Mark's Reading Place: Chapter Twenty-Three

-Tomales Bay Farmhouse- Jean Jack



-Cooper's Hawk. Seen one of these on the route recently, chasing down his lunch. He succeeded.

Audiobook:



Graphic/Comic:


Books Read So Far...

June:

66) Cages by Sylvia Torti 2.8 stars (E)
67) The Lauras by Sara Taylor 3.6 stars ER
68) The Toughest Indian in the World by Sherman Alexie 4 stars AAC
69) Audubon, On The Wings Of The World by Fabien Grolleau 4.5 stars GN
70) Beartown by Fredrik Backman 4.3 stars (audio)
71) Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets by Svetlana Alexievich 4.7 stars (audio)
72) The Leavers by Lisa Ko 4.3 stars
73) Borne: A Novel by Jeff VanderMeer 3.8 stars (audio)
74) Summerland by Michael Chabon 3.8 stars (audio)
75) Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson 3.6 stars
76) The Radium Girls by Kate Moore 4.5 stars (audio)
77) Binti: Home by Nnedi Okorafor 4 stars (E)

July:

78) The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich 4 stars (audio)
79) Chemistry: A novel by Weike Wang 4.3 stars
80) The Good Lord Bird by James McBride 4.2 stars (audio) AAC
81) The Trespasser by Tana French 4 stars (partial audio)
82) The Warbler Road by Merrill Gilfillan 3.8 stars
83) The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros 3.6 stars
84) The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker 4,2 stars (audio)
85) See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt 3.8 stars
86) The Color of Water: Memoir by James McBride 4.8 stars (audio) AAC
87) Crazy Brave: A Memoir by Joy Harjo 4.4 stars
88) Staked: The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne 4 stars (audio)
89) Birds of America: Stories by Lorrie Moore 4.6 stars
90) The Color of Lightning by Paulette Jiles 4.2 stars (audio)

August:

91) The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon 3.7 stars (audio)
92) Death in the Air by Kate Winkler Dawson 4.4 stars ALA
93) Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith 4 stars (audio) AAC
94) Love That Dog by Sharon Creech 4 stars
95) Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami 4.8 stars (audio) Reread*
96) Refuge by Terry Tempest Williams 4.3 stars
97) Olio by Tyehimba Jess 5 stars (poetry)
98) Al Franken, Giant of the Senate by Al Franken 4.6 stars (audio)
99) Charlotte's Web by E. B. White 4.5 stars (audio)
100) Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson 4.2 stars (audio)
101) The Girl of the Lake: Stories by Bill Roorbach 4.2 stars ALA
102) Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz 4.3 stars (audio)
103) The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov 4.3 stars
104) The Heavenly Table by Donald Ray Pollock 4.4 stars (audio)
105) The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Ehrlich 4.2 stars
106) Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde by Jeff Guinn 4.8 stars (audio)

September:

107) Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman 3.8 stars
108) The Graybar Hotel: Stories by Curtis Dawkins 4.5 stars (audio) AAC
109) Jesus' Son: Stories by Denis Johnson 4.3 stars AAC
110) Mrs. Fletcher by Tom Perrotta 3.6 stars (audio)
111) The Punch Escrow by Tal M. Klein 4 stars ALA

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 Completed The Toughest Indian in the World
July- James McBride Completed The Good Lord Bird, The Color of Water
August- Patricia Highsmith Completed Strangers on a Train
September- Short Story Month Completed The Graybar Hotel: Stories, Jesus' Son: Stories
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

102) Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz 4.3 stars

I have sampled a classic British mystery, here and there, over the years, so I am just a novice in these deadly waters, but I do appreciate smart, crafty story-telling and I can tell this one is a homage to the those revered classics and is surely catnip for mystery buffs.
I am not divulging many details but this one follows an, ailing, retired investigator, named Atticus Pund, looking into a murder at a manor house, called Pye Hall, in a sleepy English village. This death could have been an accident but it is soon followed by a clear-cut murder and we are now off and running. There is also no shortage of suspects and the list keeps growing. I will also mention there is also a book, inside of a book, in this story, which doubles the fun. Enough said: Read it!

**The entire Welch clan loved this one too and Joe gave a much better review. It was also a fantastic audio, so keep that in mind too!

"I turned back to the sun. It was going. The sun was going, and the world was wrong. The grasses were wrong; they were platinum. Their every detail of stem, head, and blade shone lightless and artificially distinct as an art photographer’s platinum print. This color has never been seen on Earth. The hues were metallic; their finish was matte. The hillside was a 19th-century tinted photograph from which the tints had faded. All the people you see in the photograph, distinct and detailed as their faces look, are now dead. The sky was navy blue. My hands were silver. All the distant hills’ grasses were finespun metal which the wind laid down. I was watching a faded color print of a movie filmed in the Middle Ages; I was standing in it, by some mistake. I was standing in a movie of hillside grasses filmed in the Middle Ages. I missed my own century, the people I knew, and the real light of day."

"This was the universe about which we have read so much and never before felt: the universe as a clockwork of loose spheres flung at stupefying, unauthorized speeds. How could anything moving so fast not crash, not veer from its orbit amok like a car out of control on a turn?"

-These exerpts are from "Total Eclipse", an essay by Annie Dillard, that was published in 1982, in The Atlantic. She describes seeing the eclipse in 1979. It is a stunning piece of work. It can also be found in the collection The Abundance: Narrative Essays Old and New .Here is the full essay:

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/08/annie-dillards-total-eclipse...

Happy new thread, Mark. Cool toppers, and excerpt

Good morning, Mark, and happy Sunday! I see you finished Magpie Murders with a good rating - something for me to look forward to!

Happy new thread, buddy

>6 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley. Happy Sunday!

>7 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. Did you see my mini-review? I added it late.

>8 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Happy Sunday! You like a good British mystery now and then, you might really enjoy Magpie Murders. Just sayin'...

Morning, Mark! Happy new thread! The Dillard quote up there is gorgeous.

>10 scaifea: Thanks, Amber! It looks like I am going to have to track down The Abundance. It looks like one to own.

Happy new thread, Mark. The Magpie Murders has been getting some great reviews around here. Onto the list it goes. I'm also going to look for the Dillard essay.

Have a wonderful Sunday.

Morning, Mark! Stumbled across this and it made me think if you, my friend. I liked your review of Magpie Murders - adding it to the list.

>12 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. Happy Sunday. I was listening to the NYT Book Podcast yesterday and one of the contributors read an excerpt from the Dillard essay and I knew I had to share it over here. WOW!

>13 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie. I love the image. Thanks. If you can find Magpie Murders on audio, try to do so. It's wonderful.

Happy new one, Mark. Sorry that I missed a whole thread. I hope doing better now. wishing you a lovely Sunday.

Happy new thread, Mark. That farmhouse is spectacular!!

Pretty lazy day. Doing some laundry and, maybe later, will run to the library but otherwise, not much going on.

>15 Ameise1: Thanks, Barb. Great to see you.

>16 lindapanzo: Thanks, Linda. I can't find much information about this artist, but she currently working her art. Enjoy your lazy day. I plan on having one, most of the afternoon. Books, the Cubs and a couple of cold ones.

>14 msf59: Thanks for that - I'll be sure to get it on audio.

Happy new thread, Mark! I hope you're having a good weekend.

Happy New Thread, Mark!

Sounds like you enjoyed Much Ado About Nothing in the Park, yes? What a great way to experience the bard.

>18 Crazymamie: We aim to please, my friend.

>19 harrygbutler: Thanks, Harry! Happy Sunday!

>20 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. We had a good time at Shakespeare in the Park. I think the players were from Wheaton College and did a very fine job.

-Peregrine Falcon

^I went on a solo bird walk today. It did not start out promising. It began to drizzle a few minutes in and birds were elusive but I stuck it out and things began to improve, weather-wise and bird-wise. The highlight was this peregrine falcon. Of course, I am not a 100% for sure, but I can't believe it would be anything else, so I am going with it. I did watch it for a few minutes and then watched it fly to another treetop and watched it there for a bit too. This is a lifer for me. Yah!

>22 msf59: Pretty cool looking falcon, Mark. Not sure what is with the weather lately. You are talking about drizzle and here there is another dazzling day of sunshine. Good review of The Magpie Murders. There has been so much buzz on LT about that mystery that I picked it up a little while ago. Not sure if I will be able to fit that in as one of my vacation reads - so many books so little time.

I love peregrine falcons - and any kind of falcon or hawk, really. Beautiful photo. We've got peregrines in downtown Chicago to help control the pigeon population, among other things. https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160913/downtown/chicagos-super-fast-peregrine-...

Morning Mark. I also love hawks, falcons, eagles.... there is something majestic and awe-inspiring about a raptor.

>5 msf59: Stunning. I want to read more Annie Dillard.

>23 Familyhistorian: Hi, Meg. Our weather has been gorgeous. More clouds today, than sun but the temps are comfortable. No complaints. Good luck compiling that vacation reading list.

>24 jnwelch: I love raptors too, Joe. I cannot identify all of them, but I am working on it. Thanks for the peregrine falcon link. I have heard this about falcons in the city.

>25 EBT1002: Happy Sunday, Ellen. Hooray, for raptors! And hooray for Annie Dillard. She is a heck of a writer.

Happy new thread, Mark!

Lovely how the two toppers agree in colors!

We're on the Eastern migration path for hawks and falcons. It's really cool to drive down the highway and see them sitting on the light poles just waiting to swoop down! I have one that visits my deck occasionally - I find a feather or two in the yard when mow most of the time. Really beautiful birds!

Happy new thread, Lone Ranger! We've got lots of hawks, falcons and bald eagles around these parts. That and the shore birds it seems. This year , a baby hawk found itself in bald eagles nest, likely nabbed as food by the Bald Eagles, but the eagles took it on as one of their own and raised it. The hawk ended up fine and flying off into the blue yonder. Here is a bit of the story . It really made the news around here. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/hawk-chick-eagle-nest-sidney-1.42...

another bit of a clip for my favourite birder - http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bald-eagles-raise-red-tailed-hawk...

Another raptor fan here. What a great sighting! We see a lot of red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks, the occasional sharp-shinned hawk, and once in a while a bald eagle. Falcons are uncommon for some reason. Lucky Mark.

Hi Buddy

just stopping by to wave hello. You would have like to be sitting on the rockers on our deck watching the cardinals this morning.
We found a type of sunflower seed that seems to draw more of them to the feeders.

Happy new thread! Looks like I missed most of your last thread though :(
Glad your walk produced an awesome bird for you! I'm not sure if I've even seen a falcon, but we get lots of hawks around here.

>27 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita! Yah, for coordinating toppers!

