AUDIO) - Anthony Bourdain is what I would consider a "blue collar" Celebrity Chef. His TV shows always find the interesting places and interesting foods. He's now more of a travel writer, than a cook (in my opinion). This is his memoirs of his early days as a novice cook and top Chef. A tale of long days, copious amounts of drugs and alcohol and great food. Its also good look into what it takes to run a high-end restaurant. Some key takeaways for me were, don't eat fish on Sunday, don't be surprised that your bread bowl contains recycled bread from other plates, and brunch hollandaise is probably made from left over butter.

I listened to this on audio. Bourdain narrated it himself. He has a great speaking voice, and it definitely adds to the enjoyment of this book. Whether or not you are a foodie, I highly recommend this book

9/10

>90 mahsdad: I loved that one on audio too. Have you read any of his crime novels?

No, I haven't Linda. I didn't realize he was writing fiction. I'm going to have to check it out. Thx

That's what we're here for!

37. New Boy - Tracy Chevalier - I got this book thru the Early Review program at LibraryThing, in exchange for an honest review. This is the second book from the Hogarth Shakespeare series that I've read. Its a series where novelists were tasked with taking one of the Bard's works and reworking or reimagining it in their own style. In this book, Chevalier (The Girl with the Pearl Earring) takes on Othello.

The "play" takes place all in one day in and around the playground of a elementary school in 1970's Washington DC. All he characters are in the 6th grade class. Othello becomes Osei, the son of a diplomat from Ghana, he is the first and only black student at the school Needless to say, he stands out. He meets Dee (Desdemona) on the playground and their attraction is instant. The political intrigue and backstabbing takes the form of kickball games and adolescent attractions and and easily manipulated relationships.

I liked the story, but only when I "forgot" that the story was set with characters that were around 11 or 12 years old. I understand the reasons for setting the story on a playground of a school, I felt that the sophisticated relationships were too sophisticated for such young people. To be honest it kinda creeped me out. In my mind, if I thought the characters were at least teenagers then it worked better for me age-wise. But then, once kids get to middle school, they don't have recess and playtime quite as much, and the playground is an important part of the story. Over all, a good story worth your time. If nothing else, it means I have 6 more books to read to complete the series.

"...a young boy limped out, patched up on his knee and elbow, followed by Miss Montano, who wore a white coat and a face set permanently to unperturbed."

8/10

A few quotes from past books I forgot about...

"You can teach an elephant to tap-dance, but you won't enjoy the show and neither will the elephant" - Impossible Fortress - Jason Rekulak

"In fact, the only thing that appeared three-dimensional about Boori Ma was her voice: brittle with sorrows, as tart as curds, and shill enough to grate meat from a coconut." - Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri

For any Stephen King fans wondering around my neck of the woods. The paper today was listing summer TV shows, and there's a couple from Mr. King...

They are trying to do the Mist again (this time as a full series) on Spike. Not really one of my favorites, but there you go. Jump scares in the fog.

The more interesting one, and one I won't be able to see, because its on DirectTV, is Mr. Mercedes. Not sure if its a movie, or series, but it stars Brendon Gleeson, so it might be one to look for.

No chance to get any books at the airport today. (Sad that that's the "most" accessible bookstore option for me), but there is a Barnes and Noble near my hotel.

Limited myself to just one. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. For Sherman Alexie month

Went to a Mellow Mushroom for dinner. Sat down at the bar with my book (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and the girl sitting next to me about exploded. it was her favorite movie. She was amazed that I was reading it.

I love book encounters

>98 mahsdad: Ha! My head nearly asplodes when I see someone reading that one, too! It's definitely a doozie.

>96 mahsdad: I have to say that The Mist was a big, big favorite of mine when I first read it many years ago, although I suspect a lot of that had to do with being captivated by imagining what it would be like to be trapped in the supermarket. Apparently that's been a secret wish of mine. :-)

>94 mahsdad: Hmmm...I also received that one from the ER program, and haven't read it yet. I have read 3 of the Hogarth Shakespeares. It's a terrific idea, and so far, I've been impressed with what Anne Tyler, Margaret Atwood and even Howard Jacobsen have done. I wonder who got "stuck" with Romeo and Juliet, because that one has been done so many ways already it would be a real challenge to come up with a new slant.

Happy Friday Folks, its been a while. This Friday corresponds to the beginning of a new month, so here's my June image from my calendar.

Have a great weekend all!

>99 scaifea: The Boy... is definitely a doozie, but I guess I'm just a jaded SOB, because the ending while moving didn't really surprise me. Still a good read.

>100 rosalita: Ha. I suppose in the event of a apocolypse, no matter how localized, the supermarket would be the place to be. Unless it was a zombie apocalypse, then I'd head to the Home Depot. :)

>101 laytonwoman3rd: Hey Linda. No Romeo and Juliet that I can see (Tho there is a new TV series called Still Starcrossed about what happens AFTER R&J die)

Tempest - Hagseed: Atwood
Othello - New Boy : Chevalier
Hamlet - Gillian Flynn
Merchant of Venice - Howard Jacobson
Macbeth - Jo Nesbo
King Lear - Edward St. Aubyn
Taming of the Shrew - Anne Tyler
The Winter's Tale - Jeanette Winterson

Tho The Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley is another good interpretation of King Lear.

