Mark's Reading Place: Chapter Sixteen

^We are making our very first trip to Mammoth Cave National Park. We have two cave tours reserved and may do some exploring on our own too.



^An osprey with lunch.

Audiobook:



Graphic/Comic:


Books Read So Far...

March:

25) A Separation: A Novel by Katie Kitamura 3.8 stars (audio)
26) The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston 4.4 stars (audio)
27) The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron 4.5 stars AAC
28) Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney 4 stars (audio)
29) My Favorite Thing Is Monsters by Emil Ferris 4.7 stars GN
30) Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah 4.5 stars (audio)
31) Birds Art Life: A Year of Observation by Kyo Maclear 4.3 stars
32) Nobody's Fool by Richard Russo 4.5 stars (audio)
33) The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen 4.2 stars
34) Spain in Our Hearts: Americans in the Spanish Civil War by Adam Hochschild 4.2 stars (audio)
35) Mexico: Stories by Josh Barkan 4 stars
36) Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders 4.7 stars (audio)
37) The Wright Brothers by David McCullough 4.5 stars (audio)
38) Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman 4 stars (audio)

April:

39) Wanderlust: A History of Walking by Rebecca Solnit 3.6 stars
40) The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir by Thi Bui 5 stars GN
41) The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks 3.7 stars (audio)
42) If I'd Known You Were Coming: Stories by Kate Milliken 4.3 stars
43) The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel 4.4 stars (audio)
44) Ill Will: A Novel by Dan Chaon 3.6 stars ER
45) Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 4.2 stars (audio)
46) I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong 4 stars (audio)
47) Enemy Women by Paulette Jiles 4.3 stars
48) Exit West: A Novel by Mohsin Hamid 4.5 stars (audio)
49) The Cubs Way by Tom Verducci 4.3 stars (audio)
50) Lola: A Novel by Melissa Scrivner Love 4 stars
51) Dr. Mutter's Marvels by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz 4.5 stars (audio)
52) Autumn by Ali Smith 4.4 stars
53) White Tears by Hari Kunzru 4.2 stars (audio)

May:

54) The Someday Birds by Sally J. Pla 4 stars
55) The Road to Jonestown by Jeff Guinn 4.2 stars (audio)
56) Days Without End by Sebastian Barry 4.5 stars (audio)
57) A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami 4.3 stars
58) The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan 4.5 stars (audio)
59) Dust Tracks on a Road: An Autobiography by Zora Neale Hurston 3.7 stars AAC
60) American War by Omar El Akkad 4.2 stars (audio)
61) Wolf Boys: Two American Teenagers & Mexico's Most Dangerous Drug Cartel by Dan Slater 4.2 stars (audio)
62) Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout 5 stars
63) Binti by Nnedi Okorafor 4 stars (E)
64) The Wanderers by Meg Howrey 3.7 stars (audio)
65) Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty 4.5 stars (audio)

June:

66) Cages by Sylvia Torti 2.8 stars (E)
67) The Lauras by Sara Taylor 3.7 stars ER

Welcome to the AAC IV! It should be another fun year. Some interesting and diverse authors.

January- Octavia Butler Completed Kindred
February- Stewart O' Nan Completed Songs For the Missing, In the Walled City: Stories
March- William Styron Completed The Confessions of Nat Turner
April- Poetry Month Completed Incendiary Art, There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé, Scriptorium,
No Matter the Wreckage

May- Zora Neale Hurston Completed Dust Tracks on a Road
June- Sherman Alexie
July- James McBride
August- Patricia Highsmith
September- Short Story Month
October- Ann Patchett
November- Russell Banks
December- Ernest Hemingway

The General Discussion Thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/244600#
The Poetry Thread Continued: http://www.librarything.com/topic/254101#6045134

-Cedar Waxwing (gorgeous, aren't they?)

I went on a short solo bird walk, to another forest preserve. Not a whole lot of birds but enough to make it interesting. The highlights, included several cedar waxwings, at least 4 or 5 and the first bird I spotted, not counting the ubiquitous robins, was a male rose-breasted grosbeak. I ended up seeing two. I also saw a blue-gray gnatcatcher. I am 80% certain on that one.



-Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher

^My son Matt spotted the first hummingbird at our feeder. Hooray! Now, when do I get a turn? Hmmmmmm?

Spectacular thread topper, Mark. Happy new thread.

Thanks, Linda! Hooray for being Number 1 visitor!

Getting very little reading in today, but I did finish Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory. I am not sure when I will have time to review this one, but in the meantime, let me say, it was an excellent memoir! A perfect balance of humor and grim reality. Doughty is a smart, thoughtful writer. Believe it or not, this would make a good companion piece to Being Mortal, which was also a terrific read. Highly recommended. 4.5 stars

Happy new thread, Mark, and happy vacation, have fun at the cave!
That osprey up there is impressive, the Cedar Waxwing is beautiful and the Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher looks sweet :-)

Happy new thread! May your hummingbird visitor be the first of many...

>9 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. Glad you like the birds! Hope to see an osprey, while on vacation.

>10 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. I keep running upstairs and checking the hummingbird feeder. LOL.

^Another quickie review. This one on The Wanderers. This is a good, deliberately paced character study, about three astronauts preparing for the first manned trip to Mars. It is not a page-turning thriller like The Martian but it works well, in a quiet, thoughtful way. 3.7 stars

Happy new thread, Mark, and happy anniversary! Enjoy your trip!

>5 msf59: No hummingbirds at our feeder yet. I did spot one while on the bird walk yesterday, but I wasn't able to identify it in my brief view; it was almost certainly a female ruby-throated hummingbird, however.

Happy new thread, Mark. That topper is stunning.

Enjoy your vacation. I love cedar waxwings, am especially partial to osprey, and I have never seen that sweet gnatcatcher! Great shots!

Happy new thread, Mark. Have a great vacation.

Happy new thread, Mark and happy anniversary to you and Sue. It sounds like your vacation is starting off right. Have fun exploring more of the US. Nashville sounds like an interesting place to visit, I didn't know there was so much to do there beyond country music - that's what I get for being married for so many years to a musician who was into country music. I like the look of that Gnatcatcher and hurray for someone seeing a hummingbird at your feeder. We have had a few hummingbird sightings off our upper deck but don't have a feeder. I think that is because our view off the deck is in the middle of the trees. (Little itty bitty BC trees - they tower over the top of the townhouse.)

I spent the afternoon at our wonderful cement pond. (That's what I call the outdoor pool at our student Recreation Center. Remember the Beverly Hillbilly's?) Wouldn't you know it: cloudy all day and quite breezy, which made it cold when you got out of the water. It wasn't bad just being lazy on the chaise lounge reading Wailing Wind by Tony Hillerman.

>13 harrygbutler: Thanks, Harry. Looking forward to the trip. Should be a lot of fun. I have not, personally, seen the hummingbird but they have been spotted.

>14 jessibud2: Happy Sunday, Shelley! And thanks. Glad you like the topper, waxwings, osprey and gnat-catcher.

>15 BLBera: Thanks, Beth.

>16 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. Happy Sunday. Nashville should be a very good time and we hope to hear plenty of good music. I like country music but all kinds of music is played there.

Hooray for gnat-catchers and hummingbirds!

>17 benitastrnad: Sounds like you had a nice R & R day, Benita. I hardly read at all but no regrets.

Happy New Thread, compadre!

>1 msf59: Nice!

Nashville - great. Looking forward to reports back. Enjoy your vacation, buddy.

And Happy Anniversary! How many years? (Did I miss that?) We'll be up to 34 years come August.

Love the idea of you rushing to see the hummingbirds. I am tempted by an auto wildlife camera I could set up for the birdfeeder - maybe for Xmas.

Will you have time to get to Parnassus books when you are in Nashville?

>19 jnwelch: Buenos Dias, Joe and thanks. We will be taking off in a couple of hours. Can't wait to get started. We have been married 28 years. Where does the time go, my friend?

>20 charl08: No hummingbirds spotted by me yesterday. Maybe once I get back. Was it Jenny that mentioned the wildlife cam? She said it works for her.

I would sure like to pop into Parnassus Books. Even if it is for a few minutes. Fingers crossed.

>21 msf59: - A few minutes? In a bookstore? Ha, good luck with that, my friend!

Happy anniversary and happy travels, Mark

>23 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley! I am going to be with other people, who could care less about a "dumb" bookstore. LOL. So, I may have no choice but to make it snappy.

I agree - spectacular topper! It sounds like you're having a great time - I look forward to all your travel and bird reports.

>25 streamsong: Morning, Janet! Happy Monday. We have not left yet. LOL. We are leaving shortly.

^The Sherman Alexie thread is up. Stop by: http://www.librarything.com/topic/258256

Go Sherman Alexie! Starred.

Like you, Mark, I loved The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (and I'm not much of a short story guy), and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Have you heard anything about The Toughest Indian in the World?

We're still having a groovy time in Barcelona. Today we were in a beautiful Gaudi-designed park called Park Guell. Watch for photos on FB. I've got a book on Gaudi's works that I'm liking, called Visual Guide to Gaudi. We're exhausted - after walking all over the park, we walked back to our flat through the city. Beautiful day, great walk, but wow. We're immobilized at the moment. :-)

Hi Mark -

Have a nice vacation. My sister is heading to Nashville next month for her first visit. I will be sure to share you travels with her, as you are always good at finding the gems when you travel.

I have read a fair amount of Sherman Alexie over the years. I am really looking forward to his memoir about his mom, so I guess I will be joining you for the group read!

Right now I am reading Kareem's new memoir Coach Wooden and Me. I am really enjoying it.

>28 jnwelch:

Barcelona?! Sounds lovely. :)

Stopping by to wish you a wonderful Monday and a happy new thread, Mark!

>12 msf59: Hi Mark, trying to catch up! I really liked The Wanderers. It was a 4 star read for me.

Happy new thread, buddy.

Nice to see you being about the only one who is chugging along nicely at the moment and keeping the stats overall respectable of the rest of the top ten threads this year:
I have no mojo at all at present
Mamie is hibernating
Kimmers has gone on a sojourn
Katie is taking it steady
Darryl and Ellen are on something of a go slow
Amber, Joe and Charlotte are doing ok but have slowed to less than normal speed.

Wishing you a happy new thread, Mark!

>33 PaulCranswick: An early start to summer, Paul.

Will there be any birding on your trip, Mark? I wanted to ask you, when you go birding with a group is it always the same group?

Morning, Mark!

You're in Nashville now, right?