>28 drneutron: There is a Hawk Watch Group going here, Jim. I am thinking of joining.

>29 vancouverdeb: Thanks for the bird links, Deb. I will check them out.

>30 lauralkeet: Thanks for chiming in on the raptors, Laura. I have not seen a red-shouldered or sharp-shinned hawk. Hope to add them to the list.

>31 Whisper1: Good to see you, Linda. Glad you are enjoying your birds and your feeders.

>32 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle. Hope you had a nice weekend. Hooray for hawks.

^The 7th season of GOT has been good, but uneven at times, much like the rest of the series. The highlights are always terrific, though and the final episode is excellent. Now, the LONG WAIT begins...

Any one else current? Thoughts?

Happy newish thread my friend.

Speaking of the Hawk Talk, did you see the videos of the hawk in Texas that flew into a guy's cab and refused to leave? He was petrified from the coming hurricane.

https://youtu.be/BBC9xP65ztQ

The guy took him home, and eventually a wildlife rescue group picked him up.

Morning, Mark!

When I was in grad school, I witnessed a hawk swoop down nearly right in front of me and snatch up a cute little bunny I was watching. Amazing.

>36 mahsdad: Thanks, Jeff. Cool hawk video. Thanks for sharing. Go Hurricane Harvey! Glad it had a happy ending.

>37 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Thanks for sharing your hawk story. Glad you survived the traumatic imagery. Grins...

Good morning, Mark, and happy Monday to you!

Thanks for the reference back to your review - more than ever, I Want To Read Magpie Murders.

Congratulations on the Peregrine Falcon sighting! Very exciting.

>39 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! Hooray for Peregrine Falcons and Magpie Murders!

"We are perfect because of our imperfections,
We must stay hopeful,
We must be patient;

When they excavate the modern day
They’ll find us,
The Brand New Ancients.

All that we have here
Is all that we’ve always had."

"there’s always been greed
and heartbreak and ambition.
jealousy, love,
trespass and contrition,

we’re the same beings that began,
still living,
in all of our fury and foulness and friction.
Everyday odysseys.
Dreams vs decisions.
The stories are there if you listen.

The stories are here.

The stories are you
and your fear and your hope is as old
as the language of smoke,
the language of blood,
the language of languishing love,

the Gods are all here.
Because the Gods are in us."

-Brand New Ancients

^^A big shout-out to Joe, for lending me his copy of Brand New Ancients. This is more a story-poem than a straight poetry collection but the story or stories are all compelling and her prose is beautiful.

Here is Kate Tempest reading a section of this work: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=brand+new+ancients-+kate+tempest&&v...

>41 msf59: Thanks, Mark. Wow, that's some video, isn't it. I'll need to make time for more. They put some money into that; great quality. Brand New Ancients is compelling and beautiful, yes.

I've got Naomi Shahib Nye coming up, after the terrific Stag's Leap.

I'm also liking To Siri, With Love, Judith Newman's book about raising her autistic son Gus. She's such a good writer.

P.S. Enjoy the day off!

P.P.S. I'm not enjoying Arab of the Future so far. Does it get better?

I am enjoying the third Paper Girls, but don't ask me if I understand all the time travel and what seems to be different universes.

>42 jnwelch: Morning, Joe! I will be watching more of Tempest's videos. A powerful performer. I have only read one of Naomi Shahib Nye collections but I really liked it. Which one are you starting? And Stag's Leap sounds terrific.

Sorry, to hear about Arab of the Future. It really worked for me. Is this the first or 2nd volume?

>43 msf59: The Nye I'm reading is her selected poems, Words Under the Words.

It's the first Arab of the Future. I'll try hanging in a bit longer. None of the characters appeals to me so far, and the story doesn't either, although seeing how Libya worked (works?) is interesting.

Good morning, Mark! Congrats on the peregrine falcon! It has been some time since I've seen one. Maybe I'll be fortunate enough to see one or two if we make it down to the Cape May Hawk Watch for the migration this fall.

Well helloooooo Monday. Been reading junior chunksters this month—Murakami 467 pages, Diane Arbus 600+ pages, Raven Rock 500+ pages, now Great Expectations 600+ pages. Not many books, but good ones. Didn't get to Highsmith or any Obama books. Oh well.

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

Happy Monday, Mark!! Your thread is interesting and fun, as always. : )

Just delurking to say hello and Happy Monday, Mark. I'm thinking ahead to short story collections for September.....

>44 jnwelch: Words Under the Words is the collection, I read and enjoyed. I hope you feel the same way, Joe. Sorry, to hear Arab of the Future isn't floating your boat. Sometimes, certain books just don't click.

>45 harrygbutler: Hi, Harry! Ooh, the Cape May Hawk Watch sounds great. I hope you are able to attend.

>46 weird_O: Hey, Bill. I am off today, so this has been a fine Monday. Thanks for the book update. Lots of chunksters, but plenty of quality there. Hope you can find a story collection or two for next month's AAC.

>47 brodiew2: Morning, Brodie. It was a good weekend. I hope you had the same.

>48 Berly: Hi, Kimmers! Glad you find my thread entertaining. I try not to make it a slog.

>49 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen. I will get the AAC thread up soon. Looking forward to what everyone picks. I sure have a bunch to pick through.

^I returned to Springbrook Prairie, in Naperville today and this time I brought my bike, which I have wanted to do since I discovered this amazing prairie land. It was just cool enough, to make it comfortable riding. This is all in the open, with no shade at all. I clocked in about 8 miles. Next time, I will go around it twice. I went birding for about an hour beforehand and saw some interesting birds, including my first warblers of the fall migration, but not sure I can make a solid ID. Robins and goldfinch were everywhere. (not my photo, but it is Springbrook)

>50 msf59: I was so elated earlier this month when my sister gave me an old Modern Library collection of short stories by Chekov. "Perfect for September's AAC!" I said (to myself). Of course, I eventually recognized that the first A in AAC is short for American, and that Chekov neglected to emigrate to the U.S., thus neglecting to become eligible. Russian meddling, for sure.

Here's a hawk story.

One day when I was driving the tractor and v-plow down a gravel road, a hawk swooped down and snatched a snake up from the side of the road. The snake was good sized and heavy. The bird had a hard time getting up in the air, and of course there was this tractor bearing down on it from the road. That hawk was flapping away like crazy. It finally got air born with that snake thrashing and flopping while the bird was flapping and panting to get up! What the bird didn't know was that there was an electric power line crossing the road in its flight path. The bird cleared the wire. The snake didn't. That snake wrapped around that power line and things tightened up that bird instantly went flipping head over heels. The snake dropped to the ground while that bird did a couple of whirley-gigs. It never hit the ground but a few feathers flew before it righted itself. I don't think it every knew what it had hit, but it had one crazy ride and I got a good laugh.

I will also add that hawks are not well liked out in my part of the country. They are a top predator and their numbers have grown to fast and to large. They have disrupted the populations of both birds, small mammals, and rodents. Rabbit and hare numbers have dropped very fast and the populations of pheasant and quail have been decimated and then decimated again. I am sure that the population of hawks and eagles will right itself as they have to compete for food, but until then life is miserable for the prey populations. But who said nature was pretty?

>52 weird_O: That's the reader's life, Bill. LOL. I also have a Chekov collection, I have been itching to read. Whenever you are up for doing a shared Chekov read, let me know. I have never read him.

>53 benitastrnad: Great hawk story, Benita. Not many people can say they have witnessed something like that. LOL.

^I decided to switch to NF on my next audio and I started Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde. It is off to a terrific start. I read Guinn's The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple back in May and was impressed with his narrative style. Jim had mentioned this title was also very good, so there you go...

I want to say, that the 1967 film, Bonnie and Clyde has always been one of my very favorite films but I had never read a bio on this deadly pair.

>53 benitastrnad:
>54 msf59:

Story, yes; funny? no.

>56 m.belljackson: I think my sense of humor, may be a bit skewed, Marianne. Grins...

Didn't get much reading in yet tonight, Mark. Good Cubs game has kept me occupied.

>51 msf59: Nice.

Terrific Tuesday, Mark! , though the night is young here on the West Coast. It's still Monday for a few more hours.

Have a great week, Mark. Sounds like it got off to a good start with Monday off. I am on vacation so had a good Monday too with a morning walk around the park and a Louise Penny author event in the evening.

Hi Mark and happy early Tuesday morning to you!

It sounds like yesterday was a good day for you.

I broke down and actually bought Magpie Murders - a reward for refinancing our house, paying off the equity line, and soon-paying off the credit card. The best way to celebrate - books!

I hope your Tuesday is a good one.

>58 lindapanzo: I was watching the game too, but I was able to get some GN reading in too! Go Cubs!

>59 EBT1002: One day we may be able to to bike/hike together, Ellen. I know you appreciate the great outdoors.

>60 vancouverdeb: Howdy, Tonto! I had a couple of fine days off, now it is back to the grind, but no worries the weather continues to be nice and I have my books along.

>61 Familyhistorian: Hi, Meg. It sounds like you also had a perfect Monday. I will have to stop over and see how the Penny event went.

>62 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! Hooray for buying Magpie Murders for yourself. I do not think you will be disappointed and it does have a lovely cover. I hope your day goes well too.

Good morning, Mark! Springbrook Prairie sounds like a good park to visit. We have a few grasslands preserves around here, including the spot where we saw grasshopper sparrows earlier this year, but they are difficult to choose to visit in more typical August weather.

Happy new thread and happy Tuesday, Mark. I need to walk through your thread with blinders on sometimes to avoid getting hit by book bullets at every corner.

Morning, Mark! I'm interested to hear how the Bonnie and Clyde book goes...

>65 harrygbutler: Morning, Harry. You would like Springbrook. It is a 1,800 acre prairie preserve. There are wetlands in there too but they are not very accessible, which is good for the waterfowl. I saw a few different sparrows too. I believe they were song sparrows. This species is the hardest for me to identify.

>66 cameling: Thanks, Caro. Great to see you. Please be careful, navigating with those blinders on. You know you are prone to...accidents. Yep, my reading is going great, so there will be no let up on the BBs.

>67 scaifea: Morning, Amber. The Bonnie & Clyde book is off to a terrific start.

Morning, Mark!

You've probably read Naomi Shahib Nye's 19 Varieties of Gazelle by now, but if not, you'd like it - it was a hit with both Ellen and me.

I'm not sure you have any interest in autism, but To Siri, With Love was really good. She's got a great, conversational writing style.

I'm going to finish up N.K. Jemison's trilogy that starts with two Hugo winners (The Stone Sky) and try a mystery that NarratorLady/Anne recommended, set in old-time London, called Blind Justice.

Hope you have a good one today. We're so lucky with our weather, particularly with what's happening in Houston.

