Mark's Reading Place: Chapter Twenty-Three

-Fall colors on the route...



-Eastern Bluebird. One of my favorite bird photos.

Audiobook:



Graphic/Comic:


Books Read So Far...

OTS- Off the Shelf

July:

78) The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley 4 stars (audio) AAC OTS
79) The Locals by Jonathan Dee 4.3 stars OTS
80) Dry Bones (Longmire) by Craig Johnson 4 stars (audio) OTS
81) The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan 4 stars (audio) AAC
82) Florida by Lauren Groff 4.2 stars
83) Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher by Timothy Egan 4.4 stars (audio) OTS
84) Calamity Jane: The Calamitous Life of Martha Jane Cannary by Christian Perrissin 4 stars GN
85) Sugar Money by Jane Harris 4.2 stars ALA OTS
86) Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman 4 stars (audio) OTS
87) Calypso by David Sedaris 4.4 stars (audio)
88) Beautiful Music by Michael Zadoorian 4.3 stars
89) Six and a Half Deadly Sins (Dr. Siri Paiboun) by Colin Cotterill 3.6 stars (audio)
90) The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson 4.2 stars OTS
91) Bad Blood: Secrets & Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou 4.7 stars (audio)
92) November Road by Lou Berney 4 stars ALA
93) Sabrina by Nick Drnaso 4.2 stars GN Booker List
94) The Baker's Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan 3.7 stars (audio) OTS

August:

95) The Good People by Hannah Kent 4 stars (audio) OTS
96) The Man Who Climbs Trees by James Aldred 4.2 stars (E)
97) The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner 4.5 stars Booker List
98) Bullets into Bells: Poets & Citizens Respond to Gun Violence by Brian Clements 4.5 stars Poetry
99) The Walking Drum by Louis L'Amour 4.2 stars (audio) AAC OTS
100) The Lonesome Bodybuilder: Stories by Yukiko Motoya 3.7 stars
101) Sackett's Land by Louis L'Amour 3.8 stars (audio) AAC OTS
102) Of Wolves and Men by Barry Lopez 3.7 stars E
103) What is the What by Dave Eggers 4 stars (audio) OTS
104) Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh 4.2 stars E OTS
105) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer 4 stars (audio) OTS

September:

106) Black Mad Wheel by Josh Malerman 3.3 stars (audio) OTS
107) Whiskey When We're Dry by John Larison 4.5 stars ALA
108) Certain American States: Stories by Catherine Lacey 4 stars
109) The Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy 4 stars (audio) AAC
110) The Princess Bride by William Goldman 4.6 stars
111) Dancing at the Rascal Fair by Ivan Doig 3.7 stars (audio) OTS
112) The Physics of Sorrow by Georgi Gospodinov 3.8 stars
113) The Searchers: The Making of an American Legend by Glenn Frankel 4.2 stars (audio) OTS
114) Fight No More: Stories by Lydia Millet 4.6 stars
115) Seven for a Secret by Lyndsay Faye 4 stars (audio) OTS
116) The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin 4 stars OTS

October:

117) As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of Princess Bride by Cary Elwes 4.4 stars (audio) OTS
118) The Searchers by Alan Le May 4.2 stars
119) French Exit by Patrick deWitt 3.8 stars ALA OTS
120) The Fireman by Joe Hill 3.5 stars (audio) OTS G.R.
121) I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death by Maggie O'Farrell 3.7 stars (audio) OTS
122) Praise Song for the Butterflies by Bernice L. McFadden 4.5 stars ER
123) Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 4.2 stars (audio) OTS
124) Tin Man by Sarah Winman 4.3 stars (audio)
125) The Overstory by Richard Powers 5 stars
126) The Outsider by Stephen King 4 stars (audio) AAC OTS
127) No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters by Ursula K. Le Guin 3.6 stars (audio)
128) Changers Book One: Drew by T Cooper 3.8 stars
129) Cherry by Nico Walker 3.2 stars (audio)
130) Guardian Angels and Other Monsters by Daniel H. Wilson 4.4 stars OTS
131) In Pieces by Sally Field 4.2 stars (audio)

November:

132) I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai 4.2 stars (audio)
133) Washington Black by Esi Edugyan 4.4 stars

Welcome to the AAC V!

2018 AAC

January- Joan Didion Completed The White Album
February- Colson Whitehead Completed Sag Harbor
March- Tobias Wolff Completed The Night in Question: Stories
April- Alice Walker Completed In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens
May- Peter Hamill Completed Tabloid City
June- Walter Mosley Completed Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey
July- Amy Tan Completed The Bonesetter's Daughter
August- Louis L'Amour Completed The Walking Drum, Sackett's Land
September- Pat Conroy Completed The Lords of Discipline
October- Stephen King Completed The Outsider
November- Narrative Nonfiction
December- F. Scott Fitzgerald

Here is a link to the General Discussion Thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/279501#

Everglades

“river with a valley so shallow it is measured
in inches” says McKibben

and no longer Ever but shrinking,
this marsh-wealth in a buzz

of conversing, wing flaps and wind, ringed
by housing, drained by canals,

an expanse thick with mangroves, orchids,
birds erupting out of grasses—

“so flat that a broad sheet of water flows slowly
across it on the way to the sea”—

algae, floating lilies, water purified
and sent into

the dreamscape— Heaven’s

beneath us, what I look down into,
bubbling mud, permeable skin—

Driving here, miles

across paved-over space

till what’s missing gathers—
jaw open in the sun,

wings explaining—

What can’t be seen is more
than all of this Strokes

of green blades swells of nothing—
we’re Ever

latched to each other, burning..."

-Anne Marie Macari

It is always interesting to spot a Vulture. I don’t particularly like to see them up close, but watching them fly is a treat. They are so graceful in the air. They are very territorial and familial. I would see the same birds (or at least I thought they were the same birds) year after year in certain noted nesting places out in Kansas. As I said, they were so beautiful to watch fly. My guess is that if your bird was just sitting there that it was guarding its food. They will drag food to hiding places. They will even cover it up with dirt and leaves so that they can come back to it again.

Hi Mark, happy new thread. Enjoying a nice leisurely evening watching the Blackhawks and reading.

Hey, there, Mark! Just pulling up my chair.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Marc!

You haven't finished The Overstory yet I see:-) but you are a good way ahead of me. Thanks for all the warbling you did, you gave me a nice push. I'm past the first pages and enjoying it very much now.

>Your first picture won't show up for me, unfortunately.

Happy Sunday, Mark and congrats on your shiny new thread.

>5 benitastrnad: Hi, Benita. I haven't had a chance to observe vultures very much, being an urban man but I do find them very interesting and when I do see them, they are normally flying high above.

>6 lindapanzo: Thanks, Linda. I had a quiet night last night too, watching some of the playoff game and then went to bed early.

>7 laytonwoman3rd: Hi, Linda. I hope you are making yourself comfortable.

>8 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Figs!

>9 EllaTim: Thanks, Ella. Glad you got started on The Overstory and I hope you have similar feelings. I should be close to finishing it today. Sorry, you can't see the topper. It is a colorful one.

>10 Ameise1: Thanks, Barb. Happy Sunday!

122) Praise Song for the Butterflies by Bernice L. McFadden 4.5 stars

“Scars are proof of survival, they shouldn’t be hidden—it’s a story someone may need to see in order to believe that beyond their pain and suffering, there is healing.”

“It was 1985; Abeo was nine years, seven months, and three days old.”

It is the mid-80s, in West Africa and we are introduced to Abeo Kata, living a privileged life in the suburbs. Her father has a good job in the government but when he is suddenly suspended, as the political climate in his country begins to shift, the family's comfortable existence begins to crumble. As things begin to hit rock bottom, her father decides to sacrifice Abeo, to a religious shrine (basically a sex slave), to atone for the family's past sins. How this nine year old girl survives the next fifteen years, in horrifying conditions, is the rest of this powerful novel. The writing is beautiful, despite the disturbing subject matter. I will have to check out this talented author's backlist.

>13 msf59: - Haha. I thought the bluebird was the topper. Only now that Ella and you have mentioned, have I noticed there is a little black box with an *x* above it, indicating that there should be another photo above the bluebird. So, yea, I guess I am not seeing that one, as well.

>14 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley. Hopefully, I corrected the problem. Can you see it now?

I can see it.

That was a tough game last night. A little sadness up here today. I guess I will get more reading done in the upcoming weeks.

'Morning Mark - The fall colors are gorgeous, so is your Eastern Bluebird.

Happy Sunday, happy new thread! For some reason I'm not rushing out to buy The Overstory. Maybe I'll find it at next spring's book sale. For now, though, I'm totally immersed in November 22, 1963 by Adam Braver.

>16 alphaorder: Morning, Nancy. It is always tough watching your team lose a big one like that, but the Brewers had a terrific season and were easily one of the bright spots in the baseball season. But, yah, for more reading time!

>17 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. That topper was from last autumn. Not quite getting the same colors yet, this time around. The Overstory will probably not be for everyone but it sure is working for me.

Happy Sunday, Mark! Lovely and colorful topper! Hope your day is packed with beer, books and football!

Happy new thread, Mark. I love the topper.

Have a great Sunday.

^^FYI. I put my mini-review of Praise Song for the Butterflies in post #13.

>19 Carmenere: Morning, Lynda. Yes, it will be a day of books & football, but I am also attending a Hawk Watch, later this A.M. First time I have done this.

>20 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. I hope you have a great day too.

>15 msf59: - Yep, it's there now! ;-) Gorgeous

Morning Mark. Happy new thread. I hope you are having a good weekend. It is the last day of my full on literary week. It has been wonderful but exhausting.

Happy new one, Mark! Love the Fall colors in your topper. Hoping your Sunday is full of fabulous!

>22 jessibud2: Yah!! We have fall color!

>23 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. I worked yesterday, but I have the next 2 days off, so all is good here.

>24 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie! I hope you have a great day at the Pecan Paradiso too!

^Heading out on my very first Hawk Watch. I hope there will be plenty to report back. Cold out, but clear blue skies abound.

Hi Mark - we haven't seen or heard any Sandhill Cranes yet up here near Madison.

Maybe they were waiting out yesterday's Wintry Blast which brought tiny hailstones and 40 mph gusts of wind...
not great flying weather unless you can coast on top.

Here is one more bird lore solution to "Why did the Chicken cross the road?"

To totally wreck havoc on all the wood chip paths!

The farm neighbors across the road have kept chickens and a VERY cocky rooster for years.

For the first time, they decided - not sure if it was the Mister or three Missys' idea - to bravely venture away
and now spend a few hours messing around eating whatever's in the wood chips and leaving huge chip-less circles.
I sure hope they are decimating next year's tick crop.

How welcome it is to hear a Rooster crowing again!

Happy new thread, Mark!
Love the topper, as I love fall and fallcolors :-)

Already put The Overstory on my list, hope to see your thoughts on it soon.

