Joe's Book Cafe 7

Illustrations by Amanda Hall

Welcome back to the cafe!

Books Read in 2019

January

1. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (re-read on audio)
2. Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea by Sarah Pinsker
3. An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
4. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
5. One Hundred Poems from the Japanese by Kenneth Rexroth
6. Happiness by Aminatta Forna
7. Milkman by Anna Burns
8. Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee
9. The Mortal Word by Genevieve Cogman
10. Nerve by Dick Francis
11. Killer Collective by Barry Eisler
12. Little Oceans by Tony Hoagland
13. Tales from the Inner City by Shaun Tan
14. The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
15. The Promise by Chaim Potok
16. Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions by Mario Giordano

February

17. Lord of the Butterflies by Andrea Gibson
18. Out of the Dark by Gregg Hurwitz
19. Forfeit by Dick Francis
20. One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson
21. Last Friends by Jane Gardam
22. Educated by Tara Westover
23. The Madness Vase by Andrea Gibson
24. The Overnight Kidnapper by Andrea Camilleri
22. Amelia Cole Omnibus by D.J. Kirkbride*
23. American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin by Terrance Hayes
24. Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
25. The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

March

26. Battle Angel Alita by Yukiko Kishiro*
27. Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson
28. Decider by Dick Francis (re-read)
29. Bryant & May Hall of Mirrors by Christopher Fowler
30. Darker Than Amber by John D. MacDonald
31. One Fearful Yellow Eye by John D. MacDonald
32. Slow Horses by Mick Herron
33. A Gentlewoman’s Guide To Murder by Victoria Hamilton
34. Recent Changes in the Vernacular by Tony Hoagland
35. Alice Payne Arrives by Kate Heartfield
36. Wolf Pack A Joe Pickett Novel by C.J. Box
37. Murder in Just Cause by Anne Cleeland
38. On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
39. Trial Run by Dick Francis
40. When My Brother Was An Aztec by Natalie Diaz
41. Connections in Death by J.D. Robb
42. How Long Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin

April

43. Tap Out by Edward Kunz
44. The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
45. Passing for Human by Jody Scott*
46. The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal
47. My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
48. Indecency by Justin Phillip Reed
49. Frida Kahlo: An Illustrated Life by Maria Hesse*
50. The Initiates by Etienne Davodeau
51. Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz

Illustrated Books

1. Jane Austen's Emma by Nancy Butler
2. Snotgirl by Bryan Lee O'Malley
3. Girl Town by Carolyn Nowak
4. On a Sunbeam by Ti llie Walden
5. Livestock by Hannah Berry
6. Tom's Midnight Garden by Phillipa Pearce and Edith
7. Anne of Green Gables A Graphic Novel by Mariah Marsden
8. Quiet Girl in a Noisy World by Debbie Tung
9. The Girl from the Other Side Vol. 4 by Nagabe
10. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Reckoning by Joss Whedon
11. Space Boy Vol. 1 by Stephen Macranie
12. The Girl from the Other Side Vol. 5 by Nagabe
13. New Lone Wolf and Cub Volume 2 by Kazuo Koike
14. Book Love by Debbie Tung
15. Royal City Vol. 3 by Jeff Lemire
16. The Snooty Bookshop by Tom Gauld
17. The Day the Buddha Woke Up by Andrea Miller
18. A Bride's Story Vol. 10 by Kaoru Mori
19. Jane Austen Her Heart Did Whisper by Manuela Santoni
20. Legacy: House of Night by Daniel Krall
21. The Love Bunglers by Jaime Hernandez
22. Stumptown by Greg Rucka (re-read)
23. Becoming Unbecoming by Una
24. Velvet Volume 1 by Ed Brubaker (re-read)
25. Mina vs. the Monsoon by Rukhsanna Guidroz
26. Woman World by Aminder Dahliwal
27. Samaris by Benoit Peeters
28. Velvet Volume 2 by Ed Brubaker (re-read)
29. Stumptown Volume 2 by Greg Rucka (re-read)
30. Lula Anew by Etienne Davodeau
31. Heavy Vinyl by Carly Usdin
32. Captain Marvel Alien Nation by Margaret Stohl
33. Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol
34. Trish Trash Roller Girl of Mars by Jessica Abel
35. Weatherman by Jody LeHeup
36. Death or Glory Volume 1 by Rick Remender
37. Berlin by Jason Lutes
38. The Initiates by Etienne Davodeau
39. Is This How You See Me by Jaime Hernandez

*Also an illustrated book

Favorite Graphic Novels

I've split these up into a few different categories, and picked the top two for this go-round.

Graphic Novel: Humor/Social Commentary

Quiet Girl in a Noisy World by Debbie Tung (wonderful cartoons about being an introvert)

You’re All Just Jealous of My Jetpack by Tom Gauld (clever, funny comic panels, with the humor typically related to books - any of his books make for good reading, including Baking with Kafka and The Snooty Bookshop)

Graphic Novels: Noir

Velvet trilogy by Ed Brubaker (Velvet Templeton is a retired spy who has to come out from behind the desk and utilize her former skills to find out who is targeting her; Brubaker is a noir master)

Richard Stark’s Parker series by Darwin Cooke (Parker is a hard-nosed thief; I think Jason Stratham played him in a movie; hard-boiled stories and I love the skillful illustrations)

Graphic Novels: Faithful, Skillful Adaptations from Books

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick (if you loved Blade Runner the movie, this is a skillful and fairly complete adaptation of the book it’s based on; I suggest reading the book first and then let this help bring it to life; mankind’s world has been shredded by the last World War, and bounty hunter Rick Denmark chases after six seemingly all-too-human androids)

A Wrinkle in Time graphic adaptation by Hope Larson of Madeline Engle’s famous book (surprisingly faithful to the original book and at same time a fresh envisioning)

Graphic Novels: Memoirs

The March Trilogy by John Lewis (the author is a Civil Rights icon, and readers get an inside view of the movement)

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (growing up in conflicted Tehran and then moving to the West)

Graphic Novels: For Younger Readers

Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier (Catrina’s little sister Maya has cystic fibrosis and will benefit from a seaside vacation;Bahaia de la Luna may have ghosts - who can teach them both)(this author has several list-worthy books for the younger set, like Smile, as does Hope Larson, above)

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson (Astrid becomes obsessed with Roller Derby while her best friend Nicole prefers dance;
Astrid learns different types of strength as she pursues roller derby and a new friendship while trying to hold onto her friendship with Nicole)

Graphic Novels: Hard to Describe, Unique, Difficult to Categorize

Brazen Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Penelope Bagieu (brief witty biographies of many feisty women through the ages, many of whom I hadn’t heard of before)

The Arrival by Shaun Tan (in this wordless story an immigrant is forced by shadows on his family in his country to become an immigrant in a new, strange and wonderful country with floating elevators and unfamiliar creatures; it conveys the experience of a newly arrived immigrant adjusting to all the differences, but also is warm and welcoming in its message; the art is phenomenal).

Graphic Novels: Gritty Reality

The Complete Essex County by Jeff Lemire (Lemire is a master of this genre - and pretty darn good in others - and this, IMO, is his best; set in Ontario, Canada, this is “a tender meditation on family, memory, grief, secrets and reconciliation” (Amazon))

The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman (this famous one probably needs no comments from me; the son of a Holocaust survivor comes to terms with his father’s experience, with the Nazis as cats and the Jews as mice)

Graphic Novels: Science Fiction and Fantasy

The Saga series by Brian K. Vaughan (what a sci-fi series! Hazel is born to two members of conflicting tribes, one that features wings and the other horns, and together they escape the ongoing galactic wars, trying to find peace while being pursued; endlessly inventive)

The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman (some find this myth-based series too challenging; I find it endlessly interesting and have read it several times - don’t try to figure everything out the first time through, or the last)

Becca (seasonsoflove) and Indy

Indy now has 1900+ Instagram followers

Rafa in his formalwear

The truth finally comes out

By Amanda Hall

I’ll start! Happy new thread Joe!

It’s been kind of a meh year for me book-wise. I’ve read a few good ones but nothing that knocked my socks off until yesterday. I picked up My Sister, the Serial Killer, a first novel by a young Nigerian writer. It’s short (I read it in half a day), sharp and not gory despite the title. Plenty of suspense and even humor (!) - as a reader I had no idea where it all would lead. Absolutely great for a book discussion because the author leaves some tantalizing questions.

Heard good things about A Gentlewoman's guide to Murder have to bump it up on the TBR pile

Back to your previous note about Coke/caffeine and migraines:

too bad there's no information documenting the impact of the ORIGINAL Coke with cocaine, I think it was.

My guess would be that it was more effective than most of our Triptans.

Happy new thread!

>8 NarratorLady: Hi, Anne! Thanks!

Congrats on being the first in the door. Hmm. How does a macaron prize sound?



I saw your enthusiastic post about My Sister, the Serial Killer on FB, for the Silent Book Club. I'm just about to start it! You've got my engines revved even more than they already were.

I've been reading a lot of poetry so far. Two YA highlights for me are The Poet X and On the Come Up. I also loved How Long Til Black Future Month - I can't remember whether sci-fi ever comes into your reading range. If so, don't let the first story turn you away - it's the least of the group (still very good, IMO), and I suspect it's the first one she got published.

I'm also about to start An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary Science of the Immune System, and I have high hopes that it'll be a good 'un.

Happy new thread, Joe. Nice bright toppers. Maybe spring will get a hint...?

>10 m.belljackson: - I read a book a few years ago, Marianne, called A History of the World in 6 Glasses by the delightful writer Tom Standage (who also wrote The Victorian Internet, which I actually liked much more). He wrote of 6 drinks that have shaped the world: beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea and coke. I learned that coke originally was, indeed, make with cocaine and was first a *medicinal* drink before it ended up in its present incarnation. Pretty interesting!

>9 magicians_nephew: I thought A Gentlewoman's Guide to Murder was good, Jim. I'll look forward to hearing your reaction to it.

>10 m.belljackson: Ha! You may be right, Marianne. The original Coke (Coca-Cola) definitely had cocaine in it, and was often used for "medicinal purposes." I think it was viewed by many as a sort of patent medicine. The feds made them remove the cocaine, if I've got it right. I wouldn't be surprised if the original did provide more headache relief.

Our views of medicinal use of marijuana have changed dramatically, haven't they. I wonder whether anything will happen with cocaine mixtures.

>11 foggidawn: Thanks, foggi!

>1 jnwelch: How lovely and, mostly, calming. Happy new thread!

>13 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley. Isn't that brightness up there appealing? C'mon, spring, take the hint!

I want to get Amanda Hall's Henri Rousseau and Leonora Carrington books (written by Michelle Markel). The 4th illustration up top is from the Rousseau one.

Yeah, that matches what I remember about Coke. Beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea and Coke. A History of the World in 6 Glasses sounds like a fun book to read.

>15 quondame: Thanks, Susan. Aren't they lovely up in >1 jnwelch:? The 4th has a bit of an action feel, rather than just being calming.

>12 jnwelch: Yum! Thanks for the colorful macarons!

I’m not a sci fi reader as a rule but I’d be happy to give this one a try. The photos of Rafa are completely adorable. Our Lily has just turned one and her birthday party is this weekend. If I could figure it out I’d post a photo of her but I’m hopeless at this!

I have My Sister the Serial Killer on my TBR list. It had great reviews and I had hoped to snag an ARC of it in Seattle - but non to be had. I will get it from the public library as soon as it gets there.

In the meantime I am reading a work of nonfiction that, while long (440 pages) is very good. Great Influenza by John M. Berry - this one is for my real life book discussion group.

I just finished another nonfiction book that will go on my Best of 2019 list. This one is Empire Made: My Search for an Outlaw Uncle Who Vanished in British India by Kief Hillsbery. This book goes back and forth between the past and the present and it works so well. I think more people should read it, so I am unabashedly pushing it on you. If you can find it, and that might be doubtful, (it took me a month to get it through Inter-Library Loan) it is worth reading.