>30 alphaorder:. Thanks, Nancy! We're loving Barcelona. There some pics over on my thread.

Happy new thread, Mark! And safe travels!

>26 msf59: Whoops! I definitely read that wrong! All the planning for your trip sounds great. Now that you're actually on it, have fun!

>28 jnwelch: Hola, Joe. Kicking back at the moment, with coffee and my iPad, biding time before our Cave tours start.

I have not read Toughest Indian but I really want to. I also want to read his new memoir about his fiery mother.

Barcelona sounds fantastic.

>29 alphaorder: Morning, Nancy. We are going to Radnor Lake, south of Nashville, for hiking, birding and possibly to kayak. You know I will report back.

I would love to read the Alexie memoir too.

>31 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori. Great to see you.

>32 Dianekeenoy: Thanks, Diane. So good to see you. Glad to see you also enjoyed The Wanderers. Not much attention on that one.

>33 PaulCranswick: Hi, Paul. We need someone with a steady guiding hand, right? I am sure everyone will pick up the pace eventually. Hope you get that mojo working again.

>34 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky. Good to see you.

>1 msf59: It's been awhile since I've been to Mammoth Cave although it isn't really that far away. A friend of mine tells stories about the family reunions his mother's family holds there every year. Every time I hear him telling the story I think I should go back again. Maybe I'll do so one of these days.

Northern Mockingbirds everywhere here, in Kentucky. Nice looking birds but they make quite a racket.



Hooray, I posted an image on my iPad. Who's your daddy?

Getting ready to venture out on our Mammoth Cave tours...

Of course, I will be back to respond to the rest of my lovely visitors.

I have been working on the arrangements for the Chicago LT meet-up. Here is what I have so far. I contacted Haymarket Brewery today and am waiting to hear back from them regarding their policies for group seating.

Who - Anybody can come. Librarians, Chicagoans, and anybody else who wants to be there.
What - ALA Librarything Meet-up
When - Saturday, June 24, 2017 - 7:00 p.m.
Where - Haymarket Brewery. 737 West Randolph, Chicago, IL 60661. (corner of Halstead and Randolph) phone # 312-638-0700
Why - to talk about LT and Books, Books, and Books. (and maybe beer)
How - For most of us this will be a short cab ride from the downtown hotels.

I thought it best to make the official time 7 due to the fact that many of us will be trying to catch a bus to our hotel from the McCormick Center and those lines can get long at 5:00 p.m., so it may take some time for us to get back to downtown.

Did you know that Haymarket Brewery is now sponsoring a radio show? It is titled "Drinking and Writing Theater" and they will be doing some kind of show on June 24. I am not sure what it is yet, but will find out later.

>42 msf59: I think our mockingbirds are a big part of the chorus that wakes me up as soon as it starts to get light. I like them, but I can certainly understand how others might find them a bit too noisy.

Hi, Mark, wherever you are. I saw your offer to read Tree of Smoke when I do, and you are on. Have you any openings in your book appointments for such a read?

Had a great day at Mammoth Cave National Park. The cave tours went very well. Not strenuous, but it did make for a long day. Above, the caves is a lush, deep, forest, which I did venture into, for a couple of short jaunts. Just gorgeous.

Turkeys and deer, everywhere along the roadside and an owl flew up and over our SUV, as we were heading back to our motel this evening. Not a clear enough visual for an authentic sighting but close enough to know what it was. I am getting close folks...

>35 Familyhistorian: Hi, Meg. I have not used my binoculars yet, but my head has been on a swivel, so I am spotting birds. Other than the mockingbirds and turkeys, nothing unusual yet.

We are going to a state park on Thursday, that contains a large lake, so I hope to see some activity then.

>36 jnwelch: Hi, Joe. Heading to Nashville in the morning. It is only about 85 miles from here, so it will be a quick trip.

>37 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. Sorry for the late response.

>38 streamsong: Thanks, Janet. The trip is off to a terrific start. Looking forward to Nashville.

>41 thornton37814: Hi, Lori. Caving has not really been an interest of mine, so I wasn't sure how I would feel about this National Park, but it ended up impressing me on every level. Our National Park service does a fantastic job.

>44 benitastrnad: Thanks, for all the great Meet Up information, Benita. I love LTers and I love Haymarket Brewery, so I plan on attending.

>45 harrygbutler: Hi, Harry. We did get mockingbirds up in the Midwest, like this. I love watching them, but they sure can be vocal. LOL.

Love your toppers! Mammoth Falls caves are AWESOME!! You are going to have the best time. : )

>5 msf59: I just changed the food in my feeder. I hope to see a hummingbird soon...nothing yet!

>27 msf59: And I love Sherman Alexie! Gonna have to find one of his...

>8 msf59: I think this author was in NZ in the last few years to talk about something else she had written- she sounded very interesting! Glad you had a winner there.

Morning, Mark!

Morning, Mark!

Glad you had an excellent time in Mammoth Caves. Will there be photos?

Have fun in Nashville, buddy.

Morning greetings, from Cave City, KY. Just me, a cup of coffee and a few mockingbirds.

Very little reading going on, but sacrifices need to be made, right?

>46 weird_O: Missed you up there, Bill. I would love doing a shared read of Tree of Smoke with you. Later next month?

>50 Berly: Kimmers made it! Kimmers made it! This is like a rare bird sighting. Yah.
We had a good time at Mammoth and we would gladly return.
I hope you can join us for an Alexie.

>51 LovingLit: Howdy, Megan. I think this might have been Douty's first book but regardless, I really think you would like this one. Smart and funny.

>52 scaifea: Morning Amber!

>53 jnwelch: Hola, Joe. Our friend Nancy is taking some photos. I shared a couple on FB and I will eventually do the same here.
Great time at Mammoth Caves. The history surrounding the caves is equally fascinating.

> 55

I remember Mammoth Cave (as it was then called, now seems to be Caves with all the discoveries)
from when my family visited in the 1950s. Just the opening was totally awe inspiring!

>44 benitastrnad:

Likely your Chicago meet-up people are aware of the GAUGUIN exhibit opening June 25th
at The Art Institute and may be able to arrange coveted tickets!

Glad you're enjoying the cave!

>46 weird_O: >54 msf59: So second half of June for reading Tree of Smoke? I am in, Mark.

Hey, buddy.

We fly back tomorrow. No!!! We're having too much fun. But it'll be good to be back home and see Becca and Sherlock. We've been saying for a while now, we'll take care of this and this and this when we get back from Barcelona. Uh-oh. The time is nearly upon us.

From what I've seen on FB, you're having one swell time in Nashville. Big smiles all around. :-)

Morning, Mark! Not much reading, eh? Yes, sacrifices, I suppose.

>56 m.belljackson: Hi, Marianne. The National Park service has done a fantastic job with Mammoth Caves. I was impressed with all of it, including it's history.

Ooh, I would like to see Gauguin exhibit. Sadly, I have not been to the Art Institute in a long time.

>58 drneutron: Thanks, Jim. The caves were great, now enjoying Nashville.

>59 weird_O: It's a date, Bill. Maybe we can get a few more people to join us on Tree of Smoke.

>60 jnwelch: Hola, Joe! Sweet Thursday. Enjoy your last day in Barcelona. It sure looks like you both had a wonderful time.
We head back on Saturday.

>61 scaifea: Morning, Amber. I did manage to read a bit yesterday morning, so not all is lost. I will try to do the same today before we head out on our outdoor adventure.

^We toured the historic Ryman Auditorium yesterday, in downtown Nashville, before hitting the bars. I am glad we did this. The place has an amazing history. I would love to see a concert here.

Have a great Thursday, Mark!

Thursday is often neglected. Happy Thursday!!

>64 msf59: Hi Mark, I hope you guys enjoy Nashville. My mother insisted that our entire family celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary in Nashville with all of us staying in the Opryland Hotel and my poor father paying for everything! We had an incredible time and it was amazing to see my two daughters loving the Grand Ole Opry!!!!! One of the singers actually came out on stage with a walker, but when he started singing, it was incredible! Hope you get a chance to get to a show.

>64 msf59: That was my favorite place in Nashville - The Ryman Auditorium (the original Grand Ol' Opry). There's such a sense of history in the place. I'm glad you got there!

Karen O.

I am back at Parnassus Bookstore, attending an author event hosted by the owner Ann Patchett. I honestly, can't believe it.

B.A.G.

Cool! Whose the author?

Hi, Katie. It was Lisa Ko, the author of The Leavers, which I have on shelf at home and Weike Wang, the author of Chemistry: a novel, which I bought and it sounds great.

It was an excellent event and now I am having a beer and waiting for my ride.

Sounds like you are having a very wonderful time on your much earned holiday!
So you were in the Ann Patchett bookstore (lucky ducky). It made me think of this article I read today of novelist/bookstore owners summer recommendations. You might like to have a peek.....
here

Morning, Mark! So wonderful that you've been to Patchett's bookstore!!

>69 msf59: woo hoo! You lucky man! Sounds like you're having a great trip, Mark.

Happy Friday, Mark!

Must have been great to be at that author event hosted by Ann Pratchett. Parnassus must be her store?

We're waiting to board for the flight back. Wow, does the Barcelona airport have a lot of security, including many heavily armed folks. The airline check-in guy said the highest alert level is 5, and they're always at at least 4.

Becca will be babysitting, but Sherlock plans to greet us at our house one we arrive.

>65 harrygbutler: Morning, Harry. Having a good time. Glad we are getting some outdoor activities in. Some beautiful places here.

>66 Berly: Hi, Kimmers. It was a sweet Thursday and now on to our final day. Sad face.

>67 Dianekeenoy: Hi, Diane. Thanks for sharing your Nashville memories. We are going to tour the Grand Ole Opry today before heading back into the city.

>68 klobrien2: Hi, Karen. Honestly, I did not know as much about the Ryman as I should have. It is a gorgeous theater. Glad we toured it. Love to see a concert here.

>72 mdoris: Hi, Mary. I sure am a lucky ducky. I would not have expected that. Funny, someone in the bookstore, mentioned the article about authors who own bookstores. I will have to seek it out.

>73 scaifea: Morning, Amber. I am still flying high after the bookstore visit. I wish I could have chatted with Patchett
but she slipped away quickly.

>74 lauralkeet: Morning, Laura. Good time here in Nashville but I would love to hike Radnor Lake again today. Such an incredible sanctuary.

>75 jnwelch: Hola, Joe. Safe travels, my friend. We will enjoy our final day in Nashville. It has been a good trip and yes, Patchett is the store owner. Good little bookstore.

