Joe's Book Cafe Door 5

Art by Cameron Stewart

Welcome back to the cafe!

January, 2018

1. Artemis by Andy Weir
2. Bella Poldark by Winston Graham
3. Loose Woman by Sandra Cisneros
4. God Stalk by P.C. Hodgell
5. Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
6. The Tuesday Club Murders by Agatha Christie
7. The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay
8. Bizarre Space A Kid's Guide by Jenn Dlugos and Charlie Hatton
9. Lessons on Expulsion by Erika L. Sanchez
10. Binti The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor
11. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
12. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
13. Warcross by Marie Lu
14. Hardcore Twenty-Four by Janet Evanovich
15. The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

February 2018

16. The Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson
17. Neogenesis by Sharon Lee
18. The Pyramid of Mud by Andrea Camilleri
19. Girl in a Plain Brown Wrapper by John D. MacDonald
20. A Tan and Sandy Silence by John D. MacDonald
21. Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
22. Shock by Shock by Dean Young
23. A Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths
24. Lightning Blade by D.N. Erikson

Illustrated Books 2018

1. Saga Volume 8 by Fiona Staples
2. Black Panther Avengers of the New World by Ta-Nehisi Coates
3. Black Panther Book Two by Ta-Nehisi Coates
4. Moon Knight by Jeff Lemire
5. Henchgirl by Rita Stradling
6. The Adventures of Dieter Lumpen by Jorge Zentner
7. Death The Deluxe Edition by Neil Gaiman
8. Going into Town by Roz Chast
9. Black Panther Book Three by Ta-Nehisi Coates
10. Black Panther World of Wakanda by Roxanne Gay
11. After the Rain by Andre Julliard
12. Silent Days, Silent Dreams by Allen Say
13. Leave it to Chance by James Robinson
14. Thornhill by Pam Smy
15. Lumberjanes Vol. 4 by Noelle Stevenson
16. The Green Hand and Other Stories by Nicole Claveloux
17. Orphan Black Helsinki by Graeme Manson
18. Nemi by Lise Myrhe
19. Jane by Aline McKenna

One from my old cigarette-smoking days

A Beer with God

Smoking with a
Cold is hellish, ain't it.
Virus knows I'm stupid.
Body is temple, I know, I know.
Can I confess?
God, I hardly know ye
But such is my temple:

I'll buy you a beer
Let you bum a weed
Sit comfortable at the bar

It's beyond apologies.

The weather, the play-offs
Some suchness that struck you funny
Just a casual get-together
Good friends, good beer.

All those questions got one answer anyway.

Happy new thread Joe.

Happy new thread, Joe!

>6 Oberon: Hiya, Erik. You're quick today!

First in the door. I know you like to browse bookshelves, so here are some good ones for you.

>7 scaifea: Ha! Thanks, Amber!

Wow is that peppy. I'm starting to miss your old tree.

Our son has a Bob Ross chia plant. You can see why that might work.

>1 jnwelch: I give, what incarnation of Batbeing is that?

Happy new thread, many more to come.

Happy new thread Joe! Hopefully having the energy to start a new cafe means you are up and running again. :D

Happy new one Joe! Fabulous toppers

Sorry to see that you've been under the weather. Hope you're much better today.

>10 richardderus: Ha! That's Batgirl, Richard. Written by Gail Simone. I know, we just can't have enough Bat-things flying around. She's very popular with the young set. I really enjoy his drawing style.

>11 jolerie: Thanks, Valerie. The load time for a 300 post thread motivated me. I am up and running, although I plan to be down and napping not too long from now. :-)

>12 SuziQoregon: Thanks, Juli. Aren't those toppers fab?

I am better, thanks. Not quite in the clear, but getting there. Of course, now poor Madame MBH is coming down with something. At least the bug stayed away until after her birthday.

Happy new one, Joe. And a healthy one, I hope!

Happy new one , Joe!

>Excellent toppers Joe. Cameron Stewart is top shelf and that is no allusion to >8 jnwelch:. :-P

>14 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley. As Madame MBH would say, "From your lips to God's ear".

>15 brodiew2: Ha! Thanks, Brodie. Cameron Stewart is top shelf in so many ways, isn't he.

Happy new one, Joe! Glad to hear you're feeling a bit better...

>17 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie. Much improved, thanks. As may happen with you and The Wayne, now my much better half is being grabbed by some bug. Oh well.

>13 jnwelch: No, no you are not supposed to get sick on your birthday week. Tell Madam MBH she has to wait until next week to get sick.

Happy new thread, Joe and good to hear you are feeling a bit better.

>19 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. I'm not sure I'll be able to convince Madame MBH to put off getting sick, but I can give it a try.

I'm glad we've got a new thread going, and I am feeling better as the day wears on.

Oh no, Madame is sick too! And in her birthday week! Terrible. Feel better, both of you.

Happy new thread! >3 jnwelch: is an interesting concept!

Happy New Thread, Joe! Sweet Thursday. More illness in the Welch household? Say, it ain't so?

Glad to hear you are feeling better and now it is your turn to take care of the dear Missus.

I have not read any of my poetry collection or started Saga. What the heck is my problem, eh?

HI Joe. I'm sorry you weren't feeling well. I do hope that you are lots better. Sorry that now your wife is ill.

Happy newest cafe! Hope you and Debbi are feeling better!

You find the best art, Joe.

Happy New Thread!

Sorry the plague is making its way through your household. Ugh.

Morning, Joe! How are you and MBH feeling?

Sorry you and Debbi have been under the weather Joe. So much of it about at the moment. Stay warm.

>21 ffortsa: Thanks, Judy. I'm A-OK again, and we're snowed in by this storm, so Madame MBH can take it easy. Hers seems more like a cold.

>22 drneutron: Thanks, Jim. Isn't >3 jnwelch: interesting?

>23 msf59: Thanks, Mark. Sweet Thursday and Happy Friday!

We're fine. I'm over the hump and Debbi's in good spirits. We're laid up here anyway with the snow.

We're terrible about letting the other one take care of us, although we each offer.

What is the matter with you? Get going on those! The new Saga is a great escape on a snowy day.

>24 Whisper1: Thanks very much, Linda. It's just that time of year, methinks. I'm fine now, and Madame MBH is in good spirits, if low physically.

>25 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle! I am, and Madame MBH is getting there. It's heavy snow here, so we'll just take it easy, other than clearing snow off.

>26 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen. I'm glad you like that Cameron Stewart art. There's a real spark there.

Thanks re the thread. We're doing fine. It hasn't been the lousy flu we've been hearing about. I'm A-OK now, and Debbi seems to have a cold, which hopefully will pass without causing her too much trouble.

>27 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

I'm way better, and I'm actually going to do a slow and easy workout. Debbi's is upbeat, but all stuffed up. It seems to be a cold, and we're hoping it goes easy on her.

Hope all is well at Scaife Manor, and that you and Charlie are recovered from the car scare.

>28 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline. Exactly. It's that time of year, and there are all sorts of bugs roaming around. I'm fine, and Debbi's the upbeat gal you know.

The London-Amsterdam route Joe

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43002908

Hi Joe and happy new thread!

>8 jnwelch: I'm drooling over those shelves.....

Glad you're feeling better, sad MBH seems to have a cold.

>7 scaifea: :-)

>33 Caroline_McElwee: That's good news, Caroline. Checking passports will still take time, but it's the same when you're flying. And the pricing looks good as well. The ferries are nice, but a train is definitely the most comfortable way to travel.

Coming to Amsterdam Joe?

Happy new thread, Joe! I love >3 jnwelch:.

I'm sorry that you and Debbi are both sick. Fingers crossed that it isn't the flu. There are other respiratory viruses in circulation, most notably adenovirus and RSV, and although infections with those two pathogens isn't a pleasant experience I'd much rather have either of them than influenza, especially the H3N2 strain that is most prevalent in North America at the moment.

>33 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks for mentioning that long awaited Eurostar service from London to Amsterdam, Caroline. That's odd that direct service is only being offered from London St Pancras to Amsterdam Centraal, considering that this service has been on the drawing board for several years. Do you think that the UK's decision to leave the EU had anything to do with this?

When Claire, her sister Karen and I met up in Amsterdam two years ago they flew from London Gatwick to Amsterdam, as they said that it was much cheaper to do that than take the train, IIRC (Eurostar from St Pancras to Lille or Brussels, Thalys from there to Amsterdam).

You & Debbi have taken Eurostar trains from London to or from Paris, right? It's a bit time consuming, but far less so than going through UK Border Patrol when you arrive at Heathrow.

Happy new thread, Joe, >3 jnwelch: is funny :-)

>7 scaifea: LOL!!!

>33 Caroline_McElwee: That's perfect for us, Caroline, thanks for the link. We'd heard about the train to Amsterdam, but it's nice to have confirmation and the details. And we know St. Pancras station very well now. Can't wait!

>34 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen!

Don't you love those shelves in >8 jnwelch:? I want them now.

I'm better, and Madame MBH is doing better than we feared. We stocked up on food and drink, so we're in good shape for the snowstorm that's hit here.

>35 EllaTim: Hi, Ella. We do plan to come to Amsterdam for about 3 days in September (our base will be London). We don't know what days yet, but I'll keep you posted. We love the idea of taking that train. I wonder whether our Global Access will help streamline that passport process coming back? We'll see.

>37 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita! Isn't >3 jnwelch: a hoot? Somebody's got a creative mind, and the talent to carry it out.

Starry Starry Cake

>36 kidzdoc: >38 jnwelch: As I understand it there has always been an issue as to where customs will be on the way back. Because so many migrants trek through Europe to get to the UK, they don't want people to have arrived in the UK before being checked. The customs is likely to be in Lille unless the Dutch agree to one in Amsterdam, which they are resisting. If it is Lille (which already has a customs facility) everyone will get off the train with all their luggage, go through customs and get back on the same train. It seems in the interim though, that people are going to have to go via Brussels, and on to a connecting train after going through customs. This conundrum pre-dated the Brexit issue, but I doubt has been helped by it Darryl.

>40 jnwelch: Ahh, my main man.. Vincent.

'Loving Vincent' comes out on DVD this month Joe, my order is placed.

Hello Joe!

>40 jnwelch: Beautiful cakes!

>36 kidzdoc: Hiya, Darryl.

Thanks. I'm now fine, and Debbi's getting there. We don't think either of us has had the dreaded off-vaccine flu. I had a fever, so it might have been a flu covered by the vaccine? It didn't run me over like a truck.

We're looking forward to trying this new Eurostar route. We took the overnight train from Paris to Rome a few years ago. And back in the day, before Debbi, I had a Europass one summer and trained all over the place. Thanks in part to your help, we now know the St. Pancras station pretty well.

>42 Caroline_McElwee: Oh, thanks for the tip on the "Loving Vincent" DVD, Caroline. We loved that film! Really amazing what they pulled off.

