Joe's Book Cafe Door 21

While in the Berkshires, we went to the most excellent Norman Rockwell museum in Stockbridge and saw these there. He lived in the area and was well-known - Debbi's aunt and her hubby had dinner with him twice, and Debbi's aunt dated the state trooper depicted in the diner photo. The details in the Barber Shop one are cool in person.

Welcome back to the cafe!

My reading so far.

January, 2018

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

February 2018

16. The Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson
17. Neogenesis by Sharon Lee
18. The Pyramid of Mud by Andrea Camilleri
19. Girl in a Plain Brown Wrapper by John D. MacDonald
20. A Tan and Sandy Silence by John D. MacDonald
21. Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
22. Shock by Shock by Dean Young
23. A Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths
24. Lightning Blade by D.N. Erikson
25. Absolutely on Music by Haruki Murakami
26. Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
27. The Power by Naomi Alderman
28. Light Boxes by Shane Jones

March

29. Down the River Unto the Sea by Walter Mosley
30. In Pursuit of Memory by Joseph Jebelli
31. A Local Habitationby Seanan McGuire
32. For We Are Many by Dennis Taylor
33. All These Worlds by Dennis Taylor
34. One Goal: A Coach by Amy Bass
35. We Are Okay by Nina Lacour
36. Artificial Night by Seanan Macguire
37. On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
38. Where Now New and Selected Poems by Laura Kasischke
39. Wires and Nerve* by Marissa Meyer
40. Wires and Nerve Volume 2* by Marissa Meyer
41. A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf
42. And the earth did not devour him by Tomas Rivera
43. The Glass Universe by Dava Sobel
44. Camp Austen by Ted Scheinman
45. The Beauty: Poems by Jane Hirschfield
46. Dark Forest by Cixin Liu

April

47. Hellbent by Gregg Horwitz
48. The Disappeared by C.J. Box
49. The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
50. The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman
51. Prairie Fires by Caroline Fraser
52. Selected Poems of Langston Hughes by Langston Hughes
53. All Systems Red by Martha Wells
54. Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Espenbeck
55. Quesadillas by Juan Pablo Villalobos
56. The Burning Page by Genevieve Cogman
57. Sandman Omnibus Vol. 2* by Neil Gaiman
58. Book of Dust by Phillip Pullman
59. Less: A Novel by Andrew Sean Greer
60. Brazen Rebel Ladies* by Penelope Bagieu
61. The Lost Plot by Genevieve Cogman

May

62. Wade in the Water by Tracy K. Smith
63. It Happens in the Dark by Carroll O'Connell
64. Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire
65. Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
66. One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire
67. Texts from Jane Eyre by Mallory Ortberg
68. One Robe, One Bowl by Ryokan
69. Chimes at Midnight by Seanan McGuire
70. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
71. Worth Dying For by Lee Child (re-read)
72. Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
73. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
74. The Book of Endings by Leslie Harrison
75. A Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths
76. Winter Long by Seanan McGuire
77. Flowers of Vashnoi by Lois McMaster Bujold
78. Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard
79. Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine
80. The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths

June

81. Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
82. The Woman in Blue by Elly Griffiths
83. After the Funeral by Agatha Christie (re-read)
84. The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths
85. A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie (re-read)
86. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
87. Red Rose Chain by Seanan McGuire
88. Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie (re-read)
89. Mrs. McGinty's Dead by Agatha Christie (re-read)
90. The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths
91. Burn Bright by Patricia Briggs
92. What Would Jane Do from Potter Style
93. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
94. Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman
95. Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames

July

96. Once Broken Faith by Seanan McGuire
97. Zen and Gone by Emily France
98. Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson
99. What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw by Agatha Christie (re-read)
100. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie (re-read)
101. Case of the Missing Men* by Kris Bertin
102. Lord Peter Views the Body by Dorothy L. Sayers
103. Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman
104. Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley
105. Brief Cases by Jim Butcher

August

106. Brown by Kevin Young
107. Shine, Shine, Shine by Lydia Netzer
108. Selected Poems of Gwendolyn Brooks
109. House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea
110. Circe by Madeline Miller
111. 4:50 From Paddington by Agatha Christie
112. The Rat Catchers' Olympics by Colin Cotterill
113. Portugal* by Pedrosa
114. Broken Places by Tracy Clark
115. Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells
116. The Spaceship Next Door by Gene Doucette
117. Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers
118. The Carrying by Ada Limon
119. Dictionary Stories by Jez Burrows
120. The Overstory by Richard Powers

September

121. Hell's Bottom, Colorado by Laura Pritchett
122. Full of Briars by Seanan McGuire
123. Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie (re-read)
124. The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss
125. Death at Sea by Andrea Camilleri
126. Buddha by Deepak Chopra
127. The Delight of Being Ordinary by Roland Merullo
128. Skeleton God by Eliot Pattison
129. Night and Silence by Seanan McGuire
130. Depth of Winter by Craig Johnson
131. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
132. Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames
133. Lethal White by Robert Galbraith
134. The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz
135. John Woman by Walter Mosley

October

136. Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Entrada
137. Changers: Drew by T. Cooper and Allison Glock-Cooper
138. Priest Turned Therapist Treats Fear of God by Tony Hoagland
139. Irish Country Love Story by Patrick Taylor
140. Changers Book Two by T. Cooper and Allison Glock-Cooper
141. Changers Book Three by T. Cooper and Allison Glock-Cooper
142. Changers Book Four by T. Cooper and Allison Glock-Cooper
143. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
144. Murder in Thrall by Anne Cleeland
145. Murder in Retribution by Anne Cleeland
146. Murder in Hindsight by Anne Cleeland
147. Murder in Containment by Anne Cleeland
148. Murder in All Honour by Anne Cleeland
149. Murder in Shadows by Anne Cleeland
150. Transcription by Kate Atkinson
151. Murder in Misdirection by Anne Cleeland
152. Murder in Spite by Anne Cleeland
153. Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami

November

154. You're Never Weird on the Internet by Felicia Day
155. Collected Poems W.B. Yeats
156. Guardian Angels and Other Monsters by Daniel H. Wilson
157. Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer
158. Past Tense by Lee Child
159. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
160. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
161. The Ghost in the Shell* by Masamune Shirow
162. Hard Rain by Tony Hoagland
163. Donkey Gospel by Tony Hoagland
164. Shell Game by Sarah Paretsky
165. Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee
166. Citizen Illegal by Jose Oliverez
167. Nowhere Boy by Katherine Marsh
168. Orphans Vol. 2* by Roberto Recchioni

Illustrated Books 2018

1. Saga Volume 8\ by Fiona Staples
2. Black Panther Avengers of the New World by Ta-Nehisi Coates
3. Black Panther Book Two by Ta-Nehisi Coates
4. Moon Knight by Jeff Lemire
5. Henchgirl by Rita Stradling
6. The Adventures of Dieter Lumpen by Jorge Zentner
7. Death The Deluxe Edition by Neil Gaiman
8. Going into Town by Roz Chast
9. Black Panther Book Three by Ta-Nehisi Coates
10. Black Panther World of Wakanda by Roxanne Gay
11. After the Rain by Andre Julliard
12. Silent Days, Silent Dreams by Allen Say
13. Leave it to Chance by James Robinson
14. Thornhill by Pam Smy
15. Lumberjanes Vol. 4 by Noelle Stevenson
16. The Green Hand and Other Stories by Nicole Claveloux
17. Orphan Black Helsinki by Graeme Manson
18. Nemi by Lise Myrhe
19. Jane by Aline McKenna
20. Eye of the World Volume 5 by Robert Jordan
21. Andre the Giant by Box Brown
22. Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña
23. The Discworld Graphic Novels by Terry Pratchett
24. Starseeds by Charles Glaubitz
25. Why I Hate Saturn by Kyle Baker
26. Josephine The Dazzling Life by Patricia Hruby Powell
27. Ada Twist Scientist by Andrea Beaty
28. Paper Girls Vol. 4 by Brian K. Vaughan
29. Serenity No Power in the 'Verse by Chris Roberson
30. Hawkeye Kate Bishop Anchor Points by Kelly Thompson
31. Alpha Abidjan to Paris by Bessora
32. Drawing from Memory by Allen Say
33. Orphan Black Deviations by Heli Kennedy
34. Lazarus X+66 by Greg Rucka
35. How to Be Happy by Eleanor Davis
36. Flight Volume 6 edited by Kazu Kabuishi
37. Feathers by Jorge Corona
38. Lady Killer Vol. 2 by Joelle Jones
39. Kill or Be Killed by Ed Brubaker
40. Kill or Be Killed Vol. 2 by Ed Brubaker
41. Royal City by Jeff Lemire
42. Runaways Find Your Way Home by Rainbow Rowell
43. Wonder Woman Love and Murder by Jodi Picoult
44. American Gods Volume 1: Shadows by Neil Gaiman
45. Catwoman Final Jeopardy by Will Pfeifer
46. Batgirl Vol. 2: Son of Penguin by Hope Larson
47. Black Panther: Long Live the King by Nnedi Okorafor
48. Royal City Vol. 2 by Jeff Lemire
49. Orbital Vol. 1 by Sylvain Runberg
50. A History of Violence by John Wagner
51. All Summer Long by Hope Larson
52. Dr. Strange: The Way of the Weirdby Jason Aaron
53. Dr. Strange: The Last Days of Magicby Jason Aaron
54. Strong Female Protagonist by Brennan Lee Mulligan
55. Orphans Vol. 1 by Roberto Recchioni
56. Ms. Marvel Vol. 9 by G. Willow Wilson
57. Bitch Planet Vol. 2 by Kelly Sue DeConnick
58. New Lone Wolf and Cub Volume 6 by Kazuo Koike
59. New Lone Wolf and Cub Volume 1 by Kazuo Koke
60. The Golden Compass Graphic Novel by Philip Pullman
61. Strong Female Protagonist Book Two by Brennan Lee Mulligan
62. Hack/Slash Reanimation by Tim Seeley
63. Monstress Volume 3 by Marjorie Liu
64. 100 Bullets Book 5 by Brian Azzarello
65. Human Target Living in Amerika by Peter Milligan
66. Saga Volume 9 by Brian K. Vaughan
67. Super Mutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki (re-read)
68. Rat Queens Vol. 3 by Kurtis J. Wiebe
69. Captain Marvel Rise of the Alpha Flight by Michele Fazekis

*Also a graphic novel

Rafa Dorable

2018 Favorites So Far

Nonfiction

One Goal: A Coach, A Team by Amy Bass (a "Best Book of 2018" for Library Journal)

Prairie Fires by Carolyn Fraser

Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley

Young Adult

We Are Okay by Nina Lacour

Vincent and Theo by Deborah Helligman

Nowhere Boy by Katherine Marsh

Science Fiction and Fantasy

The Power by Naomi Alderman

Binti The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Mystery

The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths

Lethal White by Robert Galbraith

Murder in Thrall by Anne Cleeland

Illustrated Books

Silent Days, Silent Dreams by Allen Say

Brazen Ladies by Penelope Baglieu

Alpha Abidjan to Paris by Bessora

American Gods Volume 1 by Neil Gaiman

Fiction

The Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson

A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf

Less: A Novel by Andrew Sean Greer

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea

The Overstory by Richard Powers

Transcription by Kate Atkinson

Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami

Poetry

Wade in the Water by Tracy K. Smith

The Carrying by Ada Limon

Priest Turned Therapist by Tony Hoagland

Citizen Illegal by Jose Olivarez

Here's the obituary for my late father Lyndon:



http://obits.mlive.com/obituaries/annarbor/obituary.aspx?n=lyndon-welch&pid=...

He's missed.



Cartoon for my harmonica-playing Dad by Keith Taylor

Debbi and Joe punting (think poling a boat, not American football) in Cambridge

Mary (bell7) and Joe at Six Depot cafe in West Stockbridge

Happy New one, Joe!

>1 jnwelch: Norman Rockwell!!!!! I love the toppers!