I am glad you got to go to Parnassus. I haven't been there yet, but one of these weekends my niece and I will go. The Tennessee Book Festival is the first week in October and I have long wanted to go to that. It is held in downtown Nashville on the state capital grounds. Since you are doing a literary side trips on your trip - you can stop at the Robert Penn Warren birthplace in Clarksville, TN. or you could hit the Jefferson Davis birthplace. Both are along Interstate 24 and both are interesting in their very different ways.

Hi Mark! I'm glad you're enjoying Nashville, including Parnassus Books. As you may remember, I have family in the area and we always always always visit Patchett's bookshop when we're in town. It's a sweet little shop and I love that a real author owns it.

I've started The Lauras and so far it's intriguing but not (yet) living up to the knockout quality of The Shore.

Wow! How wonderful that you got to an event in Parnassus books. I'm green.

Thanks for posting the great vacation photos. Also, I am so very impressed with your bird obsession. I know that it can also become one of mine. We have two feeders in our back yard. We found the perfect sunflower seeds to attract the cardinals.

It is a standard joke at our house that Will stays home and watches the birds while I go the to university and watch the "kids."

>78 benitastrnad: Hi, Benita. I am very happy I made it to the bookstore. I hope you can make the Tennessee Book Festival. That sounds terrific. I won't get a chance to stop at any other of these literary landmarks but I will keep it in mind for next time.

>79 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen. Nashville is a fast, growing city and I can see its many charms but I am not sure I could handle the heat of the summer. I definitely love all the music.

Getting very little reading in this vacation but I hope to start The Lauras soon.

>80 charl08: My timing could not have been any more perfect for Parnassus, Charlotte and I am glad my wife and friends, made the visit possible. Also looking forward to reading both of those books.

>81 Whisper1: Hi, Linda. Good to see you. We are wrapping up this vacation but it was a very nice time.

Hooray for feeders, cardinals and Will staying home to watch the birds.

Farewell greetings from Nashville. We will be heading home, a little later this morning. Lots of partying last night, downtown, so we will be moving a bit slow today. Broadway was hopping with activity and they closed part of the street, setting up for the Nashville Predators games this weekend, as they continue they pursuit of the Stanley Cup. This town loves their Preds.

We did start the day with a tour of the Grand Ole Opry, which was actually pretty entertaining. We then did the Hop on, Hop off tour, covering most of the major sites in Nashville. It would definitely be a city, I would visit again.



-The Parthenon

>83 msf59: I can see Leavers on my bookshelf from where I sit. Should I take it off and make it my next read? I planned on reading it a few weeks ago, but something else popped up.

Share your post about Acme with my sister! Sounds like a terrific place.

>85 alphaorder: Morning, Nancy. I have not started The Leavers yet, but with all the gushing reports, I will have to read it soon. I think Chemistry would be also be your cuppa.

We had to have stopped at 15 different bars, maybe more, on our visit to Nashville, but Acme and Feed may have been my favorite. I think it is 4 floors with a great scenic rooftop bar.

>86 msf59:

My brother is a chemist and we talked about that novel last week. I think I need to read it.

What fun to make it to Parnassus. The Leavers is very good, Mark. I just read it and was impressed.

And here you thought you might just sneak a little visit into a bookstore while not holding up your fellow travelers. Sounds like you had a wonderful trip especially with that book event thrown in. Have a safe trip home.

Happy Saturday, Mark. Safe travels home. I'm glad you had such a fun time in Nashville.

**We are home. Jiggety-Jig!! And it looks like a quiet, kick back evening. Ahhhh....

>87 alphaorder: I plan on reading Chemistry: A Novel this month, Nancy. Maybe you can join me.

>88 BLBera: Hi, Beth. You know I value your opinion, so you know I am now really looking forward to reading The Leavers. It is on the schedule for this month.

>89 Familyhistorian: Hi, Meg. Honestly, I did not think I would have much time for Parnassus Books, but my wife and friends made it possible for me, so I owe all the thanks to them. Of course, I would have LOVED to chat with Ms. Patchett but you can't have everything, I guess.

>90 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. Good to be home but we had a great time, with great friends. I am not used to partying this much but I will make up for it, with some quality down time.

^After walking the Historic Mammoth Cave tour, (2 hours) we hiked down to the Green River, which was swollen with recent rains. Everything was so dense and lush.



^This is me and my friend Carl, deep in a cave.

^This amazing view of the very east-side of Nashville, is from atop the Acme Feed & Seed venue. 4 stories of party bar. The river is the Cumberland and the stadium is where the Tennessee Titans play. This might have been my favorite bar and we visited many.

More vacation photos!! And I totally believe that you visited many bars. LOL. Thanks for spending all that time and recommending a favorite so the rest of us can just go to the best when we get there. : )

Happy Saturday, Kimmers. Yes, I do like a good bar and good music but this kind of frenetic pace, plum wore this old guy out.
Nashville has some good local beers too. Tried a lot of them. LOL.

Welcome home, Mark.

Great Cubs game today. I think I'm still hoarse from cheering Schwarber's grand slam.

>92 msf59: looks like you had a grand time in the caves ....

>96 lindapanzo: Hi, Linda. Happy Sunday! I did not watch the game yesterday, since we were traveling home but I was following it on my cell app. What a perfect game to be attending. Good for you. Go Scwarbs!

Did not watch any Cubs baseball on the trip but much of it, I am glad I did not see.

>97 roundballnz: Hi, Alex. Great to see you. I prefer above ground but these caves were definitely worth exploring and there was no crawling around involved. LOL.

^Since I prefer the great outdoors, to an urban setting, one of the highlights of the trip was visiting Radnor Lake, which is also a bird/wildlife sanctuary. It is a 1,300 acre preserve, located south of Nashville. We only hiked the lake trail, just under 3 miles but it was gorgeous. I could have hiked the other trails all day long. I was outvoted. No birds of note were spotted, but we heard plenty. Herons were seen, along with an army of turtles and a few deer were seen. I spoke to 2 people on the trail, who had recently spotted a barred owl, which are commonly seen here, but we did not have that honor. Sad face.

If you visit this area and like the outdoors, please check this incredible place out.



-Great Blue Heron.

>99 msf59: Sounds like a lovely place.

Happy Sunday, Mark. It looks like you have a gorgeous time. I love your photos.

>100 alphaorder: Morning, Nancy! I am sure this sanctuary is similar to yours. I love these deep, lush woods. I saw a diving bird with a long white, loon-like neck. Trying to determine what it was. I think I heard a pileated too. Off to attend a bird walk. Yah!

>101 Ameise1: Thanks, Barb. Good to see you. Not all these photos are mine but I tried to pick the ones, that came closest to my experience.

>99 msf59: Looks lovely Mark. Thanks for sharing. I love how LT has made me aware of all these beautiful places I'd never heard of before.

Good morning, Mark. That nature sanctuary looks wonderful. One of my favourite kinds of places, too. There is a gorgeous one in Maine, the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, which I visited several years ago. Also, in upstate New York (Ithaca), if you ever get the chance, at Cornell University, there is the Sapsucker Woods, another dream of a place. A bonus to visiting the latter, is that Ithaca is also home to the famous Moosewood Restaurant.

We had 2 gorgeous weather days here but I woke to rain this morning and that isn't expected to stop until Wednesday. I got a lot of gardening done and even sat outside reading, a first for this season.

Morning, Mark! I'm happy to hear that you had such a great time and that you're home safely now!

Morning, Mark!

Welcome home, buddy. Sounds like a great trip.

>92 msf59: Like that cave photo!

>99 msf59: I would've voted with you to continue hiking. That looks and sounds beautiful.

#104
Cornell is also home to a huge ornithology department, a bird museum, and is the archives for recorded bird calls. Cornell University is a birders haven.

*Waving* at Mark

#93
I know right where you were! I haven't been inside, but I have been by there several times. I am not fond of bars on weekends.

On my frequent trips to Kansas I passed by three major football stadiums. The Tenenessee Titans stadium, St. Louis Rams stadium, and Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Now that the new bridge across the Mississippi in St. Louis is operational I now longer drive right in the shadow of that stadium. Now it is only visible off to the left. As is the Arch.

Nashville is a great place to visit. There is lots to see and do there. I read someplace that it is one of the cities that is attracting large numbers of young people. That makes it one of the hip happening places in the country. It is sort of like Pittsburgh in that regard.

Nashville also has lots to see for day trips that go outside of the city, but are only an hour or so away.

Hi Mark, it sounds like you are having a wonderful vacation with a nice mix of city and country. Radnor Lake looks beautiful and I could sit on that bench there all day if I had a book, some binoculars and maybe a cushion!

^Hooray! For my first hummingbird feeder sighting! My wife saw a couple there, earlier this morning! Yah, us!!

**I have to run to the store and I will be back for responses...

Glad you all had a good time on your trip. Here's a fun GIF:

>112 weird_O: LOL

>103 charl08: Hi, Charlotte! I am learning about new places all the time too. This newfound birding hobby has opened my eyes and my ears.

>104 jessibud2: Happy Sunday, Shelley! Both of those places sound wonderful and I am definitely returning to Maine for a much longer visit. That state offers exactly what I like.

We returned to some very warm weather but it cools off nicely tomorrow, so no complaints.

>105 scaifea: Happy Sunday, Amber! I have had an active morning, birding and then shopping, so I think much of this afternoon will be reserved for the books and a little LT time.

>106 jnwelch: Happy Sunday, Joe! Glad to see us back home and in full swing. And yes, in regards to hiking on vacation, I would have done much more. Mammoth Caves also offered many above ground trails, that I would have loved. It is difficult for everyone in the group to agree on a physical activity.

>107 benitastrnad: >109 benitastrnad: Love to visit Cornell, Benita. And yes, Nashville has a lot to offer. I am not a big fan of big crowds and noisy places but we had to experience the bar life downtown and only had a limited amount of time to do so. We did hear a lot of good music too, so that made it all worthwhile.

>108 alcottacre: Big, warm, loving waves to Stasia!

>110 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy. Great to see you. Yes, I love balancing my vacations with city and country activities, although if it was up to me, I would have made more time for the great outdoors.

You would have loved Radnor Lake and the trail was easy too.

>112 weird_O: Well, that put a smile on my face, Bill. Thanks.

>98 msf59: Bit like you, I prefer being above ground, preferably in the mountains, but those caves look like a very worthwhile exception ....

