Joe's Book Cafe Door 8

Art Deco

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
25. Absolutely on Music by Haruki Murakami
26. Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
27. The Power by Naomi Alderman
28. Light Boxes by Shane Jones

March

29. Down the River Unto the Sea by Walter Mosley
30. In Pursuit of Memory by Joseph Jebelli
31. A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire
32. For We Are Many by Dennis Taylor
33. All These Worlds by Dennis Taylor
34. One Goal: A Coach by Amy Bass
35. We Are Okay by Nina Lacour
36. Artificial Night by Seanan Macguire
37. On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
38. Where Now New and Selected Poems by Laura Kasischke
39. Wires and Nerve by Marissa Meyer*
40. Wires and Nerve Volume 2 by Marissa Meyer*
41. A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf

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
20. Eye of the World Volume 5 by Robert Jordan
21. Andre the Giant by Box Brown
22. Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña

*Also an illustrated book

2018 Favorites So Far

Fiction

The Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson

Poetry

Where Now by Laura Kasischke (still reading)

Nonfiction

One Goal: A Coach, A Team by Amy Bass

Young Adult

We Are Okay by Nina Lacour

Science Fiction

The Power by Naomi Alderman

Close Second Place: Binti The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor

Mystery

Down the River Unto the Sea by Walter Mosley

Illustrated Books

Silent Days, Silent Dreams by Allen Say

2017 Favorites

Fiction

News of the World by Paulette Jiles

Poetry

Don't Call Us Dead by Danez Smith

Nonfiction

Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright

Young Adult

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Science Fiction

The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemison (conclusion of a trilogy)

Mystery

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Graphic Novels

My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris

Miscellaneous

The Singing Bones by Shaun Tan (amazing - featuring short fairy tales and related photos of his sculptures)

Riddle

by Laura Kasischke

Most days I cling to a single word. It is a mild-mannered creature made of
thought. Future or Past. Never the other, obvious word. Whenever I reach out to touch that one, it scurries away.

Even my identity has been kept hidden from me. It is a child's ghost buried
in mud. It is an old woman waving at me from a passing train. First, a multi-
plication. Then a densification. Then a pale thing draped carelessly over a
bone.

Four weeks after my conception, I was given a tail. But then God had some
mystical vision of all I might be - and took the tail back.

It required no violence, no surgery, no struggle, this quiet thievery, this
snatching away of the deep, ancient secret. It would be true of everything:

My eyes closed, hands open, Take it, take it. Then every day wasted
chasing it.

>5 jnwelch: Delushious! I'll take two, be in the corner by the fireplace, thanks

Love the Art Deco vibe, Joe!

Happy new one, Joe.

Happy new thread Joe!

Like those topper pix, Joe.

Your books read-list is totally demoralizing, sir. I am shamed. The hemlock is being prepared.

>6 richardderus: There's our guy with the behaving computer. Hiya, Richard. Two cold ones delivered to your fireplace seat coming up.

Happy new thread, Joe!

>7 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky!

>8 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara. I'm glad you found the new place.

>9 jolerie: Thanks, Valerie! Your big heart makes your post impossible to miss. :-)

>10 weird_O: Thanks, Bill. I'm glad you like the top pix.

My reading list should be totally inspiralizing, not demoralizing. (New cafe, new words for the dictionary). I'll tell you what my parents always told me: drink coffee, not hemlock, and enjoy your reading, dammit.

They were pretty direct for old folks.

Welcome home, Joe! And Happy New Thread! Love the Art Deco toppers!

>4 jnwelch: Love the Kasischke poem! There are so many perfect ones in that collection. What a great voice. I am very close to finishing the collection up. She has become a new favorite.

Happy new thread, Joe.

You liked A Man Called Ove, right? I just finished and enjoyed My Grandmother Asked. I think this would be your cuppa too. I am also started my very first Oliver Sacks book, The Man Who Mistook His Wife. Have you read it? It is off to a fine start.

Happy new thread! I got in kinda early this time!

>16 msf59: - Mark, that particular Sacks book was good but it can be a bit dense at times. I have read several other of his titles too so when you finish and should you want more suggestions, just ask! He is a terrific writer.

Happy new thread, Joe! Love those toppers!

>12 scaifea: Thanks, Amber!

>14 msf59: Thanks, Mark. Glad you like the poem and the toppers. Kasischke has become a favorite of mine, too - in fact, you'll see her up there in my Favorites in >3 jnwelch:. I'm still 100+ pages from the end. What a collection!

>15 rretzler: Thanks, Robin. Glad you found the new place.

>16 msf59: Good ones, Mark. I LOVED The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. It makes my "Best Titles Ever" list, too. I'm really glad you're reading it.

Thanks for the Backman tip. I did love A Man Called Ove (and the movie). I'm in one of those periods where I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the books waiting for me to read them (many now dating back to the holidays). But I'll keep My Grandmother Asked Me in mind as I clear that a bit.

>17 drneutron: Ha! Way to go, Jim! Thanks for making it kinda early, my friend. :-)

>18 jessibud2: I loved that one of his (The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat), Shelley, but then, I'm a bit dense at times meself.

Actually, I sometimes wonder whether I have more tolerance for dense books than some of our LT readers. I go ga-ga over one like The Gene: An Intimate History, and then see some of our readers turned off by the denseness. Hmm, maybe I should keep that in mind when writing reviews?

>19 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley! Aren't those toppers cool? I love art deco.

Happy New Thread, Joe! I'm another who loves those Art Deco images up above.

Love the Art Deco. I'll take one of the hot beverages, please!

I have been at home for a few days and have been reading up a storm. On the way back to Kansas I listened to the recorded version of Symphony For the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad by M. T. Anderson.

I read/listened to this book. This was a book that was on the ALA Best Books for YA’s in 2015 - the year it was published. I had it on my TBR list since then because I thought it was an interesting subject to try to tackle for YA’s and wondered what Anderson would do with it. I finally listened to the book because I found the recorded version at the local library after reading a scathing review of the recorded version of the title here on LT.

This is indeed a tough subject to try to interpret for teens. Dmetri Shostakovich was a complicated person who lived in very unsettled times and served an unsettling aratistic master - music and an unforgiving political master - Stalin. The Siege of Leningrad was not a pleasant thing and Anderson did not sugar coat what people did. Likewise, with is treatment of the Red Famine and the Great Terror. He probably did not deal with them in-depth but that is because this book was not a biography of a person but rather a biography of the writing of a symphony and a thoughtful commentary on the importance of art and music to a culture.

The author was the narrator and I thought he did a good job of reading. It was not the best reading of a work of nonfiction I have heard, but it was good enough. It was not dispassioned but it was not overwrought either.

It is not Harrison Salisbury’s 900 Days but overall, I thought this book was a good interpretation of a difficult subject for its intended audience. It is hard to imagine a culture in which art, music, and literature, especially poetry is so revered that it is almost central to survival. But then Russia is different.

Reading Lincoln in the Bardo: I started with the audiobook then moved to print, not because I wasn’t enjoying listening, I’m just not planning long enough car trips! The 100+ cast members includes your soon to be in-law (in a a most despicable role!).

I was sorry to learn of the death of Steven Hawking today. I am so glad that this man lived, what a great mind.

>5 jnwelch: oooh, steampunk iced coffee? Don't mind if I do ;)

Happy new thread, Joe. Now reality catches up with you when you get in the door and realize you have to stock up and all those books are starring at you waiting to be read! Love the art deco.

Happy new thread, Joe! I always look forward to your new threads to see what art you have for us. Again, this one is not a disappointment.
Have an excellent day!

Happy new thread, Joe! Glad you both had a good holiday!

>22 jnwelch: I am one who can get frustrated with dense books lately. I never used to and I think it has to do with my current lack of reading time. When I only get an hour or two of reading every day, or every other day, then reading a dense and time consuming book can make me feel like I'm not getting anywhere with my reading.

>23 ronincats: Thanks, Roni. Oh good, I'm glad you like the art decos. I know you have an artist's eye.

>24 laytonwoman3rd: Ha! Hi, Linda. Good to hear re the art deco. Let's get you a hot coffee.

>25 benitastrnad: Good for you for reading up a storm, Benita. That Shostakovich symphony book sounds like an interesting one.

I read M.T. Anderson's Octavian Nothing book, but unfortunately didn't like it much. Bonus points for the concept, though.

>26 NarratorLady: Ha! The pending SIL in a villainous role! What was he thinking, Anne? He's also villainous in Get Out and annoyingly condescending to Katherine Graham (Meryl) in The Post. Maybe we need to rethink this. Oh, wait, Amy didn't give us a vote. Plus theatrical villains tend to be among the nicest folks around, as far as I know.

I can't wait to hear what you think of Lincoln in the Bardo. I appreciated the novel concept and structure, and the father-son relationship pulled at my heartstrings. But the book landed with a dull thump for some of our LTers. I've thought more than once that it could be really good on audio, with all those voices.

Hi Joe! Happy new thread and happy Thursday! I love the Art Deco look at the top.

Long time no visit - my daughter was visiting for spring break and on top of everybody being particularly chatty so far this year, I find I'm way behind. Line in the sand. I hope you're doing well and that you had a great time in my home state.

>27 benitastrnad: Ditto, Benita. Stephen Hawking was a remarkable man. He lived with ALS about fifty (!) years longer than predicted, but it's still tough to lose him. There are tributes to him all over Facebook. Like others who missed it initially, we plan to watch the Theory of Everything movie.

He had a very funny interview with John Oliver (not long), that I love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8y5EXFMD4s



>28 LovingLit: Ha! Steampunk coffee, Megan? That's a tough one to do beyond the art deco. Here's what we found in back:

>29 Familyhistorian: Hi, Meg. Yeah, all those books patiently waiting to be read sometimes are daunting. I probably should stop doing anything else, and just read for . . . a month or so.

I'm glad you're enjoying the art deco.

>30 Carmenere: Ha! I appreciate that, Lynda, and I'm glad the new art doesn't disappoint.

Thanks - I hope you have an excellent day yourownself.

>31 ChelleBearss: Hi, Chelle. Thanks and thanks!

Yeah, that's a good point about dense books and lack of reading time. We were just with that charming nine week old Sam, and his poor mother barely could find time (with our help) for laundry and taking a shower. I wouldn't have been reading many dense books while our kids were young, I'm sure.

Off for a checkup with the doctor. Sweet Thursday, everyone.

>35 jnwelch: love the steampunk pot.

Hope the checkup goes well Joe, and no knuckles rapped. My checkup is next month.

>37 jnwelch: Oh, the hijinks and hullaballoo chez Welch! Have a happy old time at the doc.

#33
I didn’t care much for Octavian Nothing either. Neither volumes, but I dutifully read them because the first one was an award winner. I really enjoyed Anderson’s book Feed. It was sci/fi. This book Symphony for the City of the Dead was a good effort and worth reading or listening to. Like I said, it is not the definitive work on the 7th Symphony but it is good for the intended audience.

