Kidzdoc Reads Black Male Writers for Our Time in 2019, Chapter 4

This is a continuation of the topic Kidzdoc Reads Black Male Writers for Our Time in 2019, Chapter 3.

This topic was continued by Kidzdoc Reads Black Male Writers for Our Time in 2019, Chapter 5.

Talk 75 Books Challenge for 2019

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1kidzdoc
May 21, 2019, 8:00 am

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah was born in Spring Valley, New York. He received a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York at Albany and a master's degree in fine arts (MFA) from Syracuse University, where he studied under George Saunders, whose novel Lincoln in the Bardo won the 2017 Man Booker Prize. He was the 2016-2017 Olive B. O'Connor fellow in fiction at Colgate University.

His work has appeared in numerous publications, including Guernica, Compose: A Journal of Simply Good Writing, Printer’s Row, Gravel, and The Breakwater Review, where he was selected by ZZ Packer as the winner of the 2nd Annual Breakwater Review Fiction Contest. He was chosen as one of the "5 Under 35 Authors" by the National Book Foundation last year.

Adjei-Brenyah's first book is Friday Black, a collection of hard hitting short stories about racism in a dystopian near future United States, which has received rave reviews in the US and the UK, and appeared in The New York Times best seller list. I'll purchase a copy of it when I visit Daunt Books tomorrow, and plan to read it in June.

2kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 26, 2019, 10:24 pm

Currently reading:

What Dementia Teaches Us About Love by Nicci Gerrard
Black and British: A Forgotten History by David Olusoga
Basquiat by Marc Mayer
Book of Hours by Kevin Young
Now and at the Hour of Our Death by Susana Moreira Marques

January:
1. Happiness by Aminatta Forna
2. The Queen of Harlem by Brian Keith Jackson
3. My Struggle: Book Three by Karl Ove Knausgaard
4. The Most Beautiful Bookstore in the World, Part 1 by Livraria Lello
5. The Most Beautiful Bookstore in the World, Part 2 by Livraria Lello

February:
6. An American Odyssey: The Life and Work of Romare Bearden by Mary Schmidt Campbell
7. Survive FBT: Skills Manual for Parents Undertaking Family Based Treatment (FBT) for Child and Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa by Maria Ganci

March:
8. Spring by Karl Ove Knausgaard
9. Heart: A History by Sandeep Jauhar
10. Hardheaded Weather by Cornelius Eady
11. Mind on Fire: A Memoir of Madness and Recovery by Arnold Thomas Fanning
12. Amateur: A True Story About What Makes a Man by Thomas Page McBee
13. Juice! by Ishmael Reed
14. The Face: Strangers on a Pier by Tash Aw

April:
15. Indian Instant Pot Cookbook by Urvashi Pitre
16. The Moor’s Last Stand: How Seven Centuries of Muslim Rule in Spain Came to an End by Elizabeth Drayson
17. Second Lives, Second Chances: A Surgeon's Stories of Transformation by Donald R. Laub

May:
18. The Shape of the Ruins by Juan Gabriel Vásquez
19. The Remainder by Alia Trabucco Zerán
20. Black Deutschland by Darryl Pinckney
21. Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi
22. The Face: Cartography of the Void by Chris Abani
23. Queen of the Sea: A History of Lisbon by Barry Hatton
24. Small Island (NHB Modern Plays) by Andrea Levy
25. The Firm by Roy Williams

June:
26. Lanny by Max Porter
27. Lord of All the Dead by Javier Cercas
28. Picasso: An Intimate Portrait by Olivier Widmaier Picasso
29. True Remarkable Occurrences by John Train
30. Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
31. Romare Bearden: A Black Odyssey by Robert G. O'Meally

7kidzdoc
Edited: May 21, 2019, 8:38 am

2019 Man Booker International Prize Longlist:

*Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi (Oman), translated from Arabic by Marilyn Booth (Sandstone Press) ✅
Love in the New Millennium by Can Xue (China), translated by Annelise Finegan Wasmoen (Yale University Press)
*The Years by Annie Ernaux (France), translated by Alison Strayer (Fitzcarraldo Editions)
At Dusk by Hwang Sok-yong (South Korea), translated by Sora Kim-Russell (Scribe)
Jokes for the Gunmen by Mazen Maarouf (Iceland and Palestine), translated from Arabic by Jonathan Wright (Granta)
Four Soldiers by Hubert Mingarelli (France), translated from French by Sam Taylor (Granta)
*The Pine Islands by Marion Poschmann (Germany), translated by Jen Calleja (Serpent’s Tail)
Mouthful of Birds by Samanta Schweblin (Argentina and Italy), translated from Spanish by Megan McDowell (Oneworld)
The Faculty of Dreams by Sara Stridsberg (Sweden), translated by Deborah Bragan-Turner (Quercus)
*Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk (Poland), translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones (Fitzcarraldo Editions)
*The Shape of the Ruins by Juan Gabriel Vásquez (Colombia), translated from Spanish by Anne McLean (MacLehose Press) ✅
The Death of Murat Idrissi by Tommy Wieringa (Netherlands), translated by Sam Garrett (Scribe)
*The Remainder by Alia Trabucco Zerán (Chile and Italy), translated from Spanish by Sophie Hughes (And Other Stories) ✅

*shortlisted book

8kidzdoc
Edited: May 21, 2019, 8:39 am

Medicine, Illness and Public Health

AIDS at 30: A History by Victoria A. Harden
An Anatomy of Addiction: Sigmund Freud, William Halsted, and the Miracle Drug Cocaine by Howard Markel
Asleep: The Forgotten Epidemic That Remains One of Medicine's Greatest Mysteries by Molly Caldwell Crosby
Bedlam: London and Its Mad by Katharine Arnold
Death in a Small Package: A Short History of Anthrax by Susan D. Jones
Hope in Hell: Inside the World of Doctors Without Borders by Dan Bortolotti
Jonas Salk: A Life by Charlotte DeCroes Jacobs
The Killer of Little Shepherds: A True Crime Story and the Birth of Forensic Science by Douglas Starr
The Last Asylum: A Memoir of Madness in Our Times by Barbara Taylor
Madhouse: A Tragic Tale of Megalomania and Modern Medicine by Andrew Scull
Madmen: A Social History of Madhouses, Mad-Doctors & Lunatics by Roy Porter
The Man Who Closed the Asylums: Franco Basaglia and the Revolution in Mental Health Care by John Foot
Mania: A Short History of Bipolar Disorder by David Healy
Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics is Fueling Our Modern Plagues by Martin J. Blaser, MD
The Price of Silence: A Mom's Perspective on Mental Illness by Liza Long
Proper Doctoring: A Book for Patients and Their Doctors by David Mendel
States of Mind: Experiences at the Edge of Consciousness by Wellcome Collection

9kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 27, 2019, 3:20 pm

Voices of Color/Social Justice

Al' America: Travels Through America's Arab and Islamic Roots by Jonathan Curiel
Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class by Owen Jones
A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern-Day Slavery by E. Benjamin Skinner
Criminal of Poverty: Growing Up Homeless in America by Tiny, aka Lisa Gray-Garcia
To Die in Mexico: Dispatches from Inside the Drug War by John Gibler
Dying to Live: A Story of U.S. Immigration in an Age of Global Apartheid by Joseph Nevins
The Ethics of Identity by Kwame Anthony Appiah
Ethnicities: Children of Immigrants in America, edited by Rubén G. Rumbaut and Alejandro Portes
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
For the Muslims: Islamophobia in France by Edwy Plenel
A History of Violence: Living and Dying in Central America by Óscar Martínez
The Honor Code: How Moral Revolutions Happen by Kwame Anthony Appiah
How Does it Feel to Be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America by Moustafa Bayoumi
Howard Zinn on Race by Howard Zinn
Latino Americans: The 500-Year Legacy That Shaped a Nation by Ray Suarez
Latino Immigrants and the Transformation of the U.S. South by Mary E. Odem
The Muslims Are Coming!: Islamophobia, Extremism, and the Domestic War on Terror by Arun Kundnani
The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America by Andrés Reséndez
A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn
Rebel Music: Race, Empire, and the New Muslim Youth Culture by Hisham D. Aidi
Serve the People: Making Asian America in the Long Sixties by Karen L. Ishizuka
Trans: A Memoir by Juliet Jacques
Violent Borders: Refugees and the Right to Move by Reece Jones
What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam by John L. Esposito
Who Are We: And Should It Matter in the Twenty-First Century? by Gary Younge

10kidzdoc
Edited: May 21, 2019, 8:43 am

2019 Wellcome Book Prize longlist:

*Amateur: A True Story About What Makes a Man by Thomas Page McBee ✅
Astroturf by Matthew Sperling
Educated by Tara Westover
Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi
*Heart: A History by Sandeep Jauhar ✅
*Mind on Fire by Arnold Thomas Fanning ✅
*+Murmur by Will Eaves
*My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
Polio: The Odyssey of Eradication by Thomas Abraham
Sight by Jessie Greengrass
*The Trauma Cleaner by Sarah Krasnostein
This Really Isn’t About You by Jean Hannah Edelstein

*shortlisted book+
+winner

11kidzdoc
Edited: May 21, 2019, 8:59 am

Planned reads for June (highly likely to change):

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
The History of the Siege of Lisbon by José Saramago
Little Boy by Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Lord of All the Dead by Javier Cercas
Medieval Bodies: Life, Death and Art in the Middle Ages by Jack Hartnell
Murmur by Will Eaves
My Struggle, Book Four by Karl-Ove Knausgaard
Olio by Tyehimba Jess
What Dementia Teaches Us About Love by Nicci Gerrard
Winter by Ali Smith

12kidzdoc
Edited: May 21, 2019, 9:01 am

13jessibud2
May 21, 2019, 8:38 am

Is it safe to peek in yet? Happy new thread, Darryl. I'd say I hope you are enjoying your vacation but I know you are!

14katiekrug
May 21, 2019, 8:51 am

Happy new one, Darryl!

15kidzdoc
Edited: May 21, 2019, 9:04 am

>13 jessibud2: Yes! I've just taken down the scaffolding, swept the floor, and ~~bought~~ made another batch of pastéis de nata, so you're welcome to come in, Shelley!

>14 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!

16Sakerfalcon
May 21, 2019, 9:09 am

Happy new thread Darryl! I'm really looking forward to meeting up tomorrow. I hope you'll have been to Daunt before we meet so I can look over your purchases.

17jnwelch
May 21, 2019, 9:22 am

^Hi, Claire!

Happy New Thread, Darryl!

I've read good things about Friday Black. I'll look forward to your comments.

I'm glad you're going to give N.K. Jemison a go in June. That trilogy is special.

Have a great time at Daunt, and with Claire and the others!

18bell7
May 21, 2019, 9:29 am

Happy new thread, Darryl! Love looking through your lists and tentative plans for June. The only one I read, I think, was The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin but I really loved that trilogy and hope you do too.

19kidzdoc
Edited: May 21, 2019, 9:33 am

>16 Sakerfalcon: Thanks, Claire! I'm looking forward to our lunch tomorrow. I'll have to compile a list of books to buy at Daunt soon, as that may be my only trip there this week. I bought those five books at the London Review Bookshop just before Rachael left her nearby office to join me, and fortunately all met her approval, or, more importantly, none met her disapproval. We came to the agreement that I could purchase books that she recommended, along with ones that she was unfamiliar with, but that buying books that she didn't like was absolutely forbidden. Perhaps you and I can agree to the same terms.

Rachael did give me two book recommendations, and since she is my most reliable source of good books, now that, sadly, Rebecca (@rebeccanyc) is no longer with us, I'll buy those books on this trip: Lanny by Max Porter, which I saw at the bookshop, and The Heartland: Finding and Losing Schizophrenia by Nathan Filer.

I hope that you can meet Rachael and Fliss at some point in the future. Now that she is working at the LRB office four days a week instead of three it's even more likely that we could meet her for lunch or tea at the Cake Shop. She won't be there on Thursday, though, as she is traveling to Edinburgh tomorrow to visit her eldest son, who is about to finish his second year at Edinburgh.

20streamsong
May 21, 2019, 9:46 am

Happy New Thread!

I really enjoyed An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic. It made me quite wistful. I would so have loved to have a similar experience with my father before he passed.