My stepmother was a Rockwell fan, and I grew up with reproductions of his stuff everywhere. Old Home Week in the new cafe! I don't suppose there's some espresso hanging around? And maybe a slice of carrot cake? *puppydog eyes*

Happy New thread, Joe! 21 threads? You go boy! Love the Rockwell toppers, along with your family connections. Cool.

And hooray for cutie Rafa & a Meet Up with Mary!!

I picked up Donkey Gospel from the library, along with a GN, I Kill Giants. Have you read that one?

>8 brodiew2: Thanks, Brodie! I'm glad you're a Rockwell fan, and like them toppers. If you ever get across the country, you'd love the Rockwell museum.

The Barber Shop one will eventually be in the Lucas Museum in Los Angeles. Apparently George Lucas is a big Rockwell collector?

>9 richardderus: Glad we could bring back some old home memories with the Rockwells, Richard. I bet we can find a beanish drink and some carrot cake. Here you go:

>10 msf59: Thanks, Mark! We had no idea that Debbi's aunt had those connections to Rockwell. Debbi also had come across him when she was young, sitting in big chair in Blantyre Castle (in the area).

I believe Donkey Gospel is one of his I've read. I'd never heard of I Kill Giants. It looks interesting! I'll look forward to your comments.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Joe. Great Rockwell toppers especially with the family stories behind them. That is a great meetup photo.

Happy new thread! Rockwell’s a fave of mine too.

Happy new thread. I too am a Rockwell fan :)

Happy new thread, Joe. I also love the Rockwell toppers.

I have 2 books about him at home but since I am in Montreal at the moment, it will have to wait until I get home to get the titles. There was also another one that I made a note of wanting to track down some day, about the back stories of some of the other people in some of his pictures. sounded good.

Rockwell! Always a favorite. I suppose RD ate all the cake...never mind, I have baklava.

Morning, Joe! yay for Rockwell! Lovely stuff.

I don't suppose you're at all looking forward to snuggling with Rafa next week... Nah, probably not.

>18 laytonwoman3rd: Oooh, yes please!

ETA: Joe, have you read Sky Burial? If not, I humbly recommend you add it to your list - I think you'd love it.

>1 jnwelch: Love the Rockwell Museum! Last time I was there they had an exhibit of all his Saturday Evenng Post covers in chronological order. It was a nostalgic trip through time. Great stories about Debbi's aunt. He was such a fixture in Stockbridge for so long.

On one of our visits we had lunch at the famed Red Lion Inn and I had a sighting of another sort: Frank McCourt (Angela's Ashes)!

>13 foggidawn: Thanks, foggi!

>14 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. Those were unexpected family stories, that added to the enjoyment. What a fun meetup with Mary.

>15 drneutron: Hiya, Jim. Thanks. Rockwell has so many good ones, doesn't he. It took him a while to overcome the categorization of "illustrator" - as if illustrations weren't art. You can imagine how I view that one.

>16 figsfromthistle: Thanks, fig. Good to have you in the Rockwell fan club.

>17 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley. Glad you love them toppers.

Yes, Rockwell painted based on real people (the state trooper up top is the result of his asking friends in the area for the handsomest trooper - ha!) So I'm sure there are a lot of interesting back stories.

This one is poignant when you know the story. The clerk with the newlyweds is a local who had recently lost his wife of many years. You can see his mixed feelings.

'Morning, Joe, and happy new thread.

I'm not so much a Rockwell fan, but do like the ones you've got on your topper.

>3 jnwelch: Definitely a lot of cute-itude there!

It's another gloomy rainy day here but fortunately I don't have to go out and can putter and read to my heart's content.

According to the museum, the editor didn't believe these were real people, rather than ones Rockwell made up, until Rockwell showed him photos he had of every one of them. The man at the end is Rockwell.

Happy new one, Joe! Love your Rockwell connection! He certainly hit upon American life!
Oh. my. Gosh! How can you keep away from adorable Rafa?!
At first glance, you and Mary look like one of Rockwell's creations.

>18 laytonwoman3rd: Hiya, Linda. Wow, that's great-looking baklava. Thanks for bringing it!

Someone just told me about baklava cheesecake. Can you imagine?

>19 scaifea: Morning, Amber. Yay for Rockwell!

Ha! Snuggle Rafa? What a fine idea!

I know, what a fine patron Linda is. That baklava is mouth-watering.

Sky Burial - wow, great recommendation. That's a new one to me. Adding it to the WL!

>20 NarratorLady: Hi, Anne. Isn't that a fun museum? This time they had exhibits from two book illustrators. One was Frank Schoonover - none of us recognized the name, but we all recognized the illustrations from books we read as kids. This one was a beaut.



Yes, I've been to that famous Red Lion Inn. Frank McCourt! Did you get him talking? He must be a talker, right?

>26 jnwelch: Makes my teeth hurt just looking at it.

>23 karenmarie: Morning, Karen, and thanks.

Yeah, some Rockwells can be a bit on the sweet side, so I know you're not alone.

Rafa's got that cute-tude, doesn't he.

It's snowing here, darn it. I'd love to putter and read - that sounds like a mighty fine day. I'm actually heading into work - I need to do better on this retirement gig. :-)

>25 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda. Rockwell did hit the target with American life, didn't he. He sounds like he a was a good man, too.

Ha! I love the idea of Mary and me looking like a Rockwell creation!

You know, it's tough to stay away from that Rafa. We head over to see him next week. And his parents will probably be there, too. :-)

>28 karenmarie: LOL!

>26 jnwelch: OMG....I didn't know that was a thing! Must find some in the non-virtual world.

>31 laytonwoman3rd: Ha! We found out about it when Debbi and her aunt ate at a Greek restaurant in the Berkshires called Elektra's. Their minds boggled, but they didn't try it. We need a firsthand RL report!

>32 jnwelch: There are a few local restaurants that might possibly help me fulfill this mission, Joe. I will make it a priority to find out if they offer this incredible delicacy.

>33 laytonwoman3rd: Ha! We appreciate your dedication to this mission, Linda. You're one of those generous souls who is always willing to blaze a trail (or taste a delicacy) for the good of others. May the fork be with you.

>11 jnwelch:, >18 laytonwoman3rd: *aaahhh* Perfect, thanks. Although a slice of >26 jnwelch: wouldn't come amiss.

So glad you're adding Sky Burial to your infinitesimally small TBR. Why, I don't think you've even cracked four digits yet. Such a terrible, terrible waste of time, all this grandchilding and life-having.

Happy new thread, Joe!

I love all the Rafa-dorable photos. That guy has a grin that will make the world grin back!

The Norman Rockwell's are a slice of nostalgia perfect for this time of year. When I worked in a bookstore back in the 70's when I was in college, one of the most popular books was a collection of his paintings.

>35 richardderus: This new cafe has a slew of delectables, doesn't it, RD. We'll try to keep them coming.

My minuscule (in the land of giants) TBR has been dramatically improved by Sky Burial. Madame MBH and I are planning on really going after our TBR books in the new year. Right now they're threatening to take over the house.

>36 streamsong: Thanks, Janet!

That little Rafa fellow sure is a smile-maker, isn't he. Whenever Madame MBH or I want to cheer each other up, we flash a photo of him.

Oh, good - it seemed like a perfect time for the Rockwells, and I'm glad it struck you that way.

>27 jnwelch: No, I didn’t interrupt Frank McCourt at the Red Lion Inn. He was with a group of friends and I never even considered it. But I did hear him give a talk once and he was hugely entertaining, truly a born storyteller. You could imagine his high school English classes hanging on to every word.

It was a great thing for him to have published his books but I’m sure he enjoyed his book tours just as much. There was a lot of the actor in him. And whenever I read the term “a twinkle in his eye”, I think of Frank McCourt because he definitely had one!

Sweet Thursday, Joe. I am working on my beach bod, for our upcoming Mexico trip, so I am avoiding photos of goodies. I have even refrained from beer drinking. Yes, I am just as shocked as you are. I may reward myself with a beer or two over the weekend. We will see...

I have had a lazy afternoon, with the books. Enjoying my current short fiction, digging deeper into my Oliver collection, (seeing daylight too) and trying to make a bigger dent in On a Sunbeam. All good here.

Happy new thread Joe, we are both well mate and gearing up for Christmas. Hope you and Debbi are well and having a good week mate, sending love and hugs to you and Debbi from both of us.

Happy new thread, Joe!

>7 jnwelch: You are meeting a lot of us this year :-)

Happy new thread, Joe!

Had to smile at the comments on our meetup photo reminding folks of Rockwell. I've been to the museum a couple of times, and really enjoy his work.

Love the new photo of Rafa, too.

>41 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita!

Ha! It's been a good year for meetups, for sure. I hope you and Frank are doing well.

>42 bell7: Thanks, Mary! I know, a couple of Rockwellians in West Stockbridge, that's us. :-) That was our first time at the museum; we enjoyed it, as you can tell. His studio was open, too - what a great place to paint.

Thanks re the Rafa photo - he's a happy one, that little guy.

Madame MBH and her cousin's daughter Hannah working on the jigsaw puzzle at Aunt Ruthie's

^Did you miss me up there?

Happy Friday, Joe. Workout day for you?

>39 msf59:, >45 msf59: I did miss you up there, Mark! Sorry about that. As you probably guessed, we were rushing out the door. Happy Friday!

When is your Mexico trip - soon? Man, that sounds nice right about now. I hear there's not a bit of snow in Mexico. I know it's serious business when you're skipping the beer. :-)

Are you liking On a Sunbeam so far? A lazy afternoon enjoying the books sounds perfect. I saw there'll be a new Lucia Berlin collection coming out, so I'll bet you're chomping at the bit to get at that one.

I finished The Spirit Catches You and Where the Crawdads Sing, both 5 stars for me. I'll try to do a couple of mini-reviews.

Yes, this was a workout day. We just got back a while ago. Now we can take the weekend off! We're heading to the new J.K. Rowling movie later on.

Hey hey, Joe. I guess you be frosty just now. Us too.

For those interested in Mr. Rockwell, I'd recommend a bio, American Mirror: The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell by Deborah Solomon. He invested a lot of time and energy scouting for models. It's all in there.

>47 weird_O: Hey, hey, Mr. Bill. It be nippy in our part of the woods, and the frost she be comin', no doubt. I will say we seem to have lucked out on the snow - it's piling up in other heartland locales, but not here. We'll take it!

Wow, thanks for the tip on the Rockwell book, American Mirror. I didn't expect anyone here to have read a bio about him. That time and energy spent scouting for models matches what they were saying at the museum. Apparently his models had to stay in sometimes awkward positions for a long period of time, until he started using photos of them in those positions instead.

Good afternoon, Joe! I hope all is well with you.

Good afternoon, Brodie. All is well with us, and I hope it is with you, too. We're off today to see that Fantastic Beasts movie. I'll report back.

"I finished The Spirit Catches You and Where the Crawdads Sing, both 5 stars for me." Music to my ears, Joe! I plan on bookhorning Crawdads in, later next week..

I hope you guys enjoyed the movie.

I thought I had posted a comment about your Rockwell toppers, earlier this morning Joe but I can't find it so I guess I forgot to press *post*.

I actually have 2 books at home about him and his work. Can't remember the titles and as I am still in Montreal at the moment, I won't be able to check until I get home. One of them may be the same one Bill mentioned in >47 weird_O: but I am not sure. I love Rockwell's work. Would love to see that museum one day.

Great to hear that you love the Fadiman book. I also did, when I read it a few years ago.

Hi Joe! Happy new thread. I somehow get the impression you've been having fun!

Like the Norman Rockwells, I knew his name, but not much more. And I really don't understand why people say illustrations are not art. Especially when they are as good as those here.

>51 msf59: Both great books, Mark. You'll like Crawdads a lot when you get to it.

