Joe's Book Cafe 2017 Door 11

This is a continuation of the topic Joe's Book Cafe 2017 Door 10.

This topic was continued by Joe's Book Cafe 2017 Door 12.

Talk75 Books Challenge for 2017

Join LibraryThing to post.

Joe's Book Cafe 2017 Door 11

This topic is currently marked as "dormant"—the last message is more than 90 days old. You can revive it by posting a reply.

1jnwelch
Edited: Apr 22, 2017, 1:23 pm









Illustrations by Maurice Sendak

Welcome to the new cafe!

2jnwelch
Edited: May 9, 2017, 1:40 pm

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 by Kim Addonizio
55. I Must Be Living Twice by Eileen Myles
56. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
57. A Purple Place for Dying by John D. MacDonald
58. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Sanders
59. Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle by Georgette Heyer
60. The Quick Red Fox by John D. MacDonald
61. Nutshell by Ian MacEwan
62. Orphan X by Greg Hurwitz

May

63. A Deadly Shade of Gold by John D. MacDonald
64. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
65. Eggshells by Caitriona Lally
66. Bright Orange for the Shroud by John D. MacDonald

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
18. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest by Stieg Larrson and Denise Mina (re-read)
19. Jane Austen Cover to Cover by Margaret C. Sullivan
20. Cinnamon by Neil Gaiman
21. Strong Female Protagonist by Brennan Lee Mulligan
22. Black Widow S.H.I.E.L.D. Most Wanted by Mark Waid
23. Big Appetites by Christopher Boffoli

*Also graphic novels

3jnwelch
Edited: Apr 22, 2017, 11:27 am

We should have a good one from Where the Wild Things Are, shouldn't we.

4jnwelch
Edited: Apr 27, 2017, 5:53 pm

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
Edit | More

5jnwelch
Edited: Apr 24, 2017, 1:00 pm

OK, here are two Joe poems. One about the silly notions of youth, and one about reading Kafka (a favorite author).

The Fall of Romance

Fell in a hurry from a cloudy sky
Cops were hot, my brother high
Ripped my fingers on the cold chain fence
But found myself a likely stance
To distract them with my casual mood
Brother slipped quickly into the wood
While I felt the clouds of velocity
Piling hard the air above me
When they hit I lay sprawled without reason
Disappointed by such gentle treatment.

Kafka

Kafka haunts me
The incomprehensible snowy streets
The dusty corridors
The necessary actions leading nowhere,
The defeat of action by time, inaction,
unquestioning, wrong questioning,
each questioner futile, doomed.

Always I try to remember
How did it end? Did it end?
The judges, the waiting rooms,
the selfless shifting maids,
the sick, the oppressed,
the unrelenting grey,

those trying to find a comfortable room
in a house they never should have entered.

6Ameise1
Apr 22, 2017, 11:27 am

Happy Saturday and congrats on your shiny new thread, Joe. Gorgeous opening.

7jnwelch
Edited: Apr 22, 2017, 1:34 pm

>6 Ameise1: Happy Saturday, Barbara, and thanks. I'm glad you like the opening.

You're quick! Your prize as first in the door is a free week in this Swiss chalet.



I'm told it has a great library.

8Ameise1
Apr 22, 2017, 12:15 pm

>7 jnwelch: Thanks so much, Joe. It would be marvellous staying at that place with books.

9MickyFine
Apr 22, 2017, 12:32 pm

I'm ready to join the wild rumpus! Happy new thread, Joe!

10Familyhistorian
Apr 22, 2017, 1:19 pm

Happy new thread, Joe. Great toppers as always. I really like the one with bottles and chefs.

11weird_O
Apr 22, 2017, 1:36 pm

I know In the Night Kitchen and Where the Wild Things Are, but the others aren't familiar. But nice.

Thanks for your kind remarks about me being a 75er from the get go. *As in, "Aw, shucks."*

I'm reading that Our Prez (meaning Mr. Obama) will be back to business in your town, having a workshop with selected (lucky) college students. Community Organizing.

12ffortsa
Apr 22, 2017, 4:29 pm

>5 jnwelch: I've tried to like Kafka, and failed. The short stories are accessible to me, but when we read Amerika a few years ago, I just couldn't react to the comic situations. Often a problem with me, I admit. Maybe one day I'll try again.

13Caroline_McElwee
Edited: Apr 22, 2017, 5:47 pm

>5 jnwelch: I like the poems Joe. And I liked the Kafka I've read, and seen. Steven Berkoff did some for the stage. Claustrophobic as you would expect.

Happy new door!

14jnwelch
Apr 22, 2017, 5:44 pm

>8 Ameise1: Ah, good, Barbara. You're welcome. :-)

>9 MickyFine: Ha! Thanks, Micky! Let's have a wild rumpus! That sounds like a blast, doesn't it.

>10 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. Isn't that first one great? In the Night Kitchen is the book.

15FAMeulstee
Apr 22, 2017, 5:50 pm

Happy new thread, Joe.
It is always a treat discovering your new toppers, Marice Sendak is an excellent choice :-)

16jnwelch
Edited: Apr 22, 2017, 6:04 pm

>11 weird_O: Those are the two Sendak books I know best, too, Bill. I'm familiar with the others from when I worked in the bookstore. His illustrations are so full of life, aren't they.

You're welcome for the well-deserved "Aw shucks" remarks. :-)

Yes, our Prez is in the building, I mean, in the city. Wouldn't it be great to be part of that? I'm wondering whether he's going to comment on the present imposter in the White House. Knowing him, probably not.

>12 ffortsa: I'm a nut for Kafka, Judy. I don't know why, but he worked for me right from the start. Amerika is so kooky; part of why I enjoy it is he's imagining our country in such a bizarre way (he'd never been here, although he had relatives here). That one literally has no ending (fitting with the poem).

My favorite, which probably drives others nuts, is The Castle. A different (from the one in The Trial) "K" (or is he different?) tries and tries to reach the castle from the village. Mesmerizing. Kafka died before he finished it. (Ha!)

The short stories are great, aren't they. What a phenomenal imagination he had.

>15 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. I'm glad the toppers are always a treat; that's sure the idea!

Maurice Sendak is so good, isn't he. His illustrations seem to want to jump right off the page. A shame we lost him.

17jnwelch
Apr 22, 2017, 6:08 pm

>13 Caroline_McElwee: I'm glad you like those poems, Caroline. It's a good relief to finally feel like they're finished.

Kafka is one author I'll jump up and down for. I have to restrain myself from reaching out and trying to convince strangers to read him. If you've liked what you've read, that's a good sign that the rest will work for you, too. "Claustrophobic" - yup, but in such a hypnotizing way. Magical.

Happy New Door Ha! I love that! Thanks.

18jnwelch
Apr 22, 2017, 6:16 pm

We just (finally) watched the Hidden Figures movie, and LOVED it! What a great cast - even Kevin Costner, who sometimes is too much "look at me, look at me". Taraji Henson is a knockout as Katherine Johnson, and Octavia Butler and Janelle Monae are so good, as is everyone else in the film.

I loved the book so much I can't say the film is better, but I was so happy with the way the movie brought it all to life. Heart-breaking and inspiring at the same time, much like John Lewis's March Trilogy. How could the Hidden Figures story have been so little known before Margot Lee Shetterly opened our eyes?

19roundballnz
Edited: Apr 22, 2017, 6:41 pm

Hiya Hope everyone is having a great weekend ....... been bit quiet but coming out of my work hobbit hole

Have you read Too like the lightning ?? It might be your kinda thing

"How could the Hidden Figures story have been so little known before Margot Lee Shetterly opened our eyes?" What is sad & concerning is that it is not the only one ....

20jessibud2
Apr 22, 2017, 6:36 pm

>18 jnwelch: - Happy new thread, Joe. Great choice in toppers!

I bought the book of Hidden Figures though when I did, it only had the second cover (the one on the right). I'd have much preferred the original one, (left) and would have chosen that one if I had seen them both. I saw the movie first and absolutely loved it but haven't read the book yet. I bought it because I wanted more and figured there had to be more in the book than what made it to the screen.

I have the final 2 March books in my hands now and will start on book 2 tonight

21jnwelch
Apr 22, 2017, 7:26 pm

>19 roundballnz: Alex! Good to hear from you, buddy.

Thank you for mentioning Too Like the Lightning! I hadn't heard about it - it does look like my cuppa. WL'ing it.

Yes, so many important, unknown stories out there. I hope we get more folks like Shetterly to tell them.

22Caroline_McElwee
Apr 22, 2017, 7:28 pm

>18 jnwelch: I loved that film Joe, and have to own to a catch in the throat when they showed photos of the real people at the end. Wonderful performances from all.

In a different vein, but about race, you might enjoy 'A United Kingdom' about Ruth Williams who married the young King in waiting of what is now Botswana. The British government do not behave well! Except for the very young Tony Benn*. Also, I Am Not Your Negro based on an unfinished manuscript by James Baldwin.

* I heard him speak not long before he died, at a memorial service for his friend Nelson Mandela.

23EBT1002
Apr 22, 2017, 8:51 pm

Maurice Sendak. What's not to love??

Hi Joe. Back to your prior thread, I think you would appreciate The Master Butchers Singing Club. It is not peopled with her usual cast of characters (admittedly, her cast is broad and in so many of her novels the same characters only make cameo appearances, which I love) but the story is compelling and the humor, woven through the tragedy and the tension, is exquisite.

Oh good, I'm glad you saw and loved the film of Hidden Figures. And >22 Caroline_McElwee: I really want to see both I Am Not Your Negro and "United Kingdom." We usually say "so many books, so little time" but the same applies to films!

I loved your comment on the prior thread, too, Joe about "Mmphmumbleday" being "not so bad these days." Imagine me sighing enviously, but with much gladness for you!

I'm also pleased to read that you're hooked on the Travis McGee series. If one can leave one's modern sensibilities at the door (which I sometimes can and sometimes cannot), they are a treasure and a delight.

24ronincats
Apr 22, 2017, 11:05 pm

So glad you loved the film Hidden Figures and I agree, the three actresses were marvelous. Too Like the Lightning is very ambitious, very different, and well worth reading.

25Familyhistorian
Apr 23, 2017, 1:45 am

>14 jnwelch: I had to look up In the Night Kitchen and was surprised that it is a banned book. I also loved Hidden Figures. It was well worth seeing.

26LovingLit
Apr 23, 2017, 2:21 am

>18 jnwelch: oooh, me too! I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.
I guiltily went during the day, once the kids has gone back to school after the summer holidays and before i started work and university. I felt so bad at the time- but told myself that if ever there was a time to go to the movies in the day, this was it. And it was. I wouldn't dream of it now!!!

27Ameise1
Apr 23, 2017, 3:56 am

Happy Sunday, Joe.

28PaulCranswick
Apr 23, 2017, 6:51 am

Happy new thread, buddy.

My last day for a while on the same continent as you and yours and so many of our LT friends. I hope that day is kind to you.

29scaifea
Apr 23, 2017, 9:06 am

Morning, Joe!

30jnwelch
Apr 23, 2017, 10:20 am

>20 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley!

Yes, there's definitely much more in the book Hidden Figures than made it to the screen. But they did a beautiful job of translating it to the screen.

The last two March books are so good. We have come a long ways, thanks to brave people like John Lewis, but not nearly far enough.

31jnwelch
Apr 23, 2017, 10:34 am

>22 Caroline_McElwee: Wasn't Hidden Figures a great movie, Caroline? I can heartily recommend the book, too. I know, I got a little blurry-eyed myself in parts.

