Joe's Book Cafe 2017 Door 10

Linnea in Monet's Garden was one of our daughter's favorite books when she was little, and Monet remains one of her favorite artists. Years later, she bicycled to Monet's Garden in Giverny and loved it. On her recommendation, Madame MBH and I similarly bicycled to Monet's Garden in Giverny on our 25th anniversary trip to Paris and Rome. We loved it, too.

Welcome to the new cafe!

2017 Books

January

1. The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths by Harry Bingham
2. Bright Dead Things by Ada Limon (poetry)
3. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
4. Love Story with Murders by Harry Bingham
5. Four Swans by Winston Graham
6. This Thing of Darkness by Harry Bingham
7. Tell Me by Kim Addonizio (poetry)
8. Lola by Melissa Scrivner Love
9. A Robot in the Garden by Deborah Install
10. The Dead House by Harry Bingham
11. Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
12. Suspended Sentences by Patrick Modiano
13. Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
14. The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke translated by Stephen Mitchell
15. The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

February

16. The Fate of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
17. City by Clifford Simak
18. Eggtooth by Solia Carrock
19. The Black Moth by Georgette Heyer
20. A Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer
21. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
22. Binti Home by Nnedi Okorafor
23. Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer
24. The Dry by Jane Harper
25. I Will Have Vengeance by Maurizio De Giovanni
26. The Simple Truth by Philip Levine (poetry)
27. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace!!!
28. Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty
29. Away with Fairies by Kerry Greenwood
30. The Sandman Omnibus Vol. 1 by Neil Gaiman*

March

31. News of the World by Paulette Jiles
32. My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris*
33. Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold
34. Nightmare in Pink by John D. MacDonald
35. The Last Detective by Peter Lovesey
36, There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyonce by Morgan Parker (poetry)
37. The Assault by Harry Mulisch
38. Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
39. Scriptorium by Melissa Range (poetry)
40. World of Edena by Moebius*
41. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
42. The Girl, the Gold Watch and Everything by John D. MacDonald
43. Rolling Blackouts by Sarah Glidden*
44. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
45. Lucifer at the Starlite by Kim Addonizio
46. Echoes in Death by J.D. Robb

April

47. The Deep Blue Goodbye by John D. MacDonald
48. I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong
49. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
50. Tender: Stories by Sofia Samatar
51. We Are Legion by Dennis Taylor
52. The Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer
53. Just So Happens by Fumio Obata*
54. Wild Nights: New & Selected Poems
55. I Must Be Living Twice by Eileen Myles
56. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Graphic Novels and Illustrated Books

1. Jessica Jones Pulse by Brian Michael Bendis
2. The Singing Bones by Shaun Tan
3. Whiteout by Greg Rucka
4. Jane, the Fox and Me by Fanny Britt
5. Monstress by Marjorie M. Liu
6. The White Donkey Terminal Lance by Maximilian Uriarte
7. Paper Girls Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan
8. Ms. Marvel Vol. 6 by G. Willow Wilson
9. The Flight of the Raven by Jean-Pierre Gibrat
10. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larrson and Denise Mina (re-read)
11. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larrson and Denise Mina (re-read)
12. Radiant Child by Javaka Steptoe
13. Coward by Ed Brubaker
14. Bandette Volume 2 by Paul Tobin
15. Saga Volume 7 by Brian K. Vaughan
16. Criminal Volume 3: The Dead and the Dying by Ed Brubaker
17. Lazarus Vol. 3 by Greg Rucka

*Also graphic novels

Top 5's for 2016

Fiction

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Honorable mentions: A Whole Life by Robert Seethaler (hard to leave this out of the top 5), Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson (ditto), Dodgers by Bill Beverly (ditto - I guess that's going to be true for all of these), A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin, The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson, Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood, and others, but I'd better stop there.

Non-fiction

Evicted by Matthew Desmond (remarkable, outstanding, please read it)
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (and his wife)
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
Hero of the Empire by Candice Millard

Honorable mention: Create Dangerously by Edwidge Danticat, Dead Boys by Adriana Ramirez (novella-length), In a Different Key: The Story of Autism by John Donvan, Rogue Heroes by Ben Macintyre, Waterloo: The History of Four Days by Bernard Cornwell

Sci-Fi and Fantasy

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison
The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

Honorable mention: Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Poetry

Without: Poems by Donald Hall
Cold Mountain by Han Shan
Life on Mars by Tracy K. Smith
Neon Vernacular by Yusef Komunyakaa
Natural Birth by Toi Derricotte

Honorable Mention: Strike Sparks by Sharon Olds, The Swallows by Adriana Ramirez, Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong

Young Adult

Pax by Sara Pennypacker
The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
The Poet's Dog by Patricia Maclachlan
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

Honorable Mention: On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder,
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George, Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

Mysteries and Thrillers

Charcoal Joe by Walter Mosley
Darktown by Thomas Mullen
His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet
A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny
Talking to the Dead by Harry Bingham

Honorable Mention: I Shot the Buddha by Colin Cotterill, Night School by Lee Child, An Obvious Fact by Craig Johnson, The Gods of Gotham (wonky touchstone) by Lyndsay Faye

Graphic Novels

March: Book Three by John Lewis
Super Mutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki
Velvet Volume 3 by Ed Brubaker
Saga Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Missed Connections by Sophie Blackall

Honorable Mention: Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep Omnibus by Philip K. Dick and Tony Parker, Sleeper Omnibus by Ed Brubaker, Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier, How to Talk to Girls at Parties by Neil Gaiman

This is the only photo I've found so far of the infamous pink bell bottoms. This of course does not show them in their full glory.

A sister sent this photo of young Becca (seasonoflove) and her doofus dad.

We were visited by the legendary Sherlock last weekend. He had his right leg shaved for a medical test, but as usual, he was stoic and remained prepared for any criminal activity that might arise.

OK, open for business!

I am recently in love with Monet. So I approve the topper.

Happy New Thread, Joe :)

If you were out here on the West coast I would send you immediately to this wonderful exhibit we saw recently. http://digitalstories.famsf.org/early-monet/?gclid=COr2x7G7ndMCFVM7gQod-ZUAYQ

Love the pictures up top, Joe!

>8 RBeffa: Hiya, Ron. I'm a big Monet fan, too, as you can tell. First in the door, you get one of my favorites of his.

>9 lunacat: Thanks, Jenny. Nice to have you visit.

>10 RBeffa: Whoa, for some reason my computer can't handle that link, Ron. Firefox just crashed. Where and what was the exhibit?

>11 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia! Hope you're feeling a bit better, my friend.

We're off to a storytelling event, so I'll catch up with you later.

Happy New Thread, Joe! I like the toppers and LOVE the photos of swinging young Joe, along with little Becca, who was such a cutie.

And a shout-out to Sherlock & Monet too.

Happy new thread, Joe.

Thanks for sharing >4 jnwelch: & >5 jnwelch: . Our favourite Prop has endured something of an evolution over the years!

I'm a long-time Monet fan. When I was in college, the student union store would have these sales on big posters of artwork--that's how I was first exposed and I picked up a number on the spot, limited funds notwithstanding!

Love those toppers! And the nostalgic photos! ;-)

>13 jnwelch: Sorry Joe - it is an interactive presentation, sort of like a guide through parts of the exhibit. Pretty fancy - it worked on my chrome browser. The exhibit is at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. Hopefully this page will work https://legionofhonor.famsf.org/exhibitions

>12 jnwelch: Thanks!

Linnea, Monet, and Sherlock!!

Happy new thread, Joe. Love the toppers.

>20 RBeffa: That is quite the link to the Monet exhibition in San Francisco.

Happy new one!

>1 jnwelch: Giverny and Monet's gardens are favorite here too. They are almost too pretty to be real.

Happy new thread, Joe!

Happy new thread, Joe!

Another Monet lover here although I have to admit my preferred impressionist is Renoir. :)

Happy Wednesday, Joe and congrats on your shiny new thread. I love the paintings and photos.

Hi Joe, what beautiful illustrations Linnea in Monet's Garden has, no wonder Becca loved it and loves Monet. I also love the pictures of the youthful Joe and his adorable daughter! :)

Joe--Congrats on the new thread!! Thanks for the photos up top and the beautiful illustrations. I can't fully appreciate the bell bottoms, because you can't see the bottoms!! LOL

Happy new thread, Joe, and hi to the younger version of you ;-)

Christina Björk made wonderful books with Lena Anderson, I had the Dutch translation of the Monet book and the plants book (Linnea's windowsill garden).

Happy new thread, Joe!

>16 msf59: Ha! Thanks, Mark. Becca was - and is - a sweetie.

Sherlock and Monet are giving you a shout out back. Not sure how Monet is doing that. And Sherlock's sounds a lot like barking.

>17 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Yeah, I'm always surprised that people don't say, "You haven't changed a bit". I look much more like my mother's brothers in my latter days.

>18 ronincats: Hiya, Roni. That's how you know when someone's work means a lot to you - when it gets those limited funds. I was never much of a poster guy, but I did have a huge free one of Lauren Bacall on the wall of my first Chicago apartment.

>19 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley!

>20 RBeffa: Thanks, Ron. I've no idea why the other was a problem. I've never been to the Legion of Honor museum. I'll have to fix that. What a great exhibit to have.

>21 seasonsoflove: Ah, glad you saw those, Hon. Yes, this is sort of an "in honor of Becca" thread. I probably should add some LuLaRoe, right?