>43 brodiew2: Hello Brodie!

Aren't those cakes beautiful?

>40 jnwelch: That cake is amazing!

>41 Caroline_McElwee: That makes sense, Caroline. I've taken three Eurostar trains recently, once from St Pancras to Lille on my way to Amsterdam in 2015, and a round trip to Paris in 2016 to have dinner with a colleague from work (where else would you meet a work mate from Atlanta on a Saturday night?) and spend a lovely Sunday afternoon with @FlorenceArt from Club Read (I'll have to do that again later this year). If I had to travel from Amsterdam to London I would probably opt to fly, especially if the cost of the flight was cheaper than the train fare.

Just saying...

'Vincent and the Doctor' - New Who series 5

>40 jnwelch: - Oh wow, I LOVE these!! Did you find them on the Cake Wrecks site? They sometimes have amazing and beautiful cakes there, though also some pretty wacky and hilarious stuff, too.

Happy new thread Joe.

:( Sorry to hear Madame MBH is under the weather. Hopefully whatever it is will run it's course quickly so birthday celebrations won't be hampered. You are more than welcome to use my spacesuit..hehe
Have a great weekend Joe.

>45 kidzdoc: Right, Darryl?

I like where you meet your Atlanta work mate for dinner. That gives a whole new meaning to "Let's go to a French restaurant this time."

Isn't the train a lot more convenient than the back and forth to the airports and flying to Amsterdam and back? Or am I missing something?

>46 brodiew2: Ha! Love it, Brodie. Starry Starry Tardis.

Yeah, we were just talking about that Vincent Van Gogh Dr. Who episode, I think on Caroline's thread. Here's the Youtube link to the visit to the gallery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubTJI_UphPk Gets me every time.

>47 jessibud2: Hi, Shelley. Aren't those cakes great? No, the first one came up in a weird spot on Pinterest that otherwise had nothing to do with cakes, and then I looked for the second one.

Are you a baking show fan? Wife and daughter love the British Baking Show in particular. Very soothing, say they.

>48 johnsimpson: Thanks, John. Hope Karen is continuing to improve, and congrats to Rob for nabbing the job.

>49 jolerie: Thanks, Valerie. I think it's just a bit of a cold for Madame MBH; she's doing okay, all things considered. We're snowbound anyway, so she picked a good time for it.

We've pretty much run through the birthday celebration, although I'm going to keep going with whatever she wants for a while more. She loves the Olympics, so she considers their starting to be a big present.

Hmm, your spacesuit. I imagine there's a story there. Do you have a Tesla we can fly in?

So far it's a very nice weekend (we've started already!) Hope you have a great one, too.

>51 jnwelch: - No, not really. I don't think I've ever even watched a baking show! I've caught snippits of a Canadian one but I don't think my attention span was in full gear that time.... ;-)

>38 jnwelch: September, Good choice, usually a nice month. Well keep us posted!

>46 brodiew2: :-)

>50 jnwelch: The train will be pretty convenient, and you'll get to see some of the landscape. But it's a lot more environmentally friendly than flying as well.

>30 jnwelch: "What is the matter with you?" I am not sure we even want to get into all of that...grins.

Happy Friday, Joe. Trying to make a few rounds before I conk out. Not sure I am going to last long. I am really enjoying The Power. This has echoes of The Handmaid's Tale, but with a bit more brevity. I think you would like it, along with the Welch women, of course.

Will I finally crack Saga tonight? Stay tuned...

Love this one

>52 jessibud2: I've seen bits of more than one of the British Baking Show now, and it does seem charming. They compete for, not some large sum of money like Americans would, but what appears to be some kind of silver tray - in other words, it's mostly the honor of winning.

>53 EllaTim: Good to hear, Ella. We've been doing September for a while now. We like the weather, and that the student travel time has largely passed, among other things.

Good point about the train being more environmentally friendly. We both love traveling by train, and look forward to seeing some of the landscape on the way.

>54 msf59: Ha! There's nothing the matter with you, buddy, that reading the new Saga and some poetry won't fix. :-)

Oh good, I'm glad you're liking The Power. I've been reading about it, but wondered how it would go for someone of the male persuasion. Your reaction so far is encouraging.

Crack that Saga! It's a known cure for snowstorm weariness.

How is Lillian Boxfish coming along Joe? There's a copy at my library and I'm thinking of picking it up tomorrow. Just finished Pachinko and can't really recommend it as it was long and ultimately disappointing. I did learn a lot about the institutional prejudice of Koreans in Japan, even those born in Japan, so that was interesting. But waaaay to long.

>58 NarratorLady: Lillian Boxfish is pretty good so far, Anne. I think you'd like the title character. I'm about a quarter of the way in.

Too bad about Pachinko. It's sure been getting some buzz, hasn't it.

I also just started Absolutely on Music, the Murakami/Osawa book. I liked M's intro.

>55 jnwelch: that's so cute.

Enjoy your weekend Joe.

Good morning Joe!

>40 jnwelch: Oh my. Lovely cakes. Having taken cake decorating classes when my daughter was little, I can appreciate the effort. That's in addition to wanting to eat cake, too!

I'm reading buzz about Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk and The Power, both of which I couldn't resist and bought new. Sigh.

>60 Caroline_McElwee: Isn't it, Caroline? I hope you enjoy your weekend, too. We've started setting up theater dates with Darryl for the fall.

>61 karenmarie: Good morning Karen!

Aren't those cakes lovely? I can't imagine having the talent to do that. It'd be hard to get yourself to cut into them, they're so cool.

I need to see where Lillian Boxfish's walk takes her to know my overall reaction, but so far so good. From what little I knew about it, I wasn't sure whether The Power would work well for a guy, but Mark's liking it a lot. I'll look forward to hearing what you think of the two.

>40 jnwelch: A starry, starry cake looks too good to cut!

>55 jnwelch: love this image! Calvin and Hobbs always makes me laugh

Morning, Joe! Hope you and Debbi are back to 100%!

>46 brodiew2: That's pretty great!

Morning, Joe! Happy Saturday! I'm glad to read that you and Debbi are feeling a bit better. And like Linda, Calvin and Hobbs always make me laugh.

>63 Whisper1: Hi, Linda!

Yeah, those cakes look so good, it seems sacrilegious to cut into them. But if that doesn't happen, they'll get stale and eventually . . . gross. Ephemeral art, I guess.

Calvin and Hobbes always make me laugh, too. That one is so clever and well done.

>64 ChelleBearss: Morning, Chelle! I'm definitely 100%, and Madame MBH is firing off things we need to get done, so I think she must be, too. :-)

I love Starry Starry Tardis.

>65 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie. Happy Saturday!

Debbi and I are way better. I'm glad C & H gave you and Linda a laugh. Me, too.

I'm thinking our daughter could actually teach Calvin. I'm amazed at how well she handles all the different personalities. And gets a kick out of them. He'd amuse her no end, I'm sure.

P.S She gets that lousy salary, too.

Morning, Joe!

>68 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

Hi Joe, I've been scampering through your threads hurrying to catch up, missing much I'm sure, but did spot your review of the Wilson translation of the Odyssey. I read (or rather listened to) a different translation a year or two back, my first time engaging with the whole original text rather than retellings etc. My version was translated by Ian Johnston and narrated by Anton Lesser - I did enjoy it. It must be interesting to have read three different translations now.

>51 jnwelch:, Hi Joe Karen is getting better by the day and will be back at work on Monday. Yesterday we went to Harrogate as she wanted to get out of the house and we had a nice day picking up a couple of things and a couple of books which was good. Although she was a little tired when we got home she didn't retire to bed and today has been really good.

Rob is very pleased with the job, he hopefully starts at the beginning of March. Yesterday he had a meeting with his current employers regarding the redundancy offer and he has got the redundancy package which he is pleased about as it will help them do a few things in the house and next week, probably at the end of the week he will let them know he has "managed" to find a new job. He just wanted to make sure he got the redundancy package and all power to him the way they are treating staff.

Hope you are having a really good Saturday mate and that Debbi is fine, sending love and hugs to both of you from both of us.

Happy Saturday, Joe. Finally home and relaxin'! I hope you had a good day yourself. Did you finish Lillian Boxfish?

Glad you started Absolutely on Music. I have been curious about that one.

Good to know that the ladies in your family enjoyed The Lilac Girls. I'd been looking at it for a while , so when I get to reading it, I'll be confident it's a good read. I've watched the occasional British Bakeoff and as you say, it's soothing and just a bit fun. It's not my regular TV, and my husband is perplexed that I watch it, but it is fun to dream that I can bake :-)

>3 jnwelch: I love that one! And the top one from >1 jnwelch:. Very cool.

>40 jnwelch: My MiL's shirt looks just like that. Seriously, I was thinking that when I saw her today. It was what I concentrated on when trying not to run away....its a bristly relationship.

Glad to hear everyone is ship shape health-wise. Illness is such a drag.

Happy new thread! (well it's new to me.) Love the Calvin and Hobbes.

>70 gennyt: Hi, Genny. Nice to see you here!

Ian Johnston is another new translator for me of The Odyssey. Probably a good book could be written about the attraction to translators of The Odyssey. It's such a fascinating story, isn't it, featuring a hero unlike any other, heralded, among other things, for his exceptional skill in lying.

It has been fun to read three translations. I'm very happy that Emily Wilson's turned out to be so good. I'm in awe of what she's done, from so many different angles. What a sustained effort.

>71 johnsimpson: Hi, John. Great to hear. Karen's probably looking forward to work and feeling okay again. Sounds like Rob was smart in how he dealt with the redundancy package, and I imagine he'll take some pleasure in soon telling them he has a new job. I'm glad he's got a couple of weeks and some additional money in the pocket to do a few things in the house before he starts the new one.

>72 msf59: Hiya, Mark. Glad you're done with a day off ahead of you. So far the next load of snow hasn't arrived.

I did finish Lillian Boxfish. It was all right. I can see why it has a lot of fans. It never really got my motor revving, but I enjoyed Lillian, and that was quite a walk.

I'll let you know about Absolutely on Music. It's a pleasure to be reading our friend Murakami again.

>73 vancouverdeb: Hi, Deb. Madame MBH is very selective in giving a book high marks, and when she does, I pay attention. She was really moved by Lilac Girls, and I'll be putting it on my tbr.

Yeah, as far as I can tell, that British Bakeoff has quite a following. It may be that in these crazy, volatile times, it's a charming, sane, cordial oasis - with delicious baked goods.

*sigh* I've scrolled through this entire thread trying to see if I commented on either of my two previous visits, but apparently I've been in full lurker mode. Glad to hear you are both feeling so much better. Given my profession as a school psychologist, this has always been one of my favorite Calvin and Hobbes cartoons:

>74 LovingLit: Isn't >3 jnwelch: a hoot, Megan? And I'm glad you like that top topper.