I'm loving your travelogue.

21kidzdoc
Edited: May 21, 2019, 9:57 am

>17 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe! Jeff (@mahsdad) wrote a positive review of Friday Black, as have several other LTers, so I'm looking forward to reading it next month.

I bought a copy of The Fifth Season for my father when I visited them last month, so I'll definitely get to it when I visit them in June. We are both avid readers, but our tastes in books rarely overlap, and this will probably be the first time we'll both read a book at the same time.

I'm looking forward to seeing Bianca and Claire tomorrow, and the two of them and other LTers on Thursday. Fliss, Rachael & I may meet up again on Friday, weather permitting, as there is a beer festival taking place in Cambridge this week, and I'll definitely see her Saturday afternoon, as we'll see the play The Firm at the Hampstead Theatre.

>18 bell7: Thanks, Mary! I'm glad to hear that you liked The Fifth Season. I expect that I'll like it, and if so I'll read the other books in her trilogy in the near future.
________________________

Tonight is the award ceremony for the Man Booker International Prize, which takes place here in London. I had hoped to finish the shortlist by today, but I've only read half of the books.

22kidzdoc
May 21, 2019, 9:55 am

>20 streamsong: Thanks, Janet! I'm glad that you enjoyed An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic, and I hope to finish it by the end of the month, although I haven't gotten very far into it.

23richardderus
May 21, 2019, 11:00 am

Hand over the pastries and no one gets hurt.

Friday Black is a casualty of my month-plus viral pneumonia. (Who knew they'd test for bacteria and then discover it was a virus? That's a fascinating means of diagnosis. Is that common...eliminate one, gotta be the other?) The read is excellent, the story depressing as hell.

24kidzdoc
May 21, 2019, 11:55 am

>23 richardderus: That's easily done. There is a Portuguese bakery not far from the flat that I'm staying in, so there will be plenty of pastéis de nata for everyone for the rest of this week. Y'all are on your own after that.

Most medical facilities have the ability to do rapid testing for a variety of viruses, bacteria or parasites from respiratory secretions or stools, using a technique called polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which amplifies the genetic material (DNA or RNA) from common pathogens, disease causing organisms. We use it occasionally on the patients we care for, and typically we get a result in two hours or less.

Viral pneumonias are often worse than bacterial ones, for two reasons: viral lower respiratory tract infections (bronchitis, bronchiolitis and pneumonia) usually infect all portions of both lungs, instead of one or two portions of one lung, and, of course, antibiotics do nothing for viral infections, save for Tamiflu (oseltamivir) for influenza.

Depressing as hell? Perfect. I'll look for Friday Black tomorrow at Daunt Books, or on Thursday at the London Review Bookshop.

25kidzdoc
May 21, 2019, 12:03 pm

I usually need one do-nothing day on my European holidays, and today will be that day. I'll see the play based on Small Island on Saturday evening, and stay inside until I meet Bianca for breakfast tomorrow.

26drneutron
May 21, 2019, 3:03 pm

Happy new thread!

27kidzdoc
May 21, 2019, 3:25 pm

>26 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

28magicians_nephew
May 21, 2019, 3:47 pm

enjoying riding along on your journey, Darryl.

29ronincats
May 21, 2019, 4:09 pm

Happy New Thread, Darryl! Looking forward to meet-up pictures soon.

30kidzdoc
May 21, 2019, 4:44 pm

>28 magicians_nephew: Thanks, Jim.

>29 ronincats: Thanks, Roni. There should be meet up photos from our group outing to the British Museum on Thursday

31kidzdoc
May 21, 2019, 4:49 pm

Celestial Bodies by the Omani author Jokha Alharthi, which was translated from the Arabic by Marilyn Booth, is the winner of this year's Man Booker International Prize for Fiction. I could only get through roughly 75 pages of it, so it certainly wasn't my top choice.

32weird_O
May 21, 2019, 5:20 pm

Hi, Uncle Traveling Darryl! (Do you know the Fraggles?)

33kidzdoc
May 21, 2019, 5:35 pm

>32 weird_O: Hi, Bill! Are these the Fraggles you're referring to?

34PaulCranswick
May 21, 2019, 6:10 pm

Happy new thread, Darryl.

Interesting winner of the Man International Booker being the first Arabic writing to win. I have it on the shelves and, though I see it didn't exactly smoke your bacon, I'll give it a go soon enough.

35kidzdoc
May 21, 2019, 6:37 pm

>34 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. I'll be interested to get your thoughts about Celestial Bodies.

36streamsong
Edited: May 22, 2019, 10:30 am

I had seen that you rated Celestial Bodies two stars on Good Reads, but I purchased a copy anyway. How could I resist adding Oman to my Reading Globally challenge? I'll get to it eventually, but it's not very high on the list. I currently have nine books checked out from the library! How does that happen??

37figsfromthistle
May 22, 2019, 10:33 am

Happy new thread!

38FAMeulstee
May 22, 2019, 1:45 pm

Happy new thread, Darryl.

Sadly Celestial Bodies isn't available in Dutch translation yet, but after winning I am sure it will be published soon.
I just finished The Pine Islands (not reviewed) and liked it. It helped that I read The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches in 2017.

39libraryperilous
May 22, 2019, 2:03 pm

Just catching up. I hope you're having an excellent time in London, Darryl.

40Caroline_McElwee
May 22, 2019, 2:58 pm

>31 kidzdoc: I saw Jokha Alhathi and her translater read from her book on Monday, along with the other shortlist nominees. I couldn't call the winner based on what they read, though was leaning towards Annie Eurnau, whose book The Years is near the top of my tbr mountain, Darryl.

41weird_O
Edited: May 22, 2019, 3:01 pm

>33 kidzdoc: Those are the Fraggles, Darryl. The character with the lavender hair, the one strumming the...uh...tennis racket, is named Gobo. Gobo has an uncle named Matt who is exploring what we call the world, what the Fraggles call out space. Uncle Matt, better known as Uncle Traveling Matt because he was, well, traveling, would sent post cards to Gobo, reporting on the outside world. And of course he would totally misunderstand what was happening in front of his eyes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9c8pUHw2Ec
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxsMTb3Qmik

42kidzdoc
May 22, 2019, 3:42 pm

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today was another enjoyable day, with good food, even better companionship with two of my closest LT friends, and more book purchases (no surprise there). I started my day with a quick coffee in the Borough branch of Monmouth Coffee, a small chain of London coffee shops that I love more than any other. Monmouth has only three locations, on Monmouth Street in Covent Garden, close to Seven Dials, this location on Park Street, just across from Borough Market, and a shop in Bermondsey that is only open for a few hours on Saturday.

43RandyMetcalfe
May 22, 2019, 3:49 pm

>42 kidzdoc: I can't always keep up with your thread, but I follow it closely when you revisit London. The Monmouth Coffee shop on Monmouth Street is also the way my wife and I start our day (or perk up a day at any point) when we stay in London. Hard to beat!

44kidzdoc
May 22, 2019, 4:03 pm

(Oops, I accidentally saved the message in >42 kidzdoc:.) After coffee I met Bianca (@drachenbraut23) for breakfast at Roast, an upscale restaurant within and overlooking Borough Market that offers modern takes on British cuisine. Bianca had a modified version of Full Veggie English Breakfast, and I had Eggs Royale with Salmon:

This was my first time dining at Roast, although I have had the delightful sandwiches and Scotch eggs from Roast to Go, the adjacent takeaway located on the main floor of the market. We were both pleased with our meals, and I was happy to give Roast a try.

Borough Market, which has been correctly labeled as "Foodie Heaven" by Caroline (@cameling), is one of the oldest food markets in London, which dates back to at least 1276, although the operators claim that it goes back to the year 1014, and possibly earlier. The foods, wines and specialty shops in the market are almost irresistible, save for the prices, and after forgetting to return there after lunch today I'll go after our group meet up tomorrow afternoon.

45johnsimpson
May 22, 2019, 4:22 pm

Happy new thread Darryl mate.

46kidzdoc
Edited: May 22, 2019, 7:46 pm

Bianca and I parted ways after breakfast (although I'll see her tomorrow during the group meet up at The British Museum), and I took a Jubilee Line train from London Bridge to Baker Street in Marylebone, to meet Claire (@Sakerfalcon) for lunch, as she works nearby. We ate at the Marylebone High Street branch of Le Pain Quotidien, a chain of Belgian boulangeries that serve quick and very tasty meals (there are a few in the United States, including three in Philadelphia, and I hope that they come to Atlanta in the near future). Just before I met Claire I visited the flagship branch of Daunt Books, which is also on Marylebone High Street less than two blocks from Le Pain Quotidien. Claire encouraged me to visit Daunt before we met, so that she could see my purchases, and being a good friend and listener I complied with her request:

Journey to Portugal: A Pursuit of Portugal's History and Culture by José Saramago: I had purchased a copy of this book from Stanfords, which like Daunt is a superb travel bookshop in London, although I seem to have lost that copy of it. In this book the Nobel Prize winning author travels in his ancient motorcar to villages and isolated areas well off the beaten path, in order to portray the country that tourists and casual visitors rarely experience.

The History of the Siege of Lisbon by José Saramago: I can't find my copy of this novel, either, which means that it and Journey to Portugal will either turn up together or were both lost at the same time. A lowly proofreader inserts the word "not" into a historically important book about the Siege of Lisbon in 1147, in which the Portuguese permanently reclaimed the capital after more than 400 years of Moorish rule, and in doing so the proofreader alters the narrative of the siege. His editor, upon discovering the mistake, encourages him to write an alternative history of the siege and its aftermath, which transfigures the present along with the past.

The Secret of Vesalius by Jordi Llobregat: This historical thriller, recommended to me by Richard, is set in 1888 during the World's Fair in Barcelona. The main character has returned home from Oxford after the sudden death of his father, and after he received a mysterious letter. Upon his arrival he learns that the city is experiencing a series of murders, which seemed to be linked to the famed 16th century anatomist Vesalius. He must discover the secret of Vesalius's ancient curse and solve the crime quickly, as he learns that he is also on the hit list. This would seem to be a great book to take on vacation, as the UK edition is nearly 600 pages in length, and it has been compared to The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, which I absolutely loved (and need to re-read soon).

Lanny by Max Porter: Rachael (@FlossieT) recommended this book to me when we met for afternoon tea at the London Review Cake Shop on Monday. This short novel is set in a rural village not far from London, which is filled with a variety of mysterious characters that include Lanny, a precocious young boy who talks to trees and enchants and baffles his parents and fellow villagers. Based on what little I've read this would seem to be a strong candidate for this summer's Booker Prize longlist.

God's Crucible: Islam and the Making of Europe, 570-1215 by David Levering Lewis: Lewis was a professor of history at Rutgers when I was an undergraduate student there in the mid to late 1980s, and he won two Pulitzer Prizes for his two part biography of W.E.B. DuBois (I own both books, but I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't read either one yet. I also didn't take any of his classes, which were nearly impossible to get into if you weren't a history major.) This book is about the history of Islamic Spain and the formation of modern Europe, which are both highly interesting to me, especially after Bianca and I visited Andalucía in 2016 and learned about that region's rich Islamic history.

Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah: I mentioned this author and book in the opening of my new thread, and I'll read it in June.

Black, Listed: Black British Culture Explored by Jeffrey Boakye: I hadn't heard of this book before, but it was displayed amongst the new works of nonfiction at Daunt. It explores 21st century Black British identity, and it would seem to be, as Claire said, a good companion piece to the book Black and British: A Forgotten History by David Olusoga. I intend to read that book, and watch the BBC Two series based on it, this summer.

I didn't take photos, but Claire had mushroom toast and I had an interesting and very tasty variation of caldo verde, the Portuguese soup that was the soupe du jour at Le Pain Quotidien.

I didn't take photos of Bianca and Claire, as I'll see both of them tomorrow during the group meet up. I'll post photos tomorrow evening.

47Caroline_McElwee
Edited: May 22, 2019, 5:21 pm

>46 kidzdoc: I like the haul Darryl.