Updated my read lists at the top. Forgot to put in my favorites for the last couple months. Remedied that.

Finished The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. As I said above, I wasn't exactly surprised, but then I'm jaded.

Started reading Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, my first Alexie. Why didn't I read this sooner. More comments on the AAC thread.

>102 mahsdad: Beautiful photo, Jeff! Happy Friday to you.

Murder on the Orient Express trailer. Looks pretty good.

Kenneth Branagh as Hecurle Poirot. Comes out in November

https://www.traileraddict.com/murder-on-the-orient-express/trailer

>102 mahsdad: What a lovely image. Thanks for sharing this Jeff. I send all good wishes to you.

Thank you Linda! Hope you have a great weekend!

40. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - John Boyne - Bruno is a 9 year old boy living in Berlin with his family during WWII. He comes home, only to find that his entire family is packing up their stuff. They are moving to a new place that he calls "Out-With". His father is ordered there by "The Fury". He looks out of his bedroom window and sees a big fence and many men and boys on the other side of the fence wearing the same striped pajamas. He doesn't really comprehend where he is or who those people are.

He goes out exploring and befriends a boy who is sitting on the other side. Throughout their relationship, he wonders why he can never go visit his only friend. The story comes to an inevitable conclusion. A sad tragic, but powerful tale of the Holocaust from a naive and innocent perspective. Worthwhile, but easy read, as it is aimed at a younger audience.

7/10

>103 mahsdad: I somehow read The Thousand Acres years ago without having any idea is was a retelling of King Lear. This was way before LT, so I don't have impressions preserved, but I recall not being terribly impressed with it, and I haven't been keen on other Smiley works either. It probably deserves another chance.

IO9's reading list for June. Several BB's in there for me at least.

http://io9.gizmodo.com/your-summer-of-reading-begins-with-this-epic-list-of-ju-1...

Fata Morgana
The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O
The Space Between the Stars
The Asylum of Dr Caligari - Most anticipated for me, because its by James Morrow, who is one of my goto authors

Jeff--Love the photo in >102 mahsdad:! Do you take these yourself?

Similar reaction to your review of Striped Pajamas. Can't wait to see what else you get for your Thingaversary books! Congrats BTW.

Hey Kim, yep unless I explicitly say, all these images are mine. :)

2 more for Thingaversary

The Lonesome Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven - Alexie
View from the Cheap Seats. - Gaiman

Nice!! Both the picture and the new book, both of which I want. : )

I was out taking pictures of rain drops on my roses today.

I love raindrops on plants!

Beautiful pic!

>114 Berly: Now you need some pictures of whiskers on kittens, just to make a full set.

>94 mahsdad: Good review of New Boy, Jeff. It looks like I better track this one down.

"Started reading Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, my first Alexie. Why didn't I read this sooner." Excellent question, my friend. This book truly blew me away. Pure raw beauty.

Hey Mr. Postman thanks for stopping by. If you don't eventually get a copy of New Boy, I'll send it to you, but it probably has to go thru my wife first. I think she wants to read it, but she's not as obsessed as we all are around here, so it might take a while.

Hey speaking of Postmen, have you ever read David Brin's The Postman? Terrible movie, but pretty good book.

I just snagged an audio of New Boy, so I am good there. Thanks. I have not read The Postman, but I have heard of it. I think I have another Brin in the stacks.

>119 mahsdad: I quite enjoyed the book The Postman but have not dared to risk the movie, which I have heard from others besides you is dreadful.

As is the general rule : Book > Movie. Not always, but usually

I haven't read a lot of recent Brin, but his older stuff is all pretty good. My favorite is probably The Practice Effect

New (or maybe no so new, but new to me) podcast... Selected Shorts: Too Hot for Radio

I think Selected Shorts must be an NPR short story show and these are stories that they deemed too hot for air. Racy content, language, violence, etc.

I got this because I heard about (probably from someone here) about a Jess Walter story. After listening to it (Helpless Little Things) I stayed for the others.

Denis Johnson - Emergency
Hubert Selby, Jr - Another Day, Another Dollar
David Sedaris - Road Trips
Aasif Mandvi - Born Again

For those who like all things literary and short, this might be for you

mahsdad
My wife's t-shirt says something similar so it must be true.

I love it!

Ditto!

Ha!!

>124 Forthwith: Love the shirt! So true!

>109 mahsdad: I also read Boy earlier this year (or late last). I think the thing that actually surprised me the most about the book was not actually what happened at the end, but how clueless Bruno actually was. I know he was only 9, but having a 15 yo and a 12 yo, they picked up a lot more - Bruno just seemed to be living in his own little world. Also, I thought that since his father was high enough in the Nazi party to be the commandant of Auschwitz, I would have thought that any children of his would have been indoctrinated into the Nazi propaganda and Hitler Youth at a very young age. A good book, but I thought it was a little "plot-holey."