>116 roundballnz: Hooray for being above ground, Alex. Have you ever explored any caves?

^I spent a chunk of my Sunday afternoon reading and finishing Cages. I am sorry to report it was a slog. I, so wanted to like this book, it has so much cool birding info but the love-triangle story is flat and just not engaging. Since, I read this through Net Galley I will offer a mini-review, a little later on.

This may be the worst part of reading an ebook, without a page count. I kept hoping it would just wrap the hell up, but it kept going and going...

Lol. I haven't gotten a Netgalley book in a while. I think I still have one unread from months ago. It's just so easy to find really bad books. I got to the point where I only requested books from big publishers with hopes that they'd be better.

On the flipside, I just joined Book of the Month Club. I have to pay for it, but at least they've been prescreened.

^Well, I jumped right back into an organized bird walk this morning. As, I have said several times before, I love birding with experienced birders and there was a nice bunch in attendance today. We went to Lyman Woods Forest Preserve, which is local and had a terrific outing. We saw: catbirds, red-tailed hawks, red-bellied woodpeckers, Baltimore orioles, house wrens, (Lifer), nuthatches, northern flickers, a ruby-throated hummingbird, tree swallows, barn swallows, indigo buntings, common yellow-throat warblers, yellow warblers, wood ducks, great egrets, great blue herons, caspian terns, cormorants, female grosbeak, song sparrows, turkey vulture, brown thrasher (Lifer), Swainson thrush (Lifer), goldfinch. There were also plenty of robins, red-winged blackbirds and blue jays too.

There was also a Black-crowned Night Heron in flight, (did not count) and many marsh wrens singing but unseen.



-Brown Thrasher



-Turkey Vulture

>117 msf59: - I know you weren't asking me, but I'll share one anyhow! I have visited one in Ohio, called Old Man's Cave (Hocking Hills State Park). We went there when I was visiting friends who live in West Virginia. It was absolutely gorgeous, breathtaking in fact. I would love to explore more like these and in fact, when you first posted that gorgeous topper, it reminded me of that trip. I'd highly recommend it of you ever get a chance

https://hockinghills.com/old_mans_cave.html

>119 The_Hibernator: Hi, Rachel. I have not requested anything from Net Galley in quite awhile either but this offer was sent to me by Schaffner Press and it did sound interesting and all the bird subject matter sounded irresistible. I was duped.

>121 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley. Caves have never really interested me before but as long as I am not crawling on my belly with a head-lamp, I might consider it. Old Man's Cave definitely sounds interesting.

>122 msf59: - Yeah, I was the same way! But it was a wonderful surprise and one of the highlights of my vacation

So no crawling on your belly?

Hey, did you see that we spotted a hummingbird at our feeder? FINALLY?

>117 msf59: When I was younger was very interested in backwater rafting - but since then have developed low level claustrophobia ( from being trapped in too many lift failures) so will only do caves that you can walk in & preferably see the light ... so your trip intrigued me, as that type of thing would be do-able ....

That book sounds painful ......

Ah, I see you are back to your routine!! Welcome back, mark!

>125 roundballnz: Yes, I also prefer walking upright in caves, with some light. LOL. I have never went backwater rafting. Sounds interesting.

>126 Berly: Back in the saddle, Kimmers. Now, I want to go full throttle on the reading. Books are piling up, my friend.

>127 msf59: that should have been blackwater ( dam autocorrect) i.e. rafting in cave river systems .... great one to do when you are young & have no fear bit like canyoning same type of no fear needed :)

Hi Mark! Radnor Lake looks gorgeous.

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

Morning, Mark!

Sorry about the rare stinker read - here's hoping you don't get another one for a long, long time.

And I have a birding question: so, if you see one in flight and it doesn't light somewhere, it doesn't count?

>128 roundballnz: Ahh, blackwater rafting. That does sound a bit scary. LOL. My young fearless days, are far in the past, but it does sound like, exciting, reckless fun.

>129 banjo123: Hi, Rhonda. You would love Radnor Lake.

>130 Ameise1: Hi, Barb. Fortunately, I am starting the week off with a day off. Perfect, right?

>131 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Like all my reads, I really wanted to like Cages. If it wasn't a galley, for review, I may have chucked it to the side.

Yes, you can count birds in flight but I want to make sure I get a solid ID first, like I do perched or ground birds.

One thing I learned yesterday, you can't count dead birds. LOL. We found some kind of cuckoo bird, dead on the trail. Very rare for that area. Good looking markings too.

>132 msf59: No counting dead birds? *snork!*

>133 scaifea: Of course, I asked, just to make sure. LOL.

^Two years ago, I was completely surprised and smitten with a novel called The Shore, which ended up being one of my favorite reads of 2015. Well, Ms. Taylor has a new one coming out called The Lauras, which I snagged through E.R. and I am starting next. I am reading this one, along with Ellen.

>134 msf59: Ha! Well, it's good to be certain, of course.

>118 msf59: I hate books like that! The entire time I am just thinking "Would you end already?!"

>136 scaifea: Grins...

>137 alcottacre: Morning, Stasia. I am so glad, that this is a rarity for me. Like I mentioned to Amber, I may have jettisoned the book, if I didn't feel like I owed a review. They may regret it. LOL.

>111 msf59: Hi, Mark! Hurrah for the hummingbird!

>120 msf59: And a good and productive walk for you, too. I really like brown thrashers — they're one of my favorite birds to encounter when birding. So far this year, however, I haven't managed to see one, despite one being seen on each of the last two organized walks we've gone on! :-)

>132 msf59: sounds wonderful. Enjoy it.

Good morning, Mark!

I hope The Lauras comes through for you. I've started another Heyer, Bath Tangle, and I've got The Soul of an Octopus coming in for the nonfiction challenge. I'm back to reading the GN One Hundred Nights of Hero. Definitely one you'll enjoy.

>124 msf59: - Yay for the hummer! Congrats! I never seem to get them in my yard though I have seen them at my friend's house. I probably don't have the right natural flowers for them and in my tiny front garden, I don't really have the space for more than the one feeder I currently have.

I'm reading The Lauras, too. So far (only about 75 pages in) it's good but not as good as The Shore, IMO.

Happy Monday!

>120 msf59: Three lifers at a walk, that is great, Mark!
I would count dead birds... Spotted a bit earlier it would have counted ;-)

Morning, Mark! Welcome home.

>132 msf59: Great way to start a new week, mate............with a day off.

I've walked around Radnor Lake with my cousins! It's a lovely setting. I'm glad you got to enjoy it.

I finished The Lauras last night. I look forward to your reactions. The *only* thing I will say for now is that it gets better as it goes along.

-Indigo Bunting.

I had to take advantage of a beautiful morning and visit the Morton Arboretum. Not a whole lot of birds but a walk in the woods, (nearly 4 miles) is still a joy for this old warbler. Plus, spotting a bunting always makes my day.



^I also got a nice long look, close up too, at a song sparrow singing his little tail off.

I love Indigo Buntings. They are so pretty.

>139 harrygbutler: Hi, Harry! Hooray for hummingbirds, indeed. I hope to see more brown thrashers. Obviously, the more I see a particular bird, the easier it gets, to identify, unless it is a tricky sparrow or flycatcher.

>140 Ameise1: Off to a great start, Barb.

>141 jnwelch: Happy Monday, Joe. Catching up on my thread for a few minutes before I head out to mow all my grass. At least, it is a gorgeous day. This helps with the outdoor chores. Hope to reserve the rest of the afternoon for the books. Fingers crossed.

>142 jessibud2: I don't have a lot of flowers around either, but I do have plenty of open space. My feeder does have red plastic flowers on it and this is supposed to help attract them.

>143 katiekrug: Hi, Katie. I hope to dig in deep into The Lauras this afternoon and I am hoping it is much smoother than my last book.

>144 FAMeulstee: Lifers are so much easier to add, while you are still a fledgling birder, Anita. Eventually, it will begin to wind down and become a very special occasion.

>145 Crazymamie: Mamie made it! Mamie made it! Hooray! Great to see you, my friend.

>146 PaulCranswick: Hi, Paul. It is sure nice to kick off the week, with a Monday off and I am taking full advantage.

>147 EBT1002: I thought, Radnor Lake would be a perfect fit for you, Ellen and followed by a visit to Parnassus? Perfection. I sure wish I could have spent more time at both places.

Glad to hear The Lauras got better, as it went along. Looking forward to diving in this afternoon.

>149 lauralkeet: Hi, Laura. I saw a couple buntings yesterday as well. Never at my feeders though.

VS.

^I rarely am undecided on what I will read next but these two audio choices have me juggling a bit. Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets I have in both print and on audio, and since I snagged a free print copy from G.R. I should at least read the damn thing. It does look very promising but it is a 500 page NF book about the Soviet Union, where Beartown looks like pure fun. Decisions, decisions...stay tuned to see what the Old Warbler comes up with.

I hope you pick Beartown because I just started it too! A patron at the library just raved about the book, and I liked A Man Called Ove a lot, so I decided to give it a shot. I've read only a few pages so far, so I have nothing to add at this point. Good reading to you, whichever book you go with!

Karen O.

>153 klobrien2: There is a vote for Beartown. Yah, Karen. I think I might try to alternate them. We will see.

Good morning, Mark. Glad to hear that you had a great day off.

>55 msf59: Maybe Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory was published here are something else. I am sure she was here last year or the year before....

*off to check*

Here it is: She was at our readers/writers festival here last year!

ASK A MORTICIAN: CAITLIN DOUGHTY
WHEN: SUNDAY, 28 AUGUST 2016 2PM - 3PM
WHO: CAITLIN DOUGHTY, MARCUS ELLIOTT
WHAT: We welcome Caitlin Doughty, author of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Other Lessons from the Crematorium, mortician, death positive advocate, and presenter of the smart, funny and informative ‘Ask a Mortician’ web series.
VENUE: CONCERT HALL, THE PIANO
PRICE: $19/ $17

It wasn't that long ago, as it turns out, but I remember hearing about her, and her book and thinking, huh- that might be worth a read. And you have given me hope that is indeed is!

I saw some birds in the forest the other day, and thought of you Mark! Me and my friend wondered what they were, (I must see if I can find out), meanwhile young W was identifying- and naming in Maori- some native birds.
*proud*
(my decorative kids plate with native birds on it turns out to have been useful for more than just snacks)

Also, >135 msf59: looks good! I remember the warbling about the other one:)

Morning, Mark! That bright blue bird looks adorable!

>155 Ameise1: Back to the grind today, Barb but a beautiful day in the Midwest.