Ha! That must be some shirt your MIL has. Good idea to focus on that rather than the bristle. My MIL is long gone, but she and I started out bristly. She liked to tell me how to do things, and (shocker) I found that annoying. We both got better.

>75 banjo123: Thanks, Rhonda. Looks like you're going to get some more Calvin and Hobbes from Roni in >77 jnwelch:.

>77 jnwelch: Ha! Nothing wrong with full lurker mode, Roni, but it's nice to hear from you.

I LOVE that Calvin and Hobbes. I can see why as a former school psychologist it resonates for you. From the other side, it reminds me of the times I got myself in trouble by being a little too creative in school.

>40 jnwelch: The Starry Starry Cakes called this to mind, a set of birthday cupcakes from a couple of my AP Art History kids, some years ago:



I accidentally ate one before taking the picture.

Glad y'all are feeling better.

>80 majleavy: - Ha! Cool!

>77 jnwelch: Well, I currently have Lillian Boxfish and Lilac Girls in my possession and was planning to take the first one with me on a short trip. But it sounds like recommendations from Maison Welch will steer me toward #2.

Thanks!

I was in the bookstore a few weeks ago and saw Lilac Girls on the table. As I browsed around, I noticed another book. I went back to Lilac Girls, then back to the other one, then took them both to one of the store employees. I asked if anyone else had noticed that they were 2 different titles, different authors, but the covers were the same! Slightly different colouration but the exact same photo. I wish I could recall now what that other title was. I thought I had written it down but if I did, I can't find it. It just seemed so odd to have both books being displayed on the same table (but not next to each other)

Happy new thread, Joe!

>80 majleavy: Ahh; that explains why it’s shaped like a bear. Still, beautiful.

>83 jessibud2: I searched by image on Pinterest and came up with A Train in Winter. Is that it?

>80 majleavy: Nice one, Michael. Kudos to your art history kids. This wasn't some half-baked idea of theirs.

I can't tell you how many times I've accidentally eaten a cupcake.

>81 jessibud2: :-)

>83 jessibud2: The cover with the three women with the linked arms, right, Shelley? How odd. I wonder how often that happens, where two different books have the same cover art/photo.

Here's one. I bet there are people who collect photos of this happening.

>84 humouress: - You know, that title seems like it might be the one but the cover that shows up when I click on your touchstone link, it's not the same cover as Lilac Girls, the picture of 3 women, walking away, seen from behind. I think this calls for more exploration on my part. Maybe I will saunter over to a bookstore this afternoon to see if I can find out. All in the name of *homework*, you understand....

Morning, Joe. Happy Sunday. Looking forward to the next 2 days off. I have been spending the A.M. visiting a few threads and catching up on a couple of mini-reviews. I think I only have one more left. I have not cracked a book yet, but that is what is on the agenda for the rest of the day.

Hope you have a good one.

>82 NarratorLady: Ah, you're welcome, Anne. I don't want to rain on a decent book like Lillian Boxfish, but Lilac Girls sounds like a better one for you (and me).

>84 humouress: I'd missed the bear shape in >80 majleavy:, Nina. I bet you're excellent at Rorschach tests.

This is the Lilac Girls cover we have:



A Train in Winter - I see what you mean:

Morning, Joe! Happy Sunday! The girls and I love to watch that British baking show, too.

>86 jessibud2: Take a look at >88 jnwelch:, Shelley. I think Nina found it - or at least a match for Lilac Girls, although you may have seen a third one.

Here are a couple of other examples I found:

Morning, Joe! Love the book cover discussion.

>88 jnwelch: - Well, Joe, that's it! You just saved me a trip to the bookstore. Darn (I mean, thanks)

I wonder how that works, choosing a cover photo or cover art, for books. I wonder if there are any rules or protocol. I never really thought about that. For the 2 Lilac Girls and its doppleganger, they changed the colour of the coats but it is clearly the same photo.

>87 msf59: Morning, Mark. Next two days off - perfect. It's supposed to get up around 40 in the middle of the week. And then back down again, of course.

Sounds like you've got a good plan for the day. I'm not going to mini-review Lillian Boxfish, since you and others have done it with more enthusiasm. I'm enjoying the Murakami book, Absolutely on Music - he has an impressive amateur's ear for music, and a surprisingly wide breadth of experience in listening to classical music, along with a huge record collection of it. I thought of him as a jazz guy. Ozawa has an easy time talking with him about various recorded and live performances of classical music, and agrees with Murakami a lot, so far anyway, on his insights. Comparing the styles of different conductors like Leonard Bernstein, Ozawa, and the German Karagan, really interesting.

My knowledge and experience falls far short of theirs, but I'm still enjoying their exchanges. It reminds me to play folks like Debussy I don't often play, too.

>89 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! Happy Sunday!

Ha! Oh, I'd love to get you and the girls together with Debbi and Becca to watch the British baking show. They love it, and get a kick out of Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry (I just consulted Debbi for the names).

>91 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

It's a fun book issue I'd never really thought about. It reminded me of something different: my book manager days when the customer would come in asking for a book, not remembering the title or author, but which he/she knew had a blue cover.



>92 jessibud2: Holy Toledo, I didn't mean to save you a trip to the bookstore, Shelley! Surely we can think of some reason you need to go.

Madame MBH noticed they changed the color of the middle one's hair, too.

I'd be curious how they approach cover art, too. That doesn't look like some kind of stock photo to me. I suspect they had to pay some kind of fee to use it, but maybe it was in the public domain. Do they ever check for lookalikes, when it's not original cover art?

>94 jnwelch: - Hehe, I remember that issue from my own bookstore days. I think we've had this conversation before. Always cracks me up.

No bookstore for me today. I need to curb those appetites. I have plenty to keep me occupied right here at home, including watching at least one, possibly 2, of the 3 movies I borrowed from the library, all due by Wed. and of course, there are always the books to get back to!

Happy Sunday, Joe!

I love Calvin and Hobbes.

>95 jessibud2: We have had this conversation before, about blue cover requests in the bookstore. You have a good memory!

I know, I try to keep my actual tbr shelves at a manageable size, although my wishlists are mighty long. Because my family knows I love to read, the holidays always pile books on my tbr. I'm just starting to dig out.

In our house, the Olympics on TV are a big deal, so we'll have that on a lot. Luckily, if part isn't not catching my interest, it's easy to read instead. I just started an Elly Griffiths mystery, in addition to the Murakami book.

Moving along quickly over here, Joe.

Happy new(ish) thread buddy and wishing you and yours a wonderful weekend.

>97 jnwelch: - I watched the snowboarding last night - eek! My friend's son does that sport (though not on that level) and I can't imagine being a parent and watching your kid take those risks! Also watched the figure skating, my fave. I need to find the schedule for today and see what's on, then work around that

Happy Sunday, Joe!
I also enjoy having the olympics on in the background while reading. Even if it’s showing something I don’t care much about I still like seeing the amazing skill of these athletes! Plus seeing Canadians do well, of course.

>98 PaulCranswick: 'Tis, Paul. Thanks - hope you and your gang are having a wonderful weekend, too.

>99 jessibud2: I love the snowboarding, Shelley. How about getting a gold medal at 17 years old? Wow.

Our son loved parkour when he was younger (kind of a running gymnastics through an urban environment), and as parents we held our breath and preached safety. He broke his collarbone skateboarding, but that was the worst of it. I think part of the fun for him was worrying us.



He actually was a smart kid and never got too risky (as far as I know!)

>100 ChelleBearss: Hiya, Chelle!

Madame MBH is already in our basement with the bigger tv watching the Olympics and working on her jigsaw puzzle. I know; the skill and dedication that's brought the athletes to this level is remarkable, and this is their once every four years chance to win on the big stage. Even the events I'm not that interested in still have that quality.

I started Saga Volume 8! I started Saga Volume 8! Yippee! And like you mentioned, it pulls you in right away. I do love these characters.

Sorry, Lillian Boxfish wasn't more pleasing for you. I agree it is a solid 3 star read at best, not quite substantial enough for anything more, but Lillian is a terrific literary character, IMHO.

I hope you guys are able to track down Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. You would love it!

>92 jessibud2: Joe, either you’re such an LT newbie you don’t realise we live for trips to the bookshop or you’re the elder statesman, protecting our wallets from too-rapid deflation.

>93 jnwelch: Is that The Great British Bake-off? I’m loving seeing the re-runs, over here.

I don’t watch a lot of TV and programs very seldom come up on this thread but you’ve mentioned two of my faves: The Great British Baking Show and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel!

Nice to know we have more in common than reading!

Totally lost a post! So annoying. Our internet connection went on the fritz. OK, trying again.

>103 msf59: Isn't Saga Vol. 8 a blast, Mark? I love those characters, too, and Fiona Staples' art in it.

Agreed on Lillian Boxfish. It was a solid three star read. Lillian is a great character, for sure

>104 humouress: Ha! I don't think either fits me, Nina. I've been around on LT about 10 years, and I'm very pro-spending money at bookstores.

Besides being a book nerd, I worked at and managed independent bookstores in Ann Arbor, NYC and Chicago (also Oak Park). So I'm all for everyone blowing their spare money (and not so spare) on books. Don't protect those wallets in bookstores, deflate them!

The Great British Bake-Off may well be the right name. If it's got Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, that's the one.

>105 NarratorLady: We probably should have a Great British Baking Show meetup, Anne. I can caddy for Madame MBH and seasonsoflove, making sure they have enough drinks and snacks while watching.

Good to know you're another Marvelous Mrs. Maisel fan. I'll remind my much better half about it.

Our reading tastes are so similar, I bet we've got a whole lot of other stuff in common. :-)

P.S. Debbi just told me that the big prize for winning the Great British Baking show is a bouquet of flowers and an engraved glass cake plate. Ha! Part of its charm.

>101 jnwelch: - Yes, that kid, Redmond, was amazing! I think he is the youngest ever to win a medal in the 2000s!

I never heard that term, parkour, before. But of course, part of a kid's job description is to give parents cause for worry. I used to tell my own parents this very thing! ;-)

>107 jessibud2: Sounds right re Redmond. I saw him interviewed - 17 years old, on national/international tv. Jeesh. He was pretty relaxed and just himself. I was pretty clueless at that age.

part of a kid's job description is to give parents cause for worry. Ain't that the truth!

>93 jnwelch: Sounds like a Murakami I would like to read!

>106 jnwelch: Our prime minister thinks we should spend our money on cars "Go buy that car!", but I agree with you Joe, go buy that book is more like it.

>109 EllaTim: Hi, Ella. It's funny to me how much I'm enjoying the Murakami book, as they're often talking about records or concerts I haven't heard. But they do it in such an interesting and enthusiastic way that it gets me. I've started a WL on Amazon for ones they talk about that sound too good to miss. If you have an interest in classical music, or Murakami, or Ozawa, or all of the above, you'd probably enjoy this.