You are right, Robin, why wasn't Bruno in the Hitler Youth, now that I think about it. The other "plot-holey" thing that comes to mind is why no guards happen to notice a 9 year old boy walking around the outer fence. Oh well, like you said, still a good story.

Listened to another good story on the Selected Shorts : Too Hot for Radio podcast.

Angela Carter's The Company of Wolves. I hadn't heard of here, but I remembered the movie that they made based on this story.

I guess the book that the story comes from is a collection of "reimagined" fairy tales called The Bloody Chamber and Other Tales. Going to have to check it out.

Further reading updates....

About half way thru on the Alexie.

200+ pages left on Lonesome Dove

A little bit ironic, don't ya think... (or more coincidental) that I'm reading 1 book about Indians and one book about cowboys.

>124 Forthwith: And vice versa I would say!

>131 mahsdad: Why does no one play cowboys and indians any more? I recall fondly my cap pistol (which I still have), cowboy boots and cowboy hat - as well as my indian feathered headdress!

Kids are too busy shooting aliens on screens these days. My 16 yr old rarely interacts with this friends face-to-face these days. They mostly chat and talk online while they are playing video games.

To his credit however, he does meet a bunch of his buddies at the park on the weekend to play their own made-up version of DnD

>134 mahsdad: So, true. I have a 15 1/2 yo (who will be getting his temps in less than 9 days) - and yes, he mostly texts, or chats while gaming - which seems to take up a lot of time. Even my 12 yo is starting to online game with his friends. The DnD in the park sounds interesting - I'll have to mention that to them. Since school has been out, our house has been the meeting place of a lot of 15 yo boys with computers - a few nights ago, there were five of them all crowded around in a room playing a video game together. I soooo wanted to take a picture, but figured that I would probably be banned from the room forever, so I withheld my impulse.

If you are reading about Cowboys AND Indians at the same time, then you are a very balanced man. ; )

Computer games are definitely the thing for teens now. My son tends to play more group games, whereas my daughter plays more solo games. Could be the nature of the games they play or their individual character. Not sure which.

>124 Forthwith: Hello Jeff. This is always good advice. However, I am finally listening to The Fellowship of he Ring. I have not read LOTR before. However, I have seen Peter Jackson's films. Fellowship is ponderous, but none the less a great achievement. Jackson's film are amazing as well in bringing Tolkien's work to life.

>135 rretzler: That's cool that you're the hang out house. Its nice to know where they are. But you're right they do have an aversion to photos taken by their parents. This is the first year of doing my calendars that I didn't have a decent picture of the boy to put on the cover.

>136 Berly: Ha! My wife and my game habits lean towards your daughter. We are both closet introverts, evidenced by my lurker habits around here. :)

>137 brodiew2: Hey Brodie, like Paul said in one of the subsequent posts, I guess the adage goes both ways. LOTR might be the exception. It took me several attempts thru the years for it to hook me (all prior to the movies). I think the movies are really good, and probably do cut out a bit of the ponderous history and such. But overall, I'll lean towards the books.

>138 mahsdad:

If your son has a sense of humor, you could announce that either he offers up a recent photo for the Family 2018 Calendar or
you will print the one of him standing up in the bathtub at Age 1-2-or 3. Or you will allow younger sister (?) to draw him!

>139 m.belljackson: LOL. He does have a good sense of humor, but he can dodge the photo issue on a couple fronts. One, I suck at set/planned shots so everything I've used of him are candids and I don't like to force the issue. Secondly, he doesn't have a sister, so he's safe there too.

But I am sitting on some videos when he was a wee nip that will come in handy with his first girlfriend. :)

I hope you have been enchanted as much as I was about Lonesome Dove. A modern masterpiece.

I am, and I agree. Its a long, but very engaging read. It took quite the intense turn in part 3, when we meet Clara, and of course what happens to Jake. Wasn't expecting that.

On a side note, one of the things I like about "dead tree" editions is visually seeing where you are at. And its funny I remarked to Laura, that I'm at a place in a book where normally, it would be wrapping up and/or racing towards a climax (visual percentage-wise about 75% thru), but with the density of LD, I still have around 200 pages (which is longer than some novels I've read).

Not that I'm complaining. :)

Still on the Sherman Alexie kick. I caught this quote from one of the videos I watched of him recently, I wrote it down, but didn't cite the source, so now, of course I can't find it. Oh well...

"I don't necessarily believe in magic, but I believe in interpreting coincidence exactly how you want to".

^This is how I feel after your Lonesome Dove comments. Have you seen the mini-series yet? If not, it is an amazing adaptation.

Love the Alexie quote. Gotta love the guy.

I haven't watched the full series, but I've been perusing various clips on YT. I'll have to check it out when I'm done.

You will not be disappointed.

I have been on a Jeff Lemire roll lately. I read the first 2 Descender books, with the third one, waiting nearby and I just started Black Hammer which is also pretty good. Lemire has been on fire.