>17 NarratorLady: Ha! You're welcome, Anne! Macarons are probably the most colorful cookie out there? I love it when they're displayed in a shop.

You'd appreciate the intro to How Long Til Black Future Month, in which she describes the relative lack of sci-fi authors of color in the early 2000s (not that long ago, right?), and the challenges of finding success as a black female sci-fi writer (she's won a lot of awards, and is a top writer in the genre now). Many of the short stories have a racial aspect to them, in a sci-fi context.

Huh, I wonder whether I can explain photo-posting well enough to help you with a Lily post. I'll try PM'ing you later on. It would be fun to see her. The melancholy (ha!) Rafa turns one later this month.

I will add my congratulations on the new mayor of Chicago. Sounds like a very interesting lady.

My mother can't stand cilantro either. Tastes like soap to her. I thought she was just being odd until I read about it being a known syndrome.

Caffeine stops my headaches. If I can get enough of it before they really get going.

>18 benitastrnad: Too bad you couldn't get an ARC at ALA of My Sister, the Serial Killer, Benita. That would've been a great one to have. It appears to be turning into one of the surprise successes of the year, kinda like Less when it came out.

Oh, I'll look forward to your comments on Great Influenza. Sounds like a high quality read.

Empire Made: My Search for an Outlaw Uncle is new to me. I'll look for it. Thanks for the tip.

>20 benitastrnad: Thank you re our new mayor. She is an interesting and strong lady. Fingers crossed, but much good could come from this.

Yeah, we thought our daughter was being odd about cilantro until we learned it was a syndrome. Who knew?

I'm one of those who, if I go a long time without caffeine, gets a headache from that. (Otherwise I'm pretty lucky on the headache front). I'd miss coffee terribly if I had to give it up, more for other reasons than that one - it's one of my favorite parts of the day!

I wonder how many people will at first misread the name on the awning like I did . . .

>22 jnwelch: *snerk* I did...

Happy new thread!

>23 drneutron: Ha! Right, Jim? "I'll meet you at Once Upon a . . ." I suppose it might become wildly popular. :-)

Hi Joe mate, happy new thread.

I'll take a macaron,Joe. Happy New Thread. Enjoy My Sister the Serial Killer. I sure did! It's a lot of fun and quite brilliantly done.

Sweet Thursday, Joe. Happy New Thread! Lucky # 7!! I will be starting a new thread, a little later too. Yep, it was a damp one today, but at least the temps were comfortable and back to 60 tomorrow. Yah!!

I may follow your lead, with My Sister, the Serial Killer, if I can track it down on audio. It would probably be in a week or so. I have heard good things.

>25 johnsimpson: Hi John. Thanks, buddy. Hope all is well in that beautiful part of the world of yours.

>26 vancouverdeb: As you can tell, Deb, we have plenty of macarons, so feel free! Thanks re the new thread. My Sister, the Serial Killer is an example of why I love LT so much. I would never have thought of giving it a try if not for the enthusiasm of you and others. I'm a ways in now, and already getting a kick out of it.

>27 msf59: Sweet Thursday, Mark. Thanks! Nice to talk to you on the phone. I messaged Jim as per our discussion, and will let you know.

I'm a ways into My Sister, the Serial Killer, and already getting a kick out of it. It sure seems like one you'd enjoy so far.

Happy new thread Joe. I've got My Sister the Serial Killer on my Overdrive list Joe and hope to get to it this month if all the other books I intend to read don't get in the way. You know the story. Never enough time.

>20 benitastrnad: I just added Empire Made: My Search for an Outlaw Uncle to my Overdrive list. It sounds like my cuppa

Happy new thread :)

Happy number 7, Joe.

>4 jnwelch: 1,700 followers are they all barking mad!

>5 jnwelch: What a handsome little fellow.

>22 jnwelch:

Tarts are to be devoured
And none have been deflowered
Key Lime or strawberry
Are two amongst very many;
All the more sweeter than soured.

I misread it too.

Happy new thread, Joe!

Morning, Joe! Happy new thread!

Happy New Thread, Joe and Happy Friday! Nice looxing painting by Ms. Hall (I see, by way of Google) she has a boox I intend to checx out Out of this World: The Surreal Art of Leanora Carrington. No touchstone here but my library has it and now on hold for me.
Congrats to Indy and his popular Instagram account!
ha! That Rafa! What a dapper young man!
I'm mid way through My Sister, the Serial xiller. So far, a very amusing read. Just what will happen next?!

>29 brenzi: Thanks, Bonnie. I'm about halfway through My Sister, the Serial Killer and really enjoying it.

>30 figsfromthistle: Thank, Anita. :-)

>31 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Ha! Yes, the 1900+ Indy followers must be barking mad. :-) They don't want any paws in the tail of Indy.

Thanks re the handsome little fellow.

There's nothing better than tarts
So many have stolen our hearts
Entering the bakery door
Those hearts begin to soar
We love that smell of . . . tarts

Phew!

>32 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg!

>33 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Thanks!

>34 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda. Happy Friday!

Yes, Amanda Hall's Out of this World: Leonora Carrington and Henri Rousseau book illustrations are what got me interested in her. The former is her newest. I'd like to own both some day. I love her style.

Thanks re the lovely Indy and dapper Rafa!

I'm coincidentally also about halfway through My Sister, the Serial Killer. What's going to happen - I need to know, too!

Wall illustration by Amanda Hall

>37 jnwelch: Like!

Happy Friday, Joe. I am guessing you are sweatln' it out, at your workout. Not bad out here today, but some sunshine would sure help matters.

Glad the Meet Up with Jim is taking shape. It should an epic visit.

Happy New Thread, Joe! Great toppers and a big thumbs up to >37 jnwelch:.

I'm glad you're enjoying My Sister the Serial Killer. I thought it a fast read and fun (not a adjective I'd usually use for serial murder).

It will be interesting to see how it progresses with the Bailey's Prize, especially since it just won the Tournament of Books.

And it's interesting to me that Nigeria seems to be a hotspot for literary talent. I've had several favorites from there, including the Binti series.

>37 jnwelch: Wow! where is this Wall Mural located?

Tomorrow is the Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon, and Indy and I are ready to go!

>38 msf59:. Thanks, Mark. Happy Friday, buddy.

You’re right. We were sweatin’ it out. One of the wonderful benefits of retirement is having the time for a good workout. I always got exercise along the way (a key to retaining whatever sanity I have), but not this intensely.

The gloomy overcast skies need to take a break, for sure. Enough already.

Jim’s a pleasure, isn’t he. I’m glad we were able to work something out. Looking forward to it!

>37 jnwelch: Love this one particularly from all the beautiful images by this artist.

So great to read all the enthusiasm for Braithwaite's book here. I've got my fingers crossed it gets picked as the campus book for September...

>39 streamsong:. Thanks, Janet. Isn’t >37 jnwelch: cool?

Oh my, I just finished My Sister, the Serial Killer. What a read. I know - a fast and fun serial killer book? Are you kidding? I just recommended it to Madame MBH.

It won the Tournament of Books? Well, all right! Obviously, word is getting around. I love “surprise” book successes like this.

I know, what an interesting zeitgeist. Lots of great writing coming out of Nigeria all of the sudden. As you know, I love those Binti books.

>40 m.belljackson:. Ha! Right, Marianne? She’s good, she’s good. I found the wall mural on her website. https://www.amandahall-illustration.com/

>41 seasonsoflove:. Wheee! I love it, Becca. A fine selection of books, a furry companion, a good cause (raising money for PAWS). Looking good!

Did I mention My Sister, the Serial Killer to you yet? I think you’d love it.

See you tonight!

>43 charl08:. I’m glad to hear it, Charlotte. I love >37 jnwelch:, too, and have become a fan of her art.

I’ll tell you, it was all the enthusiasm for Braithwaite’s book that got me to try it. Not my usual cuppa! I hope it gets picked up as the campus book, and I’m not even sure what that means. But a whole campus reading it has got to be a good thing. :-)

>45 jnwelch: you did mention it, I am really excited to read it-I'm holding off on adding any new books until after the move, but then I definitely want to read it!

See you tonight!

>47 seasonsoflove:. :-)

Happy new thread, Joe!

Lots to see and enjoy here:
the thread topper and other works by Amanda Hall, I love the lion and the tigers.
the handsome grandson
the darling dog
and a lot of books :-)

>46 jnwelch: That's pretty much it, Joe. They send a copy to new students with the idea that it gives people something in common to talk about when they arrive. Staff are encouraged to link class activities to it where possible (obvs easier for creative writing than physics, but...) I'm hoping it wins because then the author comes for a free public talk.

So glad you enjoyed My Sister the Serial Killer! I did not think it would be my cup of tea either, but between it being on the Women's Fiction Longlist and also reviewed on Simon Savidge's youtube book channel, I took a chance. I'm glad I did!

Hi Joe, for some reason it seems to take me about three years to get around to reading the books that I hear about so I am sure that when I finally get to My Sister the Serial Killer I will enjoy it!

Love the art by Amanda Hall, Joe.
Hello!

>41 seasonsoflove: Indy! So cute!!!

We were reading about the new mayor of Chicago. Very cool. Hopefully this is foreshadowing of what we will see in the next election(s).

I'm still trying to work out a visit to Chicago in September for a conference. Of course, I'm interested in the conference but I'd love to manage a meet-up with you, Mark, and other Chicagoland LT buddies!

I've had On the Come Up in my "for later" Amazon cart for a while. It sounds like you think it's a good follow up to the wonderful The Hate U Give. I look forward to reading that one.

Oh, and I may buy a copy of My Sister, the Serial Killer when I'm in Seattle the week after next. Yay!

>1 jnwelch: I spy cricket (the sport) on a poster on a wall in the picture on your thread :)

>37 jnwelch: aw! That is sweet :) I had a big poster for colouring in when I was about 10, it looked a little like that wall art and I *loved* it.

Happy new thread, Joe! And, for the record:



Broccolini is fine with me, though.

>49 FAMeulstee:.Ha! Lovely free verse, Anita. Thanks. The darling dog and her human mom are here with us today, so I let them know you said that. They were very appreciative.

>50 charl08:. Oh yes. Thanks, Charlotte. Now that you say that, I remember they did that with all of us newbies before I went to college. They had us read Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, which was very good.

Wouldn’t it be great if Braithwaite gave a public talk at yours? I’ll cross my fingers for you.

>51 vancouverdeb:. Hi, Deborah. What a pleasant surprise My Sister, the Serial Killer is! I love it when this happens.

Now you’ve got me thinking that I need to try Simon Savidge’s Youtube channel.

>52 DeltaQueen50:. Hi, Judy. I suspect I know why it takes you about three years to get around to those books that sound great on LT - other books!

I think you’ll enjoy the ride when you get to My Sister, the Serial Killer. Thank goodness I tried it - Janet (streamsong) gave me the nudge that got me off the fence.

>54 EBT1002:. Good idea, Ellen! (And I envy you being back in Seattle). It’s a little hard to believe, but I think you’ll find My Sister, the Serial Killer, is high quality escapist reading, too. How did she pull that off?

Happy new thread, Joe!

>1 jnwelch: That picture reminds me of one of Ellie's baby books that she loves with a large bear and a small mouse that hang out. She loves it!

>4 jnwelch: Wow, Indy is quite popular! Very cute

>5 jnwelch: Such a sweet little face!

>12 jnwelch: GAH! Those are my weakness! A girl at work makes them periodically and I always have to restrain myself from making myself sick on them

>53 EBT1002:. Hello, Ellen! Isn’t that lovely art from Amanda Hall. FIts with our impending (c’mon, get here already) Spring.

Isn’t Indy cute? She takes good care of our Becca. Right now Indy is perched on the back of our couch, keeping an eye out our front window to make sure we’re safe.

Yeah, I’m with you on our new mayor and hoping it’s a sign of good things to come around the country. We need to turn back toward the future and away from the “Let’s Make America White and Male Again” past.

I hope the Sept. conference in Chicago works out for you! It’s been too long. We’ve got Dr. Jim coming in this month, and we’re going to have a beverage or two with that lovely gentleman.