Yeah, let's stimulate the economy with book-buying. Sounds like a great idea to me.

Wife and daughter knew this before their sports guy husband/dad did, but if you turn the logo of our pro basketball team, the Chicago Bulls, upside down, it's a robot reading a book.

Ha! That can't be a coincidence, can it?

I wondered the same thing, Shelley. I'd never heard of this until a few minutes ago when Madame MBH told me. I know the Bulls organization is very active in the community and supports literacy programs, so maybe it's not a coincidence. If I find out anything more, I'll let you know.

>90 jnwelch: I've read 4 of the 5 blue covered books, Joe. I did also notice the similarity between The Lilac Girls and A Train in Winter. In fact, it kind of confused me. I have to check - do I have both of those books, or just The Lilac Girls? I had thought I had the Lilac Girls but my " records" showed it was still on my wishlist.

I worked part time in a bookstore in my high school and university years, and I recall people coming in with the vaguest descriptions of books. I'm afraid I'm occasionally guilty of the same thing, but I apologize to the bookstore clerk before asking do you have a book with a blue cover or by an author with X in their name . :-)

I don't watch reality TV but I must admit that I enjoy The Great British Bake-Off. The tasks that they set for those bakers are hard! I have The Train in Winter and was really surprised to see the same cover image on a different book. That must have been The Lilac Girls.

Good to hear that you are feeling better, Joe, and back to your work out. I hope that Madame MBH gets better soon.

>111 jnwelch: Ha! I love it!

Morning, Joe!

Morning, Joe! Loving the book cover discussion - I have been wondering about those duplicate covers as we seem to be seeing more and more of them.

Hoping today is kind to you - remember not to look it in the eye.

Good morning, Joe and happy yesterday's tomorrow to you.

Bill and I watched quite a few of the events yesterday. I was mightly pissed though when they had started showing the Canada-Norway curling semifinal and then switched to the admittedly live women's slope snowboarding. It was something I'd normally not watch, but I did get into it and watched the US women through their first round. I haven't checked to see who actually won yet. We also watched US-Finland womens' ice hockey for a while, too. Neither of us can bear to watch figure skating or dancing for some reason.

>111 jnwelch: I like that.

>114 vancouverdeb: Hi, Deb. Good for you with the 4 of 5 books with blue covers - I'm sure you mean the ones in >90 jnwelch:. I've read two of those (not the three in the middle).

Isn't it a blast working in a bookstore? Madame MBH and I have fond memories of doing that. I suspect it's mainly people who don't often go to bookstores who come in with the vague, "blue cover" requests. To expect a magical solution from that seems to show inexperience.

There's a fun book called Weird Things Customers Say in Bookstores, https://www.amazon.com/Weird-Things-Customers-Say-Bookstores/dp/1468308939.



Those include:

“Did Beatrix Potter ever write a book about dinosaurs?”

“Did Charles Dickens ever write anything fun?” (asked by someone named "Richard Derus")

“I’ve forgotten my glasses, can you read me the first chapter?”

“Excuse me . . . is this book edible?”

>115 Familyhistorian: Hi, Meg. I like that The Great British Bakeoff has so many fans. Who would've guessed? From what little I've seen, Mary and Paul are charming, as are most of the contestants. And they come up with cool creations.

That Lilac Girls/A Train in Winter cover similarity is intriguing, isn't it - how did it happen?

Thanks re our health. Madame MBH is nearly out of the woods on it, but still a bit sniffly. I'm fine.

>116 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Isn't that logo upside down funny? Debbi thinks it was unplanned.

>117 Crazymamie: Ha! Good reminder, Mamie - I'll be sure not to look today directly in the eye. :-)

I've been noticing more of the kind of similarity shown in the five at the bottom of >90 jnwelch:. Not identical, but so similar. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery?

>118 karenmarie: Happy Yesterday's Tomorrow, Karen. Gets me every time! :-)

Isn't >111 jnwelch: funny? I love finding that out.

I know, we're at the mercy of what they decide to show of the Olympics. We do have two channels of it here on cable, but still. We watched some of that USA-Finland hockey game, too, and enjoyed it. I wonder whether the falls are part of why you don't watch skating and ice dancing. Madame MBH loves watching both, but has such a hard time when they fall, as happens sometimes. She feels so bad for them, out there in the spotlight on their keister.

We loved the American luge guy who unexpectedly won silver. Was he happy or what?

>121 jnwelch: Nope. I think it is laziness and also about cutting costs.

Morning, Joe! Happy Abe Lincoln Day! I am enjoying my day off and plan on spending a lot of time with the books again. I just have a few quick errands to run this A.M. I saw the snow totals for our area, in the Trib. 17 inches on the ground. Wow! I did not exaggerate.

ETA- BTW, I have been doing a pretty good job keeping up with my mini-reviews. I think our little pep talk helped. Grins...Let's hope it continues.

Man oh man, a weekend of Olympic watching means it takes an herculean effort to catch up on all the threads. *pant pant*

I think Lilac Girls has to go onto the list now.

>122 Crazymamie: You may be right. It certainly isn't showing much creative effort.

>123 msf59: Morning, Mark! Thanks for reminding us all it's Abe's Birthday. Since they started going with President's Day as the holiday, it's gotten sidetracked a bit, hasn't it.

Keep enjoying that day off. I like your plan. I worked out, and now the plan is to get to some of that Dean Young poetry we talked about, and maybe the new one you've been loving, if I finish it.

I think our pep talk helped me, too, re the mini-reviews. You've been doing a great job. I'll do one for the Murakami when I finish it, and maybe the Elly Griffiths mystery and the Dean Young book, too.

>124 jolerie: Ha! The secret is to do LT while watching the Olympics, Valerie. :-) It's been a fun Olympics so far, hasn't it. Our gay athletes are doing really well, with Pence there to inspire them.

Lilac Girls is on my list for sure - going to be sooner rather than later, methinks.

I'm one of those terrible people who likes it when they fall - otherwise I find figure skating unbearably boring :)

>40 jnwelch: Cool cakes!

Big British Baking show fan here. It's all so civil.

>55 jnwelch: Oh that IS excellent!

Good to hear you and Debbie are feeling better.

I have the digital individual issues of Saga in my Comixology account - I've only read the first three trade paperbacks. One of these days I'm going to sit down and have myself a binge.

Ah - reused cover images -

This one needs to be retired from book covers

>127 SuziQoregon: - LOL! I'd say! I thought it looked familiar...didn't realize just HOW familiar, lol

I've opened a can of worms, haven't I? ;-)

>126 katiekrug: Ha! If I had to guess anyone who would enjoy the falling, I probably would've picked you, Katie. It's that sardonic side of you.

The figure skating can be boring, for sure, but some of them are really able to lift it into something pretty darn thrilling - even without a fall, for me. :-)

>127 SuziQoregon: Hi, Juli!

Ha! I can see "Cool Cakes!" becoming a popular expression of appreciation for anything great. Those are, aren't they.

It's all so civil. Yeah, I think that's a big part of the appeal of the British Baking show. Well said. In our current time of widespread incivility in the USA, that's pure gold.

Aren't Calvin and Hobbes on the stair rail great? I love that one.

Debbi and I thought only one of the Saga volumes got a bit muddled - two or three ago. The rest have been aces. What a clever series with attractive art.

Whoa, you aren't kidding about the need to retire that cover! Thank goodness my Eventide has a different cover than that. So many the same is crazy cakes (and not Cool Cakes). Although now I'm inspired to go stand at our window with my hand on my head and look artsy.

>129 jnwelch: Get Debbie to take a photo!! You'll be the next cover craze.

>127 SuziQoregon: Wow, it's like a game of find the differences.

>126 katiekrug: Here in Holland we get lots of speed skating, because we're good at it, but it's just riding round, after round, after round, That's boring.

I was listening to a BBC World Service interview with Steven Bradbury, the Australian speedskater who, in his 4th Olympics (Salt Lake) and after two life-threatening injuries, won the gold medal from the back after a 3 skater pile up.

ETA : great interview, but it doesn’t seem to be available on the internet yet.

Here’s another cover twin:



>40 jnwelch: That is an amazing cake!

>127 SuziQoregon: Wow! Does anybody think that’s a good idea?

Hope you are all feeling better, Joe! Lots of truly awful crud out there.

>90 jnwelch: There was a graphic I saw at the end of 2017 about popular book covers for the year - I wish I could remember where I saw it - but there were a bunch of blue covers that were the same, and then there were a bunch of covers similar to Sing, Unburied, Sing, etc. It was a great graphic and I was surprised at how many similar book covers there were. I can't seem to find it now, but I'm going to keep looking.

>88 jnwelch: I knew I had seen/not seen that book! But not Lilac Girls- when I saw it, it was the other title. Which sounds harrowing....no surprises there.

>90 jnwelch: and different tattoos on his arm! A small detail, which if they bothered to change, they may as well have gone the whole hog and changed the actual image....

Loving the book cover images, there does seem to be a trend at the moment for fancy fonts dominating covers.

Also, >101 jnwelch:, our boys are also into parkour. In fact me and Lenny (6) went "parkouring" this evening, he ran about, leaping off other people's low fences, and I scootered.....it was funny :)

Morning, Joe! I hope you both are feeling better this morning!

Just catching up, Joe and loving the Batgirl toppers.

Was annoyed at DC for making her a cripple, then loved DC for making her into "Oracle" and creating a believable engaging charatcer who happened to be a paraplegic - and who wasn't Proffesor X or "the Chief".

(Just lost all the non-comic book reader, I know.)

Was happy to see Barbara get healed and am liking the Birds of Prey and now I'm just enjoying an OK book with an OK character.

Good morning, Joe!

>119 jnwelch: How did you know that RD asked the question about Dickens? I’m impressed.

>121 jnwelch: Re figure skating and dancing, I’m sure that’s most of it, at least for me. However, the sport as a whole doesn’t do much for me. I have, on the other hand, been enjoying the commentary by Scott Hamilton. I never paid strict attention to him when he was competing or even performing, but have gone back and really enjoyed a couple of videos from his peak years. His insights are great. I didn’t see the luge.

>125 jnwelch: Good ol’ thumper Pence. They showed him during the opening ceremonies, and I’m afraid I used some rather vulgar language.

>127 SuziQoregon: Oh my! It never occurred to me that different books would have the same covers. >128 jessibud2: Big can of worms, Shelley.

Morning, Joe!
Figure skating isn't my favourite but I did enjoy watching the team event the other night. Our Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are local to where I grew up (Ilderton is just outside London) and they are just spectacular to watch.

>130 SuziQoregon: Ha! Great idea, Juli. I've always wanted to start a cover craze. I wonder whether cover art subjects ever do book signings. Probably Favio did.