Go Now! Levar Burton Reads. New Podcast. Most Excellent.

First story was "Kin" by Bruce McAllister.

Not all will be Sci-fi says Burton, but all will be stories he loves. Excellent narration, excellent production values.

>138 mahsdad: Do I detect fellow gamers? What games do you and your wife play? Certainly fellow introverts - we have a household full, although sometimes we wonder whether our 12 yo was switched at birth, because he can be outgoing at times! LOL!

Selected Shorts Podcast- Stephen King's Batman and Robin Have an Altercation.

A poignant story of a son and his elderly father that ends in a typically Kingsian way. Stephen Lang is the narrator.

>148 rretzler: We play a variety of IOs games, primarily Simpson's Tapped Out, Abyssrium (Tap Tap Fish), Best Fiends, and a couple other Candy Crush derivatives.

We also like to play board games, when we can get the boy away from the computer. We like Ticket to Ride, Sushi Go, Settlers of Cataan, and cribbage.

Another fun story from Selected Shorts - Aasif Mandvi (from the Daily Show) tell's his story Born Again. Where he (as a young muslim) chases the girl of his dreams, who happens to be a devout Christian.

Very funny.

Well its still Friday in my neck of the woods and for a late Foto Friday, I present to you a couple images from my new "series" Kitten feet. My feline children provide me with ample opportunity for abstract images. Enjoy. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Aw, I love the kitten feet series! Very cool idea.

>133 rretzler: Does anybody let their kids play with guns anymore? I was one of those kids who loved, loved, loved my cap pistols, cowboy boots and shoot 'em up games. I had mostly male playmates and they always wanted me to be "Miss Kitty" from Gunsmoke and I wouldn't do it. I wanted to ride with the posse!

Mine was obsessed with Nerf guns for a time. We stopped short of air soft (modern versions of pellet guns) guns.

He did go thru quite a phase of making "working" guns out of Lego

Spent a fun Father's Day Saturday in Pasadena with Laura and Michael.

It was HOT, but we endured and walked around the Pasadena Chalk Festival, where hundreds of people were making art on the sidewalk (pictures later).

Then we went to Vroman's Bookstore to pad our ever increasing TBR piles.

I got:

Roadside Picnic - A classic Russian scifi novel that's just come back into print
The Asylum of Dr. Caligari - new one by James Morrow

Michael got:
Caliban's War - Book 2 of the Expanse series by James Corey
A Natural History of Dragons - why didn't I already have this

Laura got:
Uprooted - by Naomi Novik. Don't really know too much about here
My Grandmother asked me to tell you she's sorry - I've heard of this, but don't know too much.

Then we went to a place called the Dog Haus for lunch. Beers and Sausages on Kings Hawaii dinner rolls as buns. Mmm tasty.

>156 mahsdad: My husband read Roadside Picnic. I think he liked it? I have a copy of A Natural History of Dragons somewhere. Why haven't I read it?

Can't wait to see the sidewalk chalk art! And very glad you had fun celebrating Father's Day.

All my kids are definitely more extroverted than I am. And that can wear me down a bit if I can't squeeze in some alone time. Yesterday I played Mancala with my Hubby. We found a different set of rules than the ones I am used to playing with. It made for some interesting win/losses!!

Hope you are having a great day, with the family, Jeff. Hope you are hoisting a few.

I am really enjoying Borne. I think you would have a good time with this one too.

>157 laytonwoman3rd: I'll let you know how Roadside Picnic goes. It's been on my list for about 5 years. Can't remember where I heard about it. Probably our old friend RD. And as far as "I have a copy around here somewhere, why haven't I read it". Is that the case for us all. :)

>158 Berly: Mancala! That's another fun game. Thanks for the reminder. Got to pull that out sometime.

>159 msf59:. Thanks Mark. I did indeed hoist a few today, tho it was by myself. the 16 yr old is in his selfish, I want to hang out with my friends phase, and Laura had to work. But its all good, I went down to my "local" tasting room for Brouwerji West" and had a couple IPAs, and a blueberry saison called "Dog Ate My Homework". Its what I was drinking in that book picture on FB :)

I'm cautiously optimistic with Borne. Its on my list, but the Southern Reach didn't completely enthrall me. But I'll still check it out.

Finished Lonesome Dove this afternoon. If my count's right, it makes it my 27th Pulitzer Novel read.

It was an excellent read that I'll have to ponder a bit before writing an actual review (if you can call anything I write, a review). I will say it had one of the oddest endings/last lines of anything I think I've ever read. Caught me by surprise.

Hey, and since its such a doorstop, can't I count it as 2 or 3 books read? :)

Girl With All the Gifts movie is on Amazon Prime.

Just started watching it. Loved the book. Though knowing the big reveal is a bit of a let down for the movie.

Another Selected Shorts podcast win....

Julia Slavin's Covered, from the book The Woman Who Cut off Her Leg at the Maidstone Club. Its read by Alec Baldwin and is a NSFW telling of what happens when your childhood comes back to haunt you. Weird and funny.