48kidzdoc
May 22, 2019, 5:37 pm

>36 streamsong: I'm glad that you didn't let my two star review of Celestial Bodies dissuade you from purchasing a copy, Janet. I'm curious to see what you, Paul and others think of it, as I'd be willing to give it another go if most people like it more than I did. I generally trust the Man Booker International Prize judges more than the Man Booker Prize ones, and since they thought it was the best book translated into English and published in the UK this past season then I have to rethink my opinion of it, especially since I gave up on it after 50-75 pages.

>37 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita!

>38 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita! I hope that Celestial Bodies is translated into Dutch soon.

I'm glad that you liked The Pine Islands. I'll almost certainly read it this summer, since it made the MBIP shortlist, but I have no idea what it's about. I look forward to reading your thoughts about it.

Mmm, that reminds me...there is a book by a Dutch author that was chosen for the MBIP longlist that I wanted to buy. Checking...it's The Death of Murat Idrissi by Tommy Wieringa. Have you read it? I'll make a second trip to the London Review Bookshop tomorrow, either before or after the group meet up, and look for it and The Heartland: Finding and Losing Schizophrenia, the other book that Rachael recommended to me, while I'm there.

49kidzdoc
Edited: May 22, 2019, 7:44 pm

>39 libraryperilous: Thanks, Diana. I certainly am enjoying my stay in London, although it's one of the shortest ones I've had and it's already too short, even though I'll meet LT friends tomorrow, Friday and Saturday before I fly back to Atlanta on Sunday. In four days (actually three, as I stayed in my flat all day yesterday) I've already done more things with friends than I have in the US in the eight months since I was last here. Oddly enough I spend more time with my UK friends, especially (but not limited to) Bianca, Claire, Rachael and Fliss, than I do with my US friends, including ones who live in Atlanta, and I'm closer to them than nearly anyone outside of my immediate family and a very small number of friends from medical school and residency who I don't see as often. I see Anita Muelstee and her husband Frank a bit less often, but I feel very close to them as well. Being in London in itself is great, but having close friends in London and Cambridge who I love dearly (and vice versa) is so much more meaningful, as my relationships with family members and friends is more important to me than anything else.

>40 Caroline_McElwee: I'm glad that you attended the MBIP shortlist reading, Caroline! I would have gone if it hadn't taken place at the same time as Naomi Wolf's talk at Logan Hall. I'd love to hear more about it when we meet for dinner on Friday.

>41 weird_O: Ha! Thanks for explaining who Traveling Matt is and sharing those videos, Bill. Fraggle Rock was on the air during a very busy time in my life, when I was working full time and attending night classes at Drexel, then Rutgers. I knew about the show, but I almost never watched it, nor anything else for that matter.

Hopefully I'm a somewhat less clueless traveler than Matt, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it...

50kidzdoc
May 22, 2019, 6:03 pm

>43 RandyMetcalfe: Good to see you here, Randy! I don't go to Monmouth Coffee anywhere near as much as I'd like to, due to its limited number of locations. If I do find myself in Covent Garden or Borough Market, especially in the mornings or early afternoons, I try to go there, as I love their individually prepared filter coffee.

>45 johnsimpson: Thanks, John! I'm glad that you're no longer in Karen's doghouse. 😎

>47 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline. I may need to purchase a bag to bring back the books I've purchased, as for some reason I forgot to bring one with me this time.

51jnwelch
May 22, 2019, 8:19 pm

Hi, Darryl. Thanks for the photos. That breakfast looks delish. Don't forget we all love meetup pics, too!

Now I'm going to have to try a Monmouth Cafe. I've been going to that Italian chain.

52msf59
May 22, 2019, 9:28 pm

Happy New Thread, Darryl! Happy Times in London Town! Your home away from home. I love the fact, that you surround yourself with LT pals, while you are there. Enjoy, my friend.

I also was quite impressed with Friday Black.

53Oberon
May 22, 2019, 11:30 pm

>41 weird_O: This was a turn I was not expecting on this thread.

54PaulCranswick
May 22, 2019, 11:39 pm

>48 kidzdoc: I will read it next month, Darryl.

55kidzdoc
May 23, 2019, 2:32 am

>51 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. I'll be mindful to take meet up photos, since there will a group of us getting together.

Monmouth makes great coffee. Unfortunately there are only three of them, one of which (Bermondsey) is only open on Saturdays, and it's difficult, at best, to nab even a seat in the Covent Garden or Borough cafés.

>52 msf59: Thanks, Mark! Yes, London is definitely home away from home, and it's also my LT home, as I know far more LTers here and in adjacent towns and cities than elsewhere, including NYC. By my count I'll have met 11 LTers, nine of whom I've met on numerous occasions (Rachael, Fliss, Bianca, Claire, Heather, Rhian, Genny, Luci and Caroline), and two who I'll meet for the first time (Meg and Julie). After today's meet up I'll have met, IIRC, at least 68 LTers in eight countries (I keep a private list titled 'LTers I have met' in my profile page). I look forward to adding your name to the list!

I'm glad that you enjoyed Friday Black; I'll get to it next month.

>53 Oberon: Neither was I, Erik.

>54 PaulCranswick: Sounds good, Paul. I look forward to your thoughts about Celestial Bodies, and I hope that you encourage me to give it another try.

56kidzdoc
May 23, 2019, 2:38 am

Good news for fellow lovers of the first two books in Hilary Mantel's Thomas Cromwell trilogy, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies: according to her publisher, The Mirror and the Light, the final novel in the trilogy, will be published next March.

Hilary Mantel's The Mirror and the Light announced for 2020

57Familyhistorian
May 23, 2019, 4:28 am

Looks like you are eating and book buying your way through London in good company, Darryl. I hope your visit continues to go well, enjoy your mega meet up today. How are you going to get all those books home?

58msf59
Edited: May 23, 2019, 6:30 am

"68 LTers in eight countries"?? Wowza! You are truly an LT Ambassador! Sweet Thursday, indeed!

59benitastrnad
May 23, 2019, 10:23 am

>55 kidzdoc:
I was going to remind you that Mark read Friday Black but I see he got around to doing so on his own. Friday Black was reviewed on NPR and I am sure that spurred alot of readers to get it on their reading lists. If I get time today I will try to post that link for you. The stories in the book are somewhat controversial, but all of them make a point. Sometimes a point makes people uncomfortable. As I understand it from the NPR interview this is the author's first published work, so he is clearly an up-and-comer. The future is looking good for Black American authors. Yeah!

60kidzdoc
May 23, 2019, 3:48 pm

The LT group meet up took place today, which began at The British Museum, as six of us met to see the exhibition Edvard Munch: Love and Angst. We took this selfie after we saw the exhibition, and just before we left the museum to have lunch:

Front, left to right: Bianca (@drachenbraut23), Rhian (@SandDune), Julie (@juliette07).
Back, left to right: Heather (@souloftherose), Claire (@Sakerfalcon), me.

After the exhibition we had lunch at the Bloomsbury branch of Tas, a Turkish restaurant which is located on the corner of Great Russell Street, where the main entrance of the museum is located, and Bloomsbury Road. Bianca had to return to her flat to finish packing, but Genny (@gennyt) joined us:

This was the first time that I met Julie, who hasn't been active on LT for several years, although everyone else, save for Bianca, knew her well. It was a great pleasure to finally get to know her in person. I've met everyone else on numerous occasions, and it was great to spend a short while with them.

LT meet ups are special and memorable occasions, and this one was no exception.

61kidzdoc
Edited: May 23, 2019, 6:47 pm

>57 Familyhistorian: Right, Meg. Today's meet up was lovely, and I'll have dinner with Claire and Caroline (@Caroline_McElwee) tomorrow, and see a play with Fliss (@flissp) on Saturday afternoon, before I return to Atlanta on Sunday.

I packed far lighter than I have in the past, and I'm optimistic that my new purchases will fit into my suitcase, which hopefully won't make its own separate journey back to the US. If not I may have to purchase a small duffel bag; fortunately I should be able to buy one in one of the stores on Bayswater Road that I pass on my way to and from my flat.

ETA: Then again, I could always use the lovely, high quality canvas bag I received yesterday when I visited Daunt Books. The seven books I bought easily fit within it, and I suspect that the five additional books I bought at the London Review Bookshop on Monday will also fit in it. If you purchase enough books the booksellers give you one of the bags for free.

>58 msf59: Yep. I just recounted, and my private list of 'LTers I have met' has 69 names, which includes a former work mate who I don't count; it's certainly possible that I've left out one or more people who I met only once during a group meet up, and there were at least two people that came to the Virago meet up in London five or six years ago that I didn't speak to, due to their late arrival at Foyles Bookshop, and I didn't include them. Oddly, and perhaps fittingly, the first LTer I met was Rachael (@FlossieT), who I saw in Cambridge for lunch (and dinner) on Sunday and over tea on Monday. We met in the London Review Cake Shop, the small restaurant in the space next to the London Review Bookshop, in the summer of 2009. Bianca, Claire and Fliss, who all live in the UK, are the LTers I've spent the most time with, followed closely by Debbi and Joe. IIRC Debbi, Joe, Fliss and Laura (@lauralkeet) are the only LTers I've met on different continents, as I've seen each of them in the United States and England. I've attended LT meetups in the US, England, Scotland, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Portugal. I suppose that I could include Belgium in that list, as Debbi, Joe & I found ourselves briefly in Bruxelles Midi railway station on our way back from Amsterdam to London last year, but I don't think that really counts. There is an amazing bookshop in Brussels that Paola, an LTer who I haven't yet met, told me about, and hopefully the three of us, and perhaps others, will visit it later this year.

>59 benitastrnad: The cover article in The New York Times T Magazine about Black Male Authors for Our Times was a great way for these largely under recognized authors to become better known. Friday Black is Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah's début work of fiction, although it was bolstered by positive reviews in the NYT, The Guardian and elsewhere, and by its appearance in the NYT bestseller list. It was prominently displayed amongst the new works of fiction at Daunt Books yesterday, which made it easy to find when I went there yesterday.

62tangledthread
May 23, 2019, 6:00 pm

Happy new thread, Daryl! Sounds like you are having a wonderful trip. But who starts a new thread while they are on vacation?!?

63kidzdoc
May 23, 2019, 6:47 pm

>62 tangledthread: I do!

64lauralkeet
May 23, 2019, 9:05 pm

>60 kidzdoc: the meetup looks like so much fun! I've met everyone there except Bianca, thanks to the 2014 London meetup that we both took part in. I'm surprised you didn't meet Julie back then, as she was definitely there at least for part of the day. I miss her presence here.

65benitastrnad
Edited: May 23, 2019, 9:44 pm

Your trips are always interesting, but your meetups are simply THE BOMB! Someday I will do one of your London meetups as well.

69 people on your meetups! That is outstanding. Book friends are good friends.

66kidzdoc
May 24, 2019, 6:18 am

>64 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura! It was a short but very enjoyable meet up. You're right; Bianca didn't attend that 2014 Virago meet up, as I don't think she's a member of the group, and I found out about it first from Luci. I had to break away shortly after we left Foyles, as I had already made plans to meet Fliss for lunch and an afternoon play on the West End, which is almost certainly why I didn't meet Julie. Caroline and Claire introduced themselves to me shortly after I left the group at Cambridge Circus, as I was mainly talking to you, Heather and Rhian at Foyles. Alison (@Heaven-Ali) was definitely there, and Liz (@LyzzyBee) may have been, but we didn't introduce ourselves until we met in Birmingham last year.

Julie was in very good spirits yesterday, looked great, and is doing well.

>65 benitastrnad: Thanks, Benita! I'm glad to be one of the main stimuli for LT group meet ups, along with Laura, Debbi, Joe, Paul Cranswick and others, and hopefully we can participate in a similar one in London in the near future.

When I first compiled my list of LTers I have met' last year I was surprised at how many people I had met, as my guess was far lower than the actual number. To me it's a reflection of the warmth and friendliness of the members of our group, and the international reach of LibraryThing.

67kidzdoc
May 24, 2019, 6:21 am

Today hasn't started out well, as I woke up at 4.30 with moderate lower abdominal pain, which was followed by intense nausea and two rounds of vomiting and diarrhea. This is very strange, as the same thing happened to me last month. I'm feeling better now, but I've decided to cancel a planned visit to Tate Modern this afternoon, and dinner with Claire and Caroline. I did go grocery shopping yesterday, so I do have enough food to last me until tomorrow, my last full day of this vacation, when I'll meet Fliss for lunch and a play in Hampstead.