>156 LovingLit: Hi, Megan. The Doughty author event would have been fantastic. I am sure you would have loved it. She is smart and funny. Hope you can track down the book.

The Lauras is off to a good start.

Hooray for Wilbur spotting birds. Let me know if you can identify any of the birds you saw.

>158 scaifea: Morning, Amber! The last few buntings I saw have been in the shade, so the colors are not as vivid but still a lovely bird. I just made it my desktop background.

^Another underwhelming batch of ER books. Hey, at least we can catch up on past wins. I only have one left.

I know these books are free and all, but still...COME ON!!

Good morning, Mark. I hope the return to work lets you ease back into the routine.

>148 msf59: It's always nice to be able to get out for a walk in the woods. Good to see the bunting.

Here it's a gray and rainy day, so I shan't manage a walk, but on the other hand I get to put off mowing the lawn for another day. :-)

>152 msf59: I am voting for Secondhand Time, but suspect I will be in the minority.

Have a good one, Mark!

Happy Tuesday, Mark.

Cool but nice out there. Hope you have a good one, buddy.

>161 msf59: - I agree about this month's batch of ER offerings. I am about 4 behind, though, so it's probably a good thing for me :)

Morning, Mark! I did not even look at this month's ER offerings because I still have two left to review. Bad Mamie.

>162 harrygbutler: Morning, Harry. Sorry to hear about the rain. It is gorgeous here. Perfect way to return to work. And yah, for the mowing delay.

>163 alcottacre: Morning, Stasia. You will be glad to hear that I started Secondhand Time and it is off to a very promising beginning. She has an easy and smooth narrative style.

>164 jnwelch: Morning, Joe. What a picture perfect day. I almost forget I am working...well, almost. Grins...

>165 katiekrug: This is the second month I did not request anything, Katie. After I finish The Lauras, I will only have The Leavers left for ER and I plan on starting it next.

>166 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie. There is no Bad Mamie, only Good Mamie. Great to see you, my friend.

ETA- You can skip the ER list. It is desolate.

OK. I am going to jump in here regarding the underwhelming selection of ARC's for the LT Early Reviewers. May, June, and July are going to be tough months for people who want free books. These are the big months for the book trade shows, so publishers are going to concentrate on putting their titles for fall and winter out at these trade fairs. These fairs are the Biggie of the Biggies - Book Expo America. This year it was in New York City and it was held last week. The American Library Association always has their summer conference in late June or the first part of July. This year it will be June 23 - June 27 in Chicago. For most weeks of May, June, and July, there is going to be a book fair or festival somewhere in one of the big cities in the U. S. These are going to be the places where publishers are going to concentrate their efforts at this point in time. This is simply because of the numbers.

BEA - Book Expo America - this is the trade show for the independent book stores all across the U. S. Publishers put out all their titles and let book store owners and employees have at them. They paid big bucks for big booths and pulled in big time authors and speakers. (Hillary Clinton was a major speaker at BEA this year. James Patterson was as well. So was chick lit author Jennifer Weiner, and Cassandra Clare. Cheryl Strayed hosted several author panels. Many other famous authors where there. Attendance at this trade fair was in the neighborhood of 10,000.

The same company that put on BEA has been tagging another event onto the tail end of BEA. This is called BookCon. This year BookCon was the Saturday and Sunday directly following BEA. Attendance for these two days was 18,000. This was down from 20,000 two years ago in New York City, and up from last year when the event was held in Chicago. Featured authors on these two days were Leigh Bardugo, Veronica Roth, Cassandra Clare, etc. As you can see from this list, heavy emphasis was put on YA authors and their teen girl fan base. That is because the majority of people who attend this event are teenaged girls.

ALA - This trade show and conference travels around the U. S. each year but at least once every five years finds it way to Chicago because that city is the headquarters home of ALA. Featured speakers at this show are going to be David Sedaris, Sarah Paretsky, Sarah Beth Durst and many others. Hillary Clinton will be the closing speaker. (do you get the feeling that Hillary Clinton has a book coming out soon? This fall in fact - volume 3 of her memoirs.) In addition the winners, past and present, of the Newbery and Caldecott awards are in attendance, and these authors will get treated like rock stars.

Two weeks ago the Gaithersburg Book Festival was held in Gaithersburg, Maryland. At the beginning of each author talk or panel discussion the introduction included a statement that book publishers were not supplying any free books for the festival. All books were being supplied by The Politics and Prose Bookstore. Buying a book at the festival supported the festival, the authors, and the bookstore. I don't know for sure, but am guessing that the reason for publishers not supplying free books is that, while this book festival is a big one, the numbers are still small in comparison with BEA or ALA which are going on roughly at the same time. To get the most out of their money they put out the free books at BEA and at ALA and are not going to offer them at smaller venues - LT is one of those smaller venues.

It is expensive for publishers to produce ARC's - either hardcopy or digitally. They give them away in hopes that people will read them and warble about them to others, who will go out and buy the book at full price. (not the cut rate Amazon price.) That is why it is important that when you do get a free ARC that you write a review about it, and warble, warble, warble. Mark - you may not like every ARC that you get, but the fact that you tell people you are reading it and then take the time to review it, is a very good thing. You are doing what you should.

Since it is expensive for publishers to give away ARC's they want to put the ARC's they do produce where they will do the most good. In the case of the ALA show, librarians are notorious for talking about books and getting people to read them. That is why it is a good investment for the publishers to get ARC's out to librarians at that show. With 20,000 people attending the ALA conference, it is simply a numbers game.

And before you ask, no. Publishers are not going to print or digitize more ARC's because that simply amounts to giving away free books. The reason the publishers are in BUSINESS is to sell a product. Most ARC's that are printed are printed in a run of 1,000. Digital copies might be a larger number, but I doubt it. Contrary to what most people think, digital copies are not cheaper to produce.

While publishers want people to read the books they publish they know that they aren't going to have to push titles by popular authors. When was the last time you saw an ARC of a James Patterson or a David Sedaris book? People are going to buy these anyway so they don't need the publicity.

The books that need to be publicized are the mid-list books. These are books by authors who are not well known, but who right good books. Almost all of the authors at the Books on the Nightstand Booktopia events were mid-list authors. These authors might get a book on the best seller list, but most of the time they don't. There is nothing wrong with the books. Often they are of great quality and wonderful stories, but people don't know about them. When the average reader goes to Barnes & Noble to get that beach book, they are going to gravitate towards the authors they know. They aren't likely to pick up a book by Susan Gregg Gilmore, Kevin Brockmeier, or Martin Seay, unless they know about them. How do they know about them? Only if other people read the books and get the word out that it is a worthy book on which to spend time, or if they spend time at book events. I met the first two authors (Gilmore and Brockmeier) at the Booktopia event in Oxford, Mississippi. The third author, Seay, was one of the guest authors at Booktopia in Manchester, VT. All of this is why it is important for people here on LT to talk about the books they read, and that is why LT gets any free ARC's to give away at all. So, if you do get an ARC, take the time to read the title, and talk about it here on LT.

For those who don't get an ARC from LT, and think the offerings are poor, you are correct. May, June, July, and August, are going to be slim pickings. It is simply the timing. But stick around, things will pick up in the fall, as the publishers get ready for Christmas. Things will also pick up if more LT early reviewers actually wrote reviews and posted them, (for more explanation on that, check out a post I put on Joe's thread a couple of days ago.) and if there were more comments and discussions about the books and authors that put the touchstones in. Those produce important stats that publishers look at and pay attention to.

>169 benitastrnad: Good info! Thanks, Benita.

I noticed the poorer quality of the recent ER lists, too, and now I better understand why.

I got taught by Daniel Goleman in college many years ago, and thought highly of him, so I've requested his Altered Traits (no touchstone) on this month's list. But it's the only one that interested me.

>169 benitastrnad:

Great information! - what would further help many of the people who review on LT would be a simpler system for posting in other venues,
like a CLICK on the Review Page to send completed review to the destination of choice.

Hi, there, Mark! Just trying to get caught up, and today is your turn. :)

>161 msf59: Totally agree on that. Didn't request anything either, but, like you and Katie, I owe a couple of reviews. Benita's explanation (>169 benitastrnad:) makes a lot of sense. Going to get right on the reviews I owe.

Got my copy of My Favorite Thing is Monsters from the library yesterday - looks awesome!

>152 msf59: I loved Secondhand Time, Mark, well written and I learned a lot.

>169 benitastrnad: Thanks for all this great information, Benita. You have been following me on LT for quite a few years and you know I review and warble about my books and I am particularly diligent about reviewing advanced copies. The only times I have had issues, is when I receive a barrage of books at once. I still try to make a decent effort. I also share my reviews on LT and Good Reads, to help spread the word.

Honestly, I am not complaining about the weak ER offerings. I have received a large amount of very fine books, through ER these past few years.

>170 jnwelch: Benita keeps us on our toes, right, Joe?

>171 m.belljackson: Good idea, Marianne. I have an account on Good Reads, so I always share over there too.

>172 Storeetllr: Hi, Mary. Good to see you. I will stop by and see what you are up to. I am currently reading The Lauras, which is an ER book and I will start The Leavers next, which is also an ER book, so I honestly can not complain.

>173 drneutron: Hooray for My Favorite Thing is Monsters, Jim! It is a one of a kind GN and I am seriously considering owning a copy. Enjoy, my friend.

>174 FAMeulstee: I am really enjoying Secondhand Time, Anita. It is quite the eye-opener and like you I am learning a lot. Have you read anything else by her?

-Harry Bliss

>175 msf59:

Do you send your completed LT Review to Goodreads or just retype on Goodreads...or...?

Thank you - Goodreads always has A TON of great titles, but the competition is wide and strong!

>178 m.belljackson: Copy & paste, My friend. Copy & paste. And if you share on Good Reads, it can go out on Facebook and Amazon too.

Mark, there is always slim pickins' for us Canadians on the monthly ER offerings. I have only received a few since joining. And only one of those was bad. However, that said, I was just informed that I have won a copy of a new children's book by Kyo Maclear (author of Birds, Art, Life). It's called The Fog and I am looking forward to it. Incidentally, just yesterday I finally picked up Birds, Art, Life from the library. I had been on the wait list for that one for weeks and weeks. I will start it tonight, since I doubt I will be allowed to renew it if there is such a waiting list.