Hi Mark, trying to decide whether to take The Overstory as carry on: can I get this read in 17hrs??

Reading The Great Believers - I would love to know what a native of Chicago makes of it. I've already learned about the Marina towers.

Hi Mark,

Although I am pretty "booked up" (ha ha), I am interested in both The Overstory and the Booker winner Milkman, which I understand is not available in the U.S. yet. (Just looked at Amazon; it's shipping 12/11.)

Completed It Can't Happen Here, so I'll be back at The Shining. Just learned this morning (from my daughter) that King's lone sequel returns to track a grown-up Danny Torrence. (Hmmm. I guess books in a series don't count as sequels. Or do they? Just thought of that now, so I didn't challenge Becky on it.)

Just trying to stay afloat in the stream of posts on your thread, Mark. Looks like you've had a great string of reads.

Wonderful thread topper Mark! Love the fall colours! We are enjoying them too in some brilliant sunshine. Just finished Transcription and I thought it was a good read. I think Atkinson had fun while writing it (her rhyming patterns) and there is quite a bibliography at the end to show the research she did.

>27 m.belljackson: Hi, Marianne. Still no Sandhill Cranes here either. I think it might have something to do with the south and west winds, this past week. Before you know it, we should see flocks flying through. Thanks for sharing the chicken story. I did not realize they were such fans of wood chips. Smiles...

>28 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita! And hooray for beautiful fall colors. I hope you enjoy The Overstory as much as I did.

>29 charl08: Hi, Charlotte. The Overstory is a Big Boy, so I am not sure how long it will take you. Regardless, try to bookhorn it in, whenever you can. I WANT to read The Great Believers. It has been on my list for quite awhile now.

>30 weird_O: Hi, Bill. No, worries, my friend, most of us, are consistently "booked up". This is the reading life we have chosen. I also want to read Milkman. I hope it becomes available here sooner than later. I also hope you are enjoying The Shining. It is one of my favorite King titles.

>31 MickyFine: Hi, Micky. Good to see you. Thanks for trying to keep up around here. I know it is a mighty task.

>32 mdoris: Hi, Mary. Glad you like the fall topper. We have had lots of sunshine and blue skies this past week, but very cool temps. Glad to hear you enjoyed Transcription. I hope to get to it, in the coming weeks.

Hope you had fun with your hawk watch. We actually have at least one (probably more) bald eagles living in our suburb. I'm sure they'd be more intetesting in a park or forest, though!

Happy new thread!

Praise Song for the Butterflies looks good to me, Mark. Glad you enjoyed it. I had seen it in a bookstore around here. Ohh, The Overstory. It scares me - so lengthy and about trees? Eco conscious. Recycling is enough for me. Transcription is very good and if you've not read Washington Black, you are in for a treat!

-American Kestrel

^I enjoyed the Hawk Watch yesterday. A whole different experience and quite a challenge since the birds are at such a long distance, not much more than specks in the sky and you completely depend on more experienced people to help identify them but this is a seriously, seasoned bunch of birders. This was held at the highest point in our county, a virtual mountain, (an actual old landfill) with a 360 point view. My first time up there. Migrants were scarce, due to conflicting wind patterns, but plenty of red-tailed hawks were seen, along with a few turkey vultures and the highlight for me, was the kestrel, which we got the best look at too.

Since I am off today, I am going on a bird walk with a friend later this morning. Looks like a nice day for a stroll, 60 with sunshine.

>35 The_Hibernator: Hi, Rachel. I hope you saw my Hawk Watch report. We were hoping to see a bald eagle or two, pass through yesterday, but no such luck. one of my favorite birds.

>36 thornton37814: Thanks, Lori. Good to see you.

>37 vancouverdeb: Tonto stopped by! Tonto stopped by! Yippee!! Nice way to start my day, Deb. Yes, I think you would like Praise Song for the Butterflies. Tough subject matter, but beautifully written. I don't think The Overstory is your cuppa, but there is definitely more to it than just trees. They just are the foundation of the novel. I have a copy of Transcription and I just picked up a library copy of Washington Black, so I am all set there.

Happy new thread, Mark! Glad you enjoyed the hawk watch.

'Morning, Mark! Excellent report on the Hawk Watch and congrats on seeing the Kestrel. I hope your bird walk today goes well.

>40 harrygbutler: Morning, Harry. This group of die-hard hawk watchers are up there daily, from mid-August to mid-November counting migrating raptors. There have even been Golden Eagle and Goshawk sightings, but not this year...yet. That said, I will probably get up there again, before the year is out.

>41 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. I love seeing a kestrel and fortunately they are fairly common in our area, but like most birds, hard to find.

123) Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 4.2 stars

It has taken me decades, but I finally read this classic horror novel. I have no excuse for the procrastination, but it turned out to be a nice surprise because it is much different from the movies, we are so familiar with. The films and vampire lore surrounding Dracula, seem to have followed closely to that novel, but Shelley's Frankenstein is a much more philosophical exploration, asking big questions about nature, mankind and our different responsibilities to each. This is even more impressive if you consider that the author was only eighteen when she wrote it. If you are still perched on a fence, over this one, reconsider, and give it a try. It also worked very well as an audiobook.

Hi Mark - heard our first Sandhill in the dry corn field, but no sighting yet.

Happy new thread, Mark!

> Excellent comments on Frankenstein. I have never read it either. I hope to add a handful of classics to my 2019 proposed reads.

>43 msf59: I don't know if it's happening in your neck of the woods, but a lot of movie theatres are re-broadcasting the National Theatre production of Frankenstein with Benedict Cumberbatch and Johnny Lee Miller in celebration of the book's 200th anniversary right now. If you can snag tickets, it's a fantastic show (and an excellent adaptation)! Cumberbatch and Miller alternated playing Frankenstein and the Creature every night. I'm going next week to see the version with Cumberbatch as Frankenstein (I saw the version with Miller in that role years ago and still rave about it).

>44 m.belljackson: Thanks for the Sandhill Crane report, Marianne. We should start seeing them very soon now. I think the winds are shifting to the north this week.

>45 brodiew2: Thanks, Brodie. I sure hope I can nudge you into reading Frankenstein. It is a worthy read.

>46 MickyFine: Hi, Micky. I saw an article in the newspaper this morning about that Frankenstein production. I will see if I can find it anywhere. Thanks.

^Well, folks it has been about 6 months or so, since I saw an owl perched in a tree, but I hit pay-dirt today, with some great looks at a Great Horned Owl. She was very cooperative, bless her heart, so I even managed to snap of a few photos of her. This was about 70 or 80 yards away. Isn't their natural camouflage amazing? A friend had joined me on the walk and she saw it too, and as a bonus, Bree showed up and I was able to show her the owl too. Much like the books, I like spreading the bird joy.



^She clearly has her eyes closed here, dozing the morning away. Honestly, I am not sure if this is a female or not but lets just call her one. Ok?

Great owl pics, Mark. Are you using your zoom?

I spotted the first 2 juncos on my lawn this afternoon. So cute!

>48 msf59: She’s beautiful, Mark! So lucky that you all got to see her! Not to mention get a photo.

>49 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley. Definitely using the zoom. I think it may have been nearly maxed out here, with my x50. Tough keeping steady. Hooray for the juncos. I think I only spotted one or two around my feeders today.

>50 Copperskye: Hi, Joanne. She is a beauty, isn't she? This is the third different location, I have seen a GHO this year and all thanks to a fellow birder for pointing me in the right direction. For a large bird, they are incredibly difficult to spot.

Great owl pics, Mark. Sounds like you have been doing well on the birding front lately.

Wonderful pictures of the owl Mark.

She does resemble a piece of bark. Beautiful bird.

Happy new thread...I bit the bullet and bought The Overstory, how could I not with you and your warbling. Oh the power you have....
:)

>46 MickyFine: I heard about that and would LOVE to see it. I should check our local offerings...

Morning, Mark!

>52 Familyhistorian: >53 charl08: Thanks, Meg & Charlotte. It has been a great "owl" year and I still have a couple months left. Grins...

>54 EllaTim: Nature continues to amaze me, Ella. Can't get enough of it.

>55 LovingLit: Now, I sure hope you love it, Megan. I want to remain friends with you. Smiles...I just finished it yesterday. It is a hefty book but filled with rewards.

>56 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

"Fans of the books of John Green, the Joss Whedonverse--and empathy between humans--will find much to love in this first of a four-part series that tracks the journey of an average suburban boy who becomes an incredible young woman . . . who becomes a reluctant hero . . . who becomes the person she was meant to be."

^Joe and Debbi are big fans of this series and they lent me a copy of book one. I could go with something light after finishing the excellent The Overstory, which was a door-stopper and a more of a challenging read. The Changers was also written by a married couple, who also happen to be high school teachers. I will start it today.

I will also wrap up The Outsider today, my current audio, which has been quite good.

Morning, Mark! Changers looks interesting. I loved your review of Frankenstein - thumb from me if you posted that. I read it for the first time in high school, and have revisited it several times, like you, I was so surprised by it the first time around.

Nice owl photos!

Good morning, Mark, and congrats on the GHO sighting and photos. I'm impressed.

>48 msf59: what a hoot. Lucky you Mark. I wonder what her photos and comments of you would look like.

>48 msf59: Congrats on the GHO sighting, Mark!

>59 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie. Thanks, in regards to my Frankenstein comments. I didn't think it was much of a review, just some random thoughts, that is why I did not post it.

Changers looks like a good read and fun read. Yah, for the owls.

>60 karenmarie: >62 harrygbutler: Morning, Karen & Harry. You know I love my owls. I am still trying to add a barred owl to the list, before year's end. It will be a challenge.

>61 Caroline_McElwee: LOL, Caroline. I am sure it would be quite interesting and I am sure super geek would be in those owlish thoughts somewhere.

>63 msf59: Actually, you did post it, Mark. When I checked earlier, it was there, so I gave it my thumb.

Happy new(ish) thread, Mark. I love the bird photos, especially that American Kestrel. I'm glad you found a group of Hawk Watchers. They're beautiful birds to see, aren't they.

I think you're becoming a fan of nature poetry! I'm going to mull whether there's some poet I can recommend.

Cool to see you're starting Changers, and I'm happy that you loved The Overstory. Such a great book.

Yay for Frankenstein! I'm still hoping some movie genius does the real story justice on the screen some day. It's much more complex and interesting, isn't it. 18 years old when she wrote it - wow.

Happy New Thread, Mark. Let me get in relatively early on this thread since I didn't comment at all on the last one. Great pictures of the GHO at rest! Yes, Frankenstein is much more thoughtful than the movies--although I have a definite soft spot for Young Frankenstein for other reasons.

I should reread Frankenstein. I understood the philosophy when I was a teen - but I bet I'd get more out of it now.