Thanks for the movie recommendations. I've read about that United Kingdom one, and I Am Not Your Negro, too. I'll add them to the tbw.

I'm glad you got to hear Tony Benn speak. I wish Mandela was still with us.

>23 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen!

Agreed re Maurice Sendak.

You convinced me with your previous warbling about The Master Butcher's Singing Club; sounds great. It's on the WL, and I expect to get to it soon.

I'm with you on the three films. I'm really happy that the Hidden Figures movie is as good as it is. Well worth the time to read the book, too.

Yes, after so many years, I still think I'm heading back to work on Mmphmumbleday. This is so much better! Thanks for your gladness. :-)

I've been trying to figure out why the Travis McGee books, despite the dated sensibilities, come across as okay to me. I think a big part of it is the respect he holds for everyone, until proven otherwise. He has that compassionate kindness we talk about, even while reflecting some of the Neanderthal thinking of the time. He also may be the inspiration for Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" song (kidding). So far, every woman who sleeps with him seems much improved by it, in every part of her life. :-)

32jnwelch
Edited: Apr 23, 2017, 1:37 pm

>24 ronincats: Yes, weren't Henson, Butler and Monae terrific in Hidden Figures, Roni? Henson and Monae in particular surprised me with their excellence. Butler has been excellent for ages.

Oh, wonderful to have your endorsement for Too Like the Lightning. I added it to the WL after Alex mentioned it.

>25 Familyhistorian: In the Night Kitchen was a banned book, Meg?! What on Earth for? (Looks it up).

The nudity of the little boy. Oh my gosh. Are you kidding me? Maybe we ought to ban little boys, too, because, yes, sometimes they're nude. Part of me wants to live in a country that bans idiots who try to ban books. Tolerance for the intolerant is asking a lot, isn't it.

33jnwelch
Edited: Apr 23, 2017, 12:20 pm

>26 LovingLit: Ha! Hey, if you want my opinion, Megan, a parent is well-entitled to go to the movies in the middle of the day if she can swing it. Those little gremlins have no idea the effort that goes into raising them.

I will tell you a secret - they do figure it out when they become adults and start holding down jobs and maybe even starting their own families. In the meantime, don't think twice about giving yourself a break when you can, sez me.

Wasn't Hidden Figures excellent? Having read the book, I was prepared to be a bit disappointed, but they nailed it. What a cast.

>27 Ameise1: Happy Sunday, Barbara. Hope you're having a good oen.

In a half hour, Madame MBH is doing a children's story about the Holocaust (Terrible Things) at our neighborhood church (accompanied by her faithful companion), and then hosting her storyteller's group. Young Becca and I go to our pro basketball team's playoff game tonight.

34jnwelch
Apr 23, 2017, 10:52 am

>28 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Happy last day in the USA. I hope it's been a productive trip for you.

>29 scaifea: Morning, Amber! I'm just quaffing some coffee and getting ready for church. Wow, that last part isn't something I say often. Debbi's telling a story there this morning.

35Familyhistorian
Apr 23, 2017, 11:44 am

>32 jnwelch: The ban was the first thing that came up when I googled In the Night Kitchen. It's so strange to ban the book for the little boy's nudity - does that mean that persons of a young age are not allowed to go to museums that have statues and paintings of nudes?

36jnwelch
Apr 23, 2017, 12:11 pm

>35 Familyhistorian: I thought the same thing, Meg. So kooky. I can't imagine that frame of mind, but I guess they're their own punishment. What a way to go through this life we're given.

37jnwelch
Edited: Apr 23, 2017, 12:21 pm



This book, Terrible Things, always gets me. Madame MBH just read it to a group of kids and the congregation at our corner church. If you haven't checked it out, we highly recommend it. This is Yom HaShoah, the Holocaust Day of Remembrance, until Monday evening.

38jnwelch
Edited: Apr 23, 2017, 2:43 pm



A different kind of remembrance: the amazing, globally influential author Gabriel Garcia Marquez has died at 87 in 2014. Rest in peace.

Proprietor's comment: I was told he died today, and should've checked. My bad. It's the anniversary of his death.

39EBT1002
Apr 23, 2017, 12:59 pm

>38 jnwelch: So sad. I sense an author-focused group read coming on for the month of May....

40EBT1002
Apr 23, 2017, 1:02 pm

Regarding your comments about Travis McGee, I think you're right. Realistic or not, Travis is a man with a generous spirit. And yes! to his amazing ability to heal any and all women in just one night. When I read the series without coming up for a breath, I believe that aspect was an appealing one. As I have indicated, sometimes you just have to leave your sensibilities at the door. We all want to be loved. :-)

41Storeetllr
Apr 23, 2017, 1:50 pm

Aw, RIP Sr. Marquez. Guess I'll have to read One Hundred Years of Solitude now after all.

42jnwelch
Apr 23, 2017, 1:51 pm

>39 EBT1002: I know. 87 years is a good, long life, but it's hard to let him go. Reading One Hundred Years of Solitude when I was young was huge for me; I'd never read anything like it, and it really got to me. I've read others of his since (Love in the Time of Cholera in particular sticks out), but not all. I love the idea of May GR.

>40 EBT1002: Ah, good, I'm glad those Travis McGee comments made sense, and accorded with your reactions, Ellen. The sexual healing aspect is pretty funny. It was a huge and gratifying plus in A Purple Place for Dying, the one I just finished. The young woman in question benefited more than any woman in the series so far, and the reader sure roots for her. :-)

43jnwelch
Apr 23, 2017, 1:57 pm

>41 Storeetllr: Yeah, I hope there's a celestial library and GGM is enjoying it, Mary. Do give One Hundred Years of Solitude a try. It's magical realism, and that doesn't work for everyone, but it's an important one to at least try. I loved it; one of my top books ever.

44Caroline_McElwee
Edited: Apr 23, 2017, 2:15 pm

>38 jnwelch: well Joe, he will share the anniversary of his death with Shakespeare. I hope there is someone born today, who will one day knock folks literary socks off, and I hope I'll be around to read their work. They better be pretty precocious then!

>38 jnwelch: he actually died in 2014 Joe, but this is his anniversary. You had me double-taking there.

45benitastrnad
Edited: Apr 23, 2017, 2:23 pm

Earlier somebody on this thread asked why the public didn't know about the women in NASA? The larger question is why didn't the public know about the women in science?

There are great debates going on all over about this question. Part of the answer is culture. Women didn't lead - they supported. They stood by their men. It is hard to lead if you are supporting. The few women who did stand out, like Marie Curie, probably did so on the backs of their husbands reputation. That in itself, is a back handed compliment and implies that without his ideas she would never have been noticed. That is sad, but may be true.

The good thing is that more and more stories of brilliant women are coming to light. Much of this publicity is due to the fact that in the book and newspaper world there are more and more women authors. Women writing about women is becoming more and more common. Thank goodness for authors like Dava Sobel who are giving the world books like Galileo's Daughter and Glass Universe.

It is interesting to me that in the 25 years I have been in academe the enrollment figures for women in engineering, mathematics, physics/astronomy, and computer sciences, has remained the same. It is still below 20%. It is only in the former East Block countries that the figure is higher, and has been higher since the 1960's.

46Storeetllr
Apr 23, 2017, 2:24 pm

>43 jnwelch: I read Love in the Time of Cholera awhile ago and, though I didn't love it, I didn't hate it either, and I love Isabel Allende's magical realism (esp. House of Spirits and Portrait in Sepia and Ines Of My Soul and - well, I've pretty much loved all of her historical novels, so I'll probably enjoy this one.

>44 Caroline_McElwee: Shows how much I keep up with current events.

47jnwelch
Apr 23, 2017, 2:48 pm

>44 Caroline_McElwee: Many thanks, Caroline. My bad! I fixed it up in >38 jnwelch:. I should've known better, and I should've checked on what I was told.

I'd love to have another writer of that Shakespeare caliber appear on the scene, and it would be great to have another Einstein, too.

Some critics have pointed to Lin-Manuel Miranda for the former, but he's so young; we'll have to see. There may be a new Einstein out there somewhere; I like and admire Stephen Hawking, but personally wouldn't put him at that level.

48jnwelch
Apr 23, 2017, 2:57 pm

>45 benitastrnad: Good points all, Benita. Most troubling, to me, is your last point, that the enrollment figures for women in the sciences remain below 20%. How do we get that to change? I would think social developments in this country alone would have increased that percentage.

I love Dave Sobel's books.

Madame MBH and I have been talking about this - we need more women leaders in every sphere, including the political sphere. It's hugely important. There are women whose views are totally opposite to mine (Ann Coulter, any one?), but the numbers are all wrong, regardless. I'm tired of seeing photos and video of white males making decisions for women, and I'm a male know-nothing. I'd be furious if I were a woman. Well, I'm furious even though I'm not. It's all wrong. I went to schools that were diverse and approximately 50-50 on gender, and that should be reflected way beyond the school years. Sometimes it's hard to believe how much work remains to be done on social issues like racism and gender bias, but that's the way it is.

49jnwelch
Apr 23, 2017, 3:02 pm

>46 Storeetllr: That augers well for your liking One Hundred Years of Solitude, Mary. (Please note that I screwed up in >38 jnwelch:; it's the anniversary of his 2014 death - sorry!) I read Allende's Zorro and Kingdom of the Golden Dragon, but not House of Spirits or the others you mention. I've definitely got to get to House of Spirits, which so many love.

50msf59
Apr 23, 2017, 3:59 pm

Wow! I have been neglecting my best pal! Happy New Thread, Joe! And Happy Sunday. Gorgeous day in Chicagoland. We went on a bird walk/hike, with Sue joining me. Now, it is time to kick back with the books. I have not cracked one yet.

>5 jnwelch: I like your poems. Are these new? Not sure which one I like better...Kafka? Nice imagery there.

51weird_O
Apr 23, 2017, 4:19 pm

>32 jnwelch: I remember hearing a Terry Gross chat with Sendak on NPR. He was quite distressed by what kids' book librarians did to conceal Mickey's gender icon (if you will). My wife and I looked in several B&N stores for a copy for grandchildren. It was not stocked. Got it from amazon; came in a plain brown wrapper.

52banjo123
Apr 23, 2017, 5:54 pm

Love the Sendak toppers! He is a favorite. and >51 weird_O: that was a great interview with Terry Gross.

53Familyhistorian
Apr 23, 2017, 6:25 pm

>48 jnwelch: Interesting discussion about gender differences in the sciences. I did a search to see if it was the same in Canada and came across this study looking at the engender imbalance in the science related fields. Gender Differences in Sciences etc It is interesting. What I found particularly noteworthy were the differences in obtaining employment in the given field upon degree completion. Getting a job in the field of study depended on gender as well.

54ffortsa
Apr 23, 2017, 9:36 pm

>42 jnwelch: Interesting about GGM. I really struggled through One Hundred Years of Solitude. But Love in the Time of Cholera is one of my favorite books. Somehow my book group got stuck on the idea of child abuse (!), but I was entranced.

55kidzdoc
Apr 24, 2017, 4:28 am

Happy new thread, Joe! Your London LT family (including me) sends its best wishes to you and Debbi.

You also threw me for a loop in >38 jnwelch:. I thought that GGM had arisen from the grave and died again. Talk about magical realism!

Your trip to Barcelona must be coming up soon. I eager await reports from Catalunya, and I thought of you two when I went to Borough Market yesterday for the Sant Jordi Performance and bought Catalunyan meats and cheeses.