68libraryperilous
May 24, 2019, 11:08 am

Lovely meetup! I'd planned to meet @Sakerfalcon on my next London trip, but that trip hasn't materialized yet. She probably has decided I'm a total flake. :)

I'm sorry to hear you aren't feeling well, and I hope that improves so you can enjoy your last day and not have a miserable flight home.

I love the Daunt Books on Marylebone and the LRB Bookshop. I'm also keen to visit The Second Shelf and Gay's the Word on my next London trip, as well as the Persephone shop and a couple of socialist bookshops, including Bookmarks. I have a few of the Persephones on my TBR and I want to see if I can find reasonably priced used copies.

Goodness! I just found this Londonist guide to London bookshops. I may have to extend my stay by two weeks just to visit the bookstores.

69Caroline_McElwee
Edited: May 24, 2019, 3:49 pm

>60 kidzdoc: Great meet up photos. I've met you all sceptic Juliette. I like that TAS too. Glad you all had a good time. What did you think of the Munch exhibition?

>67 kidzdoc: Sorry we weren't able to meet for supper Darryl, but glad you are feeling better now (text).

70scaifea
May 24, 2019, 3:49 pm

Oh, dang, Darryl, I'm so sorry that you're not feeling well again! I hope it passes quickly.

71Familyhistorian
May 25, 2019, 4:12 am

I hope you are feeling better, Darryl. It's no fun to be sick when you are on vacation.

72kidzdoc
Edited: May 25, 2019, 7:42 am

Happy Saturday and Memorial Day weekend, everyone! I'm almost completely back to normal, and will be able to enjoy a last full day in London. I'll meet Fliss for a pre-theatre lunch, see the play "The Firm" at the Hampstead Theatre, have dinner from one of the stands at Southbank Centre Food Market, and see the play Small Island at the National Theatre, which is based on Andrea Levy's bestselling novel about the Windrush generation of immigrants who moved to the UK from the Caribbean beginning in the post-World War II years and faced vicious racism, ostracism and poverty in their new home. It's ironic and telling that this play is on now, after last year's Windrush scandal and yesterday's resignation of British Prime Minister Theresa May, the worst leader of the UK since Neville Chamberlain.

May and trump will meet to participate in D-Day ceremonies on June 6, one day before she stands down. Hopefully she can encourage Individual-1 to do the same thing.

>68 libraryperilous: Thanks, Diana. You should get together with Claire (@Sakerfalcon), as she is one of my favorite LTers. I doubt that she thinks that you're a flake!

London is chock full of great independent bookshops. Usually one visit to the London Review Bookshop, Daunt Books and possibly Foyles is enough to fill my need, and I rarely visit other bookshops. I do need to get back to New Beacon Books, the UK's first black owned bookshop, which is located in Finsbury Park, a short walk from the Underground and National Rail station in North London. I hope to return to London during the summer, and again in September when Debbi & Joe make their annual trip here. After not visiting London since last September this one week vacation here has been far too short.

Thanks for posting that link to London's best indie bookshops. I thought that the Notting Hill Bookstore was permanently closed, so I'm glad to see that it's still in operation.

>69 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline. I'm surprised that you haven't met Julie; I hope that you have the opportunity to do so soon.

I liked what I saw of the Munch exhibition, which was the first half of it. I had an immensely enjoyable 45 minute conversation with Heather, to the mild disapproval of those around us, and as a result we missed seeing the remainder of it. Catching up with her was far more important that seeing the artwork, and I'll probably buy the museum catalogue to find out what I missed, and to learn more about Munch.

If I get a week or more off from work in July or August, which is highly likely, I'll plan to return to London. I'd like to see the Manga exhibition that opened at the British Museum this week, and I just saw that there will be a major exhibition of the work of Frank Bowling at Tate Britain that starts next week and closes on 26 August, so I'd like to see that as well.

>70 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. The worst of it lasted no more than an hour, and I'm now 95% back to normal.

>71 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. It was ironic that we talked about the illnesses I've had when I've visited London in the past, which are seemingly more common than the illnesses I have when I'm in Atlanta. I hypothesized that I'm more likely to come down with something because I'm usually ending a tough stretch at work just before I travel, and because the circulating air on a long transatlantic flight makes it easier to acquire an infection, especially if my immune system is depressed due to lack of sleep and work stress. These two bouts of AGE (acute gastroenteritis)/food poisoning are the only two times I've been sick all year, IIRC.

73kidzdoc
May 25, 2019, 5:23 am

My group's July schedule has been posted, and I'll be off from work for seven days in the beginning of the month (6-12 July) and for the last six days of the month (26-31 July). If I can get the remainder of that last work week off (1-4 August) then I'll plan to return to London then.

74EBT1002
May 25, 2019, 9:31 am

Hi Darryl. I'd say happy new thread but it's a wee bit late for that.

>1 kidzdoc: I bought a copy of Friday Black a few weeks ago. Perhaps I'll aim for a June reading of it, too.

Your London meet-up looks like fun and I hope you get to return in July/August. And I'm glad you're recovering from the illness. Travel is fun but it can be hard on the immune system!

75richardderus
May 25, 2019, 5:06 pm

Theresa May, the worst leader of the UK since Neville Chamberlain

I'd argue that Margaret Thatcher was the worst leader of the UK since...since...Cromwell, so permaybehaps an edit is in order...? Enjoy the plays!

76kidzdoc
May 27, 2019, 12:16 pm

Memorial Day
by Amos Russel Wells

The Day of Memories!—Remembering what?
The cannon's roar, the hissing of the shot?
The weary hospital, the prison pen?
The widow's tears, the groans of stalwart men?
The bitterness of fratricidal strife?
The pangs of death, the sharper pangs of life?
Nay, let us quite forget the whole of these
Upon our sacred Day of Memories.

The Day of Memories!—Remembering what?
The honored dust in every hallowed spot;
The honored names of all our heroes dead;
The glorious land for which they fought and bled;
Our nation's hopes; the kindly, common good;
The universal bond of brotherhood;
These we remember gladly, all of these,
Upon our sacred Day of Memories.
_________________________________

Let us never forget those brave men and women who gave their lives to preserve our freedom and democracy, and the families that they left behind. Let us remember them not just today, but every day, in our civic duties and responsibilities to our fellow Americans, both those who are present and those who will follow us.

77kidzdoc
May 27, 2019, 12:52 pm

I'm back in Atlanta, after a long but uneventful flight from LHR to ATL yesterday, at least until we arrived at the gate. Once the ground crew figured out how to open the plane's main exit door the departing passengers were smacked in the mouth by the extreme heat; it was 95 F (35 C) when we arrived, which is the hottest May 26th on record. On the drive home I developed a rhinorrhea with nasal congestion, a persistent cough, a sore throat, and some difficulty breathing. I thought that I developed a sudden cold yesterday, but early this morning I realized that it was an intense reaction to the poor air quality in Atlanta, due to the high amount of traffic that goes through the metropolitan area over Memorial Day weekend, both local residents and people traveling on vacation to Florida, beaches along the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts and elsewhere in the Deep and Mid South. I'm doing a bit better this afternoon, but the temperatures will be in the mid 90s daily until at least the weekend, so I'll stay inside until at least after sundown, although I'll probably wait until I have to go to work tomorrow morning.

My last full day in London on Saturday was a full and very enjoyable one. Fliss and I met for a pre-theatre lunch at Arabesque a small Lebanese café very close to the Swiss Cottage Underground station and the Hampstead Theatre. I had a vegetarian platter containing aubergine, chickepeas, tomato, potatoes and rice, with a salad of tomatoes, shredded beets and lettuce, which was very tasty and more than I could eat; Fliss had chicken with hummus, yogurt and salad, which I think she liked a bit less than the meal I had. With fresh squeezed juice and gratuity we paid £12.50 ($15.88) each, which was a superb price, IMO. I'll add Arabesque to my growing list of favorite London restaurants (now nearing three dozen), and plan to go there whenever I see a play at the Hampstead Theatre.

78kidzdoc
May 27, 2019, 1:19 pm

After lunch Fliss and I saw The Firm by Roy Williams, a black British author who I was completely unfamiliar with, which was held in Downstairs in the Hampstead Theatre, a gorgeous modern venue immediately adjacent to Exit 2 of the Swiss Cottage Underground station that I hadn't been to before. The play was set in a pub in South London that whose owner, Gus, was a member of a notorious gang known at The Firm that was active two or three decades earlier. Gus brought the members of the gang together to celebrate both the release of Shaun, one of its members, from prison, and the re-opening of the pub. As The Firm congregates and waits for Shaun a young man is brought in by one of the members, much to the surprise and extreme disapproval of the others. The youf, whose identity is slowly revealed, proposes one last job to the members of the Firm, who are all in their fifties and have been out of the game for quite awhile. They relive and rejoice in past deeds, struggle with their current lives and limitations, and are very tempted to go out in one last blaze of glory.

The relatively small theatre, which maybe sat 100 people, the tautly written play and the talent of the actors created a very tense and compelling drama, and a memorable theatre experience. We both loved the play, which lasted 90 minutes with no intermissions. It's on until 8 June, and at £14 per ticket (no reserved seating) it was well worth seeing.

79kidzdoc
May 27, 2019, 1:41 pm

The afternoon started out great, but the best was yet to come. After the play Fliss and I boarded a southbound Jubilee Line train. She got off at Baker Street, to head back to Cambridge, while I stayed on to Waterloo, to head to the South Bank. I made my usual weekend visit to Southbank Centre Food Market, which consists of 20 or so stands serving fabulous street food from all over the world that is open from Fridays through Sundays, along with Bank holidays. I stopped at the stand run by Ethiopiques, which serves Ethiopian vegan and vegetarian fare, and ate about half of the very tasty couscous platter, which cost £8 (just over $10).

80Caroline_McElwee
Edited: May 27, 2019, 1:45 pm

>79 kidzdoc: my favourite stand at the Southbank food market Darryl, yum. My second favourite stand is the Italian one where I get freshly made canoli.

Glad you had a good visit.

81kidzdoc
May 27, 2019, 1:51 pm

The highlight of the day was seeing the play Small Island, which was based on Andrea Levy's epic novel of the same name that won the Orange Prize for Fiction and the Whitbread Book of the Year in 2004, and the Commonwealth Writers' Prize in 2005. Small Island was adapted from the novel by the award winning playwright Helen Edmundson and it's about the Windrush Generation, the first wave of British subjects from Jamaica and the Caribbean who moved to the United Kingdom after World War II, but faced intense racism and substandard living conditions, when they could find housing at all, and were forced to accept menial and low paying jobs well below the positions they held back home. The play was unexpectedly but appropriately hilarious in spots, without diluting the tragic elements of the book, which I read at least a decade ago. Even though I knew how it ended I had tears in my eyes during the closing scene, and there were plenty of sniffles from those seated close to me. I've attended at least 25 plays at the National Theatre in the past dozen years, but I've never seen one in which the entire audience gave the actors a standing ovation after it finished, and this is likely the best performance I've ever seen at the NT. It's on until 10 August, and there are supposedly £15 tickets for each performance, although I doubt that many seats at any price remain. The novel was superb, but the play was even better, IMO.

82kidzdoc
Edited: May 27, 2019, 3:11 pm

>74 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen! You've been even busier traveling than I have, so I appreciate your visit. I enjoyed your travel photos and commentary, and I'll pay you a "new thread" visit shortly.

I'll definitely read Friday Black next month, so I'm glad to have your company.

I think it's all but certain that I'll return to London somewhere between late July and the end of August, but I'll wait to see what my August schedule looks like before I commit to dates. I found out on Saturday that the play Barber Shop Chronicles by Inua Ellams, which I missed seeing at the National Theatre, will be on at the Roundhouse in Camden, North London this summer, and there are at least two other plays and three museum exhibitions that I would like to see before September, when I plan to return when Debbi & Joe are there.

>75 richardderus: Margaret Thatcher was evil and did great damage to the safety net for poor and working class Britons, but, from an ignorant outsider's view, she was far more successful in accomplishing her aims than Theresa May, who IMO was a spectacular failure at everything she tried to do, and a horrible, tone-deaf leader who displayed zero emotion or caring until the end of her resignation speech, although those tears seemed to be for her own shortcomings rather than for the British people. It's a shame that leftists like us will consider Thatcher and May, the only two women to become prime ministers in the UK, as the two worst ones in our lifetimes.