>131 EllaTim: Ha! It is like a game of find the differences, Ella. Seven almost identical ones wins so far.

The Dutch dominate speed skating, don't they. I have to admit, wipeouts in that one are entertaining. I remember one Olympic race (not this year) when the guy in last won because everyone else fell in front of him. Kind of like roller derby.

>132 humouress: I'm not up enough on speedskating, Nina - was that in a past year? That may be the one I'm thinking of, where last man standing won the speed skate.

>133 Copperskye: Hi, Joanne. Thanks. We're getting to have quite the fine collection of cover twins. I had no idea this happens so often. That >127 SuziQoregon: group is an eye-popper, isn't it.

Glad you like the cakes.

There is an awful lot of crud out there. Madame MBH is worried about the worst flu this year, which has even been fatal for some. Yikes. Seems to be a cold for her, though.

>134 rretzler: Here's Sing, Unburied, Sing, Robin:



You know, on grocery store and pharmacy shelves, competitors often like to make their product look like the most popular one, to try to benefit from its cache. Doesn't seem like that theory would work with books. Good luck with your search.

>135 LovingLit: It's a pretty cool photo on Lilac Girls and the other one, I'll give 'em that, Megan.

I hadn't noticed the tattoo similarity in >90 jnwelch:, except for the wristband. Ha! Add a little color, add a wristband, and voila! Not a copy. :-)

A trend of fancy fonts dominating covers - you mean like Sing, Unburied, Sing? That is ringing a bell for me. I'll look for that.

>136 LovingLit: Parkour is fun, Megan. Sounds like a fun time with Lenny. When our guy was into it, he had me watch videos of it, and I found them cool and exciting, I must say. Parkour has gotten incorporated into a lot of action movies, including James Bond, and some of the best parkour-ers have been getting steady work in film.

>137 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

I'm just fine now, but poor Madame MBH is still stuffed up. I think it's a lingering cold, as fever is not an issue.

>138 magicians_nephew: Glad you're enjoying the Cameron Stewart toppers, Jim. Some artists can really make a drawing come alive.

You know your Batgirl/Batwoman lore! This one is a teen, and not in a wheelchair like the older one you mention. Comics these days are much more open to having multiple interpretations of a character. There's a very good Batwoman series (New 52) where she's a lesbian and athletic, http://brieftake.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/SingUnburied.jpg.

I think there are new Birds of Prey ones out that I haven't seen.

>139 karenmarie: Good morning, Karen!

Ha! Oh good, you caught that Dickens/Richard comment up in >119 jnwelch:. The quote really is from the book, but mayhap I slipped in the attribution to RD.

I love Scott Hamilton's enthusiasm! And you're right, he provides good insights. I also get a kick out of Tara Lipinski and Johhny Weir. His hair has been compared to the Stanley Tucci character in The Hunger Games.



Arggh, Pence. What a maroon, as Bugs would say.

Yeah, I'm loving all these similar covers we're finding. Who knew?

Gotta go! Catch up with you all later.

>140 ChelleBearss: Hi, Chelle. Yes, the Canadian figure skating team was special to watch. I guess the Russians really fell off in quality after their two best women, because those first two were great, too.

Just waving Joe. I'm having a digital rest, just online enough not to get too far behind.

Amused at the overused covers. I've only noticed it a couple of times.

>119 jnwelch: I would *never* ask such a question! I already know the answer: "*bwaaahaaahaaa* Oh HELL to the ya gotta be kiddin me with this shi(r)t NO!!"

Stuff and nonsense. "Fun" contains one letter in common with "Dickens" and it's also the first letter of "nasty", "nugatory," "nonsensical," and "NO."

I'm really surprised at all the copycat covers. But bookselling is definitely a competitive sport, and cachet or mistake can move an ordinary book into someone's basket, I guess. Since titles can't be copyright protected, many books have the same title, and I've fallen into that muddle once or twice. Touchstones can create some real howlers.

Hi, Joe. I know we chatted earlier but I thought I would stop by anyway. I did love the first story in The Largesse of the Sea Maiden: Stories.

>149 Caroline_McElwee: Hi, Caroline. You're smart to take it easy digitally. We all need to do that once in a while. Debbi and I sometimes set aside "no technology" time.

I didn't know the cover imitation happened so often either. Fascinating. I suppose, among other things, it's easier to copy what someone else has done than come up with something original.

>150 richardderus: Huh. I thought you were a Dickens fan, Richard. In a pig's eye, right?

I'm sensing from your comments that if a Dickens book were in dire need of a drink of water, you'd give it a bag of chalk dust. While snarling at it.

>151 ffortsa: Right, movie titles, too, Judy.



Too brief to be copyrighted.

You may be right about carrying over the cachet via the look for some of the book imitations.

Yeah, I've tried to get in the habit of checking the touchstones; they can be so far off. I have trouble understanding why the exact title match doesn't come up first or at least near the top more often, but apparently there's an algorithm working that has connections with the book's popularity.

>152 msf59: Hey, buddy. Thanks for stopping by. I got a good ways into the Where Now collection, and I'm really enjoying it. Nice job finding that one.

I'm glad the Denis Johnson is off to a good start.

Okay, the book cover discussion is cracking me up, making me crazy, and kind of activating some cynicism.... I had noticed the blue covers with lighthouses thing (not all exactly the same but pretty dang close!) but not the others.

Oh, but the funny things customers say in bookstores cracked me up, too. Especially this:
“Did Charles Dickens ever write anything fun?” (asked by someone named "Richard Derus")

The book cover thing could backfire. I tend to remember covers and could easily think that I have the book already if it has a similar cover to another book that I own. That is also why it drives me crazy when they change covers on a book so I buy another copy. Of course that shouldn't happen if I check my books on LT but sometimes the book buying frenzy takes over. *sigh*

Morning, Joe!

I'm skimming the Olympic talk because we're not watching - it's really the only time I miss having regular TV (we only have Netflix streaming and Amazon prime). Charlie's getting to see some of it at school, though (they're playing it during the lunch period), and they're learning to cross-country ski in gym class, which is pretty neat, I think.

>157 scaifea: YouTube? Lots is there...

>155 EBT1002: Aren't the imitative book covers an eye-opener, Ellen? I noticed the blue ones, too, at least some of them - I think because some were new and popular at the same time.

Richard has taken umbrage that he would ever ask such a question about there being any Dickens book is fun, and that, from his POV, would be impossible.:-)

Here's another set of similar book covers:

>156 Familyhistorian: Ha! Good point, Meg. Because of the similar cover, you may think you've already read it when you haven't. Or you may buy one that has a changed cover that you've already read.

Our beloved daughter actually collects Agatha Christie favorites, like And Then There Were None, with different covers. And, of course, because the publishers think Ammies are so different from Brits, they often bring Agatha's books out here under different titles than in Britain.

>157 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Oh, not being able to get the Olympics on TV wouldn't fly in this house. Madame MBH would not stand for it. It reminds me of when we first got cable tv, back in the day. It was during the years of great Chicago Bulls teams with Michael Jordan, and I successfully pleaded with Debbi, saying he wasn't going to play forever and I had to see him.

Becca is going to have a week in class about the Olympics next week. Charlie's a little old for her group, but he's welcome to come over. :-)

>158 richardderus: Good thought, RD.

>160 jnwelch: - That reminds me of another theme we did in our class during the Vancouver Olympics. Our entire school did an Olympic theme month and for my class, I made (the incredibly time-consuming and labour-intensive) Olympic glasses. I used craft foam and pipe cleaners and fashioned eye glasses for every member of our class. It was hilariously cool but not something I'd recommend if time is a factor. Another year, we rolled cardboard into cones, covered them with tin foil then made *flames* using orange and yellow tissue paper to create *Olympic torches*, then used them in our *opening ceremonies*. Great fun! I know I have the photos somewhere.

I'd love for you to report back to us on what Becca does with her kiddoes.

>162 jessibud2: Wow, that's dedication, Shelley. I'm sure the kids had a blast with it. If you find the photos, we'd sure enjoy seeing them.

Becca's lucky; she has an aide who loves to make things - she just made a pumpkin carriage (covering with crepe paper something existing, a rocking horse, I think) for their Princess Ball. I'll report back. I imagine she'd be happy to friend you on Facebook if you pm her here on LT (seasonsoflove).

Historical fiction with headless women (usually from the side or back) was a big thing a few years ago. I'm not sure if that's still a thing.

My personal book cover weirdness

I refuse to buy Movie/TV tie in covers. I'll buy a used copy of the original before buying new with a movie cover on it.

>161 jnwelch: Excellent!

>164 SuziQoregon:. I am the same. For some reason the movie tie in covers are just not attractive to me....

Morning Joe!

I did not realize that there are so many similar covers. You would think I would clue in as I'm guessing YA books are often guilty of this... So enlightening nonetheless. :)

>164 SuziQoregon: Headless women! That wouldn't be a big book cover draw for moi, Juli. I hope that's a fad that's come and gone.

Isn't >161 jnwelch: excellent?

Books with the movie cover - I have to admit, I've gone out of my way to buy a couple of these because my wife and kids were horrified by my doing it. Yup, that's the kind of guy I am. I love annoying them.

>165 jolerie: Morning/Afternoon, Valerie!

I know what you mean about the movie covers, but if you know someone who hates that (and will forgive you), getting a movie cover book and showing them can be quite amusing.

Yet another example of how I get myself in trouble.

It is enlightening about the similar covers, isn't it. I'm going to be looking for it more now. My instincts/memory matches yours - I think it happens a lot with YA books.

>166 jnwelch: That would definitely be annoying. You'd have to keep those books in the garage at my house.

Happy Valentine's Day, Joe.

>157 scaifea: I'm surprised you can't stream the coverage from the network website. Up here CBC does Olympics coverage and you can stream it from their website.

>168 SuziQoregon:. I’m just lucky I don’t have to keep myself in the garage at our house.

>169 rretzler:. Thank, Robin. Happy Valentine’s Day.

Did you get anything good? I just bought Madame MBH black licorice, one of her favorites, at the neighborhood candy store.

>170 MickyFine:. Good thought, Micky. It does stream here. My much better half has been streaming it on her iPad. I hope Amber sees this.

When I tried streaming the Olympics, I had to log in with my cable provider info, so maybe Amber doesn't have the requisite paid services. But as was said above, there's UTube.

>171 jnwelch: I literally LOL'd

>163 jnwelch: - I'm not on facebook, Joe, but thanks for that offer. You can offer back that if Becca is ever in need of ideas for theme units, she can she can PM me through LT, as well. Though it sounds as if she has plenty of great ideas all by herself!

I did a bit of searching through my massive photo files and only found a pic of our Olympic ring eyewear. Can't find the torches to light the Olympic flame; maybe too long ago, ie, before I had a digital camera! A couple of pics on my gallery.