Hi, Mark - the finches may still be around, but is it time to take bird houses down?

Thanks, Marianne

>69 jnwelch: Morning Joe. I have not read the Nye collection. I will have to request that one. I will keep To, Siri in mind too. Thanks.
I have not read Jemison but she seems to be all the rage in Sci-Fi.
I will have to give her a go at some point.

Yep, another beauty out here.

Happy Tuesday, Mark!

Hiya, Mark! Just checking in with you. Sounds like you had a great day off.

You'll be pleased to hear I won a copy of the new Wiley Cash through Early Reviewers. B.A.G.

>70 m.belljackson: Are you talking birdhouses or feeders? I have not put up a birdhouse yet but I am thinking about it. I leave my feeders up throughout the year, expect the hummingbird feeder of course.

>55 msf59: I hate to admit it, Mark, but when I attempted to watch the 1967 film of Bonnie and Clyde I only made it 45 minutes in and then gave up on it as not for me. Terrible, I know. However, I still find the pair pretty interesting. :)

>74 msf59:

Feeders I leave up all the time.

It's birdhouses whose last Northern date would help.

Hellooo, Mark. I quite liked the falcon images you posts up the thread. I ran across this gif of an owl in flight. What a flier!



Halfway through Great Expectations.

>5 msf59: The sun was going, and the world was wrong
That is exactly how a solar eclipse feels for me!

>35 msf59: never seen an episode! But do want to read the books :)

>55 msf59: The 1967 film is probably a must-see! Thank goodness for our local video store, which has an extensive library of old, art house, documentary and music DVDs. I love it.
We just watched a film about the bands, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and the Dandy Warhols (who we are seeing next month!!!!! I CANNOT wait). It was a great film, and showed how drug use wrecked the one band's prospects of "success" (depending, of course, on how you define that word).

Eta: from last thread, I am watching the old Anne of Green Gables. A real nostalgia trip! (With Megan Follows.) I love the relationship that develops between Anne and her step-mother. It is cleverly portrayed. Lenny wasn't that keen, until he spotted a traction engine and a steam train! Then he was quite happy to sit on my knee and watch with me :)

>72 ChelleBearss: Big warm waves to Chelle!

>73 katiekrug: Hi, Katie! Hooray for snagging a copy of The Last Ballad. We will have to compare notes. I hope to bookhorn it in, in a month or so. I have a bundle of story collections, I would like to get to first.

>75 MickyFine: Hi, Micky! Great to see you, stranger. I wonder what is was about the film Bonnie & Clyde that didn't appeal. I first saw it when I was a young teen and fell in love with it, immediately, although seeing that kind of violence on screen, back then, was a bit jarring for a mere lad.

Hi there, Mark. While I will have the game on tonight, of course, the brand new book by my favorite mystery author, Louise Penny, arrived on my Kindle from the library today so you know what I'll be doing...

At long last, I may actually join you for the AAC in September.

>76 m.belljackson: I did not know, that birdhouses, were put up and taken down, Marianne, with the seasons. It shows you how much of an expert I am. Grins...

Hey, at least we are in agreement about keeping the feeders up, year-round.

>77 weird_O: Love the owl in flight, Bill. One day, I will get to see one, that close. Fingers crossed. Hope you are enjoying the Dickens.

>78 LovingLit: Hi, Megan. Read that Eclipse essay if you get a chance. It really dazzles. I saw that film about The Brian Jonestown Massacre, quite a few years ago and found it very interesting.

Hooray for the Bonnie & Clyde film, but reading the "real" story, shows how much was romanticized and that they were clearly cold-blooded killers.

I do not think I have seen that version of Anne of Green Gables. I am not sure if I ever saw any version, to be honest.

Oh and, btw, I've started a September Series & Sequels thread. It's at: http://www.librarything.com/topic/268378

>80 lindapanzo: Hooray for the new Inspector Gamache, Linda. Enjoy! I should get back to that series. I read the first 7. Someday?

Glad you are thinking of joining us for next month's AAC. Do you have a collection picked out? I have about 10...sighs.

Go Cubs!

>83 msf59: Probably a collection of mystery short stories.

Shoot! You can't go wrong there, can you? Grins.

I am meeting friends in La Grange for dinner and brews. I will be back...

>85 msf59:

From thread a long while back >

Now that you have finished Charlotte's Web,
here comes this quote from August/September 2017 birdsandblooms.com. -

When author E.B. White recorded the audio book for Charlotte's Web,
it took him 17 takes to get through the titular spider's death scene without crying.

>81 msf59: I do not think I have seen that version of Anne of Green Gables. I am not sure if I ever saw any version, to be honest.
Come for the trains, stay for the character development :)

>77 weird_O: That is amazing!!!!

>86 m.belljackson: Aww. That is rather sweet.

>86 m.belljackson: Wow! That is really something, about White and the narration. I am so glad I did the audio on that one.

>87 LovingLit: So you are recommending it? Grins...

>88 EBT1002: Howdy, Ellen.

Oh dear. Poor EB White. I can never quite get over that we watched some kind of filled version at school, and I got teased at break for having the same name. Loooong memory here.

>64 msf59: The Louise Penny event was wonderful, Mark. The staycation is going well so far. I am looking forward to getting the bookshelves in some kind of order - not sure anymore if there are enough shelves for all the books so will need to read and recycle more quickly.

Morning, Mark!

>90 charl08: Poor Charlotte. Now, you are making me weep.

>91 Familyhistorian: Glad you had a great time at the Penny event, Meg. One day I will get back to that series. Good luck with the book arranging. It can be frustrating but it is always nice to hold those books in your hand, now and then.

>92 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

>83 msf59: Oh yes, definitely go back to the Louise Penny series! My favourite time of year is August when she releases her next book :)

>94 ChelleBearss: Morning, Chelle! You are up early! I am just heading out to work. Yes, I will get back to the Gamache series.

^I will get the AAC Short Story thread up tonight. 'K? start combing the stacks. I know I have a fistful.

Good morning, Mark, and happy Wednesday to you!

I'm glad the weather is cooperating for your work days right now.

I still have hummingbirds, but fewer, and have probably filled the feeders for the last time this summer. We leave our other feeders up year round. I'm getting excited about the change in season and potential new birds to see.

I've got the new Louise Penny coming on Friday - I have Chelle to thank for alerting me that there was one out. It's a good series, still, even if I find her writing style a bit more annoying than in the early books.

Hey Mark! Happy new thread! I'll be waiting for the library to get season 7 of GOT before I view it. The previews I've seen look pretty good but I've got to admit, for me, watching season 6 was tedious. Same old same ole. *shrugs*

>97 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. Not sure how much longer our hummingbirds will stick around. I'll just monitor the levels in the meantime. The squirrels are back attacking the suet feeder. Sighs...

Hooray for the new Penny!

>98 Carmenere: Morning, Lynda. Good to see you. I agree, season 6 was poorly paced but season 7 moves at a fast clip. Maybe a bit too quick, for my taste, but plenty to enjoy here.

Morning, Mark!

I'm sure Jesse and his bride are eating up GOT. I get the idea, but they lost me when they killed off Sean Bean way back when. That's the guy who plays Sharpe, for goodness' sakes. You can't kill him off.

More great weather. Wish we could ship some of it to Texas. We'll be out and about soon; our usual workout got canceled, so we're footloose and fancy-free. I'm reading one that might be in your future, the conclusion to that award-winning N.K. Jemison sci-fi trilogy, and one that probably isn't, an old-time London set mystery.

We set December for that group read of Independent People, one I know you loved.

>100 jnwelch: Morning, Joe. It is a beauty out here. I have not read Jemison. Do you think I would like this? I know, I am hesitant reading a series or a trilogy, unless the warbling elevates it, onto my radar.

Hooray for a Group Read of Independent People. Great choice.

Good morning, Mark! I hope all is well.

>96 msf59: A couple come to mind. 'The Lottery', 'The Most Dangerous Game', 'Gift of the Magi'. I'll be watching this one.

>101 msf59: That's a hard one - would you like the N.K. Jemison trilogy starting with The Fifth Season. There's a bit of Nnedi Okafor about it, IMO, and I know you like her books.

She sets up a very interesting society featuring "orogenes" who can manipulate, on a local basis, earth's structure and composition, and things like weather, to various degrees, depending on the level of their skill. They're often oppressed or killed by those without that talent, due to fear. But their skills become more important as the earth descends into dire straits. There's a lot more to it, including other types of characters and the almost personality-filled roles of the earth, moon and other objects in the sky. I've seen the series called "science fantasy", and that's about as close as you can get to categorizing it.

What gives me pause for you is the length of it if you don't like it, or if it's meh for you. I guess in the end I do think it's worth your getting the first one from the library and giving it a go. You'll know pretty quickly whether it's for you or not, methinks. If you do like it, then it's really well done and cleverly thought through, and you'll have a great thought-provoking ride.

#100
Oh yes you can kill Sharpe. There is a running joke that Sean Bean gets killed in every movie he is in. The only exception is the Sharpe series, and that wasn't made as a movie. It was a TV series. But then so is Game of Thrones, and he dies in it.

But wasn't the Richard Sharpe series a great good read! I saved money each month to buy those books because I thought they were so good. That was back when I was a poor struggling person just getting her first job. I thought the BBC production of the series was so good I purchased the VHS of it and I didn't even own a VCR player.

>102 brodiew2: Hi,Brodie. We would love for you to tag along on next month's AAC. I rarely read single short stories, outside of a collection but I will definitely encourage it, when I set up the thread. I also loved The Lottery and The Most Dangerous Game.

>103 jnwelch: Hi, Joe. Thanks for taking the time to answer my query on Jemison. She definitely looks like someone, I would enjoy. I am going to see if I can track down The Fifth Season on audio and take it from there. Sound good?

>104 benitastrnad: I read the first couple of Sharpe books, way back BLT and liked them, but never returned to them, much like the Master & Commander series, which I even liked more and I think I read 5 of those.

^September AAC Thread is up. Stop by and let us know what story or collection of stories you will be reading:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/268496

^I am deep into Go Down Together. Damn, this is good. What a thrilling, informative story. Guinn has earned a spot on the coveted NNF Author List!

>108 msf59: Is the real story a lot different than the Bonnie and Clyde movie, Mark?

Good morning, Mark! Happy Thursday to you.

I finished Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and it changed from me liking it to me disliking it on about page 300. I persevered, though, in anticipation of writing a snarky review, which will be on my thread in a while.

>108 msf59: I went through a phase of reading about the 1920s and 1930s US gangsters when in my teens and remember that Bonnie wrote poetry. Has this book talked about that at all?