I do think that On the Come Up is a good and worthy follow-up to The Hate U Give. I always worry about sophomore efforts, but the new one is confident and skilled and gripping like the first. I’d take it out of “later” and put it in “sooner”. I liked the first one so much that I put this second one in the “asap” cart, despite my trepidations. :-)

>55 LovingLit:. Is the cricket poster inside the fart tart shop, Megan? I lack the background to spot that’s what it is.

Isn’t >37 jnwelch: sweet? Oh, something like that to colour in a colouring book - what a great idea. I’ll bet you loved it.

When Madame MBH worked for a few years at a local book fair, one year they created a “Goodnight Moon” room, with the help of Margaret Wise Brown’s son. It was so cool to walk around it in life-size. Madame MBH did a children’s story hour there - aces.

Morning, Joe. Happy Saturday. Man, it was a foggy drive into work today. Yikes. I am hoping for the sun to break out. It is quite mild at the moment.

I hope my audio copy of My Sister, comes in soon. I plan on spending some time with Bibliophile today. You would have a good time with this one too and it would look awful good on shelf.

>56 kidzdoc:. My ability to do visuals is impaired right now, Darryl, but I owe you for all that beets nonsense. Consider this space reserved for a lovely broccoli dish, you scoundrel.

>59 ChelleBearss:. Thanks, Chelle!

Isn’t that first illustration cool? I can easily imagine Ellie enjoying one like it in her book.

Indy’s cute and popular, lucky girl. She’s with us today, and just stopped by for a skritch. She’s a rescue dog, and luckily seems largely oblivious to her fame. She has a lovely array of free bandannas from shops that hope to see her photographed in them. Her tightly-budgeted human teacher mom is appreciative of anything “free” that comes from Indy’s Instagram modeling career.

He’s a sweet boy, that Rafa. His one year birthday is coming up, and we’ll be visiting him in about a week and a half.

Ah, macarons are your weakness! We’ll have to remember that. You can eat as many as you want here and not get sick, but I suspect it’s not quite the same. How lucky to have a friend who makes them. I’ve only ever had them in/from shops.

>62 msf59:. Jeez, sorry to hear about the fog, Mark. Here it was just a snow sky (gray and looking ready to snow) in April. If I can find management’s phone number, I’m going to complain. Mild is good though. We’re planning to go geocaching today in a nearby park. It will be my first time - Jesse’s done it for years, and now has his mom hooked.

I know Bibliophile is in my nearish future - sounds great. Fingers crossed that your My Sister, the Serial Killer audio comes in soon. That’ll make the work day fly!

P.S. Thanks for the nudge on Confederates in the Attic. I’m already enjoying it. I don’t often read about the South, so it’s good for that reason, too.

>61 jnwelch:

Any chance you still have photos to share of The Goodnight Room?

Some jobs are REALLY FUN!

ps. just read that Moor Mother is from Philadelphia.

I'm late to the party, Joe, but happy new thread and love >5 jnwelch: Rafa in all his finery.

>28 jnwelch:, Hi Joe mate, we are both ok apart from Karen started a cold on the way back from Richmond on Thursday and by Friday morning it was a full blown cold. She has been treating herself with various meds and hopefully it has levelled out and she will start to feel a bit better from tomorrow.

Hope you and Debbi are having a good start to the weekend mate and that you both have a really great weekend. My reading is going well and Karen is also doing well on the reading front although she is a couple of books behind me at the moment. If Karen had the reading time that I have she would be streets ahead of me.

Enjoy yourselves mate, sending special Yorkshire love and hugs to both of you from both of us.

>65 m.belljackson: Hi, Marianne. I'll mention it to Madame MBH. There was a Tribune color photo of the Goodnight Moon Room, as I recall, which I assume is somewhere in the scrapbook archives at our house.

Debbi had a good time with that job; she organized all the children's programming at our biggest book fair here for many years.

I hope to get to Moor Mother at some point. Thanks for the reminder.

>66 bell7: Thanks, Mary. Rafa is a sharper dresser than his dad or grandpa, seems like. :-)

>67 johnsimpson: Hi John buddy. Sorry about Karen's full blown cold - we're sure familiar with that problem at Casa Welch. I'm reading a book about our immune systems (An Elegant Defense), so maybe I'll pick up some tips on how to avoid or get rid of them. I hope she starts feeling better tomorrow.

We are having a good start to the weekend, thanks. We went out "geocaching" today, which I'll explain later. A fun kind of walking treasure hunt. We're off to a Chicago Bulls basketball game in a few minutes. I'm glad your reading is going well, and Karen's too.

I've just gotten the high sign from Debbi, so off we go. Thanks for the special Yorkshire love and hugs; sending you and Karen our Chicago brand buddy.

I have a biography of Margaret Wise Brown, called Awakened By the Moon kicking around on Mt. TBR. I am hoping to get to it sometime this year. That themed room (>61 jnwelch:) sounds delightful!

Belle's favourite vegetable is broccoli. Hani (as per bloody usual) sides with our Atlanta based Doctor pal and favours its miniature version.

Give me asparagus or plain old carrots any day.

Have a great Sunday, Joe.

As always, I'm too late. Happy new thread, Joe. Your topper is as always beautifully coloured. I love it. I hope that I can make up for my delay with an Easter bread, which we already enjoyed for breakfast today. Happy Sunday.

>68 jnwelch:, Hi Joe, hope you enjoyed your "geocaching" mate, Rob and Louise have been doing it for the last three years or so and I have seen on Facebook that they have been out geocaching themselves today, Hannah loves it. Hope you r Sunday is a good one mate, sending love and hugs to both of you from both of us dear friend.

Hmm, thought I had spoken up on one of my earlier visits to this thread, Joe, but evidently not. I'm sure you will want to let people know that the ebook of The Invisible Library is only 99¢ right now!

>69 jessibud2: The Goodnight Moon-themed room was delightful, Shelley. It felt cool just to be in it. I know nada about Margaret Wise Brown; I hope the bio is good.

>70 PaulCranswick: Ha! Hani and Darryl, the Broccolini Buddies. My sympathy, Paul.

I'll take asparagus or plain old carrots any day, too, pal.

It's been an excellent Sunday - moderate temps, so a lot of time on our front porch for the first time all year, with good books and lots of coffee (chai for my partner in crime). I hope also you had a great Sunday.

>70 PaulCranswick:, >74 jnwelch: Ha! That’s funny that Hani and I are both fans of broccolini, Paul. I used to love broccoli, but starting in my mid 20s I had progressive trouble digesting it, and since then the smell of it cooked makes me nauseous. Broccolini on the other hand is a pleasure to eat, and I enjoy its cooked aroma.

Hopefully after today’s discussion with her on Facebook Hani will make tortilla de patatas for you in the near future.

>74 jnwelch: I’ll join you and Paul in having asparagus and carrots, Joe.

>71 Ameise1: Aw, you're never too late, Barbara. You're always right on time. :-)

Thanks re the thread and the colourful toppers.

Happy Sunday - and day after, for you! That Easter bread is lovely; what a photo. Thanks for bringing it.

>72 johnsimpson: We had a lot of fun geocaching, John. Good to hear that Rob and Louise are having fun with it, too. We can't wait to try it over in London. We found one cache of two we tried to find. I'll post a photo tomorrow (or maybe tonight) of Debbi holding it up.

For those who have no clue what we're talking about, "geocache"= "(in the activity or pastime of geocaching) an item, typically a container holding a number of other items, that has been hidden at a location whose coordinates have been posted on the Internet." It's kind of a walk-around treasure hunt, except what's in the container typically is a rolled piece of paper for you to sign and date like others who found it have. Some do have tiny little fun things in them, pins or little figurines or whatever, for which you're expected to trade one you've brought - we were carrying a couple of marbles.



Just an example - not one we found



Debbi finds one hidden inside an alley guardrail

The best part was how happy our geocaching son was that we enjoyed doing this. He and his mom had done it out in Pittsburgh, but this was a first for me, and we really enjoyed it. We plan to continue.

Thanks for asking, buddy. We did have a most excellent Sunday, and I hope you and Karen did, too. Sending you both love and hugs, my friend.

>73 ronincats: 99 cents for The Invisible Library on Kindle! Everyone who doesn't have it, go get it now! I hope there's a similar bargain offer across the pond.

Thanks, Roni!

>75 kidzdoc: Darryl! You snuck in there.

Ah, a physical reaction to broccoli. I'm starting to have a little more sympathy for your dislike of it. A little, but not enough to stop bugging you about it.

Those tortillas de patatas sure looked good on FB.



Dig in, mates.

Mmmm... asparagus. But where's the steak and baked potato to go with?

>77 jnwelch: Ha! Given all the grief I’ve given you about your dislike of beets I can’t complain if you bug me about my distaste for broccoli. The only other vegetables I loathe are yellow turnips and mirlitons, although eating cooked frozen mixed vegetables also makes me 🤢.

>78 laytonwoman3rd: No, ma’am. I’m not a fan of steak, although I wouldn’t turn my nose up at it. I have asparagus to make swordfish amandine, a variation of trout amandine, a classic New Orleans dish. I used up all my sliced almonds to make chicken korma yesterday, so I’ll probably make it tomorrow after I go grocery shopping.

>78 laytonwoman3rd: Mmm, asparagus. Yes.

No steak in this joint, Linda. We eschew the meat that is red. But baked potato, sure.



>79 kidzdoc: Yeah, I'm no frozen mixed vegetables kind of fella either, Darryl. I thought the Mirlitons were the bad guys in Captain Marvel? (That's my way of saying I don't know what they are).

"No steak, pahtaytas" - that's our version of "No Coke, Pepsi" at Billy Goat Tavern (for SNL fans). Oh man, I love swordfish! Swordfish almondine sounds most wonderful. Please confirm when you've obtained the almonds, and I'll book my plane flight.

>80 jnwelch: Ha! A mirliton is a small and essentially inedible squash that, for some reason, is a popular side dish during major holidays in Creole households in New Orleans. When I lived there one of my aunts would serve it during Thanksgiving dinner, as did my girlfriend’s mother. It’s probably the only Louisiana food that I don’t like.

I have swordfish fillets in my freezer, and asparagus in my refrigerator. I’m off from work tomorrow and Tuesday, so I’ll probably go to Publix tomorrow to buy sliced almonds, unless the weather is horrible, and make swordfish amandine for dinner.

https://www.louisianacookin.com/trout-amandine/

I’ll call Debbi when it’s ready.

>80 jnwelch:

Speaking of "eschew"-ing meat, it's still a surprise to see people serving ham to honor a Jewish Rabbi at this holiday time of the year - or a "leg" of lamb for The Lamb of God.

Potatoes, broccoli, carrots, and asparagus looking more and more inviting, along with maybe an Easter Quiche...

...and the taste of frozen mixed vegetables is impossible to identify!

>79 kidzdoc: They're called chayote in California, and I would slice and grill them having no idea what was supposed to be done with them. They are decent grilled and don't fall apart or turn to liquid if left on a bit too long.

>81 kidzdoc: Given that it's you, Darryl, I never would've have guessed mirlitons were a Louisiana dish. I'm surprised that they couldn't jazz them up some way to make them palatable and interesting. Usually squashes of various sorts can be turned into something decent. But "inedible" types - maybe that's too much of a challenge.

Ha! Thanks, my friend. I'll alert Debbi to be ready for the swordfish almondine call. Oops, I just mentioned that to her, and she said, come and cook here instead. Except she doesn't want the fish smell in the house. Women! Honestly. So I guess that means come here and we'll find a restaurant that makes a good swordfish almondine?

>82 m.belljackson: Hi, Marianne. Where did I see that in our current events, someone serving a Jewish rabbi ham to celebrate? Seems way misguided to me.

Mmm, an Easter quiche, that sounds like a great idea. Frozen mixed vegetables - the taste of not-food. :-)

>83 quondame: Chavote would've been new to me, too, Susan. Maybe you'll convince Darryl to try them grilled, but given his strong feelings, I'm guessing not.