Glad you loved The Overstory. That (and Washington Black) are on my "this year" list.

>65 Crazymamie: Thanks for the Thumb, Mamie! I completely spaced, about posting the review. It happens at my age...

>66 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. Not sure I am ready to join the Hawk Watch bunch! This is a seriously dedicated group, but I hope to at least join them, now and then.

I think Oliver and Rich's poetry helped me, see the beauty in nature poetry. Changers is a bit lighter than my usual fare, but I am enjoying it and it moves along quickly. I am sure glad I finally got to Frankenstein. It was a joy to read.

>67 ronincats: Thanks, Roni! Great to see you again. As most of my visitors know, I love my owls and can not help gushing about a sighting, plus it has been a stellar owl year. And I am completely with you, on Young Frankenstein. One of my all time favorite films.

>68 The_Hibernator: Hi, Rachel. I hope you can revisit, Frankenstein at some point. I am keeping a copy on shelf. The Overstory is a big, somewhat challenging read, but when you feel the time is right, give it a shot!

Happy new thread!

Hi Mark. Hooray for Roni for mentioning "Young Frankinstein" also one of my favs. I am planning on closing out the month with ghost stories and chillers. Currently I am reading The Green Man by Kingsley Amis, but I have a couple of modern day ghost stories lined up as well with The House on Cold Hill and Into the Grey - hopefully they will give me a few shivers.

>71 drneutron: Thanks, Jim.

>72 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy. Another fan of Young Frankenstein! Yah! I am not familiar with your spooky reads. I will have to watch for your thoughts.

Speaking of film versions of Frankenstein. I remember seeing a TV movie that featured David McCallum (of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. TV series) and Michael Sarrazin as The Creature. It followed Mary Shelley's story pretty closely, particularly in the presentation of the Creature as attractive, very intelligent, strong and graceful. That's what I remembered of it.

Off to IMDB. Took me a while to locate it in the crush of Frankenstein films, largely because I forgot the other performers, including James Mason, who got top billing.



The film is titled Frankenstein: The True Story. Presented on the TV in two parts, a total run time of 3 hrs. Dates from 1973.

>74 weird_O: Thanks for that, Bill. What a great cast. I do not think I have ever even heard of this one.

Has anyone seen the Robert DeNiro, Frankenstein, directed by Kenneth Branagh? It looked bad, so I never saw it.

'Morning, Mark, and happy Wednesday.

I've heard GHOs out here - but haven't ever seen one. Good luck on a barred sighting!

Morning, Mark!

I'm back to reading Killing Commendatore and getting a kick out of it. Back to working out today. Woo, tough time for Chicago sports. At least the Blackhawks won last night.

Hope it all goes well for you today, buddy.

>76 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. Unless, you are very lucky, you have to really track down those elusive owls. I am also fortunate to have befriended birders, who have assisted me.

>77 jnwelch: Morning, Joe. It looks like I better order my copy of the new Murakami, although my November is all ready, quite booked.

I hope the workout goes smoothly.

Happy new thread, Mark! Love your fall work photo

Glad to see that you enjoyed Frankenstein. I've never watched the movies as I do not like scary movies, but I did enjoy the novel!

>79 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle. Happy Wednesday. And hooray for Frankenstein the book!!

Hi, Mark! Love the fall colors! Maples, right? I miss maple trees so much!

I saw & loved the version of Frankenstein with Michael Sarrazin that Bill posted in >74 weird_O:. I may have to see if I can find it somewhere and watch it again.

>81 Storeetllr: Hi, Mary. Great to see you. Yes, there are a lot of maples, in Westchester, along many of the parkways. Always a beautiful setting. Thanks for chiming in on the Frankenstein adaptation. I want to see that one too.

125) The Overstory by Richard Powers 5 stars

“The Northwest has more miles of logging road than public highway. More miles of logging road than streams. The country has enough to circle the Earth a dozen times. The cost of cutting them is tax-deductible...”

“The world had six trillion trees, when people showed up. Half remain. Half again more will disappear, in a hundred years.”

“When you feel good after a walk in the woods, it may be that certain species are bribing you. So many wonder drugs have come from trees, and we haven't yet scratched the surface of the offerings. Trees have long been trying to reach us. But they speak on frequencies too low for people to hear.”

This novel blew me away! I am not going to describe much of the twisty plot, but I will say, that it begins slowly, as we are introduced to a number of diverse characters, and how most of them are touched, in some way by trees. The middle of the novel, brings these characters together, as they team up to fight an environmental cause. The last third, shows how these events, have effected each of these people, in the years to come. The writing here is smart and powerful. The author has done impeccable research and his passion for his subject matter, is apparent on every page. It only flags a bit, in the final 100 pages, but not enough for me to change my 5 star rating.

Sounds like a good one. On the list it goes...

>83 msf59: Like Jim, I am adding this book to the tbr pile. Lots of time to read when I retire at the end of the month. Five more days to finish everything, hand in my keys, and drive the car out of the Lehigh University parking lot. What an incredibly weird feeling it will be...just in time for Halloween.

>83 msf59: I really have to get to this one.

>84 drneutron: Hi, Jim. I am not the first to warble about The Overstory, but I am adding my voice to this chorus.

>85 Whisper1: Hooray for 5 more days! Hooray for 5 more days! How great is that? My time is coming, my friend...

>86 Berly: Kimmers stopped by! Kimmers stopped by! Yippee! Glad that BB landed in the sweet spot.

"Jesus' Son meets Reservoir Dogs in a breakneck-paced debut novel about love, war, bank robberies, and heroin." "You’ll laugh out loud, your mind will bend to understand the gritty, ceaseless pressure of being an Army medic in Iraq..."

^ I have not seen any LT buzz on Cherry but I have heard it praised on a couple of book podcasts, so I am beginning this one today on audio.

I am also continue to enjoy Changers: Drew in print.

>83 msf59: It was already on my list, after I saw it on Janet's thread (@streamsong). Now I will move it up on my list.
Have you read other books by Richard Powers?

Glad you enjoyed The Overstory Mark.

>89 FAMeulstee: I loved The Time of Our Singing by Richard Powers, Anita. A very different novel, but excellent IMO

Good mini-review of The Overstory, Mark. Yes!

I'm glad you're enjoying Changers. It's fun to get the different perspectives, isn't it.

I'm off to the dentist this morning. Oh joy.

Good Bulls win last night. This Zach Lavine is looking like the real deal. They've been hobbled by injuries so far. I can't wait until they get the whole gang together on the court.

Hi Mark! Great comments about The Overstory. I loved it as well, although the length was a bit problematic for me. Most of all, it completely changed the way I look at the trees around me. So for that alone I'm grateful!

I just started Where the Dead Sit Talking. It's on the National Book Award shortlist but I haven't heard much talk about it. So far it's not really working for me but I'll give it a bit more time (I'm about 1/4 of the way in).

>89 FAMeulstee: Hi, Anita. Glad you moved up The Overstory, on your list. This was my first book by Powers but it definitely will not be my last.

>90 Caroline_McElwee: Hooray for The Overstory. I will have to read more of his work.

>91 jnwelch: Morning, Joe. I hope my mini-review did The Overstory justice. I always want my warbling to pay off.

As you know, I don't watch much basketball, but I like hearing your take on the Bulls season. It keeps me updated.

>92 vivians: Hi, Vivian. I agree The Overstory could have been trimmed back a bit, especially in the final third.

I read and reviewed Where the Dead Sit Talking back in March. It fell short for me too but I really was hoping for more.

Morning, Mark! Nice review of The Overstory - I just picked that one up from the library yesterday, but I have no idea when I'll get to it.

Good morning, Mark! Cool weather here is keeping the feeders fairly busy, but nothing particularly unusual at present.

>83 msf59: Did you read or listen to The Overstory Mark? I’m wondering if it would work well as an audio. What I find amazing about trees is how long they live for. My local green space, Hatfield Forest, showed the following picture of an oak that had half collapsed in a storm last week. It is seven hundred years old - I find it amazing to think how much the world has changed in that time and yet the tree is still standing. And it’s only partially collapsed so they expect it to continue growing for another few hundred.

>95 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie. You may want to be in the right mood and have a block of time set aside for The Overstory. I think it took me about nine days to read it and that is a long time for me.

>96 harrygbutler: Hi, Harry. I hope your work day went smoothly.

>97 SandDune: Hi, Rhian. Great to see you, stranger. To answer your question about the age of trees, all I can say is that they can get absolutely ancient. There were trees mentioned in the book, that had been around before Christ. That is mind-blowing.

I am a big audiobook guy, but I would suggest tackling this one in print. There are a lot of characters and many shifting narratives.

Thanks for sharing your local oak story. I think that is so great, that even damaged, that it can still live a couple hundred additional years.

Since you liked Overstory so much there is a really good non-fiction work about the American forests. I read American Canopy last summer and enjoyed it. The author of that book writes about American history told through the history of its trees and forests. It will be on my Best-Of-The-Year list when I start composing it in a few weeks.

Funny that there is al this excitement about trees and forests right now. I just got Golden Spruce from the library. It is a nonfiction work about the fights in the old growth forests of the Pacific Northwest.

There is lots of history tied up in our dealings with trees and forests that makes for interesting reading.

One book I really liked about trees was Eating Dirt by CHarlotte Gill a non fiction read about her tree planting experiences. It won awards and I can see why. I really liked Golden Spruce too. John Vaillant is a very good writer. He has written 2 non fiction books and one fiction that I thought were amazing. I must get to Overstory soon.

>100 benitastrnad: Hi, Benita. Thanks for chiming in on The Overstory and other tree-related books. I have added American Canopy & The Golden Spruce to the list.

>101 mdoris: Hi, Mary. Good to see you. I had not heard of Eating Dirt, so I also slapped it on the list. I loved John Vaillant's tiger book, but I need to get to his other work. We never run short of things to read, do we, my friend?

Morning, Mark! Good to know about The Overstory.

Morning, Mark!

You remind me - I emailed Jesse about your recommendation of The Man Who Climbs Trees, but haven't heard back yet. I hope to get to it myself some day.

I'm about 5/7 (!) of the way through the Murakami. Weirdness abounds; I'm loving it.

Hope Friday goes well for you, buddy.

Good morning, Mark, and happy Friday to you.

>97 SandDune: 700 years old. Amazing.

>97 SandDune: I would agree with Mark, you would probably benefit more reading print than listening on audio - there are 9 key of characters/storylines all interwoven. I loved it.

There are some wonderful tree books, one of my favourites is Meetings with Remarkable Trees and the companion, Remarkable Trees of the World. I've also got several of the more recent books on trees.

>103 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie. Looking forward to your thoughts on The Overstory, once you get to it.

>104 jnwelch: Morning, Joe. Hooray for The Man Who Climbs Trees. You know, I loved that one. And I am so glad to hear that the new Murakami is ringing all your bells. Yah!