>109 Familyhistorian: Yes, Bonnie and Clyde's lives were much different than the film version, which condenses everything down and adds an alluring romanticized sheen. The film does touch on many key moments though, but no question these people were cold-blooded killers.

>110 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. What didn't you like and Miss Peregrine? Sorry, to hear it took a bad turn.

Yes, Bonnie Parker's poetry is mentioned in the book and some it is read. Actually, Blanche, Buck Barrow's wife also wrote some poetry, that was included.

Morning, Mark! I'm happy to hear that the B&C book is working so well for you! I may have to add it to the list...

^I am starting Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives today. Joe and his dear wife, Debbi have both warbled about this one and Joe lent me his copy. I am all ready to be inspired and enlightened. There may be a special glow emanating from me, as I stroll the route.

I also owe a couple of reviews. I will try to konck out one tonight.

>112 scaifea: Morning, Amber! OMG, is Go Down Together good and it works great on audio too.

>104 benitastrnad: No!! I'm a Member of the Don't Kill Sean Bean's Character club, Benita. Admittedly, our meetings are often filled with sorrow and frustration.

Aren't those Sharpe books great reads? I used to re-read them, and I'd like to get back to that. I wish he'd come out with a new one, but he's filled the Napoleonic War timeline (time beaker?) to the brim, so that may be hard.

Sweet Thursday, Mark!

Did Debbi and I warble once or twice about Sum: Forty Tales? :-) I hope you get as big a kick out of it as we did.

>115 jnwelch: Morning, Joe. Sweet Thursday. I will start Sum in just a little while. Another beauty out here. Sure, makes my work day a bit easier.

Happy Thursday, Mark!! Enjoy the Forty Tales during work today. : ) My son has his first of the season HS soccer game today!

>117 Berly: Sweet Thursday, Kimmers. Wishing your son good luck, with his first soccer game.

Happy Thursday, Mark. A four-day weekend ahead for me, after today.

I'm still reading (and loving) the new Louise Penny, Glass Houses. Didn't get much reading in yesterday since I went to my niece's home swim meet. Only one free day during the 4-day weekend but maybe I can finish.

Hi, Mark! I hope you're enjoying your Thursday.

>107 msf59: I'll drop into the thread if I can figure out what I might want to read next month. I've more than a few collections of short stories kicking around, but the next I was planning to tackle would be more thematically appropriate for a Halloween read, so I'll have to find something else.

>119 lindapanzo: Hooray for a 4-day weekend, Linda. Enjoy! I have Tuesday off next week, so I have a 3fer coming up, plus I miss the holiday crunch day. Sweet!

Glad you are having a good time with the new Penny.

>120 harrygbutler: Hi, Harry. I had a very good Thursday, for a work day, that is. No complaints. I hope you can find a story collection. I am never short of those around here.

>121 msf59: I thought of you today, Mark, when a man at work (who has a booming voice) was telling his son that his mother has "mandatory overtime." I think she works for an airlines but they've got it now, probably due to Harvey. She definitely does not work for the USPS.

>122 lindapanzo: Thanks for thinking of me, Linda and boo to mandatory overtime. I had to do an hour yesterday but it hasn't been bad, the past two weeks. Let's hope that continues.

104) The Heavenly Table by Donald Ray Pollock 4.4 stars

“That’s the one good thing about this here life. Nothin’ in it lasts for long.”

It is 1917, in the deep south. We are introduced to the Jewett family. Pearl Jewett, a widower, with a God complex and his three young sons, Cane, Chimney, and Cobb. They are dirt poor and struggling but Pearl tells the boys, their reward, will be a seat at the “Heavenly Table”, if they live a straight and narrow life. The father suddenly dies, they lose the farm and the boys are adrift. Of course, they turn to a life of crime.

The second narrative, follows Ellsworth Fiddler, a farmer from Ohio, who also is leading a hardscrabble life and has been recently swindled out of his life savings.

The third narrative, is a wealthy young man, who becomes an officer in the military, gearing up for WWI. He is also struggling with his sexual identity.

How the author ties these stories together, is one of the joys of this novel. He also populates the book with a vast array of quirky and dangerous characters. There is plenty of dry humor here and sudden bursts of violence. It has it all. This is my third Pollock read and he never disappoints. This one has not caught fire, like his first two, but it deserves wider recognition. If you liked The Sisters Brothers, you will like this one.

>89 msf59: Me? recommending Anne of Green Gables? I haven't even read the book! *shock*

>144 msf59: Wow, you paint a good picture of this one! I was a fool not to read The Sisters Brothers when I had my hands on it.

Eta: >113 msf59: OOOOOH. I loved this one too. :) I ended up sharing the love by posting it to RL friend of mine who was struggling with the death of a friend. It certainly made me look at death from a different angle.

>125 LovingLit: Hi, Megan. Hope you are having a good week. I hope you can find another copy of The Sisters Brothers. Good stuff.

I am having a good time with Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives. It is fun and thoughtful. I did not realize you had read it.

>124 msf59: Looks a real winner. Thanks for the review, Mark.

Hmm, if The Heavenly Table is anything like The Sisters Brothers, I might have to look out for it!
Today I saw a couple more seagull fledgings. They are big guys and all grey. This pair had a branch with some berries on it and were sharing it back and forth. Interesting seeing them forage for food and share a bit of food. No heartbreak today for me, those two seemed to be in control of what was going on, no crying for mom and dad!

Morning, Mark! We're hip deep in First Day of School excitement here at Scaife Manor (and yes, I realize it's not even 5:30 yet, but Charlie's been up since 5am).

>127 PaulCranswick: Hi, Paul. Yes, Pollock is a treasure around here. A darker, more profane Haruf.

>128 vancouverdeb: Hi, Deb. Yah, for The Sisters Brothers. You might like The Heavenly Table, although it is a bit more darker and lurid, than that one.

>129 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Happy Friday! Good luck at the Scaife Manor. I know it is bittersweet for you, but you will tough it out.

Happy Friday to you Mark! We're getting quite a bit of rain here in central NC. One of my indoor-outdoor kitties loves to go out in it. She was coming upstairs, all spiky-fur, as I was heading down to coffee, LT, and books, and she rubbed up against my leg - eek! Cold and wet.

I'll be interested in hearing about Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives.

Morning, Karen. Happy Friday! We are dry here and could use some rain. Stay dry there, my friend.

I am enjoying Sum. Fun, little book. Well, I am off to work...

Happy Friday, buddy.

Good review of The Heavenly Table! I'll be getting to Knockemstiff soon. I'm glad Sum: Tales is working for you.

That Naomi Shahib Nye selected poems collection is really good, as you said. She's such a natural writer; it just flows right along.

Good morning, Mark! I hope you have a great weekend.

>124 msf59: Excellent review. I enjoyed The Sisters Brothers so I may give this one a try at some point.

I am going to put in a shameless plug for the Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard. They would make good listening while you work titles. Or for a long road trip. This turned out to be a great series and even though it is 18 hours to get to Kansas and back here to work it turned out to not be enough time to completely finish what I thought was a trilogy. However, I learned that this is an ongoing series and there are now four books in the series with the promise of more installments to come. That is a good thing as this series, while it sometimes gets overwrought with to much teen angst, has been a very pleasant surprise.

The introductory title in the series, Red Queen was a world building novel that had an inventive take on the standard YA dystopian fantasy. The series did not suffer the second book slump syndrome. Glass Sword was as exciting a book as the first. The third book King's Cage was somewhat of a surprise as the author changed up the literary writing style by using a different point-of-view approach. Distinctive sections of the novel are written from the point-of-view of three characters. Mare, the heroine of the story is one character. Cameron, a secondary character introduced in the second novel is another and the third is Evangeline, who is an anti-hero in the previous novels and continues that role in the third one. The addition of the last two as major players in the series was a surprise. And surprise! The surprise worked for me. It added some spice and kept the series fresh. It also helped that I was listening to this novel. The narrator for the series is first rate, but in this third novel there are two other readers. Each character in the novel gets their own distinctive voice, not only in the literary sense but in the literal sense. This technique worked very well.

If you are looking for a series to listen to - I would highly recommend this one.

Of course, I realize that you only have so many hours of work time and so you have to pick and choose what you listen to while you work. I also hesitate to recommend dystopian novels because sometimes they just don't work for everybody. I had a hard time figuring out the appeal of Hunger Games and Divergent, but I really like this one.

>129 scaifea:. That'll change - Charlie getting up early. Michael, who's in 11th, takes it as a point of pride to get up at the absolute last possible moment to get to school.

Now today, he has off, which means he was up early. I don't get teenagers. :)

Hi there -

Read the Descender Vol. 4: Orbital Mechanics last weekend. I just love this series.

I also finally read My Favorite Thing is Monsters and everyone was right. Spectacular.

We've kept up with Game of Thrones. It's going to be a long wait until the final season. I heard there's a 'making of' series they're posting about season 7. It's called The Game Revealed but I haven't had a chance to look it up yet.

That Bonnie and Clyde audio sounds intriguing. Good to hear you're liking it. I have Au

I'm getting the new Wiley Cash too. Yay!!

We have hummingbirds that stay all year so all our feeders are up year round.

A great 2-0 win for our Cubs today but boy, was it chilly at the ballpark.

>133 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe! Cool breeze in Chicagoland, but another nice one, IMHO. Hope you enjoy Knockemstiff and I am glad you are having a good time with the Naomi Shahib Nye collection.

>134 brodiew2: Happy Friday, Brodie. Glad you liked the review. Hooray for The Sisters Brothers. That one was such a gem.

>135 benitastrnad: I have no problem with shameless plugs, Benita. Plug away. The Red Queen trilogy sounds like a fun one. I will see if I can find the first on audio.

>136 mahsdad: "I don't get teenagers." I don't get young adults either, Jeff.

>137 SuziQoregon: Happy Friday, Juli! Great to see you. Hooray for My Favorite Thing is Monsters! Isn't it amazing? I will have to look for the next Descender. I really like that series.

I finished Go Down Together today and it was fantastic. Another stellar NNF title. And hooray for GOT, the new Wiley Cash and year-round hummingbirds.

>138 lindapanzo: Hooray for the Cubs, Linda. You saw a good game. Hope you dressed warm enough. There was a cool breeze, here in the suburbs.

105) The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Ehrlich 4.2 stars

“In the Great Plains, the vistas look like music, like Kyries of grass, but Wyoming seems to be the doing
of a mad architect- tumbled and twisted, ribboned with faded, deathbed colors, thrust up and pulled down as if the place had been startled out of a deep sleep and thrown into pure light.”

“Everything in nature invites us constantly to be what we are. We are often like rivers: careless and forceful, timid and dangerous, lucid and muddied, eddying, gleaming, still.”