Before Saturday night's Chicago Bulls game, we got to have our picture taken with three of the Bulls: Chandler Hutchinson, Otto Porter, Jr. and Denzel Valentine. I'm not used to feeling short. Madame MBH said she felt child-size.

Murder in Just Cause is the latest in this entertaining, quirky and addictive mystery series featuring DI Kathleen Doyle and her boss paramour Chief Inspector Lord Acton of Scotland Yard. Each entry, beginning with Murder in Thrall, features solid writing, intricate plots, and increasingly beguiling characters. Lord Acton has a genius ability to sort out the big picture and move the chess pieces, and intuitive Doyle has an intensely acute sense of what is true and what is lies, along with a strong, religion-based view of right and wrong. The last (her view of right and wrong) often causes a clash between Acton and Doyle, with Acton trying to hide what he is up to from Doyle, and Doyle figuring it out and trying to keep him on the right side of the law. (Yes, even though he's Chief Inspector, Acton has a very pragmatic view of the law). Scotland Yard itself is not free of scandal, as we've seen previously in the series.

I don't want to tip off spoilers from previous books; I'm hoping that you'll pick up the first one and read straight through. In this one Doyle is paired with the attractive but difficult Isabella Munoz to investigate what appears to be a simple overdose in a rundown area. But several aspects don't jibe, and they suspect it may be a staged murder. Acton is always protective of Doyle, and shows up when he realizes she's in a dangerous part of town. He quickly sees that something is wrong with the crime scene, and knows it is part of a larger scheme to draw Munoz there.

Acton once again tries to keep Doyle in the dark for, in his mind, her safety. She knows him well, and begins to see why he is manipulating events this time.

If you're looking for a witty, romantic and clever diversion, look no further. Be ready to be somewhat at sea at the first book's beginning (Murder in Thrall), until what is happening starts to sink in. If you're already this far in the series, you'll love this one.

>83 quondame: Thanks, Susan. TBH I haven't had a mirliton/chayote in decades, but I remember how much I disliked them when I lived in New Orleans. I should give them another try before I permanently decide that I won't eat them, although I suspect that they would be hard to find in Atlanta.

>84 jnwelch: It's very conceivable that the people whose mirlitons I tried didn't know how to cook them properly. My New Orleanian great aunt (my maternal grandmother's sister) was without question the best cook in a family filled with people who could, as we say, throw down in the kitchen, but to my knowledge she never made them during the dozens of times I had dinner at her house.

Women! Honestly.

Nope. I'm not getting in trouble with Madame MBH, so I will have to give you a "tut tut" for that comment, sir.

I would be willing to give grilled mirliton a try. As you know I'm an open minded eater, and since I haven't had it in over 35 years I should give them another go. I plan to go to this year's annual conference of the American Academy of Pediatrics in NOLA, and I'll look for it while I'm there, or ask one of my New Orleanian friends that I'll undoubtedly meet up with to tell me how to make it and try it myself if I get a room in the same extended stay hotel on Poydras Avenue that I stayed in the last time I was there.

>85 jnwelch: Whoa.

Morning, Joe. Happy Monday. I can utter those words, since this my day off. It looks like you had a nice Sunday. I like the Bulls photo. I had a good one too, mostly a lazy afternoon with the losing Cubs and my winning books.

I have done my home workout and just ate breakfast, so I am raring to go. I have another dentist appointment, (UGH!) later this A.M. And then the afternoon will be spent horseback riding in the woods, with Bree and a friend. This is a horse Bree is a co-owner with. Looks to be a perfect day for it.

Like most marrows (squashes), I think mirliton works well as a vehicle for other ingredients. Emeril has a good recipe for Shrimp and Mirliton Casserole.

>85 jnwelch:

Wish we all could have been WITH US for that wild photo! The ORANGE shoes!

Rabbi Jesus is the one honored with ham and lamb.

I am surprised that you have not already read Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz. I had a good time with that book, and gained lots of insights from it. It was one of the first books I purchased after I had moved to Alabama. I read it after I had made a visit to Shiloh Battlefield and ran into a bunch of reenactors who told me that the North may have won the previous war, but they would not win the next one. I found the book to be both funny and sad. It is that kind of book. Have a good time with it.

>87 kidzdoc: Hi, Darryl. I look forward to hearing the continuing Saga of The Mirlitons. I knew nothing about them, and now they're a subject of absorbing interest. Why is squash okay with Dr. Morris, but not the humble Mirliton? If faced with mirliton, how would I react? I look forward to hearing how it goes in NOLA. I also like the idea Linda posts, of a Shrimp and Mirliton Casserole.

P.S. You're smart to steer clear of the wrath of Madame MBH. As you know, I recklessly endanger myself on a regular basis. Our making it 35 years shows her patience and tolerance, although she is careful to warn me her p and t may not last.

>88 msf59: Hiya, Mark. I'm glad you have such a beautiful day off. Horse-riding with Bree and a friend should be a bit of paradise after the long winter. Thanks re the Bulls photo. I figgered a review of a mystery would probably not catch your attention.

Sorry about them losing Cubs; the bullpen always seems to be their Achilles heels. I'm glad you've at least got some winning books!

>89 laytonwoman3rd: I'm a pushover for a shrimp casserole, Linda, so I suspect this Shrimp and Mirliton Casserole would be a winner for me.

>90 m.belljackson: Oh, Rabbi Jesus. I get it. Sorry for the slow motion brain cells, Marianne.

The pro basketball association lets the players wear whatever shoes they want, so we see a lot of unusual ones. Besides the wild ORANGE ones (!), there were aqua blue ones, and two Bulls players wore one white shoe and one black (probably they exchanged?) Since the uniforms are all the same, I'm glad they get to express some individuality in the shoes - and some guys wear headbands or even bandanas, not to mention some pretty unusual hairstyles.

>91 benitastrnad: I'm kinda surprised I hadn't read Confederates in the Attic, too, Benita. I said that to Mark, as a matter of fact, when he recommended it. I liked Horwitz's Blue Latitudes a lot, but just had never gotten around to this one.

I'm about a 1/3 of the way through, and liking it very much. Both funny and sad, as you say. Although it's pre-Trump, I'm actually getting a better feel for his supporters than I got from Hillbilly Elegy. As portrayed by Horwitz, lots of lower socio-economic whites in the South feel "everything" has been taken from them, and that blacks and other minorities are being given all the advantages, while whites are neglected. There's also plenty of old-style racism. "Slaves were happy on plantations", lots of using the N-word, everyone would be better off if whites didn't mix with blacks, that kind of thing. The North may have won the first war (the "War Between the States", and never "the Civil War"), but the South will win the second.

Those he talks to feel that taking down the Confederate flag and Confederate monuments is an attack on their heritage, and that enough has been taken from them. It's fascinating to get an inside perspective; their arguments in the book are often filled with loose, untrue or unsubstantiated facts, which also indicates why Trumpism would appeal to them.

I can't help but think that Mirliton sounds like a grand estate from a Regency romance novel: "Oh, there's a house party at Mirliton in a fortnight! Whatever shall I wear?"

>87 kidzdoc: I don't claim they have much flavor, but grilled they are completely inoffensive and bulk up the final heated harvest.

>89 laytonwoman3rd: >92 jnwelch: I also find it weird to call something with what seems like a single central seed, like and avocado or mango, a squash. It is no great loss to eschew this bland fruit.

>94 foggidawn: Much to grand a name for this food.

Morning, Joe! I am very late to the party, but I had a lot of fun catching up with you. Love all the photos!

>86 jnwelch: BB for that series! Thanks!

Didn't think I'd ever say this, Joe, but Wooster and Jeeves are getting boring. I started a newly acquired W&J and quickly realized it's a collection of short stories. Read one after another, they're all the same. I'm pacing myself by reading Jessmyn Ward in between stories.

Hi, everyone. We’ve got great weather that turns terrible tomorrow, so I’ll circle back to respond individually. We need to enjoy this while we can!

I just snapped up David Mitchell’s Number9Dream for $1.99 as a Kindle deal. Perfect timing - I’ve been wanting to read that one of his.

>86 jnwelch: Lord Acton, really? Are they going with him being a descendant of the FIRST Baron Acton?

How often does someone throw the "Power corrupts" quote up at him?

“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
-- Lord Acton

>91 benitastrnad: another vote for Confederates in the Attic if you want to know something you didn't know about the Civil War.

>94 foggidawn: Wasn't Lizzie Bennet impressed, foggi, when she visited Darcy's Mirliton estate?

>95 quondame: I didn't know mirlitons have a single seed like avocados, Susan. That doesn't seem much like a squash, does it? A mirlocado? That might improve sales, too.

>96 Crazymamie: Morning/Afternoon, Mamie! As I said to Barbara, you're never late - you're always right on time. :-)

Oh, I'm so glad you're going to try Murder in Thrall and the Acton and Doyle series! Can't wait to hear what you think.

>97 weird_O: Actually, Bill, I totally understand that. The Jeeves and Wooster stories are all the same.

It's hard to think of a comparison - maybe Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series? The question is whether you enjoy the characters, the humor (humour) and the variations. You know Bertie is going to screw it up, and you know Jeeves is going to save the day. You know an aunt probably is going to make Bertie's life difficult, and that a friend of Bertie's is probably going to get into a pickle that Bertie will try to help. And so on. I love the goofy characters, the humor, and the manifold ways in which Jeeves manages to save the day. But for some readers, a little or some (or none!) of that is enough.

I liked the Jessmyn Ward book I read, and need to read more of her.

>99 magicians_nephew: In the Acton and Doyle series, Lord Acton is the descendant, in a controversial way, of a way back Acton - I don't know the story of the original Baron Acton, Jim. What is it?

I haven't seen the "Power corrupts" quote yet, although it certainly would have application in the series.

Yes, Confederates in the Attic is filled with information I didn't know about the Civil War!

>76 jnwelch: geocaching sounds fun, congratulations on the find.

>85 jnwelch: good to see how short you can be Joe, so that makes Debbi just a kid!

>103 Caroline_McElwee: Oh, oh, oh, oh - Caroline! I was just telling Mark I HAD to tell you something.

OK, you liked Andrea Gibson's poetry, right? We saw her perform last night, and she was TERRIFIC. (Our second time). Here's the news: she's about to tour the UK, and she'll be in London on May 23. (I'm pretty sure that date is right). Debbi and I strongly recommend seeing her if you can. I think you'll love it. She's SO good. IMO, the best performance poet out there, and there are a lot of good ones.



Thanks re the geocachng - son #1 is so excited that we enjoy it! Much is ahead of us, including trying it in London!

I know, wow, it was amazing to stand with those giants. And they're not even the tallest guys on that team!

P.S. Yes, Andrea Gibson will be at Union Chapel on May 23: https://www.songkick.com/concerts/36133249-andrea-gibson-at-union-chapel

The first Baron Acton died in 1902 so the detective one could be great grandson. English Catholic politician and churchman and Member of Parliament and foreign policy wonk.

Mostly noted for his remarks about politics including the one I quoted above.

(It's often mangled as "Power Corrupts -- and absolute power corrupts absolutely.)

The title is currently held as a Baronetcy by Richard Gerald the 4th Lord born in 1941 It is a court title not a landed one so the incumbent would have to work for his living though he is NOT a detective

See what happens when you push a historians buttons :-)

>102 jnwelch: EXCELLENT!

Love: the toppers, Rafa all dressed up, the macaroons, seeing you look short (!) and I really should keep more current on your thread because you are so good at posting Kindle specials!!!

Hello Joe. I hope all is well with you.

>86 jnwelch: Great review of Murder in Just Cause. It make me want to take a look. Beguiling and quirky are touchstones for my literary fish nets. :-P

I'm still making progress in Presidents of War. It is a fascinating political survey of American wars and the Presidents who provoked/managed them.

>105 magicians_nephew: Thanks, Jim. That is impressive in scope! The author (Anne Cleeland) contacted me, so I'll ask her if there's any connection to the original Acton.