56scaifea
Apr 24, 2017, 6:31 am

Morning, Joe!

>37 jnwelch: Adding that one to the list - I've been wondering if there's a good way to talk to Charlie about the Holocaust that lands somewhere between matter-of-fact and nightmare-inducing...

57rosalita
Apr 24, 2017, 7:19 am

Congratulations on finishing The Alchemist, Joe. Boy, when you decide to bite the bullet and eat your vegetables (oof, what a mixed metaphor) you don't dilly dally!

I enjoyed your discussion with Ellen about our friend Trav, and agree with both of you — in some ways they are dated and of their time but Trav has enough depth and nuance for the sexual hijinks not to be as grating. And of course the environmental messages are more relevant than ever, sadly.

Have a good week!

58Ameise1
Apr 24, 2017, 7:22 am

Good morning, Joe. I hope the game was a good one. Wishing you a wonderful start into the new week.

59jessibud2
Edited: Apr 24, 2017, 10:00 am

>56 scaifea:, Amber, there is a book that came out here in Toronto several years ago, called Hana's Suitcase. It was first aired as a radio documentary, then the book was published. It is the story of a museum director in Tokyo, Japan who is putting together an exhibit for children about the Holocaust. She obtains some artifacts, one of which is an actual suitcase of a young girl. The children want to know the story of the little girl who owned this so Fumiko (the museum director) begins a search to try to find out. Long story short, she manages to trace it back to the only surviving member of the family of the little girl, her brother, who is now an old man, living in Toronto. The story got a lot of air time, and a theatre here turned it into a play at our Young People's Theatre. As a teacher, I got to go to a preview of it before its first production and it was really well done. Its target audience was, of course, school kids.

Here are a couple of links:

http://www.cbc.ca/hanassuitcase/links.html

https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/stage/2015/10/09/hanas-suitcase-is-a-story...

60scaifea
Apr 24, 2017, 7:56 am

>59 jessibud2: Thanks so much - I'll definitely check it out!

61alcottacre
Apr 24, 2017, 8:11 am

Happy Monday, Joe! I love the Maurice Sendak illustrations up top.

62jnwelch
Apr 24, 2017, 8:41 am

>50 msf59: Hey, there he is! That was one gorgeous Sunday, buddy. We had things going on, but I managed to get out into it a good bit. I'll bet you had a great bird/walk hike with Sue.

The poems: to me, "new" can mean, "just wrote it", or can mean "just finished it". These are the latter. I've been trying to get them right for a good while. It's a great feeling when they finally click into place. I'm glad you like them!

>51 weird_O: Thanks, Bill. That is so nutso to me. We displayed and sold In the Night Kitchen when I worked in the bookstore all those years ago, and no one blinked an eye. It sold like crazy. It was an independent bookstore, but I can't believe B & N doesn't carry it.

63jnwelch
Apr 24, 2017, 8:47 am

>52 banjo123: Hi, Rhonda. Great - I'm glad we lead off with a fave of yours.

>53 Familyhistorian: That's where science employers need to get proactive and encourage diverse hiring, right, Meg? I know they're pushing that at Google, where our son works. What happens, at least in part, is people in hiring positions want to hire people who will "fit" well with the organization, company, firm, whatever. And, even with good intentions, that too often means people who are like them in ethnicity and gender. So there has to be a change in mindset. That often takes training and major emphasis from the top down. But there is no logical, factual, whatever you want to call it, reason for the gender disparity, or ethnic ones.

64jnwelch
Apr 24, 2017, 9:04 am

>54 ffortsa: That is intriguing, Judy. I've never known anyone who loved Love in the Time of Cholera and struggled with One Hundred Years of Solitude. When I think about it though, I can see it. For one thing, OHYOS is much more complex with the family and the town over a long period of time. The other one I've read was Autumn of the Patriarch, which was good (of course), but not at the level of the other two.

>55 kidzdoc: Hiya, Darryl! Thanks for checking in. You made Debbi smile with the greetings from our London LT family. It was hard not to be there with you all! She says again that you look adorable in your new fedora. :-)

Ha! GGM rising and dying again fits his books, you're right. I'm still seeing his 2017 "death" kicking around Facebook.

Yes! The Barcelona trip approaches. We're excited. Now I need to get up to speed on Catalunya. :-)

65jnwelch
Edited: Apr 24, 2017, 9:11 am

>56 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

Terrible Things is a great book, but I can easily see the nightmare issue. You'll have a better idea once you look through it.

>57 rosalita: Thank you, Julia! I feel like getting a button to wear: I Finished the Alchemist! I'm returning it to him today.

Yes, very good point about Trav's environmental messages. More relevant than ever, yup. I'm glad the rest of Ellen's and my comments made sense to you, too.

66jnwelch
Edited: Apr 24, 2017, 9:16 am

>58 Ameise1: Hi, Barbara. thanks. The game was a good one, although our beloved Bulls lost, darn it. Still, seasonoflove and I had a great time.

>59 jessibud2: Thanks for the tip and the links, Shelley.

>60 scaifea: :-)

67jnwelch
Apr 24, 2017, 9:16 am

>61 alcottacre: Happy Mmphmumbleday, Stasia! Aren't those Sendak illustrations fun?

68msf59
Apr 24, 2017, 9:47 am

Morning Joe! I am enjoying a day off and getting ready to head back to the Arboretum. It looks to be another gorgeous one. The only thing that has suffered the last couple of days is my reading but I will catch back up.

Have a good one, my friend.

69jessibud2
Apr 24, 2017, 10:02 am

>60 scaifea: - Amber, if you click on the book title itself, you will see that there are tons of reviews here on LT and almost all of them give it 5 stars. Many are from teachers, I nnoticed

70Whisper1
Apr 24, 2017, 10:35 am

>37 jnwelch: Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust is now on my tbr pile.

And, Maurice Sendack is one of my favorite illustrators. When some members of our group met in Philadelphia, PA a few years ago, some of us went to the Rosenbach museum. They have a wonderful collection of Maurice Sendack's prints.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/26/arts/design/where-the-wild-things-arent-a-sen...

71jnwelch
Apr 24, 2017, 12:53 pm

>68 msf59: Hiya, Mark!

What a great day to have off! Enjoy the Arboretum, buddy. It's just getting nicer and nicer out.

I finished Lincoln in the Bardo, and liked it. I have to say, I'm a bit baffled by its widespread popularity. I can see it having a cult following, but what an unusual bestseller.

>69 jessibud2: *message for Amber*

>70 Whisper1: Oh good, Linda. I'll look forward to your thoughts on Terrible Things. I think you'll be as moved as I always am.

Oh, thank you very much for mentioning the Sendak collection at the Rosenbach museum in Philadelphia. I didn't know about that. I don't know when we'll be in Philadelphia again, but that will be high on the list when we go.

72jnwelch
Apr 24, 2017, 12:53 pm



Room for Two from the Other Art Fair Shop

73Ameise1
Apr 24, 2017, 4:17 pm

>72 jnwelch: That's gorgeous.

74cameling
Apr 24, 2017, 5:44 pm

You always have such amazing thread toppers, Joe. I've missed your thread since I've been away. But I'm back now and am glad to be back visiting my favorite cafe.

75LovingLit
Apr 24, 2017, 6:14 pm

>72 jnwelch: aw, I love these little art pieces. Ape/Stephen had a whole book of them on his thread recently, I must see if I can find it.

76vancouverdeb
Apr 24, 2017, 6:19 pm

>72 jnwelch: You find the most darling pieces of art, Joe! Love it!

77jnwelch
Apr 24, 2017, 9:12 pm

>73 Ameise1: Ah, good to hear, Barbara. Isn't that gorgeous?

>74 cameling: Caro! Your favorite cafe is mighty glad to have you stop by. We've missed you! I'm happy you're enjoying the thread toppers.

78jnwelch
Edited: Apr 24, 2017, 9:20 pm

>75 LovingLit: Aren't they great, Megan? I've seen some others of these little people pieces that I've really liked. I hope you can find Stephen's.

>76 vancouverdeb: Isn't that cool, Deb? I get such a kick out of it.

79scaifea
Apr 25, 2017, 6:32 am

Morning, Joe!

80Carmenere
Apr 25, 2017, 8:02 am

Happy new thread, Joe! :0)

81jnwelch
Apr 25, 2017, 12:26 pm

>79 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

>80 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda!

I'm enjoying the heck out of Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle today. Heyer sure can spin a yarn.

82Storeetllr
Apr 25, 2017, 12:47 pm

I loved Sylvester! I wish more Heyers were on audiobook. I've listened to everything I could find in that format. With all the packing I'm doing, and the stress and exhaustion at the end of the day precluding my having the energy to read, audiobooks are the only way to go just now. May have to do a re-listen of a Heyer I've already listened to. There are worse things. :)

83Familyhistorian
Apr 26, 2017, 12:22 am

>81 jnwelch: I love Heyer's regencies, Joe. Slyvester is one of my favourites. I seem to have stalled on my reading of Beauvallet. I better get back to it soon.

84LovingLit
Apr 26, 2017, 1:03 am

>78 jnwelch: Big Appetites by Christopher Boffola is the art book featuring little figurines and normal sized foods, in this instance. It looks like a good one, but I haven't even checked my library yet.

85charl08
Apr 26, 2017, 2:49 am

Loved the mini art Joe. The discussion about Sendak in brown wrappers had me snorting into my coffee.

Women in science - did you see Ivanka speaking in Germany at a conference on women in leadership? I was trying to interpret Angela Merkel's expression... We have schemes like Athena Swan to try and encourage women scientists and other academic leaders - but I think childcare is one of the big issues here, along with a failure to accommodate career breaks.

86Ameise1
Apr 26, 2017, 3:27 am

Happy Wednesday, Joe.


Russian street art

87Berly
Apr 26, 2017, 6:09 am

Loving the artwork in >72 jnwelch: and >86 Ameise1:! I have yet to listen to a Heyer. Heck I would be glad to read something by her in any format right now! Life is very busy and I have stalled out on my current books. Hmmmm.

88scaifea
Apr 26, 2017, 6:20 am

Morning, Joe!

89msf59
Apr 26, 2017, 6:43 am

Morning, Joe! Happy Wednesday. Catching you early today. Nice to back in shorts but it looks like I will have to switch back to long pants tomorrow. Hey, it's a start, right?

I will finish up Lola today. I really liked it and how could you not like steely, bad-ass Lola? I am sure that Dr. Mutter is just your NNF cuppa. It has been really good. Great story, about an amazing man.

I am still reading The World of Edena but stalled out. I will have to get back to it.

90jnwelch
Apr 26, 2017, 8:39 am

>82 Storeetllr: Sylvester was a blast, Mary. One of my favorites now. Go Phoebe! None of the revered qualities, like tact and grace, but something better.

It won't help re audio, but if you're looking for a smart breakdown of all the books, Julia (rosalita) posted one over on her thread. I'm using it to find new ones to read.

>83 Familyhistorian: I love Heyer's regencies, too, Meg. I can easily see why Sylvester is one of your favourites - mine, too, now.

I don't know Beauvallet, but I've never stalled on a Heyer. Sounds like that's not one of her best.

91jnwelch
Edited: Apr 26, 2017, 9:17 am

>84 LovingLit: Oh, thanks, Megan. Big Appetites looks like a ton of, I mean, a teaspoon of fun. I'll try our library, too. Thank you for tracking that down. Maybe I'll post another one today.

P.S. Our library had it, and I'm #1 in the queue!