>80 Caroline_McElwee: There are so many fabulous food stands at Southbank Centre Food Market that it's hard for me to choose one. I love the roast duck sandwich and chips stand, the one that sells Carribean curried chicken, the Thai stand, the roast pork stand, etc etc etc. Ethiopiques is definitely one of my favorites, though.

ETA: After dining with each of them at Southbank Centre Food Market numerous times, I can say with near certainty that Bianca and Claire would also claim Ethiopiques as their favorite stand there.

83Berly
May 27, 2019, 2:13 pm

D--As usual, I am very jealous of your wonderful trips: the books, the plays, the food and the meet ups!! I have added Friday Black to my must-get list. Welcome back and I hope you are feeling top notch again. : )

84kidzdoc
May 27, 2019, 2:21 pm

>83 Berly: Thanks, Kim! Hopefully this trip and others have convinced other LTers to visit London, and enjoy everything it has to offer, particularly the company of British LTers who are very dear to me.

I shall have to make room for a PNW vacation to visit LTers and other friends in Portland, Seattle and Vancouver in the near future. A visit to Toronto, especially when Zoë is there, is also high on my to do list.

I hope that you pick up Friday Black soon. I may get to it as early as this weekend.

85lunacat
May 27, 2019, 3:18 pm

Sorry we were unable to see you this time Darryl. Hopefully we’ll be less snowed under with work next time and can come into London to see you. We’ve had an exhausting 3 days trying to regain some semblance of control in the garden, and I think John is ready to go back to work for a rest from the manual labour!

Glad you landed safely and I don’t envy you the weather - whilst I’d love it to be warmer (it’s currently 13C here), I’m don’t think I’d like the humidity in Atlanta!

86mdoris
May 27, 2019, 3:48 pm

I'm greatly enjoying reading about your travels, your LT visits, your book talk and your food talk. All good!

87EllaTim
May 27, 2019, 6:18 pm

Glad you had such a good time in London Darryl! Nice to see all your pictures.

But what a shock to return to such heat and bad air quality in Atlanta, staying inside until the worst of the heat is over sounds very wise.

88jnwelch
May 28, 2019, 3:28 pm

Hi, Darryl. Glad you're back home safe, but sorry about your getting whapped with the bad air.

Both The Firm and Small Island sound great; I'm sorry we'll miss them. What a town for fine theater! We're starting to line up what we want to see in September.

We celebrated Becca's birthday over the weekend, with her godfather in town. I hope you get to meet him some day; he's a sound engineer/musician, and quite an excellent fellow.

89Familyhistorian
May 29, 2019, 4:28 am

Too bad you came home to such heat and poor air quality, Darryl. It's great that you will be able to come back to your home away from home so soon. I'll have to start planning a return soon, hopefully for next year, but I still have a few days left of my current trip. I don't think that I will book trips as long as a month in the future!

90kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 1, 2019, 7:30 am

Happy Saturday, and even happier 1st of June, everyone! Today is one of my favorite days of the year, as it marks the beginning of my vacation free month off from work, as it has for the past five years. This month, as I've probably mentioned previously, is my payback for working 3-5 extra days per month above my regular schedule from this past November through February, when our census is highest and we need more hospitalists to see patients; at least two of my other partners do the same thing. This allows us to be fully staffed in those busy months without having to hire someone to work just those four months, and removes participants from the three lighter months (June through August) when they aren't needed. If anyone at or outside of work takes issue with my month off, in which I receive a regular paycheck, I remind them that I earned this, as I worked my tail off during those four months and these are days that are owed to me. I don't have to pay the piper; the piper has gotten his from me already.

I'll stay in Atlanta until the 10th or 11th, and drive from here to Philadelphia to spend most of the month with my parents. Before I leave I'll do some spring cleaning, cook, do some fun things locally, and, of course, read! I'll probably stay inside today, especially since I'm still battling allergies, sinusitis and an asthma flare up after coming back to the toxic air in Atlanta, but tomorrow will be a busy day, highlighted by dinner with a good friend from work. Erin and her husband, as several empty nesters I know have done, including my neighbor who is also a physician at Children's, moved from their suburban home well Outside the Perimeter (OTP) to an Intown home not far from where I live, and she and I will cook dinner together. I promised to teach her how to make a tortilla española, and in exchange she'll teach me how to make paella, although I don't know if she's making it tomorrow. We'll have plenty of opportunities to do so in the future, though.

I started reading Lord of All the Dead, the new novel by Javier Cercas, last night, which I bought at the London Review Bookshop last week, and today I'll get started on Picasso: An Intimate Portrait by his grandson Olivier Widmaier Picasso, which describes the man as his family knew him, in text, private pictures, and paintings. I attended a talk at the Edinburgh International Book Festival last year by the younger Picasso and James Attlee, author of Guernica: Painting the End of the World, and I bought both books from the festival bookshop while I was there.

91Caroline_McElwee
Jun 1, 2019, 7:32 am

Yay, how lovely to have June off Darryl. I hope the allergies go. Enjoy your at home day with your books today.

Lovely to have time with friends, and see your folks too.

92kidzdoc
Jun 1, 2019, 7:46 am

>85 lunacat: I'm also sorry that I wasn't able to see you & John this time as well, Jenny. Hopefully we can meet up later this year; I'll probably come back in late July/early August, and again in September when Debbi & Joe travel to London.

If there was one small saving grace it was that it wasn't as humid as it often is in Atlanta, so the 35-37 C days were not as bad as they could have been. The temperatures have dropped to a more reasonable 31-32 C, which is still above normal for early June but not by much.

13 C sounds lovely to me!

>86 mdoris: Thanks, Mary! I'll start working on meet ups in and outside of Philadelphia and NYC next week, with LT and non-LT friends and family members, especially some old school friends who I haven't seen in years. I'll do a lot more cooking as well, and I'll try out recipes in the cookbooks that I bought late last year and earlier this year.

>87 EllaTim: Thanks, Ella. It was a shorter than usual trip, and I only met up with LT friends on four of the seven full days that I was there, so it felt somewhat incomplete. I'll probably make two, or possibly three, additional visits to London this year, though.

I'm doing a wee bit better, with a slight improvement in my allergy and asthma symptoms. I talked briefly with a physician colleague at work on Thursday, and he was also trying to cough up a lung due to an asthma flare up. We both agreed that this year has been a terrible one for our asthma, and that our symptoms markedly worsened once we returned to Atlanta after taking recent European holidays.

93kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 1, 2019, 1:08 pm

>88 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. I don't tend to have too much problems with allergies after the early spring, so this is a bit unusual for me. I'm not sure what's changed, especially since the pollen count in Atlanta isn't that high, but plenty of other people I've spoken with are also suffering from asthma or allergy symptoms.

The Firm and Small Island were both superb. Do you have any cinemas near you that show NT Live and RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company) re-broadcasts? My closest movie house is the Midtown Arts Cinema, which does do this, and Small Island will be shown there on June 27th. I'll post a link on Facebook for my local theatre loving friends, and others who might be able to see it elsewhere.

You're right; London is the best city for theatre! I've been impressed by performances I've seen at smaller venues outside of central London, especially the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond and now the Hampstead Theatre in Swiss Cottage, and Paul (Harris) and I enjoyed the play we saw at the Finborough Theatre, a pub theatre that sits above the Finborough Arms in Earl's Court.

I just texted Debbi to ask (again) for the dates that the two of you will be in London; that should work well for me.

Well done for helping Becca to celebrate her birthday in style. I'd love to meet her godfather!

>89 Familyhistorian: Right, Meg. My ideal vacation is 2-3 weeks in length; by the end of my nearly four week vacation in Portugal and Spain last year I was more than ready to return to Atlanta, even though I was in Barcelona, one of my favorite cities. I trust that you've returned home by now?

>91 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline. I'll do a bit of cooking today, along with catching up on sleep and reading.

94FAMeulstee
Jun 1, 2019, 9:55 am

Finally catching up with your thread, Darryl, happy start of June to you!
I loved reading about your adventures and meetings in London, both here and on FB. I hope some rest will help you feeling better, allergies seem to be worse this year. Frank has more problems as in other years, and I always have only mild symptoms in spring, but a bit worse this year.

95richardderus
Jun 1, 2019, 10:18 am

I've always thought y'all's design for non-vacation compensatory time was genius. Everyone wins, especially the patients. Have a terrific month.

I expect we won't see a lot of you, given all the dining and general whoopin' it up you'll be doing.

96RidgewayGirl
Jun 1, 2019, 12:11 pm

I've read the first two stories in Friday Black, and they are both very different and superb. I'm going to try and pace myself to a story every few days so that I can live with each one for awhile.

Ninety days until the Decatur Book Festival, but in the meantime enjoy your month of June and spending time with your parents.

97libraryperilous
Jun 1, 2019, 12:42 pm

Enjoy your well-earned restorative June, Darryl!

98streamsong
Jun 1, 2019, 1:29 pm

Hope you feel better soon!

Our temps in Montana also hit records over Memorial Day - but they were lows rather than highs. Lows in the 40's, highs in the 50-60's. Brrrrrr!

Our air quality has also just taken a major plunge , but it's from wildfires in Northern Alberta. We've never preiously had smoke in May. Usually we can count on being smoke free until mid-July. More evidence of climate change. We never had smoke from far off wildfires at all before the late 80's. Now, although every year isn't horrible, it becomes more frequent and earlier.

BTW book bullet with Friday Black. Sounds like I need to add it to the list.

99richardderus
Jun 1, 2019, 6:34 pm

Yo! Doc! I just got a Prime First Reads that sounds really really interesting and I'm excited to read it: Stars in His Eyes by Martí Gironell, a Catalan writer. Free on your Kindle...tempting historical fiction about a man fleeing Franco for Red Scare Hollywood! Sounds like a winning combo to me.

Ohhh I am so so wicked...trying to tempt an overbooked biblioholic with ANOTHER translation from the Catalan...#unrepentant

100jnwelch
Jun 2, 2019, 9:05 am

Hi, Darryl.

Yes, the Music Box Theater here shows NT Live and RSC performances. We're members, so the next ones shouldn't get by us.

Debbi says she sent you our London dates. Can't wait! We head to eastern TN next, at the end of the month, to get together with Debbi's brothers and their families. We're taking Becca, and Jesse and Adri and the wee Rafa will join us for the week.

Enjoy your well-deserved month off!

I'm another one who has added Friday Black to the WL.

101kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 3, 2019, 7:18 am

Happy No Work Monday (for those of you who aren't working today), everyone! I had a very enjoyable weekend, especially yesterday, after I spent most of Saturday catching up on sleep. My barber has adopted early Sunday morning appointment only hours for his best customers, so I got a hair cut at 7:30 am (we're both habitual early risers) to start my day. I went shopping at Target, and while I was there I ran into Erin, the nurse practitioner and dear friend who invited me to cook dinner with her in her new Intown home yesterday, along with her youngest daughter Izzy (short for Isabella), who had finished a successful freshman year at a very competitive and prestigious small Southern college. I went to a high end car wash, where my SUV received a two hour pamper job, bought more groceries at Publix, then returned home and took a nap before driving to Erin's house.

Erin, who is a very accomplished and adventurous cook (far better than I am!) and a fellow foodie, loved having tortilla española when she visited Madrid and Barcelona with her family several years ago, but she had been unsuccessful in making them at home. After reading my innumerable tortilla posts on my Facebook timeline she asked me to show her how to make it, and in exchange she would prepare the rest of our dinner. I made a half tortilla de patatas con cebollas (four eggs, half of a large Vidalia sweet onion, and 1/2 kg of peeled Yukon Gold potatoes), then supervised her as she made a second one.

The main dish, which Erin made for the first time, was Singapore-Spiced Halibut In Banana Leaves, taken from Steven Raichlen's Barbecue Bible, which Erin made in advance and cooked on her outdoor grill after we finished making tortillas. She also made roasted asparagus with sea salt, pepper, olive oil in the oven, which was cooked until it was very crispy.