>106 weird_O: :-) I want to be Tom Gauld in my next life, Bill.

>107 Berly: Hi, TKD Master Kim.

Thanks re the toppers, dapper Rafa, the macarons, and me looking short. :-)

Sometimes the Kindle specials are so irresistible. I was just talking a short while ago to friend Mark about Number9Dream and wanting to read it. Woot!

>108 brodiew2: Hello Brodie. Good to see you, buddy. Thanks re the review of Murder in Just Cause. I hope you get as much of a kick out of the series as I have. Beguiling and quirky get me every time, too. I can guarantee it'll be an easier read than Presidents of War, although I'm glad you're finding POW fascinating.

^Well you came up with the great title, now we'll have to figure out the rest of the lyrics. I am so glad you had a great time at the Andrea Gibson event. I would love to join you next time she comes through. It will have to depend on the timing, of course.

I am so glad you are enjoying Confederates in the Attic. Just the right nudge. I was going to pass my softcover copy of Number9Dream onto you. I had it put aside. Let me know if you'll be happy with the ebook copy.

>111 msf59: I'm having a great time with Confederates in the Attic, Mark, so thanks again for that nudge. Can you believe it with Number9Dream? Let me read the Kindle version and I'll let you know if I might take you up on that softcover offer.

OK, let's recap. I think you were surrounded by birds serenading you, and I thought that must be okay because "buzzards don't serenade". You thought that would make a great poem title, and then we both thought it would make for a great country western song.

All right, here's the first crack at the rest of the lyrics. Contributions welcome.

Buzzards Don't Serenade

Yesterday you gave me the word
Three proposed to you, and I came in third
Now I'm lying in the desert
Might as well be dead
There's no water for drinking
And buzzards don't serenade.

I'll never change your thinking
And buzzards don't serenade.
My heart's done sinking
And buzzards don't serenade.

*wipes away tears*

>112 jnwelch: LOL!! It definitely has a lonesome country twang to it, Joe. Hank Williams would be proud. I still wouldn't quit your day job, but it's a start.

^I wonder if that is two different vultures? A turkey and a black vulture. Grins...

Murder in Cause sounds great, Joe. Yes, I think you very much enjoy The Stranger Diaries. I sure did! I'll put Murder in Cause on my wish list too. Wonderful lyrics to Buzzards Don't Serenade. I'm weeping, and the addition of the photo above adds so much :-)

>113 msf59:. Ha! OK, Mark. I’ll hold onto the day job. At least we’ve got something to work with for our next big hit.

They do look like two different vultures. I should’ve known the Bird Master would be able to tell which they were. :-)

>114 vancouverdeb:. Oh, glad to hear it, Deborah. You’ll have fun with the Acton and Doyle books. Murder in Thrall is the first one. It’s worth reading them in order, as characters develop and events build on each other.

I’ve added The Stranger Diaries to my WL, and look forward to reading it. I was uncertain about trying a non-Ruth Galloway one, so thanks for blazing the trail.

>85 jnwelch: I love that she barely comes up to everyone's shoulders! That's awesome!

Hi Joe!

Belated happy new thread.

>85 jnwelch: I’ve always had a fantasy about standing in the middle of a Carolina Panthers huddle – tall, big men with a testosterone cloud surrounding them…

>112 jnwelch: I love Buzzards Don’t Serenade. In a very odd way, it reminds me of a song that I came up with the title for in 1974 or so. Several people in our office were glaringly and blaringly Christian and did everything for Jesus. So one morning I started singing about “Making Coffee for Jesus in the Early Morning Sun”. Not being Christian, I was spoofing them, but they didn’t grok.

I loved Confederates in the Attic when I read it last July. It’s informative and scary, and sad to say, could have been written last week, not 1998.

>104 jnwelch: Mwah, off to check it out, and my diary, X'ing everything I'm not already booked elsewhere. Glad you had a great night.

ETA: Snaffled a ticket. The beer's are on me when we next meet Joe.

>116 ChelleBearss: Ha! I'll mention that to Madame MBH, Chelle. She found the experience awesome, but later said that the height difference made her feel like a child. :-) I should've known, but it was disconcerting for me, too; I'm not used to having guys be that much taller than me. And they're sort of in the middle range on the team; we weren't with the really tall guys!

>117 karenmarie: Hi Karen! I don't know whether I ever realized we had a "testosterone cloud" when I was in a huddle. I do think I'd probably feel like a waterboy in a huddle with these guys - although I will say they've got a couple of "little" guards who are about my height. There was a guy 5'4", Mugsy Bogues, who successfully played in the league for many years. (My kids' favorite player). But he was phenomenally athletic and talented. A 5'8" guy, Spud Webb, did well, too, and managed to win the All-Star slam dunk competition one year. But it's much more common for the players to be giants.

Ha! I love your "Making Coffee for Jesus in the Morning Sun" song, and they're not grokking the spoof. I'm not Christian, and probably would've done something similar, although maybe not as catchy. I'm glad you love our Buzzards song; Mark and I have so many "great" ideas when we're together (or so the beer says - although this one was beer-free), and we're hoping to take this one all the way to Nashville. :-)

Confederate in the Attic could've been written any time pre-Trump - I would've guessed that it was written about 2010, not 1998. And I only say pre-Trump because there's no way he wouldn't come up in the book. As I mentioned, the book gives me such a better understanding of Trump supporters. I think our up-and-coming politicians NEED to understand this group; they largely swung the last election, even though they're far less than a majority.

>118 Caroline_McElwee: Hurrah for successful ticket snaffling, Caroline! Can't wait to hear how it goes. "The beer's on me" - sweet music to my ears! We'll be there in September again, starting on the 3d.

>120 jnwelch: I'll probably have to catch you in your first few days Joe, as I'm off to Prague for a few days on the 9th Sept.

>122 Caroline_McElwee: Good to know! I'll tell Debbi.

>121 jnwelch: LOVE IT!!

Hi, Joe. Abrupt change in the weather, eh? It turned out not to be as bad, as I was expecting on the route today but I still preferred yesterday. I am so glad you are loving Confederates. I just checked back and saw that I read it, in late '08 and gave it 5 big ones.

I finished American Prison today and despite it making me ill, with the horrific revelations, throughout the book, I have to give that one 5 stars too. All Americans should read it.

>112 jnwelch: Now I am wiping a tear from my eye, but for a different reason! LOL

Asparagus! 'Tis the season. I must indulge soon.

Which is evidence I did NOT die after all. Yay?

>124 msf59: Aren't we lucky to have a great cartoonist like Gauld who loves reading, Mark? I love that one, too.

I can see the five big ones for Confederates in the Attic. It's heading that way for me. I'm about 3/4 through. As I said up above, it feels so recently written.

Good plug for American Prison. I may have to find a way to fit that in. I'm actually representing a prisoner in an unsanitary conditions civil case right now.

>125 Berly: Ha! "Buzzards Don't Serenade" brings a tear to the eye one way or another, doesn't it, Kim. :-)

>126 richardderus: Asparagus! Aparagus!

It's true! It's true! The crown has made it clear.
The climate must be perfect all the year.

A law was made a distant moon ago here:
July and August cannot be too flush.
And there's a legal limit to the snow here
On LT with Asparagus.
The winter is forbidden till December
And exits March the second on the dot.
By order, summer lingers through September
On LT with Asparagus.
Asparagus! Asparagus!
I know it sounds a bit bizarre,
But with Asparagus, Asparagus
That's how conditions are.
The rain may never fall till after sundown.
By eight, the morning fog must disappear.
In short, there's simply not
A more congenial spot
For happily-ever-aftering than here
On LT with Asparagus!

Asparagus!
I know it gives a person pause,
But with Asparagus, Asparagus
Those are the legal laws.
The snow may never slush upon the hillside.
By nine p.m. the moonlight must appear.
In short, there's simply not
A more congenial spot
For happily-ever-aftering than here
On LT with Asparagus.

(with apologies to Lerner and Loewe)

We're happy to see you've been given another life, Richard. Dig in!

>127 jnwelch:

A great fun poem to awaken a Thursday - and, Broccoli rhymes with Biscotti!

Very cool that you saw Andrea Gibson and had a spectacular time. I hope she makes it within striking distance (Perhaps PNW?). I'd love to see her.

And while Asparagus is good, Buzzards Don't Serenade is brilliant!

>128 m.belljackson: Oh ..... Oh, Biscotti! As the cowhands go dunking in their cup, the steaming broccoli can sure smell sweet, when the wind blows right across the pot! Biscotti! Broccoli! Biscotti! Broccoli!

Is that Rodgers and Hammerstein I hear turning over in their graves, Marianne? Do they even eat biscotti and broccoli in Oklahoma?

Maybe I need to sit quietly in the corner for while. I sense that I may be getting a bit carried away . . . Or that people may be coming to carry me away . . .

>129 streamsong: We did have a spectacular time seeing Andrea Gibson, Janet. Jeez, she tours all over the country. I'm sure she doesn't miss the PNW. Probably Seattle, but maybe others, too.

Ha! Mark's working on his cowboy twang for "Buzzards Don't Serenade". Can't wait to see it climbing the charts. :-)

>127 jnwelch:
When you finish Confederates in the Attic there is another good book about the Civil War that isn't all about battles and generals. This one was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1993. Battlefield: Farming a Civil War Battleground by Peter Svenson. This one has been on my list for some time.

A finalist for the National Book Award, Battlefield chronicles the author's experiences building a farmhouse on a forty-acre site near Harrisonburg, Virginia, which years before had been the site of the Civil War “Battle of Cross Keys,” in which Confederate forces stopped a Union advance and provided Stonewall Jackson with an important victory in his Shenandoah Valley campaign. Svenson intertwines a detailed description of the battle with self-deprecating accounts of a fledgling hay farmer attempting to farm his land while holding a new “army” of real-estate developers at bay. While reviving his long-neglected farmland, he unearths spent cartridges and artillery shells, and meditates on how best to commemorate the men who fell in battle on his forty acres. Exploring the intimate connections between landscape and history, Battlefield offers an engaging, reverent, and highly personal view of the Civil War and its ongoing legacy.

>132 benitastrnad: Thanks for the tip on Battlefield: Farming, Benita. Sounds like a good one. You probably remember the descriptions in Confederates in the Attic of developers covering over historic sites in the South with generic housing, shopping malls, etc.

>130 jnwelch:

(Two Minute Followup =)

Steaming Broccoli belongs to the land
And the Biscotti we dunk it is grand
Yip-I-Yo-Ki-Yay
Steaming BROCCOLI BISCOTTI All Day!
HOO-Ray!

>134 m.belljackson: LOL!! I'm afraid they may come to take both of us to the funny farm, Marianne, but I love it!

>135 jnwelch:

Can we picture Indy with her front paws over her ears? And yet, it keeps making me laugh.

I thought maybe it was the rarified air on this frosty day, but, no, it's the wind come sweeping down the plain.

Sweet Thursday, Joe. Once the wind died today, it wasn't so bad. I am enjoying Daisy Jones & the Six on audio. You probably heard of it but it is a rock 'n roll novel, based loosely on Fleetwood Mac. Nothing really new, but it has been fun and entertaining. It also reminds me of the latest A Star is Born and the film Almost Famous.

>61 jnwelch: lol! The cricket poster is easy to sport in >1 jnwelch:.....the third image down, behind the sleeping head :)

>127 jnwelch: I love asparagus too! I grew up with a huge field planted in asparagus behind our house, so needless to say, we had asparagus a lot back then. I hated it then, if only I could go bak in time and eat my fill, ha. As a sidde note, it was *super* fun to run through the fields when the asparagus had gone to seed, it grew high (about 5 feet high) and was so soft feathery, we used to run through the rows and have the 'branches' whisp our faces as we went. It's a nice memory.

>135 jnwelch:

All the Broccoli Poetry brings back the memory of that classic SNL Dana Carvey "Choppin' Broccoli" routine - we're in good company!

>136 m.belljackson: LOL! You're good at this, Marianne. I thought it might be the wind come sweeping down the plain. I can just see Indy lying down and squinching her paws up over her ears. Although she'd be missing some wonderful music, wouldn't she.