>22 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. I may try Ron's first link again some time. Right now I'm scared off by the computer balking.

>23 drneutron: Thanks, Dr. Jim!

>24 Oberon: Agreed, Erik. We'd recommend Giverny and Monet's Garden to everyone.

>25 tymfos: Thanks, Terri!

>26 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! Good to have another Monet fan. Have you been to the Impressionist collection at the Art Institute? They've got some good 'uns. Renoirs, too. There are some Renoirs I love, and some that are just too sweet for me. Monet gets me every time.

>27 Ameise1: Happy Wednesday, Barbara. Thanks. I'm glad you're enjoying the pics and photos.

>28 DeltaQueen50: Ha! Thanks, Judy. The illustrations in Linnea in Monet's Garden are so beautiful, aren't they? The one I found was in French back then, and so I read it to Becca in rough translation. She loved it from the first minute. What a cutie.

>29 Berly: Thanks, Kim! Ha! I know - the pink bell bottoms were an object of fashion fascination a few cafes ago. This may be the best pic we're going to get of them, so you'll have to use your imagination for the stylish flaring bells. When is that fad going to return? Maybe never, if we're lucky?

>30 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. He was a good fellow, that young Joe. He'd appreciate the hi from the future. :-)

Oh, I'll have to look for other Linnea books. This is the only one of hers/theirs I know. Such great illustrations.

>31 scaifea: Thanks, Amber!

>35 jnwelch: I didn't make it to the Art Institute when I went to Chicago but I have seen some Monets (and Renoirs) during trips to France and London. :)

Morning, Joe. Lots of sun at the moment. It looks to be a very nice day. Glad you have been in touch with Judy. Maybe you can hook up with her in the city. Looking forward to meeting her and her husband.

Good morning, Joe!

>1 jnwelch: Excellent choice for the new toppers. Comforting colors and still embodies the whimsy you are known for. ;-)

>38 MickyFine: Worth a visit next time you see Hamilton, Micky. :-) Their collection is terrific. I'm glad you got to see M & Rs in France and London. Did you visit the Water Lilies in Paris? We loved being surrounded by them.

>39 msf59: Morning/noonish, Mark. Yeah, nice one out there. Yes, we're hoping to meet up with at least Judy before the big meetup. We'll see. Getting close!

>40 brodiew2: Good morning/lunchtime, Brodie!

Thanks re the toppers. Lots of fond memories there, as you can tell. Am I known for whimsy? I like that!

At least, you are known for whimsy in your topper art by me!

>41 jnwelch: I did not see the actual garden when I was in Paris. But I did go to Renoir's house in the south of France, which was gorgeous.

>42 brodiew2: Ha! Thanks, Brodie. It's a good way to be known.

>43 MickyFine: I didn't say it well, Micky. L'Orangerie has his water lilies in an oval room that surrounds you. Very cool.

>44 jnwelch: Ah. Nope, I didn't see that one.

Hoping you'll be there on Sat, Joe. Looking forward to seeing you again. What's it been, 2 or 3 years? I saw Mark last year after my niece's swim meet but I haven't seen the other meet-up folks in awhile.

>45 MickyFine: Gotcha. Highly recommended if you get a chance. We loved it. It's an interesting collection elsewhere there, too.

>46 lindapanzo: We will be there on Saturday, Linda. Miss Becca is coming with me again. I've lost track of time, per usual. It's been a while, that's for sure. It'll be great to see you again. This should be a particularly good one, with guest stars like Judy and Amber planning to attend.

>47 jnwelch: If I recall correctly, the last time we got together, the Blackhawks were playing an afternoon playoff game. It seems like it's been 3 years, at least.

Hey, Joe! I lost track of you for awhile - so much going on!

Happy new thread. Love the toppers, especially #3 which looks like something I would do (ask someone to hold me by the back of my shirt so I could lean over and take a photo). Monet is one of my favorite Impressionists - I love his Water Lilies series, but that painting of his of the field of red poppies is stunning.

In case I don't get back before, hope your meetup in Mark's "Man Cave" is lots of fun and everyone can make it. And that someone takes a lot of pics.

Here's a little coffee shop fun:

>48 lindapanzo: Eesh. That's too long, Linda. But them Blackhawks keep making noise in the playoffs, don't they. I'm optimistic about their chances this year. Should be a good series with the Predators.

>49 Storeetllr: Hiya, Mary! Good to have you back with us.

I'm glad you're loving the toppers. Madame MBH is like you, and took some great photos of flowers and lilies in Monet's garden. We blew up several of them and put them on the walls of one of our rooms. Isn't that red poppies one stunning? He's a big favorite in our house, as you can tell.

Amazing how unappreciated he and the other Impressionists were at the start. Ross King's The Judgment of Paris is a good book about that. A guy named Messonier, who hardly anyone remembers now, was the big success back then.

I suspect a lot of pics will be taken at the meetup at Mark's. Might we get you there some day?

>50 weird_O: Ha! Love it. Thanks, Bill. I wouldn't mind some of that right about now.

The following e-books are available today for $3.99. Just follow the link to purchase the books. All of them are Pulitzer Prize winners.

Carry Me Home by Diane McWhorter http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Carry-Me-Home/Diane-McWhorter/978074322648....
John Adams by David McCullough http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/John-Adams/David-McCullough/9780743218290
No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/No-Ordinary-Time/Doris-Kearns-Goodwin/9781....
Lincoln at Gettysburg by Garry Wills http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Lincoln-at-Gettysburg/Garry-Wills/97814391....

>51 jnwelch: As a Wild fan I am hoping for a first round exit for your Blackhawks. You have enough Stanley Cup wins and it is getting old watching a promising Wild season end by running into a Blackhawk playoff buzzsaw.

>54 Oberon: Ha! I was thinking of you the other day, Erik. I can't believe the tumble the Wild took in the last part of the season. As you can imagine, my hopes for the Blackhawks are different! They've got a loaded team this year (the young guys have really come along), and more depth on defense than last. We'll see!

>53 benitastrnad: Thanks for the thought, Benita. Unfortunately, for each of the links, I get the message "Sorry, the page you've requested has been moved or taken off the site."

>55 jnwelch: We didn't make it to any playoff games last year, since the Hawks got bounced out in the first round.

We've got tickets to game 5 of the first round (which would be on April 22nd) so I'm torn between wanting them to sweep and not minding if they lost one so we can be there the night they clinch the first round. I've been to Cubs series on the nights the other team has clinched and it's very depressing so we definitely don't want that.

>56 jnwelch: The links don't work but the sale prices are still good on Amazon.

Hi, Joe! Just wanted to let you know, that I started I Contain Multitudes. I like his style. Smart, informative and just a bit cheeky. I wanted to switch to NF and this fit perfectly.

Did you have any interest in reading Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie? I just finished Americanah and liked it quite a bit. I will have to go back and read her earlier stuff.

Will have to pick up the Linnea book for my granddaughters, Joe. Lovely illustrations! I think they'll enjoy it.

Morning, Joe!

>57 lindapanzo: Here we go, Linda! The Predators are tough, so my guess is you'll get to your playoff game. We'll be watching on the tube. I sure have a positive feeling about this year's team.

Thanks for the tip on the links/Amazon.

>58 msf59: Hi, Mark. Sweet Thursday, buddy.

Great! If you're already liking I Contain Multitudes, you're in for a great ride. That cheekiness lightens it up, doesn't it. Yong really impressed me. Another author to add to the "like to have a beer with" list.

Yes, I am interested in reading Adichie's Americanah. I've been wanting to get to that one for a while. Your endorsement bumped it up that much more.

>59 kac522: Linnea in Monet's Garden is a charmer, Kathy, as you can tell. Great gift for the granddaughters - and with luck it'll encourage their interest in this remarkable artist.

>60 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

>63 jnwelch: - This one has a very surreal quality to it! Very cool. Any idea where it is?

>55 jnwelch: Yeah the wheels kind of came off toward the end of the season. Still it was a franchise record for wins in a season even with the collapse. The Wild fell last night to the Blues. One of those games where you just couldn't buy a goal. They dominated every aspect of the game but just couldn't seem to put the puck in the net while St. Louis got a lucky deflection. Very frustrating but very Minnesota.

>61 jnwelch: Are you going to the Bulls playoff games, Joe? I don't follow them all that much, except during the playoffs, and was surprised that they made it. It seems like the NBA playoff games start a week or so, usually, after the NHL, but not this year.

>64 jessibud2:. Isn't it, Shelley? I'll check for where when we get back (in a RL cafe right now).

>65 Oberon:. St. Louis is tough! Good luck, Erik. It's a great time of year.

>66 lindapanzo:. Yes, we're going to at least two Bulls playoff games, Linda. We'll be out of town for one. They're playing a very good, well-coached Boston Celtics team, so one round may be it. We'll see. I'm so glad they made it!

We Are Legion was a ton o' fun. Thanks to Kim and Mamie for recommending it. Go Bob! Go Bobs!

Sweet Thursday, Joe. Last work day of the week for me. Yah!! Turned out to be a pretty nice day, after a damp start.

I am all ready into the 2nd half of I Contain Multitudes. I am enjoying it very much. He is making something, that could be very dry into something informative and entertaining.

I hope you can give Americanah a try, one of these days.

>1 jnwelch: The cat in those illustrations reminds me of Abby. :-)

Are you all geared up for Easter, Joe? Is the meet-up this weekend? Hope you have a good weekend full of Easter treats.