I love the cover discussion, Joe and so I thought I would offer up another pair:



These ones didn't even do the extra step of changing colors or backgrounds!

Hi Joe!

>175 DeltaQueen50: Sheesh.

>164 SuziQoregon: I refuse to buy Movie/TV tie in covers. I'll buy a used copy of the original before buying new with a movie cover on it.
Me too. 100%. I had a film cover edition of The Road (by Cormac McCarthy) and begged a friend to swap her edition with mine. I felt so much better having it out of the house :)

I am getting cover rage now- how can there be so many double ups!?

Thanks for the Olympics suggestions! We've found that we can't stream from a network online unless we show proof that we pay to watch that network in some other form (cable or such). *shrug* I think we'll survive, somehow, without it, to be honest.

I'm watching the boring speed skating 10.000m right now. It's a really exciting game. Sven Kramer riding his fourth olympics. Should have won in Vancouver, but lost because of a mistake of his coach. Won silver in Sochi. Will he now win finally? I think we're all rooting for him because of what happened.
The winner of last olympics is there, Dutch Canadian Ted-Jan Bloemen, and the winner of Vancouver. Will keep you posted. :-)

Ah no, unfortunately Kramer not on his best
And Ted-Jan Bloemen has won, well it does make speed-skating more exciting

Sorry for hijacking your thread Joe, won't happen again.

>175 DeltaQueen50: That's pretty lame, IMO. How hard is it to find some original art for the cover?

Morning, Joe! How was the game?

>172 ffortsa: Thanks, Judy. Good thought. Did Amber say she had Hulu? You can stream through that, methinks.

>173 SuziQoregon: Hee-hee. Glad that one gotcha, Juli. :-)

>174 jessibud2: Ah, okay, I'll check your gallery, Shelley.

Thanks for the Becca offer. I'll let her know.

>175 DeltaQueen50: Oh my, what an example, Judy. A National Book Award winner - and no changes at all. Jeesh. How could they justify doing that?

>176 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen!

I join your Sheesh re >175 DeltaQueen50:.

>177 LovingLit: Isn't the number of double up covers we're finding shocking, Megan? Judy's one in >175 DeltaQueen50: is dumbfounding.

I do normally steer clear of movie covers, although perhaps I've made exceptions to annoy my family. I can completely understand your feelings about The Road; great book, IMO, and I wouldn't want the movie cover either.

>178 scaifea: Sweet Thursday, Amber!

I understand the shrug re the Olympics. Did you say you get Hulu? Supposedly you can stream through that, should you wish to.

>179 EllaTim: Ha! I don't consider that hijacking, Ella, so please do it again when so inclined. I do think of this as a cafe, with wide open discussions.

I was rooting for your guy. The Dutch have absolutely domm-ee-nayted speed skating this Olympics, haven't they.

I see Katie Couric apologized for saying it's because they grow up skating on the frozen canals in Amsterdam. What? No, they don't, foolish American.

>180 ChelleBearss: Morning, Chelle!

Judy's example in >175 DeltaQueen50: is mighty lame, isn't it.

We had fun going to dinner at the Billy Goat Tavern and then at the Bulls game, but the Bulls sucked. It's a very good Toronto team this year (leading the conference), and the Bulls didn't put up the fight they should have (and have for the most part this year). We see a lot of their games, so it wasn't that big a deal. We enjoyed each other's company, and the entertainment throughout the game (they're smart, and make sure there's plenty to dazzle people). At halftime they had that amazing Quick Change act, a magic act where the woman somehow instantly changes into wild outfits while you're watching, and you can't figure out how she does it. One of our favorites.

Morning, Joe. Sweet Thursday. Foggy out here, but the temps are nice. I can't believe how fast the snowpack has diminished. Started a major Chunkster, with Barkskins, but I like it in the early going.

Hi Joe and happy Thursday to you.

Repeat to myself: Do not try to find out how many movie tie-in covers I have. Do not.... do not.....

Sleepy in-betweener of a day...going to be 60°-ish but clammydamp. Makes me long for more coffee and, hmm, pecan pie with whipped cream.

>183 jnwelch: I heard Couric say that about Amsterdam - they grow up skating the canals..what? Somebody's been reading Hans Brinker and maybe thinks nothing's changed. We lived in A'dam 40 years ago and it was already a thing of the past. Global warming anyone?

>185 msf59: Glad you're liking Barkskins so far, Mark. Sweet Thursday! I liked Shipping News, but haven't followed her after that one.

Still foggy downtown. I can barely see the highrise across the river. But I like the warmer temps.

>186 karenmarie: Happy Thursday, Karen.

Ha! Sounds like a good project to me. I can get lost rummaging among our books for all sorts of reasons. The movie covers I know we have are the three Lord of the Rings books. I somehow lost my original copies along the way, and gleefully replaced them with these, to the horror of my wife and kids (who all loved the movies, but like others we've heard from here, hate movie covers). That may be it in our house.

>187 richardderus: Good day to stay dry, Richard. Here you go with the libation/vittle pie.



>188 NarratorLady: Hiya, Anne. I know, how crazy was that Couric comment about skating on the frozen canals? I can't believe someone that experienced was so foolish. Apparently there was an uproar about it in Holland. I hadn't thought about global warming, but that probably has had an effect, hasn't it. The people they interviewed said maybe a few people skate to work on the coldest days, but it's not the normal there - which your experience of 40 years ago confirms.

What were you doing when you lived in Amsterdam?

Hello Joe!

>154 jnwelch: A little off topic, but 'Nightwatch' is a creepy good thriller.

>190 jnwelch: We all wish she could have been right of course.
Would have been right outside of Amsterdam, 100 years ago.
But When there is ice and it's good enough for skating it turns into a major event. With tours organised, most out of town, because the ice is better. Koek en zopie, meaning hot chocolate and something to eat, thousands of people participating.
Last time in Amsterdam was 2012, so not as bad as you'd think, but climate change is a fact.



I grew up outside of Amsterdam, when there was ice we could start skating outside of our back garden. Ice everywhere.

>191 brodiew2: Hiya, Brodie. There are a lot of 'Nightwatch' movies and shows. Which one is this?

>192 EllaTim: Oh good, Ella. I was thinking about you when we were discussing this, and figured you'd have the straight dope.

Oh, that does sound like a blast. In our neighborhood in Michigan, a neighbor would hose down his backyard in winter, and create an ice skating rink for all the neighborhood kids. Not quite as cool as your experience, but we sure enjoyed it.

The every once in a while in Amsterdam and surroundings reminds me of that terrific book, The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys, with stories based on the times that river historically froze up. Festivals, markets, hunts, all sorts of activities occurred on the ice when it did.

>193 jnwelch: This is a movie starring Nick Nolte, Ewan McGregor, and Patrcia Arquette. Nightwatch refers to McGregors job as a graveyard orderly at the morgue.

>193 jnwelch: - A friend of mine here in Toronto just finished that Humphreys book and raved about it!

>194 brodiew2: Huh, that's a new one for me, Brodie. Thanks for the tip. Are you going to catch the new Black Panther movie? It's getting rave reviews here.

>195 jessibud2: Oh, it's so good, Shelley! Don't miss a chance to read it. I've probably given more copies of The Frozen Thames to others than any other book.

>192 EllaTim: 2012? I'm amazed Ella. Do they still have the (and warning: I'm about to misspell this) elfstedentoch? They were able to have that one year we were there in the late '70s and it was a big deal since it hadn't been cold enough for a while and that wasn't near Amsterdam as I remember.

>190 jnwelch: I was working for a travel agency Joe. We made arrangements for groups visiting Holland. The Huz worked for an American consulting firm. It was pre-children so we travelled a lot while we were there. Nice memories.

>197 NarratorLady: Oh my, how great, Anne. I know it's been eons, but any tips for our three day visit to Amsterdam this fall?

I know, those dratted children. We're trying to make up for it now. Actually, we took them with us a lot when they were young - but it's a lot easier to pick up and go now.

>196 jnwelch: the films is 15ish years old. I just was the dvd cover art above and remembered it being a decently creepy obsession themed thriller.

>199 brodiew2: Gotcha. OK, Brodie, thanks.

>197 NarratorLady: Oh never mind about spelling Anne, I must make a lot of misstakes here, and there's a lot I don't know about the USA as well.

No, last elfstedentocht was in 1997, unfortunately. It would be great to have another one.

2012 was a short winter season, enough for a lot of fun, but for the Elfstedentocht the ice has to be very good. And there are always problem spots.

Skating on canals is cooler than on a rink in the back yard, Joe. I can remember skating on the Rideau Canal. They have to lower the water so that it freezes.

>127 SuziQoregon:

Imagine some poor customer coming into a bookstore
and describing the cover by posing with their hands on their head!

>198 jnwelch: We took our kids traveling too Joe. Now they cross the globe on their own. China and Bahrain this year so far. What have we wrought?

Meanwhile we've graduated to baby/dog sitters. (Although we work in the occasional jaunt.)

I would think that Ella would be a much better source for your A'dam trip than my ancient memories!

>201 EllaTim: Thanks, Ella.

>202 Familyhistorian: I've read about the Rideau Canal skating. Did it happen this year? Isn't it usually in January?

I tried to get our neighbor to do a canal through the town instead, but he begged off.

>203 m.belljackson: Oh, that would have been a treat if it happened where I worked, Marianne. I'd much rather have customers act out book covers than tell me the color. Of course, if we even figured out the hands-on-head one, we'd need to pull at least seven books, according to Juli up there in >127 SuziQoregon:.

>204 NarratorLady: Makes sense, Anne. Bahrain and China - nice. Our gal is heading back to Italy in June, and our guy was in Belgium with his workshop-teaching wife not long ago.

True re Ella. I thought something might stand out for you re A*dam, especially with that travel agency background. I'm keeping Ella posted as we figure out our timing.

The duplicate book cover discussion reminds me that it happens quite a bit in board games too. Understandable, I guess, as the art of the game is one of the most expensive components in publishing the game.

Climate Change is a fact and is changing winter in more places than Amsterdam and Denmark. I grew up ice skating every winter. We skated and played hockey much of late December and most all of January. Everybody wanted a pair of skates and a sled. We had lots of snow as well. All of this was on the plains of Kansas. Now, it rarely freezes in the winter and certainly not enough to freeze ice on which we can skate. I am so disappointed for my younger cousins and their friends because they will never know what fun winter can be.

I noticed that the mountains of the Southern Rockies finally got some snow as well. The ski resorts in New Mexico like Taos and Angelfire have had a tough time of it in recent years.

>198 jnwelch: Amsterdam this fall?!! How did I miss that?
I would love to meet you :-)
When are you coming?