>137 msf59: Sweet Thursday, Mark. If you read through, you'll see "Buzzards Don't Serenade" is really taking off. I mean, it's getting at everyone's innards. I mean, the culture vultures here are really enjoying it. It's getting a lot of positive buzz. -ard.

You're right, I've been seeing reviews of Daisy Jones & the Six. I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it. I get leery, because so many rock n roll novels are disappointments, seems to me. An exception for me was that fantasy one, Kings of the Wyld, which was kind of a mashup. I loved Almost Famous, and the 2/3 I saw of the latest Star is Born was okay.

>138 LovingLit: Hiya, Megan. Oh, now I see the cricket poster in >1 jnwelch:. Thanks! What the heck was I doing trying to find it in >22 jnwelch:?

Yay for asparagus! (I bet it doesn't get to hear that too often - do any veggies?) Oh my, fresh asparagus from the field behind your house. That would've been great, if you hadn't been a kid and seen too much of it. Madame MBH talks lovingly of picking fresh corn at her aunt's house as a kid, and having that. Yum.

That must be a nice memory of running through the soft, feathery asparagus fields after it'd gone to seed. Sounds lovely.

>139 m.belljackson: Ha! Yes - maybe we can work in some of the lyrics from that lovely ditty, Marianne. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mXIL_LKvvI

Joe, you've cemented my admiration as our poet in residence with Buzzard's Don't Serenade and Asparagus! Asparagus!

Had us some tender asparagus for dinner tonight. But without singing.

>140 jnwelch: So not exactly rock fiction the fantasy series starting with Thornlost by Melanie Rawn is different in so many ways from most fantasy series and while I'm not a great fan of hers this series is one of my favorites.

>142 vancouverdeb: Ha! Some of my finest work, Deborah. Thank you!

>143 laytonwoman3rd: But without singing LOL! I don't know how you resisted the singing, Linda, but some tender asparagus sure sounds good.

>144 quondame: Huh, that's a new one for me, Susan. Thanks. I'll take a look at Thornlost.

>141 jnwelch:

Thanks Joe - I watched it Choppin' Broccoli 3 times, then tried the Orchestra version = more fun there!
And went on to read Dana Carvey's eye-opening WIKI bio of life after SNL and Garth.

For even more Friday Fun =

(still remembering the last hour on Fridays for my 4th graders >
Free Game Time
for all who had all their homework in on time and complete!
with the incentive for others to just #*%^^^?

>146 jnwelch: HA!!

>133 jnwelch:
It is true that the developers had gobbled up more and more land. It is interesting to note that there is a group of concerned amateur historians who raise money and try to purchase parcels of land to add to the National Military Parks in order to protect them. It is called the American Battlefield Trust. It was the Civil War Battlefield Trust but it merged with the Revolutionary War Battlefield Trust to become the American Battlefield Trust. The Civil War Battlefield Trust was chaired for a long time by Paul Bryant, Jr. (the son of Bear Bryant - the football coach). Bryant, Jr. is worth millions of dollars. He is also an avid Civil War collector and sponsored a day long seminar on Civil War history held here at the University of Alabama. The American Battlefield Trust purchases land that is endangered and turns it over to the Park Service.

It was a great disappointment to me when I visited Franklin Battlefield to see that the spot where Patrick Claiburn was killed during the Battle of Franklin was covered by a Domino's Pizza building. That was back in 1994-95. The American Battlefield Trust has since purchased that strip mall and has torn down the buildings and restored the land adding it to the National Park Service acreage at that battlefield. They are constantly trying to purchase land close to the heavily populated areas around Washington, D.C. Right now they are trying to raise money to purchase 70 acres of land adjacent to Shiloh Battlefield out in rural Tennessee.

>147 m.belljackson:

((Well, that's a weird new one = the last part of the message totally disappeared,
then re-appeared when I clicked Edit, but will not stay up...so I'm retyping it here.))

= I got inspired from another thread to revisit Jimi Hendrix STAR SPANGLED BANNER from 1969 Woodstock
and discovered an ending with Dick Cavett = worth the Search!

And, joining the cheering crowds here - you and Mark should definitely record and go viral with BUZZARDS -
it's time for International LT fandom, non?

And, we can name the Broccoli Poetry "Chompin' Broccoli..."

>149 benitastrnad: Yeah, encroachment onto battlefields is an ongoing issue around here. Manassas is the main one with the problem - it's buried in the middle of the Dulles/Rte 7 corridor and there's always concern over traffic in that area.

>147 m.belljackson:, >150 m.belljackson: Hi, Marianne. I wondered about Dana Carvey. I haven't seen him around as much as Martin Short and some of the others.

Free game time sounds like a good incentive to me? Were these board games, videogames, sports?

It bugs me when posts, or parts of, disappear like that, or in my case, they sometimes "freeze" and won't post. I copy them and re-post once the freeze has passed.

I LOVE Jimi Hendrix, and his Star-Spangled Banner was brilliant.

I wonder whether either Mark or I can sing? Let me rephrase that. I wonder whether Mark can sing?

I also wonder whether we should call the new band, "Chompin' Broccoli". It's kinda catchy, isn't it.

>148 richardderus: That's it exactly, Benita. Historic sites succumbing to tract housing and strip malls. I'm glad to hear that the American Battlefield Trust is trying to fight that (preserve or recover historic sites). Somewhere in Confederates in the Attic - it might even have been in the questions for discussion at the end - I read something like "it's hard to advocate for preserving an empty field" that was the site of an important battle. But for many they contain family stories and memories, and they're a chance to provide information and gather people to recognize what happened and feel it in person in a way quite different from clicking on a website or watching a video or viewing photos. Seems to me, anyway.

Good story about Domino's Pizza and the restoration of Franklin's Battlefield. I hope they succeed with the rural TN land next to the Shiloh Battlefield.

>151 drneutron: I bet you see a lot of this kind of conflict, Jim. Manassas was a big deal in the Civil War; I hope preservationists succeed as much as possible.

Over 600,000 soldiers died in the American Civil War, almost as many as died in all the other wars we've been in. It's a lot to fathom.

>152 jnwelch:

"Chompin' Broccoli"is an obvious standout.

Dana Carvey - whew.

Someday, in a galaxy close by, do not miss the Dick and Jimi coda at the conclusion of the Anthem!

>153 jnwelch: People might disagree about preserving military sites, but at least it's an excuse to leave some green land around.

Hi Joe! Rafa in his formal wear is my favorite picture of him so far. What an adorable cutie pie. It is so much fun to see the changes in him. Btw, your granddog Indy is pretty doggone cute, too!

So glad to hear you are loving Confederates in the Attic. I had a similar reaction to it. I planned to keep a copy for my permanent collection but I think it is living in Seattle now. I loaned it to the CEO of the luggage company we own when she was in town and needed something to read on the plane ride home. I will look for another copy at our upcoming library book sale. Most of the books I buy these days are ones that Ive read and want to own.

Interesting discussion about preserving battlefields. We are lucky enough to have Wilson's Creek National Battlefield about a 25-minute drive from our house. I think they are in the process of refurbishing the visitor's center. We haven't been there in years so that might get us to pay an overdue visit.

Happy Sunday, Joe! I've just completed Out of this World The Surreal Art of Leonora Carrington with illustrations by Amanda Hall. What an amazing book! Thank you for introducing me to Amanda Hall who in turn, along with author Michelle Markel, introduced me to Leonora Carrington. Have a wonderful day :0)

>157 Carmenere: I love Leonara Carrington's work.

>154 m.belljackson: Hi, Marianne. I got a little ways into the Jimi-Dick Cavett interview, but (of course!) got interrupted. I'll get back to it some time today.

>155 ffortsa: Right you are, Judy. Good point. If nothing else, we're preserving some green land.

>156 Donna828: Hi Donna! Isn't Rafa in his formalwear a hoot? Stay tuned - there'll be a new one in a few minutes. He is Mr. Adorable; his grandparents can't get enough of him. Thanks re Indy - we're taking care of her for a few days while her mom is over on the other side of Lake Michigan enjoying herself.

Yes, I'm so glad Mark prodded me and I finally got around to reading Confederates in the Attic. So good! I got it as a Kindle bargain, but now I want a hard copy.

You own a luggage company? That's got to be a solid partner to have in life. The CEO's a reader - even better. I'm the same way - I'm always on the lookout at sales for favorites I want a hard copy of. I'm also trying to read down my TBR shelf, but you know how Sisyphusean (is that a word?) that is.

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around all these battlefields, and the 620,000 soldiers who died in them. Wilson's Creek is a new one for me. I'm glad they're refurbishing the visitor's center. There are so many reasons to keep these in the forefront of our memories, aren't there.

>157 Carmenere: Oh, I'm so envious, Lynda. I really want to get my hands on Out of This World The Surreal Art of Leonora Carrington. I love Amanda Hall, and it looks like such a good one.

I just finished one you might like: Frida Kahlo: An Illustrated Life. Maria Hesse has a lovely illustrated way of conveying FK's life and art.

>158 Caroline_McElwee: Agreed, from what I've seen of Leonora Carrington's art so far, Caroline, but I need to dig in and find more.

Rafa's father says about this one: "Someone achieved his lifelong goal of getting into the dishwasher when I wasn't looking."

>161 jnwelch: Cute!!

Morning, Joe. Happy Sunday. I am glad I took an unscheduled day off yesterday, because today is lousy. It has been snowing for awhile. WTH. I have had an busy A.M. so far. Visited some threads, did my workout, started laundry and cooked breakfast. I hoped to get a mini-review in but that didn't happen. It is my turn to do the food-shopping and then cram in some reading time in before heading out to a family get-together, later on. Yikes!

I hope you have a great day, yourself.

>160 jnwelch: ha! I saw mention of Frida Kahlo: An Illustrated Life on Mark's thread this morning and I've put a hold on it at my library. Can't wait!

>161 jnwelch: Hahaha, Little Rafa never ceases to put a smile on my face.

>161 jnwelch: Ahhh, the deep satisfactions of attaining one's life goals. How delightful!

>161 jnwelch: - I bet I can guess who bought him that T-shirt, lol!

>161 jnwelch: hahaha. Mischief ahead me thinks. I like his little pal too.

>161 jnwelch: Oh! Darling of course.

>161 jnwelch: Cute!

>162 msf59: Hey, Mark. Happy Day after Sunday. Eesh. Still a mess out there. I hope the warmup starts quickly.

Isn't that little guy cute?

Sounds like you had quite the busy Sunday. We did have a great day, thanks. That memorial story-telling event for that guy Tom Wolferman was amazing, ending with a letter to him from one of his closest writing friends about their experiences together. Funny and moving. They all were great, all having to do with loss in one way or another. He must be smiling up there.

I'll have to catch up with you on what time to shoot for for tomorrow's get-together.

>163 Carmenere: Oh good, Lynda. Can't wait to hear what you think of Frida Kahlo An Illustrated Life.

That Rafa has that knack of making us smile, too. We see him in person later this week.

‘Morning Joe. Happy day before Tuesday.

>127 jnwelch: On LT with Asparagus! is wonderful.

>161 jnwelch: Very cute pic of Rafa. I love his dad’s comment, too.

I love the discussions about preserving historic sites. Here in central NC we're about 15 miles away from a Revolutionary War battle site called the House in the Horseshoe, being named because of the way the river curves around the house site. They have a sweet little museum and do a historic re-enactment of the battle every year – unfortunately it’s in the dog days of August and the heat/humidity are unbearable. We’re also close to Bentonville: “The Battle of Bentonville, fought March 19-21, 1865, was the last full-scale action of the Civil War in which a Confederate army was able to mount a tactical offensive. This major battle, the largest ever fought in North Carolina, was the only significant attempt to defeat the large Union army of Gen. William T. Sherman during its march through the Carolinas in the spring of 1865.” Their museum is excellent. I love living in a part of the country with old stuff - being from SoCal everything seems to get torn up regularly.