>35 jnwelch: - Oh, that youtube clip was hilarious! I now want to watch all the others that are in that right sidebar! I will do that later as I am leaving soon to go get my snow tires off!! (sorry, east-coasters)

>36 jnwelch: Only a month? You must read faster than I do.

Then again, I suddenly find myself in the midst of about 6 different books. Ok, I'm only on page 1 for a few of them, but still, unusual behavior for me. I might finish a couple of them today.

Wow, the checkup was great. Phew! After a lousy one last fall, all my bad numbers are down big time, and now they're just fine. Cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, triglycerides, all of it. That's what we're looking for! The cholesterol got so much better that he's going to try taking me off statins for three months and see whether I need them any more.

Maybe I should've listened to Madame MBH more about this stuff before the bad checkup? Hmm.

>34 karenmarie: Hiya, Karen. No worries. It's nice to have you back in the cafe. Life happens, even when we really should be reading books and talking to our LT pals.

We had a great time in your home state. Temp around 70F every day, greenery and flowers everywhere. Just the mental break we needed. Plus meeting our niece's entrancing 9 week old boy Sam (well, we enjoyed his parents, too), and visits with another niece and one of my sisters who was in town with her hubby for a yoga retreat.

Yay for Art Deco!

>38 Caroline_McElwee: Isn't that steampunk coffee pot a hoot, Caroline?

The checkup went just great, thanks, as mentioned above. Nice contrast to the horrible one last fall, which had me mad for a whole weekend (I'd been doing everything suggested, and it was a disaster).

>39 richardderus: Hiya, Richard. It was a happy old time at the doc's, thank goodness. And the hijinks seem to be continuing.



>40 benitastrnad: Good for you for making it through the second Octavian Nothing, Benita. After the dismal (for me) first one, I was done. I don't think I even put it in my LT library. I never understood the hype.

I have seen good reactions to Feed. It's one of those once burned, twice shy effects after Octavian, but maybe I should give the author another chance.

>43 jnwelch: Whew! That's great. Maybe Madame MBH could be hired to examine my routine? My numbers are fine, except for the one around my waist and the other one on my bathroom scale!

>41 jessibud2: Isn't that youtube video with Oliver and Hawking hilarious, Shelley? I'm glad you took a look. I did watch the next one with Jane Goodall, and it cracked me up, too. She's a good sport. Like you, I want to see some more.

I know, what a tough time our friends in the northeast have had. Taking off snow tires is one of the first signs of spring, right?

>42 ffortsa: A month of continuous reading would do me a world of good, Judy. (Maybe I'm doing it in one of those parallel universes Hawking mentions). I normally keep my tbr to manageable size, believe it or not, but that's not what size it is right now. Oh well. It's all good reading, and I'll get there. I'm going to do On Tyranny next, which at least is a shortie.

I usually have at least 4 going at once. The Kasischke poetry collection is an exceptionally long - and exceptionally good - one, and poetry takes more concentration for me than some other types of reading. It should get a bit easier when I have that one done. Six at once - you're multitasking like an elite pro. Book juggling like that is supposed to be good for the brain cells; yours must be in heaven right now.

>46 ffortsa: Ha! Madame MBH knows her stuff, that's for sure, Judy. She's not obsessive about it, but she does plan to never die (she says she'll be holding tight to the door frame and kicking and screaming when the light appears).

I don't weigh myself (typical guy), but I did lose 11 pounds since the last checkup. That helped, for sure. Better eating and plenty of exercise. I actually have gone to a lower pant size, a size I hadn't seen in decades. Getting out from behind a desk (retirement) has made a big difference.

>43 jnwelch: Yay for great results, I'm so pleased for you Joe. Whatever you've been doing, keep doing it. Celebrate with a book treat. You could also put it on your head and walk up and down to improve balance skills!

>47 jnwelch: I thought On Tyranny very interesting, and eye opening.

Love the hijinks artwork. I think I'm 05.

Happy for the numbers reductions! The -11 is largely (!) the result and cause of all the others.

I just got a surprise ARC from QC, a Canadian publisher of English translations from the Quebecois, Songs for the Cold of Heart. I love this title!! It will be volume 2 of my memoirs, after Uncommon Fruits Worthy of Attention.

Strange, I can't find any pictures of men doing this...

...especially not in heels...

>49 Caroline_McElwee: Exactly, Caroline. Thanks. Whatever I've been doing, I'll keep doing - and maybe even do it all a bit better. Ha! I like the idea of buying a book and putting it atop me head for balanced walking. I did just buy that Finding Winnie book, which Debbi and I have been talking about getting for ages. I'm not sure how it'll do for head-topping, but I can't wait to read it.

Ellen is the one who first tipped me off about On Tyranny; she's a source of so many good book rec's. (Without her, I never would have known about, much less read, Whistling Vivaldi, for example). I'm looking forward to reading OT; good to hear you're a fan.

Speaking of tyranny, you'd appreciate this: one of our humorists (Andy Borowitz) is making good money selling blue caps that say, rather than Trump's stupid Make America Great Again, "Make America Not Embarrassing Again". Yes!

Not to get into American politics too much, but the Democrats just had a nice win in a Republican stronghold in Pennsylvania, which many see as a sign of a blue wave of Dem voting in November. I hope so. I really want to get so many of those cynical, mercenary, amoral bastards in Congress out of there. (Did I just say that? Not very Buddhist of me).

I bought a copy of Whistling Vivaldi after Ellen's review too. I may nudge it up the pile for next month.

Ah well, Buddhists are human too.

I like Borowitz's blue cap.

Glad to see the Dems are making some headway. I wish I had more faith in the opposition here right now.

>33 jnwelch: After narrating over 350 books I can tell you that the villain roles are the best so I’m sure your new in-law had a great time. I’m reading Lincoln in the Bardo because my book group selected it. I was going to give it a miss because it seemed too weird but this is the reason I joined a book club, to expand my reading horizons! Tomorrow I’m actually going to be driving for a couple of hours so I’ll switch back to the audiobook. A little schizophrenic but for this book it seems to work.

Many congratulations Joe on your good check up. Nice to know that all that hard work proved fruitful. It’s a great feeling to be a size smaller as we move into the warmer weather.

We ARE moving into the warmer weather, aren’t we?

>50 richardderus: Ha! O5 suits me, too, RD. Maybe we can do Synchronized Hijinks (could that be the next Olympic Sport?)

Yeah, losing weight helps all the numbers. I'm hoping I'm not entirely done with that. We'll see. It also lightens the load on my sports-battered joints.

Oh, I do love the title "Songs for the Cold of Heart." Ha! Uncommon Fruits Worthy of Attention - how great for your Volume 1. I enjoyed the link, too. Is yours going to have a subtitle? Instead of "A Gardener's Guide", maybe "An Iconoclast's Guide"?

My memoir would probably be one volume the size of a pamphlet. Although I suppose the poultry covers some of that ground. One family nickname I have is "Mr. Oblivious" (I wonder why?), and I've thought that would make for a good title of something or other.

>51 Caroline_McElwee: Excellent, Caroline. Look at that posture! Is the woman on the right using some kind of pencil or wand to make it harder?

This guy has my exact amount of penetrating attention and savoir faire:

Cheating...

>52 richardderus: well I guess he could balance the heals on his head RD.

>54 Caroline_McElwee: Do give Whistling Vivaldi a bump if you can, Caroline. I thought it was remarkable. So many insights, backed up by studies. Expectations and assumptions (stereotypes) drive so much behavior, and can be altered by altering the context, or even by being aware of them.

Yes, Buddhists are human, too. If those cynical, mercenary, amoral bastards in our Congress started embracing compassion and kindness, that would be some kind of miracle, wouldn't it. But I think we're just going to have to vote them out. So many admittedly place party over public good, and too many exalt their own bank accounts and placating their sponsors over the public good. They should not be making decisions for this country.

I know, the swing to the right and fascist thinking is a problem all over the world right now. Feel free to vent here in the cafe, particularly since you're so patient with our USA-ian frustration.

>55 NarratorLady: Wow, Anne. Narrating over 350 books. How cool is that. I'm sure you have a beautiful voice for it. A good narrator can make such a difference - as can a bad one. I wasn't happy with the one audio Montalbano I listened to, and wouldn't listen to another one with that narrator. He was trying to be some kind of tough guy, and it was a mismatch with the book. Ian Mackellen doing Fagles's The Odyssey, on the other hand, was wonderful, and full of wonder.

Let us know how it goes with the book club and Lincoln in the Bardo. I've never been in a book club (although we've hosted Madame MBH's in the past), but LT has that effect of expanding my reading horizons. Good for you for trying this weird (yes, it is) book for the club.

Thanks re the smaller size. I'm happy to see all the changes and hard work pay off. So much better than getting a talking-to from the doc. Yeah, that's been an unusual time of year to drop weight - in the past I've always picked some up in the winter, not lost it. We'll see what happens as it warms up here.

>56 jnwelch: I was more thinking of "A Superannuated Slut Sells All" but I think yours has a better chance of making it to bookshelves than mine.

Yours in Synchronized Hijinking for 2020 Olympic Fame,
RMD

>57 Caroline_McElwee: Now I'd pay cash money to see that. Yessiree bob, surely would.

>57 Caroline_McElwee: Cheating? This is why guys have to open the book, Caroline.



Oh, I missed RD in >52 richardderus:. I'm worse in heels, too. Although my legs look great when I wear them (well, not even heels could make that happen).

P.S. I just read that sales of heels to U.S. women have plummeted, as they jettison the creation of pain and wear what better suits their lives - flats and sneakers and so on. About time, IMO. Daughter and wife don't even like wearing one inch dress heels, although they'll do it if they have to, like me and wearing a suit and tie.

Glad to hear about the health, Joe! We want our favourite cafe owner to be in tip top shape for years to come. :D
Love how this place is not just a great source for book recommendations but also inspiration in so many ways like being active and adopting a healthier lifestyle. I'm hoping to do a lot more walking and just being outdoors when Spring finally gets here but seeing how we are expecting another 10-15cm today, doesn't look like that is happening anytime in the near future. :/

>60 jnwelch: Ha! Thanks, Valerie. Racing around this cafe requires me to stay in shape, you're right. I'm on it. :-)

I gotta say, a healthier lifestyle and exercising has improved so many parts of my life. I used to be wary of stairs, or even bending down to pick something up. Everything's easier now. What really got me doing more was Madame MBH and our daughter still need me to lift heavy stuff (suitcases and bags of whatever and so on), and that was getting harder and harder. Now it's all A-OK.

C'mon Spring! I hope you get in lots of good walking and outdoor time once it shows up.

>59 richardderus: LOL! I don't know, Richard. "A Superannuated Slut Sells All" would sure get my attention in a bookstore. Not many would be able to resist taking a look-through.