Our tortillas (Erin's is on the left):

Dinner:

Our dessert was a lovely fruit tart that Erin bought at a local farmers' market:

The halibut was out of this world, as it melted in your mouth, tasted fantastic, and was very richly spiced, with a moderate amount of heat from the Thai chili peppers that the recipe called for. Thankfully she removed the seeds from the peppers!

Here's the recipe:

Singapore-Spiced Halibut In Banana Leaves

INGREDIENTS
8 4-ounce pieces halibut, each about 6 by 2 inches and 1/2 inch thick
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
4 rectangular pieces of banana leaf, each about 12 by 14 inches

For the spice paste:
8 macadamia nuts, rough chopped (optional)
A 5-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and rough chopped
A 1-inch piece of fresh turmeric (or 2 teaspoons powdered)
4 shallots, peeled and rough chopped
4 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and rough chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and rough chopped
4 Thai, serrano, or jalapeno chiles, seeded and rough chopped (for spicier fish, keep the seeds)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce or soy sauce
5 tablespoons vegetable oil

RECIPE STEPS
Step 1: Make the spice paste: Place the macadamia nuts, if using, ginger, turmeric, shallots, garlic, chiles, and black pepper in a food processor and grind to a fine paste, running the machine in short bursts. (You can also pound the ingredients to a paste in a heavy mortar with a pestle.) Work in the fish sauce.
Step 2: Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the spice paste and fry it until dark and fragrant, 4 to 6 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Transfer the spice paste to a plate or bowl and let cool to room temperature. Using a spoon or spatula, thickly spread each piece of fish on both sides with spice paste.
Step 3: Set up your grill for direct grilling and heat to high. If using fresh banana leaves, grill on each side for 10 seconds to soften the leaf. Skip this step if using frozen leaves. Lay a banana leaf square, dark side down, on your work surface. Place a piece of fish in the center. Fold over one side, then the other, to encase the fish. Then pin each end with a toothpick to seal the package. Each package will be about 7 inches by 4 inches. The fish packages can be prepared several hours ahead and refrigerated until grilling.
Step 4: Arrange the banana leaf packages, smooth side down, and grill until nicely browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn the packages over and grill the same way—total cooking time should be 6 to 10 minutes. To test for doneness, insert a metal skewer through the side of one packet and leave it for 15 seconds: it should come out very hot to the touch.
Step 5: Serve the fish in the banana leaf. Let each eater open his own package.

I loved Erin's method of making asparagus, and since I bought asparagus at Publix yesterday I'll give that a try today. I want to try the halibut recipe, and I'll either make it on the grll at my parents' house, or try making it in the oven in my place.

This will likely be the first of many combined cooking efforts, as each of us has made things that the other wants to learn how to make. Erin made a killer paella del mar when she invited me and other close work colleagues to dinner two years ago, which I want to learn how to make, so we'll do that sometime this summer.

102kidzdoc
Jun 3, 2019, 6:40 am

Today will likely be an indoor day, as I continue to be plagued by allergies and a moderate asthma flare up that began shortly after I arrived in Atlanta last Sunday. At least three of my four tires have nails or screws in them (WTF?), and one is non-inflatable, so I'll need to set a new set of tires ASAP. I'll do that today or, more likely tomorrow, then run some other errands, including a visit to the farmers' market just outside the city where Erin bought halibut and banana leaves. I found a very enticing and easy recipe for strawberry rhubarb custard pie this weekend, and since it's my favorite dessert I want to give it a try. Neither Publix nor Whole Foods had rhubarb in stock, but Erin says that I'll find it in the farmers' market.

I did find marcona almonds at Publix, so I'll make Almond, Dill and Sardine Bucatini for lunch today, and I'll probably cook fish, potatoes and asparagus for dinner. I'll finally try the Alligator and White Beans recipe that Jim, our Fearless Leader, shared with me last year, as I have two alligator fillets in my freezer that I'll like to use before I leave for Philadelphia next week.

103kidzdoc
Jun 3, 2019, 7:00 am

>94 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita, and happy June to you, too! I'm glad that you enjoyed my reports from London; hopefully it's obvious how much I love visiting the city, and especially seeing my dear friends who live there and elsewhere in the UK.

This year has been a very different one for my allergy and asthma symptoms, which are generally intermitten and infrequent. Other friends of mine, particularly a neurologist whose asthma is generally worse than mine, have had a tougher go of it this year as well. Hopefully this is a blip, and not indicative of what the future holds for us, as this is quite unpleasant and annoying.

>95 richardderus: Right, Richard. One of my partners, a Super Genius who on her worst day is far smarter than I'll ever be, came up with that brilliant idea several years ago. It's truly a win-win situation for everyone in the group, particularly those of us who participate and reap the benefits. Our winters are more hellish, as hardly anyone works a full time schedule, but this month off makes up for it (don't ask me that in the dead of winter, though).

I think I'll be online here more often than usual, at least until I arrive in Philadelphia on the 10th or 11th, as last night's dinner is the only social thing on my calendar in Atlanta so far.

>96 RidgewayGirl: I'm glad that you're enjoying Friday Black so far, Kay. I'll start reading it this week.

I'll ask to be off during the Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend; hopefully I won't need to use any vacation time for it.

104kidzdoc
Jun 3, 2019, 7:15 am

>97 libraryperilous: Thanks, Diana!

>98 streamsong: Thanks, Janet. Brr...that is cold for Memorial Day! I'm sorry that Montana is also experiencing bad air. I haven't read or heard anything to explain why many of us in Atlanta are suffering from unusually bad allergy and asthma symptoms, as the pollen count is in the mild to moderate range. Fortunately we had a soaking rain yesterday afternoon, the first precipitation of significance since I returned here eight days ago, and hopefully that will help remove the allergens from the air.

>99 richardderus: What? Another Catalan novel?! I bought The Secret of Vesalius on your recommendation last month, what more do you want from me? I refuse to spend one more penny on any books you try to tempt me with, sir. What's that...it's free?! Oh, all right!!! Grr...

(Thanks, bro!)

>100 jnwelch: Excellent, Joe. I didn't post a link to the upcoming NT Live re-broadcast of Small Island on my Facebook thread, so I'll do that today.

Yes, Debbi did send me the dates of your trip to London. You've done so at least once previously, but I can't remember where I saw it. Now that it's on my Facebook Messenger page I have no excuses for not knowing.

Have a great trip to Tennessee! You two certainly seem to enjoy your visits to see Debbi's family, and I'm glad that Becca, Jesse, Adriana and Rafa will be there with you.

105jnwelch
Jun 3, 2019, 12:19 pm

Wow, that meal looks and sounds delicious, Darryl. Good for Erin for teaming up with you like that. What a fun way to put together a meal. I probably missed it - did she make that dessert, too, or was it store-bought? Oh, never mind. I see that she bought it at the Farmer's Market. Nice pickup.

106Morphidae
Jun 3, 2019, 12:44 pm

I've really enjoyed reading about your trip to London, as I do with all your adventures to Europe.

I envy how adventurous you are with your food. While the pictures are appealing I can't imagine eating what you do!

Perhaps before you retire you'll make a trip to the Twin Cities. What type of reputation does it and Minnesota have (other than being terribly white?)

107vivians
Jun 3, 2019, 1:04 pm

Thanks for the heads up about Lanny, which (amazingly) my library had available. It was a quick weekend read and very worthwhile (but really strange). It was reminiscent of reservoir 13 - a Booker longlist title I think - but much more inventive.

Those tortillas look delicious!

108kidzdoc
Jun 3, 2019, 3:10 pm

>105 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. I loved cooking with Erin yesterday, as we worked well together and didn't get in each other's way. I also love that she is an adventurous cook whose culinary boundaries are wider than mine, and that she knows what she's doing in the kitchen and on the grill. Now that she and her family have moved Intown I think we'll get together on a regular basis to cook and eat out together.

We still talk about our first dinner together, which happened nearly three years ago. We had a hard time finding an opportunity to meet locally, so she invited me to join her, her youngest daughter and her father when they were in vacation in Paris while I was in London in September 2016 (that may have been the year that you & Debbi didn't visit London). We only met for a Saturday dinner, in a lovely restaurant close to the Eiffel Tower, and I spent most of the following day with Florence (@FlorenceArt) from Club Read before I returned to London on an early evening Eurostar train.

>106 Morphidae: Thanks, Morphy. I was exposed to a variety of cuisines as a result of growing up in Jersey City, the second most diverse city in the US, and neighboring Manhattan, and by having friends from different ethnic backgrounds throughout my adult life. The Singapore spiced halibut that Erin made reminded me somewhat of the skate wings cooked in banana leaves that Caroline (@cameling) made when I visited her and Edd several years ago. Caro is the best cook amongst my friends and family, but Erin is no worse than right behind her. I'm inspired by both of them, and I'd like to expand my cooking boundaries by trying their recipes and others that they haven't made.

I'd definitely like to visit MSP. Two close African American friends lived there for several years, one to attend law school at the U of Minnesota and another who was a faculty member at UM Medical School. Both are from Louisiana, and they struggled with the cold weather, but otherwise they enjoyed their years there, and found the city to be diverse with a very good cultural arts scene. I'd love to meet up with Erik to attend a Minnesota United vs Atlanta United match in the near future, and if that works out I'll be in touch, so that we can meet at a local Singaporean restaurant. 😎

>107 vivians: I'm glad that you found a copy of Lanny and enjoyed it, Vivian. I'll definitely read it this month, as it was one of the two books that Rachael, my new book sister, recommended to me (the other one hasn't been published yet). IIRC she described it as a book filled with very English characters who I wouldn't have encountered on my travels, and based on what I've read it stands a good chance of being chosen for this year's Booker Prize longlist.

The tortillas tasted good, and Erin and her daughter Izzy both enjoyed them, although nothing topped her amazing halibut.

109richardderus
Jun 4, 2019, 12:17 pm

Erin's tortilla looks almost perfect. Just needs 2min less heat, so it can finish cooking with residual heat only. The rest of that Lucullan repast is enviably nummers.

Try Whole Paycheck or Trader Joe's for your rhubarb. Alternatively, it's sold frozen in pound-sized polybags at many Walmarts. Of course, the farmer's market might yield some up if you rush. It's almost out of season in the US.

110kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 4, 2019, 12:54 pm

>109 richardderus: Good eye, Richard. We cooked the tortillas on too high of a heat on Erin's new gas stove, which meant that we cooked them for 4-5 minutes per side, instead of the 6-8 minutes that the recipe I use calls for. It seemed as though the flame was barely on, but apparently not. The tortillas were still moist inside, but they weren't perfect by any means. Erin will undoubtedly make perfect tortillas on her stove by this time next month.

I looked for fresh rhubarb at Whole Foods on my way back home Sunday night, but it was out of stock. I'll go to Sprouts Farmers Market tomorrow morning to look for it, as my closest store is less than two miles from where I live, and if I can't find it there I'll go to the DeKalb Farmers Market, as Erin says that I should be able to find rhubarb there. If all else fails I'll go to the Walmart that's on the way back home from the farmers market, and buy frozen rhubarb, as you suggested. (I'll probably stop there anyway, to buy frozen crawfish tails.) In any case strawberry rhubarb custard pie will be made this week!

111kidzdoc
Jun 4, 2019, 3:32 pm

Ugh. I've felt like crap the past two days, and was trying to keep from coughing up a lung all day Sunday. I felt warm this afternoon, so I took my temperature just now, which was 100.2 F (37.9 C). That's slightly below the cutoff for a fever, but my body temperature is cooler than average, and when I hit 99.5 F or higher I'm essentially always sick with something. I have a mild headache, continued sinus congestion and sinus tenderness, so I suspect that I have bacterial sinusitis, in addition to an asthma flare up. Fortunately I have an antibiotic (clindamycin) at home, so I've started taking it, and hopefully will feel better in a day or two.

112richardderus
Jun 4, 2019, 4:20 pm

>110 kidzdoc: Can't fool an ol' kitchen hand like me!

>111 kidzdoc: Feel better soon, the sinus ick is the worst ick there is in summer.

113RidgewayGirl
Jun 4, 2019, 4:26 pm

Wishing you a quick recovery, Darryl. How miserable to be ill when the weather is hot and sunny.