The movie was very good. We had problems at times, particularly at the beginning, with the accents, believe it or not. So bring your keen ears. We wish there'd been subtitles. Johnny Depp is surprisingly restrained and good (no over the top acting), and Eddie Redmayne is engaging, as usual. Zoe Kravitz was the biggest surprise - impressive. The special effects are remarkable. This is movie 2 of 5 Fantastic Beasts movies, so it's an ongoing storyline.

>52 jessibud2: Ha! I've had that "forgot to press post" happen, too, Shelley. Probably some distraction intervened.

Oh yeah, if you're that much a Rockwell fan, you'll want to see this museum some day. And New England/Stockbridge is so beautiful. When George Lucas's museum in LA opens, it should have a bunch of Rockwells, too - including the Barber Shop one up above, which he loaned to the Rockwell museum.

Yes, nonfiction isn't my flavor much right now, but The Spirit Catches You was so well done. It's required reading now for incoming students at Yale School of Medicine, which certainly makes me think well of that school. So much of it is about the Hmong and the western doctors taking away completely different understandings of their exchanges, and the doctors needing to better understand and respect the very different Hmong POV.

>53 EllaTim: Thanks, Ella. I think people saying illustrations are not art is pretty much a historical relic here now (although other cafe goers may want to weigh in on that), but Rockwell did have to overcome it in his time. I wonder whether, for instance, we'll ever see a Shaun Tan museum? I'd go to that in a blink. He's created wonderful sculptures, too.

We have been having fun, thanks! Going into my old workplace for a day this past week reminded me how lucky we are now. I used to have my nose to the grindstone six and seven days a week while getting those kids grown up and through college and everything squared away. This is way better!

Debbi and her Aunt Ruthie walking to Norman Rockwell's studio in Stockbridge

Joe, The opening Norman Rockwell images are incredible. I would love to visit his studio.

>55 jnwelch: I very much enjoy photos of people walking and their back's are what is shown. Years ago, one of the earlier yearbooks I advised at Lehigh University, the theme was "Every Picture Tells A Story." The final full-page photo color photo, (rather pricey to print back then) was of a senior walking uphill into the sunlight. Lehigh's campus is built on the south side mountain of Bethlehem, PA. Not only did the editors and staff do a very good job throughout, but that final photo told the story of walking uphill into the future not knowing where students will be after graduation.

Your photo of Debbi and her Aunt Ruthie is priceless! Retirement certainly is agreeing with you. The trips you take are ones you no doubt did not have time to make when you were busy working.

>56 Whisper1: Thanks, Linda. You'd enjoy his studio - what a great place to paint.

I'm glad you like that photo of Debbi and Aunt Ruthie. Such a beautiful area. That's right by the museum.

The yearbook photo you mention sounds so good - you describe it well. I was thinking of the message you mention - a student walking uphill into the unknown future.

>56 Whisper1: I was in a yearbook photo like that when I graduated from high school. A male student and I in our caps and gowns, photographed from behind walking out the front doors of the school. I always liked it a lot.

>55 jnwelch: >56 Whisper1: >58 laytonwoman3rd: This is the image that comes to my mind. An iconic photo by W. Eugene Smith.

>58 laytonwoman3rd: I can imagine, Linda. That does sound poignant.

>59 weird_O: Oh, that's a beautiful one, Bill. Thank you.

"They wore strange clothes - often children's clothes, which were approximately the right size - acquired at the local Goodwill. When they undressed for an examination, the women were sometimes wearing Jockey shorts and the men were sometimes wearing bikini underpants with little pink butterflies. They wore amulets around their necks and cotton strings around their wrists (the sicker the patient, the more numerous the strings). They smelled of camphor, mentholatum, Tiger Balm, and herbs. When they were admitted to the hospital, they brought their own food and medicines. . . . Hmong patients made a lot of noise. Sometimes they wanted to slaughter live animals in the hospital. Tom Sult, a former MCMC resident, recalled, "They'd bang the crap out of some kind of musical instrument, and the American patients would complain. Finally we had to talk to them. No gongs. And no dead chickens."

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman Five stars

This is such a well-written and extensively lived/researched book. What an impressive author Fadiman is. As I mentioned above, it's required reading now for incoming students at Yale School of Medicine (which certainly makes me think well of that school). Much of the book is about the Hmong and the western doctors taking away completely different understandings of their exchanges, and the doctors needing to better understand and respect the very different Hmong point of view. Fadiman explains how a large population of Hmong migrated from Laos (after supporting the U.S. in the war) to the small town of Merced, California, and gives a great depth of understanding to the spiritual and cultural underpinnings of their existence - they have survived oppression from the Chinese and others by stubbornly maintaining their identity and refusing to assimilate - they either fight or flee. That attitude, however, makes them unusual U.S. immigrants who have little interest in becoming part of the famed U.S. melting pot.

The title refers to a Hmong family's understanding of their little girl's epilepsy - a demon spirit caught her, and she fell down. But the severity of her symptoms cause them to take her to a nearby hospital, with very capable doctors. At that point, the misunderstandings begin, and her treatment suffers. The Lees attribute different motivations and meanings to what the doctors are saying, and the doctors do not sufficiently respect or have interest in traditional Hmong healing techniques or how the family views the situation. The failure to properly listen to the person(s) most concerned made me think of Being Mortal. Fadiman is scrupulously fair to both the Hmong and the medical professionals.

For those who have read the book already, this is an interesting article about it written 15 years after publication (those who haven't read it will want to avoid this article until they have): https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/15/us/life-went-on-around-her-redefining-care-by...

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens Five stars

"“She could read anything now, he said, and once you can read anything you can learn everything. It was up to her. “Nobody's come close to filling their brains,” he said. “We're all like giraffes not using their necks to reach the higher leaves.”

“When cornered, desperate, or isolated, man reverts to those instincts that aim straight at survival. Quick and just. They will always be the trump cards because they are passed on more frequently from one generation to the next than the gentler genes. It is not a morality, but simple math. Among themselves, doves fight as often as hawks.”

This book has beautiful nature writing about the marshlands of North Carolina, and a captivating central character in Kya, "the Marsh girl", who is forced to raise herself when her family breaks apart over her father's physical abusiveness. She is self-taught, with the help of Tate, a boy from town who's enchanted by her, and develops into someone extraordinary. The town people generally view her as trash and alternate between making fun of her and being scared of her. But she has some good friends like Tate and Jumpy, who runs the local gas station/grocery store. Her scientific and artistic expertise about the marsh widens her world, and a romance eventually brings her into a dramatic conflict with the town. This is one of my favorite books of the year.

BTW, some great news for Jack Reacher fans: Lee Child says he's working with Netflix on a JR series, and that Jack's part won't be played by Tom Cruise - it will be some actor who physically matches up better with the 6'5", physically imposing Reacher. Child said Cruise is a great actor, but acknowledged fans' concerns that at 5'7" he just didn't have that physically imposing quality that is a big part of JR's character. Child has asked for fans to give him suggestions on who should play the part.

If he could get the American accent, I thought Chris Hemsworth could convey that physical quality. Anyone have any other ideas?

BTW, Madame MBH and I had fun last night thinking of how we'd cast (or recast) the movie for some of our favorite books. Our best (we thought) was for Devil in a Blue Dress, now that Denzel would cost too much (as Walter Mosley has said). Our picks: Chadwick Boseman (the King of Wakanda) as Easy Rawlins; Kevin Hart as Mouse; and Zoe Kravitz as the femme fatale that Jennifer Beals played.

We always thought Sandra Bullock would make a great Stephanie Plum, but they took so darn long to make a movie that she aged out of it. Katherine Heigl wouldn't have been our pick.

Hi Joe. I love those Norman Rockwell images! I think I may have had a stereotyped notion of his work. It looks like it is more varied and rich than I had realized.

Two five-star reads in recent days! I have been wanting to acquire and read Where the Crawdads Sing. Good literature set in North Carolina -- sign me up.

P and I are hanging out in our basement watching football while a guy is upstairs sanding our wood floors. We fly to NC/TN on Monday and the floors will get buffed and finished while we're away. Abby is at the "spa," aka the vet. :-)

>61 jnwelch: nice review, and thanks for the link to that interesting article.

>61 jnwelch: - Oh, thank you for that article, Joe. I will read it shortly. I read the Fadiman book and reviewed it here, as well, a few years ago. And I agree with your thinking of Being Mortal when reading it (though I read the latter, after the Fadiman). I just sometimes wonder why it always seems so difficult for people to just be kind, and just do the right thing. In medicine and in life, in general. Sigh....

>59 weird_O: - A long-time favourite photo, thanks, Bill

Hey Joe - thanks for the Murderbot nudge. I'm about half way through All Systems Red and enjoying the trip.

>63 jnwelch: Howzabout Ryan Reynolds?

Here he is in his middle-aged glory, imposingly attired in nothing fancy, and still able to command one's attention.

Morning, Joe! Happy Sunday! Great reviews of both, The Spirit Catches You & Crawdads Sing. Thumbs all around. Crawdads is in my queue, so I will be getting to it soon. Glad to see we are both keeping to our mini-review pledge...at least, for now. Grins...

I have some chores to attend to today, including food shopping, but I plan on reserving a nice chunk of it for the books. At least the Bears open up my afternoon, by playing tonight. I just hope I can stay up.

Enjoy your day.

ETA- It doesn't look like you posted your Crawdads review. Just sayin'...

>63 jnwelch:

Would Gerard Butler be too old to play Jack?

He might be tall enough.

>64 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen! Yeah, a lot of folks know Rockwell from his magazine covers, but he did have a broader range. He's much beloved in New England.

Good literature set in North Carolina -- sign me up. I suspect you're going to love Where the Crawdads Sing. It's not an environment I have in my bones, but wow does Delia Owens make it attractive.

You probably know I'm a wood floors guy. That sounds great - Jesse and his bride just had their wood floors refurbished while they were away in Colombia, and we had carpet stripped and all our wood floors fixed up or installed while we were away after buying our house. The ratty carpet had the virtue of having protected some beautiful wood underneath. I hope you and P have a grand time in NC/TN. I'll follow your exploits over on your thread.

>70 m.belljackson: Great idea, Marianne, and he's just lost his home in the SoCal fires.


Rockin' the look at almost-50.

>65 banjo123: You're welcome, Rhonda. I'm glad you liked the The Spirit Catches You review, and the linked article. I was happy to read in the latter how widely used the book is in schools. I looked for more after finishing the book because the ending left me wondering.

>66 jessibud2: You're welcome, Shelley. I imagine you'll find the article as interesting as Rhonda and I did.

Re The Spirit Catches You: I just sometimes wonder why it always seems so difficult for people to just be kind, and just do the right thing. In medicine and in life, in general. Sigh....I just sometimes wonder why it always seems so difficult for people to just be kind, and just do the right thing. In medicine and in life, in general. Sigh.... I know, a kind attitude toward the Lees, rather than a "professional" attitude filled with mistaken assumptions, would have made a big difference. As Fadiman points out, doctors deal with so much that is emotionally disturbing that they (in my words) naturally develop some distancing to keep their sanity. But kindness should still be a fundamental of healthcare. That undoubtedly is part of why the book is assigned at Yale School of Medicine and other schools.

>67 RBeffa: Oh good, Ron. I'm nutso over the Murderbot books, as you can probably tell. They're like snacks. I can't wait to eat the next one!

>68 richardderus: I love Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, Richard, and he's really won me over as an actor generally. But for me he doesn't quite have the rugged depth of Reacher. I wonder what others think.

>69 msf59: Morning, Mark - Happy Sunday!

Ha! I'm glad you liked the mini-reviews, and I'm sure trying to stick to that pledge! You'll love Crawdads, methinks. Thank you for the thumbs! The Spirit Catches You probably doesn't need the help, but I'd love to spread the word on Crawdads.

You got me laughing again - I'm going to tape the Bears game, as odds are I'll fall asleep before the end. The Tribune is calling the move of the game to Primetime "a miracle", as the Bears have been in last place for several seasons before this. People finally are excited to see them play again.