>207 alcottacre: Hi, Stasia. You know board games so well; I didn't realize cover copying happened there, too. Expense being the driver makes sense, but it's unfortunate. We lose that originality. For example, I just read a cool article about the creation of the cover for the Pashmina GN, thanks to an LTer (sorry I'm forgetting who) who posted it on Facebook.

https://www.bookish.com/articles/nidhi-chanani-pashmina-cover-design/





>208 benitastrnad: Right, Benita. You have to be determined to ignore facts to question the reality of climate change, and the kinds of effects you describe are sad losses. The violent weather events we're seeing are tied to it, too.

>209 FAMeulstee: Ha! Ditto, Anita!

We'll be there in September, probably around the middle of the month. We're still figuring out timing. We'll mostly be in London and its surroundings, and plan to be in Amsterdam for three days. I'll keep you posted.

I'm not going to say much about the latest gun violence in Florida, other than it's hearbreaking and frustrating, and once again we are mourning those gone and sending deep sympathy to their loved ones and friends.

This U.S. Congress will do nothing, once again, we know that. So we HAVE to change Congress. We all need to spread the word, don't you think?

There are good discussions going on on Mark's thread and I'm sure elsewhere on LT, and of course, on Facebook.

Having trouble getting LT to work. Hmm.

>203 m.belljackson: Hee hee

>110 jnwelch: Interesting article. Thanks for the link.

>211 jnwelch: Yep - change has to happen

>67 jnwelch: Joe, My daughter began her career as a teacher and then went back to get a Ph.D in school counseling. She lives in a suburb of Dayton, Ohio and travels to some of the schools were the poverty is sad beyond words. She told me the other day that she had to "take down" a young boy. I wasn't sure what that meant, until she told me her arm was broken. She tells us so many sad stories. When she was home last, she sat in the living room with tears in her eyes and said that she knows she could save three kids if only she could take them out of the home situation and adopt them.

Yes, I raised a "bleeding heart liberal." She is a wonderful person who, at age 45 hasn't decided to leave the middle and high school life yet. I believe she is making a difference. No doubt about it. I just wish there wasn't a physical component involved in it.

>211 jnwelch: - I copied and sent this photo to a friend of mine who told me that it was created after John Lennon's death and stands in NYC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Violence_(sculpture)

I wish someone would transplant this statue permanently to the front lawn of the White House.
Every single person who supports the NRA and who believes it is a *right* to own a gun, has blood on their hands today. Yes, I guess I am pretty black and white in my views. But it all just makes me sick.

Happy Friday, Joe. It looks like you have been preoccupied today. I hope all is well. Sadly, my copy of Where Now: New and Selected Poems is due back to the library tomorrow. Bummer, since I have about a 130 pages left to go. I will try to read a large chunk tomorrow and then I'll have to request it again. I am loving it though. She is quite a find.

>213 SuziQoregon: Glad you liked that linked article, Juli. I like that designer.

Change has to happen, agreed. I'm thinking any able-bodied person in this country who doesn't vote should be ashamed. We desperately need people to turn out at the polls in November and help make that change. The Republicans keep trying to restrict access to the polls because they know big turnouts favor the Democrats.

I say this as someone who was raised by two moderate Republicans. They changed when the party kept moving to the right. They also raised three Democrats.

>214 Whisper1: Kudos to your daughter, Linda. As my sister said about our daughter, she sure isn't doing it for the salary or the prestige. I'm sorry to hear about the broken arm; that's got to be scary for her and her mother both. I can imagine her feeling she could change those lives. The home life is the biggest problem for so many of these kids. That was one of the heartbreakers in Evicted; all the moving around and turmoil makes it so hard to learn and develop a solid foundation for life.

Madame MBH used to go into some very dicey public schools here with an Authors Program she developed. The kids would get the author's book (many of them had never had their own book before), and then meet and talk to the author. So great. But she wouldn't tell me about aspects of it (until years later), like her having to be escorted to and from her car by security at some of the schools.

Young Chicago Authors (YCA), which you've heard me talk about here, teaches writing, performance, and professional skills to public school kids from a variety of backgrounds, and some of those backgrounds are so sad; the determination to overcome is enough to make you weep. Drugs and violence, of course, are big factors. YCA is the one Madame MBH was President of, and she remains on the Board. Both our kids went through it, and benefited in so many ways, including becoming friends with kids they never would have met otherwise. That amazing Louder Than a Bomb documentary about YCA and the annual poetry slam gives glimpses into those backgrounds, and the kids in it, when asked what was best about YCA, said the community it creates. Amen.

>215 jessibud2: Hi, Shelley. I wondered. I haven't seen that sculpture in NYC. I'll have to find out where it is; we'll briefly be in NYC in April for a niece's wedding, unless the impending grandson shows up early.

I couldn't find a sculpture in the linked Wikipedia article - am I missing something?

Yeah, and I also wish someone would transplant the occupier of the White House to some cave on Mars.

The gun violence, and the extreme views of so many gun advocates, makes me sick, too. This always involves assault weapons these days; surely we can agree to ban those from civilians' hands? We did once, under Clinton, and then let it lapse in 2004. I grew up in Michigan with hunters all around, and I can understand that. But you don't need a handgun to shoot a deer, you don't need an assault weapon to shoot a rabbit.

The Second Amendment to the Constitution was drafted when the available weapons were muskets that took minutes to reload for just one shot. Justifying the sanctity of assault weapons and multi-shot handguns under that Amendment is absurd.

>216 msf59: Hey, buddy. All is well. Other than this persisting gun violence and the shameful Congress and President we're plagued with, the day was fine, no worries. Just an errand and chore day, actually.

You know I'm with you on the Where Now poetry collection. I was so taken with her poems after you found her that I coughed up for the hardcover. It's going to take a while to finish it, but if you don't the collection back soonish from the library, I can supply it.

>219 jnwelch: - How odd. When my friend sent it to me, and when I posted it here, in my >215 jessibud2:, the pic on the right was the knotted gun you posted in your >211 jnwelch:, not the one of Ghandi I am seeing now, when I click on it. Hmmm, In looking back to my post, I see the word *sculpture* is not highlighted when I added the link. I have no idea how to fix that so it takes you to the page I still see correctly in my friend's email to me.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Violence_(sculpture)

Anyhow, here is what it said:

Non-Violence1 is a bronze sculpture by Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd of an oversized Colt Python .357 Magnum revolver with a knotted barrel and the muzzle pointing upwards. Reuterswärd made this sculpture after singer-songwriter and peace activist John Lennon was murdered.2
The sculpture has been the symbol since 1993 of The Non-Violence Project, a nonprofit organization that promotes social change through violence-prevention education programs.

Under the photo of it, it says:
The sculpture at the United Nations headquarters in New York City
Artist - Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd
Year - 1985
Type - Sculpture
Location - New York

>220 jessibud2: Thanks for the follow-up, Shelley. Jeez, John Lennon's sad death was an awfully long time ago, wasn't it. And the problem's worse than ever.

I did a little research when that link didn't work out the first time, and also found out the sculpture is at UN Headquarters. I don't know whether we'll have time on this trip, but sooner or later I'd like to see it in person.

>217 jnwelch:

Recent update in Wisconsin CAPITAL TIMES on Evicted:

"Mitch, an associate clinical professor at UW-Madison and director of
the Neighborhood Law Clinic, says that things haven't gotten any better
for tenants in Wisconsin after Matthew Desmond's award-winning book.

'There's a Pulitzer Prize-winning book about how bad it is, and now it's worse.'"

>222 m.belljackson: Thanks, Marianne. What the heck's the matter with us? This is one of the most frustrating times to live imaginable. We can do better, and we don't. I don't get it.

John Lennon's death was one of those I-remember-exactly-where-I-was moments, wasn't it? Just like Kennedy's assassination.

What is wrong with the human species, anyhow? :-(

I just devoted a lot of time to skimming through this entire thread. I agree with all the comments about gun violence, about all that. But I think it's important to give credit where it is due: the GOP. The NYTimes had a piece just a couple days ago listing the ten senators and ten reps who have gotten the most money from the NRA, and all are GOPers. (The list included the "thoughts and prayers" statement issued by each of the 20. Except for the guy from Montana, the one who slugged a journalist last fall; he apparently neither thinks nor prays.)

Morning, Joe! Hope you and Debbi have a great weekend planned!

Hi Joe and happy Saturday to you.

Other than this persisting gun violence and the shameful Congress and President we're plagued with, the day was fine, no worries.

The waves of helplessness, anger, and angst come and go ever since drumpf and his band of dangerous idiots took office. They are ably seconded by the unethical, immoral, and disgusting idiots in congress who back him and the dangerous, un-American platform and playbook of rich men behind the scenes stealing our country. Big sigh.

But I am reading two good books. Today will be fine for us, too.

Hundreds of children are dead and all these assholes can talk about is their "rights." Makes me want to vomit.

>224 jessibud2: What's wrong with the human species, anyhow? Good question, Shelley. You can tell, I'm as frustrated as you are.

When you ask it that way, part of me thinks, it has ever been thus, at least in recorded time, right? Amazing achievements, amazing failures (e.g. slavery, for so much of it), and rare glimpses of peace. 21st century - should we really be struggling with a common sense issue of whether schoolchildren not being killed is more important than everyone having access to fancy weapons?

I say "we", but the U.S. owns this particular stupidity all on its own.

I suppose the universe (through Neil deGrasse Tyson) would say, hey, you just showed up, you've hardly been here a blink of an eye.

There's a sci-fi book I've always liked, called Dragon's Egg, by Robert L. Forward. Dragon’s Egg is a neutron star with inhabitants "where one Earth hour is equivalent to hundreds of their years." The inhabitants start out as clueless savages, but that rapid time element means they evolve fast, and will they then surpass their human teachers?

But we're in the middle of it, and our failings are so frustrating. These deaths need not be - one report said we've had more overall deaths from gun violence in the U.S. than from all the wars we've been involved in. What? Putin should just let us all kill each other off. Oh wait, maybe that's the plan.

>225 weird_O: Right, Bill. If I didn't talk about the GOP here, I did over on Mark's thread. I was raised by two moderate GOPers, and even they had to give up on it after it kept moving to the right. They raised three Democrats.

All the Republican gerrymandering and restricting access to the polls is an implicit recognition that if all (or even a large portion) of voters show up at the polls, that's not good for GOPers. One reason a lot of GOPers are anti-immigration is the simple one that immigrants are likely to vote Democratic.

>226 ChelleBearss: Morning, Chelle!

We're having a great weekend so far. We'll be seeing the new Black Panther movie today - excited! Tomorrow we host Madame MBH's writing group (storytellers).

Hope you and the hubby and munchkins have a great one yourselves. We have such wonderful memories of our kiddoes being at that stage. Lots of challenges then, too, of course, but so worth it.