Caroline has so many good ideas, doesn't she.

Training for Olympic Synchronized Hijinks should be a heck of a lot more fun than what most of these Olympians have to go through. This one may take some practice.

>63 jnwelch: I'm both amused and repulsed by that photo. I can't determine how much of each as I am racked with both giggles and retches simultaneously.

I keep thinking of Horns by Joe Hill when I contemplate men with heels on their heads. My imagination is extra, as the young people say these days.

>64 richardderus: Giggle and Retches - maybe an honesty in advertising name for a bar? Or should it be Giggles and Wretches?

I know vaguely of the Joe Hill Horns book. What about Harry, I mean, Daniel?

>58 jnwelch:

Here's my non-Buddhist response
(sometimes it helps just to write it out to clear the neurons for peace thinking)

to the USA:

Why are we allowing him - and them - to undo Everything That Was Good?!?
(which wasn't always a lot)

It will take Michelle Obama (with her Vice President Barack - I think that's allowed...?)
8 long years just to reclaim what has been lost to us, from guns to bees.

It's Good and Bad that teenagers are now showing us what we should have done.

Okay, now I'm ready to check out the bird feeders and play with the cat.

>51 Caroline_McElwee:

Back then, maybe they didn't have High Heels big enough for them?!

>65 jnwelch: Oh good, you've heard of the book then. I was going to suggest you delve into the ouevre of young Mr. Hill, but I see you're already aware of him. *ahem*

Harry/Daniel is such a good actor that I see the character, not the actor, in almost all of his roles. Swiss Army Man a notable exception. What a dopey, dreary tale.

>66 m.belljackson: Nope, no Barack-as-Veep because he couldn't succeed to the Presidency in the event of calamity. His eight years are up forever.

Joe, it could be worse. You guys could change your constitution and vote the guy in for life like they did in China.... *shudder* Silver linings..although it's as thin as thin can be. :/

Well how about Michelle for President and Chelsea Clinton for VP, both have a lot of experience of life in the White House. Barack as special advisor, and the young folk filmed in The Final Year supporting them.

Good to hear that your numbers are superb. Do you have a gold star on your forehead?

>47 jnwelch: - Oh, Joe, On Tyranny is so excellent!

>53 jnwelch: - ROFLMAO! My brother always sends me Borowitz's articles. I may send him this! (he lives in Vermont)

And, since we are momentarily in American politics, did you hear the latest, about trump bragging about making up *facts* in a discussion with Justin Trudeau, about the so-called trade war. He admitted that he didn't know the facts so he just made them up and in fact, was dead wrong. I heard this on the news this morning and it's still on the news now. Sheesh. New day, new crap.

Ok, back to the Zen thread.... :-)

>55 NarratorLady: - I may be the only one on LT who did not like Lincoln in the Bardo. I attempted it on audiobook and barely lasted half way through the first disc. I found it just too impossible to follow or make heads or tails of. I had no desire to spend the time trying it on paper. Just moved on...Too many books, too little time, you know how it goes....

Congrats on the numbers! I need to get my act together in that department!

>66 m.belljackson: All excellent thoughts, Marianne. With the Repubs in the majority in Congress, and remarkably cowardly when it comes to Trump, our best hope, IMO, is Mueller nailing him with an indictment. He sure looks like a Russian agent to me. What do the Russians have on him? He's surrounded by folks who are being indicted, and the net seems to be getting closer.

Biden may run, and Michelle so far has said no. I've read that, yes, Obama can be VP. Wouldn't that be something? I suspect he'd consider it with his pal Joe. But RD says no because Obama can't be President again; his two terms are up.

It's Good and Bad that teenagers are now showing us what we should have done. Yup. Adults should feel bad that we haven't done anything on gun control. It's disgusting. But this is mostly good, IMO. The teens are having a major effect across the country, and the NRA is losing support. Plus many will have to right to vote in 2018 and 2020, and they're fired up to get the bad guys out of Congress.

Good idea to check out the bird feeders and play with the cat. I imagine the cat would be happy to help you by also checking out the bird feeders and playing with the birds?

>67 m.belljackson: Men kick up their high heels at many popular spots in this town, but much less so back in the days of the >51 Caroline_McElwee: photo, I imagine.

No book on this one's head, darn it.

>68 richardderus: We liked Harry/Daniel in the NTC's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. He has that valuable likeability as an actor, doesn't he.

His padre's books don't work for me, unfortunately, and so far I'm not drawn to try Joe Hill's books. Too many other ones out there calling to me.

I wondered about Barack as VP. I read elsewhere he could do it, but you raise the fundamental two-term problem if events meant he had to succeed the Prez.

>69 jolerie: Yeah, I saw he's got a life term in China now, Valerie. Well, unless there's some kind of upheaval. Putin has blazed the disturbing trail for keeping that from happening.

I would've taken Barack for life. Prison for life might be more appropriate for the current one. He's looking more and more like a Russian agent, isn't he. Divide and damage this country, and protect Putin and Russia at all costs. The Russian newspapers trumpet that "He's ours". Amazing - how did it come to this?

>72 jessibud2: No, I believe you have a lot of company in not liking Lincoln in the Bardo Shelley. I read so many of those reviews that I had decided to pass on it but the book club chose it so here I am. My husband listened along with me and was completely distracted by the footnotes. For some reason that didn't bother me so I soldier on. I still don't know what my ultimate reaction will be!

>70 Caroline_McElwee: I love it, Caroline. So far, Michelle hasn't expressed interest - she saw what her hubby had to go through with an obstructionist Congress, for one thing. But if it's a strongly Democratic Congress, she might look at it differently.

>71 weird_O: Yeah, Bill, he was going to put a gold star back there on my . . . well, we won't talk about that. My forehead sounds much better. Of course, I'll have to have it low enough on the forehead that it doesn't get covered by the glitter crown.

>75 jnwelch: Much as I admire the Obamas Joe, I believe they've earned a well-deserved respite from politics. I'm encouraged to see more of the younger generation entering politics and campaigning in a more grassroots way (see Conor Lamb). Sometimes I wonder if the recent horrific shenanigans will steer that generation away and deprive us of some great future leaders. Certainly the large numbers of senators and congressmen who are abruptly retiring (fleeing?) is not encouraging to those thinking of making it a career.

>72 jessibud2: Yay for On Tyranny! Thanks for the boost, Shelley.

Your Vermontian bro would probably love a "Make America Not Embarrassing Again" hat. I'm tempted myself.

I did see that, about Trump bragging that he made up facts with Trudeau! You couldn't dream up stuff like this for a bad novel; it would seem too absurd. This coming from "Mr. Fake News".

I like the idea of a Zen thread. :-)

I think you're far from the only LTer to not like Lincoln in the Bardo. You know, I read that crazy poetry stuff all the time, which comes in approximately a zillion different forms. LITB's unusual structure and all the voices worked for me, but I can understand the readers who didn't get traction with it.

>73 jessibud2: Thanks re the numbers, Shelley. I had the world's worst checkup last fall. Everything went kablooey at the same time. I never want to be that angry again. It feels good in multiple ways to have everything operating the way it should.

Happy new thread Joe, I must say that I really love your Art Deco thread toppers mate. Hope all is well with you and Debbi and send love and hugs from both of us dear friend.

>78 NarratorLady:, >79 jnwelch: - In Lincoln in the Bardo, every time you see in print *op cit*, it was actually said out loud in the audio version. I had no way of knowing who was saying it, what it was referring to and it very quickly began to drive me crazy. And that's just one example. To be honest, I didn't last long enough to encounter other examples. Oh well, win some, lose some. C'est la vie.

>78 NarratorLady: Yeah, I know what you mean about the Obamas, Anne. A well-deserved rest and break from politics. When asked about a third term, Barack sometimes said, "Michelle would kill me."

I'm hoping that many of these young activists will run for office when the time comes. We have many more women running across the country, and many more scientists (intriguing, right?) The recent Conor Lamb win has created predictions that more Republican Congresspeople will retire, in an effort to exit gracefully on their own terms, rather than lose in an election. We'll see. Unfortunately, the ones I'd really like to see retire, like McConnell, won't, and some number of Repubs probably can't be dislodged. The hope will be to marginalize him and them in '18 and '20.

>80 johnsimpson: Thanks so much, John. Aren't those Art Deco thread toppers aces?

All is well with Debbi and me, and we return the love and hugs to you and Karen, mate. We'll be in London in September this year, and some day hope to get to Yorkshire.

>81 jessibud2: Hmm, that sure sounds like a weird audio hiccup for Lincoln in the Bardo, Shelley. I read it in print, so I know nada. Maybe some other patrons read it in audio and can comment. Anne may have some thoughts after her some of this some of that experience with it is finished.

>76 NarratorLady: Oops, I think I missed this one, Anne. That footnotes thing seems weird. Looking forward to your thoughts when finished with LITB.

>82 jnwelch:, Hi Joe, you will both be made very welcome in God's Own Country if you ever get here mate.

>68 richardderus:

Senator Obama?

>74 jnwelch:

Why Oh Why on the High Heels - do they like their feet to swell in pain and end up deformed?

or, do they want broken ankles when they attempt to run from danger?

Alas and alack.

>74 jnwelch: That young man looks suitably furious. The footgear/torture devices on his feet would make anyone grouchy.

Gotta say, though, those skinny hairy calves look better in 'em than out of 'em.

>75 jnwelch: The real reason Johnson didn't run in '68 is that he'd've been over the 8-year mark before his second term ended. I suspect he'd've defeated Tricky Dick just on the Black vote.

>84 johnsimpson: Thanks, mate. I know we'd love it there. It should happen at some point.

>85 m.belljackson: Obama was once, for 3+ years, and could be again, Marianne. Right now he's seems to want to be in more of a consultant and, at some point, public commentator role.

>86 m.belljackson: Alas and alack - agreed, Marianne. Just as women get smarter and start wearing high heels less, men start wearing them more?

>87 richardderus: Yeah, those heels look grouch-making to me, Richard. I'll leave it to you on the attractiveness aspect.

I didn't remember there being any thought of Johnson running in '68. We sure could have used a better opponent for Tricky Dick. The portrayal of Tricky D in The Post brought back a lot of memories of those days.

There was all kindsa hoohah and foofarraw about Bobbie vs HHH because LBJ announced early he wouldn't seek the nomination. The fight on the convention floor, so the wisdom had it, would've made a Democratic victory impossible because Vietnam.

*sigh*

Sweet Thursday, Joe! Wow, the Cafe is hopping today. It is busier than a one-legged man in a butt kickin’ contest or a priest at a little league game! I hope the proprietor gets a break now and then.

I am glad the physical went well, my friend. Congrats on the solid numbers. Keep up the good work.

Latest news: McMaster. Is out. John Bolton may be the third National Securrity. advisor of this administration. Remember him from the Bush administration? Real nut job.

List me among those who wasted way too much of my life reading Lincoln in the Bardo Joe.