We unfortunately have to leave soon for a funeral service for a guy named Howard Sulkin, who was a major figure in our temple and in Chicago. He and his wife were awfully kind to us when we joined the Temple and ever since. It's tough to lose him. (It's a Reform temple, liberal enough to be accepting of Buddhist oddballs like me).

I did get to read some of Shell Game this morning, and it's good to be in the hands of an experienced professional like Sarah Paretsky. Benita and others had advocated for Raven Stratagem, the follow-up to Ninefox Gambit, and I'm getting into the swing of it now and enjoying it.

>70 m.belljackson:, >72 richardderus: Gerald Butler - good thought, Marianne and Richard. I didn't know he lost his house in the fires, poor guy. He's got the ruggedness and physically imposing part down - I just wish I liked his acting more. What a grinch I am.

I think Butler's edginess would work well for Reacher. It's one of the many, many failures of Cruise's portrayal of Reacher that he lacked any sort of anger or outrage, falling more on the petulant/whiny point on the emotional axis.

Perfect man, IMO, would be Liam Neeson 10-15 years ago.

>76 jnwelch: >72 richardderus:

C'mon, Joe, "Past the Point of No Return" in The Phantom is STILL memorable! Brief, but remarkable acting.

I skipped his films after that one, being no great fan of violence.

And thanks for the photo, Richard - I hadn't seen or heard anything new about him for a long while.
Very sad about losing his house - so many memories gone - so many people gone...

But, WOW, HE's lookin' GOOD!!!

And, maybe not being such a polished actor might fit well with Jack Reacher' sometimes half-there persona?

>78 m.belljackson: If you haven't seen it, I'd recommend his turn in Snowpiercer, which is (reportedly, though slowly and with much angst) becoming a TV series.

He pretty much defines "Hot Scot" for me. And ages extra-special-uber well.

>76 jnwelch: >79 richardderus:

Where do we go to vote for Gerard as Jack?

He may not be the 2nd coming of Marlon Brando, but at least he's not an AH like Tommy.

Is Snowpiercer (what a name) both a movie and a TV show in process?

>80 m.belljackson: It's a feature film, to date the most expensive one produced by South Korea's film industry (I hasten to add it's in English!); the TV series is an offshoot therefrom.

The graphic novels (part 1 and 2) of Snowpiercer are good. They get checked out fairly often from our library.

I knew the film was based on a GN but I thought it was French and untranslated. Am I misinformed?

I am sorry to hear about your friend, Howard. It sounds like he was a very good man.

>61 jnwelch: I finally read this article you supplied, Joe. Thanks so much for sharing. I can't believe Lia Lee lived for 30 years. Wow! That is true family love.

Oh, yeah- Go Bears!!

I also loved The Spirit Catches You Joe, and Ex Libris too. Fadiman is a wonderful writer. And thanks for the Rockwell photos. I love his work and would love to make a trip to his museum.

>80 m.belljackson: Oh, and to vote on Gerard as Reacher, one goes here.

Hi Joe, just checking in and saying hello after being away for a bit. I am a Norman Rickwell fan and really enjoyed gazing at your opening artwork. :)

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is listed as receiving and many lists as a possible winner. Your review is stunning. I'll see if my local library has this one.

‘Morning, Joe!

>61 jnwelch: Thank you for that great follow-up article! I was profoundly moved by The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down when I read it in December of 2006.

>63 jnwelch: Finally. I’ve always said that 5’7” (optimistic, that) and dimples are NOT Jack Reacher. Good for Lee Child for finally seeing the error of his ways. Chris Hemsworth is almost tall enough at 6’3” but is awfully pretty. Here was my choice, with Lee Child on the left and Liam Neeson on the right. Craggy is imperative. Unfortunately, at 66, Neeson is now too old for the role.

>77 richardderus: Yeah, you're right about Cruise not having that anger or outrage. You two are making a good case for Gerard Butler as Reacher.

>78 m.belljackson: You got me, Marianne - I don't know Gerard's turn in "Point of No Return" in the Phantom. Not so polished an actor might work as Reacher - intriguing. Maybe so.

>79 richardderus: You've got me baffled, too, RD. I don't think GB was in Snowpiercer - I remember Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton and Ed Harris, but not GB. Different movie? I hadn't heard that Snowpiercer would be a TV series; that could be great.

>80 m.belljackson:, >81 richardderus: Thanks for the info, Marianne and Richard.

>82 benitastrnad: Yes! After seeing the movie, I checked out the Snowpiercer GNs, too, Benita. I agree, they're good.

>83 richardderus: Can't remember whether Snowpiercer was originally French, RD, but if so, it's definitely translated.

>84 msf59: Hiya, Mark. Thanks re friend Howard. He was a special one. I didn't know he'd founded the New School of Learning at DePaul, which has been a big success with non-traditional students. He also was President of Spertus and a key member of the Parliament of World Religions, among other things. A friend of the Dalai Lama, and Desmond Tutu, and he knew Nelson Mandela from a program Howard chaired in South Africa. One of those guys who seemed to live more than one life. Remarkable.

Go Bears! I wish the offense had kept it going better in the second half, but what a good win over a tough team!

Wasn't that an interesting article? Yeah, I was very curious about Lia's life after the book's ending, and it was heartening to see how The Spirit Catches You is widely used in schools.

>85 brenzi: Oh good, Bonnie. Isn't Fadiman a wonderful writer? Mary (bell7) recommended her At Large and At Small, so that'll be my next one.

>86 richardderus: Thanks, RD. I'm still mulling. I wonder whether there are any young actors coming up who would fit as Reacher?

>87 DeltaQueen50: Hiya, Judy. Good to see you. I'm glad you like the Rockwell toppers and are a Rockwell fan. We've got more fans in the 75ers than I expected.

>88 Whisper1: Hi, Linda. A "stunning" review. Thank you! I hope you can get your hands on Where the Crawdads Sing at the library. You'll love it, methinks.

>89 karenmarie: Morning, Karen!

Oh, you're welcome. I'm glad you checked out that follow-up article and liked it. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is impressive and moving, isn't it.

I know, I think Lee Child was initially excited about having an internationally famous movie star like Cruise play Reacher, but he's come around to realizing that Cruise doesn't fit the part. The second movie taking a nosedive no doubt contributed to that.

Someone else mentioned Liam Neeson. He does fit the craggy size, and certainly has the acting chops. Too bad he's aged out of the possibility. You're probably right that Chris Hemsworth is too pretty. Maybe there's an up-and-comer out there who fits.

Well I haven't got to the Reacher books yet, but I'll posit Richard Armitage - big rangy guy. I saw him on stage in The Crucible, amazing performance.

>90 jnwelch: You're correct, Joe, it was Chris Evans not Butler. He's a bit short at six feet even, and a bit too pretty despite his grubby look in Snowpiercer...plus he's set to play the dad role in Defending Jacob's TV series. I reviewed it for a 3.25-star read...I expect that will translate into a monster hit show.

>94 Caroline_McElwee: I think Armitage would do a good job in the role, Caroline, and he's the right age unlike *sigh* Liam Neeson *heavier sigh* though I'm still advocating my man Butler for the role.

>90 jnwelch: >95 richardderus:

Thanks, guys, you spared me from watching Tilda Swinton...

I haven't seen your GB in anything, but I shall take your recommendation I will like him Joe...

>94 Caroline_McElwee: I'm liking this Richard Armitage suggestion, Caroline. His looks qualify, and "amazing performance" sounds good to me.

>95 richardderus: Yeah, I agree, Richard. Chris Evans would be a little too pretty, and not quite big enough, although if he can play Captain America that seems a bit funny to say.

Richard Armitage is looking like a good pick to me. He's 6'3", not 6'5", but that's a heckuva lot better than 5'6" or 7". He's just a few years younger than GB, despite having those youthful good looks.

>96 m.belljackson: Ha! Sounds like you're not a Tilda Swinton fan, Marianne. She's okay in Snowpiercer, IMO, and not a reason to avoid it, unless your antipathy is strong.

>97 Caroline_McElwee: I think GB's more Richard's recommendation than mine, Caroline. I find his acting style a bit leaden, although I see the physical appeal. I can't imagine GB giving an amazing performance in The Crucible, so that weighs in Richard Armitage's favor for me.

Hi, Joe. Your friend Howard sounds like he was an amazing guy. You were fortunate to have befriended him.

My work day went fine, especially for a Monday, although I can't believe how chilly it has been. I am truly loving Virgil Wander. Only a 100 pages in, but this could make my Best of the Year list too. Keep it in mind.

Nancy warbled about The Poet X. It sounds good and completely in your wheelhouse. Have you heard of it?

>98 jnwelch:, >99 jnwelch:, >100 jnwelch: Well that's that then! We've solved Mr. Child's problem for him, two sterling choices from which his people can choose. Where do you suppose we go to collect our vig?

>102 richardderus: >99 jnwelch:

My daughter suggests 6 foot, 4 inch Alexander Skarsgard from True Blood.

Hi Joe! Anyone besides Cruise. Please!

And from way back on your last thread...What school did you attend in Massachusetts?

Morning, Joe!

Well, I've never read any of the Reacher stuff, but that won't stop me from suggesting Idris Elba for the role, because Elba should play All. The. Roles.

>97 Caroline_McElwee: >100 jnwelch: Yes, misread whose recommendation it was Joe.

Richard Armitage for Everything.
(He also does a nice line in audiobooks).

>101 msf59: Hiya, Mark. I'm glad the day went well. Another chilly one today. Yeesh. We deserve a few more degrees, seems to me.

Howard was an amazing guy, and his wife Connie, too. They met in grade school (!), and were married for 55 years. She took amazing care of him as he declined with illness the last three years. We were lucky to know them, you're right.

I'll keep an eye out as you continue Virgil Wander. I'm glad it's been so good so far. Yea, I've had Poet X on my WL for a while now; it's good to hear Nancy endorses it. You're right, it's in my wheelhouse, as far as I can tell.

Hmm, touchstones not working so far today.

P.S. Fixed.

>102 richardderus: I'm sure Lee Child knows how lucky he is to have us here doing the hard work for him, Richard. His unending gratitude and twenty bucks from our piggy bank should get us a couple of really good slices of carrot cake, maybe with java thrown in.

>103 m.belljackson: Alexander Skarsgard looks like a great suggestion, Marianne. Please give our thanks to your daughter. Wait until Lee sees our suggestions; he's going to be over the moon, don't you think?

>104 Berly: Ha! Anyone besides Cruise. Please! We're all with you, Kim. Although Danny Devito may have aged out of the part.

I'm a Harvard guy, believe it or not. What they were thinking in admitting me is anyone's guess.

>105 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

Ha! Idris Elba is a great suggestion for Reacher. Debbi and I were talking about him for the part, too. I worried about him being too old for it, but he could pull it off, no doubt.

>106 Caroline_McElwee: No worries, Caroline. I can barely sort it out myself. :-)

>107 charl08: Richard Armitage for everything. Ha! That seals the deal for me, Charlotte. Now I need to catch a play with him in it.

>110 jnwelch: I'm interested in Idris to transform Bond.

>90 jnwelch:

Even if Gerard's singing (yes, he tried!) doesn't work for you,

The Phantom of the Opera movie is totally worth your time for the opening Opera House
and Emmy Rossum's voice!

Oh hey! What about Joel Kinnaman from Altered Carbon? He's got a Reachertude.

>114 richardderus:

Never heard of Joel Kinnaman: he's definitely got that Brando could-go-any-way-I-feel-like stare.

>112 Caroline_McElwee: Me, too, Caroline. I hope they let Idris portray Bond. I'm a fan of Daniel Craig in the role, but I'd like to see Idris do it, too.

>113 m.belljackson: Ah, gotcha, Marianne. The Phantom of the Opera movie, with GB and Emmy Rossum. I never would've guessed those two were in it!

>114 richardderus:, >115 m.belljackson: What a good suggestion, Richard! I really liked Altered Carbon (I know, not everyone did), and Joel Kinneman was excellent in it. He could definitely pull off Reacher.