114Familyhistorian
Jun 4, 2019, 7:10 pm

It's great that you found a cooking partner close by, Darryl. I hope that you are feeling better soon. You're supposed to be enjoying a relaxing time off!

115jnwelch
Jun 4, 2019, 7:34 pm

Feel better, buddy. Sorry to hear you've got all that congestion and accoutrements.

116drneutron
Jun 4, 2019, 8:27 pm

I was feeling pretty crappy up until a couple of days ago. The trees have finally stopped pollinating.

Hope you feel better soon!

117kidzdoc
Jun 4, 2019, 10:21 pm

>112 richardderus: Definitely not! The tortillas weren't as visually appealing as the best ones I've made, but I was able to show Erin how to make them, so the process was a successful one.

Agreed. I hate being sick in the summer, but I'm glad that I'll be presumably noninfectious when I visit my parents next week.

>113 RidgewayGirl: Thanks, Kay. I have the A/C set to 68 F, so I'm not as miserable as I would be if I was in a warmer environment.

>114 Familyhistorian: Right, Meg. We're both foodies, as are her husband and two daughters, and now that we're 5 miles apart instead of 35 it will be much easier to get together to cook or dine out. Hopefully we can organize some Intown dinner parties with mutual friends from Children's who also live nearby.

>115 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. This would be much worse if I only had a week off from work, rather than an entire month.

>116 drneutron: I'm glad that you're feeling better, Jim. The pollen count hasn't changed, despite a soaking rain late Sunday afternoon, and the trees stopped blooming here weeks ago, so I'm hopeful that I'll feel better in a day or two.

118PaulCranswick
Jun 4, 2019, 11:59 pm

>101 kidzdoc: I don't mind the tortillas to be well browned on the outside so long as they are well cooked inside.

Hope you feel better soon, Darryl.

119connie53
Jun 5, 2019, 4:03 am

Another new thread! Again! Get better soon.

120scaifea
Jun 5, 2019, 5:25 am

I hope you're already starting to feel better, Darryl!

121kidzdoc
Jun 5, 2019, 6:48 am

>118 PaulCranswick: Right, Paul. Both tortillas were cooked adequately, and were very tasty.

>119 connie53: Welcome, Connie!

>120 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. I am feeling better so far this early morning, as my cough, headache and sinus congestion have all improved, although my left maxillary sinus area is still tender. I hope that the worst of it has now passed.

122msf59
Jun 5, 2019, 7:15 am

>60 kidzdoc: Love these Meet up photos, Darryl. I sure hope I can join this lovely group, one of these days. I plan on seeing some LTers in DC, later in the month. Always a highlight in my life.

Happy Wednesday! I am sorry you have been feeling under the weather. I hope you are doing much better today. Getting much reading in?

123kidzdoc
Jun 5, 2019, 10:28 am

>122 msf59: Thanks, Mark. The UK LTers I've met are a lovely group of people, and several of them have become especially close friends, who I anticipate seeing on a regular basis for as long as I can.

Have a good time at the DC meetup! Don't forget to take photos, please.

I am feeling better today, thanks for asking. I have been reading, though not as much as I had planned to. I'm currently on page 58 of Picasso: An Intimate Portrait by Olivier Widmaier Picasso, which is an examination of the author's famous grandfather through conversations and letters with his closest family members and friends. It looks like a museum catalogue, as it a coffee table quality book with at least a hundred photographs and images of Picasso's art work, and it was published by Tate Publishing, which is affiliated with the Tate museums in the UK. I purchased it during last year's Edinburgh International Book Festival in advance of a talk about two new books about Picasso by this author and by James Attlee, who wrote Guernica: Painting the End of the World, which I also bought. This book is good so far, and I should finish it this weekend.

124lauralkeet
Jun 5, 2019, 12:13 pm

Darryl, I’m glad you’re on the mend. I’d hate for anything to get in the way of your trip to Philly next week!

125kidzdoc
Jun 5, 2019, 12:43 pm

>124 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. I'll probably drive to Philadelphia next Wednesday, the 12th.

126Morphidae
Jun 5, 2019, 1:51 pm

Sorry to hear you are all snuffly but happy to hear you have a foodie friend!

127richardderus
Jun 5, 2019, 3:30 pm

Better sinus health soon. And a safe drive to Philly!

128kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 6, 2019, 8:56 am

>126 Morphidae: Thanks, Morphy. I'm much less congested today, as I was yesterday, but I continue to have a lingering productive cough with wheezing, although it has also improved over the past two days. I've been trying to avoid using an oral steroid to break this asthma attack (I am taking Symbicort, which combines a long acting bronchodilator with a long acting inhaled corticosteroid, along with albuterol), but I may have to bite the bullet if I'm still tight and wheezy at the beginning of next week.

>127 richardderus: Thanks, Richard! I should be in much better shape by Wednesday, the day I plan to drive from Atlanta to Philadelphia. It's a 12-13 hour drive, and ideally I'd like to do it in one day, leaving here around 4 am and arriving there at 7-8 pm, including 3-4 hours for breaks along the way. I plan to take the scenic route through Appalachia: I-85 to Charlotte, I-77 to somewhere in Virginia west of Blacksburg, I-81 to Carlisle, PA, I-76 (the Pennsylvania Turnpike) to the Philadelphia exit, and US 1 the short distance from there to my parents' house. It may take 1-2 hours longer, but I may save time by not having to go through Charlotte, Richmond, Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia via the more direct route (I-85 to Charlotte and I-95 to the Langhorne, PA exit), and it will undoubtedly be a more enjoyable drive.

129Caroline_McElwee
Jun 6, 2019, 8:56 am

Glad you are feeling better Darryl. Enjoy your drive.

130kidzdoc
Jun 6, 2019, 9:00 am

>128 kidzdoc: Thanks, Caroline. I haven't driven such a long distance (roughly 815 miles) since I drove from Pittsburgh to Atlanta in 1997, after I finished medical school and moved here to start my pediatrics residency at Emory. I may stop to take pictures along the way, as I did when Bianca & I drove through the mountains from Sevilla to Granada in 2016*, and post them here.

*Unfortunately my shoulder bag containing my camera and iPad was stolen while we dined in a restaurant in Granada, so I wasn't able to post them on Facebook or LT.

131kidzdoc
Jun 6, 2019, 9:32 am

Congratulations to native Atlantan and Emory University faculty member Tayari Jones, whose novel An American Marriage was chosen as the winner of this year's Women's Prize for Fiction yesterday. I saw her speak at the Decatur Book Festival just outside of Atlanta last year about her book, along with Kay (@RidgewayGirl) and her close friend Pattie (@sophroniaborgia). I haven't read it yet, but I'll plan to get to it next month.

132Caroline_McElwee
Jun 6, 2019, 9:58 am

Yay. I think I have one of her earlier novels, but will no doubt be adding this.

133Morphidae
Jun 6, 2019, 5:51 pm

>128 kidzdoc: Sounds like a lovely ride. Last time I was on a long ride was when I moved from Florida to Minnesota in 1989. We took the quickest rather than the more scenic route. Hauling a trailer it took three days! I do remember Wisconsin being beautiful to drive through though.

134katiekrug
Jun 6, 2019, 6:22 pm

>128 kidzdoc: - I took 81 and 76 when I drove up here from Texas when we moved. 81 is pretty in parts but it's still an interstate. Skyline Drive in Virginia is worth the extra time, IMO. Maybe you can fit it in on the way back!

135kidzdoc
Jun 6, 2019, 7:24 pm

>132 Caroline_McElwee: Sounds good, Caroline.

>133 Morphidae: Yikes; Florida to Minnesota?! That must have been a shock, especially after the first winter in MN.

>134 katiekrug: That's a good thought, Katie. I'll definitely give that a consideration on the return journey.

136Morphidae
Jun 6, 2019, 11:12 pm

>135 kidzdoc: Yeah, but you get acclimated. I remember my first time back to Florida. It was in December, it was in the low 70s and I was in a sleeveless sundress. My mom comes out, "Honey, wouldn't you like something to cover up with? It's a bit chilly out." I just stared at her.

"Mom. When I left Minnesota, it was 25 below. WITHOUT windchill. That's a 100 degree difference. No, I don't need a coverup."

Then when she'd go on about, "How do you stand the cold?" or "How do you handle the cold?"

"Mom, just like you handle the heat. You don't stand around out in it! You go from an air conditioned building to an air conditioned car and back again. I go from a heated building to a heated car. The only difference is, I can keep piling layers on but you can only take a certain amount of clothes OFF!"

137kidzdoc
Jun 7, 2019, 8:50 am

>136 Morphidae: 😂

138RidgewayGirl
Jun 7, 2019, 9:52 am

>136 Morphidae: When I was sixteen, my family moved from Canada to Phoenix, AZ. That first year, we swam all year long in the unheated swimming pool in the back yard. By the time my parents retired, my Dad only felt the water was warm enough by late July.

139kidzdoc
Jun 7, 2019, 10:30 am

>138 RidgewayGirl: Ha! Even though I've lived in Atlanta for 22 years, longer than I have anywhere else, I still haven't adapted well to the heat and humidity, and would prefer cooler weather regardless of the time of year. My ideal temperature range is in the 50s-60s rather than the 80s-90s, especially if it's sunny and/or muggy.

140PaulCranswick
Jun 7, 2019, 10:30 am

>131 kidzdoc: I have it on the shelves too, Darryl and I don't think it will be long before I read it.

141PaulCranswick
Jun 7, 2019, 10:34 am

>139 kidzdoc: Same. I have broiled for 25 years in Malaysia and Singapore but I still yearn for my deciduous days in West Yorkshire and always struggle in the event (as now) that the air conditioning takes a tired rest.

142kidzdoc
Jun 7, 2019, 10:56 am

>140 PaulCranswick: Sounds good, Paul. I'd love to hear what you think about it.

>141 PaulCranswick: Ugh. I'm sorry that your A/C is on the fritz. I'd have to flee if that happened to me, especially given my current asthmatic flare up. I hope that it's fixed soon...and, more importantly, I hope that you can move into your new digs ASAP.

143Morphidae
Jun 7, 2019, 11:03 am

>139 kidzdoc: >141 PaulCranswick: Oddly enough, I'm the opposite. I grew up in Florida and you couldn't pay me to go live back there. I much prefer the cold and the four seasons. You know: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction...

144benitastrnad
Jun 7, 2019, 11:03 am

I am hijacking your thread for a minute. There is a Meetup being planned for the ALA Conference in Washington, D. C. Here is the link to the thread. Go there for news about the conference and the meetup.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/307549

145kidzdoc
Jun 7, 2019, 11:41 am

>143 Morphidae: Ha! My friends who lived in the MSP metropolitan area tell me that summers can be hot and humid there, with unending swarms of mosquitoes, due to the numerous small and large bodies of water there.

>144 benitastrnad: Thanks for mentioning the ALA Conference, Benita. I definitely won't be going, as I'll spend that time with my parents in Philadelphia.

146Morphidae
Edited: Jun 7, 2019, 2:55 pm

>145 kidzdoc: That can be true. The highs today and tomorrow will be in the mid 80s but then it drops back into the low to mid-70s through next week. In July and August, the average monthly temps are in the low 80s, but we can have periods of 90s and even 100s.

As far as mosquitoes are concerned, the Twin Cities has nothin' on SE Florida. I used to get eaten alive as a kid. I've hardly been bitten here at all in comparison. Though I've heard up in the Boundary Waters they've been compared to the size of birds.

But I'm in a sub-suburb near a large lake, it might be different closer to the downtown heat sinks and smaller, still lakes and ponds.

147torontoc
Jun 7, 2019, 7:38 pm

I don't know- our summers are getting hotter and hotter( hello, climate change) and still very cold winters.
Ontario Joke- what are our two seasons? Winter and construction.
Nicest time of year - Sept and Oct.

148kidzdoc
Jun 8, 2019, 5:53 am

Yikes. I do want to visit Toronto in the next year or two, so I'll shoot for a September or October trip, especially if I can coordinate at least one meetup with you, Shelley and Zoë.

149torontoc
Jun 8, 2019, 8:41 am

Great idea! all sorts of nice events happen in Sept and Oct.