Finished my Alexie. Big Thumbs up! More later.

Started reading The Asylum of Dr. Caligari. Even though I have at least 1 ER book to read. I'm usually a LIFO kinda guy when it comes to new purchases.

First paragraph is hilarious...

From its birth during the Age of Reason until its disappearance following the Treaty 0of Versailles, the tiny principality of Weizenstaat lay along the swampy seam between the German Empire and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg like an embolism lodged in an artery. Ruled by a succession of harmless hereditary monarchs whose congenital mediocrity enabled their respective parliaments to run the county without royal interference, Weizenstaat was for many generations a prosperous an idyllic land. Then came the Great War, and when it was over this polyglot nation had simply ceased to exist, annexed by Luxembourg without the consent of the principality's citizens, who were accorded the same measure of control over their fate that a cow enjoys in an abattoir.

Another excellent Fresh Air episode on NPR today. The last was about Sherman Alexie, which I posted on the AAC thread.

This one was about a new non-fiction book that I think will have to go on the list.

It was a book by Garrett Graff called Raven Rock. Subtitled; (couldn't get the touchstone to work) The Story of the U.S. Government's Secret Plant to Save Itself - While the Rest of Us Die. Talking about the history of all the secret plans for continuity of government and such.

Did you know that during the 50's and 60's the government contracted with Nabisco to something like 160m tons of emergency "hard-tack" cracker rations that were then stored in bunkers around the country.

Dr. Strangelove made real.

https://www.npr.org/player/embed/533711528/533830994

While I think hoarders is too strong a word, here's a list of 10 famous book hoarders.

http://lithub.com/10-famous-book-hoarders/

Or in otherwords... Our people. :)

41. Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry - This is the Pulitzer Prize winning novel (1986) of the story of the South West in the years after the Civil War. It is a long, and at first, daunting book. But once you start, it pulls you along whether you want to or not.

It is the story of Gus and Call, two former Captains in the Texas Rangers. They run a cattle and horse ranch in the small town on the Mexican border called Lonesome Dove. Feeling the call of adventure, they put together a team cowboys together and "find" a herd of cattle and start on an epic journey to move them to the new frontier in Montana.

A classic western tale, men struggling to move their charges north, confronting Indian bands, thieves, and the weather. At the same time it is story of changing times, buffalos disappearing from the plains as eminent domain marches west and a love (both requited and unrequited) story between Gus and Lorena, a prostitute with a heart of gold (yeah I know a little cliched, but it works)

A brilliant story from the heat soaked porch on Lonesome Dove to Montana and back leading to an abrupt, suprising and ultimately profound ending. This was one of the best books I've read this year.

9/10

S: 3/26/17 - 6/18/17 (85 Days)

42. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (20th Anniversary Edition) - Sherman Alexie - This is Alexie's breakthrough book that some call a collection of short stories and others a interconnected novel. No matter what you call it, its a wonderful and beautiful series of stories that tells of the lives of American Indians in the Pacific Northwest in the 70's and 80's. Some are just that, stories about life, like "The Only Traffic Signal on the Reservation Doesn't Flash Anymore", where a couple of guys hang out on the porch and what the world go by at their feet. To the almost science-fiction story called "Distances", where Alexie examines what might happen after some apocalypse where the only survivors are Indians living on the "Rez".

I'm not a poetry guy, but a lot of the time this book reads as prose for poetry. Excellent.

"Hell, my joy in winning is always much smaller than my pain in losing." - Introduction

"It's hard to be optimistic on the reservation. When a glass sits on the table here, people don't wonder if it's half filled or half empty. They just hope its good beer. Still, Indians have a way of surviving. But it's almost like Indians can easily survive the big stuff. Mass murder, loss of language and land rights. It's the small things that hurt the most. The white waitress who wouldn't take an order, Tonto, the Washington Redskins." - The Only Traffic Signal...

"The television was always loud, too loud, until every emotion was measured by the half hour. We hid our faces behind masks that suggested other histories; we touched hands accidentally and our skin sparked like a personal revolution We stared across the room at each other, waited for the conversation and the conversion, watched wasps and flies battering against the windows. We were children; we were open mouths. Open in hunger, in anger, in laughter, in prayer. Jesus, we all want to survive." - Family Portrait

10/10

S: 6/1/17 - 6/20/17 (21 Days)

>167 mahsdad: - Wonderful review of a fabulous book!

Thanks Lori!

>168 mahsdad:

Thanks for this inspiring review - I ordered it on Abe.

Thanks! I hope you like it as much as I did.

Ah darn, book bullets flying. I really need to read Lonesome Dove one of these days.

And I should reread The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Alexie's books strike me as ones that can be revisited.

I have You Don't Have to Say You Love Me waiting o audio.

Those are two of my top reads, Jeff. Great review of Lonesome Dove - I thumbed it - and I like those quotes from The Lone Ranger and Tonto.

Hooray for both Lonesome Dove and The Lone Ranger. Big Thumbs on both! LD not quite a 10, eh? LOL.