Lee Child may have to send us on an all expenses paid Hawaiian vacation after he sees this group of Reacher possibilities.

Marianne, if you like sci-fi or hunks, you may want to check out the Altered Carbon series. I'm hoping that they do a second one, as it's a multi-book series by Richard Morgan.

Emmy Rossum! There was a name we were supposed to hear a lot. Did we, and I just slept through it?

>117 jnwelch: I believe fans of "Shameless" remain enamored of Emmy Rossum, Richard. That's where she's been the last eight years: https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/30/entertainment/emmy-rossum-leaving-shameless/index... I've never watched the show, but Madame MBH spoke highly of it.

>119 jnwelch: OIC
Well, I remain innocent of that show's charms. If not one single other thing on earth.

Idris Elba needs to be Bond; Eric the Vampire needs to make porn with Channing Tatum. I'm really likin' the idea of Kinnaman, especially since his 2019 is going to be a Swedish TV series and filming a movie as an autistic boy's dad. *yawn*

I think I will put myself forward for the role of Reacher, I am 6' 4", around his age and just need to do a few workouts to hone the physique. I am chortling as I write this, hope it makes a few others laugh.

Hello Joe!

I had suggested Thomas Jane (probably too old), but my brother, a longtime Reacher fan, is all about Dave Batista.

>120 richardderus: It's good to know you're innocent of at least one thing, Richard. We'll focus on that.

I like Channing Tatum - if Eric the Vampire = Eric Trump, I wouldn't want to inflict that on CT. Actually, I wouldn't want to inflict that Eric on anyone, except maybe Mitch McConnell.

>121 johnsimpson: Ha! I can see you playing Reacher, for sure, John. It might be a more cerebral take on the character, but that's not all bad. I think the biggest problem would be that you and Richard Armitage look so much alike. As talented as you are, RA is the more experienced actor.

>122 brodiew2: Hiya, Brodie. I can see why you'd think of Thomas Jane, but I agree about the age problem. Dave Bautista is a lot of fun on the screen in the Guardians movies, but somehow he doesn't make me think of our lanky pal Reacher. Debbi and I thought about the Rock for the part; same problem.

No no no no no no no no!!!


Eric the Vampire! Alexander Skarsgård in True Blood...I do not mention, even tangentially, the offspring of 45 unless the context includes the words "indictment," "guilty plea," and/or "felony charge."

>124 richardderus: Oh. You know, Richard, I may have made a terrible mistake between the Erics, but I don't think we needed the stabbing visual amongst the cafe food and beverages and general bonhomie. Yikes!

The only solution I can think of is, yes, carrot cake.



I'm with you on indictment, guilty plea, and/or felony charge, and I'm sure that Channing will be relieved - at least when he sees Alexander in more peaceful mode.

We're going to be driving to Pittsburgh today for Thanksgiving, so please make free use of the premises. A Happy Thanksgiving to all our USA-ian pals! And to all those who like to celebrate whenever given a chance.

Have a good drive!

Happy Wednesday, Joe. Safe travels, my friend. I started Crawdads and it grabbed me right away. Yah!!

Happy Thanksgiving Joe. Thanks for the >125 jnwelch:

>126 jnwelch:

Happy Thanksgiving to ALL your Family!

(from me and the neighbor's Rooster that just crowed on my front porch.)

When you return and are again relaxed, your poems came and went pretty quickly from last thread...
any chance of publishing them one more time? I'd like to mention my three favorites.

You also might enjoy today's Thanksgiving contribution to Alt-Lit.

Have a safe trip and a happy celebration!

Is Lee Child following your thread so he can consider this awesome list we're developing?

>126 jnwelch: Hey, I used that same image over on my thread -- before I saw Snoopy here! Great minds....

Safe travels and Happy Thanksgiving, my friend.

Late dropping in, Joe, but love the Norman Rockwell pictures. I grew up with his work all over the place.

Happy Thanksgiving and have some great family time.

Loving the list here for Lee. He really owes you big time!

Harvard, huh? My Dad went there. I am an Amherst girl, although I took Organic Chemistry at Harvard one summer. My head hurt a little from cramming, but otherwise I had a great time. : )

Safe travels. Wishing you family fun and lots of great food. Happy Thanksgiving!

Safe travels, happy arrivals, fun visits, and swift partings.

>127 The_Hibernator:. Thanks, Rachel! The drive was fine. A lot of traffic, but it kept moving.

>128 msf59:. Thanks, buddy. Yay for Crawdads! It’s got birds, too. :-)

Have a great Thanksgiving, my friend.

>129 Caroline_McElwee:. Thanks, Caroline. You’re welcome! No carrot cake, but there’s going to be a whole lotta food going on here tomorrow.

>130 m.belljackson:. Thanks, Marianne. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Which poems are we talking about from the last thread? By someone else? By me?

If I don’t get to Alt-Lit tonight, I’ll stop by tomorrow.

>131 Familyhistorian:. Thanks, Meg. We’re already having a good time, and tomorrow brings lots of folks and lots of food.

>132 EBT1002:, >135 EBT1002:. Hiya, Ellen. It is an awesome list of actors to potentially play Reacher, isn’t it. Somewhere up there RD gave a link to an article about the new series where we can leave suggestions in the comments. I put Richard Armitage’s name in, but need to add the others.

Great minds do think alike! Yours is more efficient - I’ve got a bunch of extra space in the middle of mine.

Thanks - I hope you and P have a great Thanksgiving!

>133 ronincats:. Thanks, Roni. I’m glad you like the Rockwells. I didn’t grow up with them around, but my appreciation has grown via Debbi’s family.

I hope you have a great Thanksgiving, too.

>134 Berly:. Isn’t that a great list for Lee?

Your Dad went there, too - is he as big of a jerk as I am? Probably not. I set a pretty high standard.

Organic chemistry? Are you crazy? Actually, I’m impressed. There’s no way I’d have taken that in college, but now I’m much more interested.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your gang!

>136 richardderus:. Thanks, RD. Travel was safe, arrival was happy (including three dogs leaping about), visit is plenty fun so far (that little Rafa is a stitch), and we’ll part swiftly on our return.

Hope you enjoy the long holiday weekend, my friend.

Thanks! I came back to advise that the pain of withdrawal from grandchild-dandling will be bluntable should y'all decide to Netflix up season 3 of The Last Kingdom, out now! Episode 1 is some vibrant and intense storytelling.

...when you put it THAT way...

>143 richardderus: :-)

Have fun with Rafa, Joe!

Enjoy your trip Joe.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, Joe.

>142 richardderus:, >143 richardderus: Ha! It is going to be tough to leave the dandling of young Rafa, Richard. The Last Kingdom, eh? I'll take a look.

The earth is the only place that has coffee? Holy caffeine, I'm more motivated than ever to save the planet. It was tough to rise up from under a post-Thanksgiving torpor until I got a latte today from a nearby cafe.

>144 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen! The little Rafa guy is such a fun fellow. He hung out just fine with a big Thanksgiving crowd yesterday. Hungry or sleepy, he lets you know about it, but otherwise he's enjoying the world.

>147 jnwelch:

Holiday Rafa photos will be most welcome here!

Yes, the poems to be reprised are the ones you wrote.
I think you inspired Ellen to also share hers.

>145 humouress: Thanks, Nina. This is a change for us. We used to gather at my Dad's house in Ann Arbor for Thanksgiving, but with him gone, we're in Pittsburgh with son Jesse's gang. We're having a very fine time - last night we took Rafa duty, and he had us up in the wee hours, but finally settled down and gave us some solid sleep. I hope you had a good Thanksgiving.

>146 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy. A belated Happy Thanksgiving to you - I'm still getting used to the different date in Canada!

Happy Friday, Joe. I am sure you had a terrific holiday with the family yesterday and you were able to see a very sweet Bears win, to boot.

I am enjoying a long weekend, although I thought they may have needed me to work, today or tomorrow. Hey, I'll make the best of it. I went on a hike with Bree and Duke earlier and then came home and worked on leaves. Ugh...least favorite outdoor task.

I finished the excellent Virgil Wander and you will be glad to hear that I am finally starting One Goal. I should knock out a few pages today.

>150 msf59:. Hoorah! One Goal! I’m rather fond of that one, as you probably noticed, Mark. I think you’re really going to enjoy it. I was elated that The Washington Post made it a holiday pick. I’m rooting for it to catch on widely.

We are having a terrific family get-together, and just went to Shabbat services at a local temple. There’s still a lot of security at Pittsburgh temples after the Tree of Life shooting, but it was a beautiful service with a lot of music.

I’ glad you’re enjoying the long weekend, and I hope they don’t call you in. Hiking with Bree and Duke sounds like just the ticket.

That was one sweet Bears victory. What a tough turn around from beating Minnesota Sunday night to this one - and without Trubisky. Wow.

Hi Joe!

Happy Thanksgiving weekend.

Hi, Karen! Happy Thanksgiving weekend. I hope you’re having a good one.

We’re at a vets in Pittsburgh. Our daughter’s dog Indy probably ate something she shouldn’t have. She’s in getting fluids while they figure it out.

Happy Saturday, Joe. Keep us updated about Indy! Do you guys head back tomorrow?

>154 msf59:. Hi, Mark. Indy is fine, thanks. They’ve sent in some -ahem - for testing, but we’re pretty sure it’s something she ate. They gave an anti-nausea shot and fluids, and we’re back at the house and she seems to be doing fine again.

Yes, we drive back tomorrow. This’ll be interesting, as we’ve volunteered for night time Rafa duty. Poor guy is teething, and is not sleeping much, and Adriana’s folks have to leave super early to fly back to Texas.

Hope things are going well for you, and you’re enjoying some family time.

>155 jnwelch: Thanks for the Indy update, Joe. Glad to hear the little guy is doing fine. Please watch the weather reports for your return tomorrow. Bad weather moving in. It will start with rain and change to snow. Hopefully, you will miss it.

>156 msf59:. Thanks, Mark. We’ll keep a close eye on the weather reports. Last we knew, our timing was looking pretty good.

Safe Travels, Mark! I will vote with Amber. >105 scaifea:

Safe travels, Joe!

Sorry Indy had a visit to the vet, glad to hear she is doing fine now.

Get home safe and sound.

>158 banjo123:. Thanks, Rhonda. I suspect you mean “Joe” not Mark, as I believe Mark is only traveling between the fridge and the couch.

>159 FAMeulstee:. Thanks, Anita. Indy is looking better and better. And she’s definitely recovered her energy as a 2 year old.

>160 richardderus:. Thanks, Richard. We’ll be careful on the road tomorrow.

>148 m.belljackson:. I think I missed your post, Marianne.

Thanks! I should be able to post some Rafa photos and the Joe poems when we get back.

> 161. Sorry, Joe. Though Mark could get into trouble between couch and frig

Looking forward to Rafa pics and Joe poems

>6 jnwelch: I didn't know punting meant anything other than being pushed about on a boat! Interesting :)

All the Jack Reacher talk makes me want want to *brag* about how I (sort of) met Lee Childs the other day. I volunteered to help at his talking event last week. I caught a bit of his talk and he was a seasoned performer, and very comfortable on stage telling stories. Some amusing anecdotes too, and he all but apologised for the Tom Cruise casting for the films!

>163 banjo123: You guys know me well. B.A.G.

Have a safe trip, Joe. Beat the weather!!

I spent two days in Nashville with my sister and my niece. Came back to Alabama yesterday. My sister left Nashville this morning and rain smack into snow just west of Columbia, MO. She will be spending the night in KC with one of my cousins. My mother didn’t have electricity this morning out there in rural Kansas. However, the snow has stopped out there so now it is just a matter of waiting for the wind to die down.

Hope your journey is a safe one, Joe. I haven't even driven out our driveway since last Tuesday. Folks came to us oldies. Doing some home library housekeeping, trying to gobble all the leftovers. I've set myself a December challenge to read only books written by women. I've got 15 books/authors queued up. Haven't read any of these authors...yet. Yeah, I know I can't read them all in the days remaining in 2018. Listed alphabetically by authors for now, to be read as whim directs. Starting with Gordimer.