>89 richardderus: Those were the days, friend. Woo. Assassinations, machinations, coverups, a fraudulent war - what a time. We made it through that, and we can make it through the current awfulness, too. I wish someone would Daniel Ellsberg the Trump-Russia love affair.

>90 msf59: Sweet Thursday, Mark!

It's been busy all right. Valerie told me I have to stay in shape so I can keep running around the cafe. Thank goodness for the solid numbers in the checkup.

Hope it went all right for you today. I haven't been able to visit other threads much. We seem to be stuck in the 30s and low 40s. I'm ready for a breakout to some warmer temps.

>91 brenzi: Here we go again. Thanks, Bonnie. I wonder if anyone had McMaster out and Bolton in in Katie's Trumpster Fire Bingo game.

I was telling Shelley she has more company than she thinks in not loving Lincoln in the Bardo. At least it was a fairly slim volume.

I'm loving On Tyranny, which did rate with Shelley.

I'm getting a sense that Lincoln in the Bardo is splitting along gender lines, I know Ellen liked it, but more women seem to not be liking it I note,

>87 richardderus: >88 jnwelch: I may be wrong but my memory of Johnson’s announcement not to run in 1968 was a shock. McCarthy was challenging him for the Democratic nomination and doing well with young people who were of course opposed to the war. It’s doubtful that any Dem could have won that year. Of course we know now that Tricky Dick was involved in back room shenanigans with the Vietnamese. Good old days indeed!

“Shenanigans” by the way, has become my new favorite word. It’s too whimsical a word for all that goes on but it somehow makes me feel better.

Just catching up here. My book club is reading Lincoln later this year, so that will prove interesting. I really enjoyed hearing Saunders talk about how the book came into being and I think that will carry me through.

Wow Joe, you're whizzing through your latest new thread. Great place for me to start my weekend, buddy.

Have a great one.

Happy new thread Joe!

As an outsider looking in, I’d be disappointed to see Michelle Obama run for president of the US. Not because I don’t think she might well do a good job, but the idea that the presidency is concentrated in certain families can’t be a good trend.

Morning, Joe! I'm another one who didn't care much for Lincoln in the Bardo on audio, but to be fair, I don't think I would have loved it in print, either...

Morning, Joe! Glad to see you got good results at your doctor visit!

Morning, everyone! We overslept, and have to go, so I'll catch up with you all later. Happy Friday!

>94 Caroline_McElwee: Interesting, Caroline. I hadn't thought about gender division over Lincoln in the Bardo. I wonder why that would be.

>95 NarratorLady: I guess I was too young to appreciate the Johnson part in '68, Anne. I share your sense that it would've been difficult for any Dem to win that year, although Johnson would've been a much more formidable candidate than McCarthy.

"Shenanigans" is a great word. I believe that Katie and Mamie engage in them frequently on LT.

>96 Berly: Hi, Kim. You heard Saunders talk about how Lincoln in the Bardo came to be? I probably should remember from your thread, but where did you hear him, and how did it come to be?

>97 PaulCranswick: Hiya, Paul. Ah, glad to be a great place for you to start your weekend, mate. I hope you get plenty of R & R. I sense that you've been working your tail off lately.

>98 humouress: Thanks, Nina!

>99 SandDune: Interesting, Rhian, thanks. It depends on the family, I guess. We had father and son Bushes recently, and then other son Jeb took a nose dive in the Trump primary. It's never a dead cert, even if you're a Kennedy. I'd love to have a smart and compassionate Michelle Obama in there; I just don't think she'll run.

>100 scaifea: Morning/Afternoon, Amber. Well, this should be making Shelley feel better. She thought she was all on her lonesome in not liking Lincoln in the Bardo, and it turns out she has plenty of company.

>101 ChelleBearss: Morning, Chelle! Thanks, my friend. That doctor visit more than made up for the infuriating one last fall, where every number was bad. Plus I now know I'm on the right track. Heartening.

Great news that your numbers are good, Joe. I have a visit to the doctor coming up on Monday, and I am hoping my numbers are ok as well. I am looking forward to the weekend as my youngest daughter is coming over to spend some time with us. She's a psych nurse and has a busy schedule so we are always happy when she can spend some time with us.

I thought you guys would get a kick out of this:



On Wednesday in my Pre-K class, we read the book How to Trap a Leprechaun and then the kids designed their own Leprechaun Trap, which we built and left overnight. In the morning, the kids came in to find that the leprechaun had escaped our trap and messed up our classroom! ;) But he had left them a tiny (rhyming) note, a fairy garden, and had hidden a gold chocolate coin for each of them.

>108 seasonsoflove: What fun, I am guessing that those kids have a very creative and thoughtful teacher!

Happy Friday, Joe. Anytime you want to come out here, I would be glad to take you to the Arboretum. I just renewed my membership today and would love to take you guys on a stroll in the woods. Let me know and I can supply you with some of my days off.

I have had a busy day so far and have not cracked a book. A bunch of us are heading to a brewery about 5, so if I am going to read I better get on it.

>105 jnwelch: - Lol! Going against the grain, not liking what others like, etc is not so rare for me. But it's always nice to have company! ;-)

My computer can’t access LT right now for some reason, so I’ll have to respond on my phone.

>107 DeltaQueen50:. Thanks, Judy. Good luck with your numbers on Monday, and have fun with your daughter. We’re lucky; our daughter lives nearby and even posts on this thread sometimes.

>108 seasonsoflove:. There you are, favorite daughter! I love what you do with your students for St. Patrick’s Day. That’s quite a leprechaun trap you all built. Thanks for posting this.

>108 seasonsoflove: - Love it! :-) Nothing like interactive participation to fire up the love of literature. It's the main reason I loved teaching young kids, too! There is a saying I read somewhere that *play* is kids' work. And what could be more fun than having *the big kid* in class share in that fun! That was my motto, anyhow.

>109 DeltaQueen50: I’m guessing the same thing, Judy. She’s such a good teacher. Lucky kids, lucky parents.

>110 msf59:. Happy Friday, Mark. We’d love to do that. I’ll get a hold of you for your day-off dates. This month and next are a bit goofy for us, but there are days we’ll be here.

I hope you at least get to talk some about books at the beer gathering. I’ll probably be watching the NCAA b-ball games.

>111 jessibud2:. Kudos to you for going against the grain and not liking what others like, Shelley. Our differences are what make it interesting. Having just read On Tyranny, I’m even more attuned to the importance of doing our own thinking and not going along with a mass mentality.

>112 jnwelch:. Agreed, Shelley. You two know how to do it right.

>108 seasonsoflove: That's such a wonderful idea! I'm going to see if I can find that book for Chloe! Thanks for sharing!

>47 jnwelch: Book juggling like that is supposed to be good for the brain cells; yours must be in heaven right now. I didn't know that reading multiple books was good for the brain, Joe. I happy to hear that since I usually have a mix of about 7 or 8 going at a time.

>108 seasonsoflove: I love that Becca. I bet the kids will be telling stories about that to their kids down the line.

>103 jnwelch: I was googling your niece Amy last week, Joe, and it seems you have a famous grandad, too?

>108 seasonsoflove: Cute! I hope the leprechaun didn’t mess up the classroom too much. ;0)

>116 ChelleBearss: :-)

>117 Familyhistorian: 7 or 8 going at a time is a lot, Meg! We had this multiple book discussion a ways back - maybe someone remembers some support for it being good for the brain. Yours must be singing.

>118 Caroline_McElwee: That Becca is a lovable one, isn't she, Caroline. We feel the same way. I do think her kids are going to be telling stories later on about this class, and what she's brought to it.

>119 humouress: Hi, Nina. Yes, Amy's great-granddad (and my granddad) was the first Joe Welch, and got famous at the Army-McCarthy hearings. After that, he did a lot on TV and was the judge in the movie Anatomy of a Murder. He was viewed as a proper Bostonian, but actually grew up with his brothers on a small farm in Primghar, Iowa.

Leprechauns can be messy, but these tried to make up for it by leaving fun stuff for the kids.

Very belated happy new thread, Joe, I was surprised to find 121 posts after a few days away ;-)

Glad your blood counts were better and you lost weight, but most important is that you feel better!.
Frank is going through the same, after it was found he had diabetes. He lowered his carbohydrate intake (we already ditched most of the sugar) and now we walk together every afternoon. He also lost weight, has better blood counts and feels a bit better :-)

>104 jnwelch: Saunders was one of the speakers for Portland's Literary Arts series last year. He talked about how the vices came together for him in the book and how he originally wanted part of the story to be in the White House, but it just didn't come together for him. He said it was a book that plagued him for years before it came together.

Happy weekend and St Patty's Day at that!

Hi Joe!

Congrats on your good numbers and yay for SoCal!

I was happy to hear about the blue win in PA. I really want to get so many of those cynical, mercenary, amoral bastards in Congress out of there. Yes!

Our book club is reading Lincoln in the Bardo for our November discussion. I read it and loved it, will try to listen on audio this time (following along in the book, as an experiment earlier in the year made me realize that just listening alone wouldn’t cut it).

Happy weekend to you!

Congrats on your great numbers, Joe. I'm putting off scheduling my physical for this year until I lose some weight and get back to a regular work out regimen. I've been very lax in the health department in 2017, and that has to change this year because I hate feeling so lethargic. One year sabbatical from good eating and exercise habits is more than enough.

>122 FAMeulstee: Hi, Anita. Yeah, the new cafe has been bustling so far.

That's great to hear re Frank. You're right, feeling better is what it's all about. This time I knew the numbers had to be better, but if they weren't great, that was okay. I knew I was moving in the right direction. I hope it goes like that for Frank. Sounds like he's off to a good start.

>123 Berly: Thanks, Kim. How cool to hear Saunders explain it. I can believe that it took some time for Lincoln in the Bardo to come together. What an unusual piece of work it is. Kudo's to Portland's Literary Arts series.

>124 karenmarie: Yay for SoCal and Yay for the blue win in PA! Let's keep the blue wave going.

I'm glad you loved Lincoln in the Bardo. As we've learned (!), it's not for everyone, but what a creative accomplishment. I hope it makes for a good book club discussion.

I know Mark has done print and audio together for a book or two. I can see doing that with one this complex.

Happy Weekend!

>125 cameling: Thanks, Caro. I actually scheduled this check-up much earlier than I would have otherwise, because the last one was so bad. I imagine your laxness in the health department has something to do with all the travel? I find it harder to stick to it when we're traveling, although we always walk a lot, so that helps.

I'm a pushover for rainy days. This one's somewhere in Italy.

Morning, Joe. Happy Saturday. I think I will hang around the house and do some chores today and get some reading in too. Got very little reading time in yesterday.

I had no problem with the audio of Lincoln in the Bardo, although I would give the print book a try when I am ready for a reread.

I finished Where Now: New and Selected Poems. What an amazing collection. 5 stars for me.