>85 charl08: Oh good, Charlotte. I know, Sendak in brown wrappers - what is the world coming to.

I did not see Ivanka speaking on women in leadership in Germany. Angela Merkel understandably must have such a dim view of the Trumps and the U.S. right now.

I'm intrigued by your idea of childcare being influential; there is a lot more emphasis now on girls in science, at least in the media. Ada Twist, Scientist has been on the bestseller list for eons now, which as a book nerd I find encouraging. Accommodating a woman scientist's family needs also is important, you're right.

Other types of leaders - girls do just fine being leaders with boys at very young ages, it seems to me. But there's a stretch in there in pre-college (pre-university for you?) schooling that needs a lot of work.

92alcottacre
Apr 26, 2017, 8:53 am

Happy Wednesday, Joe!

I really need to read more Georgette Heyer at some point. Of her regencies, I have only ever read Frederica, I think.

93jnwelch
Apr 26, 2017, 8:55 am

>86 Ameise1: Ha! Happy Wednesday, Barbara. Books are the foundation of knowledge, you know. :-) Thanks for the photo.

>87 Berly: Heyer is a great author for busting stalled reading, IMO, Kim. Try The Grand Sophy - hang in there until Sophy shows up (which doesn't take long), if you start feeling at loose ends.

I'm glad you like the little people art; I plan to post another one after catching up.

94jnwelch
Apr 26, 2017, 9:00 am

>88 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

Still basking in the glow of finishing The Complete Sherlock Holmes?

>89 msf59: Morning, Mark. Good to hear from you early.

how could you not like steely, bad-ass Lola? Ha! Exactly. So glad that one's working for you.

I worried that World of Edena might not. The artwork is superb, but I was concerned that the story wouldn't grab you. If the stall continues, just enjoy the artwork and skip the story, would be my suggestion. There are plenty of other good ones out there. I'm going to be starting Strong Female Protagonist soon. Did you read that one?

95jnwelch
Apr 26, 2017, 9:06 am

>92 alcottacre: Happy Wednesday, Stasia!

Frederica is topnotch. As you can tell, I'm all for Heyer. Julia has posted a great breakdown of the Regency books over on her thread. The Grand Sophy, Cotillion, The Corinthian, The Unknown Ajax, and now Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle, are some of my favorites.

96jnwelch
Apr 26, 2017, 9:16 am

97Familyhistorian
Apr 26, 2017, 9:32 am

I think that The Quiet Gentleman is one of my favourite Heyers. Beauvallet is set in the 16th century. It involves pirates. The hero? Beauvallet is a pirate and captures a Spanish ship carrying a beautiful young senorita. You can see where this is going, can't you?

Hope you enjoy Strong Female Protagonist. I liked it but prefer something with more of a message like Becoming Unbecoming by Una. That one was very though provoking. Enjoy your Wednesday, Joe.

>96 jnwelch: Seems a little early for beer!

98jnwelch
Apr 26, 2017, 9:35 am

>97 Familyhistorian: I did like The Quiet Gentleman a lot, Meg. Ha! Yes, I can see what you mean with the pirate and the lovely senorita.

Thanks for the tip on Becoming Unbecoming. Adding it to the WL. I'm looking forward to Strong Female Protagonist.

99rosalita
Apr 26, 2017, 9:36 am

So glad you loved Sylvester, Joe! Did you come away from it really wanting to read Phoebe's book? I know I did.

So, what's next?

100Ameise1
Apr 26, 2017, 10:42 am

>96 jnwelch: Just saying we got snow today. I mean real wet snow not such a foam as in the photo.

101jnwelch
Apr 26, 2017, 12:44 pm

>99 rosalita:. Oh, what a great thought, Julia. I don't know why reading Phoebe's book didn't cross my mind. Yes, that would be hilarious. Maybe someone will write it, like authors write Sherlock stories mentioned by Dr. Watson but never written by ACD.

Next? After referring to Julia's Guide to the Heyers, my next is The Toll-Gate. A good one, right?

>100 Ameise1:. Arggh. We'd be plenty bummed out here, Barbara, if more snow descended. My sympathy. As with most things, I think the best response is to read, don't you?

102jnwelch
Edited: Apr 26, 2017, 12:51 pm

I've had difficulty reading Ian MacEwan in the past (just hasn't grabbed me), but so far I'm enjoying the bizarre, unborn-baby-as-protagonist, Nutshell. (Can't get the touchstone to work on my phone).

103rosalita
Apr 26, 2017, 2:21 pm

>101 jnwelch: After referring to Julia's Guide to the Heyers, my next is The Toll-Gate. A good one, right?

Oh yes! An unusual but very enjoyable set-up, and nearly all from the male POV which is interesting and fun.

104jnwelch
Apr 26, 2017, 2:59 pm

>103 rosalita: Great! That is such a handy guide. Thank goodness the local bookstore LT thread carried it.

105scaifea
Apr 27, 2017, 6:47 am

Morning, Joe!

Yes, still basking indeed, and trying desperately not to be sad that I've no more left to read. Tomm and I watched a bit of another Freemanbatch episode last night, that that's helping...

106jnwelch
Apr 27, 2017, 9:42 am

>105 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

Such great stories. We're too caught up on the Freemanbatch episodes - we're feverishly waiting for them to release the most recent season over here. Do watch "Sherlock Uncovered" when you get to them (I think there were more than one, but I'm not sure), with the actors talking about their characters and so on. We loved them.

107jnwelch
Apr 27, 2017, 9:43 am

108kidzdoc
Edited: Apr 27, 2017, 10:02 am

>64 jnwelch: You made Debbi smile with the greetings from our London LT family. It was hard not to be there with you all!

If your ears were burning the past two weeks it's because your name and Debbi's came up multiple times, with the most common statement being "So Debbi and Joe aren't coming to London this year?!", which was usually associated with a pouty look.

She says again that you look adorable in your new fedora.

The photo I took of me wearing one of the new fedoras I bought at Portobello Road Market on Sunday was not very good. The angle of the selfie made me look more like Zippy the Pinhead than anything else. The photo that Caroline took of us two Saturdays ago, in which I wore my "old" black fedora and my new sunglasses, was a much better one. I suspect that I look more like Zippy in real life, though.

109rosalita
Apr 27, 2017, 10:09 am

>104 jnwelch: Take a bow, then, because I would never have thought to tackle it without your prompting! I had such fun putting it together, and I'm delighted that it's proving to be useful.

110msf59
Apr 27, 2017, 10:46 am

Sweet Thursday, Joe, although it isn't very sweet out here at the moment. Sighs...

Sorry, about your Bulls. Do you think they can come back?

Have a great time with Strong Female Protagonist and Incendiary Art. Both are fantastic.

111jnwelch
Edited: Apr 27, 2017, 2:23 pm

>108 kidzdoc: Ha! We noticed the Zippy look - we've had that with Sherlock, too. Something about the angle makes the head way bigger. But I think you get the "adorable" vote regardless.

I shared this post with Debbi, and it makes us both feel good to be missed by our London pals. Next year!

>109 rosalita: Sweet Thursday, Mark! Yeah, kind of crummy out there. We're heading to Pittsburgh tomorrow to visit our son and his bride, and it looks like it'll be much warmer there for the next few days.

Yeah, the Bulls have been in a funk. As Becca says, Rondo isn't Jordan. They should be able to get over his being out. She'll be there with a pal Friday night. I have to admit, the way they've been playing without him makes me pessimistic. It's too bad, because they were really rolling with him at point the first two games.

Oh good, thanks re Strong Female Protagonist and Incendiary Art. I actually may switch for a bit on the latter to Kevin Coval's People's History of Chicago collection. You'll see on FB an interview he just had with Trevor Noah, and it's terrific. We've known him forever (both our kids were taught by him), and this is supposed to be really good.

We should have a link to the interview here, shouldn't we. Here you go:

http://www.thesedays.news/news/2017/4/26/kevin-coval-appears-on-the-daily-show

112LovingLit
Edited: Apr 27, 2017, 6:44 pm

>91 jnwelch: that is great! Which reminds me, I need to check out if my library has it too.

Eta: >96 jnwelch: aaaa! Cool :)
Also, my library doesn't have it. Humph.

113klobrien2
Apr 27, 2017, 6:49 pm

>111 jnwelch: I just watched yesterday's show (with the interview with Mr. Coval) and it was great! My home library system doesn't have the book yet, but big-city-next-door library has it on order--so I'm on the list.

So, maybe look around a little for the book? if that's possible where you are.

Karen O.

114msf59
Apr 27, 2017, 10:21 pm

>111 jnwelch: Great interview with Coval, Joe. Interesting guy. Thanks for sharing it with me. Let me know how that collection is and I will request it.

115vancouverdeb
Apr 28, 2017, 12:39 am

Happy New Thread, Joe! Checking out what's on offer at the Cafe! I'm another that is not keen on Ian McEwen. I read Atonement and that did nothing for me, but The Children Act was okay. I'm not too tempted by his work.

116Berly
Apr 28, 2017, 2:28 am

Hi Joe! Trevor is one of our new favorite late-night shows. Happy Friday!

117scaifea
Apr 28, 2017, 6:31 am

Morning, Joe!

118jnwelch
Apr 28, 2017, 7:20 am

>112 LovingLit: Ah, too bad your library doesn't have Big Appetites, Megan. Ours did, I'm happy to report.

Maybe a bookstore will have it and you can browse it?

>113 klobrien2: Hi, Karen. Wasn't that a great interview with Kevin Coval? What an articulate guy he is. We actually listened to it twice.

Glad your big city library can get you Big Appetites. I'm glad you and others are enjoying these.

>114 msf59: Oh good, Mark. I'm glad you heard the Kevin C. interview. What a smart guy. I imagine it's going to boost sales of A People's History of Chicago, along with Trevor Noah's enthusiasm for the book.

119jnwelch
Apr 28, 2017, 7:24 am

>115 vancouverdeb: Yeah, MacEwan doesn't connect well with me either, Deb. Nutshell is going better by a lot than Atonement with me.

>116 Berly: Happy Friday, Kim! Yeah, I certainly enjoyed Trevor Noah in this interview. We're going to listen to his book on audio next car trip, too (probably in July).

>117 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

120jnwelch
Apr 28, 2017, 7:27 am

OK, today's a travel day to Pittsburgh, so I'll catch up with you when I can.

We saw an excellent new play by Tracy Letts last night, Linda Vista. He's the guy who wrote August, Osage County. Very funny, but also poignant, mainly about a messed-up 50 year old guy. The whole cast was so good, and Ian Barford (Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time) gave a stellar performance.

121jnwelch
Edited: Apr 28, 2017, 2:12 pm



Travel day for the Welches

122alcottacre
Apr 28, 2017, 7:34 am

Happy Friday, Joe! Safe travels to you.

123Caroline_McElwee
Edited: Apr 28, 2017, 2:11 pm

>120 jnwelch: glad the play was good Joe. I thought the film of August, Osage County was excellent.

Happy travels.

124jnwelch
Apr 28, 2017, 2:15 pm

>122 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia! We've arrived safely, and will be seeing our beloved son shortly.

>123 Caroline_McElwee: 'Twas, Caroline. We were just talking about it - neither Debbi nor I want to see the movie, because the theater actors are so indelible in our minds. It was an unbelievably great theater experience at Steppenwolf, and they took that cast to Broadway.

We're happily arrived, and taking it easy until son #1 gets off of work and comes to get us.