>105 karenmarie: Morning, Karen.

>106 Caroline_McElwee: Happy Friday, Caroline. Ooh, thanks for the additional tree book titles. Glad to see there are so many fans.

^A cloudy, but very vibrant, fall day on the route today, thanks to the lovely maple trees. Not sure if they have ever looked prettier, at this particular spot.

-Harry Bliss

"From the New York Times bestselling author of Robopocalypse comes a fascinating and fantastic collection that explores complex emotional and intellectual landscapes at the intersection of artificial intelligence and human life."

^Nearly seven years ago, I read and enjoyed Robopocalypse. I did not not read his follow-up, Robogenesis, for some unexplained reason, but, thanks to Benita, ONCE AGAIN, I was a given a copy of his latest, Guardian Angels and Other Monsters, which is a story collection, that came out back in March.
I read the first 2 stories today and I am quite impressed. LT has seemed very quiet on this one. Anyone else a fan of Wilson? Hello, out there?

I too enjoyed Robopocalypse, I did read Robogenesis, but based on my star rating, I didn't like it as much (can't remember specifically way). But in general I do like Wilson's stuff.

I'll have to add the collection to the WL.

>111 mahsdad: Hi, Jeff. Good to see you. I think this Wilson collection would be a nice fit for you.

#110
I heard Wilson talk about this collection. He had a YA steampunk novel come out in August last year that made the ALA's Alex Award list. Then Guardian Angels and other Monsters came out this last spring, so the author has had a productive year. I just haven't had time to read any of his new things.

Like you, I read Robopocalypse and didn't read the sequel. Both of these books were on a list of books that portray Native Americans in a postive way, so I really should go back and read that sequel.

>108 msf59: So beautiful!

>109 msf59: Too true to be really lol funny.

>113 benitastrnad: Thanks, for chiming in on, Wilson, Benita. I will have to keep my peepers open for his YA steampunk novel. I just learned he had Native American blood. Interesting.

>114 Storeetllr: Glad you enjoyed both of those, Mary. We have to find our joy in the little things.

>108 msf59: Beautiful Marc!

>116 EllaTim: Happy Saturday, Ella. Glad you like my fall photo!

'Morning, Mark, and happy Saturday to you.

>108 msf59: I like that there is such a variety of colors, all the way from green to red/purple.

>109 msf59: Yup.

I'm devouring The Outsider. It's definitely right up my alley. I'm also enjoying my experiment - reading along with the audiobook of Lincoln in the Bardo for my RL November book club discussion.

>118 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. I like the colors in that photo too and that was with my cell phone too. Hard to screw up.

I am so glad you are enjoying The Outsider. I am liked that one as much, if not more than the Bill Hodges trilogy.

Is this your first rodeo with Lincoln in the Bardo? Boy, I loved that audio.

Good morning, Mark.

>109 msf59: LOL! He's so good.

I liked Robopocalypse, too. I never read more by him, so I'll watch for your reaction.

Should be a low key weekend for us, as Debbi recovers. I hope to get some reading done today.

>108 msf59: There are some beautiful fall colors out there. I'm glad you're in the middle of them.

Love the fall photos and birding adventures, Mark. Hope you're having a good weekend.

Hi Mark, hope you are enjoying the weekend. I will have to read Overstory; sounds great!

>120 jnwelch: Hi, Joe. The work day went well and now we are heading out to meet friends. I know you are not a big, short story guy, but I think Guardian Angels and Other Monsters would be a perfect fit for you. I am a 100 pages in.

Glad Debbi is feeling better and that you are keeping it low key.

>121 bell7: Hi, Mary. Good to see you. Yep, loving all the fall colors.

>122 banjo123: Hi, Rhonda. I think you will love The Overstory. It should be a well-earned BB. I worked today, but the rest of the weekend should be just fine.

"In this intimate, haunting literary memoir read by the author, an American icon tells her story for the first time, and in her own gorgeous words - about a challenging and lonely childhood, the craft that helped her find her voice, and a powerful emotional legacy that shaped her journey as a daughter and a mother."

^I normally don't read many celebrity memoirs, but Sally Field's memoir, intrigued me. As a teenager growing up in the 70s, I have to admit I had a crush on her, but I also became a big fan of her acting ability. I found this on audio and it is a perfect way, to read it, especially with Field narrating. It is off to a very good start too and surprisingly very well-written.

Mark, I'm not sure if I can read " Cli - Fi," which I understand that The Overstory is about. A crush on Sally Fields? But she was the star of " The Flying Nun" which I loved as kid. I guess you can still have a crush on a nun :-) My first crush was on Davy Jones of the TV show "The Monkees"That's a long time ago, good sir. "

>124 msf59: - Oh, so good to know this is on audio! I will look for it. I loved all her early tv stuff (Gidget, Flying Nun) but as a dramatic actress, she really showed her range and depth. I spent quite a bit of time in the bookstore thumbing through the photos in this book so I will see if my library has the audio. Thanks

Yeah, i’ll confess to a crush on Sally Fields too... 😀 I loved Flying Nun, but I hear she thought it was a bit of a career killer.

Had a crush? Still have a crush

'Morning, Mark, happy Sunday to you.

When I think of Sally Field I think of Norma Rae and Places in the Heart, both stunning films.

>125 vancouverdeb: Hi, Deb. Not sure if I like the sound of Cli-Fi, but I am glad it is a thing. The Overstory will definitely not be for everyone, so I understand the reluctance. I was barely 10 years old, when The Flying Nun came out, so it wasn't until her mid-70s film career, that my crush developed.
Hooray for Davy Jones! I liked The Monkees too!

>126 jessibud2: Hi, Shelley. I highly recommend the audio. I am glad that Field is still delivering strong performances. Her role as Mary Todd Lincoln, in "Lincoln" was amazing.

>127 drneutron: Oh, those teenage crushes, Jim. There were a lot of them. I heard that about The Flying Nun too. It will be interesting to get to that point in the book.

>128 mahsdad: Great point, Jeff. She still looks fantastic.

>129 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. You chose a couple of very good films there. I will have to watch a couple of her films, in honor of the memoir.

127) No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters by Ursula K. Le Guin 3.6 stars

Ursula K. Le Guin, inspired by a blog written by an aging, Jose Saramago, began her own blog in 2010. This is a collection of the best of those essays. Musings, about old age, the state of the union, her cats, literature and various other observations, expressed with sharp intelligence and wit.
I have to admit, I am a bit under-read in the Le Guin canon but I hope to catch up with this immensely talented American author.

LeGuin does not narrate the audio, but the woman that performs, captures her tone perfectly.

** I also have her latest poetry collection, So Far So Good, waiting at hand. I'll take a peek at it today. I have not read her poetry. Has anyone else?

Let's not forget Sally Field was also the voice of Sassy, the cat in the movie Homeward Bound. I know that's really silly, but that film holds a special place in my heart because my kids loved it so much!!

>133 lauralkeet: My kids loved Homeward Bound too, Laura. Probably wore out a VHS tape or two. I had completely forgot that Field voiced Sassy. Smiles...

126) The Outsider by Stephen King 4 stars

"Dreams are the way we touch the unseen world . . ."

King mined the crime/mystery/supernatural genre with his Bill Hodges trilogy and he continues in that direction here. It begins with a horrific murder of an eleven year old boy and the arrest of a popular high school coach, for the heinous crime. The teacher has a perfect alibi but the police have solid DNA proof that he committed it. How King, addresses the rest of this novel, is truly thrilling, scary and entertaining. As a bonus, Holly Gibney returns from the Hodges books, to assist with the investigation. She is a terrific character and it is good to see her back. Mr. King continues to deliver, in his usual masterly style.

**Will Patton does an excellent job on the audiobook narration.

>135 msf59: I'm right behind you, Mark - page 390 of 560. It's a wonderful read, and I'm happy to see Holly again, too.

>136 karenmarie: morning, Karen. Hooray for Holly & The Outsider! Glad you are enjoying it too.

Hi Mark - Happy Sunday.
>132 msf59: This sounds good. I want to read some LeGuin as well. Zadie Smith writes an admiring essay in Feel Free, which makes me think I would like her even though I'm not much of a SF reader.

Good morning, Mark.

I'm glad you're checking out the Sally Fields memoir. I have a lot of respect for her. Going from The Flying Nun to her performances in movies like Norma Rae and Places in the Heart is pretty amazing. It reminds me of Tom Hanks, who I remember starting out on a silly sitcom.

I finished Killing Commendatore - wow. He put so much into this one, my mind is reeling a bit. It's a great read, as always, but he's also saying things about art, and ideas, and metaphors, that really stretched my mind. I want to remember to mention this in a mlini-review, but while readling I also tried playing (on Youtube) each musical piece he mentioned as it came up, and I really enjoyed doing that. A lot of classical music in this one, which took me back to his discussions of classical music with Ozawa in Absolutely on Music. I'm sure I'll be re-reading this one at some point.

>138 BLBera: Happy Sunday, Beth. I also want to read the Zadie Smith essay collection.

>139 jnwelch: Hi, Joe. Glad to hear that you are also a fan of Sally Field. I am looking forward to digging deeper into her memoir. She has not started her acting career yet.

Hooray for Killing Commendatore! It is great that you give it your Stamp of Approval. I will order my copy soon.

Hi Mark, my goodness, talk about me reading a wide variety of books - you, sir, are no slouch! I will probably read Sally Field's bio as I have always admired her work. It sounds like this would be an excellent choice for an audio. Have a good week!

Hi Mark! I have lots of admiration for Sally Fields. Maybe I will check out the book.

Happy Sunday, Mark. I am having troubles seeing some of your pictures. Frustrating with all of the comments on >108 msf59:. I am on my way downtown to pick up Washington Black.

I'm so glad you loved The Overstory as much as I did, Mark. It's still holding as my No. 1 read of the year. I'm glad to see the recommendations of other good books about trees from some of your loyal followers. Time to make a list! I also recently read another Richard Powers book, The Echo Maker which features Sandhill Cranes. Just saying… It's not as compelling as TO but I enjoyed it very much.

If you want to see some Barred Owls, come on down and visit me in Southwest Missouri. I don't see them a lot but I hear them every night this time of year. I keep hoping they will nest in one of our trees like they did a few years ago. Now that was fun watching the little guys hopping through the grass catching crickets or whatever. I guess they were practicing for the bigger meals.

You expressed interest in reading more about Mary Shelley and her mother Mary Wollstonecraft and that got me to thinking that there was a recent book about them. I took time today and looked for it. I found it in my TBR list Romantic Outlaws is the title. It was nominated for a National Book Circle Critics award n 2016 so it should be a good read. Check and see if your library has it. Maybe it will appear in one of you vignettes photos with that adorable Post Office truck that highlights your recent “finds” from your trip to the library.