Morning, Joe! Looking forward to tomorrow!!

>63 jnwelch: well that is quite a stunner Joe.

Joe, look what I just found, playing at my local doc cinema on Sunday!

I, Claude Monet

I will be there! (click on the arrow to see a one minute excerpt. One of those scenes is your topper - minus Linnea!)

>69 msf59: Happy Friday, Mark! So you have today off, too? Sweet!

Ah, music to my ears re I Contain Multitudes. So glad you're having a good time with it. It isn't dry at all, is it.

I'm still at the starting line with The Alchemist. I've gotten a few pages in and have stalled. I will read this, by gum!

BTW, I'm loving the Addonizio collection, Wild Nights: New and Selected Poems, which I can't find a touchstone for.

>70 EBT1002: Awww. Hi, Ellen. Have I forgotten, forgive me. Abby must be your and P's cat? Please give Abby a skritch for us.

Happy Friday, Joe.

>71 Familyhistorian: Hi, Meg. You know, we're pretty low key for Easter these days. We're a Buddhist-Jewish household, and we did celebrate the fun stuff with the kids when they were growing up, but these days we mainly go out for breakfast and schmooze with the neighbors.

I hope you have a great Easter weekend.

>72 scaifea: Morning, Amber! I know, see you tomorrow! Thank you brother Mark for putting this together. Can't wait!

Happy new thread, Joe!

>63 jnwelch: Oh wow! That's awesome!
Thanks for the Simon & Schuster link. I've enrolled, now I can choose one of the free ebooks on offer. :0)

Love Monet and your toppers!

Have a lovely weekend!

>73 Caroline_McElwee: Isn't that a stunner, Caroline? It sure perks up what looks like a standard box building, doesn't it?

>74 jessibud2: Oh, nice one, Shelley. That Monet movie looks mighty good, doesn't it. Please report back. I suspect they show a lot of the garden - that's the bridge in it in the trailer.

>76 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. Happy Friday to you. No picture today? :-)

>78 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda!

Isn't >63 jnwelch: awesome? I'd have that artist do ones all over the city. Oh, I need to check where it's located. Hold on, stay right where you are.

ETA: Huh. Thanks for waiting. Can't find >63 jnwelch:'s origins for some reason. If anyone finds it, please let us know.

I wondered whether enrolling with S & S would solve the "error" problem. They should just say that. Publishers are doing that kind of thing more these days with their websites, aren't they. I just enrolled, I think with Knopf, to get a shot at a cool poetry collection.

Yay for Monet! And I'm glad you like the toppers. I'm going to look for the other Linnea books, now that I know they exist.

Thank you re the weekend. We've got the meetup at Mark's tomorrow, so it's going to be a good one right there!

>79 jnwelch: - These *exhibits on film* seem to be a recent new trend, I think. Opera, concerts, exhibits. And not just at documentary theatres. I've seen these sorts of films appearing at regular movie theatres as well. I guess the industry has to stay competitive for consumer dollars, in this digit-everything era we are in. Personally, I think there is nothing quite like the big screen, though. I will definitely report back. It looks like it will be a good one.

Hi Joe! Happy Friday, and here's hoping I'll be able to make it to Mark's tomorrow! Are you lucky enough to have the day off today?

Hope you have a great Easter weekend!

#69
OK so you liked Americanah. Why? Was it because of the biting commentary on race in the freedom loving Western Democracies? Or the commentary about why Nigeria is better than the U. S. or the U.K.? Or the rise of a middle class in Nigeria that is attracting the return of talented immigrants?

>82 LauraBrook: Hi, Laura! Great to hear from you. Oh, I hope you can make it to Mark's. Should be a lot of fun.

I have most days off now! Can you believe it? I'm mostly retired, pitching in only once in a while when my agedness wisdom and experience might help.

Hope to see you tomorrow!

>83 ChelleBearss: Thank you, Chelle! I hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend, too.

>84 benitastrnad: Intriguing questions, Benita. I hope you get some answers from that savvy guy up in >69 msf59:.

All right, I need to do this ER book review, so I can bring my copy of Tender: Stories to Mark tomorrow.



Tender: Stories by Sofia Samatar has 19 weird and unusual short stories, and one new weird, unusual and dystopian novella, “Fallow.” I thought this would be right up my alley - talented writer, very imaginative, with bizarre angles on reality. Plus these were originally published in periodicals like Uncanny Magazine and Strange Horizons. Hard to resist, right?

One of her ears was like a dead mine-shaft, the other like a window in some desolate bed-and-breakfast of the plains. . . . Her upper lip was like a broken roof, her lower lip like a beached canoe. It made me feel good when she took my onion rings." (From "How I Met the Ghoul").

There were some stories I loved, like "Walkdog", about a girl attracted to a nerdy boy who's being bullied. Walkdog is an animal that looks like "a beaver or large rat" and steals kids and "takes them for a walk." (Italics in the original). Great story. "Cities of Emerald, Cities of Gold" involves a half-Somali, half-American person who compares acceptance of her "family deserts" with Dorothy's acceptance of "dusty Kansas". "Those" is a disturbing and affecting story of the difficulties of an interracial marriage, although it takes some thinking to understand that's what you're reading about.

So, I'm glad I read this different-from-all-the-rest author, and some of the stories I liked a lot. But I felt too emotionally disconnected from many of them to enjoy the whole thing as much as I hoped.

All right, we just had a wonderful visit with Judy (ffortsa) and Jim (magicians_nephew), and here are a couple of pics.



Judy getting a kiss from furry Sherlock, being held by Jim on the Chicago Welches' porch



Judy and Sherlock and Joe and Jim

Just a warmup for tomorrow's meetup!

P.S. Debbi (walklover) and Becca (seasonoflove) met Judy and Jim, but had to go out and buy stuff for a shower they're throwing for Becca's best friend, who's having a little girl soon.

Lovely photos of another LT meetup, I look forward to hearing all about tomorrow's gathering.

Yay for meetups! Looks like you're hitting the meetup jackpot this weekend, Joe! Enjoy!

Nice!

>87 jnwelch: Meet-up photos!! Yay! Judy, you are a traveling woman and I miss you!! Hi Jim and Joe. : )

Joe--So glad you liked We Are Legion and the Bobs!! I have the next one waiting for me. Happy weekend.

Sherlock turned up in my dreams last night Joe. Seems he snuck out when you all weren't looking. In the dream I was working back at the House of Commons, and he came for some belly rubs. He was moulting, I'm not sure that breed actually do, but Sherlock is his own dawg!

>87 jnwelch: Great photos, thanks so much for sharing them, Joe.
Wishing you a wonderful Easter weekend.

I hope you have a lovely weekend, Joe.

Also, I thought you might be interested in this: Twitter

It's a twitter thread of a man paintinggraffiti cover ups/new messages in the areas of Mosul where ISIS has been removed. Some inspiring messages of hope and resilience against hatred.

>88 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline. I'm pretty sure the paparazzi have been alerted to the meetup. Nice to be in an era of phone cameras, right?

>89 Storeetllr: Hi, Mary! It was great to spend time with Judy and Jim, and we're sure looking forward to the meetup at Mark's today. Wish we could have all of you with us.

Have a great time this afternoon, Joe! By the sounds of it, Mark must have a big basement to contain such a crowd!

>90 drneutron: :-) You would've enjoyed it, Jim.

>91 Berly: Hi, Kim! Great to visit with Judy and Jim. Sounds like you've had the pleasure. :-)

The Bobs were a hoot and a fast-paced read in We Are Legion - great rec. I'll probably follow your lead again on the second one.

>92 DianaNL: Thanks, Diana! Happy Easter!

>93 Caroline_McElwee: Ha! That furry guy is always looking for a good belly rub, Caroline. Now he's dream-traveling for it. I should've known.

He doesn't shed or moult in RL; he's hypoallergenic, which is what Becca needs.

>94 Ameise1: You're welcome, Barbara. More to come, I'm sure.

Thanks for the cool rabbits on the stairs photo. Hope you're having a great Easter weekend.

>95 lunacat:, >96 lunacat: Thanks, Jenny. We are having a lovely weekend, by gum, starting with the lovely visit from Judy and Jim. Big local (and not so local) LT meetup at Mark's today.

Thanks for the Twitter link. What a beautiful thing he's doing. It's also a good reminder of what poor Mosul has been going through.

>98 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley. Mark does have a big lower floor. I don't even think of it as a basement. It's nice there - perfect for book nerds. It's also supposed to be a clear, warm day weather-wise, so we probably can spill outside.

>102 jnwelch: LIKE!

Morning, Joe. Happy Saturday! Things are all ready bustling in the Freeburg household. Riley is at the groomers, Matt is rearranging his bedroom, Sue is preparing something good in the kitchen and I am...well, online chatting with you. Grins...

See you soon, sir.

Sorry 3 times the same...

LT was acting up...

LT keeps "eating" the message I leave here :-(
One more try (and hoping they don't appear later)

>87 jnwelch: jnwelch: Thanks for sharing the meet-up pictures, Joe.
I see you have a meet-up today again, have fun you lucky man!

Great meetup - we spent a good bit of time in a group read of Mark's excellent books

Occasionally we looked up from our reading

Back row, left to right: Amber, Becca, Joe, Mark, Kathy, Laura, Nancy

Front row, left to right: Julia, Linda, Judy, Jim

Front front one person row: Riley the dog

Thank you, Mark and Sue!