“Ranchers are midwives, hunters, nurturers, providers, and conservationists all at once. What we’ve interpreted as toughness—weathered skin, calloused hands, a squint in the eye and a growl in the voice—only masks the tenderness inside.”

In the late 1970s, Gretel Ehrlich traveled to Wyoming on a work assignment. She was also grieving over the death of her beloved partner. She became entranced by this wild and unruly place and decided to stay. These essays describe the wonder and the beauty that she discovered during her time there and she ended up purchasing an old, ramshackle ranch, that she fell in love with. Ehrlich is no city slicker or shrinking violet. She became a sheepherder and a cowboy, living in incredibly harsh conditions. One, tough scrappy woman. She even survives a lightning strike. She is also a very gifted writer. Fans of Terry Tempest Williams will love this excellent collection. This author is completely new to me but I think she deserves much more attention.

>141 msf59: - You know, I had a copy of this very book and until you mentioned it here, I had forgotten about it. I think I started it, then lent it to someone. Clearly, I never got it back and have now forgotten who I lent it to! I do remember that it was the title that drew me to pick the book up in the first place. Good to hear that you enjoyed it. I will have to look for it at the library

Mark -

Work has been too busy for me to keep up with LT, including thread. I am glad that you enjoyed Solace. I read it when it was first published!

Have you heard of Noah Strycker's BIRDING WITHOUT BORDERS, coming from Harcourt on 10/10? I followed him during parts of his quest, but didn't know there was going to be a book. Although it makes sense. :)
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/birding-without-borders-noah-strycker/112535029...

>142 jessibud2: I only recently heard about The Solace of Open Spaces, Shelley, but I am drawing a complete blank, where I heard about her. Regardless, she is a terrific nature/outdoor writer and I hope you can track down a copy. It is very short, less than 150 pages.

>143 alphaorder: Hi, Nancy. Of course, you were one of the first ones I thought of, while reading The Solace of Open Spaces. Glad to hear, that you have also read and enjoyed it. Have you read anything else by her?

"Birding Without Borders" sounds like a good one. Thanks for the heads-up.

Hi Mark. Goodness, I was so far behind with your thread but have caught up now and have taken a number of BBs. Go Down Together, and The Heavenly Table both sound excellent! I wish I could fit in the AAC this month as I just picked up a copy of American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell. I have been wanting to read this book of short stories every since I read Campbell's Once Upon A River. Unfortunately I am committed to a number of other challenges in September. The other day I was in a book store and had The Magpie Murders in my hand but I decided to go with Fellside by M.R. Carey instead - you know how I love my zombie stories!

>145 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy! Great to see you. Glad I hit you with a Couple of BBs. I am sure you would love them both, especially Go Down Together.

I hope you can bookhorn in American Salvage. It is an excellent collection. One of my favorites. I am curious what your thoughts will be on Fellside. I loved The Girl With All the Gifts.

We lost Denis Johnson, this past May. I read Tree of Smoke a couple of months ago and had mixed feelings about it, but I have heard nothing but stellar reports about this collection. I am starting it today for the AAC.

BTW- Yesterday I started another story collection on audio, that is a stunner. More on that one later...

Good morning, Mark, and happy Saturday to you!

I just saw a female hummingbird drinking breakfast. Louise says that the males are/will be leaving soon, but the females will be here as late as the end of the month into early October. I've never paid strict attention before, but she does seem to be right in that I'm not seeing hardly any males in the last few days.

Happy Saturday, Mark!

I'm still motoring through the ones I mentioned before. Looks like another beaut of a day. I'm going to be picking up a Lemire I don't know much about - AD After Death, where death has been "cured"?

>148 karenmarie: Morning Karen. Thanks for the hummingbird update. I have not seen any this week due to work but my feeder mixture is down to an inch, so they are feeding.

>149 jnwelch: Morning Joe. Cool start to the day but it is warming up quickly. Should be beautiful.

I have not heard of that Lemire. Dude is on fire.

Hi Mark - Great comments on The Solace of Open Spaces - and I picked up a copy at the library sale! The description reminded me of TTW, so I am glad I was right.

Have a wonderful weekend. The weather is supposed to be stellar here.

Happy weekend, Mark. Big autumne waves from over the pond.

>136 mahsdad: Ha! I know other parents of kids Charlie's age who have the same problem - they have to drag them out of bed for school, but on the weekends they're up bright and early. Charlie gets up between 5am and 6am Every Dang Day. At least he's old enough now that on the weekends, when he comes into our room to tell us he's up, we can mumble at him to just holler if he needs us.

>151 BLBera: Happy Saturday, Beth. I would love to hear your take on Solace. Good stuff and it's a shorty to boot.

>152 Ameise1: Happy Weekend, Barb. Hope can find a little book time.

Just stopping by to wish you a great Labor Day weekend, Mark!

>155 tymfos: Thanks, Terri. Good to see you, stranger! Have a good, holiday weekend too.

^I may have worked today but I have Tuesday off, which is even better. Days after the holiday are usually tough.

Tomorrow morning I have a organized bird walk planned and in the afternoon, I have a Meet-Up scheduled, with Rhonda, who is in town, from Portland. This will take place at a brewery. Like, DUH! Yep, life is good!

>126 msf59:
This is my edition of Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlife. I was drawn to the cool cover, and doubled back as I noticed that the book was endorsed by Brian Eno.

Enjoy your days off! Days off are all the more awesome sandwiched between busy times.

Happy long weekend. Three days off sounds fantastic.

>158 LovingLit: You will have a good time with Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlife, Megan. Cleverly done, plus it's a shorty, always a bonus.

>159 Ameise1: Happy Sunday, Barb. Looking forward to a few days off.

^I started the audio of Mrs. Fletcher. I like Perrotta's easy narrative style, plus he has a wicked sense of humor. The audio has multiple narrators and one is the terrific actress Carrie Coon.

**If you recall, I met Perrotta at a author event, early last month.

My friend who came to visit from the States last month left some of the books she had been reading, one of which was by Perrotta. I only knew his name at all because of your warbling! This book is called Joe College, though I am not sure when I will get to it. She enjoyed it. Have you read it yet?

>162 jessibud2: Morning, Shelley. Not familiar with Joe College. It must have an earlier novel. Glad I put him on your radar. You should try The Leftovers, if you can track it down.

WOW! My August reads, might be the best of the year so far. One hit after another, without one bum steer. It looks like NF dominated, with several stellar reads: Death in the Air, Refuge, Giant of the Senate, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, The Solace of Open Spaces and Go Down Together. I enjoyed my first Highsmith, Strangers on a Train. My reread of Kafka was an absolute joy, as well as my revisit with Charlotte's Web. A nifty mystery with The Magpie Murders. A terrific story collection, with The Girl of the Lake: Stories . Olio, a wildly ambitious poetry collection, will be one of my favorite reads of the year, and I finally got to read The Master and Margarita, thanks to a Group Read. Whew! Now that is heavenly!

Morning, Mark! I'm glad that your August reading was so good!

>165 scaifea: Morning, Amber! My jaw was on the floor, as I was typing up those notes. LOL.

^Heading out on an organized birdwalk. Be back in a few hours...

Happy days off, Mark! Sounds like August was a great reading month for you! Hope September is just as great

Have fun at your meet-up today!

Happy Sunday, Mark! I hope you have some great bird sightings. I expect a report. *smile*

Louise told me this morning that she saw upwards of a dozen Nighthawks last evening, the first of her life! That's pretty amazing since she's been birding for upwards of 60 years. I wanna see them. *pouts*

Oh, hooray and Happy Day Off!

The birdwalks are about to start up again in my area, too as they take a break over the summer. And now I can SEE them!

Lovely round up of your August books and lots of book bullets there.

Hurray for a three day weekend for you, Mark! I know that's a rarity.

I'm so glad Sum: Forty Tales From the Afterlives was a hit with you! Thanks for texting about it. I let Debbi know, and she's happy, too. I just set aside our second copy of it for a re-read.

NarratorLady/Anne was right (no surprise); Blind Justice by Bruce Alexander is excellent, with good period detail (1760s London), and some fun with Samuel Johnson and Boswell. When you're in the mood for a mystery, this is a good one to give a go.

Saw this post on David Abrams's blog and thought of you:
http://davidabramsbooks.blogspot.com/2017/09/sunday-sentence-girl-of-lake-by-bil...

Looking forward to reading the book!

>168 ChelleBearss: Happy Sunday, Chelle. Yes, August was a fantastic reading month. It will be a hard one to beat, but I will try...grins.

>169 karenmarie: Hi, Karen. Bird report to follow. Several lifers added to the list. I have never seen a nighthawk either. I have heard they are migrating though the Midwest at the moment.

>170 streamsong: Happy Sunday, Janet. Please report back, once you start your bird walks. Always interested in that.

Glad you took a few BB hits. Always the goal around here.

>171 jnwelch: Happy Sunday, Joe. My three day holiday is off to a fine start, with a successful bird walk this morning and a Meet Up this afternoon.
Blind Justice does sound good. Thanks for the warble.

>172 alphaorder: Thanks, for the link, Nancy. I hope you enjoy The Girl of the Lake: Stories as much as I did. I will get the book out this week.

^Well, this was definitely a highlight of my birdwalk today, at Fermi Lab, in Batavia. Soaring high above the small lake there, for quite awhile. Brilliant, with the sun playing off it's head and it's tail. I have seen many balds before but it has been a rare occurrence in Illinois. They are becoming more common here.

I added several more Lifers to the list today. All, shorebirds or wading birds. Sandpipers and Killdeer. With my highlights being a Sora and a Least Bittern. Plenty of herons, egrets and cormorants too.

Of course, we did see a couple warblers too- a common yellow-throat and a palm. B.A.G.

-Sora. It is part of the Rail family. What a beauty. I love that little white tail. Reminds me of a deer's tail.

>175 msf59:. Love it!

Great photos! - the only visible birds up here in Token Creek are Mourning Doves and an occasional faraway hawk -

plenty of little toads and we helped two turtles make it across the roads.

Big fat groundhog greeting me on the front porch.

I'll be happy NOT to see him again until February - those are some fierce looking front teeth!

>178 m.belljackson: Happy Sunday, Marianne. Sorry, to hear your bird sightings have been limited. My feeders have been hopping lately. Hummingbirds, finches, nuthatches, chickadees and downys.

We rarely see a groundhog. Too urban, I guess.

^I had a lovely Meet Up today, with Rhonda and Wendy. They were in town, from Portland, to attend a wedding. We met at Overtime Bar & Grill for lunch. Their specialty is bacon and then we went across the street to Noon Whistle Brewery. I was worried there may be a lull in conversation, for a time or two. I was WRONG! Non-stop chatter. They then, departed for the airport. Safe travels!