I haven’t kept up with my Saga reading. I don’t think that Brian Vaughan has any plans to stop wiriting them but I know he has several “hot” graphic novel series going at the same time, so maybe he is slowing down on production. We just got the latest Unbeatable Squirrel Girl into the library. That series is going strong.

Hi Mark. I can't believe I haven't visited your current thread yet! I love the Eastern Bluebird at the top. Lovely birds.

I'm glad you finally read Frankenstein. I read it a few years ago and was blown away. That and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are two pretty amazing horror novels, nothing like the cartoon spinoffs to which I was exposed as a kid.

I'm glad you loved The Overstory. I also gave it five stars and it was my top pick for the Booker prize. As a lover of trees and someone who lived for many years in the shadow of the Oregon Cascades, the novel really spoke to me.

I know it's not one of her greatest classic performances, but I love love love the film "Murphy's Romance." And, honestly, I am also a fan of Sally Field. I think she can act but I also think she is more real than so many in Hollywood. I'll be interested in your thoughts about her memoir when you finish.

>141 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy! Hooray for the "No Slouch Gang"! I like juggling my book choices. I am sure you would enjoy the Field memoir.

>142 banjo123: Hi, Rhonda. Hooray for the Sally Field Fan Club!

>143 Familyhistorian: Hi, Meg. Sorry, you are having issues with some of my photo. I posted them on FB too, in case you want to stop over there. I should start Washington Black on Tuesday or Wednesday.

>144 Donna828: Happy Sunday, Donna. Hooray, for The Overstory and it looks like I need to add The Echo Maker to the list. If I don't see a Barred Owl by the end of the year, I might get desperate and make a trip, down your way. Grins...

>145 benitastrnad: Hi, Benita. Romantic Outlaws does sound like a winner. I love me some good NF. I just started Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein, an illustrated middle-grade book. It is quite charming. Have you read or heard of it?

I am a big fan of Brian K. Vaughan. I don't think I have tried Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. It looks fun.

>146 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen. Glad you stopped by and you like the bluebird. It looks like I need to read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It is another horror classic, that has escaped me.

Thanks, for chiming in on Sally Field. I saw Murphy's Romance many years ago, but I don't remember it much.

>147 msf59: Not to worry, Mark. I was reading your thread on my phone. Now that I am on a computer I can see >108 msf59: et al. Yes, the colourful trees are worthy of comment.

I brought Washington Black home with me from the library and should get to it soonish as there are 419 other readers waiting for the book - no pressure there.

I've just put Romantic Outlaws on reserve at the library. I have been meaning to read it for years! Thank you >145 benitastrnad: for the reminder.
Today saw the FABULOUS movie Mary Shelley (2017) directed by Haifaa Al-Moansour (Wadjida), (Saudi Arabia's first female filmaker) about the life of Mary Shelley and the circumstances for the writing of Frankenstein. I'm sure glad that I had read the book recently.

>149 Familyhistorian: Only 419 people waiting? LOL. Popular writer or do you have some very, serious readers up there in the B.C.? It looks like we will be starting Washington Black about the same time.

>150 mdoris: Hi, Mary. I see you were caught by another BB, from our pal, Benita. I got winged with Romantic Outlaws, as well. I had never heard of "Fabulous". Thanks for putting it on my radar. Shelley has become quite a popular subject.

^ NMP. I WISH!

I will continue with my current reads- In Pieces & Guardian Angels and Other Monsters, as I head to work today. I am loving both.

Good morning, Mark! I hope you had a good weekend and that work goes well today.

>153 harrygbutler: Morning, Harry. My weekend went fine. Thanks. I am off tomorrow, so I only need to make it through today. Grins...

Good morning, Mark!

I hope your work day goes well.

I read Le Guin's Late in the Day earlier this year and just finished So Far So Good. I think I need to read it again, however, to get its true value. I liked them both.

Just like, last Monday, we are sitting around waiting for our mail to arrive from the plant. WTH? I guess, I should look at it as easy OT. Fast approaching the hour over mark...

>155 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. Rocky start to the work day, but I should be fine.

>156 alphaorder: Morning, Nancy. Thanks for chiming in on the Le Guin. I will be sampling the poetry collection today.

>151 msf59: There are now 420 people waiting for Washington Black at my library, Mark. Esi Edugyan appeared at the writer's festival which makes her books a hot commodity and our library does give patrons unlimited holds. It probably helps that Edugyan is a local author.

I hope your mail showed up and you are busy on your route now.

Glad to see that you enjoyed The Outsider! King has been on a good roll lately! His new book Elevation should be arriving in my mailbox tomorrow.

>151 msf59: Sorry Mark, I used "FABULOUS" as a descriptive word not as a title. The title to the movie is Mary Shelley. It was a very good movie! The trailer can be viewed here

Hi Mark, baseball season is now over. I will have to make do with hockey and reading. Hope all is well.

A Sally Field memoir??? I'll have to look for that one.

Hey, buddy.

Just checking in. We're soon off to see Benedict Cumberbatch and Johnny Lee Miller in the play Frankenstein; the movie of it is showing at Webster Place. Debbi's doing better, and made it through a workout today.

I finished the last published one in that mystery series I've been enjoying; I've got to figure out what's next in hard copy and on Kindle. A friend lent me Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, so maybe I should read that so I can return it. The new Jack Reacher arrives in a few days, and I know that one will jump the queue once it gets here.

Hope the day went okay. How bout them Bears? Even without Mack, the defense looked good, and the offense was good enough.

>162 jnwelch: - I have never read a Jack Reacher book (not really my genre) but there was a fascinating interview on the radio here today with Lee Child, the author. I love author interviews, even with those whose works I've never read. If I can find a link, I will post it for you.

Ok, here it is: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/writersandcompany/lee-child-on-jack-reacher-and-his-lar...

Can't keep up with you, Mark. I did put up a Weird Report on The Shining at my homeplace. Just sayin'.

Right now I'm reading Salman Rushdie's memoir Joseph Anton. It is built around the fatwa that Khomeini issued against Rushdie over The Satanic Verses. Never read that one, though it is hiding somewhere in the TBR rubble. The book title is the name Rushdie assumed while the fatwa was in force, derived from the names of two of his favorite writers: Joseph Conrad and Anton Chekov. Good book, informative and entertaining, but lots and lots of words in small type filling more than 600 pages. (And this after burrowing through The Shining.)

>158 Familyhistorian: Thanks for the explanation on Esi Edugyan, Meg. Her popularity, in your region makes sense. I might not be able to start Washington Black tomorrow, but if not, I will start it on Wednesday, for sure.

>159 ChelleBearss: Hi, Chelle. I think The Outsider has been a bona fide, LT HIT. I can't believe he all ready has a new book out. WOW!

>160 mdoris: Thanks, for the clarification, Mary. I will keep my peepers open for the film, "Mary Shelley".

>161 lindapanzo: Hi, Linda. Great to see you, my friend. Since, I don't watch much hockey or basketball, during the regular season, it looks like I will have more time for the books or catching up with films or TV shows, here and there.

>162 jnwelch: Hi, Joe. Please, let me know how the Frankenstein adaptation is. I may be interested in that one. Glad to hear Debbi is feeling better.

I am not reading the Reacher series, but I know you are a big fan. It was a nice Bears win, but we need to string a few wins together.

>163 jessibud2: Have you read any of the Reacher books, Shelley? I have only sampled the first two. They were decent reads, but not enough to hook me.

>164 weird_O: Hi, Bill. I have a feeling you were a bit lukewarm on The Shining, one of my favorite King reads, but I will definitely stop by and check out your review.

I have been curious about Joseph Anton, but I did not realize it was 600-plus pages. That always takes the wind out of my sails.

I was so far behind and any comments I wanted to make on earlier posts, I’ve mostly forgotten after reading more recent posts.....such troubles...

Let me know if the Field memoir continues to entertain. I have an Audible credit I’d like to use up so I can cancel. It might just fit the bill.

Love the Bliss cartoon which was somewhere up there. So true....

>162 jnwelch: >166 msf59: Joe - I'm glad you got to see Frankenstein. My son and I went to see it tonight as well. It was excellent. Johnny Lee Miller played the Creature in the version we saw. I'd like to see it again with Cumberbatch playing the creature, but I'm not sure he'd be able to do better.

Morning, Mark!

>167 Copperskye: Hi, Joanne. I hope you learned a valuable lesson here: Do Not get far behind!! LOL. I am really enjoying In Pieces. I am well into the second half and she has just barely touched her film career, which I believe, began to take off after Stay Hungry. So, she focuses a lot on her own development as a young woman and an actor. She is a strong writer.

>168 mahsdad: Thanks, Jeff. I may have to see if I can see this version of Frankenstein.

>169 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

^At my Birding Break Spot yesterday, things were hopping, (for the mere 10 minutes I was there) and the highlight was this Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, who was hopping furiously around in the low brush, feeding and paying me no never mind. I didn't have my camera but I could have got a nice shot, since he was only a few feet away. I think this was my first time seeing a kinglet here. I also saw another Nashville Warbler and a few juncos too.

I am off today. We are meeting my niece for breakfast before she leaves for the airport and then I am heading to the Arboretum, to hike the trails, while my wife heads to work. The afternoon is reserved for the books. Sounds like a plan to me.

Your plan for today sounds wonderful...

>171 msf59: Good morning, Mark! Enjoy the day off!

>172 alphaorder: >173 harrygbutler: Thanks, Nancy and Harry. I am looking forward to the rest of my day.

129) Cherry by Nico Walker 3.2 stars

"It's not that I'm dumb to the beauty of things. I take all the beautiful things to heart, and they fuck my heart till I about die from it.”

We are quickly introduced to a man in his early 20s, living in Cleveland, circa 2003. He is aimless and has an addiction problem. He enlists in the Army and is deployed to Iraq, as a field medic. On his return to the states, he is twice as aimless and becomes addicted to heroin. Robbing banks, follows this downward trend...

I have such mixed feelings about this novel. I loved the Iraq sequences, the author offers, such a strong, edgy narrative and the main character's plunge into crime, is also well-detailed, but the nasty misogyny, that rears it's ugly head, in regards to his girlfriend/wife and other women, in the story, made me uncomfortable. I had to dock it a star or so, for that reason.

Looking over the reviews on this book, I find many reviewers, reference the humor here. I did not find it funny, in the least. I found it grim and nihilistic. There is still plenty to admire here, but if you want take the plunge, be forewarned.

**The author, Nico Walker, an Army vet, is currently serving an eleven year sentence for bank robbery.

Hi Mark, and happy day off. I predicted 3 Bs for today, although you haven't mentioned the beer yet.

Gads. I just finished The Outsider and now there's Elevation. I have no willpower. I just ordered it.

>162 jnwelch:, >166 msf59: - I started the Jack Reacher series at #14, Bad Luck and Trouble and was hooked. I'm like Joe, the newest one will show up on its release date. I will immediately read it, of course.