125magicians_nephew
Apr 28, 2017, 3:24 pm

>120 jnwelch: Joe we saw "Nebraska" just recently in New York with our favorite actor Reed Birney and for a lovely surprise Annette O' Toole in a rare stage role.

Liked the play - didn't love it. Have they done that one in ChiTown?

126benitastrnad
Apr 28, 2017, 3:26 pm

At the bottom of every e-mail I send out I have my name, job title, and where I work. I also list what I am currently reading. I just finished the last of the Yashim the Eunuch mystery series Baklava Club by Jason Goodwin and haven't changed my e-mail signature even though I am now reading a Tony Hillerman mystery. I had a business lunch today and one of the people at the table asked me if I was really reading that book. I thought it was a strange question, but said yes. She was curious because the title caught her eye, so she looked it up in Amazon and discovered that it was the last book in the series. She thought it strange that somebody would be reading the last book in a series, so she was sure I had read the others. She then looked at the first title Janissary Tree and thought it looked good and wondered what I thought of the series. Of course, I recommended it. She went on to say that she tried to read books set in different parts of the world, and thought that this series might broaden her horizons.

I thought that book bullets only struck here on LT. I was wrong. Even e-mail signatures contain those nasty bullets.

127benitastrnad
Apr 28, 2017, 3:37 pm

When I get home from work today I am going to start making a Charlotte Russe. Does the cafe have one of those? This will really be an adventure in cooking as I am not sure what one looks like. Joy of Cooking does have a recipe and complete instructions, so at least I won't be alone in the kitchen.

128jnwelch
Apr 28, 2017, 8:20 pm

>125 magicians_nephew:. Do you mean the Tracy Letts play "Man from Nebraska", Jim? All of his plays have started in Chicago, and in recent years, at Steppenwolf. We saw it there. All his are good, IMO; I'd put this new one, Linda Vista, above MFN. We really loved it.

129jnwelch
Apr 28, 2017, 8:32 pm

>126 benitastrnad:. I like that story, Benita. Fun idea to put your latest book in your signature block. Good job of spreading the book love for Jason Goodwin.

>127 benitastrnad:. I'm on the road, Benita, without the same image power a lot of the time. So feel free to slip back into the kitchen for the Charlotte Russe. Good luck!

130LovingLit
Apr 29, 2017, 3:36 am

>125 magicians_nephew: Chi Town, as in Chicago I guess. We have some small provincial towns here that have the suffix -Vegas as a joke. Eg- Ashburton becomes Ash Vegas and Rotorua (actually a Maori word, meaning two lakes) becomes Roto Vegas.

>126 benitastrnad: love it!!!! What a great story :)

Also Hi Joe. I appear to be talking to all and sundry apart from you! And on your own thread too, tsk tsk Megan. ;)

131NarratorLady
Apr 29, 2017, 7:31 am

Just catching up with the thread. Home from an excellent vacation that included, among other things, trolling the delicious London bookshops. Have a great weekend with the family Joe!

132charl08
Apr 29, 2017, 9:13 am

I brought some cake as the prop is travelling...



>120 jnwelch: Sounds like a great performance! Safe travels.

133scaifea
Apr 29, 2017, 10:34 am

Morning, Joe! Enjoy your time with BFF's brother!

134weird_O
Apr 29, 2017, 10:59 am

>86 Ameise1: Very good! Likey likey.

135jnwelch
Edited: Apr 30, 2017, 9:43 am

>130 LovingLit: Oh, hi, Megan. I didn't want to interrupt the conversation. :-)

Sounds like all is well in Christchurch- Vegas. Hmm. That combo doesn't sound right, does it?

>131 NarratorLady: Oh, those delicious London bookshops! I envy you, Anne. Which ones did you go to? Any highlights among the books you found?

We're having the best time with son #1 and his bride, thanks. She's on a deadline to get her book to the publisher, so we only see her a bit, but it's still been a treat. We spent yesterday in the City of Asylum area, which is filled with art. Loved it. Great bookstore there, too.

P.S. If you haven't read her shortie, Dead Boys, I recommend it. https://smile.amazon.com/Dead-Kindle-Single-Adriana-Ram%C3%ADrez-ebook/dp/B01M13...

136jnwelch
Apr 30, 2017, 9:27 am

>132 charl08: Ah, most excellent, Charlotte, thanks. I'm away from the PC most of the time here, so it's tough to work with the kitchen. Glad you were able to put together that toothsome cake.

It was a great performance. We've loved that Ian Barford from day one. Great addition to the Steppenwolf troupe. And all the other performances were topnotch, too, including one young and presumably less experienced actress.



137jnwelch
Apr 30, 2017, 9:30 am

>133 scaifea: Ha! Thanks, Amber. Your BFF's brother is doing really well, and we're having a great time with him. Hopefully you'll meet him some day. He's a mensch. They're in contact a lot, typically by texts.

>134 weird_O: Ditto, Bill.

138jnwelch
Edited: Apr 30, 2017, 9:38 am



Debbi and Joe at Randyland in the City of Asylum area of Pittsburgh

Randy is a found art/folk art guy who's created a colorful art park on a street corner in this artsy area. Besides all the street art in the area, we went to the Mattress Factory, which had very well done installation art. I'll try to post some more from the day at some point.

139msf59
Apr 30, 2017, 10:29 am

Morning, Joe! Happy Sunday. Glad you are having a good time with number one son, in Pittsburgh.

The weather is cruddy here. I think I will stay in and hunker down with the books.

140benitastrnad
Apr 30, 2017, 1:50 pm

#132
That looks like a Charlotte!

It looks like what I was trying to make, but sadly, mine didn't turn out so well. My oven runs a little hot, and so I burned the edges of the cake. A charlotte needs to cool for a long time and I didn't get mine completely cooled before time to serve. When it isn't completely cool the filling tends to run out of the cake. That is exactly what mine did. It tasted good. Just looked like a mess.

141benitastrnad
Apr 30, 2017, 1:51 pm

I can't wait to see the installation art. In Pittsburgh no less.

142jnwelch
Apr 30, 2017, 1:51 pm

Hiya, Mark.

We were just talking to Becca about the cruddy weather you're having. I'm glad it's not a work day for you. Believe it or not, it's in the 80s and sunny here. We've been helping Jesse and Adri with Home Depot and their patio and garden,

Soon we're heading to an "Escape Room", one of those places where you're locked in and have to solve puzzles to get out. Thank goodness that J & A are good at this.

143EBT1002
May 1, 2017, 1:01 am

Hi Joe. Just swinging through, glad to hear that you're having a great visit. Our nephew and his GF announced at dinner last night that they have decided to get married and their folks, as well as P and I, were thrilled. GF has felt like a member of the family for while now and this means we get to keep her. :-)

I hope you got out of the Escape Room! We would miss you around here if you weren't able to return.

Safe travels and hello to Debbi and "the kids."

144scaifea
May 1, 2017, 6:34 am

Morning, Joe!

I kind of want to try one of those escape room places, but I'm afraid I'd never make it out. Not sure if I have the proper equipment...

145lunacat
May 1, 2017, 7:15 am

There is no way I'm going to be able to catch up, Joe, so I'll just say Happy Monday and take it from there.

146jnwelch
May 1, 2017, 10:29 am

>145 lunacat: Happy Mmphmumble Day, Jenny. Thanks for the stop-by. Hope you're still basking at least some in the aftermath of your wonderful-sounding trip, and getting back in the swing of things at home. (I know some of the return wasn't as good as it should have been!)

>144 scaifea: Morning, Amber! We had a great time doing the escape room, but I'd sure recommend going with someone experienced. Jesse and Adri have done a lot of them, and it sure helped!

147jnwelch
May 1, 2017, 10:37 am

My LT connection fritzed, so I'll catch you later on

148weird_O
May 1, 2017, 12:02 pm

Hi Joe! Happy Mmphmumble Day to you. Also May Day! May Day!

Up above in the thicket of posts was a mention you made of a son who works for Google. Is this the son in Pittsburgh? If so, does he work in a Pittsburgh office? Asking because my oldest has been with Google for 10 years or more, primarily in NYC.

149FAMeulstee
May 1, 2017, 3:19 pm

Hi Joe, I wanted to thank you for recommending it, as I finished the Han Shan poetry book in Dutch translation :-)

150ronincats
May 1, 2017, 3:26 pm

Sound like you are having a great time visiting your son, Joe. When you get home, check out the May Martians and Magic Theme thread at http://www.librarything.com/topic/256332

151jnwelch
May 1, 2017, 4:27 pm

>143 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen. We did escape! The funny thing is that the last room's last door, the exit, turned out to be actually open without our doing more, but we wouldn't have "won" if we didn't solve the combination to the safe and get the plasma guns that the time traveler was trying to take back to the Civil War to get rid of some guy. Yes, it was a bit complicated. :-)

Congratulations on your nephew and his GF! It's so great that it feels like she's already a member of the family, and that you're all so happy that you get to keep her. Love that.

Debbi says hi back, and we'll see Jesse soon, and Becca upon our return. We're off to a cafe near Google, then we'll have lunch with him and tour the new building that recently opened up. Hope you have a good one!

152jnwelch
May 1, 2017, 4:32 pm

>140 benitastrnad:, >141 benitastrnad: We've had plenty of those "tastes good, but messy" productions, Benita. Unless it's for company, "tastes good" works just fine. And for the right company, it works regardless. Good for you for being adventurous.

I think you'll enjoy installation art in the Mattress Factory, and that artsy area, when you get there. We'll going back to the Mattress Factory in the future, in part because there's an "appointment" one we didn't see, and in part because the collection changes.

153jnwelch
Edited: May 1, 2017, 5:02 pm

>148 weird_O: Got your May Day!, Bill. Everything okay? If you're on a life raft somewhere, let us know.

Happy Mmphmumble Day! I'm looking forward to not-Mmphmumble Day.

Yes, treasured son #1 works in the Pittsburgh Google office. He's really happy; we were just there visiting. I've become an admirer of the company; I hope your son likes it. Jesse has worked temporarily in the NYC office while his wife was in NYC on her business.

>149 FAMeulstee: Oh, that's great to hear, Anita. Isn't Han Shan's poetry lovely? I probably mentioned it, but I believe I re-read his Cold Mountain more than any other poetry book. I'm so glad you gave it a try, and liked it.

154jnwelch
May 1, 2017, 4:44 pm

>150 ronincats: Oh, I will, Roni, thanks. You know me - May Martians and Magic? How can I resist? :-)

155jnwelch
May 1, 2017, 5:00 pm

I finished, and very much enjoyed, another Travis McGee mystery, A Deadly Shade of Gold. My thanks again to Julia (rosalita) for sending me the first six.

I'm also more than halfway through The Warmth of Other Suns, the story of African-American migration north in the 1930s through (I think) the 1960s. Shame on so many of us in this country. Jim Crow segregation and "James Crow" and a more hidden, denying-type of unspoken Jim Crow in the North and the West, and on and on. "Oops, now that I see you in person, we have no vacancies, we have no job openings, this house isn't actually for sale or this apartment for rent," and so on. Isabel Wilkerson does a great job of telling a broad-based story through narratives of the migrants and their families. She also points out that this has happened in other forms in this country, where established residents haven't wanted one minority or another moving in, and that members of the minority that have become established often don't want newer, unsophisticated migrants from their minority "to make it harder" for them. Humans - the capacity for prejudice seems limitless.

I had set this one aside after getting a ways in, and it was time to pick it back up. Emotionally challenging but important reading. I know a number of 75ers have read this one and spoken highly of it.