Extra thanks to Sue to taking these photos on everyone's phones.

>103 msf59: Woo, thanks again to you and Sue for hosting, Mark! What a fun time. We thought Riley looked fabulous. So did your Man Cave!

>104 FAMeulstee:, >105 FAMeulstee:, >106 FAMeulstee: Thanks for hanging in there with the LT glitches, Anita. :-)

We did have fun again today, and you're right, I'm a lucky man. Pics of the LT gang up above.

Great photos! Great Meet-Up, Joe. Sorry, you had to leave. We had enough beer and food for an over-nighter! The house is suddenly dead quiet.

>108 jnwelch: On everyone's phones? You must have had to hold the pose for a long time!

Great photos. Meetups are always cool!

>107 jnwelch: >108 jnwelch: hello you lovely readers! Looks like a fine get-together.

No worries about forgetting, Joe. I could hardly expect you to remember the cats and dogs of all your LT buddies! Abby is indeed the cat who lives with P and myself. She is quite the princess and, if I'm honest, she is a darn good-looking cat. Here she is a few years ago when she was a bit younger:

Great meet up photos. I'm envious that Judy and Jim got to meet Sherlock!

Let's see. Books. I have finished the wonderful Exit West and the worthwhile anthology, The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks about Race and I think my next read will be The Master Butchers Singing Club to keep my Louise Erdrich binge going.

I've also been reading quite a bit of poetry lately so I'll dig into one of the collections on my bedside table.

I hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

>4 jnwelch: infamous pink bellbottoms!!? I want to see those :) I had some mauve (?) polyester flared pants that I wore right up to the time when skinny jeans came in (about 9 years ago!?). They are lost now, but I still sometimes wear my light brown (with sparkly flecks) flares, and not just for dress ups!

>107 jnwelch: gotta be reading the books, right!? Great meet up pic! (is there ever a bad one?)

>108 jnwelch: looks like choir practice

Happy Easter , Joe! Love your cheerful topper! Woot! Just noticed the meet up pictures! Great going! Thanks for sharing!

Wow, wonderful meet-up pictures!!! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for posting the meet-up photos. It looks like you had a blast.
Happy Sunday, Joe.

>117 magicians_nephew: Well, we were at The Master Warbler's abode.

>107 jnwelch: & >108 jnwelch: Thanks for the pictures, Joe, and thanks Sue for taking them.
It looks like you all had a very good time :-)

Morning, Best Friend's Dad! So, so SO good to meet you yesterday; I'm hoping it was the first of many, many times.

Also, I'm not ashamed to admit that I feel like I really want to read the Alchemist, now. When so many are so adamantly against something, I just feel contrary...

ETA: So, I went to Amazon to add The Alchemis to my wishlist, and as it turns out, from reading the summary blurb, I've read it already! I'm afraid I don't remember it too clearly (obviously), but I don't think I hated it... I know, I know, not helpful. *snork!*

>110 msf59: Hiya, Mark! What fun that was. I liked that new idea of having everyone talk about what they're currently reading.

Yeah, I was telling Debbi that probably have the group brought you craft beer. I bet you had enough left for an overnighter and then some. And you had all that good food plus Home Run Pizza.

Hey, Happy Easter! I know you get together with another big group today, right?

I have some more photos, so I'll go through the process to get them up today.

>111 Familyhistorian: You know, in thinking about it, Meg, I'm thinking poor Sue had a half dozen or so phones, so it must not have been everyone's, despite what that clueless proprietor said. But it still was awfully nice of her. Somehow, posing for a long time holding great books (mine was a nice edition of The Count of Monte Cristo) was fine with all of us.

At one point we were all reading aloud from them at the same time. Music of the spheres. Or the most literate cocktail party ever.

>112 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley. It was a great meetup, with most traveling a fairly long ways to make it. Judy and Jim won the prize for furthest, coming from NYC.

Morning, Joe! Happy Sunday! I think we picked the better day yesterday, right? A bit cool and damp out there at the moment.

I also loved the current round-robin current read idea. Who gets credit for that wonderful brainstorm?

And yes, we are going over to my BIL's home, for Easter dinner, with the family and I WILL be bringing some of that terrific craft beer. Yum.

>113 Caroline_McElwee: Hello you lovely reader, from all the lovely readers. It was a fine time indeed, Caroline.

I noticed you've been having your own get-together with friends Darryl and Claire and others, yes, for the theater?

>114 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen. Abby is indeed a fine-looking cat, and I can see why Linnea's cat reminded you of her.

>115 EBT1002: Judy and Jim were really funny. One of the first things they wanted was to have their picture taken with Sherlock. He's so focused on his detective work, I'm not sure he realizes that he has a lot of fans out there.

We're lucky, and starting a few days of hosting him while his human mom goes off to rest and relax in Michigan.

That sounds like you're up to a lot of great reading. I'm particularly envious about the new The Fire This Time book, and your "Louise Erdrich binge". I need to read more Louise Erdrich, for sure.

We are having a wonderful weekend, thanks. Hope you and P and Miss Abby are, too.

Yes Joe, a lovely time with Darryl, Claire, Bianca, and Claire's sister Karen. Food (twice, Thai and Persian) and theatre, Neil Bartlett's dramatisation of Camus's The Plague, a fine production, at The Arcola in Dalston. Have you been there?

>116 LovingLit: If I ever find a more full-bodied photo of those pink bell bottoms, I'll post it, Megan. What an unfashionable era that was. That tie probably would look great under a black light, too.

Flares - my suggestion would be to get a good pair in bright pink.

You're right, I've never seen a bad meetup photo. LTers are just great people, don't you think?

>117 magicians_nephew: Was that singing we were doing, Jim? It sounded like an awful lot of books being read out loud at the same time. But those dulcet tones were musical, weren't they.

We do look heavenly.

P.S. Really great to spend time with you and Judy. I hope you enjoy your last day in Chi-town.

>118 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. Happy Easter! Yes, we had a blast. So nice of Mark and Sue to host us.

>119 ronincats: You're welcome, Roni! I'm hoping to post a few more today. I wish it was simpler - it takes a while to get one from phone camera to here. What a great group to get together.

>120 Ameise1: Happy Sunday, Barbara. Hope you're having a good one.

We did have a blast. Books might've been mentioned once or twice.

>121 kac522: Oh, I like that, Kathy. Yes, in those photos we were all warbling, right?

It was great to meet you in person! That was a lot of fun.

>122 FAMeulstee: Hi, Anita. You're welcome, and I know gracious Sue would say the same. It was a most excellent gathering of 75ers (plus Nancy; we all told her to join the 75ers asap).

>123 scaifea: Ha! I read that opener to Becca and she loved it. Her reaction: "I love her". Yes, I like that moniker - your Best Friend's Dad!

What a treat to finally meet you in person. The first of many, many times sounds great to me. Is it too far a drive for you to come over today? :-)

I'm not ashamed to admit that I feel like I really want to read the Alchemist, now LOL! I think you've given me the key to reading it. My family would say I'm a contrarian, too. I'm going to view it as going against the flow. Should we do a two-person group read? Misery A rebel loves company.

Oh, I just read the end of your post! Ha! You read the book and can't remember it. That fits, doesn't it. Yet another reason I just can't wait to read this one. Holy what the heck am I doing, Batman. I join your *snork*

P.S. I keep calling Becca "Amber". It's so confusing.

>126 msf59: Morning, Mark! It was a perfect day for the meetup yesterday. I'm so glad you had a Saturday off. Plus Becca would've been gone if it were today.

I think the round-robin was your wonderful brainstorm, my friend. But it was so quickly and unanimously endorsed that I could be wrong. I will say the group was totally useless when it came to The Alchemist.

Ha! I know you like to host these mainly to collect all that craft beer that comes in the door. Have a great time at your BIL's today, and please thank your lovely bride again for me.

>128 Caroline_McElwee: Darryl, Claire, Bianca, and Claire's sister Karen. Oh, we're sighing here, Caroline. What a great group. Wish we could've been there with you. No, we've never been to the Arcola, and never seen this play. I've never read The Plague novel either. Should I?

Yay! Meet-up photos!! Totally jealous. ; )

>134 jnwelch: Oh yes, I think you should read The Plague, and Darryl will concur on that, it has had a formative effect on his life he will tell you about it.

btw nip over to his thread, I posted a photo from yesterday.

>135 Berly: Thanks, Kim! Wish you could've joined us. :-)

Happy Easter!

>136 Caroline_McElwee: OK, you convinced me. Adding The Plague to the WL.

I will nip shortly. :-)

P.S. Good photo on friend Darryl's thread. We miss those folks!

>68 jnwelch: I got that one from Audible, so I will have to get to it soon!

>108 jnwelch: I am sorry I missed it! Can we move Texas closer to Illinois? Pretty please!!

Happy Easter, Joe!

It is a beautiful day here in Tuscaloosa Alabama. Last night I made some Ginger Rose Cupcakes (recipe from Martha Stewart) and today I will do Asparagus Mimosa. (recipe from America's Test Kitchen). Both of these are amazing spring food. I will be taking both items to friends for an Easter supper later this afternoon. If the cafe doesn't have them on the menu they would make good additions.

Yay for your Chicago meetups!!! Looks like you guys had the most fun!

>140 benitastrnad: I'd be up for trying the Ginger Rose Cupcakes, though not too sure about Asparagus Mimosas.

Happy Easter!