>164 richardderus: Rafa's a cheap date, Richard. Open the dishwasher, turn your back for a minute, and he's a happy guy.

>165 jessibud2: Good eye, Shelley! His "I Love My Bubbe A Latke" t-shirt was indeed bought for him by his . . . bubbe. He's already getting close to too big for it.

>166 Caroline_McElwee: Ha! Mischief ahead seems right to me, Caroline. We get an extra kick out of it - his father was mischievous, too. That little pal is new to me; I'm glad it could join the celebration.

>167 quondame:, >168 kidzdoc: Susan and Darryl - thanks!

>170 karenmarie: Tactfully put, thanks, Karen. Happy Day Before Tuesday. We've got snow all over the place here - crazy.

I'm glad you enjoyed On LT with Asparagus. We're trying to step it up with the cafe music.

His dad's comment about Rafa's "lifelong goal" cracked us up. Rafa turns one tomorrow.

Thanks for letting us know about the House in the Horseshoe and the Battle of Bentonville - wow, the latter really was at the tail end of the war. I'm glad to hear the museum is excellent - in Confederates in the Attic he describes some not so good (but always interesting for one reason or another) ones he encounters. Yeah, I'll bet that feels like a big change after charging into the future California.

It reminds me of when we're on tours in London - they'll say something like, that church is only 200 years old, and then say, for you Americans, I'm sure that seems like a long time.

I just finished the very good short, illustrated bio Frida Kahlo: An Illustrated Life by Maria Hesse . What an impassioned artist, what an impassioned life.

I love Frida Kahlo. The Philadelphia Museum of Art hosted a comprehensive evaluation of her work in 2008 that was created to celebrate the centenary of her birth, which is probably my all time favorite museum exhibition, along with the subsequent one there that was dedicated to Picasso.

>174 kidzdoc: - Darryl, there is a Kahlo exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum currently on. Not sure for how long, but maybe something to keep in mind if you're planning a trip into NY in the next few months.

And hi Joe!

ETA: Oh, it closes May 12...

>175 katiekrug: Yes, that’s the same exhibition of Frida Kahlo’s personal effects that was hosted by the Victoria & Albert Museum in London last year. I’ll visit my parents from this Saturday through the following Thursday, but I haven’t decided if I’ll see that exhibition or not, although I definitely want to see the Joan Miró at MoMA next week, or, more likely, in early June.

>176 kidzdoc: Do let us know when you're headed for the Miro. If my schedule permits, we can at least have a snack.

>174 kidzdoc: Hey, buddy. My appreciation of Frida Kahlo is still developing. I would've loved to have seen that Philadelphia Museum of Art exhibit of her work. Like you, I think, we took a pass on her personal effects exhibit at the Victoria & Albert. I want to see more of her art, not her personal items.

We saw a great exhibit dedicated to Picasso's work over a one year period - I'm drawing a blank on which museum. Beautifully curated.

>175 katiekrug:, >176 kidzdoc: Oh yeah, there we go. I'm not so interested in the Brooklyn/V & A one, but the Miro one at MoMA sounds great. We used to be in NYC every Spring for a talk I'd give, but retirement caused me to bail out - too much work! So we need to figure out a way to get a visit back in our schedule.

Hi Katie!

>177 ffortsa: Sounds like a plan, Judy.

>177 ffortsa: Will do, Judy. I won't go to NYC (or Center City Philadelphia) this weekend or next week, as my father had a bad fall and ripped the skin off of one of his heels last week (if I wasn't a physician the photo that their neighbor sent me today would have made me faint). I see that it's on until June 15th, and since I plan to spend most of that month with them I'll go at that time. I'll keep you, Katie, Liz and anyone else who would like to go posted...or we could set a date anytime after the 2nd or 3rd, as I plan to drive from Atlanta to Philadelphia on one or both of those dates. I'm a MoMA member, as you are, so I'd prefer to visit during Early Member Hours, if that's okay with everyone else.

>178 jnwelch: I wish you could have seen that exhibition, Joe. IIRC Philadelphia was the only museum in the US in which that exhibition appeared, although that may have been true for either of the comprehensive exhibitions of the works of Picasso or Dalí, which I also saw, instead. That museum is absolutely massive, and it's one of the few in the US that's large enough and, more importantly, has enough free space to host large exhibitions. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is far larger, but I don't think it has the potential free space that the Philadelphia Museum of Art does.

Yes, I remember that we (Debbi, you, me, Claire and Bianca) decided to pass on the V&A exhibition, especially after someone (I forget who) told us about it, so I'm not overly inclined to see it at the Brooklyn Museum. I do love that museum, though, and the Brooklyn Botanical Garden that is adjacent to it. For that matter I love nearly all things Brooklyn, including BAM, the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

I think you're referring to the Picasso 1932 exhibition at Tate Modern last year. I know that you & Debbi saw it, and Bianca & I went on one of its last days. That was a superb exhibition.

Please let us know if you & Debbi do go to NYC in June! MoMA members like Judy, Jim as I recall, and myself can purchase $5 guest tickets...although Chicagoans are charged an extra $20 fee, IIRC.

Morning, Joe. Looks like a beautiful day for a Meet Up, right? It will be nice to see you guys.

>179 kidzdoc: Sorry to hear that your father had that bad fall, Darryl, and that ripped heel. Ouch!

It sounds like a great exhibition of Frida Kahlo's art at the Philadelphia museum. I wish I'd known it was going to be the one US one; we've been looking for a reason to go to Philadelphia. I've been in the museum, but it's been years now, and it didn't have the Barnes Foundation when I went (I did go out to that suburb that starts with an "M" to see the Barnes collection).

Yeah, I'd forgotten someone told us about the V & A exhibit, but I think it was a good "pass". I've never been to the Brooklyn museum, or its Botanical Garden, so I'll remember that for next time we're there.

Yes! I couldn't place that 1932 Picasso exhibit - the Tate Modern. Man, we've seen some good ones there, but that Picasso one really was superb. Probably the best audio I've heard for one of these.

I don't think we'll be in NYC in June, unfortunately. We've loaded the schedule pretty thoroughly, and actually are trying to do less traveling this year, after being gone so much of last year, particularly with my Dad's travails.

I caught that little dig about Chicagoans, buddy. I was going to say, wait until you see the surcharge we levy on Atlantans when you come here. But since we want you to come here, we'll reluctantly waive it.

>180 msf59: Morning, Mark. It does look like a beautiful day for a meetup. I hope someone kicked that snow in the rear end as it left. Looking forward to it! We're changing the logistics with the car, so I shouldn't be late.

>180 msf59:, >181 jnwelch: Any day’s a good day for a meetup! See you in a few hours. 😀

>182 drneutron: Ain't that the truth! See you soon, Jim!

So, glad news and some sad news.

Glad news: Richard Powers' The Overstory won the Pulitzer! Loved that one. Aretha Franklin won a posthumous Pulitzer for her five decades of contributions to music and culture. Well done, Pulitzer!

Sad news: most excellent sci-fi author Gene Wolfe died. His remarkable Book of the New Sun series had a major impact on me as a young kid.

Here's Neil Gaiman talking about Gene Wolfe in the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/may/13/gene-wolfe-hero-neil-gaiman-sf

>181 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. My (non-medical) brother was horrified and completely freaked out by the photo that Maun, their neighbor who is a home care nurse, sent to us. Maun and I, however, thought that it looked good, with healthy granulation (healing) tissue coming in. Fortunately she and I were able to calm him down.

We'll have to organize a Philadelphia meet up in the near future, either on a smaller scale or a much larger one, as we did several years ago when nearly 20 of us met up for a long weekend in the city. My parents live just north of the city on a commuter rail line, so it's easy for me to take the train into the city or, alternatively, book a hotel room in Center City as I did for our mega meetup.

The Picasso 1932 exhibition at Tate Modern was superb. I've seen some great ones there in the past few years, including the Black Power Movement and Mogdilani exhibtions. I found myself going so much that it made sense to purchase a Tate membership, so I'll have to see what's on there when I return to London next month.

I am well aware of the Atlanta surcharge you Chicagoans levy on us, which is why I use my passport instead of my driver's license as a form of identification whenever I visit your fair city.

Have a great meet up with Mark and Jim! Color me jealous!

Oops, I'd better get back to my tortilla, so that I don't burn it...

>184 jnwelch: - Lovely, re Aretha. In a couple of weeks, I am going to see this: Amazing Grace

Scroll once to the right for the trailer and down for the synopsis. Can't wait!

>185 kidzdoc: A mega meetup in Philadelphia sounds like a great idea, Darryl.

Oh my, Debbi would love to see a Modigliani exhibition. He's a favorite of hers, and doesn't seem to get featured as much as some others.

We probably should think about getting a Tate membership. We never miss going there when we're across the pond.

Ah, using a passport makes a difference? I'll bring mine to NYC/Brooklyn.

Yeah, wish you could be with us for the meetup. It's BYOT - bring your own tortillas. There's still time . . .

>186 jessibud2: Isn't that lovely re Aretha, Shelley? Can't wait to hear what you think of the Aretha film Amazing Grace. It's been getting rave reviews here; it's definitely in our future.

>187 jnwelch: Perfect. My pie sized tortilla is done, and I'll have plenty to bring to the meetup...if I leave soon and don't eat it all.

>188 kidzdoc:. LOL! Don’t let anyone sitting nearby have any - that looks awfully good😀

>189 jnwelch: Not even Becca or Debbi?

>190 kidzdoc: Especially not those two! I won't get any! (Don't let either of them know I said that, okay?)

Taken this morning on Rafa Little Man's One Year Birthday!

>192 jnwelch:

How is your handsome dude going to celebrate?!

A few days back you mentioned Kings of the Wyld as being a book you read and enjoyed. Did you know that there is a sequel - Bloody Rose? I have had both books on my wish list for some time and think I am going to just put in an ILL request for them as they don't seem to be turning up at my local used book store.

>184 jnwelch: so pleased for Powers, and posthumously for Aretha.

Gene Wolfe is new to me Joe. But someone to look forward too. Losing creative heroes is painful.

>192 jnwelch: Waving back at the birthday boy. Where did that time go Joe?

>192 jnwelch: Happy Birthday, Rafa!
And congratulations to the proud parents and grandparents.

>191 jnwelch: Ha! You do realize that this is blackmail material, right?

>192 jnwelch: Sorry, the remaining 3/4 of the tortilla goes to the birthday boy (assuming that Becca lets him out of her arms). ¡Feliz cumpleaños, Rafa!

>192 jnwelch: Waving back to the birthday boy! Wow, 1 already! What a cutie!!

>194 m.belljackson: Today he went to daycare to celebrate with his pals, Marianne. (He and his parents facetimed with us before he went - he had a lot to say, although in that language we haven't learned yet). His grandparents all arrive on Thursday, and his party will be at the Children's Museum on Saturday, if I've got it right.

>195 benitastrnad: Thanks, Benita. Yes, I read Bloody Rose, too. Both were fun and different.

>196 Caroline_McElwee: Right, Caroline? Me, too. I guess Powers was a finalist before for Echo Maker, which I haven't read. So I'm extra glad he got it this time. And Aretha - what a good idea to award her the posthumous Pulitzer.

Try that first book in the Book of the New Sun series and see what you think. If it grabs you like it did me (and many others), you're off and running.

Can you believe a year has passed with the birthday boy? And so much has changed. He was a little mushball who had to be helped with everything not that long ago. Now he's Mr. Personality. Man, am I looking forward to him starting to talk (in a recognizable language!)

>197 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. He's our favorite little guy, in case you couldn't tell. :-)

>198 kidzdoc: Huh. I always was a doofushead, Darryl. Although when it comes to blackmail material about me to convey to Debbi, it's an embarrassment of riches. At this point I think she just throws up her hands and says, "Whatever."

Ha! Well said, Darryl. He is a broad spectrum eater, so I think Rafa'd go after that 3/4 of tortilla with gusto. Since it's him, I'm okay with getting my usual zero.