These are both, very special reads.

Did you post The Lone Ranger over on the AAC? I have not been over...

>175 msf59: I think if I hadn't been reading Lone Ranger at the same time, it might have been a 10, its pretty darn close. Maybe points off for girth. :)

Yeah, I did post LD on the AAC thread

I finished The Asylum of Dr. Caligari (new James Morrow) that I have to ponder a bit. Very surreal. Also finished Vol. 1 of Descender for GNs. Very good.

I started reading Their Eyes were Watching God. Its one of Michael's summer reading books for next year's AP English. He's currently reading Outliers, so I figured I'd squeeze it in.

Since he's a game obsessed teenager right now, I did the match and he has to read 13 pages a day until school starts to get his assignments done. Crack that whip. :)

Audiobook update - started reading The Girls by Emma Cline.

Sometimes Overdrive is hit or miss when you search for specific things, but sometimes a hit when you just look at recently added stuff. Pretty good so far.

I follow this guy on (at least I think its a guy, my biases might be showing) Instagram. He sells enameled pins. Most of the of the bookish variety.

I especially like his Book Wyrm.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/RatherKeen?section_id=19629993

Went up to UCLA last night to hear the sublime David Sedaris talk. It was a fabulous time. He is on book tour for his new collection of diary entries called Theft by Finding. It covers his diary from 1977 - 2002. A 2nd edition will come out in a couple years to cover after 2002.

He was hilarious and engaging. Read several essays from recent publications, as well as a bunch of entries from the new book.

At the beginning, he told us a story about a woman he met a couple weeks ago in Bozeman, MT and she told him about her son who was an aspiring screenwriter. And lo and behold, David brought the son out on stage, interviewed him and asked the LA audiance that if anyone was in the industry and wanted to meet the guy, to come up after at the signing table. It was pretty funny.

Speaking of signing, he was sitting at the table signing books BEFORE the reading, and he was going to go back and sign after as well. We didn't stick around, had to get home. Great night tho.

He gave a couple book recommendations.

He's on the audio version of Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders, which sounds great.

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett. He said he cried like emptying a bathtub down a drain
Rules Do Not Apply - Ariel Levy - The tragic story of Levy's experience in and around the tragic loss of her child.
Homesick for Another World - Ottessa Moshfegh - Short story collection he was wild about

>178 mahsdad: The enamel pins are cute! I might need to acquire one of those ...

And hooray for hearing Sedaris read in person. I've missed him every time he's come to Iowa City, but I'm not bitter at all. Oh, no.

>165 mahsdad: I saw mention of Raven Rock, I think on NPR's Tumblr site. I got the impression the book was about bunker building, but having now looked at Amazon, I see it is much more than just that. And I didn't even click on the link you provided. Bah.

>166 mahsdad: I saw that clickbait book hoarders personal library developers. Interesting to me that the piece put Harry Houdini in its Top Ten, and linked right here to LT for a list of the 1,000 (or so) books on magic. I was also interested to note that a lot of LT members have cataloged more books in their collections than about half the Top Ten.

I really need to read Lonesome Dove. I have intended to do so for quite a while.

Sedaris is hilarious and could have done well in an improv company. I have attended one of his readings and he stayed as long as anyone wanted to meet him. He has a real personal connection with his readers.

>180 rosalita: We are making a concerted (pun intended) effort to get out to more events/concerts this year. On the author front it was Neil Gaiman and David Sedaris and later this summer its Bela Fleck/Chick Corea for our Jazz fix and in September we're going to see Green Day at the Rose Bowl to get our rock on. :) Its way expensive tho, but worth it to broaden the kid's horizon

>181 weird_O: Raven Rock, yeah I'm really curious about the book. I went to the Greenbrier in WV once when I was in college, before they revealed publically that it had a bunker for Congress to survive out the pending nuclear winter.

And as far as the libraries are concerned, you are too right. We definitely got them beat around here. Tho a lot of my books are virtual/wish lists. :)

>182 Forthwith: Hi Michael, thanks for stopping by. Yeah, if I was by myself, I would have stayed and waited in line, but my wife and son are quite as book-obsessed as I am. But that's okay.

Oh, Bela and Chick, that sounds awesome! Nothing says jazz like a banjo... 😀

Seriously, two of my faves, and I'd love to be there too!

Its Chick Corea Electrik Band and the Flecktones. So I'm sure they'll be playing their own sets, but I got to imagine they'll play together as well.

For the uninitiated, here's a clip of Chick and Bela playing together... https://youtu.be/stLG3SOE8JA

And to get a taste of the Flecktones, here's my favorite of theirs. (couldn't find the original music video that I first saw on MTV MANY years ago), but live is just as good, if not better... https://youtu.be/w9XDUBDMNuk

Sounds like a great time with David Sedaris, Jeff. We saw him live at Steppenwolf Theater many years ago, and he was funny and smart, as you'd expect. His encore was reading from a book in progress of his, and we loved it, then he took questions and was remarkably good at ad-libbing.