#141
Asparagus Mimosa is more like asparagus goldenrod than it is champagne mimosa. Think asparagus goldenrod without the toast. It can be served chilled or at room temperature.

I finished listening to my latest commuter book. Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown turned out to be a surprisingly good book. I don't usually read chick lit and so had put of listening to this one for a long time and, honestly, had set the bar quite low for this title. This was a pleasant surprise when I did get around to it.

This is a story of three sisters who love each other, but don't want to spend the rest of their lives in close proximity. Circumstances, however, have other plans, and the sisters find themselves all back at home living with their parents due to one thing or another. All of them use their mother's cancer and subsequent illness as the excuse, but all of them are back because they have unfinished business with their siblings. How, this quandary is resolved is the story, and the author does a bang-up job of telling it. The narrator for this recorded version was also very good and did a great job of bringing this twist on the genre to life. It was a great commute book.

Sounds like you are having a wonderful weekend, Joe. Keep up the good work!

>139 alcottacre: Oh, you'll have a good time with We Are Legion, Stasia. And word on the street is it's even better on audio than in print.

If we can fold a map, we should be able to fold the country and make the Texas-Chicago trip a short one, right? It probably just needs some studying on dimensional travel.

We do get to Houston, where our DIL's friendly parents live, so I'll keep you posted on that, in case it might work for you. The delightful Roberta lives there, and she introduced us to the almost as delightful "Murder by the Book" bookstore.

Happy Easter!

>140 benitastrnad: I'm glad you have a beaut of a day in Tuscaloosa, Benita. (One of Madame MBH's favorite city names, BTW). Against all odds, it's turned from a chilly and rainy one to a beaut here, as well.

That's some exotic and tasty-sounding eating and drinking. Ginger Rose Cupcakes and Asparagus Mimosas. The latter seem unlikely, but with your endorsement, I'm sure they're good.

Hmm, checking with the staff on their availability here. Yes, we have them, although the cafe recipes may be a bit different. Turns out "mimosa" doesn't mean a drink like I thought. That's why they keep me in management and out of the kitchen.

>141 Storeetllr: Hiya, Mary. We did indeed have a barrel of fun at Mark's place. What a great group of folks.

As you'll see in >140 benitastrnad:, Asparagus Mimosa looks pretty darn tasty.

Happy Easter!

>142 benitastrnad: I'm a convert, Benita. That looks yumcious.

>136 Caroline_McElwee: let me add my vote for The Plague.. it's short but powerful. I only got to it last year myself, thanks to one of my f2f reading groups.

Eta yeah, I had to look up that recipe too.

>143 benitastrnad: The Weird Sisters looks interesting, Benita. I'm glad you had such a good time with it. I've been known to read what others consider chick lit - our daughter, for example, likes to tease me for enjoying Austenland. (The follow-up book wasn't bad either).

>144 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. I'm willing to really put my shoulder to the wheel when it comes to having a wonderful weekend. I used to be a bit more reluctant on the weekdays, but I'm getting better. :-)

I hope you've been having a wonderful weekend yourownself.

>148 ffortsa: Thanks, Judy. OK, another vote for The Plague. I actually liked The Stranger a lot, so I'm glad for the motivation to try another.

Any thoughts on The Alchemist? :-)

Yes, I think "Asparagus Mimosa" was giving a lot of us pause. Now I get it.

What were you and Jim up to today?

Cool meetup photos! Though in the one it looks like a Joe is reading over Mark's shoulder...

>149 jnwelch: Maybe you overcame your reluctance with the weekends because now you have all week to recovery from them?

Joe, I saw the Monet film this afternoon, the one I mentioned and linked to in >74 jessibud2:. It was lovely, all done in a voiceover reading entirely from his letters and journals entries, starting from his early years right through to nearly the end of his life. The music was lovely and the visuals were excellent. I especially liked how they showed scenes around France (and, briefy, Venice), corresponding to where he was living and writing from, and the frames morphed into his paintings of those same scenes. They also showed the room in the L'Orangerie, that you showed up in >44 jnwelch:. So inspiring. My mum was telling me when I spoke to her earlier today, that she had the opportunity to actually visit Monet's gardens and the house when she and her husband were in France a few years back. Anyhow, if you see this film coming to a theatre near you, I'd certainly recommend it.

>151 drneutron: Ha! Glad you like the photos, Jim. Yes, I'm a habitual reading cheater, reading people's books over their shoulders on the El train, in the library, at meetups, anywhere I can. If you look carefully, I'm also reading Kathy's, and I even was following along a bit with Judy in the front row.

>152 Familyhistorian: I can't tell you how great it is to know I'm going into an open week, rather than back to work, Meg. Today I had the repeated sensation that I would be going back to work tomorrow, and I'd have to remind myself that I wouldn't be. I'm still not used to it, but I sure am enjoying it.

>153 jessibud2: Oh, that sounds great, Shelley. Thanks for letting us know. I'll definitely keep an eye out for the movie. I can see it coming to the Art Institute, and there's a theater called the Music Box that shows out of the mainstream movies, among others here. I hope it makes it here. I'm glad it was as good as you hoped.

Hi there, Joe. I know you're having fun with Sherlock staying for a few days. It will be good to have a resident expert to solve whatever mysteries you and Debbi have been wondering about in your lovely early 20th century home.

Have you read any Erdrich? I did start The Master Butchers Singing Club and I'm only about 25% into it but it is absolutely delightful. I think you would really love it. I'm reading it on my Kindle but I have a hard (paper) copy here, I think, compliments of Beth. I would be happy to forward it on to you. Not that I'm trying to twist your arm or anything but this novel is just so good.

I fly to Syracuse on Friday and today I was in anxious space about it. Not about the flight but about the interview. I want to do well but at the same time part of me wonders what on earth I'm doing, even considering leaving this amazing city in which I live. But the job is so appealing..... Gah!

See. I'm in that space. It won't last forever.

Have a great Monday!

>150 jnwelch: Greetings from London! I read The Stranger in French (ahem!) years ago and remember liking it but it's time for a re-read, this time in English. As for The Alchemist, I just plain didn't get it: neither the story nor the book's popularity.

BTW saw an over the top production of Twelffh Night at the National Theatre the other night with the wonderful Tamsin Grieg as "Malvolia". So good!

>154 jnwelch: I do like the name Anita, Joe, but not me I'm afraid although her handle also starts with an "F".

Wishing you a wonderful start into the new week, Joe. I love green asparagus. We are eating the very often now.

Morning, Joe! Please to give Sherlock some ear scritchings for me today.

>155 EBT1002: Hiya, Ellen.

Sherlock has already solved The Squeaky Toy Mystery, and The Mystery of the Dog Next Door. He's a marvel. He also figured out how to sleep compactly between Debbi and me. At least he wasn't smoking that darn pipe.

I thought The Round House was terrific, and I'm determined to read more of hers. The Master Butcher's Singing Club sounds great, and I've noticed other LTers liking it a lot.

I was always a location-first guy for work, but I can understand the draw of a really appealing job. Seems to me you can relax; if anyone would be a good interview, you'd be it. Just imagine the interviewer as your favorite book. No, then you'd just sit there silently, smiling. Well, I know you'll be great, regardless. Sending lots of positive thoughts your way.

Normally I'm Mmphmumbleday adverse, but they're not so bad these days. I hope you have a great one, too!

>156 NarratorLady: Hiya, Anne! Oh, you and Darryl are both in London. May I say I'm envious? Not this year for us, but we do get to go to Barcelona next month.

I'm impressed you read The Stranger in French. I can attest to its weird wonderfulness in English.

I've yet to come across an LT advocate for The Alchemist. Amber can't remember it, you didn't get it any which way. It sure is popular, isn't it. I feel like I've heard this story of a man being told there's a treasure in Egypt near the Pyramids. Anyway, at least you both made it all the way through. That's my task.

Have a great afternoon/evening in our favorite city!

>157 Familyhistorian: Jeez Louise, sorry, Meg. Fixed. Sometimes this thread moves too fast even for me. At least it's a wonderful person to be confused with. My doppelganger is Jim.

>158 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. I hope you have a wonderful start to the week, too.

My younger self wouldn't believe I'm saying this, but I love asparagus, too, now. Yum. And that Asparagus Mimosa looks outstanding, doesn't it.

>159 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Oh, Sherlock will appreciate the ear scritchings. He's already wondering where the heck his human mom is.

Please give Charlie some ear scritchings, too our best. He'd probably think you'd turned into a lunatic if you gave him some ear scritchings.

Good morning!

>163 jnwelch: ooo I can see myself nesting there Joe, great image, but what, no books. Ok, the cosmos is pretty distracting...

I see you've plunged right back into the social swirl of LT, Joe, and are in excellent early-week form. I'm glad Sherlock is keeping busy solving cases while Mama Becca is having her vacation. I suspect that spending some time with his grandhumans is a fun time for him, too!

I'm going to try to get those McGee books in the mail today or tomorrow to you. I've got the first six in the series:
The Deep Blue Good-bye
Nightmare in Pink
A Purple Place for Dying
The Quick Red Fox
A Deadly Shade of Gold
Bright Orange for the Shroud

That must have been about the time I figured out that the entire series was available from the library as ebooks, so I stopped hunting for paperbacks. I know you said you've read the first two, but would you like to have them as well? Or just the four you haven't read yet? Just let me know!

>164 Caroline_McElwee: Ha! I looked for the same thing, Caroline - where are the books? But like you, T thought that cosmos looked pretty great, and she's got her nest and her cat.