Snowpiercer was originally written in French and published in France with the movie being a Korean production. Does that make it truly an international art or what?

France, Italy, and Germany have had a thriving graphic novel publishing market since the 1950’s. They are still doing great stuff. Try out the Corte Maltese novels by Hugo Pratt. I have been purchasing French and Italian graphic novels for the last several years as we have professors in both of those languages that use both the original language and the English translations in classes.

Hi Joe! Happy first weekday after the Thanksgiving holiday.

I hope you're home safe and sound. Sorry about Indy's misadventure, hope she's fully recovered.

>167 weird_O: Interesting mini-challenge you've set for yourself, Bill. I haven't read Gordimer either. Who else is on that list?

Joe--Are you back from cavorting around and playing with Rafa? Did you get any sleep?

>163 banjo123: Ha! I suspect Mark is an expert at getting into trouble most anywhere, Rhonda (wow, is that the pot calling the kettle black!)

Here are a couple of Rafa pics, one with his Bubbe, and one working hard on his abacus. I'll bring the poems over later - thanks for taking an interest!

>172 jnwelch: *faints from rush of Papaw hormones*

>164 LovingLit: Yes, here people would immediately think of kicking the ball in American football when they heard "punting", Megan. And most would be mystified if you said you meant being pushed about in a boat.

Even within the country we can have different meanings - in many Southern areas, ordering a "Coke" just refers to a soft drink, and if you order one, you get asked "what kind"; up north where I am it means the particular brand. Grinder means a type of sandwich in New England, and something you grind coffee beans of other food with elsewhere. Gotta love it!

That's a good brag - I'd love to meet Lee Child and thank him, and to hear some of his stories. That's funny that he all but apologised for casting Cruise; he's obviously heard all the pushback.

>165 msf59: Thanks, Mark. Ha! We do know you well, but I have to admit I'm pretty good at getting into trouble myownself (particularly with my esteemed spouse).

We had a safe trip back, thanks - our timing was excellent. We had dry roads all the way to Chicago, and it had just started raining when we entered the city. What a mess over night with the weather! I'm grateful we weren't driving when it hit.

>173 richardderus: Ha! He's irresistible, that little guy, isn't he, Richard.

>166 benitastrnad: Hi, Benita. Jeesh. I don't think of there being impeding snow in those areas. I'm glad everyone's safe.

>167 weird_O: The journey was a safe one, thanks, Bill. I envy you having the young 'uns come to the oldsters. We may swing that in the future, although the other pair of oldsters is in Texas, so it'll take some figgerin'. We're going back to Pittsburgh at Christmastime; my sister and her husband live there, too, with their son close by (daughter in LA), so we can gather a good bit of family.

Good for you for setting yourself the women author challenge. I've never read Gordimer, so I'll look for your reactions to the book by her and those by the others.

>168 benitastrnad: Hi, Benita. I have read Hugo Pratt and Corto Maltese, which were fun. He's kind of a James Bond-sy sailor character in the early 1900s. That's cool that you have profs using French and Italian graphic novels to teach. More recommendations are welcome.

>169 karenmarie: Hi, Karen. Thanks - we got home safely, with good driving conditions. Then Mother Nature dumped all over Chicago with snow and ice. Many schools are closed, and we canceled everything, except we'll walk to the grocery store later on.

Indy has bounced back strongly after being really sick. It's good to be a 2 year old dog, I guess. They were so nice to her at the vets, and it almost certainly was something she got into and ate that she shouldn't have.

>170 laytonwoman3rd: I'm sure on that "haven't read Gordimer" list, Linda. I've looked at her books, and never got sufficiently enticed. Maybe Bill will blaze a trail for the likes of us.

>171 Berly: We are back from cavorting around and playing with Rafa, Kim. I did get some sleep Saturday night, thanks - since I was doing most of the driving yesterday, Madame MBH insisted I sleep while she took care of the grandbaby (we tried to give the new parents as much of a break as possible). We found out today that he not only had a tooth come in, but he had an ear infection. No wonder he was having trouble sleeping, poor little guy. The antibiotics should get him back to his usual self pretty quickly. He's a sweet one; his parents are doing a great job with him. He even went back to daycare today after getting cleared for it.

I will say that after a busy few days with family and friends and nights of watching over Rafa, I was wiped, and conked out at 8 o'clock last night, not waking up until 6 am!

Here's Rafa getting some tooth-soothing from frozen plastic keys, and blessedly asleep for a while.

I caved. I purchased a copy of Killing Commendatore last night at Barnes & Noble. I went in to make a Christmas book purchase for my step-niece and it was just calling my name. I couldn’t resist. I got a Christmas present for somebody else and got one for myself. (Like I need another book.)

Oh - and I purchased War That Saved My Life for the niece. It was a Newbery Honor Book and I loved it when I read it. (Actually I listened to it on one of my trips to Kansas and loved the narrator. It is the same person who narrates the Flavia De Luce books and she is very good.). I hope that she loves it as much. If she does, I will know what to get her for a birthday gift.

Hello Joe! I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving!

>178 jnwelch: cute pics. Raffa is definitely someone to be thankful for. (my bad grammar and all. :-P)3

I am entering the home stretch on Lightning Men and dreamed up these casting choice for Boggs and Smith. What do you think?

Lucius Boggs and Tommy Smith (younger)



Sterling K. Brown and Michael B. Jordan

>180 brodiew2: Didn't they play father and son in ‘Black Panther’?

>180 brodiew2: Wow! You are right about that, humouress! They share one scene together toward the end. Very cool observation that I missed.

>180 brodiew2: Total +1 on Brodie's casting! Genius, my man, pure and simple.

>183 richardderus: Thanks, Richard! I got two more if we fast forward a couple of decades...

>184 brodiew2: Let's take the time as it comes, no need to rush.

>179 benitastrnad: Yay for Killing Commendatore! Good for you, Benita. We all deserve to treat ourselves once in a while. I hope it hits the spot for you.

You probably saw that Madame MBH and I are fans of The War That Saved My LIfe; fingers crossed for your niece enjoying it. We have the second one now, but haven't read it yet.

>180 brodiew2:, >181 humouress:, >182 brodiew2:, >183 richardderus:, >184 brodiew2:, >185 richardderus: Great casting - Sterling Brown and Michael B. Jordan for Lightning Men. I think it's perfect. As Richard says, genius. Good catch on their being father and son in The Black Panther, Nina. I didn't remember that either.

>178 jnwelch: Too cute.

Finally getting caught up a bit, Joe and wending my way slowly through the threads of my pals.

I trust that your Thanksgiving Weekend went off swimmingly.

>187 PaulCranswick: Hiya, Paul. Good to see you back on the threads, buddy. Our Thanksgiving weekend did go off swimmingly, thanks. We're glad to be home for a while, and then we head back for 10 days at Christmas. Hope all is well in your part of the world - I know it's been a challenging year for you.

Off to the cafe for the morning; somehow winter got suspended.

>189 jnwelch: Ooh, lovely!

Rafa is certainly a charming little guy! It looks like your holiday was a good one!

>189 jnwelch: Wish you could wave the wand over here for that too: it's dark and it's not even 5pm yet. Boo (etc).

Gorgeous pictures of the little one. That teething ring looks like it is doing a v. good job...

>189 jnwelch: That looks lovely Joe. Enjoy.

Nice to see young Rafa too. Happy Bubbe too.

Ahhhhhh you new thread has me on sexy man and adorable baby overload!!
Hope you enjoyed your visit with your wee grand babe

>189 jnwelch: Oh myyyy those are beautiful bougainvillea vines!

Happy Book Birthdays!

>190 foggidawn: Right, foggi? A good place to spend some mental time.

>191 Whisper1: Hi, Linda. Thanks! He is a charming little guy. Madame MBH just found some pics from Thanksgiving of him and me that I'll post in a bit. I hope you had a grand Thanksgiving yourownself.

>192 charl08: Ha! I know, Charlotte. This can be a dark and sometimes dismal time of year; a little color (colour) helps.

We got an update today on the teething and ear infection, and young Rafa is doing much better. The antibiotics are tackling the ear infection, and they got lots of good advice for the tooth - one I hadn't heard of before was having him chew on a frozen washcloth. I wish we'd thought of that one with ours. Tylenol, too, of course. So he's sleeping better and not hurting like he was.

>193 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline. Isn't that a fine-looking spot. Bubbe had a grand (!)) time with her Rafa. She just found some photos of me with him, so I'll post those later. We have run off to doctor appointments (routine) soon.

>194 ChelleBearss: Hi, Chelle! Ahhhhhh you new thread has me on sexy man and adorable baby overload!! What could be better? Well, in my case, it would be sexy woman, but still. :-)

We did enjoy our visit with the wee grand babe very much, and already are looking forward to seeing him again in less than a month.

>195 richardderus: Right, Richard? I'll see ya in the bougainvillas.

Happy Book Birthdays? My slow-mo brain is drawing a blank. What books are celebrating birthdays, or is it all of them?

Save me a spot among the bougainvillas as well, Joe. That looks like the perfect place to sit, sip a coffee and read a few pages of my current book.

>198 DeltaQueen50: Will do, Judy. Isn't that a perfect spot for our favorite thing to do?

Madame MBH found this run of photos from our Thanksgiving weekend. Rafa is wearing his turkey hat and Thanksgiving outfit; I'm holding his favorite giraffe toy (good for chewing).

Adorable, though that first pic looks more like a dog hat (wink, wink...)

>197 jnwelch: Tradition demands that books be brought out on Tuesdays. It's still more or less the debut day despite the whole "you can buy it online 24/7/365" thing.

>200 jnwelch: *baaawww* So adorable! And Rafa's cute too.

>201 jessibud2: Ha! Many of the photos have a dog photo-bombing, Shelley, including that one. If you look carefully at the one up in >172 jnwelch:, Rafa and Bubbe are surrounded by a dog pillow and a dog.

>202 richardderus: Ah! Thank you, Richard. You'd think I'd know about that Tuesdays tradition, but I didn't.

You're a charmer, you are, buddy. I love that last one with the little guy cracking up.

Shell Game by Sarah Paretsky

This is an ER book, and the newest V.I. Warshawski mystery. I had read a couple of the early ones in this series (this is the 20th), and liked them, but wasn't motivated to read more. I'd say the same for this one. It's very competently done, and has gotten positive reviewer responses, but it just didn't grab me enough, not the way series like the Eve Dallas, Ruth Galloway or Fiona Griffiths ones recently have.

A mentor of V.I.W. needs her help when the police are strenuously trying to pin a murder on the mentor's nephew, Felix, who’s a member of an engineering group that includes Middle Eastern students. Felix doesn't trust VIW, and is hiding something important. Meanwhile, VIW's niece Harmony shows up with her own problem - her older sister Reno, who lives in Chicago, has disappeared, after a business trip that may have had its own shady doings. Trumpish rich men behave badly and are taking advantage where they ought not. VIW keeps pushing, and all the loose threads begin to weave together, with her awful and awfully arrogant ex-husband somehow involved. Her sharp wits and some derring-do lead to a satisfying result. Three stars, with a tip of the hat to her fans who undoubtedly would rate it higher.

I spent the day at home doing my Christmas baking. King Arthur FLour declared 2018 the year of the Bundt Cake, so today I baked two. One was a Poppyseed Orange Cake and the other was Pumpkin Espresso. They both turned out well and look great. I still have to glaze the Pumpkin cake and since it uses coffee as a base I decided that a trip to Starbucks (four blocks from my house) was in order. And then a trip to Target to get laundry supplies. I am out of bleach.

I am then going to deliver the cakes. Must get them out of my house as I need room in my kitchen for the bread I will be baking this weekend.

There was even time for a little reading. I am almost done with Accidental Billionaires. I decided I needed to know more about this fellow Mark Zuckerberg. So far little of what I have learned is good.