>171 msf59: Congrats on the Kinglet. They are beautiful little birds.

Didn't you read that nonfiction book about the Army guy who robbed the bank in Colorado? Is the author of Cherry the same guy? Is this a case of art imitating real life?

Hiya, Mark.

Enjoy the day off, buddy. Frankenstein was terrific, I'm glad to say. Having just read the book, you'll really appreciate it, as it's reasonably faithful. Great acting, needless to say. Jonny Lee Miller was phenomenal as the (eventually) very talkative monster.

>163 jessibud2: Thanks for the link to the Lee Child interview, Shelley; I really enjoyed it. I didn't know he only started writing Reacher after losing his job at age 39. I liked this paean to libraries:

"Libraries created my life in the sense that it was a time of zero horizons, a time of zero ambitions. It seemed to me and to everybody else that our lives were going to be right where they were at that moment for the rest of our days. You would get a job, you would work 45 years, you would retire and you probably wouldn't see anything else. That seemed to be the reality. Books was such a fantastic escape from that. Without books I would have felt pretty desperate and depressed."

>176 karenmarie: Oh good, Karen. Can you tell I love the Reacher series? It's reliably riveting from beginning to most recent.

>176 karenmarie: Hi, Karen. I have definitely added the 3rd "b" to the mix. I am sipping a brew at the moment. I can not let my fan base down. I have not heard much about Elevation. Mr. King is a book-writing machine, isn't he?

I never joined the Jack Reacher Express, but at least I did read the first 2 or 3. That was enough for me.

>177 benitastrnad: Hi, Benita. You are referring to Ranger Games, which was excellent. Those crimes happened in the Pacific Northwest, I believe, in Portland or Seattle. Different set of crimes.

>178 jnwelch: Hi, Joe. I am not sure I'll be able to get out to see that Frankenstein version, but it sure sounds great. Thanks. I wonder if is on DVD or streaming somewhere?

^Not many birds seen, on my Arboretum hike today, but the fall colors were breath-taking. A photographer's paradise. I took quite a few shots.

^Not sure what type of trees these are, I need to research but this part of the woods, were loaded with them.

-The NNF thread for November is up: http://www.librarything.com/topic/298161#

Arboretum photos are stunning!

While we're lovin' on Sally Field, I will second Ellen's endorsement of Murphy's Romance. That film was a hoot, and I could watch it over and over. Of course, James Garner wasn't too shabby in it either, and I believe at one time she said he was the best on-screen kisser of all the many men she worked with.

>175 msf59: Ooof, hard pass on that one, I think.

Morning, Mark!

>183 mdoris: Glad you like the Arb photos, Mary. It was a glorious day.

>184 laytonwoman3rd: I plan on trying to see a couple of Sally Field's films, after I finish the memoir and I will see if I can track down Murphy's Romance.

>185 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Cherry doesn't seem to be getting a lot of love, up there, and I completely understand.

"Washington Black tells a story of friendship and betrayal, love and redemption, of a world destroyed and made whole again--and asks the question, what is true freedom?"

^I finished my Sci-Fi story collection, which was terrific and now I am moving on to Washington Black. I know some folks around here liked it more than others, so I am curious what side of the fence, I will come down on. I am also continuing to listen to the Sally Field memoir and should be close to finishing it today.

Halloween in the Anthropocene, 2015

Darkness spills across the sky like an oil plume.
The moon reflects bleached coral. Tonight, let us
praise the sacrificed. Praise the souls of  black

boys, enslaved by supply chains, who carry
bags of cacao under West African heat. “Trick
or treat, smell my feet, give me something good

to eat,” sings a girl dressed as a Disney princess.
Let us praise the souls of   brown girls who sew
our clothes as fire unthreads sweatshops into

smoke and ash. “Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me
something good,” whisper kids disguised as ninjas.
Tonight, let us praise the souls of Asian children

who manufacture toys and tech until gravity sharpens
their bodies enough to cut through suicide nets.
“Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me,” shout boys

camouflaged as soldiers. Let us praise the souls
of  veterans who salute with their guns because
only triggers will pull God into their ruined

temples. “Trick or treat, smell my feet,” chant kids
masquerading as cowboys and Indians. Tonight,
let us praise the souls of native youth, whose eyes

are open-pit uranium mines, veins are poisoned
rivers, hearts are tar sands tailings ponds. “Trick
or treat,” says a boy dressed as the sun. Let us

praise El Niño, his growing pains, praise his mother,
Ocean, who is dying in a warming bath among dead
fish and refugee children. Let us praise our mothers

of  asthma, mothers of  cancer clusters, mothers of
miscarriage — pray for us — because our costumes
won’t hide the true cost of our greed. Praise our

mothers of  lost habitats, mothers of  fallout, mothers
of extinction — pray for us — because even tomorrow
will be haunted — leave them, leave us, leave — 

BY CRAIG SANTOS PEREZ

Good Morning Mark, and happy Halloween to you! Do you get trick-or-treaters? Oh, and happy birthday to Sue!

>179 msf59: Whew! This fan is happy that you hit all 3 Bs yesterday. And yes, Mr. King is a writing machine. This is strange - I ordered Elevation yesterday. I had another book coming yesterday, The Gospel in Dorothy L. Sayers but wasn't expecting the King book until the 1st. Imagine my surprise when I opened up the box with the Sayers book and there was a copy of Elevation, too. Strangely, Amazon still says it's arriving tomorrow. I wonder if I'll get a second copy? And if I'll get charged twice? The book is teensy - 5 1/4" x 7 1/4" and only 146 pages.

Your Arboretum photos are wonderful.

Happy Halloween, Mark!

Woo, that's some poem in >188 msf59:. It's hard, but good, to keep all that in mind.

Looks like that was a beautiful walk in the Arboretum.

I'm enjoying the Felicia Day memoir, and I'm about 3/4 of the way through those Yeats collected poems. My GNs are the original Japanese Ghost in the Shell, and the third Rat Queens. I don't think the GITS is your cuppa, but Rat Queens might be, if you haven't tried it. It's got a lot of humor.

>189 karenmarie: Happy Halloween, Karen. Thanks for the birthday wishes. I will pass them on to Sue.

Yes, we get trick or treaters. Sue will be hanging with her young niece so the passing out will go to me, but it is usually only about 2 hours.

I'll be curious, to hear what you think of Elevation. I know nothing about it.

>190 jnwelch: Morning, Joe. I liked that poem from Poem-A-Day.

Thanks for the book update. I may have read the first Rat Queens. I will have to double-check.

Mark - do people leave treats in the mailbox for you?

>187 msf59: I will curious to see what you think of Washington Black, Mark. I haven't cracked the covers on the one I have yet because of other books to finish one of which is Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Start-up - not sure how they got away with that for so long.

>193 m.belljackson: Once in awhile, Marianne but not very often. And I am definitely not complaining.

>194 Familyhistorian: I am 50 pages into Washington Black and I like it. Fast narrative too. Ooh, I loved Bad Blood. Scary and disturbing.

Washington Black is waiting for me to pick up at the library!

>196 drneutron: That is good news, Jim. Washington Black is off to a very promising start.

Did you see the story in The NY Times today about the Mandarin Duck that showed up in Central Park? Beautiful bird!

Washington Black is very readable.Enjoy, Mark!

>198 Copperskye: Thanks, Joanne. No, I did not hear the Mandarin Duck, NYC story. Wow! They are from East Asia, so that is quite a find, plus they are stunningly beautiful:



^Here is the story, if anyone is interested: https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2018/10/31/mandarin-duck-in-central-park/

>199 vancouverdeb: Washington Black is off to a fine start, Deb. Your warbling paid off.

"I come from a country that was created at midnight. When I almost died it was just after midday."

"When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education."

I decided to go with another memoir, after wrapping up In Pieces, and I picked I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban. I have had interest in reading this one, since it was published 5 years ago, but just never got around to it. I begin the audio today.

>198 Copperskye:, >200 msf59: I saw that yesterday. What a great story!

>202 msf59: - I read this one (on audio) several years ago. Very powerful

>180 msf59: >181 msf59: stunning photos Mark.

'Morning, Mark, and happy first day of November to you.

>200 msf59: Thanks for sharing the link - that is so cool, and she/he is absolutely stunning.

Morning, Mark.

Good for you for reading Malala. I've been the same way - wanting to read it, but not getting around to it. She's impressive.

That was one busy Halloween last night. You'll enjoy Becca's FB post today - she's having difficulty facing teaching 3-year-olds after all that!

>203 lauralkeet: I like it when my LT pals, bring stuff like this to my attention. Cool story.

>204 jessibud2: The memoir is off to a good start, Shelley. It is amazing, how young she was, when she wrote it.

>205 Caroline_McElwee: Glad you like the fall shots, Caroline. I was happy with them.

>206 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. I am assuming the Mandarin Duck is male, since the colorful ones seem to male, in the duck world. Mom has to protect her young.

>207 jnwelch: Morning, Joe. Glad you guys had a nice Halloween. I had a burst for about an hour and then, it slowed down. I shut the outside light off and grabbed my book. LOL.

You would really like Malala. Just sayin'...

Happy November, Mark!
We had a slow kid night too, which surprised me as the weather was beautiful! The girls had fun and they picked up lots of candy to share with me :)

Hi, Mark. I saw that photo (or one like it) of the Central Park Mandarin duck in the NYT. Sadly, I did not click on the story, so I know nothing. I was glad to see the Times boosting that, in spite of the Gasbag's real lie calling the newspaper "the failing New York Times," the circulation is at an all time high high of 4 million.

Malala is a remarkable person. Poised, articulate, strong.

>210 ChelleBearss: Hi, Chelle. It was a beautiful day here for Halloween too. Glad the girls had a good time. Enjoy the candy. Grins...

>211 weird_O: Hi, Bill. Did you click on the link up there. There is a short story about the Mandarin Duck.

You should not include the Gasbag with any mention of a bird. Shudders...

I am really enjoying the Malala memoir. Have you read it?

Well. I can think of a one-fingered bird where we can include the gasbag...

>202 msf59: This is still on my wishlist too. I need to something about that. I think there is also a picturebook she collaborated on?

Mark--I am Malala is a good one and I love Sally Fields, so guess I'l have to keep an eye out for In Pieces! Love your autumn mailman topper. : )

>214 charl08: Hi, Charlotte. I did see there was a young adult version of I am Malala but I am not aware of a picture book. I hope you get to the memoir. It is a good one.

>215 Berly: Hi, Kim. Hooray for Malala, Sally Field & mailman toppers!!

Happy Friday, Mark.

I'm off to an educational seminar soon, and then we've got "Nell Gwynn" at Chicago Shakespeare tonight. I hope you have a all right day - I'm sure Malala will be good company.

Hi Mark! Happy Friday to you.