>165 rosalita: Thanks, Julia! That's such great news. As you know, I'm now hooked on the Travis McGee series. Are you going to want these back? If so, I'll just take the four, and if not, I'd be happy to take the six. My Nightmare in Pink, in particular, is in pretty bad shape.

Your timing is perfect - I was just about to hunt down a copy of the "Purple" one.

>166 jnwelch: I was thinking of permanent donation, Joe, so I'll send all six along to you. They are all from used bookstores and of varying vintages and editions, but even the older ones are in solid shape. I'm glad I caught you before you started the hunt for Purple.

#149
Most people would consider Georgette Heyer to be chick lit.

I'm not sure anyone would consider Georgette Heyer to be chick-lit, given the genre wasn't even "created" until the 1990s and is generally considered to encompass modern or postmodern themes. Heyer's Regency novels are romances, historical romances if you want to be specific. No need to try to shoehorn them into a new genre when there's an existing one that fits perfectly well.

>167 rosalita: Perfect-o, Julia. Thanks!

>168 benitastrnad: More proof that most people are dopes, right, Benita?

>169 rosalita: I'm thinking "great, witty Regency novels" might be the right category for them, Julia. :-)

Good morning, Joe. Wishing yo a lovely day.

>108 jnwelch: Nice meet up photo!

Thanks for sharing all your meet-up photos, Joe! Books and dogs and good company - it doesn't get much better. Oh, and beer.

I couldn't quite tell (frankly, not at all) what everyone was reading though! 🙂 (Although I think I spot The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing.)

Trying to catch up a little buddy. One of those rare occasions when we are on the same continent. Despite losing my cellphone (nobody here knows what the hell a handphone is), I am impressed by the warmth of the people I have met so far in Jacksonville.

The waitress in the breakfast buffet was from Bali so we were able to converse together in Bahasa Malay yesterday and she was overjoyed if a little dumbfounded!

Morning, Joe!

I need to get to some Heyer soon, I suspect.

>173 Copperskye: Joanne: I can tell you that my book was my own The Complete Sherlock Holmes, which I had with me in my bag (*never* go anywhere without a book, am I right?)...

Morning, Joe! Looks to be another beautiful spring day. Keep 'em coming. I finished I Contain Multitudes. It is a lot of info to take in, but Yong makes it fun and highly readable. Thanks for putting it on my radar.

I am starting Exit West. I have heard nothing but glowing reports about this one.

>145 jnwelch: Houston is at the other end of the state from me (I am almost in Oklahoma), but I would love to be able to make a meet up there!

Good morning, Joe! I have posted my voluminous Heyer romance roundup over on my thread. I want to thank you first for asking me to give you some recommendations, second for not running screaming when you saw how long those recommendations ended up being, and third for suggesting that I share it with everyone. I had a lot of fun putting it together!

>171 Ameise1: Good morning/afternoon,Barbara. Looks like we're going to have another lovely weather day here, and Madame MBH and I plan to do some reading and writing with the furry Sherlock. Hope you're having a lovely day, too.

>172 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl!

You're probably having a grand day in London. I'll be catching up on your latest exploits.

>173 Copperskye: Hi, Joanne. It was lots of fun, and the beer (as you would expect from Mark and those who know him) was excellent.

You have a good eye. There definitely was a copy of Girl's Guide. I was reading The Count of Monte Cristo (one of my favorites). I'm sure someone had Pride and Prejudice. Mark has a slew of beautifully bound classics.

>176 msf59: Morning, Mark! It is a beaut out there again. I just took Sherlock out for his morning routine.

I'm pumped that you enjoyed I Contain Multitudes. What a job he did. Yong makes it fun and highly readable. Exactly!

I'll be working on The Alchemist today. Sympathy welcome.

P.S. Ellen raved about Exit West. It's on my WL.

P.P.S. I thought the fecal matter discussion in I Contain Multitudes was almost as good as the mucus discussion, didn't you? :-)

>174 PaulCranswick: we were able to converse together in Bahasa Malay I love that, Paul! I'll bet the waitress was a bit dumbfounded! :-) She must have thought the chances of that happening in Jacksonville were astronomical.

I have to admit, I've never heard "handphone" before. They probably thought this was yet another new invention. "I've set my handphone on stun".

I'm glad and not surprised that folks have been friendly in Jacksonville. I'm not a Florida kind of guy, but it's got a lot of positives. Hope it's a successful business trip for you.

>175 scaifea: Morning, Amber! I'd recommend reading Heyer, can you tell?

You know, I didn't get a look at your copy of The Complete Sherlock Holmes, but it must be a doorstopper. I'm sure ACD would appreciate the dedication in hauling it around on your travels.

>177 alcottacre: Man, that's a huge state you live in, Stasia. Well, we'll all stay in touch and figure out something that works. It would be a treat to meet you in person.

>178 rosalita: Good morning, Julia!

Oh my, that's great. I'm going to go over to your thread and copy your Heyer guidelines for my "Books" email folder. Thanks again for doing that! So helpful. It was just what I hoped for. I'm glad that it was fun to put together, and that it'll get wider use now.

>181 jnwelch: Well, it's not small, or featherweight, either. When I got to Mark's place and asked where I could stash my bag out-of-the-way, he graciously took it for me and sad something like, "Wow, that's heavy - what have you got in there, books?" Guh! Of COURSE. Never leave home without a tome.

Mark and Julia engrossed in discussing the Complete Works of Shakespeare and James Patterson (well, I bet they were discussing books, at least)



Our lovely host Sue is on the left. It took a lot of convincing, I think, to get her to sit down for a bit, rather than continuing hosting duties. I think that's Kathy (kac522) with her back to us, then Nancy (alphaorder) and Jim (magicians_nephew).

Beautiful, thanks so much for sharing them, Joe.

>84 benitastrnad: Thanks Joe, it looks like everyone had a good time. So nice to see Sue on a picture :-)

I am starting to get bulletins about speakers and authors at ALA this summer. I will e-mail the LT Gods around May first and see if they are giving the free passes. In the meantime - time to energized about the conference. It is in Chicago at the McCormick Place Convention Center and the exhibits are open on June 24-26 from 9:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m.

Maybe there will be another meet-up during the ALA conference?

>182 jnwelch: I am not sure how much of a treat I am to meet, but I love LT meet ups, so I am game!

Looks like you had a great meetup, Joe. Thanks for sharing the photos!

>184 jnwelch: I assume Mark and I were talking about either books or the Cubs. Both topics got a workout.

Hi Joe, looks like a great time was had by all the LTers at Mark's get-together. I am green with envy!

Hey, how 'bout those Bulls, Joe.

Happy Wednesday, Joe.

Morning, Joe!

>185 Ameise1: My pleasure, Barbara. I'm glad you're enjoying them.

>186 FAMeulstee: I'm happy I actually got a photo of Sue, Anita. She was so gracious.

>187 benitastrnad: Thanks, Benita. It's so great of you to help get us all into ALA. We love it, as you know.

I'm sure there'll be some kind of get-together of LTers, maybe at ALA?

>188 alcottacre: Ha! We'll figure it out, Stasia. It'll be a treat for me, I know that much. :-)

>189 bell7: 'Twas, Mary. There's really nothing better than getting together with LTers, right? I was glad I had a couple of more pics. We all get so busy talking that we forget to take photos.

>190 rosalita: Ha! The Cubs - that makes sense, Julia. I'm only surprised that Mark didn't manage to work beer into the discussion.

BTW, your complete Heyer guide is great. I'm going to make full use of it. I would've rated The Grand Sophy even higher, but I think that's the only one I differ on, of those I've read.

>191 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy. When word got out that "Judy" was coming, there were many hoping you were going to make this one. It was so great to have ffortsa Judy; I hope we can get you to a meetup one of these days. We probably should figure out a way to have one in your beautiful part of the world.

>192 lindapanzo: Hey, how about those Bulls, Linda?! A number 8 seed dominating the number 1; you don't see that too often. I hope that they can keep it up. We'll be there for Friday's game.

>193 Ameise1: Happy Wednesday, Barbara. Thank you for stopping by.

>194 scaifea: Morning, Amber! I bet the joint is jumping at Casa Scaife.

Morning workout . . .

By Marco Manzella

>197 jnwelch: I'm only surprised that Mark didn't manage to work beer into the discussion.

I'm sure he would have been happy to if wasn't completely incapable of holding up my end of that conversation, Joe. :-)

^^Love those Meet Up action shots up there. I could have talked Patterson for hours. Grins...

Hooray for the Bulls and hooray for starting Linclon in the Bardo. I hope it is much more satisfying The Alchemist. Grins again...

>125 jnwelch: At one point we were all reading aloud from them at the same time. Music of the spheres. Or the most literate cocktail party ever. This is one of my favorite quotes from an LT thread, Joe. Music of the spheres, indeed! Thanks for the pictures. I'm glad you included some informal shots, too.

Enjoy your time with Sherlock. I'm glad he is solving some neighborhood mysteries for you. Lol.

Good for the Bulls but the lowest seed beating up on the top seed reminds me too much of the Predators beating up on the Blackhawks.

>202 Donna828: I LOVED when we were all reading aloud from our books while taking pics. On the first one, we were supposed to be serious but I had a hard time stifling a big grin as I read from Pride and Prejudice.

btw, Joe, an old friend who now lives in Morocco said on FB: "I'm reading The Alchemist right now and it has become one of my favorite books. This quote is one of many that make it worth reading."