156NarratorLady
May 1, 2017, 9:53 pm

>155 jnwelch: The Warmth of Other Sons was on my radar for a while before I finally picked it up last year. The importance of this book can't be overstated. The story of the Jim Crow south and the struggles of three individuals attempting to create lives in the north will stay with me forever. Don't you wonder what Isabel Wilkinson is working on now? Whatever it is, I can't wait to read it.

157jnwelch
May 1, 2017, 10:18 pm

>156 NarratorLady: Completely agree, Anne, as usual. It's so riveting and heart-wrenching.

It's funny, I was thinking it must have taken years for Isabel W. to write this one, there's so much in it. Like you, I have been wondering about the next one from her, but because of that, in my mind it may be quite a while before we see it.

158PaulCranswick
May 1, 2017, 10:43 pm

I guess that was your first May Day after retirement, Joe and I am sure that you would have enjoyed it just the same. Spent mine travelling back to Malaysia.

159jnwelch
May 1, 2017, 10:57 pm

>158 PaulCranswick: Oh man, I don't envy you that commute, Paul. That's a 13 or 14 hour flight from London to Kuala Lumpur, right?

This was my first May Day after retirement, and we enjoyed the heck out of it, visiting with our son and his bride. I could get used to this, I could. :-)

160Caroline_McElwee
May 2, 2017, 6:31 am

Glad you had a lovely time Joe. >138 jnwelch: very happy campers here I see.

161scaifea
May 2, 2017, 6:32 am

Morning, Joe! Safe travels today!

What board games did you play?

162jnwelch
Edited: May 2, 2017, 7:57 am

>160 Caroline_McElwee:. We did have a lovely time, Caroline, thanks. I'll try to post another photo or two later on. You'll be glad to hear Joe Debbi has been behaving herself.

>161 scaifea:. Morning, Amber!

Thanks!

Both games were card-based.

I can't remember the name of one, but we had 8 players, 3 of whom were government spies, unbeknownst to the others. The others were the Resistance. The spies tried to stay unknown while sabotaging Resistance missions; the non-spies tried to figure out who the spies were, and keep them out of missions, so the missions would succeed. The first to get 3 wins win. We played that one last night.

The other was "Gloom", which we played the night before. Your goal was to make your Gorey-Esque characters have miserable lives and then have them die with as many negative points as possible. You try to screw up your opponents by making their characters as happy as possible by the time they die. You make up stories for the characters as you do this, and that may be most fun part of all.

Jesse and Adri love these kinds of games. They gave us one called Dixit that is art-based that's got the vibe of Apples to Apples, and we love it.

163msf59
May 2, 2017, 7:57 am

Morning Joe! Have a safe trip back, but be prepared for more cruddy weather on your return. I am off today but will be confined to the house.

I am enjoying The Someday Birds and loving The Road to Jonestown. My GN is The Encyclopedia of Early Earth, which has been very impressive. I think Kerry recommended it to me and it appears to be your cuppa too.

164jnwelch
Edited: May 2, 2017, 8:01 am

It's a travel day for the Welches. We're hoping to have something bigger and more flight-inclined than this to travel in.



By Keith Newsted

165jnwelch
Edited: May 2, 2017, 8:19 am



We escaped! IQ Escape compiles your score based on missteps, time, etc. Only 15% of teams that try actually manage to escape the two rooms in this challenge. Full disclosure: we were so close, they gave us an extra 9 minutes (after 60 were up).

P.S. The first room, the time machine, involved big machines that needed binary code, braille and Morse code inputted to surrender their clues (with us first needing clues we found/figured out to help with the codes). Yikes! The second involved finding and putting together complicated clues in the saloon to which we time traveled, and eventually getting what we needed to solve the safe's combination and confiscate the plasma guns that otherwise would be unstoppable in Civil War times.

166rosalita
May 2, 2017, 9:52 am

>165 jnwelch: That sounds like fun, Joe! Although I have a tendency to get a bit impatient with puzzles like that, I think I'd enjoy tackling it as a group project rather than an individual effort.

167Oberon
May 2, 2017, 12:53 pm

>165 jnwelch: That does sound like fun. Certainly something I would like to try.

168jnwelch
Edited: May 2, 2017, 3:22 pm

>166 rosalita: Yeah, patience is a challenge for me with these kinds of puzzles, too, Julia. It's a lot of fun to do as a group project.

>167 Oberon: Well worth trying, Erik. My recommendation would be to go with someone who's done it before. I probably would've started with an easier one, too, but the timing was right for us for this one. The time machine room was really tough!

169magicians_nephew
Edited: May 2, 2017, 3:31 pm



some street art in The Loop from our recent Chicago jaunt

The Flight of Daedalus and Icarus (1991)
While walking through the city's financial district, look up at 120 N. LaSalle to see The Flight of Daedalus and Icarus (120 N. La Salle St.). The brightly colored mosaic by world renowned artist Roger Brown depicts the story of Icarus, a man so overcome with his ability to fly that he soars too close to the sun and melts his wax wings. The piece is both a tribute to human ingenuity and a cautionary tale located, rather appropriately, between Chicago's governing and financial institutions.

170jnwelch
May 2, 2017, 3:29 pm

>163 msf59: Whoa! I didn't see you sneak in there, Mark. Good afternoon! We're back home.

The Road to Jonestown ain't for me, but Someday Birds is. Encyclopedia of Early Earth does look good; I'd heard about her One Hundred Nights of Hero, and WL'd that one, too.

I'm liking an odd one, Eggshells by Caitriona Lally, a lot so far. Debbi found this Dublin gem.

171jnwelch
May 2, 2017, 3:30 pm

>169 magicians_nephew: Ha! Thanks, Jim!

Yes, that one's quite close to where I work/worked. Most excellent, it is.

172msf59
Edited: May 2, 2017, 3:44 pm

Welcome home, Joe. I have One Hundred Nights of Hero at the top of the request pile too. See if you can track Secret Path down too. It is Lemire at his haunting best.

Hmmm...Eggshells sounds interesting.

ETA- Juli found the You-Tube link for the film version of Secret Path. It looks wonderful and there is a discussion afterwards:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGd764YU9yc&t=3571s

173PaulCranswick
May 2, 2017, 3:51 pm

Good to see you safely back, Joe. I don't want to travel for a few weeks as I am now unable to sleep but for the shortest of moments. I have flown 45 hours in the last two weeks and am done in.

174jnwelch
May 2, 2017, 4:37 pm

>172 msf59: Thanks, Mark. Yes, that's the Secret Path video I saw before. I'll look for the Lemire GN after I catch up a bit.

I'll keep you posted on Eggshells. I just got my hands on Gaiman's new Cinnamon kids' book, too.

>173 PaulCranswick: Oh my goodness, Paul. Good thing you're still relatively young. That's an awful lot of flying. I get worn out doing half that. Rest up and cut yourself a lot of slack, mate.

175jnwelch
May 2, 2017, 5:29 pm

The books we bought at City of Asylum Books in Pittsburgh on Independent Booksellers Day:

176vancouverdeb
May 2, 2017, 6:00 pm

Nice haul from Pittsburgh, Joe! I confess I am not familiar with any of the titles, but I'm certain you will enjoy them!

177DeltaQueen50
May 2, 2017, 11:45 pm

Hi Joe, how nice that you got in a visit with your son and daughter-in-law (and how exciting to hear that she is in the process of getting her book ready for the publishers!) I notice one of your books in >175 jnwelch: is by Edwidge Danticat, an author whose writing I admire. :)

178charl08
Edited: May 3, 2017, 5:47 am

>175 jnwelch: Ooh, nice haul.

Those game rooms are not for me, although they're popular here too, and you all look like a cheerful advert for the endeavour. Different strokes!

I do however like the sound of the gloomy card game. Although I am a bit worried it doesn't really exist and is just satire. Off to Google to find out.

ETA phew! It's real. It's sold out here, but I'll have to try again closer to holiday season.

179LovingLit
May 3, 2017, 5:17 am

>135 jnwelch: Christchurch- Vegas. Hmm. That combo doesn't sound right, does it?
He he. ChCh-vegas could work? Or how about Chur-vegas?

Nice haul too! It would have been rude not to, it being Independent Booksellers Day and all....

180scaifea
May 3, 2017, 6:35 am

Morning, Joe!

Those board games sound like a hoot!

>175 jnwelch: Thunder Boy Jr is pretty adorable - Charlie and I liked it.

181jnwelch
Edited: May 3, 2017, 9:14 am

>176 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb.

I'm really enjoying Eggshells, a quirky Irish novel that Madame MBH found. The Sandmeyer Reaction is a shortie contributed by Michael Chabon for Independent Booksellers Day. It sold out in a blink. Thunder Boy Jr. is Sherman Alexie's kids' book. Untwine is an Edwidge Danticat novel that, I think, is YA. This Tao Te Ching is about my umpteenth version of this famous work by Lao Tzu. Because it was written in Chinese about something very difficult to put into words (the Way), every translation I've seen is very different, including this one. (My favorite remains Stephen Mitchell's). This one also has commentary, which so far has a number of surprises for the likes of me.

>177 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy. We had such a good time with our son and DIL. They're not as far away as Seattle (where he was before), but it's still tough not to see them as much as we'd like. Such is the life of a parent, I guess. At least our daughter's in Chicago.

Yes, I admire Edwidge Danticat, too. It turns out our DIL has been in workshops with her, and Adri speaks highly of her. So far I've read Claire of the Sea Light and Create Dangerously - I thought the latter was particularly good. One I want to be sure to get to is Breath Eyes Memory.

182jnwelch
Edited: May 3, 2017, 9:16 am

>178 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. It was quite the cool bookstore - smallish, but what a selection. It took some willpower to limit it to that haul.

Yeah, I don't think Madame MBH and I would seek out an escape room like that on our own, but it sure was fun to do it with two people who enjoy it so much.

The gloomy card game is a blast. It's one of those that gets you laughing - in our case, a lot.

>179 LovingLit: Hi, Megan. I do like "Chur-Vegas". Give it a try as you're getting groceries and so on, and see whether it catches on. People won't think you're weird as can be, I'm sure. :-)

Yes, we were raised right, and felt politeness required that we buy at least a truckload of several books.

183jnwelch
May 3, 2017, 9:20 am

>180 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

Yes, the board games were definitely hoot-worthy. Our son and DIL have a phenomenal collection of them, and love to play. If they ever get together with board game fan Stasia, no one else is going to get a word in edgewise.

Madame MBH (your BFF's mom) and I both read Thunder Boy while there, and decided we had to have it. I wasn't sure I'd like the illustrations, but I did. I'm glad you and Charlie enjoyed it, too.

184msf59
May 3, 2017, 11:05 am

Morning Joe. Better out here today. I just wish the sun would stick around longer. I will be wrapping up The Someday Birds. A good little YA book. I think I will then move on to the story collection, you passed on to me. I want to read at least one a month, if not 2.

185jnwelch
May 3, 2017, 1:09 pm

>184 msf59: Hey, brother. Crap - which story collection did I pass onto you? When I was a young man, I could actually remember things. Those were the days. I'm pretty sure those were the days - it's hard to remember.

186jnwelch
May 3, 2017, 1:37 pm

187charl08
May 3, 2017, 2:35 pm

Well that one took me a while to work out! I don't know how they do it...

188jnwelch
May 3, 2017, 3:42 pm

>187 charl08: LOL! It's remarkable what they can do, isn't it, Charlotte. So visually convincing.