I read Lincoln in the Bardo in print, and was impressed, but I bet the multi-voiced audio works even better.

43. The Asylum of Dr Caligari - James Morrow - This is a weird surreal adventure at the start of WWI, where Art and Sorcery in a lunatic asylum are used both on the side of good and peace and evil and war.

Dr. Caligari sells access to his masterpiece to the highest bidder. A masterpiece painting that compels its viewers into unbridled passion for war. Both sides of the building conflicts are eager to avail themselves of his services. Francis is an artist from America, who comes to the asylum to work as an art therapist. While there, he uncovers Caligari's plans and endeavors to stop him. With the help of his students, the Spider Queen of Ogygia, the Commander of an Alien Armada, a Grand Chessmaster, and several others, they construct an "antidote" painting to cause the viewer and equally unbridled passion for peace.

Its funny, satirical, and poignant. Its a quick read, and I'm not doing it justice, but if you like good witty writing its definitely worth your time.

"'This morning I learned something marvelous. Never have I hoarded so precious a secret'
'Pray tell'
'If I tell, it won't be a secret. If you pray, it will be a waste of time'"

"Vita Brevis, ars longa" (Life is Short, Art is Forever - to paraphrase the latin)

"Only God is flawless," said Ilona. "It's the first thing you'll notice about Him, if he ever gets round to existing"

8/10

S: 6/20/17 - 6/24/17 (5 Days)

That's twice now I've seen good things about this one. Looks like I took a BB on it!

>188 drneutron: Glad I can contribute to your most excellent habit. :)

A funny Pearls before Swine strip from the other day. I can't post just the image, so here's the link. Its very bookish...

http://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2017/06/30

>187 mahsdad: Got hit in the cross fire. Sounds cool. Be a nice change from the Southeast Asian bumbling and stumbling depicted in Tree of Smoth by Denis Johnson.

>190 mahsdad: Yaww. I remember Borders.

Like I said to Jim, glad I can be an enabler.

I would recommend anything by Morrow. Especially his earlier stuff; Bible Stories for Adults, The Godhead Trilogy, Only Begotten Daughter

Finished Their Eyes were Watching God, very interesting read. More later.

Since its now July, I also selected my top read for June >2 mahsdad:. It was a close call, but I got to give it to Sherman. Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven

Finished Their Eyes were Watching God, very interesting read, more later. Its one of the books Michael has to read over the summer for 11th grade AP English next year.

Here's Crash Course Literature's take on it: https://youtu.be/4kF0U8kIMp4

Since its July, I picked my favorite for June. It was a close call, but I got to give it to Sherman - The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven

Thank you - this is another great one from Stephan Pastis!

I wanted to send a link to Karenmarie explaining Rat's Bonkers Chicken (from November, 2010) -
another Classic - but have no idea how to do it. If you ever come across this, it would be welcome.

>195 m.belljackson: If you goto the link I posted, right under the comic is the date. If you click on the date you can change the year and month to find exactly the day you want. I think it goes back to 2002.

Once you find the one you want, just to the right of the comic are the main sharing buttons. Look for the "...", that's the more sharing options. That will give you the ability to copy the link and then just paste it in a post, or email it.

If you do find the one you want, but the link isn't working, let me know and I'll post it.

:)

Banging and booming. Hooting and Hollering.



These won't set fire to the fields.

Nice, thanks Weird. It looks like my neighborhood sounded last night. For about 3 hours it was pret much nonstop booming

>194 mahsdad: Nice to see you got Their Eyes are Watching God finished, Jeff. It is one of the very many books I have started and not yet finished since May.

Hey Paul, thanks for visiting. Their Eyes Were Watching God is a challenging read given the Southern vernacular even for a native American speaker. I'm sure it was doubly so for a native English speaker. Though keep at it, the last part was quite surprising and powerful.

And now I have to go to China.

Great Big Story - Bookworm Paradise...

https://youtu.be/ei0ch49YIjw

>201 mahsdad:

Amazing that anyone could even dream up a Bookstore like that one!

And, the Herbie Hancock Jazz Master Class ad that precedes it is pretty cool too!

Howdy, Jeff. It looks like I haven't been by in awhile. Bad Mark. The David Sedaris author event sounds very cool, plus I love those book recs. I never really got into him, but I would be interested in trying Theft by Finding, which I heard a few parts of, while Sedaris was on a recent NYT Books podcast.

"It was a close call, but I got to give it to Sherman. Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven." B.A.G.

>202 m.belljackson: Ooo Herbie Hancock, that ad didn't play for me. I think I'd actually watch that one all the way thru.

>203 msf59: Yea Mark stopped by. I might actually get to a 3rd thread by the end of summer. To be honest, I haven't read very much of his stuff either. We only own one of his books. But I always love hearing him on NPR and various other places. His books are almost made to be only read aloud by him.

45. Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston - Written in the late 30's, this now classic story of a Southern black woman's journey thru life, did not do commercially well and virtually disappeared before being rediscovered in the 70's, primarily on the heels of research and an essay by Alice Walker

Told in flashback, it tells the story of Janie in Central and Southern Florida. As a young teen, she is "married off" to an older man by her grandmother, in order to "save" her. Disillusioned and unfilfilled and not officially married, she runs away from husband #1 to an even older man. He takes her to a new town, where he opens a grocery store and becomes mayor of the town. She has a successful life, but still unfulfilled as she is just a "kept" woman and a trophy wife. After #2 dies and a proscribed period of mourning, she meets #3, a younger more adventurous man, with whom she falls in love. Against the ideas of those around her, she goes off with her new man, promising to do what makes them happy. They eventually end up in the everglades, sharecropping and gambling to make their way. Its here that all good things come to an inevitable tragic end.

Ultimately an excellent read, but my only struggle was Hurston's use of a "slangy" southern drawl for the dialog that was difficult for me to hook into. But once I did, I was rewarded. The last 40-50 pages are what took my initial opinion of the book up quite a few notches. A story dealing with race, gender roles, and liberated women in a time at the tail end of the Depression, it is easy to see why this has now become a mainstay in English classes today. In fact, I read this book primarily because it was on my son's 11th grade English class summer reading list.

Well worth your time.

"And Ah Can't die easy thinkin' maybe de menfolks white or black is makin' a spit cup outa you. Have some sympathy fuh me. Put me ddown easy, Janie, Ah'm a cracked plate."

"There is a basin in the mind where words float around on thought and thought on sound and sight. Then there is a depth of thought untouched by words, and deeper still a gulf of formless feelings untouched by thought."

"She had waited all her life for something, and it had killed her when it found her."

"The wind came back with triple fury, and put out the light for the last time. They sat in company with the others in other shanties, their eyes straining against crude walls and their souls asking if He meant to measure their puny might against His. They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God."

8/10

S: 6/24/17 - 7/3/17 (10 Days)

Happy Friday, Jeff. Great review of Their Eyes Were Watching God. Thumb! If you can, you should post it over on the AAC thread.

Are you planning on reading a James McBride? He might be a good fit for you.

Thumb from me, too, Jeff, for that good review of Their Eyes Were Watching God. I like those quotes you provided. I remember that "cracked plate" line in particular.

>206 msf59: >207 jnwelch: Thanks Mark/Joe I appreciate the kind words.

Mark - I'll go look for the AAC and certainly post my review there too. Never heard of James McBride, I'll have to put him on the list and look out for him.

Joe - for that particular line, it was the idea of making a spit cup out of women that struck me.

>204 mahsdad:

Hi - I did a Search to watch the Hancock Trailer again -

it's on You Tube as: Herbie Hancock Teaches Jazz Official Trailer -

the Master Class sounds like fun.

Thanks for the reminder. That was amazing. A little too expensive to just watch and experience, there were a lot of other interesting classes there too (www.masterclass.com). Its an interesting idea.

>190 mahsdad: Love Pearls Before Swine. Somehow I missed that one. I hate those days when I don't have time for the philosophy comics section.

>2 mahsdad: Downloaded Emma Cline's The Girls a couple weeks ago on Overdrive. Just finished. Pretty interesting view at the Manson murders (but not the Manson murders) and a young girl's coming of age. Not too bad.

Now to going to "reread" Haldeman's The Forever War

>2 mahsdad: #47 in the bag. Finished my last outstanding (pun intended) ER book - Human Acts by Han Kang. My 2nd ER book by her this year. As with The Vegetarian, this one was a weird and interesting tale. More later...

I stand corrected, I read The Vegetarian at the end of last year. Doesn't take away from its being weird tho...

Staying with a foreign author trend. Starting Roadside Picnic, classic Russian Scifi from the 70's

"...then I head for the showers, since I'm soaked from head to toe. I lock myself in the stall, take out the flask, unscrew it, and attach myself to it like a leech. I'm sitting on the bench, my heart is empty, my head is empty, my soul is empty, gulping down the hard stuff like water. Alive. I got out." - Roadside Picnic

This is a trippy book, but 30 pages in, I like it.

I actually like The Vegetarian quite a lot. I eagerly await your take on Human Acts!

How Richard Bachman came to be and was ultimately "outed" as Stephen King...

http://mentalfloss.com/article/502166/how-stephen-king-was-outed-richard-bachman

I'm glad I'm a book hoarder, because I still have the combined The Bachman Books, which contains Rage. I believe that King himself pulled it out of publication after Columbine. I don't think you can get it anymore.

Well apparently Foto Friday is now a monthly event. Bad Jeff!

Anyway, and further evidence of bad Jeff, its about halfway thru the month and I haven't shared my July calendar entry. So lets correct that slight...

This is an oldy but a goody. I took this image many years ago at the Getty Museum in LA. Enjoy, and have a great weekend.

YAY... Foto Friday!

>218 mahsdad: Strong visual, Jeff, a poppy growing through a bench.

>218 mahsdad: Nice!

>218 mahsdad: LOVE!