Happy weekend Joe!

>128 jnwelch: Lovely rainy day!

Happy Saturday, Joe!

>128 jnwelch: Lovely!

>128 jnwelch: I love rainy days when I'm all snug inside it has to be said Joe. Great photo. The reflected light really transforms it. Light snow here now.

>129 msf59: Happy Saturday, Mark. Sounds like a plan. I'm going to try to avoid chores and watch March Madness.

I finished Where Now, too. I agree, Laura Kasizchke really good. Thanks for recommending her. I've got a Jane Hirschfield collection up next.

Although I read it in print, I actually thought Lincoln in the Bardo would be really good on audio, with all those voices.

>130 EllaTim: Thanks, Ella! Happy weekend!

Oh good. I'm glad you like that rainy day photo. I feel like I could walk right into it.

>131 ChelleBearss: Happy Saturday, Chelle! I hope you and the hubby and those munchkins are having a fun weekend.

Yay for the rainy day photo!

>132 Caroline_McElwee: Ditto for me, Caroline. Maybe we should start a rainy day reading club. Isn't that reflected light remarkable in that photo? And those lamps really get me.

Light snow? We need Spring weather, don't we.

Let me know how the Jane Hirschfield collection is. I am not familiar with her. Have you heard of Damion Hamilton? A poet from St. Louis? I started his collection, "The Human Condition: Poems". Can't find the right touchstone. These are more realistic poems, based on everyday urban life.

Here is a Good Reads link to the author and his work, (since LT doesn't seem to have much on him):

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14027782.Damion_Hamilton

>128 jnwelch: Heh. It's positively *sunstruck* here, and I'm in my room listening to rain sounds on a ten-hour loop. Best white noise ever.

I wish you a happy Saturday of reading only delicious words confected into delightful forms for your delectation.

Thank you so much for all your kind words everyone! It was a really fun day :)

Well, I'm done with Lincoln in the Bardo and I can't say I'm a fan. It was more of a fantasy novel for me (not my favorite genre) where the author creates a world and the rules in the world seem ever-changing. Not my cuppa. Several times while reading I was acutely aware of the cleverness of the writing - which took me out of the story, much as noticing excellent cinematography can distract me while watching a film. Still, several book club members loved it which will make for an interesting discussion.

After this and the overly-long Pachinko I need a good laugh. Any recommendations would be welcome.

>135 msf59: Thanks, Mark. I'll let you know about JH. I hadn't heard of Damion Hamilton, so I'll look forward to hearing your thoughts about his poetry. I'll circle back to the Goodreads link, too.

>136 richardderus: Ha! Thanks for the Saturday wishes, Richard. I want to write a review, so hopefully a few of those delectable words will show up. I wish the same for you.

I have an stormy weather audio app that's probably similar to your 10-hour rain sounds loop, albeit of shorter duration. Very soothing. One of the best sounds out there.

>137 seasonsoflove: :-) Youda best, young lady.

>138 NarratorLady: Ah, well explained, Anne. Too bad. Do let us know how the book club discussion for Lincoln in the Bardo goes, if you get a chance.

Books/authors that supply a laugh: over on your Facebook post I mentioned a few I thought of. The Princess Bride (which you've probably read), D.E. Stevenson, E.M. Delafield, Bill Bryson.

I thought about recommending Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books, which had me laughing out loud on the train commute to work - hard to get that to happen! The problem is that a lot of people get tired of the continuing schtick as the series goes on, with the characters, including Stephanie, not developing. (I still read them, but do wish there'd be some character and relationship growth). Still, if you haven't tried them, the first one (and first few) may crack you up as much as they did me.

>140 jnwelch:

The early Plum books were appealing, then Stephanie's African American partner never evolved beyond stereotypes.

>141 m.belljackson: Right, Marianne and Ranger and Joe Morelli have stayed essentially the same, too, as has Stephanie. My wife and daughter both still read them; Madame MBH is on Team Ranger, and Becca is on Team Morelli.

The meteoric rise of the Lewiston Blue Devils to the top ranks of U.S. high school soccer shows what happens when America works the way it is supposed to; the way it works on paper. On the surface, the Blue Devils are a simple feel-good tale; {Somali} refugee kids playing soccer. But theirs is more than just a great sports story. The Blue Devils made their championship run in one of the whitest states in America, in a city that didn't talk about hope for a long time. They played soccer while politicians debated Syrian refugees and American security, and the presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump generated headlines about the prospect of building a wall to keep out immigrants, illegal or otherwise.

****

Soccer has been a microcosm of Lewiston's transition from former factory town to global host. These players, {Coach} McGraw says to anyone who asks, are seeds that can grow into something new for Lewiston. It's not a Hoop Dreams story, where kids use sports to escape something. These kids aren't trying to escape - that part already happened - and they aren't problems to be solved. They are classmates, teammates and neighbors, forging relationships for a community to emulate. Soccer is how these kids live where they landed.

Yeah, the author of One Goal: A Coach, A Team, and the Game That Brought a Divided Town Together is my cousin, so I can't claim to be totally unbiased. But this is a great book. If you're in need of some anti-Trump fresh air, here it is. Many in the town initially resist and resent the infusion of Somali refugees, even as the immigrants help bring a dying town back to life. Just as happened with the Irish, Italian, Jewish and other immigrants throughout this country's history, Lewiston, Maine historically resented immigrants. This included a new one for me, French Canadians, with Lewiston hiring signs once saying "No French Need Apply". This "we're in, so shut the door" type of view has been around forever; we just change the groups ostracized .

The Blue Devils coach, Mike McGraw, isn't having it. "McGraw, the players still joke, doesn't care where they're from as long as they pass the ball." He's like that in his science classroom, too, and to help unite the team, he builds relationships within the Somali community. He insists that the team members support each other on the field and off, and they gladly embrace it. One of the more touching moments is learning that the non-Muslim players won't eat or drink in front of teammates fasting during Ramadan.

Amy Bass has the sports chops (she's been the head of NBC's research department during multiple Olympics), and the sociology chops, having written three noteworthy books about sports and race before this. Her integration with the team and the community (it helped that she went to Bates College, located in Lewiston) is spelled out somewhat in the Acknowledgments, but it's apparent on every page. You'll get to know the team members and their families, and some of the more awful folks in town, like its racist mayor. The America we love triumphs in this one, and Amy deserves a lot of thank yous for telling us the story. Five stars.

>143 jnwelch: - Wow, you got me with a BB on this one, Joe. I love books like this!

>144 jessibud2: Yay! Great to hear, Shelley. Me, too!

>143 jnwelch: ...oh...hey, no thanks, I'll pass on the well-written investigative piece about racism in small-town Murrukuh that has a) a family connection and 2) a happy, uplifting ending. Yeah. No.

*grumbles off to Ammy*

Happy Sunday, Joe.

>146 richardderus: Ha! You'll love it, you old curmudgeon. I won't tell anyone.

>147 Ameise1: Happy Sunday, Barbara. Thank you for stopping by.

>140 jnwelch: We read so many of the same books Joe! The exception on your list is Bill Bryson. Where shall I start?

I stuck it out with Stephanie Plum till around opus #12 (I think she's at double that number now) and they were indeed hilarious.

>149 NarratorLady: Ha! Why am I not surprised, Anne! :-)

A Walk in the Woods is a great place to start with Bryson.

Right - if you made it to #12 with Stephanie, you made it further than a lot of folks. I'm glad they tickled your funny bone. I think we just read #24 or so.

I belatedly thought of Tina Fey's Bossypants for you. I loved it. Interesting and smart as well as funny.

>150 jnwelch: That was an excellent audiobook. Up there with Nora Ephron's I Feel Bad About my Neck on audio!

>151 NarratorLady: Ha! I had a feeling you might've already read that one, Anne. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Another really laugh-out-loud funny book by Bryson (which I listened to him read on audio) was his memoirThe Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid

>153 jessibud2:. Thanks, Shelley. Sounds like one of his that I should track down.

>138 NarratorLady: A bit of Plum Sauce from Pelham Grenville usually hits the spot.

>143 jnwelch: If I happen to come across that one in my meanderings (though I don’t like contentious issues like racism in my reading; there’s enough of that stuff in RL).

>154 jnwelch: Thanks, Nina. If I remember correctly, Anne said (maybe on Facebook) that she didn't want P.G. or Sedaris for this.

No problem re One Goal: A Coach. We probably all have things we'd like to avoid in books. This one is well worth the candle, IMO; see what you think when you browse it.

>143 jnwelch: This sounds great, wishlisted. One of the projects at work is to bring refugees onto campus to use the extensive sports facilities - including 5-a side football (soccer). I'm not much for team games, but great to see the way it can have a positive impact.

ETA Well, I would read it, but amazon quotes 'up to four months' so it might be a while...

>155 humouress: Thanks Nina. I may have to go back for a visit with Bertie’s aunts! But Joe’s suggestion of Bill Bryson may work. I’ve also been hearing good things about Jenny Lawson’s Let’s Pretend This Never Happened.

>153 jessibud2: Thanks Shelley!

>154 jnwelch:, >158 NarratorLady: - That one was the first of his that I listened to on audio (having read a few in regular paper format, earlier). He is one of those authors who is a great reader of his own work (not all authors have that talent). His voice is quiet, low-key understated. perfect for the sometimes sarcastic and dry humour that is his trademark. After that book, I tried to get all the rest of his books on audio, just to hear him read them to me. Those include At Home, One Summer, Shakespeare: The World as Stage, and In a Sunburned Country. Probably others that I can't think of right now.

>157 charl08: Oh good, Charlotte. Yes, I think One Goal: A Coach would be perfect for you. As my wife said to our daughter (who loved it), just hang in there through the early soccer (football for you) discussion. The evolution of the refugee situation in the book is inspiring.

Sorry about the four months. We get it the other way, where you get desirable books months before we see them stateside.

>158 NarratorLady: Oh, good one, Anne. Our daughter LOVED that Jenny Lawson book.

>159 jessibud2: That's a helpful comment for Anne on the audio of A Walk in the Woods; Shelley, she may go that route.

I've read AWITW, Sunburned Country, Shakespeare: The World as Stage, and part of A Short History of Nearly Everything - the last started to bore me. Sunburned Country was really good, and the Shakespeare book was okay. My favorite of that kind is Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare by Stephen Greenblatt.

I'd like to read Notes from a Small Island next, which is supposed to be really good.

Some exciting basketball yesterday in the NCAA tournament! Kudos to Loyola and Michigan for pulling out last second wins.

Come on Spring, you can do it!

>159 jessibud2: You’re right about authors not always doing well narrating their own work. I met an author for whom I recorded a couple of books who tried to record one on her own and told me it was the hardest work she’d ever done! She never tried again. (It really was awful.)

A really excellent narrator is Elizabeth Gilbert. A lot of people don’t love Eat, Pray, Love but I did, and I’m sure it was in part because I listened to her reading it.