“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity.”

>200 rosalita: :-) How about birds, Julia? He's really into birds these days, as you may have noticed.

>201 msf59: Ha! I know you're big Patterson reader, Mark. Or was that Millard? I think it was Millard.

LOL! Yes, Lincoln in the Bardo has a good bit more meat on the bone, or shrimp on the barbie, or something like that, than The Alchemist. I think I'm going to come out in the end that TA is harmless and well-intentioned. I'm sure liking it more than Suspended Sentences by that Nobel winner.

P.S. Yes! Go Bulls!

>202 Donna828: Ha! Oh good, Donna. I'm glad you like that description. It really did sound great when we were all reading from our books at the same time.

I'm happy you like the photos, too. What a gathering it was.

You're probably familiar with the "dog on the lap" problem, or its human equivalent, "baby on the lap". We keep asking each other to get us things because of Sherlock on the lap. "I can't move. I've got Sherlock on my lap." It's a nice problem to have. :-)

>203 lindapanzo: Oh yeah, you're right, Linda. Predators- Hawks. Let's hope the Hawks come back, and the Celtics don't.

Wasn't that group readaloud fun - and a crackup?

That's a very representative quote from The Alchemist. It's not an awful book by any means; it's just not one I'd push for anyone to spend their time with, personally. Read the Dalai Lama or Thich Nhat Hanh or Shunryu Suzuki instead.

>205 jnwelch: My friend is an American teaching English in Morocco. I've heard it said that people with connections to Muslim countries might love The Alchemist. I don't know anything about it so I really couldn't say.

>206 lindapanzo: You got me, Linda. Certainly important parts of The Alchemist are set in Africa and Egypt.

I finished reading Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. It was interesting enough to keep me interested, but it certainly wasn't Kafka on the Shore or even After the Quake. There was a well, and some passing by cats, but no KFC. What the hey?

Joe, I thought you would enjoy this article on San Diego's street art.
http://www.pacificsandiego.com/local-entertainment/arts-coolture/san-diego-stree...

>197 jnwelch: I wish I had been the lucky Judy who got to attend. :)

>208 benitastrnad: Ha! Or Johnny Walker (shudder), right, Benita? I'm glad Hard-Boiled Wonderland kept your interest. I'd rate Kafka on the Shore and After the Quake above it, too, but it's still one of my favorites. I want to re-read them all some day.

>209 ronincats: Cool, Roni. That looks good. I'll circle back and read it. Thanks.

>210 DeltaQueen50: We would've loved it, Judy. :-) We'll just all have to put on our thinking caps for a meetup.

#211
Did you notice that the publisher has changed all of the covers on the Murakami paperbacks? They still have a distinctive look and you can recognize them all as being Murakami books, but they are new and updated. I liked the old covers, but I also like these new covers. The old editions also had very distinctive Murakami covers that were easily recognizable by his readers. I am happy to note that the publishers are sticking with that idea and keeping them all different but similar.

I got way behind, Joe, but will comment as best I can. First, the picture in >212 jnwelch: is terrific!

You asked what Jim and I did the day after the meetup. We managed to get ourselves to the Art Institute, then pooped out for going to anything else. The one problem with the hotel we stayed at is that it is mainly a business/convention place and not really near the usual tourist sites. We were ok walking, but maybe a little too old and out of shape for a full-day trudge.

The next day, in the morning, we took the Architecture Society's (?) tour of the river, which was wonderful. The day, as you may recall, was perfect, and the docent was chock-full of details and opinions. A great hour and a half.

The next time we come to Chicago (and we will, we really loved the place, and some of the population, too), we are thinking of taking the hop-off, hop-on tourist bus, just to give us a better perspective on all the different areas of the city. If we weren't already in New York, Chicago would be on our list of places we'd like to live.

>210 DeltaQueen50: Judy, I also wish you had been able to join us. One of these days...

I was flirting with the idea of coming back to Chicago for the ALA, but I've just signed up for my 50th (?!?!) high school reunion that weekend. OMG.

Oh, almost forgot we owe you a review of the fish restaurant GH Oyster and something-or-other. I'm not sure what your dining tastes are, but here's my thought. DON'T eat inside. You will not be able to hear yourself think. We snagged a table on the sidewalk, not our preference but it was late enough that there wasn't much traffic, aside from some guys who wanted to show off their muffler sounds. The service was great. The food - well, they say it's meant to be shared, but the portions are quite small, almost as if you're supposed to be grazing. (Or maybe I should rethink my portions.) I had the crab cake, which was quite good and not at all gooey, as some of them are. Jim had clams and pasta, which I did share, and it was quite good as well, although it could have used a few more clams. We had an appetizer I can't recall at the moment. Jim had an IPA that he seemed to like. If you want to go, make sure to get a reservation. We were unable to get one the first night, and snagged one for 9:15 the next night. They get really busy. Definitely a young crowd, as is that whole area of N. Wells where it's not taken by decorator showrooms. Let us know if you try the place.

#214
The last time I was in Chicago (the great blizzard of Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 2, 2015) I did the Architecture Society's walking tour of Art Deco buildings. It was great. There was so much to see, and we walked, and walked. I was quite tired when we finished. I highly recommend the Architecture Society's tours. They are lead by very knowledgeable people.

#211
There was plenty of whiskey in Hard-Boiled, but it wasn't limited to one kind. There were bottles and bottles of it.

Good morning, Joe. I hope all is well with you. Started Rogue Heroes and really enjoying it so far.

Wow, I'm loving these posts. Here we go.

>213 benitastrnad: I didn't know that about about new Murakami editions with new covers, Benita. I'm going to look for them.

Oh yeah, interesting. Here's one pair.



Old one on the left, which is the one I have. I think I like the new one even more. Well worth reading this novel, BTW. Thanks for letting me know! And you're right, I see the similarity between all the new covers.

>214 ffortsa: Great post, Judy!

Isn't >212 jnwelch: cool? I love her lying on the hill, with her feet up on the window.

I'm so glad you got to the Art Institute! We still go there on a regular basis. That Renzo Piano addition is the rare one that really works, and we love the bridge to Millenium Park. I hope you got a gander at the Impressionist collection; if not, next time.

Yeah, trudging all day is tiring, and trudging through a museum all by itself is tiring, IMO. I think at least in part it's the hard floors they all have. I'd replace them with that rubbery, giving surface they now put in playgrounds. I'd replace sidewalks with that, too. Just waiting for my turn at playing Emperor.

Yes, we love that architectural tour on the river! And there's nothing better than doing that on a beautiful day. As I mentioned to you, that river through downtown is what caused me to fall in love with this city.

We haven't tried the hop-on, hop-off bus, although we've certainly enjoyed that in other cities. Great way to get an overview. And as Benita mentions, the Architectural Society's walking tours also are excellent.

Ha! 50th high school reunion. I know the feeling. As we stick around, those numbers start getting mighty big. We'd sure love to have you join the local LTers for ALA some time. You could see the magnificent Becca at work, sending her dad on multiple trips back to the car, to stow the books she's found. And Debbi joins us for this one.

You've convinced me on GH Oyster and whatever. Plus we'll be alerted to the small but delicious portions. I'll report back.

I'm glad you had such a good time, and want to come back. We're fans of the city, as you can tell. We rightly get a lot of press for the violence in a couple of gang neighborhoods, but we still love it here.

>215 benitastrnad: You remind me we need to take other Architectural Society tours, Benita, as they uniformly get that kind of positive response. We've only done the river tour, albeit multiple times for that one.

The Super Bowl blizzard day! Kudos to you for not letting that daunt you. That was a lot of snow. I remember it well, as it was the first and only one of our SB parties that Debbi ever missed; her flight back from LA was cancelled because of that weather. So she very thoughtfully sent a photo of herself lounging by the pool, which Becca and I got to see after coming back in from shoveling a foot of snow or so. We were not amused. Well, yes we were.

Ha! I'd forgotten there was lots of whisky in Hard-Boiled Wonderland, just no Johnny Walker strutting around in his red coat.

>216 brodiew2: Oh, great to hear, Brodie. I know you'll enjoy Rogue Heroes. Macintyre and Millard are two authors I'm determined to read more of.

Howdy Joe. I love the meetup photos.

>218 jnwelch: GT Oyster House. Good service noisy small portions good food.

If i was 24 and trying to impress a girl on a first date I might have taken her here

>217 jnwelch: when they publish those swanky new editions you have to work even harder to resist the book-buying-temptations!!!

Often times they are a little cheaper than the old ones too....

Sweet Thursday, Joe. It sure turned out to be a very nice day, just a bit breezy.

Lola is off to a good start. I like her clean, prose-style and Lola is shaping up to be quite a character. I am about 50 pages in.

I finally finished a poetry collection, No Matter the Wreckage. I really like her work. I will post something over on the AAC thread. Remember, I recently shared a live poetry video with Sarah Kay and another young dude, with you. You said, that Debbi would like it too. Kay has lots of talent, plus she is cute as hell. I would like you to give her a try.

ETA- Oh yeah, I am going to start Scriptorium: Poems next. I know you were a big fan.

>220 luvamystery65: Howdy, Roberta. That was some meetup. I'm glad you like the photos.

>221 magicians_nephew: Thanks, Jim. You know, I'm not 24 any more (did you notice?), but I can always use bonus points with the lovely Debbi. Taking her on a date to GT Oyster seems like a smart move, based on your and Judy's reaction.