189msf59
Edited: May 3, 2017, 6:17 pm

Hey, Joe! The collection you gave me was Tender: Stories. You said it didn't really ring your bells. I am only a couple of stories in but I like it. Dark & quirky.

What has been dark but not so quirky is The Road to Jonestown. This guy really did his homework showing how this fanatic/nutcase evolved.

190jnwelch
May 3, 2017, 6:24 pm

>189 msf59: Of course! Thanks, Mark. Yup. Tender: Stories had its moments, but it didn't really ring my bells. I did like that Walkdog story a lot.

I was thinking I gave you Tell Me, the Addonizio poetry collection, but that was a different handover.

Enjoy The Road to Jonestown. Not one I'm going to read. That fanatic/nutcase creeped me out enough in real life.

191msf59
May 3, 2017, 6:37 pm

I liked Walkdog a lot too. Cleverly done and heart-breaking to boot.

I still have Tell Me, hovering at the top of my poetry pile. I'll get to it soon. Like you, I love Addonizio's work.

192jessibud2
Edited: May 3, 2017, 6:49 pm

>181 jnwelch: - Hi Joe. I read Breath, Eyes, Memory several years ago and thought it was good. I would like to read more by Danticat, as well

>183 jnwelch: - Here in Toronto we have a café called Snakes and Lattes. You go in and the walls are lined with shelves and shelves of board games, sorted by category. Last summer, when Zoe and Mark and a few other LTers were visiting, we ended up there and it was loads of fun! I'll admit that most of the games were previously unknown to me but rather than go with what was familiar, I tried 3 new ones (all word games, of various strategies) and loved them. I wonder if this sort of venue is a new trend in other cities, as well.

193NarratorLady
Edited: May 3, 2017, 8:34 pm

>181 jnwelch: years ago, I had the honor of narrating Breath, Eyes, Memory for the Library of Congress. I must read it again. A special memory is phoning the Haitian consulate in Boston for pronunciations. These calls don't always meet with success. Quite often, people say they're too busy to help. But these ladies at the consulate were so excited about Edwidge Danticat's first book, which they were very much aware of,they behaved as if they were her aunties. They were so excited for her.

194rosalita
May 3, 2017, 9:31 pm

>192 jessibud2: Snakes & Lattes sounds like a fun place, Shelley! We have some coffeeshops in Iowa City that have a handful of board games available to play but none of them have made it into a cool theme the way your one has. I think that's quite clever!

195scaifea
May 4, 2017, 6:40 am

Morning, Joe!

196ffortsa
May 4, 2017, 8:24 am

>186 jnwelch: Whoa! That's some sidewalk art! And I love how 'unsteady' the perched gals look.

>193 NarratorLady: I didn't realize that was her first book. It's been on my shelf for quite a while, along with all the other ones I haven't gotten to yet. Sigh.

>192 jessibud2: It's been ages since I've played board games other than Scrabble. The next time Zoe is in town, I'll have to ask her if there's a game playing venue in NYC that she likes.

197jessibud2
May 4, 2017, 8:51 am

>196 ffortsa: - Yes, Scrabble is my go-to, as well as a variety of versions of Trivial Pursuit. But Zoe and Mark are board game aficionados and they introduced us to a few really good ones. I wrote down the names of the games so next time I go, I will remember. All I have to do now is find where I wrote them down... ;-)

198rretzler
May 4, 2017, 8:54 am

199rretzler
May 4, 2017, 8:57 am

Catching up after a long tax season! Love the Sendak's at the top. Where the Wild Things Are is a favorite - when I used to read it to my older son, there was one page where he would look at the pictures of the wild things and say pointing to a different one "Mommy, Daddy, Beckham!"

You've been reading some great books! I noticed a lot of Hugos in there.

200jnwelch
May 4, 2017, 9:09 am

>191 msf59: Tell Me is my favorite Addonizio collection by far, so far, Mark. I think you'll get a kick out of it.

>192 jessibud2: Hi, Shelley. I'm glad you liked Breath, Eyes, Memory; it seems to get a universal positive reaction. Madame MBH just finished Untwine, and thought it was very good.

Snakes and Lattes - love it! Yes, board game cafes are big here, too - we went to one, I think called The Wormhole, for a book signing (the book was about coin-operated arcade games). Great idea - board games are much bigger among adults than I would've realized a few years ago. Our son actually belongs to a group at Google that meets every Tuesday afternoon there to play board games, so it's also getting into companies. So many interesting new games out there.

201jnwelch
Edited: May 4, 2017, 9:14 am

>193 NarratorLady: Oh, what a great story, Anne. That is an honor to get the job of narrating Breath, Eyes, Memory. And how cool that the Haitian consulate ladies were that excited to help you with pronunciation. I'm going to have that in my mind when I read it. If I were more of an audio reader, I'd try to find your narration.

>194 rosalita: I like that Snakes and Lattes name, too, Julia. Aren't board games a cool theme to draw people to a cafe?

>195 scaifea: Morning, Amber! How are things in Scaife Land? I'll stop by to find out the latest.

202jnwelch
Edited: May 4, 2017, 9:38 am

>196 ffortsa: Isn't that fun sidewalk art, Judy? Those gals did a great job of perching on it - the holding hands for balance struck me.

I didn't realize Breath, Eyes, Memory was her first either. I'm going to try to get to it sooner rather than later. I liked Claire of the Sea Light a lot, but Create Dangerously (an Ellie (mirrordrum) recommendation) really bowled me over.

I probably should remember, but remind me who Zoe is?

>197 jessibud2: Madame MBH and son Jesse love Scrabble, Shelley. I'm usually floating around in Dreamland, so you have to pull me back down to Earth for these things. Now Becca (seasonoflove) and Madame MBH play Words with Friends electronically against each other, and others, like Amber, all the time.

Ha! I'm sure you wrote down those board game names in the perfect place to easily find them again. Why does doing that usually work so badly, for all of us?

203jnwelch
Edited: May 4, 2017, 9:39 am

>198 rretzler: It's May 4th! Thanks for reminding us, Robin. May the Fourth be with you, too! Love that Star Wars Lego photo.

>199 rretzler: Oof, a long tax session. You deserve a lengthy break now, Robin. Aren't those Sendaks excellent? Ha! I love your older son putting you into Where the Wild Things Are.

It's been another great reading year so far - I imagine I won't have a less than great reader year while I'm a 75ers member; I get so many hot tips here. Yeah, I've had a sci-fi craving lately. I want to read the new Liaden book, Gathering Edge, and Too Like the Lightning, which has been getting a lot of LT love, after I finish The Warmth of Other Suns.

204jnwelch
May 4, 2017, 9:37 am

In honor of May the Fourth Be With You:

205jessibud2
Edited: May 4, 2017, 10:07 am

>202 jnwelch: - Zoe and her husband Mark are LTers. Zoe (http://www.librarything.com/profile/_Zoe_) is Canadian and her parents live just outside Toronto so she comes home to visit usually during Canada Day weekend (July 1). Zoe and Mark live in NY currently. Through her, I met a few other LTers and for the last 2 summers, we have met up when they are in town. It will likely happen again this year, when another LTer (the one who got me here!), SqueakyChu, and her husband will be coming to Toronto. She and I know each other from Bookcrossing. We've been friends for around 10 years but we are both looking forward to her visit as it will be the first time we will meet in person! Crazy how that works, isn't it?

I play online Scrabble with several friends. It's a real obsession.

Joe, is >186 jnwelch: done by Julian Beever, Edgar Mueller or Kurt Wenner? Those are the 3 names I know who excel at sidewalk chalk art.

206jnwelch
May 4, 2017, 10:23 am

>205 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley. Ha! Yes, I know what you mean about the craziness of being friends for years before you meet in person. That all sounds great. I remember SqueakyChu, although I don't think she posts much any more?

All it says for the >204 jnwelch: post is "streetartmagic". I don't know whether that's an assumed name, or something else. I'll try to check more later and see if I can find out.

207jnwelch
May 4, 2017, 10:24 am

I'm heading into work. What? Yes, once in a while. I've got something tomorrow, too. Check in with you all later.

208jessibud2
May 4, 2017, 11:38 am

>206 jnwelch: - Joe, I was referring to the other pic you posted at >186 jnwelch:, those 2 girls *balancing* on the escalator rails.

209jnwelch
May 4, 2017, 12:07 pm

>208 jessibud2: Ah, wish I could tell you, Shelley. People seem less likely to identify the artist for the 3d street art, I'm not sure why. Not even a Google search gave me an answer on who did >186 jnwelch:. Clues indicate it's somewhere in Italy, but I'm not even sure about that.

210NarratorLady
Edited: May 4, 2017, 1:48 pm

>201 jnwelch: Although I also narrate commercial audiobooks, most of my recordings, including Breath, Eyes, Memory, are for the Library of Congress. It's known as NLS: the National Library Service Talking Books for the Blind and Physically Impaired program. So as I say to all my friends, including you Joe, I hope you never hear them.

However it is a marvelous program, free to anyone who can't read in a traditional manner due to a medical impairment. It's been providing recorded books for decades. (We hope that 45 doesn't get wind of it.)

211jessibud2
Edited: May 4, 2017, 2:02 pm

>210 NarratorLady: - Good for you! What a terrific service. Many years ago, when my grandmother lost her eyesight, we got her a cassette player (yes, it was that long ago. She has been gone now for around 20 years). I used to get her audiobooks to listen to as she had been a voracious reader before that. She was very resistant at first, because she was angry at what was happening to her but it didn't take long to win her over. It was a godsend!

As for me, I am a huge audiobook fan, myself.

212msf59
May 5, 2017, 6:38 am

Morning, Joe! Happy Friday. I am taking the day off tomorrow, for the Chicago Beer Classic at Soldiers Field, so last work day for me. I hope the weather hangs in there, for the event.

Should wrap up the Jonestown book today. Unsettling stuff...Did not read much of the Tender collection but I hope to make a bigger dent today.

213scaifea
May 5, 2017, 7:31 am

Morning, Joe!

214Caroline_McElwee
Edited: May 5, 2017, 8:00 am

>204 jnwelch: love it.

215jnwelch
May 5, 2017, 8:03 am

>210 NarratorLady: That is a wonderful thing you do, Anne. I have mixed feelings about not being able to listen to them, but that's a stiff qualifier. They should open it up to AARP members, at the least. :-)

>211 jessibud2: Agreed, Shelley. Anne's a peach, isn't she. How great for your grandmother. I've thought more than once that's the way I'd go if something happened to me.

216jnwelch
May 5, 2017, 8:08 am

>212 msf59: Morning, Mark! Good for you - enjoy this being the last work day of the week.

I am taking the day off tomorrow, for the Chicago Beer Classic at Soldiers Field If we were playing a game of "Who on LT said this?", I'd have picked you in a blink. :-)

I work today, then tomorrow is a baby shower here for Becca's BFF (the other one besides Amber). I'll help with the setup, then get the heck out of Dodge.

Have a good one, brother.

>213 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

>214 Caroline_McElwee: Ha! Isn't >204 jnwelch: a fun one, Caroline?

217jnwelch
May 5, 2017, 8:09 am

218FAMeulstee
May 5, 2017, 4:37 pm

^That is a funny one, I expect rather tiny in size.

219Ameise1
May 5, 2017, 5:51 pm

Happy Friday, Joe.

220PaulCranswick
May 5, 2017, 9:20 pm

Wishing you a wonderful weekend, Joe.