**Yes, I appear to have a crazed look on my face but make no mistake, it is a joyful expression.

Ah, good times with LTers (stellar ones from my neck of the woods, no less!) Mark, glad you had such great August reads. Keep it coming for September!!

Another LT meet-up that you enjoyed. Great! It is easy to talk to LT people as there are all those books!

How is the Noon Whistle Brewery? Good beer?

I forgot to tell you - you got me with a BB with solace of Open Spaces. Put it on my wishlist.

I went to the huge Used Bookstore in Birmingham yesterday and got 5 used recorded books, so I am set for the semester with books to listen to. I took a bunch of them to sell and got $11.00 for them, but that let me get a free recorded book, so I'm good.

As soon as I finish listening to the second book in the Septimus Heap series (children's book series) I will be listening to George Caudel read the Longmire novella The Highwayman.

>160 msf59: I already did have a good time with Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlife! A few years back. ;)
I even copied out (by hand) two of the stories to share with friends who I thought might like them, which reminds me, I must write them out more neatly and give them to them.

>180 msf59: Awesome meet up! Once more, the LT people connect in RL. It is so cool.

ETA: I must have missed you reading The Solace of Open Spaces. I very much like that author, and also enjoyed....*yikes* I can't remember the title...I'll be back to edit (again ) with the title :)
It was This Cold Heaven. What great reads, the both of them!! Reminds me a little of Annie Dillard.

>181 Berly: Hi, Kimmers! Yep, had a great time gabbing with Rhonda & Wendy. My kind of book people.

>182 benitastrnad: Hi, Benita. We really like Noon Whistle Brewery. It is in the western suburbs and I especially like the fact that it is on my way home from work. Yep, good beer.

Glad I got your attention with Ehrlich. I am looking forward to reading more of her work. Have a good time with the Longmire audios. As you know I am a big fan too.

>184 LovingLit: Hi, Megan. Glad to hear you also had a good time with Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlife. I am also glad to hear you have read Gretel Ehrlich, who was recently an unknown author to me. I think you would really like The Solace of Open Spaces and I will keep my eye out for This Cold Heaven. I agree with you on the Dillard comparison and I would also include Terry Tempest Williams, who I adore.

^The Radium Girls is currently available for 3 bucks on Kindle. A veritable steal, for a terrific read. Just sayin'...

Hey Mark! looks like you're having a splendid weekend! Keeping an eye out for your thoughts on Mrs. Fletcher as that's been on my radar.
Enjoy the rest of your extended weekend!

Ooo! Off to Kindle to purchase ^

>187 Carmenere: Morning, Lynda! Happy Monday. I am really enjoying Mrs. Fletcher. Have you read Perrotta before?

Good move on The Radium Girls.

Good morning, Mark, and happy Labor Day to you!

Your birdwalk sounds absolutely heavenly. I'm glad you got to add a few lifers.

I'd like to see less ground hogs. They have learned to climb my vegetable garden fencing and eat the pole beans. Dratted things.

>178 m.belljackson: Marianne - We call helping turtles make it across the roads "turtle rescues"! Not so many recently, but many, many over the years. I made the mistake of trying to help a foot-long snapping turtle get out of the road near my house about 15 years ago, and he kept hissing and turning to face me before I gave up and carefully drove around him. It's become quite a family story.

>189 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. Happy Labor Day. Hooray for lifers and turtle rescues! Boo, to climbing groundhogs.

Glad to see that you had another successful meet up! Enjoy your days off

106) Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde by Jeff Guinn 4.8 stars

I remember seeing a double feature, in the early 70s, that included Bonnie and Clyde and Bullitt. I liked Bullitt, especially the famous car chase but I fell hard for Bonnie and Clyde. Truly one of the great American films. I had always wanted to read more about them, but never did, outside of an occasional true crime anthology. Once I heard about Go Down Together, I knew I had to read it and it turned out to be an excellent biography.
However, fantastic the 1967 film was, it romanticized the infamous couple, casting them as tragic folk heroes. They were anything but. They were dirt poor kids, living in West Dallas, during the depression and Clyde Barrow slid steadily into a life of crime and eventually brought Bonnie Parker, along for the ride. They were not daring bank robbers, but two-bit hold up thieves, with an uncanny way of escaping the law. Clyde also became a cold-blooded killer, gunning down several law enforcement officers. They were only in their early 20s when they met their infamous fate.
This was a well-researched, page-turning bio, meticulously detailing the lives of this notorious couple, their families and the lawmen that finally tracked them down. Highly recommended.

**I want to thank Jim, the Good Doctor, for putting this one on my radar.

Morning, Mark! Yay for meet-ups!!

Morning, Mark!

I'll have to come back to read the reviews, but that looks and sounds like a great meetup with Rhonda and Wendy.

Hope you have a relaxing and enjoyable Labor Day, buddy.

>191 ChelleBearss: Big Monday waves to Chelle! Yah, for Meet Ups!

>193 scaifea: Morning, Amber! We do like our Meet Ups, don't we?

>194 jnwelch: Morning, Joe. We had a lovely Meet Up and yes, your name was mentioned once or twice. Grins...

>186 msf59: I am currently enjoying Radium Girls, so jump on that Kindle deal!!

I want Go Down Together, but I don't want to go down, if you catch my drift.

Happy Labor Day. Hope the cookout hits the spot!

>189 karenmarie:

You must have REALLY STRONG Garden Fences - if my hefty Front-Porch-Greeting-Jimmy The Groundhog
(local Sun Prairie prognosticator) climbed anything but a chain fence, it would likely have bent to the ground.

I too remember a long ago snapping turtle rescue.

We lived for years in a rental house on 350 acres in Wisconsin's Driftless Area.
(a true paradise, even with the rattlesnake scare)

Every Autumn, after the corn was harvested, a female snapper would, ever so slowly,
climb from the quarter acre pond, head across the driveway
and over the cornfield to the stream where she laid her eggs.

The one time we saw her sitting still in the middle of the driveway, I went to move her as we'd moved smaller ones,
then jumped back when she fiercely turned on me. We were still afraid that a car or truck driver might not see her
and so encouraged her along by pushing gently with a hoe when she went into her shell. All ended well.

Happy labor day, Mark! We both really enjoyed our meet-up, and what a fun bar! Hope you have a great barbeque.

Enjoy your days off, Mark. Sounds like they are off to a good start. I am on the second week of a two week vacation right now but overall don't have too many working days left.

Morning, Mark! Happy Tuesday Off, friend!!

>196 Berly: thanks, Kim. We had a nice cookout. Sue put on a fantastic spread and of course, I supplied excellent brew.
Hope you are enjoying The Radium Girls if that is the correct expression.

>197 m.belljackson: Love the snapper story, Marianne and I am glad it had a happy ending.

>198 banjo123: Hi, Rhonda. I also had a nice time visiting with you both and the cookout was perfect. Hope you enjoyed the holiday too.

>199 Familyhistorian: Hi, Meg. Hope you are having a lovely time on your vacation. I think I am going to enjoy a kick back day today, with the books. Maybe a short hike later. Must be exciting to have that retirement looming large.

>200 scaifea: Morning, Amber! I was hoping to sleep in a bit today, but no such luck...sighs. Hope to spend plenty of time with the books today.

108) The Graybar Hotel: Stories by Curtis Dawkins 4.5 stars (audio)

This collection of fourteen stories, centers around life in a penitentiary. Most are presented in the first person and the reader is taken along as the prisoner makes his way through his daily grind, living behind bars. There are two big surprises here: First off, I was amazed at the author's high level of craftsmanship. The writing is strong and fluid. It is introspective and laconic, with flashes of well-needed humor. The second revelation, is that the author, is serving a life sentence for murder. Dawkins earned an MFA, from Western Michigan University in 2000, but had always struggled with substance abuse issues. One night, in 2004, he smoked crack and was involved in a botched robbery and shot and killed an innocent man. He expresses his deep remorse in the acknowledgments.
I am very glad to have discovered this collection and I hope to spread the word.

Good morning, Mark! Enjoy your day off!

>175 msf59: >176 msf59: Glad you had a great bird walk. I'm pretty sure I've never seen a sora — they can be found around here, but I've not been fortunate with them.

The Cape May Hawk Watch has started. It will be a couple weeks before we make it down ourselves, I think, but the numbers are already impressive: 76 ospreys yesterday, and among non-raptors, around 600 American redstarts.

>204 harrygbutler: Morning, Harry and thanks. I am looking forward to a relaxing day. Hooray for ospreys and redstarts. Two of my favorites.

^I also saw a Least Bittern on Sunday. A lifer. Very cool bird:

"A tiny heron, furtive and surpassingly well camouflaged, the Least Bittern is one of the most difficult North American marsh birds to spot. Despite its inconspicuousness, however, the species can be rather common within appropriate habitat in its breeding range."

^I saw Bittern in the same spot, I saw the Sora and there was also a Green Heron, which are always neat to see.

Good morning, Mark! Another day off, I hope you enjoy it.

>197 m.belljackson: I do have strong fences. Rather than clutter up Mark's thread with a pic of my garden, I've posted one on my thread. I love your snapping turtle story, too. A hoe would have worked wonders, just didn't have one handy.....

>207 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen. So far, so good. Just reclining with the books...

^I started The Punch Escrow. This is a debut science fiction novel, set in 2147 and teleportation is the main theme. I snagged this one at ALA. I am trying to read at least 2 of my ALA books every month. Not always easy with the constant flood of books flowing through my life.

This one begins very well. Easy narrative...fun and smart.

Good morning, Mark!

>209 msf59: This looks interesting. I look forward to your further thoughts.

>210 brodiew2: Hi, Brodie! Yep, The Punch Escrow is off to a fine start. Looking forward to reading more of it, this afternoon. This might just be your cuppa, as well.

^What a perfect reading day. I could not have planned it better. I finished Jesus' Son, (terrific) and I am over 80 pages into The Punch Escrow. This is reminding of how fun Dark Matter was. I hope it stays on course. On the GN front, I finished Freaks of the Heartland, (creepy as hell) and started Death Note, the first in a manga series. And as far as poetry goes, I finished My Heart Flooded With Water and I started Elegy, Owed, (one, Joe recommended). The only thing missing was any audiobook time but I will surely get over that.

B.A.G.

Hi Mark, sounds like it was a good reading day all right.

I had to work today but I'm off again tomorrow. A friend, her grandson from Pittsburgh, and I are going to see Hamilton.

Hi Mark! I never seem to catch up with your zippity fast thread so I am rather happy to say, I did catch up today! Love all the bird sightings and the book talk.

>213 lindapanzo: Yep, great off day, Linda. Now, I am watching the Cubbies! Let's get back on track. Have a great time at Hamilton. I am jealous.