>143 jnwelch: Good review of One Goal. It looks like talent really runs in your family. Thumb for both yours and Becca's review.

>162 jnwelch: LIKE!

Morning, Joe. Happy Sunday. We are finally getting our carpet installed down here, next Saturday, so I have been slowly emptying the books shelves and bringing it all upstairs. What a major hassle. It doesn't look like as many books, when they are neatly on shelf but when it comes to transporting...OMG!

I know I am preaching to the choir, with all the bookshelves you possess, but at least it doesn't look like you will have to move anything for a long while to come.

I also want to get out for a walk and take advantage of this lovely day.

Hey Joe - I can't resist commenting on I thought about recommending Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books, which had me laughing out loud on the train commute to work - hard to get that to happen! The problem is that a lot of people get tired of the continuing schtick as the series goes on, with the characters, including Stephanie, not developing. (I still read them, but do wish there'd be some character and relationship growth). Still, if you haven't tried them, the first one (and first few) may crack you up as much as they did me.

I totally agree about lack of character development. I absolutely adore Grandma Mazur, though, and she has my permission to not 'develop'. It looks like I quit after Notorious Nineteen and actually gave all the books away. I think I'm Team Ranger just because he is so darned sexy. Morelli is, too, but a tad more irritating.

>163 NarratorLady: I haven't heard enough author-narrated audio books to chime in much, Anne. I do love Neil Gaiman doing his own.

We got to hear four potential narrators for the One Goal: A Coach book. One was polished but way too "generic". She eventually went with the one we liked, a young, spirited guy who got the right feel for the people and events involved. There's a surprising amount of dialogue in it.

>164 msf59: Oh good, Mark, thanks - and thank you for the Thumbs. I should provide a link to Becca's review of One Goal: A Coach. Here it is: http://www.librarything.com/topic/280100#6417472 Love it! I immediately thumbed it, too.

Isn't >162 jnwelch: purty? Can't wait for some color to start showing up!

Happy Sunday. New carpet? What's it going to look like in the Man Cave? Are you going to miss all the spilled beer in the old one?

Oh man, I remember boxing up all our books when we moved to where we are 20 years ago. Debbi has said never again, and I agree. This is where we are until, as she says, they carry us out with pennies on our eyes. My sympathy to you. I'm sure all our LTers know what a big project that is.

Good reminder about getting out into the fine weather today. We've been slowly starting the day, and head off to the Louder Than a Bomb teen poetry slam finals late afternoon. I'll make sure to get us out there before that.

>165 karenmarie: Ha! Agreed re Grandma Mazur, Karen. She's a blast, and has no need to develop. I'm Team Stephanie, so I'll leave it to all of you re Ranger and Morelli.

Some mini-reviews of books I wanted to mention:



Home Fire is set in London's Muslim community and in Pakistan. It's an extrapolation of Antigone, they say, but it has also has some Romeo and Juliet in it. The son of a determinedly westernized former Muslim politician falls for a woman wanting to free her naive brother from a terrorist cell..

I know other LTers have loved this one. I wish I had, but it was very good.



Richard's enthusiasm got me to read the second and third Bobiverse books, and they were as much fun as the first. In All These Worlds, the concluding (is it?) volume, the Bobs continue to proliferate, but can they, and humanity, survive the relentless, heartless Others, or the determined Brazilians? Can the Bobs effectively work together despite their surprising differences? I loved their eventually being able to inhabit androids, and directly interact with other people and other species.



Poor Marin in We Are Okay. She was dealt a tough hand, with her mother dying young in a surfing accident, and her father unknown. She's lovingly raised by her grandfather, and has a close friendship with Mabel, but unexpected developments turn even that life upside down. This is an affecting and memorable young adult book, well worth your time. Thank you to Amber for recommending this one.



On Tyranny is a concise primer on how fascism happened and happens, what Trump and his cronies are trying to do, and what we need to do to effectively resist. Timothy Snyder has done us all a service, and this book deserves its LT buzz. Many thanks to Ellen for her enthusiastic review. Read On Tyranny now. It couldn't be more timely.

I thought you might enjoy this Joe

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-43422199

I suspect she and Becca would get on well.

>169 Caroline_McElwee: Very cool, Caroline. Thanks for the link. I'm glad they have a Global Teacher Award. Great idea. "Too often we neglect this power of the arts to actually transform lives, particularly in the poorest communities." Yes.

You're right - she and Becca would be on the same wavelength.

>165 karenmarie: >167 jnwelch:

Another vote for Grandma Mazur!

Last book, around 18 or 19, I was headed toward Team Ranger as offering more of a life of adventure that so appeals to Ms. Plum,
but there were signs somewhere that he was maybe a mercenary.

That would fling my sentiments into Camp Morelli, though I still
can't imagine Stephanie balancing kids and danger.

Kind of fun to picture Morelli, however briefly, as a stay-at-home dad with babies and dogs.

>43 jnwelch: congrats on the successful checkup! Healthy living huh? There's something in it :)

>63 jnwelch: !! Synchronised swimming, the most perplexing of 'sports'.

>168 jnwelch: an eclectic bunch o'reads!!!

>171 m.belljackson: Hi, Marianne. Go Grandma Mazur! I'll never look at a funeral service the same way.

My instinct is that Morelli wouldn't mind being a stay at home dad. Ranger, no way. Actually, I suspect that Morelli and Stephanie wouldn't mind being stay-at-homes if they won the lottery.

>172 LovingLit: Thanks re the checkup, Megan! At my age, healthy living makes a whole lot of things easier and better. I was getting grumpy about the physical restrictions I'd acquired.

Ha! I know. I get curling more than I do synchronized swimming. Fun in the water, I guess.

I do enjoy eclectic reading. Keeps it interesting. It means I'm mainly a mood reader as I mix it up. I just started A Room of One's Own - I've thought about it for ages, and can't tell you why now's the right time. Very good so far, of course.

>173 jnwelch: I loved A Room of One's Own when I read it last year. I loved it so much I gave it to my academic supervisor for Christmas. I hope you like it too!
I glanced over my reading list for this year and noticed that over half were non fiction! That surprised me, but I would call it a mixed bag in general too, I think.

#173
It is strange how certain books call out to you at certain times and when they don't. I say heed the call when it happens. It is that way in which happiness lies.

"What's it going to look like in the Man Cave?" Bare...very bare. I like handling the books, especially putting them back in alpha order, but, BOY, that is going to be a project, because it was very difficult to keep the books in order, as I hauled them upstairs to Bree's old room.

>168 jnwelch: Nice flurry of mini-reviews. It is a good way to do it, if you fall behind. We Are Okay is waiting for me at the library.

Hope you have a fine time at the poetry slam finals.

#176
We Are Okay won the Michael Prinz Award from the American Library Association a month ago. This award is given to the best Young Adult work of literature, so you guys have picked a good one. I haven't gotten to it yet, even though I already have it in the library collection.

I'm putting We Are Okay on hold at the library, Joe. Thanks for the great little mini-review.

>128 jnwelch: "I'm a pushover for rainy days..." Maybe you need to move to Portland or Seattle. Just sayin'.

I'm also pretty caught up in March Madness but focusing on the women's tournament. Oregon State handed Tennessee their first-ever tournament loss on their home court (they were 57-0). I used to work at Oregon State so I had to cheer them on even though I have a ton of respect for the Tennessee organization.

Have a great week, Joe!

>174 LovingLit: I'm glad A Room of One's Own gets high marks from you, Megan. I'm sure liking it so far. Goodness gracious, she can write.

I read a lot more fiction than nonfiction. I don't think I've ever come close to half and half.

>175 benitastrnad: Well put, Benita. I say heed the call when it happens. It is that way in which happiness lies. Yes.

>176 msf59: A bare Man Cave? Say it ain't so, Mark. Only temporarily, right?

Thanks re the mini-reviews. I'm not forgetting our talk, and I'm sure trying to keep up.

We had a blast at the poetry slam finals! These kids are so good. It seems to get better every year. I posted a bunch of photos on Facebook. I'll try to get a couple over here tomorrow.

>177 benitastrnad: I did see that We Are Okay won the Printz Award, Benita. I'm glad it got the recognition. You'll appreciate it when you get to it.

>178 EBT1002: Oh good, Ellen. We Are Okay will work well for you, I'm sure.

Ha! I don't know Portland yet, but I've thought more than once that I could've lived in Seattle. It's odd, but almost every time I've gone there, the weather has been clear - blue skies and nice. When I told a Seattle cab driver that, he said the city would probably pay me to move there. :-)

I usually follow the women's NCAA tournament, but for some reason this year I haven't been hooked in. Oregon State beating TN on TN's home court had to be a huge upset. Ellie probably is beside herself up there in the celestial library.

Thanks - have a great week yourownself, my friend!

Morning, Joe!

>182 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

Hi Joe! Joyous day of the week to you!

Somehow I missed the synchronized swimming comments but must say that when my Camp Fire Girls group took lessons then performed I really hated it AND got swimmer's ear from it to boot. Give me curling any day!

Better you than me re Virginia Woolf - I do have A Room of One's Own on my shelves and am keeping it for sentimental value but it's never called out to me. I got rid of all her other stuff after reading and actively disliking Orlando.

Morning, Joe! Hope you have a good start to your week

Hey Joe! Happy Monday! I'm semi sorta caught up here. Lots of good conversation. I'm happy to read your numbers are down! Have you changed your diet? Read more? What's you secret?

I've finished Eventide and have begun Benediction. I want to savor the last of the Haruf trilogy but, ya know, the other noisy books won't let me.

>173 jnwelch: ooh oh. You did it. It's years since I read A Room of one's own Joe, but I bought a new edition from Folio Society last year, because it was illustrated by Vanessa Bell, Virginia's sister. It might well come off the shelf for a reread this week. Glad you are enjoying it. She certainly was a great writer.

>143 jnwelch: Great review. Definitely a BB for me. Also, glad you got around to On Tyranny.

Lots to catch up on here, Joe!

Becca is an amazing teacher! Way to fire up those imaginations and get those little ones dreaming...
Nice little flurry of reviews as well.
I hope your Monday is off to a fantastic start. :)

Joe, I had somehow managed to miss an entire thread! My sincere apologies. I am here now, and I plan on not getting lost again.

>184 karenmarie: Hi Karen! Happy Unnamed Day of the Week!

Ha! Good to hear about synchronized swimming from your personal experience. Let's go curling instead.

I'll tell you what Richard told me after I was less than thrilled by To the Lighthouse: read Mrs. Dalloway. I loved Mrs. D and also Michael Cunningham's take on it in The Hours. (To the Lighthouse: so well-written, but so little happened! They never even make it to the lighthouse in the book, despite the deceptive advertising of the title. As I said in my review, I kept hoping a shot would ring out..

I gotta tell you, I'm about halfway through A Room of One's Own and I'm LOVING it. Her audacity, her brilliance, her superb writing. Wow. It looks like it's going to be one of my favorite books of the year.