221EBT1002
May 5, 2017, 9:46 pm

>151 jnwelch: "...we wouldn't have "won" if we didn't solve the combination to the safe and get the plasma guns that the time traveler was trying to take back to the Civil War to get rid of some guy." This totally cracked me up! It sounds like a crazy bad (or crazy good) novel. :-)

222Familyhistorian
May 6, 2017, 1:38 am

I hope you had a good day at work, Joe. Enjoy your weekend even if you have to get out of Dodge! As part of May Murder and Mayhem I am reading Brotherhood in Death, I think I am a few behind you in that series. They are good!

223jnwelch
May 6, 2017, 9:44 am

>219 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. I hope you're having a relaxing day. Do you head off on a vacation tomorrow?

>220 PaulCranswick: You, too, Paul. Thanks. Hope yours is un-jet-lagged.

>221 EBT1002: Ha! Isn't that great, Ellen? I was thinking about the fun they must've had designing these rooms.

>222 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg! We're having an enjoyable weekend so far. Today is a baby shower for our daughter's best friend, so I'll be recusing myself once I've helped with the setup. A trip to the library and some reading is on the agenda. :-)

Those in Death books are so reliably good, aren't they? Yeah, it's one of those mixed feelings; I can't resist them, so I'm all caught up on the series and have to wait for the next one. I've thought about circling back to the beginning at some point. Have violent, creepy, sexy (Eve and Roarke) fun with Brotherhood in Death.

224scaifea
May 6, 2017, 9:47 am

Morning, Joe! Happy Saturday!

225jnwelch
May 6, 2017, 10:40 am

Morning, Amber! Happy Saturday, my friend!

226jnwelch
Edited: May 6, 2017, 10:44 am



Garden in Montreal

227rosalita
May 6, 2017, 10:56 am

Happy Saturday, Joe! I love all the public and street art you post, and I hope you won't mind me adding something from Iowa City here. It's apparently an installation by University of Iowa students to accompany this weekend's Flyover Fashion Fest.



It's a little hard to see in the smaller size, but if you click through you can see a larger version on Flickr.

228Familyhistorian
May 6, 2017, 11:11 am

>223 jnwelch: When I was at about book 30 or so in the in death series I went back and read Naked in Death again. It was fun to revisit. I would like to re-read the one with the Icove case in it again because the later books keep referring to it. I just don't know which book it is, do you know, Joe?

229jnwelch
May 6, 2017, 1:02 pm

>227 rosalita: Thanks, Julia. I'm always glad when someone posts public or street art here. I love how artists transform our public spaces in such different ways.

That's very cool that someone(s) at U of Iowa came up with that for the Flyover Fashion Fest. Thanks for the click-through to the larger version. I'd love to see that one up close. It looks like there are subtle differences in some of the cubes.

>229 jnwelch: Origin in Death has the Icove mystery, Meg (#21). You can see why that would be a celebrated case. You're right, it does get referred back to a lot in the later in Death books, especially as folks recognize Eve from it.

230banjo123
May 6, 2017, 2:01 pm

Your puzzle room looks hard! I did one a while back, as a work team-building thing. It was fun, but the answer all depended on finding out the name of the mad scientist's fluffy cat, so not nearly as intricate.

231jnwelch
May 6, 2017, 2:13 pm

>230 banjo123: It was a hard and intricate puzzle room, Rhonda - actually, two of them. You had to solve the time machine room to get into the saloon. They promoted it as "the most difficult escape room in Pittsburgh", and Madame MBH and I wouldn't have attempted it without our very experienced son and DIL. Now I'd like to try an easier one!

232jnwelch
Edited: May 8, 2017, 8:01 am



I got a big kick out of Eggshells by Caitriona Lally, first published in Ireland. Vivian doesn't experience the world the way we do, and she spends a good bit of time exploring Dublin for portals that will permit her to return to the "other world" in which she must belong. Most of us learn to be somewhat smooth socially, talking about the weather and making small talk and so on. Not Vivian. For her, a simple conversation with a retail clerk that ends well is a triumph. She bravely explores the city and seeks out interaction with Dubliners, even though she knows often they will pity and reject her. She's the one we avoid sitting with on the bus, and she's the one whose normal and boring sister advises to "shower more often".

I move on to the next sign: "Where a dog fouls a public place, the person in charge of the dog must remove the faeces immediately." I like the certainty of those words, there is no dithering behind vague words for the sake of politeness. I take out my notebook and write out the words from the sign. A herd of tourists gathers around me. One of them reads aloud the sign in accented English, stops reading, and looks at me and my notebook. The tourists' feet waiver, and they drift away from my sign to find the plaques of famous writers along the park's edges. I return to the buried well."

Her great-aunt left her a house filled with chairs, and she can take care of herself, although in eccentric ways. She is always well-intentioned, and generous, but not a patsy. When she decides she wants a friend, and that the friend needs to be named Penelope, she puts up a flyer, and it works.

Vivian's integrity is so complete that she will live in this world just as she is, even while knowing she must more naturally belong in some other. And that in turn makes us rethink what we unquestionably accept every day. In some ways it's a sort of light-hearted "A Provincial Kook in Dublin", (cf. Diary of a Provincial Lady and A Provincial Lady in London) and in some ways it's about as deep and moving as a book can get.

233msf59
May 6, 2017, 3:27 pm

Happy Saturday, Joe. for taking the day off, I have hardly read at all. Sighs...We are getting ready to head into the city for the Beer Classic. It will be chilly but at least it won't be raining.

Good review of Eggshells. I will have to request that one.

234Familyhistorian
May 7, 2017, 3:01 am

>229 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. I will have to have a look for that book because I don't really remember the Icove case and I can see why if it was way back at #21.

235LovingLit
May 7, 2017, 4:11 am

>186 jnwelch: I scanned the faces for people I knew, and even when I didn't know anyone thought- gosh- they are a bit cavalier with their personal safety, aren't they!!?? (just like a mum would!!!)
There was a TV series about a guy who spent time creating those pavement masterpieces. He took a few days to do one, and loads of people would stop and watch and get photos. So clever.

>217 jnwelch: oh- so cute! :)

236scaifea
May 7, 2017, 10:58 am

Morning, Joe!

>226 jnwelch: Oh, that's lovely!

237jnwelch
May 7, 2017, 4:32 pm

>233 msf59: Hiya, Mark. I hope the Beer Fest was fun - I'm sure it was!

Thanks re the review. I'm hoping some more folks get tempted to try it, because it's really well done. Looking forward to your take on Vivian and her adventures.

>234 Familyhistorian: Yeah, it was the scope and nature of the underlying crime that got the Icove case the notoriety in that one, Meg. Re-reading it is a good idea. I may do the same.

238jnwelch
May 7, 2017, 4:35 pm

>235 LovingLit: Ha! I love that, Megan. The artist would be very pleased, I'm sure (as would the two ladies!)

Yes, occasionally we've been able to watch chalk artists create in Trafalgar Square. So far, nothing on the level of what I've posted here, but it's still fun to watch.

>236 scaifea: Morning/Afternoon, Amber!

Isn't >226 jnwelch: beautiful? Montreal Botanical Garden circa 2013. I'm hoping a Canadian patron can let us know whether it's still there.

239jnwelch
Edited: May 7, 2017, 5:06 pm



At Angouleme, France from Three-Legged-Cat

240msf59
May 7, 2017, 6:53 pm

Happy Sunday, Joe. I had a terrific weekend but did not get much reading in. I just started A Wild Sheep Chase and this is just my cuppa.

241jessibud2
May 7, 2017, 7:02 pm

>238 jnwelch: - I will be going back to Montreal next weekend but I am not sure if I will be able to make to the Botanical Gardens. I will see if I can find any info on that one online

242scaifea
May 8, 2017, 6:28 am

Morning, Joe!

>239 jnwelch: Oh, I like that one very much!

243jnwelch
May 8, 2017, 8:08 am

>240 msf59: Hiya, Mark. Happy Mmphmumble Day.

I'm glad you had a terrific weekend. A Wild Sheep Chase is just your cuppa - music to my ears. Another crazy one from our friend Murakami.

>241 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley. That one in >226 jnwelch: is so beautiful, I imagine they tried to keep it.

>242 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

Me, too. I love the positioning with the carry-through of the wall; the lamp looks like it's part of the painting.

244jnwelch
Edited: May 8, 2017, 12:55 pm

For those curious about the "Bob" buzz, We Are Legion (We Are Bob) is available on Kindle today for $3.99.

https://smile.amazon.com/Are-Legion-Bob-Bobiverse-Book-ebook/dp/B01LWAESYQ/ref=s...

245msf59
Edited: May 8, 2017, 6:43 pm

Hi, Joe. My usual Monday late check in. I kept my jacket on today but it was a decent day overall.

Having a good time with A Wild Sheep Chase. The Rat is brought up, so this has ties to Pinball/Wind. It has been a couple of years since I read those, so my memory is fuzzy. Did they tie in for you?

246scaifea
May 9, 2017, 6:32 am

Morning, Joe!

247jnwelch
May 9, 2017, 9:56 am

>245 msf59: Hi, Mark. My usual early Tuesday response. :-) Glad the weather was decent; I'm hoping the rain holds off for you today until you're done.

It had been even longer for me with the Rat when I read Wind Pinball, so I can't say I made any major previously unmade connections. The narrator develops more than the Rat over the books, IMO. The story continues in Dance Dance Dance, and the Rat is mentioned, but only briefly. It's the same narrator.

I'm glad you're having a good time with A Wild Sheep Chase. That one always makes me smile.

>246 scaifea: Morning, Amber! I hope all is well at Scaife Manor.

248msf59
May 9, 2017, 11:03 am

Morning Joe! The rain has stopped and with the humidity in the air, it is not bad out here. I am off tomorrow, so that is putting some pep in my step.

I want to read Dance, Dance, Dance.

249jnwelch
Edited: May 9, 2017, 1:31 pm

Morning, buddy!

Nice - no rain, and a day off tomorrow. Go Mark!

Yes, you'll get have a great time with Dance Dance Dance. Some like it the best of the four (I'm awfully partial to A Wild Sheep Chase).

The only one of his novels that ends up a bit low on the list for me is the more accessible Norwegian Wood. If I wanted more accessible, I'd be reading Hemingway, right? (Oh, wait, I like Hemingway's books, don't I. Well, I wouldn't read Hemingway for the "vaguely hallucinatory", as Ellen put it re Murakami).

250jnwelch
May 9, 2017, 1:48 pm



Summer is only a tiny ways away

By Slinkachu

251charl08
May 9, 2017, 1:51 pm

Oh I like the tiny summer art. Stockholm as I left it seemed to be packing in the seasons - snow and sunshine in a couple of hours. I looked for the street art, but couldn't see any as I did the usual tourist sights. The art galleries more than made up for it though.

I am Bob curious, hoping that there will be some kind of kindle deal here at some point!

252jnwelch
May 9, 2017, 2:11 pm

>251 charl08: Hi, Charlotte. Sounds like you had a fine time in Stockholm.

I don't know whether there's a street art scene there, but we usually Google before going somewhere to find the best places to look. We're going to take a guided street art walking tour in Barcelona in a couple of weeks.

I'll bet the art galleries more than made up for not seeing street art! We love going to them, too, when we travel. Caixa Forum is on our Barcelona itinerary.

Ha! I'm glad you're Bob curious. In case you missed it, here's that very helpful LT "Bargains Thread" that I've starred: http://www.librarything.com/topic/248241#6040226 It has tipped me off to many books that I wanted at a low price.
This topic was continued by Joe's Book Cafe 2017 Door 12.