>229 jnwelch: - Yes, it has ever been thus. Indeed. I am in the middle of a couple of books now (though one could pick just about ANY books from ANY time period, and it probably apply). A short bio of Harriet Tubman (and we all know what she had to contend with), and a book by a Canadian author, Mark Sakamoto, called Forgiveness which is the story of his family. His paternal Japanese grandparents were incarcerated in camps here in Canada in the 40s, while his maternal white grandfather was held prisoner of war during WWII. The story is how they came to reconcile enough to allow their children - Mark's parents - to marry at a time when it was, shall we say, not exactly the thing to do. Mark is a very good writer and he peels back the layers of this story with great skill and compassion.

Canada is no innocent when it comes to discrimination and cruelty, perhaps not to the extent as it is in the States but that is no excuse. Just this week, in our news, there was an acquittal of a white man who shot and killed an Indigenous man, by an all-white jury. The outrage and reverberations are still sounding.

And on it goes. Have we heard this all before? You bet we have. But the question you ask, will we evolve eventually, is both hard to answer and pretty obvious to answer. So far, I'd have to say no. How many earth years will it take to evolve? Way more than we have, and way way more than it needs or ought to.

Sadly, I seem to be an glass-half empty person. I wish that were different, too. I think it's just being realistic

>227 karenmarie: Happy Saturday, Karen.

Right? "Un-American". Ain't that the truth. Literally, as the Mueller's indictment of 13 Russian election manipulators confirmed. We need to wise up fast.

I know, we also have to retain our sanity and live our daily lives. I'm liking the books I'm reading, too, and we're heading over to see the new Black Panther movie today.

>228 richardderus: Yup. It defies belief, Richard, it's so shameful. Dante's going to need to come up with a new circle for these guys.

>231 jessibud2: Yeah, you are being realistic, Shelley. Thank you for those good comments. Down here we think (at least I do) of Canada as being so much more socially enlightened than the U.S. Good to be reminded that stupidity isn't geographically restricted. I didn't know you all still experienced those all-white jury decisions letting someone off who would've been convicted but for that color. We sure do.

Every once in a while, I'll say to Madame MBH, do you think we'll see in our lifetimes . . . and we both realize the answer is, probably not.

But we can at least make progress. Can you tell I'm a glass half full guy? :-) Our public schools in liberal Ann Arbor, Michigan weren't desegregated until 1965. Now one of my godsons, African-American, is a graduate of Michigan law school. That was huge in his family (first graduate school graduate of any sort), but somewhat par for the course for his class, where he had lots of people of color company.

We have same sex marriage, we have an proudly gay figure skater (Adam Rippon) lighting up the Olympics, we have an improved lot for women (they can even vote now!), and so on. I know, it's more than possible to list negatives for all of that, but the overall direction seems right. But if we let the Russian-fueled Nazis prevail here, we've lost it.

It seems clear, to me, anyway, that we wouldn't have Trump in office but for the Russians. How jaw-dropping is that? If you're going to pride yourself on being a democracy, you have to be smarter than this.

I believe I'm starting to ramble. You just got me thinking.

Hi Joe, lots to catch up on and too much to comment on.

Had to google GOP; I see it means Republicans.

>234 humouress: Hiya, Nina.

Sorry about that; I try to keep our international community in mind, but sometimes I slip up with something like an unexplained GOP - Grand Old Party. It was Lincoln's party; he's probably turning over in his grave at what the present Republican group is doing.

I also use a fair amount of American slang, so if something is hard to figure out, don't think twice about asking.

Hope you're having a good weekend.

>233 jnwelch: and before. I'm planning to read Steven Pinker's book Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism and Progress in the next few weeks, to remind me of the good stuff I hope. I'm a glass half full kinda gal, but sometimes the drag of some aspects of reality makes it harder to see the wood for the trees. It doesn't help that the 24/7 media monster is mostly interested in the negative or greedy aspects of life, not to mention the pain of many and gain of the few.

As individuals we are unlikely to change the world, but we can change our experience, and improve how someone else feels. I read somewhere that people often don't remember what someone else says, but they do remember how someone else made them feel. It's a good starting point.

The Black Panther movie is so good! Be sure to see it if you can.

>237 jnwelch: Good to know, Joe. We are very excited about this one.

>234 humouress: - Lol, me too. I can't keep up with those Americans and their love of acronyms!

Re glass half-full vs half-empty. It's all good. We need both, for balance, I believe!

>236 Caroline_McElwee: Yes, wise words, Caroline. All we can do is start with ourselves, and our experience of the world, and the world's experience of us. It's time to be what we believe, on a daily basis, or this is going to be a world full of rightwingers, lacking in kindness and compassion. It's highlighted in the U.S., but as you know, it's happening all over the world.

I'll look forward to your comments on the Steven Pinker book. I thought our son might have read him, but his listed books don't ring that kind of bell. I'll check with him next time we talk.

>237 jnwelch: So true, Joe. I had the same experience.

>238 Crazymamie: Oh my. If you like this kind of movie, Mamie, you'll love this one. It's right up there with Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman as a movie, and we loved what it conveys. Great bits of humor in it, too. Movie execs aren't going to be able to say any more that a woman can't lead a hit movie, or that a black cast can't lead a hit movie. This is really, really well done.



>239 jessibud2: Ha! Guilty as charged, Shelley. GOP is easier to write than Republican over and over again. What can I say?

Ooo, good thought about the balance. I'll try to remember that. Some would say the question isn't half full or half empty, but whether it tastes good. :-)

>241 jnwelch: - Well, as far as *taste* goes, that's a whole other ball game... ;-) For example, the previous leader was yummy, while the current one is pure putrid spit-it-out, rinse-my-mouth poison. But that's just *my* taste...;-p

>240 jnwelch: Ha! I saw that easter egg.

>242 jessibud2: Yikes! I can't believe you went there, Shelley. *gargling, spitting, and not oversharing* :-)

>243 richardderus: Ha! You're quick, my friend. It's going to slip by most.

>237 jnwelch: and >240 jnwelch: - I caught it ;-)

Glad to hear you liked Black Panther. We are going to go on Monday, I think.

Was just thinking of you and your niece (?) when I heard that Jeffrey Tambor was fired from Transparent. I wonder if they are going to try to carry on without him, or just call it a day.

>245 katiekrug: Ha! A close reading of the posts. I love it, Katie.

I think you'll have a great time at the Black Panther movie. We're still smiling about it. Among many other things, this director is the real deal.

Yeah, that's our niece, Amy Landecker, who plays Sarah. She didn't know what was going to happen at Christmastime. It's hard to imagine that show without Tambor, but maybe they'll give it a go. The season was contractually renewed before all this happened, so it's on the books.

(I had to go back and look for the Easter egg.)

>241 jnwelch: We saw Black Panther on Wednesday night. I loved the film, too, but I thought it was a bit American-centric. I can only find 4 of the named cast who were even born in Africa (though they didn't necessarily grow up there) and I was a bit disappointed that the city looked like any other major city in the world. I thought they could have made it more organic-looking maybe; like the effort that was put into Riverdell in the Lord of the Rings films.

But the film was great. I liked the bits of humour, too, especially the gorilla king.

We considered going to see "Black Panther" today but weren't able to make the timing work. It's on the list for next weekend, after my trip to Tempe. Have I mentioned that I get to spend two nights and two days in Tempe?

Instead, we saw "Lady Bird" today. I liked it quite a bit.

>211 jnwelch: "This U.S. Congress will do nothing, once again, we know that." Yep.
Must succeed in the mid-term elections this year.

I saw an article that laid out the NRA contributions to politicians. Hmm, guess who has received millions of dollars in campaign contributions from the NRA? Yes, you guessed it, republican legislators. So we will continue to do nothing about gun access and will continue to say it's a mental health issue, and continue to defund mental health programs and services.

I'm not sure it's a "mental health" issue. I think it's an alienation issue. I think we have created a culture that is isolating and disconnecting. And yes, there are folks with mental health disorders our there easily accessing assault rifles, for pete's sake. But we, as a culture, have our heads in the sand. The disparity between those who have all they want and those who don't have what they need continues to expand. How on earth can we expect anything other than rage, disenchantment, and downright craziness?

(note: I've had three glasses of wine so I'm less than fully confident in my coherence here.)

>247 humouress: Hi, Nina.

I'm glad you liked the Black Panther movie. Good points. You can imagine, the American-centric cast didn't bother me. If it were Brit-made, there'd be a lot of Brits. But I can see your point.

I do get what you're saying about the city design. I was hoping it would be more distinctive, too. I loved Rivendell - that's a telling comparison. I guess if that's the weak point, that's a pretty good movie. :-)

>248 EBT1002: Oh, Tempe for a couple of days. That sounds good, Ellen. We're going to see Lady Bird, and the rest of the Oscar-nominated films, starting next weekend. I'm looking forward to it. What did you think of Laurie Metcalf? She's a favorite of ours.

Yeah, the NRA payouts to leading Republicans is scandalous. Rubio should be ashamed. Well, they all should.

"Mental health" as an excuse for shooting only comes up when the shooter is white. Otherwise, if it's someone of color, it's "terrorism". It drives me crazy. You've put your finger on it, IMO, it's alienation, whatever the color.

Yeah, our Prez rescinded the regulation precluding the mentally ill from purchasing guns; I'm sure Putin thinks this is hilarious. And he and the Republicans want to cut mental health money. Jeez, it's frustrating. They don't care about this country at all, as far as I can tell.

The disparity between those who have all they want and those who don't have what they need continues to expand. How on earth can we expect anything other than rage, disenchantment, and downright craziness? Yup.

Well said. You seem to get even more eloquent than usual after three glasses of wine.

I'll get to your thread to see your reaction to seeing Hamilton. I saw on FB that you thought it was passable good. :-)

This effect is created with body paint!

>250 jnwelch: BIG LIKE!

Morning, Joe. Happy Sunday. Hooray for the Black Panther film. Sounds great. Hope to see it soon.

I ended up getting to page 220 on Where Now: New and Selected Poems, with another 130 pages to go, so I will request it again. Man, I love this collection.

I just started Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions, thanks to Ellen and I think this will be one up your alley too, plus it is a shorty.

'Morning, Joe!

I watched the We Call BS video. I hope the students of this country CAN shame politicians into cutting ties with the NRA. I hope that they raise hell.

>250 jnwelch: Isn't that cool, Mark? What a feat to create >250 jnwelch:.

I'm with you on Kasischke's Where Now collection. I'm nowhere near where you are, but I am maybe 100 pages into it. What a nice surprise to find someone so good who has a developed body of work like this.

>251 msf59: Yeah, Madame MBH and I read that powerful Call BS speech, Karen. I hope that the students of this country raise hell, too. The adults have completely failed them. All the explanations in the world do nothing to help them, and I can't stand the hypocrisy of the explanations anyway. This is crisis in our system of government, and caring, unpurchased people need to take the government back. But the students, rightly, are wondering how many children have to die before that happens - or whether it will happen.

Morning, Joe!

>254 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

The new cafe is open. See you there!