>214 lkernagh: Hi, Lori! Great to see you. Yes, things can get zippity fast around here. Hope all is well with you and yours.

Mark - I think the Red-winged Blackbirds taking off so early this year was definitely a sign -

it's freezing up here in Token Creek!

>192 msf59: Thanks for the shout out! I'm glad you liked it. Now go read his book on the gunfight at the OK Corral... 😀

>216 m.belljackson: You might be right, Marianne. Cool here today. Might get down to 40 over night. Lots of activity at the feeders too. Another sign?

>217 drneutron: The OK Corral book is on the list, Jim. He is now an author I will follow anywhere.

>202 msf59: Sounds like your day off was much more pleasant than my vacation day, Mark. I hope you had a great time with the books. I got to spend 2 hours in the dentist's chair - one of the joys of retirement is the loss of dental coverage *sigh*. It would have been hot here today but our skies are smoky again. Not as bad as in Seattle though where ash is actually falling from the sky.

>215 msf59: Very disappointing loss.

>219 Familyhistorian: Hi, Meg. Sorry, to hear about the dreaded dental visit and all that lousy smoke. Hope it improves.

>220 lindapanzo: 3 in a row. They better start getting fired back up. Time is a tick in'...

>212 msf59:

Hi Mark. Go Down Together sounds really good.

Morning, Mark!

I think you told me once, but I've forgotten - what's a 'lifer'?

>222 Berly: Love the grin!

>223 avatiakh: Hi, Kerry. Great to see you and yes, Go Down Together is a keeper, along with his last book The Road to Jonestown.

>224 scaifea: Morning, Amber. Most birders keep a "Life List", which records all the birds that person has seen. If it is a first-timer, it is a Lifer and since I am still relatively new at this, I am still seeing plenty of new things.

Hi Mark - been awol for a very long time (many many threads I suspect!). Trying to get back in to the swing of things. So just a drive by hi for now!

>226 BekkaJo: Hi, Bekka! Great to see you, stranger. I will have to track down your thread and see what you have been reading.

>225 msf59: Okay, I get it (for now, until I forget again!). Thanks for the explanation!

Morning Mark! Sounds like you had a lovely reading day yesterday! Back to the grind today?

>228 scaifea: No problem, Amber. You know where to find me. Grins...

>229 ChelleBearss: Morning, Chelle. Yep, back to the grind but it looks to be a good day.

>206 msf59: That is a nice looking bird, Mark, how neat you saw one!


Last week I saw a couple of kingfishers flying, two days in a row.

Happy Hump Day!!

>231 FAMeulstee: Yah, for seeing a kingfisher. We have Belted Kingfishers here. I am not sure they are the same. Will have to research.

>232 Berly: Happy Hump Day, Kimmers. Cool and sunny here. Not bad at all. I hope you are managing with all that dreaded smoke.

Just checking in, buddy. I was mentioned at the meetup? Uh-oh. I hope the sheriff doesn't find out where I am. :-)

Two GNs I wanted to mention to you: Monstress Vol. 2 has great art like the first one, and the storyline is much clearer. Someone, I'm pretty sure it was Heather, had said that, and inspired me to try it after the muddled, hard-to-follow first one. Much better.

The other one: have you read any of Brubaker's Fatale series? It reminds me of old time radio ghost stories, only the same female character (her name changes) threads through all of them. I'm on the third, and liking them a lot. The noir flavor also reminds me of that The Fade Out series we all enjoyed so much.

Good morning, Mark!

>192 msf59: excellent review. I forgot to mention it above. It sounds like Clyde was an even worse guy than I thought. I do love a good history.

Nice to see a meetup photo. Always fun.

Looks like I'm going to have to add Go Down Together to my "Mark's Fault" tag.

Love catching up with your latest birding adventures.

Practicing Karamazov avoidance, but I'll snap to it.

Hi Mark! I forgot to wish you good morning! Bad me. I hope you're having a good day, even if it's a work day.

I told daughter today to get some bottled water and non-perishable food. She lives in Wilmington NC and now Irma's tracking up the Florida coast. She may end up coming here, so I also told her to not let her gas tank get below half full. A bit worrisome but it's still early days.

Happy Wednesday, Mark. I hope it's a good one.

>234 jnwelch: Hi, Joe. Glad you are endorsing Monstress Vol. 2. Like you, I had issues with Vol. 1, despite it's gorgeous illustrations. I will have to put it on the list. I have read Fatale and remembered liking it but it has been awhile. I may have to revisit the first one.

>235 brodiew2: Hi, Brodie. Clyde Barrow had some good qualities too. He loved his family and was generous to many people, but gunning people down is not a good attribute. He deserved his fate and since he refused to go back to prison, he was happy to go down in flames.

>236 SuziQoregon: Hi, Juli! Yes, we love our Meet Ups, don't we? Looking forward to my next Portland trip. Next year, perhaps?

I am glad I caught you with a BB on Go Down Together. It is an awesome bio.

>237 weird_O: So does that mean Karamazov has been a chore, Bill? I hope not. I have always wanted to read that one.

>238 karenmarie: Hi, Karen. No worries, my friend. Making the rounds is not always easy. I completely understand. Good luck to your daughter. I hope she comes up and stays with you, just to be on the safe side.

>239 Ameise1: Big Mid-Week Waves to Barb!

Hi Mark, I'm glad you liked The Solace of Open Spaces. I've had it on the shelf for a while but like you, I'm not sure where I heard of it! Probably has something to do with liking Refuge.

You're seeing some great birds of late! I'm going to think about joining in on some bird walks in the area. We had an Eastern Screech Owl in the neighborhood last week. They aren't screechy at all - I love their little whinny call. We also had an osprey circling overhead at the lake on Saturday. I'd have loved to have seen it catch a fish. And 4 or 5 Belted kingfishers were arguing in the trees. Good day - but most of the Pelicans seemed to have moved on and flocks of gulls have moved in. :(

>222 Berly: love that badge, so much more more cheeky than the standard smiley face.

Re: The Solace of Open Spaces, I have read it, and I liked it. But not as much as I'd hoped I would, if I remember correctly. I do love the title though!

Morning, Mark! This is the first day I've woken up to a house that felt a little too chilly. Fall is upon us!

>242 Copperskye: Hi, Joanne. Always good to see you. I hope I have inspired you to pull The Solace of Open Spaces off the shelf. It is a shorty, if that helps at all.

I sure hope you start attending bird walks. The organized ones are my absolute favorites. It's like going to school. Hooray for ospreys and Screech owls. Have still not seen the latter but I enjoy seeing those kingfishers.

>243 LovingLit: Hooray for non-standard smiley faces!

>244 scaifea: Winter is coming, Amber! Sweet Thursday, my friend.

Hi Mark and happy Thursday to you!

It's a nice bright 54F here this morning - with glorious, crisp, early fall day on tap. Of course, it may get hellish next week if Hurricane Irma tracks through NC. Send "turn northeast quickly and go out to sea" thoughts to this killer storm.

I got inspired and just checked out the local Audubon society and the local Nature Conservancy websites. This is a baby step for me, the baby birder.

>247 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. Fingers crossed that Irma turns away and hooray for the baby birder. Hoping that this leads to something.

Swèet Thursday, Mark. Autumne has arrived here, too.

>249 Ameise1: Hi, Barb! It looks like many of us are experiencing early fall weather. No complaints here but I am concerned about the folks in Florida.

^I started the audio of Swing Time. I have had this one on my audio shelf, since the end of last year and now that it has received a Booker Prize nod, I thought it was time to finally queue it up. This will be my 6th off the Booker list and I also have Home Fire waiting in the wings. I usually do not read as many of the Booker nominations but since I had such a terrific head-start, I thought I might as well, keep chipping away.

>251 msf59: I think I got almost halfway through that one (can't remember exactly but it was pretty far) and got increasingly fed up with it and DNF.

You may like it but I didn't like the story or any of the characters, if I recall.

It's been an interesting week. A good friend and her husband were on a Caribbean cruise this week and everyone around the office kept asking me if they were ok. They seem to be a step ahead of the storm. Got out of the Turks and Caicos in time and, as of this morning, racing up Florida in a rental car.

>252 lindapanzo: Hi, Linda! I remember your thoughts on Swing Time. I think it is off to a slower start than I would like but I think it is starting to find a rhythm. I will probably hang in there and finish it.

I am glad to hear your friends are okay, got away okay. Whew.

Bummer, about this rain delay. Crappy timing.

109) Jesus' Son: Stories by Denis Johnson 4.3 stars

“The vine was different every day. Some of the most terrible things that had happened to me in my life had happened in here. But like the others I kept coming back.”

“That moment in the bar, after the fight was narrowly averted, was like the green silence after the hailstorm. Somebody was buying a round of drinks. The cards were scattered on the table, face up, face down, and they seemed to foretell that whatever we did to one another would be washed away by liquor or explained away by sad songs.”

This story collection, feels like a potent brew, cooked up by Ken Kesey, Charles Bukowski and Lou Reed. A hallucinogenic stew of barflies, addicts, mental patients and misfits, living at the bottom or on the fringes of a derelict world. There is sadness and pain in these stories but there is also a glimmer of redemption. Obviously, this not for all tastes, some readers will flee in horror, but I found Johnson's wounded prose a transcendent joy.

“All these weirdos, and me getting a little better every day right in the midst of them. I had never known, never even imagined for a heartbeat, that there might be a place for people like us.”

**I read this for the AAC.

>245 msf59: Well, technically, I've never seen a Screech owl either. But they sure sound pretty!

>254 msf59: I'm not sure that one's for me, as much as I liked Train Dreams.

>255 Copperskye: Sweet Thursday, Joanne. Train Dreams remains my favorite. This collection will not be for everyone, so I understand, but it really worked for me.

>254 msf59: and >255 Copperskye: Yep, I think I'm with Joanne. I loved Train Dreams and Jesus' Son just doesn't appeal.

>251 msf59: I have had Swing Time home from the library twice and just never got around to reading it. Now I think I went ahead and purchased it on my kindle. I'm not very deeply into the 2017 Booker long list but every one I've read so far has been excellent.

Hi Mark! Happy Friday!

Happy Friday, Mark. You have indeed stormy times (weather) in the USA. I hope it won't be too hard for the people.

Mmmmm, Train Dreams. A lovely book. One which I read with glee and then gave to a friend who has an obsession with trains (her stage name is Stanier Black Five).

Morning, Mark! I can't wait to hear what you think of Swing Time! It's on my list...

>257 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen. Good to see you. Yes, Jesus' Son is not for all tastes, so I can't warble everyone into that one. I like the dark & seedy, on occasion.

Hope to get a better feel for Swing Time today.