Touchstone for the new Maclear book is wrong; probably too new to be in the system

>180 jessibud2: Hi, Shelley! Congrats on snagging "The Fog". Let us know how it is. I hope you enjoy Birds, Art, Life as much as I did. If it wasn't so expensive to send items to Canada, I would have shared my copy with you, months ago.

^Okay, I decided to go with Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets on audio and I clearly made the right decision because it is excellent so far. It is the winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize for Literature and is an oral history of the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the emergence of a new Russia.

The author uses dozens of personal stories to tell this narrative and on audio, a full cast of talented narrators are utilized. It is quite an eye-opener for me and I think it is going to give me a more accurate look at modern Russia, than I have ever had before. Will it turn me into a socialist/communist? Well, with our current administration going full steam, you never know...Stay tuned. Do svidaniya! До свидания!

>182 msf59: - Sounds fascinating. One minor point - she won the Nobel Prize for Literature, not the Peace prize :)

>181 msf59: - Love your typo, Mark, in the Maclear title. ;-) Believe me, I understand about postage costs. Crazy. But we have an excellent library system here so no worries. I love my libraries. I live about equidistant from 4 different branches and can walk to 3 of them easily.

That audio (>182 msf59:) sounds good. I'll have to keep my eyes open for it.

>183 katiekrug: Thanks, for that Katie. I saw the correct one and knew of it and still typed the wrong one. LOL.

>184 jessibud2: I am messing up all over the place, Shelley. Must have been getting hungry for dinner. LOL.

>182 msf59: Book Bullet! That was a good shot, Mark, since you haven't even completed the book and still made me want to read or listen to it! I haven't even looked at the current ER listings as I'm ticked off about not receiving my March book, The Women In the Castle. My patience is wearing thin…

Nashville looks like a fun place to visit, and not too far from me. I've been through there several times but haven't stopped to take in the sites. I could at least stretch my legs on the next visit in Parnassus Books, right?

>186 Donna828: Hi, Donna. Great to see you. Expect more warbling about Secondhand Time. It sure has given me a lot to chew on.

Sorry, to hear your ER has been delayed. After all these years, I think I have only failed to receive one or 2 books.

Nashville is a interesting and fun city. Parnassus is an added bonus.

>159 msf59: I think it was a tomtit.

Also, >182 msf59: I wanna read that book so badly, now I feel wounded by your BB.....

eta: my library has it! my library has it!!! (my library has it)
:)

Morning, Mark!

I generally don't do ERs and such, because it makes reading seem like something I *have* to do. Blech. As soon as someone tells me I *must* do the thing, or gives me a deadline for the thing, I immediately stop wanting to do the thing. I get that it's a good system, though, for those who do like it!

>188 LovingLit: Hooray for tomtits! What a good looking bird. And hooray for your library having a copy of Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets. Expect more warbling on that one, Megan!

>190 scaifea: Morning, Amber! I completely understand your feelings about ER books and being under pressure. This is why I am very selective what I pick and fortunately, the majority of the books I end up with are of high quality and as an added bonus, I can share them with my fellow LTers once I am through.
Win, Win!

Good morning, Mark! ERs wouldn't be a good fit for me, either, even if there were books of interest, for much the same reason Amber gives in >190 scaifea:. Indeed, I found myself rebelling this week when I got too many interlibrary loan books in at once, so one may very well go back to the library unread.

Secondhand Time has been on my list for a while, Mark. It sounds like I should move it to the top of the list.

Good morning, buddy!

Another beaut out there. Hope it's a smooth day for you, with a good audio book. We're off to work out, and then Debbi's getting some additional laser surgery on her eyes (clean up - shouldn't be a big deal).

Good News! The LT folks came through with the free exhibit hall only passes.

Okay, ProQuest is very kindly allowing us to give out free exhibit-hall only passes. The info you need:

Customers will enter this code when they register for the event in order to receive a complimentary Exhibit Hall Only registration badge.

https://www.compusystems.com/servlet/ar?evt_uid=136&oi=9mzor8YRH9nHoIiGjo9vo...

ProQuest Exhibitor VIP Code: V312

See you in Chicago!

I just saw that you already checked out the thread and know about the free passes. I am starting to get excited about going, and from my count there will be 10 people at the Haymarket Brewery. I have contacted Haymarket and they will have a table ready for us. I will do a recount later this morning and e-mail them if we have additional people coming to Haymarket.

Joe told me that he and Debbie have something already on their calendar for Saturday, but maybe they will make it for the meet-up at Haymarket Brewery. I know that Becca will be at the conference, and I wonder what she will do without her Dad to make those trips to the car.

Also, wanted to warn you, there are going to be lots of authors on the exhibit hall floors on both Saturday and Sunday. That means there will be long lines waiting to get books signed. It seems to me that the publishers are making a real effort to get authors to Chicago. Is your e-mail address still the same?

>192 harrygbutler: Morning, Harry. I do not return unread books back to the library very often but I always feel bad when I do.

>193 BLBera: Morning, Beth. I am all ready looking forward to reading more by this author.

>194 jnwelch: Morning, Joe. Yes, another perfect weather day in Chicagoland and my audio selection is ideal.

Hope the procedure goes well, with Debbi.

>195 benitastrnad: Praise the Gods, Benita. Great news. I can only go on Sunday, since I work Saturday. Thanks for the author signing line warning.

And yes, my email is the same.

I finally finished reading Ghost Train to the Eastern Star by Paul Theroux. It seems like I have been reading this book for at least two years, and I guess I have - off and on. This was the follow-up he did of Great Railway Bazaar. Thirty years after his first epic train trip from London to Sapporo, Japan and back, chronicled in Great Railway Bazaar, the author redid the trip to see what changes had come about. This time (2008) he could include some countries that were closed to him back in the 70's. Places like Turmenistan and Vietnam, but this time places he had been on the train in the 70's were closed. These included Iran and Afghanistan. I thought the first book, Great Railway Bazaar, was somewhat snarky, but this newer book was more mellow and in many ways much more detailed. The author still retains his interest in prostitution and the sexual proclivities of the natives of the countries in which he travels. In 2005 he was very disappointed in what had happened to the lovely country of Burma and saw no improvement in Singapore, but fell in love with Vietnam. I think this is a better book than is Great Railway Bazaar.

I forgot to say that I have started reading the charming Summerland by Michael Chabon. This is a children's fantasy novel that involves summer and baseball, for 5th graders. So far I am liking it and think it would make a great read-aloud for kids.

The link here will get you to the list of titles that the library rep from the publisher W. W. Norton, presented at Book Expo.

http://edelweiss.abovethetreeline.com/CatalogOverview.aspx?catalogID=4190073

There are 9 titles on this list. Not a one of them appeared on the LT Early Reviewer listing. In the e-mail I got from the Norton Library sales rep, she says that she gave away all of the copies she had with her. That tells you exactly where Norton's ARC's are going.

Since you check out lots of recorded books from the library I thought you might be interested in this set of statistics that was presented at Book Expo about the use of OverDrive. OverDrive, for those of you who don't know, is the largest company that supplies recorded books to libraries. The company makes sure that all titles are complying with copyright laws, and works closely with both publishers and libraries to insure that neither side is breaking any copyright laws. They also developed the software that allows people to "check out" digital copies of recorded books and return them to the ques automatically.

OverDrive also does this for e-books or digital copies. These are the print copies that are downloaded into for you to read into your Kindle, iPad, or Nook.

The bottom line, is that circulation of recorded books is growing much more rapidly than is circulation of digitized copies of print.

The presentation was done by David Burleigh.
Reminding the audience that the United States has more libraries than Starbucks locations, OverDrive’s director of brand marketing and communications David Burleigh spoke to the close relationship of patrons’ digital activities in library collections and those activities impact on sales and discoverability.

David Burleigh
“At a time when digital book sales has been largely flat in retail,” Burleigh said, “we’ve seen continuing, significant sales growth in libraries and schools. The leading indicator is usage–or in library terminology, circulation–of this content.”

Since 2014, OverDrive has tracked a cumulative growth of digital usage of 16 percent, year over year. That breaks down, he said, to 12 percent for ebooks and 27 percent for audiobooks.

The sheer scale of some of OverDrive’s figures is impressive, looking at the overall digital network of library and school users:

Reader sessions: 678 million
Catalog page views: 3 billion
Digital checkouts: 196 million digital titles
Holds (unmet demand): 67 million digital titles
Circulation growth: Up 21 percent (ebooks up 16 percent, audiobooks up 34 percent)

A new report issued by the Audio Publishers Association found that 2016 was another good year for audiobooks. The findings show double-digit growth for both audiobook sales and title output.

Total sales rose 18.2% over 2015, to an estimated $2.1 billion, while unit sales did even better. According to the report, unit sales rose 33.9%, to 89.5 million. Sales are based on reports from about 20 audiobook publishers. The APA then extrapolates from those figures, to derive an estimate for the entire market. The title output from reporting companies was 50,937 in 2016, a 43.1% increase over 2015.

The sales increase was driven by digital downloads, which accounted for 82.4% of sales. In 2015, digital downloads accounted for 76.8% of sales. Sales of physical audio, meanwhile, declined. Last year, sales of physical audio represented 16.2% of total audio sales, down from 21.8% in 2015. While sales of physical audio dropped again last year, the rate of decline has slowed slightly.

A study by Edison Research found that 24% of Americans listened to at least one audiobook in 2016, an increase of 22% over 2015. Other demographic findings showed that almost half of audio listeners are under the age of 35, and that audiobook listeners either read or listened to an average of 15 books in the last year.

Smartphones increased in popularity as the device of choice for audiobook listening, capturing 29% of the audiobook audience. According to the survey, the top reasons people chose audiobooks is that they can do other things while listening, and the portability of the content. The most popular genres last year were mysteries/thrillers/suspense, science fiction/fantasy and romance

“It’s another banner year for audiobooks,” said Anthony Goff, senior v-p, publisher at Hachette Audio and research committee chair for the APA. “It has been exhilarating for everyone involved in audio to see such healthy growth maintained, year in and year out." He added: "Learning more about audiobook listeners by digging deeper into the metrics of consumer behavior is one of the key ways we can help that growth continue.”

>198 msf59: We're going to ALA on Sunday, too, Mark. WOOT!

Now that you straightened me out that the meetup is Saturday night (not Sunday) at Haymarket, I hope to make that, too (probably solo).

>199 benitastrnad: Hi, Benita. Thanks for mentioning what you are reading. That is always appreciated, since you do not have a thread of your own. I have had Ghost Train to the Eastern Star saved on audio forever! I also have Summerland on shelf and I was hoping to get to it this year.