>185 ChelleBearss: Hiya, Chelle! It has been a good start to the week. Reading A Room of One's Own has helped make it that way. We leave to see our son and DIL Thursday, so in some ways it's a short week.

>186 Carmenere: Hey Lynda! Good to see you.

Thanks re the numbers. My secret mainly consists of a big diet change. I was getting way too much sugar via wrongly thinking I should drink Gatorade, and probably too many cookies. I switched from Gatorade to Crystal Light in water. Also, smaller portions, way less carbs. My day starts, for example, with a small yogurt with chia seeds and flax seeds; that idea is courtesy of Madame MBH. Every day I eat a fair amount of fruits, nuts and vegetables, which makes her happy. She was giving me good food advice for years - it just took me until now to listen.

Stopping taking Nyquil so much got my blood pressure back down. I didn't know that Nyquil had that effect.

The other major factor was lots of exercise. We're big time walkers, and I also now work out at a gym with Madame MBH three times a week. The workouts have strengthened me a lot, particularly my legs, which were my Achilles heel. Or was it my heels, which were my Achilles leg. So my quality of life has gone up a lot.

The coolest part of all this, prior to the most excellent checkup, was going down a pant size to one I hadn't worn in decades.

P.S. I forgot to mention Lecithin. Madame MBH has had me taking Lecithin supps twice a day. She believes it helps cholesterol numbers a lot. People differ, but both her cholesterol numbers and mine came way down.

You might enjoy today's online POPULAR MECHANICS "Watch These Cool GIFs Restore Ancient Ruins!"

>187 Caroline_McElwee: A Folio edition, illustrated by Vanessa! I'm loving A Room of One's Own, Caroline. If you have fond memories, I certainly encourage you to pull it off the shelf. So witty, so audacious, so good. I liked Mrs. Dalloway a lot, but this is becoming my favorite. Maybe the second half will let me down, but I doubt it.

>188 Oberon: Oh yeah, Erik. Am I remembering correctly you that you have some soccer players running around? You're a natural for One Goal: A Coach. She knows her stuff, and you'll likely appreciate some of the playing nuances even more than I did.

I'm glad I got around to On Tyranny, too. How smart he was to simplify it all for us.

>189 jolerie: Isn't Becca amazing, Valerie? Actually, when Madame MBH and I went in to her class for a parents' day showcase, that's the word parents kept using when talking to us about her: amazing. The school's former principal (now a parent of a kid in her class) said they know she's so smart and could do whatever she wanted, so they feel so lucky that she wants to teach kids.

I'll stop there. When it comes to that young lady, I could come up with the longest post ever. Her salary, like all teachers, is frustratingly low. Did I mention that?

It's been a mighty fine Mmphmumbleday so far. I hope you're having a good one.

>190 Crazymamie: We missed your warm glow, Mamie. Nice to have you back in the cafe!

>193 m.belljackson: OK, Marianne, you win today's prize for most unexpected sentence in a post. I'll look for that!

P.S. Oh, you were right. So cool! https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/infrastructure/g19447066/ancient-rui...

>194 jnwelch: just finished chapter 1 Joe, and of course loving it again. Chapter 2 here I come.

I never loved any of Virginia's novels on first reading. It took at least a second one. Now you know that To The Lighthouse is plotless, I'm sure that you will read it from a different perspective. Just sink into the writing. It is perhaps the most biographical of her novels as it is about her parents, especially her mother.

You might like to hear the only recording left of Virginia's voice:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zcbY04JrMaU

Any Woolf enthusiasts around here familiar with her opera, "Four Saints in Three Acts"? It's pretty cool, with music by Virgil Thomson. Embarrassingly, it's the only full-length work of hers I've "read."

ETA Go ahead and laugh at me: the opera's by Gertrude Stein. (If I were cleverer I would've rewritten the whole thing and hidden my shame forever; but I'm not that clever.)

I haven't heard of it. I'm seeing info online whch suggests the libretto was by Gertrude Stein.

No shame or embarrassment, we all can misremember.

>196 jnwelch:

Great! Now here's an expected sentence: you were going to join us with "...y no se lo trigo la tierra,"
but so far MIA.

looking to get my mitts on a copy of on Tyranny.

Thanks for the tip Joe

>197 Caroline_McElwee: Ah, thanks so much for posting that link to her voice, Caroline. Imagining her saying what's in A Room of One's Own is a significant part of the experience, isn't it. Her voice pretty much matches what I was thinking - cultured, penetrating. I love her calling words those "little wretches" when they won't cooperate.

I'm glad you're inspired to a re-read! It's so good. You're inspiring me - I may look for that Folio edition after this.

It's hard to imagine re-reading To the Lighthouse at this point, but never say never. What do you think of The Waves? I haven't read it, and have heard very mixed reactions.

>198 majleavy: Ha! You get bonus points for showing your work, Michael. :-)

I've read a fair amount of Gertrude Stein, but I've sure never listened to her opera. I think you deserve culture points, too, if we can figure out what culture points are.

>199 Caroline_McElwee:, >200 Caroline_McElwee: So true. And some of us, like perhaps the proprietor, just plain screw up.

>201 m.belljackson: Yes! You're so right, Marianne, about y no se lo triga la tierra. I'm sure I've got it on the tbr shelf, but I haven't found it yet. I'll go look after this.

P.S. Got it! I'll bump it to the front and make it my immediate alternate with Ms. Woolf's book.

>202 magicians_nephew: You're welcome, Jim. I'm passing on to you the same On Tyranny tip others gave me. It seems like a book perfectly suited to you. Please stop back once you've read it and tell us what you thought of it, or just give us a heads-up to check what you've said on your thread.

Not long now until you meet your new grandson, Joe! Exciting times ahead. Never mind, now it's my son and DIL who don't know what day it is, lost in the tiring days of newborns.

By the way, my mom, niece and nephew in law are in Washington D.C . for a tourist visit. Why did they chose to visit the Drumpf, I don't know. My mom sent me a hilarious picture of my nephew in law posing alongside a card board figure of Drumpf. I don't suppose they dare put that on face-book, in case the USA border security catches them chuckling at the Drumpf. Family. who can explain them? Was my mom's idea, for the record.

>204 jnwelch: C'mon, baby Rafa! Yeah, those early tiring days with newborns. I'm sure your son and DIL are feeling it, Deb. Great photo on your thread of you and little Melissa.

We do love visiting Washington DC, but this is a weird time for it with the Drumpf circus happening. Maybe your family can get hired and fired by him before they leave?

I'm intrigued by how much Drumpf's anxiety level is increasing, with crazy tweets about Mueller and his staff. As one politico said, for all he's saying, Drumpf's acting like someone guilty, not someone innocent. I'd love to see him toppled, although Pence replacing him would be no picnic.

>203 jnwelch: The Waves is very intense Joe. I didn't do it justice as I was in an over intense time myself when I read it some years ago, but I knew it was good. You have to contend with not only what the characters are saying, but what they are thinking at the same time. I pulled it near the top of the pile for a reread, maybe on holiday in May. It was the book Leonard Woolf said was her best.

I'm half through AROOO. I plan to take another bite out of it before bed, and finish it tomorrow. Thanks for making me yank it off the pile sooner. The edition is lovely in the hand, nice print too.

>207 Caroline_McElwee: Sounds good, Caroline. I find that encouraging re The Waves. You're going to finish AROOO before I do! I'm reading y no se lo triga la tierra right now, after Marianne's appropriate nudge.

"I gotta tell you, I'm about halfway through A Room of One's Own and I'm LOVING it." That is good enough for me, Joe! It is officially on the list.

I enjoyed The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. I think there were some dry spots but I am very glad to have tried my first Sacks.

The carpet guys come in on Saturday and then I'll spend the rest of the weekend, (I'll be off Monday too) putting it all back. Hope to get a little culling in too.

Resist everything except temptation....

http://www.foliosociety.com/book/RMO/room-of-ones-own

>209 msf59: Oh, good to hear, Mark. I think you'll love A Room of One's Own, too.

It's been a long time for me, but I thought The Man Who Mistook was really good. I want to read his Anthropologist on Mars at some point.

Why the carpet change? Water damage, or something else?

>210 Caroline_McElwee: You are merciless, Caroline! That edition looks great. Cool illustration they show from VB. Not cheap! We'll see - maybe I'll ask for it for my birthday.

This was from the water damage we got, earlier in the month. Fortunately, the carpet was the only casualty.

>198 majleavy: culture points, huh? Well, if I deserve them, then they should probably be redeemable at Amazon.

Morning, Joe!

Morning Joe.

Morning Joe!

Yes to A Room of One's Own, I have read nothing else by her, couldn't get through Orlando but AROOO is marvellous.
And yes to The Man who mistook his wife for a Hat, that one does make one realise how vulnerable we all are, and how tricky our machinery is.

And yeah for good numbers, you have really worked at it, lots of changes. I'm trying for less carbs as well, but I'm not finding it easy.

'Morning, Joe!

>192 jnwelch: Congrats on the sugar and volume and carbs reduction, smaller pants size, and improved health.

>212 msf59: Makes sense, Mark. It took me a while to make the connection. What a hassle. I assume at least the new carpet has some kind of book-and-beer pattern.

>213 majleavy: Oh, I like that redeemable-at-Amazon idea, Michael. But no, we were thinking more of the culture points making you feel so much better about yourself. Like a good beer (or beverage of your choice).

Morning, Joe! I have only read one book by Woolf - Mrs. Dalloway, but I loved it. I have her complete works on Kindle, so I should just jump in already. Here's hoping your Tuesday is full of fabulous!

>214 scaifea: Morning, Amber! I'll be over to the Scaife Manor thread soon.

>215 johnsimpson: Morning/afternoon, John. Thanks for stopping by. You always seem to get the sun sooner than we do. Why is that? Maybe the world isn't flat after all.

>216 EllaTim: Morning, Ella! Hooray for A Room of One's Own! Isn't it marvelous?

I haven't tried Orlando, but you're the second cafe patron who didn't like it. I don't think I'll hurry to read it.

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: that one does make one realise how vulnerable we all are, and how tricky our machinery is. Well said. Yeah, we're one step away from Goofyville. I wonder whether I just imagined the last presidential election here?

Thanks re the better numbers. I ate so many carbs that lowering them wasn't hard. :-) You know, we need to enjoy life, so one of the main changes for me has been stretching out the time between having a more calorie- and carb-filled meal (like pasta!) or a handful of buttery-delicious cookies (biscuits? I'm not sure what you call them in your part of the world). The biggest change has been that small breakfast. I was chowing down on the doctor's advice to try starting with a big breakfast - that didn't work for me.

>217 karenmarie: Morning, Karen!

Thanks re the shrinkage and better health. You'd think less Joe could never be a good thing, but it turns out it is.