Love all the pics of the beautiful Rafa Joe. Could it be any more fun? Being a grandparent I mean lol.

>200 jnwelch: I LOVE the photos of you and Rafa. Love the turkey hat. I know Debbi is Bubbe. Are you just Grandpa?

Hi, Joe. I know we chatted earlier today but I thought I would stop by. I just entered the second half of One Goal, which I am really enjoying. I know very little about soccer but she is pulling me right in. I am seeing parallels here with, The Spirit Catches You. Did you get that vibe?

You have got me very excited about Citizen Illegal. Did you read the Tribune's review on it, by Kathleen Rooney? If not- good stuff:

https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/books/sc-books-citizen-illegal-jose-ol...

>200 jnwelch: adorable!

>205 benitastrnad: Sounds like you've had a grand time baking, Benita. Bundt cakes (Poppyseed Orange and Pumpkin Espresso), and the bread this weekend. I'm sure the recipients are appreciative.

I know nada about Accidental Billionaires, but I guess I'm not surprised you've found little to admire. It would be nice to hear an inspiring billionaire story, wouldn't it.

>206 brenzi: Thanks, Bonnie. He's something else, that kid. In a Colombia mall, locals were asking whether he was the Gerber baby(!) He does look like it, doesn't he. Being a grandparent is a blast. We make a point of not critiquing the parents, and giving advice only when asked. Otherwise, we ooh and ahh and have fun. And try to help the parents get some sleep.

>207 msf59: Hiya, Mark. I enjoyed our exchanges about Where the Crawdads Sing today!

Thanks re the Rafa photo. Debbi is Bubbe, a traditional Yiddish name for grandmother. I'm Tampa - the nickname of my grandfather (on my mom's side).

I love the comparison of One Goal: A Coach, A Team to The Spirit Catches You! Both are largely about the importance of listening to, not making assumptions about, and coming to understand other cultures, aren't they. I had not thought of it until you mentioned it.

I LOVED Citizen Illegal! It shot to #1 for me. Fatimah Asghar's If They Come For Us is getting raves, too, so we'll see. And Ada Limon's The Carrying is still up there. I can't wait to hear what you think of Citizen Illegal! I'll try to do a mini-review in the next couple of days.

I missed the Kathleen Rooney review of Citizen Illegal in the Trib, so thank you very much for the link. I'll read it either tonight or tomorrow.

>208 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel. That adorable Rafa makes us all smile. Thank goodness we see him again in less than a month - we already miss the little guy.

>210 jnwelch: Hooray for Tampa! Sounds cosmopolitan. I like this burst of poetry recs. I have "Evolution: Poems", by Eileen Myles. Have you read her before?

I also recommend I Kill Giants. It reminded me of A Monster Calls. My next GN, is Blame This on the Boogie. It is getting some good buzz.

>212 msf59: Ha! My sister suggested Tampa, and we liked it. I read a big one by Eileen Myles last year; I Must Be Living Twice. Good, but it didn't get me revved up like these others.

I Kill Giants looks good; thanks for the rec. I added it to the WL.

How did it go with On a Sunbeam? Not that great?

You might like On a Sunbeam more than I did. It was very long and hard to follow at times. It is a big, ambitious GN, but it didn't always work for me.

>214 msf59: Thanks, Mark. I'll give it a go, I'm sure. Maybe On a Sunbeam will appeal more to my sci-fi inclinations.

>200 jnwelch: Good thing you told us who’s who Joe. It’s hard to tell the two of you apart, except for the height difference.

>197 jnwelch: >202 richardderus: Seems like you two have your own thing going on....

Rafa is looking as handsome as ever, and so huggable. Those little footed onesies make them so cuddly, don't they? *happy sigh*

Great pictures of Rafa with Tampa. Love his onesie! Great smile in the last one.

Rafa is definitely good for a smile:-)

>216 humouress: Ha! I know, we could be twins, Nina. It helps that I'm a little bit larger.

Richard and I go way back, and we're both nuttier than a fruitcake, don't you think?

>217 scaifea: He's a huggable boy, that Rafa. Thanks, Amber. Ha! You and Madame MBH can have a happy sigh conversation about footed onesies. She's a bit over the moon about him.

>218 Caroline_McElwee: Aren't those great pictures, Caroline? It made my day when Debbi found them. It's interesting - in Colombia they (the Colombian relatives) didn't want him wearing onesies. As a "little man" he needed to wear little button down shirts and shorts. It did have the benefit of his receiving new clothes from them.

Isn't that last picture a hoot? I almost just posted that one, but I figured his fans would enjoy seeing the others.

>219 EllaTim: Right, Ella? He sure makes a lot of people happy, that little guy. And of course he's developing so fast. I laugh at our son, who started walking at nine months and seemingly running, climbing and jumping, too. Pretty soon he's going to be chasing after Rafa, who already at 7 months is a pretty fast crawler.

Another fine spot to spend the day.

'Morning, Joe!

Excellent pics of you and Rafa.

>209 jnwelch: We make a point of not critiquing the parents, and giving advice only when asked. Otherwise, we ooh and ahh and have fun. Lucky Rafa parents to have you for parents.

>216 humouress:, >220 jnwelch: ...I beg your pardon...? I barely know the, the person to whom you are referring.

I, for one, am fruitier than a nutcake as well.

>222 jnwelch: Ohhhhhhhh

What do you suppose the pink stuff is? I found myself wishing for some rosé on my second, third, and fourth bandage changes last night. Bad time for the knee.

>223 karenmarie: Morning/Afternoon, Karen!

Thanks re the pics.

Ha! Besides being the right way to grandparent, in our opinion, no critiquing and giving advice only when asked have the advantage of their liking having us around. They actually want us there for 10 days at Christmas, so that's what we're doing.

>224 richardderus: LOL! I join you, Richard, in the fruitier than a nutcake gang.

Pink stuff: Kalanchoe, maybe? Purple maybe is some kind of clematis?

Sorry to hear about the bad time for your knee. Lots of bandage changes = seepage of some sort?

Nothing so mild as seepage, drat the luck. Several rocks of tophus pushed out of the fragile areas of skin so there was out-and-out bleeding.

I didn't tickle.

>226 richardderus: Ouch! My sympathy, mon frere. That sounds rough. It's going better today, I hope.

Catching up on your thread, Joe, and sending thanks for the Murder in Thrall recommendation. My library had it on audio with no queue, so I'm happily enjoying it. Your Berkshires trip sounds great. My daughter has gone to summer camp in West Stockbridge for 8 or 9 years (first as a camper, now as a counselor) and we all love Six Depot (your photo in >7 jnwelch: above).

Hi, Joe. I hope you had a good day. I know you have some good books going.

I might be getting close to wrapping up One Goal. Loving it.

>200 jnwelch: Oh my goodness! Rafa is so adorable!!

>228 vivians: Hi, Vivian. Oh, good! Isn't Murder in Thrall a happy read? I had to go and read the following ones in the series immediately. Doyle and Acton!

We had such a good time on our Berkshires trip. My wife grew up there, and our kids went to the Audubon camp there for many summers. That was my first trip to Six Depot; I loved it, too.

>229 msf59: It was a good day, thanks, Mark. Yeah, I finished Nowhere Boy, and can recommend it when you're in the mood for a good YA read. Now I've started Washington Black. (Finally! What an LT hit it has been). I'm getting back to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child today, and starting Fatimah Asghar's If They Come for Us. Should be a most excellent reading day, fingers crossed.

Yay for One Goal: A Coach, A Team! Isn't it good? I'm happy and not surprised you're loving it - it had "Mark" written all over it :-)

>230 Copperskye: Ha! Thanks, Joanne! Isn't he? (Said his totally unbiased grandpa). Rafa's sweet one in person, too.

Rafa at a restaurant with the grownups in Pittsburgh

Wow, that's a great face he's pulling. "WHAT are you people DOING??" 😀

>233 drneutron: Ha! Isn't that great, Jim? He called the meeting to order, and we're all messing around.

>232 jnwelch: *baaawww* sooooo cuuuuuuuuuuuute

For those who enjoy YA books, Nowhere Boy, about a Syrian refugee in Belgium who's helped by an American boy, is really good.

You may remember that I loved Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey. It's now an audiobook read by Claire Danes, and the audio is getting raves. https://www.amazon.com/The-Odyssey/dp/B07GL4J6Z1/ref=mt_audio_download?_encoding...

I hope to do a mini-review of Citizen Illegal, by Mexican-American José Olivarez. For those who enjoy reading poetry, give this one a go. It may be my favorite of the year. It just got nominated for a Pushcart Prize and some other award. Nice guy, too.

At some point, I plan to get my own poems over here from previous threads, per Marianne's request.

>232 jnwelch: 'hey, where's my menu?'

>236 jnwelch: which reminds me I need to read the final third of The Odyssey. I went great guns with it, but didn't want to take it on holiday with me, and didn't get back to it. Happens.

>237 Caroline_McElwee:. Ha! Pull up a chair, Caroline! We’ll find you a menu. The pierogies are to die for. Cute guy running the meeting, too.

I know what you mean about not taking The Odyssey on holiday. Size, and for me, need for concentration. I broke off halfway through whopper-size Killing Commendatore for the same reason. Can’t wait to hear what you think of her translation when you’re done.

>222 jnwelch: Can't see the picture :-(
If I open in a new window I get a notification "This site is not available in your country". The www isn't worldwide anymore...

>239 FAMeulstee: Hi, Anita. Huh. Sorry you can't see the picture in >222 jnwelch:. It's huge, and shows a beautiful flowered patio with comfortable chairs, looking out over forested hills to the water. That "not available in your country" stuff drives me crazy when it happens. We should have worldwide for all of it.

Hello Joe!

>232 jnwelch: Rafa looks like he is commanding quite an audience.

I finished up Lightning Men Enter finally discovered a way to listen to Rogue Heroes on audio. My new phone makes it much more comfortable to listen to downloaded audio books from the library system. I'm pleased to say that Seven for a Secret is also on the TBR list for early next year.

>236 jnwelch: Wow, Claire Danes reading Emily Wilson's translation! That must have been quite an experience for her, and hopefully, for us.

My poetry group is still reading the Iliad, but I'm way behind, having missed two or three months in a row. This Saturday I rejoin the tribe, and I hope I can catch up before we meet.

>241 brodiew2: Hello Brodie!

I know, Rafa has doting parents and grandparents, and so far doesn't mind us being his continuing audience.

You know I'm a Lightning Men fan and that I love me some Ben Macintyre. How are you liking Rogue Heroes? Do you mean the Lyndsay Faye Seven for a Secret on your tbr? The touchstone in your post goes to an unlikely one?

>242 ffortsa: I know, I'm excited about Claire Danes reading Emily Wilson's The Odyssey, Judy. I read the Robert Fagles translation, and also enjoyed the audio (Ian Mckellen!), and may have to do the same with this one.

Which translation of The Iliad are you reading for your poetry group? (Apologies if you told me before).

Ode to Cheese Fries

golden goo of artificial deliciousness,
what probably lines
my stomach with sunlike grease for weeks after
eating the yellow
so yellow it could only be manufactured, so what
if it's fake?

as much cheese content as Apple Jolly Ranchers -
i come from
a city of foreclosure foreclosure empty lot. city
where we got
dollar-store-brand action figures - so what
my Wolverine didn't

have retractable claws or the right uniform?
so my joy
at Pano's my favorite fried-everything spot -
the cashier's voice
a box of Newports filtered through throat -
i didn't know

i would miss this home where the patties
come from freezers
and maybe not ever from cows or even animals -
i live in
a city that brags about its organic fair-trade
quinoa-fed beef -

of course i miss the '90s playing in the restaurant -
the Back Street Boys
live in Cal City where the band never breaks up,
the song plays
on repeat as the cashier takes my order, say it with me -
cheese fries please -

give me everything artificial including cardboard fries,
the bread fresh
out of some Walmart cloning experiment - throw in
a cold pop -
i want a joy so fake it stains my insides &
never fades away

* * * *

Note: Rose that Grows from Concrete

the inspirational slogan wants you to believe you are a rose, but consider the
emperor's muddy boot. you could be a rose or concrete, the record suggests
the boot sees both both as a welcome mat. we need a new metaphor. a seed is bet-
ter. but when seeds grow, who gets the fruit? fuck it. be a rusty nail. make
the emperor howl.