>222 LovingLit: Ha! Yeah, exactly, Megan.

Our daughter collects multiple Dame Agathas so she has the different covers. These new Murakami ones are awfully tempting!

>223 msf59: Sweet Thursday, Mark! Yeah, what a nice one today. Cafe, deck, porch - we had the trifecta here at Casa Welch (well, 2 out of 3 for Debbi; she had an appointment and missed the cafe).

Lola - it's one of those that deserves to be better known. It just gets better from where you are in the book, IMO.

I liked a lot that Sarah Kay one (with the young dude) that you shared. Can you send me a link? I just checked with Debbi, and somehow blew sharing it with her. Sure, if you'd like me to try more of her poetry, that's what I'll do. I'll check on whether No Matter the Wreckage is available at the library, for starters.

Go Scriptorium!

"When Love Arrives" by Sarah Kay & Phil Kaye.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=sarah+kay+videos&&view=detail&m...

^I really like this.

This is one called "Hands", which is included in the collection I just read. She was only 18 at the time:

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=sarah+kay+videos&&view=detail&m...

Hearing lots of good things about the Great Chicago Meet Up. Maybe next time ....

>226 msf59: Perfect-o, Mark. Thanks. "Hands" is another good one. She has a real charm and ease performing, doesn't she.

I hope other cafe patrons check those out. I'll alert Debbi.

>227 michigantrumpet: Hi, Marianne. All those things you're hearing are true, I'm sure. :-) Having you at the next meetup here would be great. We're also going to figure out a time to get to your part of the country. I was telling Judy and Jim that we used to be out your way at least once a year.

>209 ronincats: Thanks again, Roni. That was a fun article.

In your art quest, remember: get up close and personal when you can. Interact with the work and feel its sublimity. It will lend you incredible perspective and insight into the talent, planning, work, and skill level in creating something of scale.

Close proximity to the mural lets you viscerally experience the enormity of the work and imagine what their starting point might have been.

We were just talking here about how hard it must be to create these big artworks.

That Blah, Blah one is a hoot, isn't it.

Morning, Joe!

Happy Friday, Joe!

>230 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

Hey, I finished The Alchemist! Can't remember any of it.

Can't wait to talk about it in book club. "I can't remember it." "Me either." "What's the title again?" "Pass the chips".

Actually, I didn't think it was that bad. Simplistic, and likely to appeal to someone at a younger age, like teen and maybe college.

>231 alcottacre: Happy Friday, Stasia!

So great to have you back with us. Did I mention that before? :-)

By Alice Pasquini

>228 jnwelch: Feel free to head East any time, Joe! We love visitors!

P. S. Aren't Jim and Judy the best?

>234 michigantrumpet: Sounds good, Marianne. Yes! It was great to spend time with Jim and Judy. They spoke highly of you, too (no surprise there!)

Aww, that's sweet. Although they had to say that- I'm organizing our Summer Meet Up!

>232 jnwelch: *snork!* I'm pretty sure that's an accurate assessment of how my participation in that particular book club would go (especially the chips part)...

Morning, Joe! Happy Friday. Chilly start to the day but I am glad the sun is out.

Looking forward to jumping back into Lola and finally starting Scriptorium.

>232 jnwelch: - LOL! Yep...

>233 jnwelch: - Gorgeous!

>236 michigantrumpet: I've no doubt that they would have said good things about you even if you were doing nada, Marianne. :-) They were enthusiastic about the Boston meetups, and said the non-LTer husbands enjoyed them, too.

>237 scaifea: Ha! The chips are always the best part of any get-together anyway, Amber, right?

On top of everything else, I checked with Madame MBH, and both of us have heard the basic story of The Alchemist before. I don't know whether it's a legend that Coelho used as the foundation, or that his Alchemist story has become used by others.

>238 msf59: Morning, Mr. Mark. Yeah, if the sun's out, the cooler temp is fine by me.

You've got two great books going. You're going to eat up Lola with a spoon, and you'll find a lot to like in Scriptorium, too. Are you doing Lola on audio? That could work well.

>239 jessibud2: Hiya, Shelley. Have you read The Alchemist? Sounds like you shared my/our reaction.

Isn't >233 jnwelch: gorgeous? Great use of the location and "canvas". Alice Pasquini is reliably high quality. I wouldn't mind living surrounded by her work.

>241 jnwelch: - I have read it, many years ago, and like you and others, "meh" was all that I remember of it. ;-p

I just picked up books 2 and 3 of John Lewis's March from the library this morning, having finished the first one in practically one sitting last week. I thought I'd be able to zip through these 2 breezily as well, but I see they are both a bit heftier, which is fine, as I really liked the first one. I am a lagger in the genre of graphic novels but I liked the first one of this trilogy. I reviewed it on my thread

Now that I have finished Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World I am a good way into the last of the Yashim the Eunuch mystery series. Baklava Club is shaping up to be as good of a mystery as the first four in the series. There is lots of history and culture and most of all food in this series, and it makes a person want to visit Istanbul. A good mystery series should do that.

What is it with the detectives and food? There is Aurelio Zen and his obsession with food. Then Andrea Camilleri and his Montabalno series and the food obsession there. And of course, we can't forget the Bruno, Chief of Police series and his obsession with the food of Provence. In doing a quick Amazon search to make sure that the Baklava Club was the last in the Yashim series, I find out that Goodwin published a cookbook based on the food in the Yashim series. Yes, there is Yashim Cooks Istanbul. Now I have to add to my cookbook collection. I wonder when the other detectives will put out a cookbook?

>242 jessibud2: Oh good, Shelley. I'll check your thread for your review of the first March book. If you're like me, you'll be amazed and moved by 2 and 3. What a gift this trilogy is, and what a life Lewis has lived.

>243 benitastrnad: I liked the first and second Inspector Yashim books, Benita, but never got back to the series. I'll look forward to hearing your thoughts on Baklava Club.

Yes, detectives and food - so many good mysteries out there featuring that combination. And that doesn't even include the many cozies that fit. I hadn't thought of the Yashim books in that vein; I'll have to tell our daughter about the Yashim Cooks cookbook. (She likes the series, and cooking).

>240 jnwelch: Too right Joe -- there's quite a bromance going between Cameling's (Caroline) husband and mine!

>245 michigantrumpet: Ha! I remember J & J mentioning that! Well, that's way better than their saying, Oh no, not another meetup. :-)

My thoughts exactly.

Did you ever finish Three Body Problem?

>232 jnwelch: Joe it happened that a young member of our F2F book group asked to read The Alchemist and i put it in the list of candidates.

But the other members of the group so were against the book we never actually read it.

I didn't think it was that bad in fact I liked it. But pretty thin soup when all is said and done.

>247 michigantrumpet: :-)

>248 benitastrnad: Yes, I did finish The Three Body Problem, Benita. It should be listed up top somewhere with my other books read. It was okay. Our son is raving about the second one, so I'll give it a go at some point.

>249 magicians_nephew: It won't sear your eyeballs or give you the heebie-jeebies to read The Alchemist, Jim, it's just not much to write home about, IMO. I think your book club discussion would be over in about 10 minutes max.

Ah, I didn't realize you had read it. Yes, it's a friendly kind of book, but "pretty thin soup" says it well.

Such a lot of stuff I've missed since last dropping by. First, some snacking, please. A slice of this would be good with cappuccino.

 Tiramisu Mille Crepe Cake

Okay now. Great meet-up at Mark's. Sorry I couldn't be there.

Travis McGee: I have a bunch of those (well, four of them, anyway), back when I was reading a lot of detective novels--Dutch Leonard, Robert Parker, Donald Westlake, Ed McBain, Ross MacDonald, James M. Cain, Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett. Probably others.

New Covers on Murakami paperbacks: I've heard warnings about judging books by their covers. But what's this about buying a book for its cover.

The Alchemist: I saw a piece on the tee vee that focused on Coelho (the author) and relating how much money he's made on that book. Millions. I think I have a copy, but I doubt (now) that I'll ever read it.

Thanks for the great company, Joe.

>251 weird_O: That looks decadent, Bill!

Have a great weekend, Joe.

Morning, Joe!

>251 weird_O: Hiya, Bill.

Oh man, that looks good. All right. We'll bring on some more and that cappuccino.



Travis McGee: out of the authors you've mentioned, the ones I've really liked a lot are Chandler, Hammett and Robert Parker. Recently I've been snared by Harry Bingham's Fiona Griffiths mysteries. Can't wait for the next one. For tough guys, I'm a Reacher fan. I also enjoy Longmire and Joe Pickett.

Ha! Yeah, how does it square to buy a book for its cover when we're not supposed to judge it by one. Humans. Jeesh.

It won't hurt you to read The Alchemist, like the frustrating suffering of a Suspended Sentences would. You're just going to have to supplement it with more substantial reading nutrition. Both my wife and I have actually heard the basic story before, and you may have, too. It's a fable, without Aesop's virtue of brevity (it's not that long, but for me felt like it should have been much shorter). I'm not sorry I read it, for what that's worth.

Thank you for the great company, I say. Mark and I were talking about how it seemed like you were a longtime 75er from the day you signed up.

>252 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. Hope you have a great weekend, too. We started with a playoff loss by our pro basketball team here, the Chicago Bulls, but we're still up 2-1, and Madame MBH and I had a happy date.

>253 scaifea: Morning, Amber!