Well, yes, I wasn't thinking. The Mandarin Duck would be male. I happily stand corrected.

Great photos of the Mandarin Duck

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-46070419

That is one gorgeous bird. But if I may express a preference, I think that our "common" wood duck is more pleasing to the eye. Seeing the two side by side is quite a treat.

>217 jnwelch: Hi, Joe. Sounds like you have an action-packed day. Enjoy, my friend. A bit cool out here, but I love all this sunshine.

>218 karenmarie: Happy Friday, Karen. Hooray for the Mandarin Duck!

>219 Caroline_McElwee: Hi, Caroline. Thanks for the additional photos and info on the Mandarin Duck.

>220 laytonwoman3rd: I am completely with you, on our Wood Duck, Linda and I am very fortunate to have seen them a few times.

>200 msf59: Hi Mark - this just might call for a special visit to Central Park! I bet there are tons of people wielding enormous cameras hanging around and trying to get a glimpse of the poor guy. When Pale Male, the red-tailed hawk that built a nest on a Fifth Avenue building overlooking the park, was around, there were hundreds of spectators lining up to take looks through telescopes and zoom lenses. It was really an event, and I guess this will be too! Have a good weekend!

>223 vivians: - Yes, Vivian, these bird enthusiasts can be a little crazy....

Oh, hi Mark!

;-)

>223 vivians: Hi, Vivian. Yes, I am sure birders are going crazy about the Mandarin Duck in Central Park. I want to visit this fine city, but it isn't going to happen this year. Maybe next?

>224 katiekrug: Are you calling me a whack-job, Katie? Grins... Not quite a fanatic yet, especially compared to die-hard birders. Maybe, when I retire and have my time on my hands, I get get a little nuttier.

Speaking of birds, I saw one of these guys, in the post office parking lot today, perched high on an antenna. Pretty, damn cool:



-American Kestrel (NMP)

^^ No tricks this year, only treats, as my copy of the new Murakami has arrived, in my mailbox, along with Friday Black, a new, well-touted story collection. Bird Cottage is from the library and it was suggested by my pal Nancy. This one was not available in my library system, but they bought a copy on my request, which is quite awesome, plus I was the first to check it out. I LOVE my library!!

I am slotting in the Murakami, for early next month. I need a free block of time, to dig into this one.

>225 msf59: Beautiful bird, Mark!
It looks a bit like the Common Kestrel, they are common around here.

>227 FAMeulstee: Hi, Anita. Glad you like the Kestrel. We are fortunate that they are residents.

>226 msf59: Nice threats, Marc. What a chunkster, that
Murakami! And how nice of your library to order the bird book for you, and other birders of course. Now how to get my library to do the same?

Lone Ranger, apparently we have a Mandarin Duck here in the Vancouver area as well. https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/mandarin-ducks-on-the-lam-have-their-fa...

I've not seen the few that we have, but they are quite beautiful. Enjoy your new book haul!

My local Starbucks is about to close after a heavy duty sales day. Only it wasn’t sales. They gave away about 250 free red reusable cups today and the store was inundated with people who wanted the cups. When I got to the store at 9 tonight the barista said that people were lined up out the door and the drive through line was so long it strung out onto the boulevard. The city police came in to tell them that they were creating a traffic hazard on the street!

>229 EllaTim: Hi, Ella. Yes, the Murakami is a chunkster but the early buzz is strong. Looking forward to it. I was probably just lucky with my book request for Bird Cottage. The assistant that helped me, clearly saw that the book was well-received in Europe. Maybe that was the kicker.

>230 vancouverdeb: Hi, Deb. I wonder if your Mandarin Ducks got blown off course, while migrating? Much more likely than the East Coast here. You should track them down at some point. They are beauties.

>231 benitastrnad: Sorry, to hear about your Starbucks, Benita. I know that was one of your favorite haunts. Did you get a reusable cup, at least?

^I took the day off today, so we could drive up to the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, north of Milwaukee, to attend Xtreme Raptor Day. An event Nancy has been touting for a couple of years now. This is where she works. They will have 17 of their resident birds on view here, with photo meets available, along with other programs, throughout the day. It should be a lot of fun and beats working, any day. Sue and our niece, will be joining me.

Leaving shortly...

>225 msf59: lucky you.

>233 msf59: have a wonderful day Mark.

>234 Caroline_McElwee: Happy Saturday, Caroline. I am looking forward to seeing their resident Barn Owl. One of my favorite, of the owls.

Happy weekend, Mark! >226 msf59: that line up of books looks awesome. Enjoy!
Enjoy Xtrememe Raptor Day! Looking forward to your pics.

>233 msf59: Enjoy at the Xtreme Raptor Day, Mark!

Hiya, Mark. Happy Day Off!

>225 msf59: Beautiful.

>226 msf59: Nice!

On your rec, I'm reading Guardian Angels & Other Monsters, and enjoying it. I just finished "The Helmet", the horrifying one where his brother dies disconnecting his metal armor and helmet from the radio waves, and he gets his vengeance on the Triumverate.

Looks like a beaut of a day out there. Enjoy the raptors!

>236 Carmenere: Happy Saturday, Lynda. Yep, looking forward to that trio of books and we had a terrific time at Raptor Day.

>237 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita.

>238 jnwelch: Hi, Joe. Glad you like the Kestrel and the book haul. Both were treats. Had a great time with Raptor Day.

Hooray for starting Guardian Angels & Other Monsters. I thought this might be your cuppa. So many good stories in this collection, including "The Helmet".

^This is Valkyrie, the resident Bald Eagle, we saw today. She is about 7 years old and was imprinted early on, and could not survive in the wild. I think Benjamin Franklin wanted the Wild Turkey, as our national bird. He is a man I greatly respect and admire but he was dead, wrong about that one.

I did take more photos with my Canon, so I will be sharing those too.

We just got home. It was nearly a 12 hour day, but worth it, in every way.

>180 msf59: What an incredible image! Sitting on the bench, hearing nothing but the silent sound of leaves falling.

Alas, we had a very weird summer followed by an almost fall. The green leaves fall, questioning if they really sound stay attached to the trees.

Mark, read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I think you would love it. It is indeed a classic and much more subtle and layered than you might think.

I love all the raptors! Valkyrie is so beautiful.

Friday Black looks interesting....

>241 Whisper1: Hi, Linda. Yes, it is an incredibly peaceful place. My urban oasis. Many of our trees are still turning, so we have awhile yet.

>242 EBT1002: Happy Sunday, Ellen. Thanks for the nudge on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I am really surprised, I have never read it, but I said that about Frankenstein too.

Hooray, for Valkyrie & Friday Black. I hope to get to the latter, in the next month or so.

130) Guardian Angels and Other Monsters by Daniel H. Wilson 4.4 stars

I read this author's book, Robopocalypse, a few years back. I liked it. It was World War Z with robots. That said, I was not prepared to be, as impressed, as I was, than with this story collection. It is also Sci-Fi and focuses on the responsibility of guardianship, along with the rise of digital intelligence. It gets very dark and disturbing, but the reader is never swamped with grim, despair. And as a bonus, it features a robot mailman. How cool is that? Highly recommended.

**I want to thanks, Benita, (ONCE AGAIN) for picking this one up for me at ALA.

'Morning, Mark, and happy Sunday to you.

That's a gorgeous photo of Valkyrie. Glad you had a wonderful day and look forward to more photos.

Hope your Bears win today! I've got my lucky Panthers Beanie out and all ready to go.

I used to take my class to a local animal sanctuary that had programs for kids, to teach them about wild animals. They had animals that, for various reasons, could not be re-released back into the wild, that they used for these teaching purposes. I especially remember one gorgeous barn owl, whose beautiful chest feathers were described as being the colour of *burnt marshmallow*. Seeing your pic of Valkyrie reminded me of those field trips.

>240 msf59: what a proud, majestic, intelligent and watchful bird.

>245 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. We had a great day yesterday. Hooray for Valkyrie, the Bears and the Panthers! No print reading yesterday, so I hope to bookhorn in some today.

>246 jessibud2: Morning, Shelley. Thanks for sharing your past class experiences, with your kids. These are all "educational" birds now too and are very well looked after. We saw a glorious Barn Owl too, which I will share photos of. She was amazing.

>247 Carmenere: Perfect description, Lynda. I never get tired of looking at Bald Eagles.

131) In Pieces by Sally Field 4.2 stars

I do not read many celebrity memoirs, but this one called to me. I have been enchanted with Sally Field, since the 1970s, (I was too young for “Gidget” and barely remember “The Flying Nun”) and it has been great to see her evolve as an actor and continue to do challenging work, right through her 60s.
The bulk of this book, focuses on her childhood and her development into a young woman, struggling to raise a family and hone her acting craft. She had a difficult relationship with her mother and suffered child abuse from her step-father, so the book goes pretty dark at times. It is also very well-written, proving Field, a natural storyteller.
The last 3rd of the memoir, deals with her Hollywood career, from Smokey & the Bandit to her stunning role as Mary Todd Lincoln in “Lincoln”. A totally engaging read and yes, Burt Reynolds comes off as a friggin' jerk.

Field narrates the audio version, and unsurprisingly does a stellar job. I highly recommend that format.

^This is Sue and our niece Jill, posing with Orion, the resident Barred Owl. I loved this bird. Such big, soulful eyes.



^This is Orion, out on the trail doing a Meet & Greet. Believe it or not he is 20 years old. They only live about 10 years in the wild. I really want to see one of these guys in the wild. Fingers crossed.

Great pics! Your niece chose her shirt well for the day...;-)

>251 jessibud2: She could not wait to show me her shirt. LOL. My birding has had some ripple effects. Grins...

Morning, Mark! I had fallen behind again on your thread, and I had fun catching up with you. Love the arboretum photos. You hit me with Guardian Angels and Other Monsters. I read and really liked his Robopocalypse, but I have not read anything else by him.

>250 msf59: I love Orion's expression in the first picture. Glad you are passing on the love to your niece Mark.

Mark, if you have nothing to do today...;-), watch this little video:

from Audubon: https://www.audubon.org/news/make-your-own-suet?ms=digital-eng-email-ea-x-201811...

>253 Crazymamie: Happy Sunday, Mamie! I hope I ensnared you with Guardian Angels and Other Monsters. It is a terrific collection and if that isn't enough, Joe is reading and enjoying it too.

>254 Caroline_McElwee: I agree with you on Orion's expression, Caroline. He completely enchanted me with those eyes.

>255 jessibud2: I love the video, Shelley and I like the idea of making your own suet. Pretty easy too. Have you tried it yet?

^This is me & Jill, with Athena, the resident Barn Owl, at the photo shoot. Athena is gorgeous and a mere youngster, at a year and a half. It is interesting that Barn Owls only live a couple of years in the wild but nearly 5 times that in captivity.