****

In Citizen Illegal Chicagoan Jose Olivarez draws on his Mexican-American experience and heritage in a collection that is profound and provoking. He's second generation, and his parents have aspirations for him.

One set of poems sprinkled throughout the book are all titled "Mexican Heaven". Here are three:

Mexican Heaven

all the Mexican women refuse to cook or clean
or raise the kids or pay bills or make the bed or
drive your bum ass to work or do anything except
watch their novelas, so heaven is gross, the rats
are fat as roosters and the men die of starvation.

Mexican Heaven

Saint Peter lets Mexicans into heaven
but only to work in the kitchens.
a Mexican dishwasher polishes the crystal,
smells the meals, & hears the music.
they dream of another heaven,
one they might be allowed in
if they work hard enough.

Mexican Heaven

there are white people in heaven, too.
they build condos across the street
& ask the Mexicans to speak English.
i'm just kidding
there are no white people in heaven.

* * * *

There are great poems about his parents getting into this country in the trunk of a Toyota Tercel ("My Parents Fold Like Luggage"), wishing for a birthday night on which his mother doesn't need to worry ("On My Mom's 50th Birthday"), saying "Hell No" in Chicago ("Hecky Naw"), my favorite Chicago Bulls basketball player, Scottie Pippen ("Ode to Scottie Pippen"), trying to fulfill his parents' aspirations ("I Tried to Be a Good Mexican Son"), worrying about living with a Trump country and dangerous police ("Mexican American Obituary"), ways of being labeled by the government and being a "Mexican American ... who colleges love, but only on brochures" ("Mexican American Disambiguation"), and many more. No hit and miss in this one; they were all hits for me. Five stars and right now my favorite poetry collection of the year. It just got nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

>243 jnwelch: Yes, I was referring to the Lyndsay Faye Seven for a Secret. Thank for pointing out the touchstone. I have corrected it.

I enjoyed, but was a little disappointed by Lightning Men.

I started, but almost immediately stopped An Army at Dawn, which was narrated by the author. I don't think he was the best choice. I may seek to read it in print at a later date. Ben McIntyre narrates Rogue Heroes and it is off to a good start.

>239 FAMeulstee: >240 jnwelch: it's disappeared for me too now. Odd.

>246 brodiew2: Right, Brodie - I'll look forward to hearing what you think of Seven for a Secret.

Yeah, I liked the first one, Darktown, better than Lightning Men, so in that sense I share your slight disappointment in the latter. But it was still pretty darn good. I hope he climbs back up to Darktown level with the next one.

I hadn't heard of An Army at Dawn before, but I sure won't rush to find it after your almost immediately stopping. I'm glad Rogue Heroes is off to a good start.

>239 FAMeulstee: Darn, Caroline. I suppose both you and Anita need to consider moving to America so you can see the photo in >222 jnwelch:. We have cheese fries, too.

>245 jnwelch: " There are no white people in heaven." This sold it for me. B.A.G. This is a wonderful tribute to Olivarez's collection. I can't wait to get my mitts on this one.

Sweet Thursday, Joe. One more work day left before vacay.

Interesting about the various narrators. I narrate all the books I read. Too bad I stumble over words, mispronounce names and languages other than American English (and not even that always), skip over lines. Backing up to reread passages so I can figure out WTF is going on. Oh, wait, I see.

Oh well. Like the Chair of your family meeting in Pgh. Didn't you ever find yourself feeling...uh...a bit out of your element at your own meeting?

>232 jnwelch: Joe, I would seriously re-think going back to work if that little guy was CEO! That is an adorable picture.

>248 jnwelch: Let me clarify, Joe. An Army at Dawn is a Pulitzer Prize winning book. I was very excited to do it on audio, but the author is not the best narrator. If you are looking for another WWII history, this is the first in a trilogy which covers the war in North Africa.

>249 msf59: You're getting close, Mark! From what I've heard, they've got no snow whatsoever in Mexico. That's a good vacay plan you made. :-)

You're going to love Citizen Illegal, methinks. I got a kick out of that Cheese Fries one - that's the one that sold me. If you look at the LT book page, you'll see the "no white people in heaven" line got one reviewer to think Olivarez hates white people. As I told that reviewer, he doesn't. Just being provocative and expressing frustration.

>250 weird_O: Ha! Yes, I've definitely felt a bit out of my element at my own meeting, Bill. Poor Rafa had to deal with a whole table full of adult goofballs.

Knowing my own shortcomings, I let my storyteller wife narrate books to me. She's aces, so I can avoid those screwups I share with you.

>251 DeltaQueen50: Ha! You and me both, Judy. If that little guy was CEO, it would be a fun day at work, I know that much. :-)

I'm glad the picture comes across well. I wasn't sure, because I like any photo with him in it, so my judgment is a bit suspect.

ETA: >252 brodiew2: Oops. Hey, Brodie. An Army at Dawn is a Pulitzer Prize winner - that certainly piques my interest. Sorry about the lousy narrator. I had that happen with the Montalbano mysteries - the narrator was a real mismatch, darn it, as Salvo would've made for welcome car-driving company.

>245 jnwelch: Sold here too! Great quotes, I'll try and get hold of a copy here.

Rafa at the dinner table made me giggle. Thanks for sharing.

>255 charl08: Oh good, Charlotte. Citizen Illegal is outstanding.

Ha! Rafa at the dinner table makes me giggle, too. You're welcome.

I started watching the British mystery series "Shetland" last night, set in the Shetland islands. I've never been there, but wow, how gorgeous.

Morning, Joe!

Two of my Wisconsin librarian friends (yes, I have several) just this fall took a trip to the Shetland Islands, mostly because of how much they love that series. They've told me that it was fabulous, of course.

>257 jnwelch: The Shetlands are spectacular, aren't they? I want to go there!

Hi Joe! Happy Friday to you.

>225 jnwelch: Ten days. How lovely.

>232 jnwelch: Did you guys stick him with the bill?

And re people not being able to see the adorable picture of the extremely photogenetic and personable sweetie – I always put external-link pics into LT. Takes a bit of time getting them to my hard drive to upload, but that way they don’t go away and everybody can always see them.

>245 jnwelch: I hope it doesn’t hurt your feelings when I say Pass. How depressing. I get the full-of-anger, believe me, it’s just, philistine that I am (always excepting e.e. cummings), I like poetry that rhymes.

"Did you guys stick him with the bill?" HA! Love it.

>257 jnwelch: What a lovely sight that is. I wonder how long it took to get a beautiful sunny day like that in the Shetlands.

>258 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

I'm with your friends - I really like the opening two-parter in the Shetland series, and I'm looking forward to watching more. I haven't checked - I'm thinking this is based on the Anne Cleeves books, but I'm not sure. It looks so wonderful; I want to go there now, too.

>259 richardderus: Ditto, Richard. And it looks like they have puffins!

>260 karenmarie: Hi Karen! Happy Friday, my friend.

Ten days with Rafa and his folks in Pittsburgh should be lovely indeed. I had mixed feelings originally, because this year we've been home in Chicago much less than usual. But now I'm looking forward to it.

Rafa is the CEO and we're the peons trying to make his life go smoothly. So naturally, we paid the bill. I hope that helps when employee review time comes around.

No worries re the poetry. I forget sometimes how strongly it can come across. I'm glad you like any type, and rhyming poetry is fine by me. That's something (rhyming) I'd like to play around with in the coming year, along with more humor in my own poems.

>261 laytonwoman3rd: Right, Linda? How could we ever stick that sweet little guy with the bill? Plus if we did, he'd probably try to eat it.

Isn't that a lovely photo from the Shetlands? I wonder how long it took to get a beautiful sunny day like that in the Shetlands. Ha! I suspect you know whereof you speak. The TV series starts on a gorgeous blue sky day there, but there's plenty of gray and rainy weather after that. I suspect the latter's more the norm.

The series is, well, permaybehaps better to say "loosely inspired by the Ann Cleeves books" than based onn the,. Douglas Henshall looks not remotely like Jimmy does, and the child...the relationships...well, not based on the books but they're paying Cleeves royalties so I got nothin' to say.

Hello Joe!

>262 jnwelch: Puffins! great pic, I'm glad you are enjoying the new series.

By the way, have you seen the new Farenheit 451 movie featuring Michael B. Jordan?

I am really enjoying Rogue Heroes. It appears to be everything I wanted it to be.

>265 richardderus: Thanks, Richard. That's like the Longmire tv series, sounds like. I like a lot the way Douglas Henshall is playing Jimmy. Hmm. Maybe I should give the books a try?

>266 brodiew2: Hello Brodie!

Isn't that a great pic with the puffins? Yes, I am enjoying the series. Although British tv can be so weird. I think two episodes was "the first season". At least there are three available.

Yay for Rogue Heroes! That's one of his I haven't read yet.

>267 jnwelch: Oh I dunno...after the series, they'll be cognitively dissonant I fear. Maybe stick with the show.

>268 richardderus: Thanks for mulling. I may do that. I'm all in for the show, that's for sure.

Loving all the Rafa pics, Joe. I hope you are enjoying Washington Black and being on home turf for a change.

Thanks, Meg. I am and I am! In WB he's with Titch and they just climbed to the top of the local mountain.

>232 jnwelch: :) big boy!!

>248 jnwelch: No way I would consider a move out of Europe, not even to be able to see some pictures ;-)

>257 jnwelch: >262 jnwelch: We liked the Shetland series, it is beautiful there. We have dreamed of retiering there, but with the Brexit, that won't be possible anymore.

I’ve both read the books and watched all the series of Shetland. Both are great for me, though very different works. If you can separate them, the books are worth reading, though probably not at the same time as watching the series 😀

>272 LovingLit: Ha! Kids are amazing, aren't they, Megan. A short while ago he was learning how to hold his head up, and now he's running meetings from the high chair.

>273 FAMeulstee: I wouldn't be hasty in your decision-making, Anita. Those pictures are pretty great. I might wait until we get a new president, though.

I'll bet the Shetlands are beautiful. Do you think Brexit might fall through? It sure looking possible now from this side of the pond.

>274 drneutron: Sounds like a plan, Jim. After watching the series, I could try the first book and see what I think. I had no trouble watching the Longmire show and reading the books on separate story tracks.

>262 jnwelch: LOVE IT! I did see puffins on our Alaska trip, back in 2004.

Happy Friday, Joe. I really hoped to visit some threads tonight, but I completely ran out of time. Packing and finishing up One Goal were priorities. And you know all ready, that I loved the book. High-Five for your excellent rec!

We have to get up at 4am, to get to the airport, so I need to wrap things up. Hopefully, I should be able to check in regularly.

>275 jnwelch: I dream of the Brexit falling through Joe, but am not as optimistic as I was, because things have become entrenched.

>277 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline. We share and support your dream. Sorry to hear about the entrenchment.

OK, the new cafe is open. See you there!

>275 jnwelch: Hah; wait a couple more years Joe. A while back, we went to a very posh Chinese restaurant (over here in Singapore, they get very high end), we were installed in a private dining enclave instead of a table and proceeded to look at the menu. Our waitress, though, got the giggles when she took our order because our 9 year old placed it and he was being very specific ('We'll have the fried rice with chicken but no prawns' type thing) while the adults and his 14 year old brother just sat back in silence and let him get on with it. Truth to tell, that's the only thing we can do when he gets going, sometimes.

>280 humouress: Ha! I love it, Nina. I look forward to Rafa taking over the food ordering like that. It must have been pretty darn cute; I can see why the waitress got the giggles.