>258 Ameise1: Happy Friday, Barb. My brother lives in the path of Irma and is having to evacuate. Fingers crossed.

>259 LovingLit: All this chatter about Train Dreams is inspiring me to pick up a "keeper" copy of this one and it would sure be nice to revisit.

>260 scaifea: Morning, Amber! I hope to dig much deeper into Swing Time today. Have you read Smith before? I have only read White Teeth.

>261 msf59: No, I haven't read any of Smith's stuff yet, but I really want to. Soon(ish?).

Happy Friday, Mark! This Booker long list has been a joy to read. They are equally good in some respects. I think it will be the book which has a little something something that kicks it over the edge. Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday, Mark!

I'm about 70% through the YA The Hate U Give, and it's surprisingly good. She has made the racism/police shooting story more complex, evenhanded and realistic than I expected. I'll keep you posted.

>262 scaifea: I want to read more of Smith's backlist.

>263 Carmenere: Morning, Lynda. Not loving Swing Time yet. Hoping for it to kick in gear. This shaping up to be the weakest on the list...so far.

Good morning, Mark, and happy Friday to you!

0 for 2!

>251 msf59: I am not a fan of Zadie Smith. In a minority, I'm sure, but still.

>252 lindapanzo: Short stories, as a rule, just don't appeal to me, and dark and seedy stories are a 180 for me. *smile* I do, however, like dark and seedy, witness the Underworld Series USA by James Ellroy. I've read the first one, loved it, and am going to try to read the second one sometime this year.

Keeping my fingers crossed for your brother's home. I'm glad he's safely evacuated.

>264 jnwelch: Happy Friday, Joe. The Hate U Give has been on my radar, so it is good to hear you are enjoying it. It will get bumped up.

Not bad out here at all.

>266 karenmarie: Ooh, my warbling has taken a hit. I better aim a bit better on the next couple of reads.

Thanks for the kind thoughts on my brother. I will keep the group updated.

>266 karenmarie: You're not the only one. I read close to the first half of Swing Time and just couldn't take it anymore. I gave away my copy.

Happy Friday, Mark. Too bad we couldn't make my being in your area work. I might still call for a Home Run Inn pizza and just bring it home and reheat it, after the swim meet tomorrow.

I hope your brother is safe and his home too.

Happy Friday, Mark! Hope all is well with your brother
Enjoy your weekend

Hi Mark. This hurricane season is terrifying. I also have friends in Naples, Florida and they have told me they are staying. They have their hurricane box ready, they have shuttered. I wish they'd just come here but I think it's probably too late at this point to leave. I add my safe vibes for your brother and family.

>241 msf59: To me it IS a chore. Attitude check! F*** the Karamazovs!

I'm misprimed for the book, I'm afraid. I worked my way about half through last year and then the "Grand Inquisitor" chapter kept putting me to sleep. I said, I don't want this enough. Put it down I did, as Yoda would say. (And heck, maybe he DID say that.) But I'm going to try again. To assuage my hurt fee-fees over missing tomorrow's NYC meet up, I'm going to shop for an edition with annotations. Or read about it first, THEN read it.

In the meantime, I have short stories and Zealot by Reza Aslan to occupy my reading hours.

Keep smilin', Pancho.

HI Mark. I sure had fun reading your thread! Very interesting and lots of wonderful pictures. I'm very inspired to be more active with birding since I live around an hour away from Cape May and their birding activities are available to me. I am living right on a lagoon right now which brings a whole new variety of birds my way. Previously I lived in a very wooded area with a marina at the end of the road, but my house was surrounded by trees. Here there are no trees except what people have put in their yards for decorative foliage. Lots of ducks, swans, water birds and I notice lots of tiny finches around the house too. My phone has a decent camera so maybe I can catch a bird or two in the yard or on the dock. I'll be trying Denis Johnson's books also. They both sound good and I like the "dark and seedy" myself sometimes!

>268 lindapanzo: Happy Friday, Linda. I am finding Swing Time readable. She is a good writer but it is failing to really grab me. I am into the second half now. I think you made the right decision to abandon ship.

>269 Ameise1: Thanks, Barb. I will keep you guys posted.

>270 ChelleBearss: Happy Friday, Chelle! Thanks for asking about my brother. I am sure they will be safe at a motel but I am concerned, that they may not have a house, to return to.

Look at the cool beers I tried last night! Each one has a design of a city on it, and is named after a district. Gastown (Vancouver?), Brixton (London) and Kingsland (Auckland). The Gaston Red IPA was the best.

>274 msf59: It wasn't terrible. I just have so many books that I really want to read so I hate to waste time on ones that disappoint me.

Right now, I am reading a book about football, which is a rarity for me.

>271 jessibud2: Happy Friday, Shelley. They are reporting that a million plus people, are trying to move out of the hurricane's path, in Florida. Yikes! I hope your friends on the Gulf will be okay and I hope my brother still has a place to live on the Atlantic side.

>272 weird_O: " F*** the Karamazov!" LOL. Thanks for the big after-work chuckle, Bill. Sorry, it has been such a chore. I figure, that if I can make it through W & P, I could make it through the Karamazovs...someday, my friend.

>273 mmignano11: Hi, Mary. Great to see you. I am glad I inspired you into doing more "birding". It sounds like you live in a fantastic area, to enjoy this lovely and gratifying hobby. I am jealous. We can trade notes. Sound good?

Your reaction to Swing Time matches others I've heard and read, Mark (and Linda). I liked White Teeth, but haven't read another of hers yet.

I'm probably in an oddball minority, but I really liked The Brothers Karamasov, and actually read it twice.

>275 LovingLit: There is Megan, posting some colorful new beers. You know that is a special weakness of mine. I stopped, on the way home and picked up 2 four-packs for the weekend. Happy Camper, (although I will not be actually camping.)

Hooray for the red IPA!

>276 lindapanzo: I completely understand, about Too Many Books, Linda. I rarely if ever run short of something to read. Hope you enjoy the football book but for me, this is still baseball season. Go Cubbies!

>278 jnwelch: Swing Time reminds me of Americanah, but I much prefer the latter. What surprises me the most here, Joe, is that they nominated this one for the Booker. That means something else, much better, was left off. Sighs...

What kind of friend would I be to not share my delightful new beers with you!!? I will be heading back to the Gaston Red IPA some time soon, and will *cheers* you as I do!

Hi Mark. I hope your brother's place weathers Irma alright. The weather all over the country is just crazy right now --- fires in the west and floods in the south. Armageddon? I hope not.

I have also been quite enjoying this year's Booker long list. I'm reading Elmet right now and I've been engaged but wondering just where it's headed. I think it just took a turn that will elucidate eventually.... And I brought home two more nominees from the library today, Days Without End by Sebastian Barry and Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie. I also have Reservoir 13 in my TBR stacks and Swing Time on my kindle. The oddsmakers are giving Colson Whitehead the predictive nod but, as much as I liked that novel, I actually liked both Exit West and Autumn better. But it's a quibble of a half-star so definitely not statistically significant. :-)

I hope you have a great weekend on tap!

>280 LovingLit: I hope you are able to enjoy some Gaston Read this weekend, Megan and read a bit too. Fingers crossed.

>281 EBT1002: Happy Saturday, Ellen. Hoping for the best in Florida and it sure does feel like Armageddon, especially with the current Commander in Chief in office.

Glad you are enjoying the Booker List. It sure seems to be a strong bunch. I really liked Days Without End. My first Barry. I also have Home Fire, in my audio rotation. Not sure of my favorite so far- It might be a tie between the Saunders and the Whitehead but I did love Autumn as well.

Parasites

I never thought God had any form.
Absolute his life, absolute his rule.
He never had eyes, watches with stars.
He never had hands, punches with seas.
He never had a tongue, talks with thunderbolts.
I will tell you, do not startle;
I know He has parasites: things and men.

-Alfonsina Storni



^I had never heard of this poet but really enjoyed My Heart Flooded With Water. Find the Orlando Ricardo Menes translation. This one is the "bomb".

Alfonsina Storni was born in 1892. She was one of the most important Argentine and Latin-American poets of the modernist period. Storni was born in Sala Capriasca, Switzerland, to Italian-Swiss parents.

Good morning, Mark, and happy Saturday to you!

This afternoon is the US Open Women's Final with Madison Keys and Sloan Stevens - an All-American final that doesn't include Serena or Venus. Amazing and should be a good match. Alas, Roger Federer is out and Nadal is in the final, but I'm hoping that Anderson gives him a good run for his money tomorrow. Who knows, he might even beat Nadal.

I'm still happily reading Magpie Murders. Too much busy-ness yesterday with Friends of the Library stuff and watching tennis. Next up will be A Gentleman in Moscow for October book club discussion.

Wishing you well this weekend and always, buddy.

>284 karenmarie: Morning Karen. I don't follow tennis. I am mainly a baseball guy.

Glad you enjoying Magpie and hooray for A Gentleman in Moscow. Clearly a favorite around here.

>285 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Currently I am strolling the route but it is a beautiful day and I have my books.

Hi Mark, I hope your brother makes out ok in the storm. My sister lives south of Jacksonville but not in a mandatory evacuation zone.

Happy Saturday, Mark.

I reviewed The Hate U Give over on my thread. LOVED it.

You'll be happy to hear I'm about to start Knockemstiff.

I've also got Why Buddhism is True teed up, which I'm hoping is a good one. A writer I like a lot, Adam Gopnik wrote what was, for me, a disappointing review of it in the New Yorker (superficial, missed the point about western Buddhism, IMO). But tucked in there somewhere must've been a rave about the book's overall quality, because here's what Gopnik comment is blurbed in connection with it: “A sublime achievement.” Ha!

Hi Mark, I owe you another big Thank You for steering me in the direction of The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck. I devoured this book very quickly and really enjoyed it both for the story and all the historical details the author included. Another successful book bullet!

>287 Copperskye: Thanks, Joanne. It looks like Irma will track up the Gulf side, which might help my brothers home on the Atlantic side. I have a feeling that this is going to be a bad one.

>288 jnwelch: Happy Saturday, Joe. I will stop over and check out your review, although it might have to be in the morning. I have to race home, shower and get out to St. Charles for a family party.
Hope you enjoy the story collection.

>289 DeltaQueen50: Happy Saturday, Judy. I am so glad you enjoyed The Oregon Trail. I loved that one and still think about it, now and then

I love it, when my warbling pays off.

happy weekend, Mark! I am going to have to get to Denis Johnson soon.

>292 banjo123: Happy Sunday, Rhonda. If you can track down Train Dreams, I think that is the perfect place to start with Johnson.

Good morning, Mark! Have a lovely day off with books and birding.

>294 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. Looking forward to my day. Thanks!

^New Thread is up. Flock on over...