>201 benitastrnad: I LOVE all the audiobook info, with all these wonderful numbers. It has changed my reading life in so many positive ways. I think I would be lost without it. I still do not listen to books on my smartphone but still using my trusty iPod Nano.

>203 jnwelch: Sue and I are now registered, Joe, for Sunday. It should be a great bookish weekend. I will most likely be going solo to Haymarket too.

#204
I made a reservation for a table for 10 at Haymarket so I think that will cover it. I hope that I can get Suzanne there and my roommate so I think a table for 10 will do it. Abby and Tim have said that they will be there.

Here is the Sunday schedule for adult books at the HarperCollins booth.

1:00-1:50pm
Science Fiction/Fantasy Adult Books with YA Appeal*
Sarah Beth Durst / The Reluctant Queen
Jeffrey Cranor / It Devours!
Pop Top Stage (Next to booth 1853)
*Attendees can enter for a chance to win a tote bag full of science fiction and fantasy favorites!

2:00-3:00pm
Sarah Beth Durst / The Reluctant Queen
Booth signing

I have not read the first book in this series, but it was a best seller. It was Queen of Blood. I don't think it will be there, but if you have a copy perhaps you can bring it and get it autographed. However, I would guess that the lines for this author will be long, but by that time of the afternoon perhaps you won't mind standing in line.

>205 benitastrnad: Ooh, I love Haymarket Brewery and have not been back in awhile. Sounds perfect.

>206 benitastrnad: Thanks, Benita for the author details. Have you read either?

66) Cages by Sylvia Torti 2.8 stars

Okay, we have two scientists and a lab assistant, in a lukewarm love triangle. Think of a Jules and Jim, with birds.
First disclosure- This book is no where near as good as that classic French film.
The scientists are working on bird vocalization, by manipulating and experimenting with the vocal chords of these test birds, which leads into sticky moral issues that the lab assistant begins to struggle with, putting her at odds with both men. There is also lots of layers here, as the narrative shifts to the different pasts, of each character. Some of it interesting, some of it not.
Second disclosure- The reason I decided to read this novel, is that I love birds and reading about birds. This author has done her homework in this regard and my favorite parts of the book are the details of the serious “birder”. Sadly, the human part of the story falls pretty flat. I say skip the book, see the French film and then go to a park and spend some time with real birds.



-zebra finch

Hey Mark, I am on vacation this week so am behind on threads. But I did notice you're planning to read, or maybe are already reading, Beartown. I'm waiting for it at the library; it's one of the Modern Mrs Darcy/WSIRN summer reading picks. I hope my turn comes soon!

In bird news, I SAW A PILEATED WOODPECKER. We are in the North Carolina mountains, and were walking on a wooded path when suddenly one flew in front of us, landed in a tree, and flew around between a few more trees as we walked. It was fabulous.

Hi Mark! I just started Refuge: An Unnatural History by Terry Tempest Williams. Have you read it? If not, you need to. "There are those birds you gauge your life by."

>210 banjo123: - I read that book a few years ago. Very moving. I have another by her as well but haven't got to it yet (and can't remember the title!)

>209 lauralkeet: Hi, Laura. Thanks for stopping by while you are on vacation. I am honored.

I plan on starting Beartown soon. And hooray for seeing a pileated woodpecker. How cool. I saw my first one, just a couple of months ago. Always a treat.

>210 banjo123: Hi, Rhonda. Actually, I have Refuge saved on my Kindle. I have eye-balled it a time or two. It looks like I should move it up the stack. I do love TTW!

>211 jessibud2: I love TTW. If you haven't read her last one, about our National Parks, I highly recommend it.

I just found out that Terry Tempest Williams gave a lecture at my high school and spent Earth Day there. The school has a strong focus on environmental stewardship.

My freshman year of college, our class-wide read was Refuge and Williams came and spoke to us. She is a great speaker. I didn't love the book back then, but I think I'd appreciate it more now.

>214 katiekrug: Thanks, for sharing your history of TTW, with us, Katie. Very cool . I fell head over heels with her, over The Hour of Land and want to read all of her work, including Refuge.

Morning, Mark!

>216 scaifea: Morning Amber!

^I just can not let go of these birds, so I started Audubon, On The Wings Of The World, a graphic bio of John James Audubon. It begins very well and is beautifully illustrated. Thanks to Nancy for putting this on my radar.

Have a good Thursday, Mark. It looks like a beautiful day in the offing here.

>218 msf59: - Ooo, that looks great!!

>218 msf59: I'm tempted by that one too. Look forward to hearing more!

>218 msf59: Morning Mark!

Glad you are enjoying the Audubon GN. I haven't had much time to read lately. Hoping to get back to it this weekend!

Morning, Mark!

>218 msf59: Oh good, I've been curious about this Audubon GN. If you end up liking it, I'll read it.

It's mind-boggling to think about the sheer quantity of wildlife (birds!) there was back then, isn't it.

Sweet Thursday, buddy. Hope it's a smooth one for you.

P.S. I registered for ALA on Sunday. Looking forward to it!

>218 msf59: It looks lovely, Mark.

I also loved Refuge and think perhaps I'm due for a reread. The Hour of Land was also wonderful.

>219 harrygbutler: Morning, Harry. Glad your weather has improved.

>220 jessibud2: >221 charl08: Honestly, I did not know much about Audubon, so this looks like a perfect introduction. A complicated man.

>222 alphaorder: Morning, Nancy. Looking forward to getting back into the Audubon GN. It's a bit large, to drag with me through the day.

Hope your reading mojo returns.

>223 jnwelch: Morning, Joe. I am sure I will be recommending the Audubon GN. It is everything we love in a graphic bio.

Hooray for the ALA registration. Sue is getting pumped about it too

>224 BLBera: I NEED to get to more TTW, Beth. I will put Refuge in the rotation.

>225 msf59: Thanks. Right now it seems it should be nice into the weekend, so we may end up going on a guided bird walk on Saturday.

I'm not even a lurker at the moment. And I am sorry - and I miss catching up with you! I hope all is well - skimming current thread it looks birdy ;)

But just stopping in to wish good fortune and happiness.

>169 benitastrnad: Judy and I were sniffing around the New York BookCon - but it looked like the author list skewed really young and didn't see people we were interested in so we passed on it.

Maybe next year.

>218 msf59:

Hope you are ready for how Audubon "prepared" his models...

>227 harrygbutler: Hooray for a guided bird walk, Harry. I think there is only one more I can make this month. They seem to be dwindling down and we are really heating up for the weekend, so I do not think I will be going solo either. Sad Face.

>228 BekkaJo: Hi, Bekka. No problems at all, my friend. Keeping up with threads, especially busy ones, are a tough task. All is well here and I hope everything is going good, in your part of the world.

>229 magicians_nephew: Hey, stranger! How ya doing? Books treating you good?

>230 m.belljackson: Ooh, sounds like a good warning. Thanks, Marianne. Have you read much about Audubon?

#229
I agree with you about Book Con. The list of authors who were signing and on panels were very much YA. The majority of people who attended BookCon were teens. Specifically female teens and those in college. These readers are very active in Cosplay and Fan Groups. They get the word about about where an author is likely to be and they are there. One 16 year-old girl got to the Javits Center at 3:00 a.m. to be first in line to get into BookCon. As a result of this fan loyalty the publishers seem to be catering to that group.

The summer ALA tends to be heavy in Children's and YA books and authors as well. Although there is a strong adult presence. You just have to know where to find those authors. The Newbery and Caldecott Awards banquet is held on the Sunday night of the ALA summer conference. When ALA first had a conference, this banquet was the "ending the show with a Big Bang" kind of thing. It is still a big deal among librarians and the authors get to give their acceptance speech. It reminds me of the Pomp and Circumstance of the Noble Banquet.

#226
There was a nice PBS American Experience or American Artist show about Audubon and his life. It was fascinating how he did the drawings and paintings. He had to do commissioned portraits in order to support his bird pictures habit. I'll see if I can't dig up the title of that show because I am sure you can watch it as a podcast.

>208 msf59: have you read The Atomic Weight of Love? It also features a birder, and is a nice story.

#233
It was part of the American Masters series on PBS and was called "John James Audubon: Drawn From Nature"

>161 msf59: Hi Mark, haven't been on LT much in recent days but I was completely underwhelmed by this month's ER selection. That's a good thing since two ER books, my last two wins, arrived yesterday.

Speaking of yesterday, we were on a day trip with our park district to Dubuque, IA and Galena, IL. A very pleasant day.

Worked today but, tomorrow, off to Wrigley.

>231 msf59: The flurry of spring birding is definitely dying down around here, too, but it appears at least one of the local groups has a walk or two on the weekends at least through the end of this month. However, the heat will likely curtail our birding activity, too, until fall migration.

>232 benitastrnad: I have been steering clear of YA lately, but if someone warbles loud enough about a certain title, I would definitely be receptive.

I will have to seek out the Audubon American Experience. Sounds fantastic. Thanks.

>234 LovingLit: I have read and enjoyed The Atomic Weight of Love. Ellen passed her copy onto me and I passed it on to someone else. Memory fails...

Glad you also enjoyed it.

>236 lindapanzo: Hi, Linda! I have missed seeing you around. Glad to hear you received 2 delayed ER books. Hope you had a good time in Galena. I have not been there in many years.

Have a good time at the game too! Go Cubbies. The Rockies are going to be tough.

>237 harrygbutler: It looks like we are in the same birding predicament, Harry. I work most Saturdays, so that narrows my weekend organized birding down. I think there might be one scheduled for the 18th. Father's Day.

^Hooray, for Sherman Alexie! I am starting The Toughest Indian. I also picked up the 20th anniversary edition of The Lone Ranger, for my keeper shelf. I have wanted to own this one forever and my timing was perfect.

Lots of warbling on this thread! Have a great week, Mark.

>231 msf59:

My Audubon reading did not go past "First, he killed them..." to quote from Wiki (not my original source!)...

>240 Familyhistorian: This is the warbling thread, Meg. Glad I am not disappointing anyone. Grins... Hope you had a good week too.

>241 m.belljackson: I did read that Audubon shot his birdy subjects for research but I think that was the common thing to do, at that time. He shot a pair of ivory billed woodpeckers, early on. I think they have now gone extinct. Lol.

>239 msf59: You forgot the most important part! What where you drinking? :)

What the heck was I thinking, Jim? It was a 60 Minute IPA, from Dogfish Head. Old schooler.

Hooray! glad you are going to read Refuge.