^This is Athena, at the flight exhibit. This is her debut here and she was able to fly, between two posts, about ten feet or so. She received a rousing ovation.

>256 msf59: - No, sadly, I have given up on suet. I used to buy it in winter but after trying several different styles of suet feeders, and being defeated by the damned squirrels every time, I have conceded defeat. No matter how smart I thought I was, using twist ties, using wires, etc, to keep the feeder cages closed, the rodents have once again proven me wrong. I live in a townhouse and have just my one feeder, space being at a premium, so the one tube feeder (taken inside at night) will have to suffice for the birds and the squirrels can just go elsewhere. So there!

In fact, it was mostly squirrels I saw on the suet feeder, rarely birds. Oh well...;-p

>240 msf59: WOW, what a bird!

>250 msf59: >257 msf59: Owls have lovely faces, I understand why the ancients thought they were wise.

>249 msf59: "Mark's Fault" duly added on the tag for In Pieces which I picked up today on Audible. Love the pictures of you, Sue and your niece. Oh, and the owls. ; ) So surprising that the owls live that much longer in captivity than in the wild. Glad you had fun.

Wishing you more fun today, with the three Bs...

Beer, footBall, and Books! Although not necessarily in that order.

Great review of In Pieces, Mark. I'll add it to the wish list. Like Kim, I'll add "Mark's fault," although mine will go in the comment field rather than as a tag.

Lovely owls pics.

My Seahawks are stinking up the place. I think your Bears did well today, yes?

Wow, love the owl and eagle photos!

>244 msf59: Sounds interesting!

>249 msf59: I went ahead and used my last audible credit on In Pieces. It sounds good. Now I just need to find the occasion to listen to it.

I love all of the photos from the Center, Mark! Looks like you really enjoyed yourselves. Looks like Jill got a nice face painting as well. Athena is one of my favorites - how can she not be?

>258 jessibud2: Sorry, you had so many issues with your suet feeder, Shelley. I switched to pepper suet. It is a bit more expensive but the squirrels completely avoid it.

>259 FAMeulstee: Yes, Anita, owls have perfectly lovely faces.

>260 Berly: Hi, Kimmers. Glad I got you with a BB, on the Field memoir. I do not think you will be disappointed. And speaking of Bs, I had a good BBB day.

>261 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen. Glad my warbling paid off on the Field memoir. You know I treasure the "Mark's Fault" tag.

Bummer about your Seahawks. Yep, the Bears won big. They are 5-3.

>262 Copperskye: Hi, Joanne. I am glad my pals are interested in the Field memoir. It's a good one.

And hooray for the owls and the eagles. You know, I was in my glory.

>263 alphaorder: Happy Sunday, Nancy. I hope you are doing much better. When do you go home?

As you can tell, we had a great time at the Raptor Event. I love those birds and the staff and volunteers did a stellar job too. We also got lucky, that it was such a nice day. We will do it again, at some point.

Still reading Joseph Anton, a looong book by Salman Rushdie. Lots of anecdotes to break up the grim story of being targeted for death by a religion because. One of the most supportive friends Rushdie made during the fatwa was Bono of the Irish band U2. Bono invited him to the Zooropa tour concert in Wembley Stadium, and he went with his son Zafar.

Invited onto the stage, Rushdie was begged by Zafar, "Dad...don't sing." Rushdie writes:

He had no intention of singing, and U2 were even less keen on letting him, but to tease his teenage son he said, "I don't see why not. It's quite a good backing band, this Irish band, and there are eighty thousand people out here...so maybe I'll sing." Zafar looked agitated. "You don't understand, Dad," he said. "If you sing, I'll have to kill you myself."

>267 weird_O: That is a great excerpt from Joseph Anton. LOL. Sounds like a really good memoir. Rushdie and The Satanic Verses was mentioned in I am Malala. I have never read Satanic. You?

"Tool, a half-man/half-beast designed for combat, is capable of so much more than his creators had ever dreamed. He has gone rogue from his pack of bioengineered "augments" and emerged a victorious leader of a pack of human soldier boys."

^ I really enjoyed the first 2, Ship Breaker books, including the title one and The Drowned Cities and now I am finally getting to the last of the trilogy, Tool of War. I wanted a little break from my NF reading, so I will start the audio of this one today.

I should also be close to finishing Washington Black today. It continues to be excellent.

'Morning, Mark, and happy Monday to you. Lovely raptor photos, thanks for sharing.

>257 msf59: Athena is sure staring hard at you, isn't she?

>268 msf59: Maybe sometime next year we could have a Satanic Verses group read. Just sayin'.

Last night, "It was on a dreary night of November..."

>270 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. Glad you like the raptor photos. Isn't Athena amazing? I hope one day, to see a Barn Owl in the wild.

The Satanic Verses Group Read idea, is an interesting suggestion...

>271 m.belljackson: Frankenstein or the current political environment?

>272 msf59:

Main difference is that the current state of horror was created BY The Monster.

>270 karenmarie: >272 msf59: I'd be interested in that group read. I do have a copy of The Satanic Verses but I have not read it. I just got a copy of Haroun and the Sea of Stories, which Rushdie wrote for his son. I want to read it soon.

Here's an owl pic:

^Like!

Hiya, Mark. Woo, it took us 2 and a half hours to vote early due to the huge turnout - yes! I hope it's happening all over the country. They brought in four new machines while we were there to help accommodate the big crowd.

Still enjoying the Daniel Wilson book, and Jack Reacher should be showing up any minute.

That Athena is a beautiful owl!

>273 m.belljackson: Fantastic point, Marianne!

>274 weird_O: LOVE the owl, Bill. Thanks. I am glad you are showing interest in a G.R. of The Satanic Verses. Hopefully, Karen can remind us, sometime next year, plus this will give me plenty of time to track a copy down.

>275 jnwelch: Hi, Joe. Hooray for early voting and a big turn-out. I plan on going to the polls, after work tomorrow. Glad those current reads, are treating you fine.

And yah, for Athena! She is an elegant beauty.

>270 karenmarie: >272 msf59: >274 weird_O: I might join a group read of The Satanic Verses, it is on the shelf.

>277 FAMeulstee: Anita is on board! Anita is on board! Yah!!

^I have been brushing up on my choices, for tomorrow. My contribution to the Blue Wave...

Hello Mark! I hope all is well with you.

The owl and eagle pics are fantastic. Both are so majestic.

>274 weird_O:. Excellent pic, weird_O.

My warbling voice is on again. I just started Michael Harvey's new book, Pulse: A Novel and it is off to an excellent. start. 85+ pages in2 days is a definite hook. I'll keep you posted.

>279 msf59: We'll be following from a distance and keeping our thumbs crossed!

>280 brodiew2: Hi, Brodie. Glad you like the raptor photos. Pulse: A Novel sounds good, so I have added it to my list. You can stop by and warble anytime, you would like.

>281 EllaTim: Hi, Ella. Glad to have your support, even across the pond.

Hi Mark! Love all the own pictures.

We vote by mail here in OR. Just dropped off everyone's ballots today. Crossing my fingers. : )

Lot going on here, Mark! I love owls and I especially love Athena, the Barn Owl. She is a beauty. I have Tool of War on my library list and hope to get to it early next year. I guess "Mark's fault" strikes again as I am going to add Guardian Angels and Other Monsters to my list. I will also be crossing my fingers and toes that your election shows some good results.

>283 banjo123: Hi, Rhonda. Good to see you. Glad to see all the owl love around here.

>284 Berly: Hooray for everyone voting, Kimmers. I am impressed. I need to register for early voting, next time around.

>285 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy. The owl love continues...

I am loving Tool of War. It looks like this will be a perfect way to wrap up this trilogy. Glad you have a copy at hand.

^I know The Spirit Catches You has been popular with many of my LT pals, over the years, and despite having a copy on shelf forever, I never got around to it. Well, this month's AAC is bailing me out and I will start it today. The only Fadiman that I have read, was Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader, which was quite a few years ago.

>287 msf59: - In many ways, Mark, it is truly a heart-breaking story but Fadiman did such extensive research and presented the story with a great deal of love, respect and fairness (ie, no judgment or bias). I was very moved by it. I read it a few years ago.

Good morning, Mark!

The Hunt for Blue November (courtesy of Shelley on the Alt Lit = ORANGE is the New Gasbag Hack! thread) is on!

>275 jnwelch: Yikes. 2.5 hours? For early voting? I guess I’m glad to be living in a teensy town. Bill and I early voted three weekends ago and were surprised when there were 5 people in front of us. But early voting turnout was huge in our county, as reported to me by a friend on the BoE. Yay Jack Reacher – mine came yesterday, too.

>276 msf59: Although I hope you aren’t there for hours and hours, I hope you are there for hours and hours if it means a big blue turnout.

>286 msf59: You have to register for early voting?

>287 msf59: You’re in for an emotional rollercoaster of a ride – I read it for my RL book club January 2008 discussion.

I’m ready, willing, and able to host a group read of The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie. How about we discuss it early January? I’ve penciled it in my 2019 desk calendar and so far have Mark, Bill, and Anita expressing interest.

>289 karenmarie: - The Hunt for Blue November :-) Hey, you stole my book title!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/297680#6622456 (post #15)

Seriously, my fingers are crossed for you all. I really hope that there are actually solid results tonight. I hope there aren't *glitches*, not to mention, hope there aren't contested results. We shall see....

>290 jessibud2: I've been using it. In fact I just posted it on Kim's thread. I guess I should go back and attribute it to you.

Just kidding. I am happy to share, lol! As long as it comes true!! ;-)

Hey, Mark, you old bird-watcher, you. Here's a Gahan Wilson cartoon from Playboy that I spotted on line.

>288 jessibud2: >289 karenmarie: Hooray for The Hunt For Blue November!! I love it! Great tag, Shelley.

Also, I am really looking forward to diving into The Spirit Catches You. It will be on my next break.

>289 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. I will have to sign up for early voting, next time around.

That should work, for The Satanic Verses. Yah!

Morning, Mark!

Oh, I love The Hunt for Blue November! That Shelley's a clever one.

I finished Guardian Angels and Other Monsters, and liked it. That "The Helmet" one really was special (and awful!)

I'll get on The Spirit Catches You soon. I'm still waiting for that new Jack Reacher to show up.

Have a good one today, buddy.

>287 msf59: I read that years ago when it first came out. I remember finding it very interesting!

>293 weird_O: I Love it, bill. Not sure there is a red-tailed warbler but if there was, I bet it would be a beauty.

>295 jnwelch: Hooray, for The Hunt for Blue November, Joe!! I just did my civic duty. Glad you liked the Guardians collection. Hoping for a "love" on that one. I also hope you can join me for the Fadiman. It is off to a good start.

>296 The_Hibernator: Hi, Rachel. Thanks for chiming in on The Spirit Catches You. I am barely 50 pages in, but I believe I am hooked.