>219 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! You picked the right VW book to start with. Before A Room of One's Own, Mrs. Dalloway was my favorite. So far the word on the street is don't rush to read Orlando.

Wakanda! Let's bring some energy and enjoy this day

>222 jnwelch: I actually have a very lovely copy of Orlando because they included it in those clothbound editions I cannot seem to resist:

>220 jnwelch:, I would like to say that it's because we are in God's own Country but that would be stretching things, lol. Wish we still had the sun now and from listening to the forecast for the next few days I don't think we will see it until next week with rain forecast although it will warm up a bit to 12c. Not the weather for the start of the Cricket season but it will pick up I hope.

>224 Crazymamie: That is lovely, Mamie. Maybe you can just look at it, rather than read it?

Nah, I'm sure it has redeeming qualities. I keep thinking someone may show up in the cafe who loved Orlando.

I liked Orlando a lot, but as I said above, I never love VW on first reading, it's the rereading that brings the love. I'll try and find the review I did of it.

ETA: here's my review: https://www.librarything.com/work/5379/reviews/93716450

>227 Caroline_McElwee: Very interesting and good review, Caroline. I still won't rush to read Orlando, but that at least gives me a map for the territory. I'm intrigued by the idea of liking her books more the second time around.

A Room of One's Own continues to be impressive. I'm a little more than 2/3 of the way through.

FYI Joe, £500 in 1928 is about £29,500 in today's money. Just about to start Chapter VI.

I don't think one ever reads the same book twice, all sorts of things have added to your knowledge and feelings since you last read something. But some writers write so well, offer so much to think about, are complex and broad, that each reading is like each meeting with a new friend at the outset, and like a meeting with a dear old friend later on. All reading is an exchange between the writer and reader, the writer and reader and characters. Sometimes it takes multiple readings to begin to know everyone.

>229 Caroline_McElwee: Hey, that's good info re the pounds, Caroline, thanks. I wondered.

Well said re the multiple readings. I know I always get something new from re-reads. I'm going back through Neil Gaiman's Sandman graphic series right now, which I've done enough before to lose count, and it always surprises me.

AROOO has led me to pull a volume of Charles Lamb's essays off the shelf.

I really enjoyed my reread Joe. Glad it has had a big impact on you too.

>231 Caroline_McElwee: Ha! I understand that urge to pull that volume, Caroline. She's got me wondering whether I need to read more Aphra Behn.

Mary Carmichael? That one came out of nowhere.

I'm in the home stretch. I'll meet you at the pub to discuss it at . . . huh, it's already late for you. Let's do it tomorrow.

>191 jnwelch: This is so validating. I just could not get into To the Lighthouse but I liked Mrs. Dalloway and I loved Cunningham's The Hours.
A Room of One's Own is my favorite by Woolf.

Mary Carmichael is a fiction Joe. I double checked. She does warn you that much of her paper is fiction.

>233 EBT1002: Right, Ellen? I would've guessed we'd be on the same wavelength. It's looking like A Room of One's Own is going to be my new favorite of hers, too.

Take a look up in >210 Caroline_McElwee: at the edition that Caroline has. So tempting . . .

>234 Caroline_McElwee: I wondered! Thanks. That's probably a smart way to handle the points she's making.

What do you think of her affinity for Aphra Behn? From what little I've read, AB's style is . . . a little overwrought for me.

Hi, Joe. I did make a library run after work and picked up On Tyranny, along with another poetry collection. They are starting to stack up. I also voted. It would sure be nice to give Rauner his walking papers.

I am enjoying Arthur & George. Barnes is such a good writer.

>235 jnwelch: It's years since I read Behn, Joe, but because she is the earliest woman playwright, she carries a lot of weight. I have a biog on the shelf, I might pull it later in the year. My feeling is she will always be judged against male precedents, so its impossible to 'weigh' as VW suggests.

Something that came to me while reading AROOO is she talks about all the women in male literature, and the strength and variety of female roles in theatre especially, so it should be remembered that men were writing these roles for men to perform. The earliest women on stage were in the second half of the 1600s.

>236 msf59: Rauner. What a waste. Man, he frustrates me. I hope we give him his walking papers, too.

You're going to eat up On Tyranny with a spoon. I'm so glad I read Ellen's review and got inspired to read it.

Barnes gets me - are you struck by how different the style is? Is it the style, or something else? I don't know what it is, but he brings such variety to his books, and they're all so good. If I read it without knowing who the author is, I don't think I'd figure out that Arthur and George was written by the author of The Sense of An Ending.

>237 Caroline_McElwee: I only know Behn from her poetry; being the earliest woman playwright must've taken a lot of bravery. I need to let this all sink in a bit, but VW's so insightfully on target about the obstacles women writers had to overcome. One of many that struck me was not having (many) female precedents before (and after) 1600 in developing their voices. It was all men all the time. And I loved her implicit amazement that despite this Jane Austen somehow developed her own melodic female voice that's so entrancing. (There were some other women authors by then of course, but she still brought her books out under "Anonymous").

Good point that men were writing for men to play those female parts. If I got it right, VW believes authors ideally should be "androgynous", a combination of the sexes - manly-womanly or womanly-manly. She's not a fan of the too-male Kipling, and says women can't relate to what he wrote. I laughed when she said Proust might have had a bit too much of the womanly.

So much to think about! What a book.

A few quotes from A Room of One's Own:

“A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.”

“All this pitting of sex against sex, of quality against quality; all this claiming of superiority and imputing of inferiority, belong to the private-school stage of human existence where there are 'sides,' and it is necessary for one side to beat another side, and of the utmost importance to walk up to a platform and receive from the hands of the Headmaster himself a highly ornamental pot.”

“There is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.”

“If woman had no existence save in the fiction written by men, one would imagine her a person of the utmost importance (...); as great as a man, some think even greater. But this is woman in fiction. In fact, as Professor Trevelyan points out in his History of England, she was locked up, beaten and flung about the room.”

One of my favorites:

“Suppose, for instance, that men were only represented in literature as the lovers of women, and were never the friends of men, soldiers, thinkers, dreamers; how few parts in the plays of Shakespeare could be allotted to them; how literature would suffer! We might perhaps have most of Othello; and a good deal of Antony; but no Caesar, no Brutus, no Hamlet, no Lear, no Jaques--literature would be incredibly impoverished, as indeed literature is impoverished beyond our counting by the doors that have been shut upon women.”

Morning, Joe!

>239 jnwelch: I need to get round to that one soon.

Morning.

>221 jnwelch: Everyone probably has to find their own way to find what works best. I do well on a good breakfast, but I know lots of people who find their stomach just is not up to eating early in the morning.

Re cookies, can you find cookies in our neck of the woods, well the American word "cookies", comes from the Dutch "koekjes", (loosely pronounced as cookies).
And there are biscuits as well, if they are the same thing as "biscuitjes", or maybe you want "beschuitjes"? (Not the same thing at all);-)

'Morning, Joe, and happy Wednesday to you!

I eat breakfast a couple of hours after I'm up now that I'm retired - always with a good balance of protein, carbs, and fat. I don't do well if there's no protein in the mix.

>240 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

You will love A Room of One's Own when you get to it, methinks.

>241 johnsimpson: Morning, John.

>242 EllaTim: Thanks, Ella. I didn't know "cookies" came from a Dutch word. Maybe we started using it in New Amsterdam?

Whatever those are called in the image you posted, they sure look delicious.

Did you see that our niece's nine week old Sam is going to be raised speaking Dutch and English? His pa is Dutch. (Fluency in two languages here remains relatively unusual, although less and less so. Our grandbaby will be raised speaking Spanish and English).

>243 karenmarie: Top o' the morning to ye, Karen. Happy Wednesday!

Yeah, my advisor (whom I'm married to) has me eating protein for breakfast, and it does seem like a good idea, particularly on days we work out. On the weekend I often go a couple of hours before having any breakfast; last Sunday it didn't happen until one in the afternoon. I was way too busy doing who knows what. Reading, maybe?

Morning, Joe! I also prefer to skip breakfast until a more civilized hour. I'll often have coffee when the girls eat breakfast and then make my breakfast when E is down for her first nap around 10ish.

Morning, Joe! Coffee first, then breakfast later. Inspired by all the Virginia Woolf talk here, I have picked up one from my shelves - Moments of Being.

>246 ChelleBearss: Morning, Chelle!

Yeah, somehow it almost feels like a luxury to skip breakfast until a more civilized hour. I always enjoy doing that when we're not racing off somewhere. But I always manage to get some coffee into me regardless.

>247 Crazymamie: Morning/Afternoon, Mamie!

Coffee first, then breakfast later seems ideal. You've found a Virginia Woolf I know nothing about. She sure can write, can't she. I'll look forward to your reactions to Moments of Being.

Good to know this happens to other people

Congratulations on the good numbers, Joe. Good exercise and eating are the way to go. I'm better on the exercise part than the eating part and usually work out before I eat in the morning but that's because I do it at home.

I know what you mean about not moving until they carry you out. It is too much to be contemplated. I moved in 2009 and books really made it harder. Of course, moving them to storage for the house staging and then moving them to the new place meant twice the work although the last part of the move was done by movers. They really grumbled about the boxes of books!

>238 jnwelch: I ventured to suggest reading Jack London in our of our book groups only to hear a scornful "That's a boys book" from several of the women.

I dunno - I think good writing is good writing. So sue me

>250 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. Although I kept up with running and then walking (when I got older) while I was working, it's a lot easier now to get a good workout at the gym.

We moved from an apartment to our first house in the Bucktown part of Chicago, and then from that house to the one we're in. Huge projects, especially the second one with two kids and a houseful full of stuff. Like you, we had lots and lots of boxes of books. We love the house we're in, and the thought of packing for another move is way too much, even without considering the unpacking on the other end. "It is too much to be contemplated." Yup, that's true for us, too. This is it, we're done. Just bring the gurneys when we have shuffled off this mortal coil.

>251 magicians_nephew: Actually, I agree with you there, Jim, so we can be sued together. She says a lot of things in A Room of One's Own that are inarguably true, and many that are persuasive, and she's brilliant throughout, but she's not universally right, IMO. That one got me, too - Kipling is worth reading, and Jack London is, too. I would've been backing you up on JL; his stories were some of my most vivid reading experiences.

Is asking women in a book club to read Jack London like asking men to read a Harlequin romance, or some better-written romance? It seems a good cut above that to me - you're proposing to read a good author. The women, in my amazingly easy opinion from way far away and not knowing them, should have given it a try. Men could give, for example, Georgette Heyer a try. I've grown to like GH's books a lot.

>239 jnwelch: Love these quotes from A Room of One's Own, Joe. A very modern thinker.

>253 msf59: Right, Mark? She was a very modern thinker, and her vision was penetrating. Although it's fiction and she's taking on a persona, she speaks so directly to the reader in this one. I really enjoyed it, as you can tell.

The new cafe is open. See you there!