>245 banjo123: That is why I love this place, Rhonda. Plenty of power nudges. B.A.G.

“Today, people just want to live their lives, they don’t need some great Idea. This is entirely new for Russia; it’s unprecedented in Russian literature. At heart, we’re built for war. We were always either fighting or preparing to fight. We’ve never known anything else—hence our wartime psychology. Even in civilian life, everything was always militarized. The drums were beating, the banners flying, our hearts leaping out of our chests. People didn’t recognize their own slavery—they even liked being slaves."

“Our people need freedom like a monkey needs glasses. No one would know what to do with it.”

“Today, no one has time for feelings, they’re all out making money. The discovery of money hit us like an atom bomb…”

-Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets. This has been outstanding. A one of a kind. I am into the 2nd half but I think I will switch to a fiction audio and then return for the finale. I want to absorb it a bit. These voices are achingly beautiful.

Morning, Mark! Love those quotes from Secondhand Time - thanks for sharing.

Happy Friday, Mark! Enjoy the day!

>248 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! Glad you like the quotes. More to come, I am sure. It is such a good read.

>249 harrygbutler: Morning, Harry. Warm and sunny here. No complaints.

I just wanted to say (before you start a new thread), that your topper pic in this one, stops me in my tracks every time. Just love it. I know I mentioned it at the beginning, but it needs to be said again. Thanks for finding such a stunner

Happy Friday, Mark!

Oops, here comes the heat. Going to be pretty fiery tomorrow and Sunday.

Nothing much to report on the book front. I enjoyed the Heyer, I've now got a Jack Reacher on the Kindle, and I need to start The Soul of an Octopus. On the GN front, I'm near the end of that Inoue about Musashi Miyamoto, and about to get another huge one - the next volume.

Hope it's going well for you today.

Tree of Smoke. When are we going to read this?

I'm reading The Lady in Gold right now. It is about a celebrated painting created by Gustav Klimt in 1907, which was boosted from its Jewish owners by the Nazis. After the war, the Austrian government took possession of it and refused to relinquish it to the heirs of the original owners.

When I'm done, the two books on my June reading agenda are The Underground Railroad and Tree of Smoke. I do want to wedge in one or two others, of course.

>251 jessibud2: Glad you like the topper, Shelley. Funny, I posted that image before I went but now that I have experienced the Mammoth Caves, I am happy to say that image represented it very well.

>252 jnwelch: Happy Friday, Joe. It did get pretty warm this afternoon, my friend and that is without much humidity. I think that is on it's way too. Tomorrow could be tough.

Thanks for the book update. If you think I will like a certain GN, give me a holler.

>253 weird_O: Happy Friday, Bill. I plan to finish 2 books before starting Tree of Smoke. So, maybe next weekend, give or take? I am looking forward to your thoughts on The Underground Railroad. I loved that book. I also picked up Jesus' Son recently, so I plan on bookhorning that in soon too.

^ Like I mentioned earlier, I am taking a short break from Secondhand Time and I switched to Beartown. It grabbed me immediately. This guy really can write. The Man Called Ove was no fluke. The audio narration and the translation are excellent.

Happy Camper in the Hot Midwest!

I am reading Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker and am enjoying this adult fantasy. Since I finally finished Ghost Train to the Eastern Star I put in an Inter-Library Loan request for A Writer's House in Wales by Jan Morris. This is one of the National Geographic Directions series and at 150 pages is really a longish essay. I started it last night before bed, so don't have much to say about it at this point.

>256 msf59: Oh! I loved Ove and if this is anywhere near as good, then I have to get it!! : )

Such a nice day here too. Denver grandsons (daughter #3) about to visit (hurrah!) for a family wedding in Victoria next weekend for (daughter #4) getting married to her Denver guy. Made home made ice cream and a birthday cake for daughter #1 who will visit with her 3 after the wedding. Oh and daughter #1 just got offered her first job after completing a Librarian Science degree. We are so pleased! Busy, busy time.
I have Secondhand Time on reserve at the library. Glad of your warbles about it!
Have a wonderful weekend Mark!

>255 msf59: Sounds good to me. End of next week, like 6/16-17. Tree of Smoke; big; like 700 pages. We can blow through that, you know, like, ah, quicktime.

I asked for (and got) The Underground Railroad for Christmas because of all the warbling about it right here. I held off reading it 'til now because it's an Obama recom. For June, per Kim.

I shall try and get hold of Bear Town. I've enjoyed everything he's written so far. I like his perspective on community life, and the great characters.

Just Mercy arrived for me yesterday. I couldn't put it down. Makes me so mad though, as well as admiring the author's tireless work to ensure people have legal representation.

>257 benitastrnad: For some odd reason I have never got to the Golem and the Jinni, despite the LT love. Maybe, you'll be the final nudge I need.

>258 Berly: This is a different approach for Backman but I am really enjoying the story.

>259 mdoris: Hi, Mary. Thanks for the family update. All sounds lovely. I am looking forward to your thoughts on Secondhand Time, once you get to it. It is a very special book.

>260 weird_O: You had to remind me about the length of Tree of Smoke, didn't you? LOL. Funny, most of his other books are quite short. This must be his magnum opus. Looks like a win/win for The Underground Railroad.

>261 charl08: What were the other Backman titles you enjoyed, other than Ove? And yes, Just Mercy can be painful to read at times but what an important book. Glad you are reading it.

^I can not believe I somehow stumbled into this place, nine years ago, taking an unexpected fork in the road. I look back at all this encompasses: the books, the endless chatter and the amazing friendships, that have developed along the way and I am truly humbled and elated.

I am off to work on this hot Midwest day, but there will be an extra pep in this old warbler's step, as I stroll the route.

Morning, Mark! Happy Thingaversary!! This place would not be the same without you.

Hey, Mark, happy Thingaversary! It's going to be a hot one here today, too.

>263 msf59: My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry narrated by a precocious child character unexpectedly in the care of her gran. I had a rather outspoken grandmother, so this was particularly fun. I listened to a BBC radio drama version of Britt-Marie Was Here which was very well done.

9 years young! Congrats...

Stay cool, Mark. Happy thingaversary.

Happy thingaversary, Mark! Cheers!

Happy Thingaversary, Mark!

The place just wouldn't be the same without you.

Stay as cool as you can today, buddy.

Thanks, Mamie, Harry, Charlotte, Beth, Shelley and Joe. You guys are part of what makes this place special.

>267 charl08: I will have to check out these other Backman titles and he works really well on audio too.

Happy Thingaversary, Mark! This place wouldn't be the same without you.

I just listened to Senator Al Franken, being interviewed on the NYT Books podcast. It is quite entertaining, plus he body slams Ted Cruz, which is hilarious and very deserving. Catch it if you can.

>272 rosalita: Thanks, Julia. Please, don't make me blush...

>273 msf59: I bet that's the same interview they printed in the NYTimes Book Review, Mark. I like Franken. That slam on Cruz was hilarious.

Hope you can finish today before it gets too bad. It's still in the 70s here and pleasant, but we may be getting that cooler by the lake effect. High 80s as the day goes on.

Happy Thingaversary, Mark! May the books never let you down.

>262 msf59: Nudge for the Golem and the Jinni

Happy Thingaversary, Mark!

I listened to a podcast by Al Franken and he lamented the fact that in order to do his duty he had to give up comedy. He finds his comedic outlet in his writing. I have not read anything by him, but this title is calling out to me, so I may have to buy it. I find myself thinking that he deserves more accolades than he is getting as he is doing a great job as a senator. He has become one of the people in our government that has become a voice of reason and sensibility for the liberal wing of the party. Sometimes what he says is surprising, but it shouldn't be. In order to be a successful comedian you have to be a great observer of people. That is also a quality that politicians should have in abundance.

Have I told you today how happy I am that the GOG (Great Orange Gasbag) drained the swamp!!!! He got Jeff Sessions out of Alabama, and the more the investigations in Washington go on the more likely it seems to be that he may be the next advisor to fall. Think of it - he will no longer be a senator from Alabama no matter what happens, so Alabama will get a new face representing it in Washington. That is good news.

Happy Ninth Thingaversary, Mark! I second what Julia said in >272 rosalita:.

Can't wait to see what your ten (!) thingaversary books are going to be!

>274 jnwelch: Franken calls it like he sees it, right? LOL. It got pretty hot here but I survived.

>275 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks, Linda! The good news is the books rarely let me down.

>276 Oberon: Another nudge closer to The Golem and the Jinni. Thanks, Erik. Good to see you.

Happy Thingaversary! Many happy returns (but only if they are library books)

>277 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!

>278 benitastrnad: I completely agree with your thoughts on Franken, Benita and of course your closing comments on GOG and Sessions. LOL.

>279 Storeetllr: Thanks, Mary. I will be slowly acquiring the 10 Thingaversary books, but I am off to a decent start. I will post them on the new thread tomorrow.

>281 mahsdad: Thanks, Jeff. We are off to the Bavarian Lodge for dinner and brews. Believe it or not, this is one of the best watering holes in the western suburbs. They go very deep on their taps and some nice European surprises as well.

Discovering anything new and interesting?

Happy Thingaversary, Mark. LT wouldn't be the same without you.

At some point soon, I'd like to read the Elizabeth Warren book and the Al Franken book.

Happy 9th Thingaversary, Mark! This place would not be the same without you. Big hugs to the Warbler!!

>284 lindapanzo: Thanks, Linda. I would love to read both of those books too.

>285 Berly: Thanks, Kimmers! Love those hugs!

>283 msf59: Nothing really new to report. Tho I have visited a number of local breweries that are popping up around here to very good affect.

As always my goto breweries when I'm picking up tasty beverages in the grocery story are Stone, Ballast Point and Lagunitas.

Side note, Lagunitas is a customer of mine (I work for a software consultancy), I haven't had an opportunity to go to the brewery, but I am anxiously anticipating one. :)

>287 mahsdad: As you probably know, Lagunitas has a huge brewery here, that I have visited a few times. Nice place too. It is closer to the city, so it is not very convenient. I hope you can visit the one there. The Mothership.

Lagunitas was bought out by Heineken, right? I wonder if that will change anything?

Morning, Mark!

Morning, Mamie! Happy Sunday! Looking forward to a kick back day with the books.

Happy Thingaversary! So glad you're here!

I figure you, or someone on your thread, will know the answer to this: What does it mean when a book has "hits"? I have just seen this show up when I look up a title.

Thanks, Nancy! I have met so many good people through LT and you are one of them.

I do not know about these "hits".