>199 Copperskye: Thanks, Joanne! We're completely impartial, as you'd expect, but we say wow, what a cutie!! a lot, too. We get to see him in person in a couple of days. Can't wait!

Nice to see you today, Joe. Hope it's not nearly as long til the next time.

Thanks, Linda. It was great to see you, and what a fun time with Jim and Mark. Thanks again for taking half a work day off to hang out with your crazy LT friends!

Glad you guys had a splendid meet-up. Hardly a surprise though!

LT Meetup! Mark, Jim, Joe and Linda at the Hofbrauhaus German beer hall.

Another stellar Meet Up, Joe. Sorry, you had to leave early. Jim and I starting doing shots and starting chatting up a couple of young ladies. (Of course, that would be the day.) Grins...

Glad it all worked out. Happy Birthday Rafa! My gosh, that kid is cute!

>192 jnwelch: That kid is adorable! Thanks for sharing the love.

>205 jnwelch: Wonderful photo, Joe!

I watched the film Laura this weekend. It has been many years and I had forgotten much about the film Harry and I Fuzzi are doing a film every month and discussing it afterward. Good movie, though my viewing at 48 has different eyes than the one at 28. :-P

Happy Birthday to Rafa - What!! I can't believe he's a year old already.

>179 kidzdoc: How ghastly about your father's heel. Glad to know it's healing well.

>184 jnwelch: I'll sure miss Gene Wolfe. There was so much unique in his books.

>192 jnwelch: He looks like he's putting his last efforts of the day into pleasing his throng of fans! What a darling.

>205 jnwelch: Looks great.

One year old already! I'm sure that Rafa will have a fun time celebrating. Love all the pictures of him and the meet up pic. Looks like you folks are having a good visit.

Glad you had a fun meetup - and wishing you a lovely reunion with Rafa. Love the waving, super cute.

>201 jnwelch: Never fear, Joe. You may not know this, but I have it on good authority that Debbi is very happy with her guy, and she wouldn't exchange him for anyone other than Patrick Stewart.

Rafa deserves a full and freshly made tortilla, so I'll put my life in my hands and give you the remaining 3/4 tortilla without letting Becca and Debbi know.

>205 jnwelch: Great meet up photo!

>209 quondame: Ghastly, indeed. It had to have hurt like hell when he did that.

>206 msf59: That was another stellar meetup, Mark. It was a treat to have Jim in our neck of the woods, and a pleasure to have Linda join us. You guys convinced me on the Jill Lepore book.

Ha! I should've known you and Jim would start getting into trouble as soon as I left.

Thanks re Rafa. As is typical in our family, he's somehow getting his birthday extended over the next few days, with the grandparents arriving tomorrow.

>207 brodiew2: Thanks re that darn adorable kid and the meetup photo, Brodie.

I have never seen Laura, can you believe it? It sounds like I should. I'm glad you got to, and to make the different ages comparison.

>208 DeltaQueen50: Ha! Thanks, Judy. We can't believe Rafa is one year old already either!

>209 quondame: I have such fond memories of reading Gene Wolfe, Susan, especially that Book of the New Sun series. There was nothing like it then, and there still isn't. China Mieville might come closest in my own mind.

Rafa is a darling, isn't he. He sure enjoys life. He's a very busy boy, at all times, until he conks out and recharges his batteries.

Thanks re the meetup photo. It was great. There's nothing better than getting some LTers together.

>210 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. Rafa isn't entirely clear on what all the fuss is about, but he's enjoying celebrating. He gets all four grandparents with him starting tomorrow, lucky guy. The meetup was a fine time indeed.

>211 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. It was a fun meetup, and we're looking forward to seeing the birthday boy. Madame MBH was just reminding me that often, after Rafa waves, he looks at his hand, like, did this just do that?

>212 kidzdoc: Ha! You really know Madame MBH well - yes, I'm pretty sure she'd exchange me in a blink for Patrick Stewart, but otherwise she's very tolerant. I'm pleased that PS is happily married, and I'm doing all I can to keep him that way.

I actually have an awesome head of hair, but when I found out she likes PS, I quickly shaved it all off.

Aww, what a guy. I'll treasure that 3/4 tortilla for all the scant seconds it takes to devour it.

It was a mighty fun meetup. I just wish you and your tortillas could've joined us.

Is your padre healing up okay?

‘Morning, Joe!

Happy belated birthday to Mr. Personality - Rafa. What a cutie.

>193 jnwelch: I haven’t seen a Gauld comic I haven’t loved. This one is particularly good as it uses one of my favorite words – piffle. There’s a great quote in Strong Poison by Dorothy Sayers that I put into my review yesterday.

>205 jnwelch: I like this photo and the photo on Mark’s thread. Sounds like a wonderful time was had by all.

>216 karenmarie: 'Morning, Karen!

Thank you re Mr. Cutie-Pants. You're right on time with birthday wishes - he's stretching it out at least through Saturday.

What a gift to us Tom Gauld is. I love the word piffle, too. Poppycock is pretty wonderful, too. I just wish he'd worked in "codswallop", which is up near the top of my favorites list. :-)

I'll have to skedaddle over later this morning and read your Strong Poison review. Harriet! What a duo.

We had four or five meetup photos, so you'll probably see a couple more. Very friendly waitress!

Happy birthday to Rafa! And still some celebrating ahead, I understand, so have fun.

>218 EllaTim: Thanks, Ella! Can't wait to see the little guy. I hope all is well in your lovely part of the world.

Hiyah, Joe! Glad we convinced you on the Lepore book. And yeah, Mark and I promptly got into trouble by, *surprise*, having another beer... 😂

>192 jnwelch: *baaawww* happy first-of-many, Rafa!

>193 jnwelch: Heh!

Happy Humpday, Joe, hope your hangover from the beerhall putsch is subsiding.

Morning, Joe. Quick check in, in between stops. I would prefer more sun, but at least the temps are decent.

>205 jnwelch: lovely to see another good LT get-together Joe.

>215 jnwelch: tee hee.

Joe - You driving or taking Amtrak to Rafaville?!

Departing Union Station underground on a quiet rainy Chicago day still sounds real inviting...

Though nothing can rival your tureens of German beer, a new restaurant, The Winnebago Arts Cafe,
just opened in Madison and features a pastry I'd not heard of:

"A savory broccoli and cheddar scone had a good amount of both ingredients and could be an excellent light breakfast."

>220 drneutron: Hiyah, Jim! That sure was a swell time, wasn't it. Yup, how am I going to resist the two of you touting the Lepore book. Did I convince on the "you probably won't enjoy it" Ulysses?

Wish I could've stayed for another one or two, but then three of us would've been in trouble, instead of just you two. Park Tavern has been inquiring about your whereabouts, so I'd continue to lay low. Hope the publications conference goes all right.

>221 richardderus: Thanks, RD, says Rafa (I'm his spokesperson today). Happy HumpDay. I was blessedly free of a hangover today, and appreciative - those German beer halls don't skimp on beverage size, do they. I'm sure watching Americans trying to figure out "liters" gets a lot of chuckles among the staff.

>222 msf59: Morning/Afternoon, buddy. It's gotten pretty darn nice out there, with even some sunniness, where we are. We've both got chores to take care of, but we're hoping to have some front porch time today. I hope the sun is showing up where you are.

>223 Caroline_McElwee: Hi, Caroline. It was a swell meetup. So nice of Linda to make time to join us. I'm glad you enjoyed the banter with pal Darryl up there.

>224 m.belljackson: "None of the above" this time, Marianne. The Amtrak train is frustratingly indirect to Pittsburgh - Cleveland gets involved. They're making noise about installing a superspeed direct line, but even if that happens, it's years away. We're flying this time. Our daughter is going with us, and flying back earlier than us because of her teaching commitments.

I'll look forward to your report on the Winnebago Arts Cafe. I can't remember where we ate when we were last in Madison (it's been a while), but we stayed at the bookish Canterbury Inn.

I've had broccoli and cheese scones, and they're delish. Light breakfast, yes, but any time of day for me.

>227 jnwelch: yum, those scones look nice Joe.

>214 jnwelch: I like both authors, but hadn't ever thought of them as similar. Miéville I see as ultimately political, while Wolfe seems involved in idiosyncratic morality. Miéville is as idiosyncratic, of course. Have you read The Wizard Knight duology? Wolfe's language in that one totally re-wires my brain. I'm also attached to the Mist books.

Los Angeles is a bit of a desert for this group. I do hope that it is not too long before someone's vacation brings them near LAX.

>227 jnwelch: OMG those look divine! Of course I'm imagining jalapenos instead of broccoli, but the stomach has it's own imperatives.

I got the Pulitzer-winning bio, The New Negro, from ElderSon for Christmas, who made some remark about his liking big, thick books. Book and author and subject unknown to me. But since the Pulitzer committee awarded it the prize, I better get to it.

>228 Caroline_McElwee: Right, Caroline? So good!

>229 quondame: Thanks, Susan. Huh, I can't say I see Mieville as ultimately political; I think they're both (Mieville and Gene Wolfe) interested in idiosyncratic morality - nice way to put that. But what made me make the connection was the beautiful, challenging and spellbinding use of language to draw you into the world they've created; the flow of it, I guess. Ones like Perdido Street Station, The City and the City (my favorite), and the wild Embassytown come to mind for Mieville.

I read the first Wizard Knight and, philistine that I am, was disappointed by it. I haven't read the Mist books yet, so thanks for reminding me. After the Book of the New Sun series, my favorites are his short stories, e.g. The Island of Dr. Death and Other Stories. I did like The Book of the Long Sun books, too.

We do get into LA, so I'll let you know. I'm surprised we don't have more LA-ers in the 75ers group, too.

Ha! I love the visual swap of jalapenos for broccoli - and I bet our friend Darryl would, too.

>230 weird_O: We'll look forward to hearing what you think of The New Negro, Bill. I've haven't seen anything about it here yet. It does look intriguing - I know way less about the Harlem Renaissance than I'd like to.

>231 jnwelch: Yep. A broccoli & cheese scone sounds horrible and strange. I'll gladly take a jalapeño cheese scone, though.

>232 kidzdoc: I figured, you poor deluded soul. Although I'd be happy to have a jalapeño cheese scone as a side dish to my broccoli and cheese scone.

>233 jnwelch: Ick. There was a time when I loved broccoli & cheese soup, and would order it whenever it was on the menu in a cafeteria I once worked in, but now that I've become intolerant of broccoli the thought of it makes me a bit queasy. Then again there are many many more foods that I like and am willing to try than not (the ones I refuse to eat can be counted on the fingers of one hand), and as Amber said about cilantro I can happily live the rest of my live without broccoli.

You could get me to at least a broccolini & cheese scone, though. They look very similar, but to me they taste very different. All other green vegetables are fair game; I just finished a portion of the collard greens that I cooked on Sunday, along with feijoada à brasileira and rice, which all seem to taste better the longer they stay in my refrigerator.

The tortilla is now half gone, BTW.

>234 kidzdoc: Oh man, I LOVE broccoli and cheese soup. I'm sorry you're queasified now. It's like one of the best things ever.

Oh yeah, you're definitely one of the most adventurous eaters I know. A lot of what you eat has furrin words in it, too, like feijoada à brasileira and rice. I mean, broccoli's easy compared to whatever the heck that is.

I'm amazed that the tortilla is only half gone. It'll be gone twice over if I get my mitts on it.

Since we're leaving for a few days to visit the Mighty Rafa, I started a new thread. What with wardrobe issues (he's such a spiffy dresser), paparazzi, getting him to appointments, and so on, I may be on less than usual. So come on over to the new cafe!

>231 jnwelch: The Wizard Knight has a deceptive simplicity of structure. I'm not as fixed on the second half as I am on the first, having read re-read and re-read that volume for almost a week straight.
I know there are a few bits of Gene Wolfe's writing that I haven't read, but very few - though I did not read his works as they came out until the 80s or 90s, my husband had purchased most of them as he could up until 87 when we married, and pretty constantly after until the last decade. I got the ones we didn't buy straight from the library.