150Familyhistorian
Jun 8, 2019, 2:24 pm

Ooh, weather conversation. I grew up near Montreal and hate the cold which is why I now live in what is one of the warmer spots of Canada year round. But I tried a few places first. When I lived in Halifax I learned that it can snow there in May. Apologies to those in Alberta who see snow in June, but May was too late in the year for me. Not that I didn't give Alberta a try. It was here that I found out that the Fahrenheit and Celsius temperature scales meet at 40 below, by living through it. (We did wonder why no one else was outside in it.)

Hope you are in good health for your long drive, Darryl.

151Morphidae
Jun 8, 2019, 3:00 pm

>147 torontoc: >148 kidzdoc: Might be an idea to combine the Twin Cities and Toronto as September/October is also the best time of year here. That and mid- to late May.

152kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 8, 2019, 3:59 pm

>149 torontoc: Excellent. An autumn visit to Toronto almost certainly won't happen before next year, as I've already made vacation requests for September (London) and October (Lisbon).

I would ideally like to coordinate a visit to Toronto when I know that Zoë & Mark will be there, as I haven't seen her for several years, and haven't met him yet. I imagine that the best time for her to travel there would be when she doesn't have teaching responsibilities, whether over the summer or during a spring or autumn break. I wouldn't rule out a visit if she couldn't be there, especially if there are some interesting activities taking place in the city.

BTW, congratulations to the Toronto Raptors on their big win last night! It seems all but certain now that they will win the NBA Championship over the heavily favored and two time defending champion Golden State Warriors.

>150 Familyhistorian: Until the past few years I did routinely visit my best friend from medical school and his family in Madison, Wisconsin, especially during the dead of winter when none of their families or friends from out of town would think once about coming there. It would routinely be below 0 F (-18 C)in January and February, especially at night, and the coldest day I experienced was the one in which the air temperature was -17 F (-27 C) and the wind chil was -37 F (-38 C). That was the only day that school for their kids was cancelled due to weather, as the Madison area school districts closed if the wind chill was -35 F or less. However, Dave and I were used to very cold temperatures when we were in medical school at Pitt, the University of Pittsburgh, and I decided to go outside on the coldest day in the city's history, when the morning temperature was -22 F (-30 C). That wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done, but fortunately my car didn't refuse to start after I ran Saturday errands that day.

I'm about 90% back to normal, as my asthmatic lungs are almost healed.

>151 Morphidae: Unfortunately that almost certainly won't work for me, Morphy. I envision taking long weekend visits to Toronto and to MSP, especially if I do so in the autumn; otherwise I'd probably have to use valuable vacation time, which I strongly prefer to use to travel to Europe. My top priority on a trip to Toronto would be to spend time with Zoë and Mark, and I would absolutely want to attend a Minnesota United home match, preferably against Atlanta United, with Erik on my first visit to MSP, and the chance of both lining up in the same week is essentially zero. There are plenty of direct flights on Delta from ATL to MSP, as your airport is one of the airline's regional hubs, so there is no point in trying to combine those two trips, especially if it means having to make one less trip to Europe.

153vivians
Jun 10, 2019, 3:53 pm

Hi Darryl! My FB feed is reminding me that a year ago we were in Lisbon! That was such a wonderful week for me, and our ferry and dinner together was one of the highlights! I hope you're looking forward to your next trip there in the fall.

154The_Hibernator
Jun 11, 2019, 12:35 pm

I hope you do come to MSP. It would be great fun for you to go to a game with Erik. I used to love soccer, and used to go to Columbus Crew games all the time. Dropped the habit in MN, since it's not what my friends do.

>146 Morphidae: I don't think the mosquitos are any bigger in the Boundary waters. Just more prevalent.

155kidzdoc
Jun 12, 2019, 8:46 am

>153 vivians: Hi, Vivian! Yes, the day that we met was the highlight of my visit to Portugal, as it was also the first day that I met D in person, who is one of the first two LTers I interacted with online way back in 2008, along with Akeela (@akeela); I think that I "met" Richard shortly afterward in that year. I have many fond memories of that day, which will stay with me: meeting D in the Livraria Bertrand, the oldest continuously operating bookshop in the world; seeing the Baixa, Chiado and Bairro Alto neighborhoods with D, an excellent, enthusiastic and unflagging tour guide; a superb lunch of grilled octopus; listening to an inspired group of schoolgirls singing fado on the Rua Augusta, on our way to the Praça do Comércio; and, of course, meeting you, your friend and D's husband for dinner in that superb marisqueira in Cacilhas:

Barring any unexpected changes it's all but certain that I'll return to Lisboa in October, and I am more than eager to return there.

>154 The_Hibernator: I'm hopeful that Erik and I can coordinate a meetup in MSP to attend a match in Minnesota United's gorgeous new stadium in the next year or two. I haven't attended an Atlanta United match so far this season, but I'll look to do so this summer.

156kidzdoc
Jun 12, 2019, 9:19 am

Book #26: Lanny by Max Porter

My rating:

Lanny is a young boy whose parents have recently moved from London to a village an hour's train ride away. His father works in the City, and his mother is a former actress who is trying to reinvent herself as an author of grisly mystery novels. He is an unusual child, who is wise beyond his years, more than a little odd, and in touch with nature and his environment, especially in the woods at the outskirts of the town. His best friend is a well known artist, an older man who lives a hermetic existence and is considered to be "mad. The long time residents of the village are small minded, conservative and generally disdainful of the new residents, who they view as ostentatious and immodest, and Lanny and his mother struggle to find their place amongst their new neighbors.

Overlooking the village and its people is Dead Papa Toothwort, a somewhat malevolent spirit who lived there centuries ago and spends his days observing the residents in their homes and listening to their intimate conversations. The spirit, like the artist, is very fond of Lanny, who is aware of the legend of Toothwort, and both the boy and the spirit actively seek out the other, which results in a fateful meeting.

Lanny is a highly inventive, multilayered and daring work of experimental fiction that completely captured my attention from the first page to the last. This review is intentionally vague, as I want to avoid giving too much information that would spoil the plot and the book's surprising and imaginative ending. This novel would seem to be a shoo in for this year's Booker Prize longlist, and if it is chosen I'll read it again this summer. Highly recommended!

157magicians_nephew
Jun 14, 2019, 7:40 am

Lanny sounds like a good one! Been hearing a lot of people talking abou tit

158kidzdoc
Jun 14, 2019, 8:55 am

>157 magicians_nephew: Thanks, Jim. Lanny was recommended to me by Rachael (@FlossieT) last month, and once again she chose a book for me that I loved. Rachael's is batting at least .900, as she has recommended at least 10 books to me over the years, and I can only think of one novel that I didn't like. Several members of the Mookses and the Gripes group's Booker Prize Speculation Thread in Goodreads (the folks who were booted off the Booker Prize web site's discussion thread after they vociferously complained about the dreadful 2011 lonlist) have mentioned Lanny as a strong candidate, if not a shoo in, for this year's longlist, which will be announced on July 24.

Other books mentioned by several people include:
We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin (I won a LT Early Reviewers copy of it at the beginning of the year, but I still haven't received it)
Spring by Ali Smith
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardino Evaristo
An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozie Obioma
Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli (I would have to guess that she wrote it in English, as a translated version wouldn't be eligible)
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak
The Unauthorised Biography of Ezra Maas by Daniel James
Memories of the Future by Siri Hustvedt

I'll create a speculation thread for this year's award in the Booker Prize group now, to see if anyone has thoughts on books that should make the longlist.

159tangledthread
Jun 16, 2019, 10:24 am

Thanks for the review, Daryl. I now have a hold request for it at my local library. Looking forward to reading it.

160kidzdoc
Jun 16, 2019, 1:12 pm

>159 tangledthread: You're welcome! I hope that you enjoy Lanny as much as I did.

161SandDune
Jun 16, 2019, 5:04 pm

>156 kidzdoc: Glad you enjoyed Lanny as well Darryl. I listened to it on audio but would like to have a hard copy.

162benitastrnad
Edited: Jun 16, 2019, 7:57 pm

I spotted Memories of the Future at the public library Saturday but didn't pick it up because if my upcoming American Library Association meeting and vacation in Washington D.C. I certainly has an eye catching dust jacket. One that garners attention.

At least it grabbed mine.

Thanks for the book bullet for Lanny..

163kidzdoc
Jun 16, 2019, 9:36 pm

>161 SandDune: Thanks, Rhian!

164kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 16, 2019, 10:26 pm

>162 benitastrnad: Hopefully you'll find a copy of Memories of the Future at the ALA conference, Benita.

165avatiakh
Jun 16, 2019, 9:50 pm

Hi Darryl - have joined the library queue for Lanny.

166kidzdoc
Jun 16, 2019, 10:26 pm

Excellent, Kerry. I hope you get to read Lanny soon.

167msf59
Jun 16, 2019, 10:31 pm

Great review of Lanny, Darryl. Big Thumb! I want to get my greedy mitts on this gem

168kidzdoc
Jun 16, 2019, 10:38 pm

>167 msf59: Thanks, Mark!

169kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 17, 2019, 7:08 am

Sad news: the acclaimed Italian author Andrea Camilleri is reported to be seriously ill in a hospital in Rome after suffering a heart attack.

Camilleri seriously ill in Rome hospital

170kidzdoc
Jun 17, 2019, 8:44 am

Book #27: Lord of All the Dead (El monarca de las sombras) by Javier Cercas, translated from the Spanish by Anne McLean

My rating:

What I realised was that the protagonist of The Odyssey was the exact opposite of the protagonist of The Iliad: Achilles is the man of a short life and glorious death, who dies at the youthful peak of his beauty and his valour and thus achieves immortality, the man who defeats death through kalos thanatos, a beautiful death that represents the culmination of a beautiful life; Odysseus, on the other hand, is the polar opposite: the man who returns home to live a long life blessed by fidelity to Penelope, to Ithaca and to himself, although in the end he reaches old age and after this life there is no other.

I thought: Uncle Manolo didn't die for his country, Mamá. He didn't die to defend you and your grandmother Carolina and your family. He died for nothing, because they deceived him and made him believe he was defending his interests when he was actually defending other people's interests and that he was risking his life for his own people when he was risking it for others.

In his latest work of auto-fiction, the acclaimed Spanish writer Javier Cercas turns his gaze for the first time on his own family, namely his maternal great-uncle Manuel Mena, who was killed at the age of 19 while fighting for the right wing Falangists in the Battle of Ebro in 1938, during the height of the Spanish Civil War. Manolo's death was and remained devastating to Cercas's mother, and because Mena fought for a group that was later aligned with the fascists led by General Francisco Franco, it proved embarrassing to Cercas and cast a shadow over his life as well.

Javier Cercas was born in Ibahernando, a small village in the autonomous community of Extremadura in western Spain, close to the country's border with Portugal. His mother Blanca met her future husband there, and when he was a child they moved to Girona, a moderate sized city in Catalunya, which suffered greatly for five decades under Franco's rule due to its role in the Republican resistance during the war. The Mena and Cercas families held some degree of status in Ibahernando, although they were far from prosperous, but they were anonymous strangers in Girona, and Blanca could not talk about her beloved uncle Manolo to any of her neighbors, as he was on the "wrong side" of the war.

After resisting repeated requests by his mother and other relatives to investigate Manolo's life and write a book about him, the narrator Javier Cercas ultimately and reluctantly decides to do so, by speaking with his family, visiting Ibahernando, where his mother still had a house, talking with people there who knew his great uncle, and exploring the battle sites where Mena was wounded, along with the former hospital where he died. During his travels Cercas re-reads translations of The Iliad and The Odyssey as a diversion, and in doing so he realizes that his uncle is viewed as a tragic hero by his mother and many older people in Ibahernando, as he was an idealistic young man who was studious and hoped to study law, but chose to postpone his plans to fight with the Falangists against the Second Spanish Republic, in the cause of national unity, order and equality for all Spaniards.

As Cercas slowly uncovers more about Mena from those who knew him best, he learns that, toward the end of his life, Manolo became more disillusioned about the Falangist cause and the great toll that the war was taking on the country. However, he returned to the battlefield one last time, in an act of familial obligation, and was killed shortly afterward in one of the bloodiest battles of the war.

Cercas uses Manolo's death to demonstrate the futility of the Spanish Civil War and most other wars, which have been fought by untold millions of young men and women who gave their lives not for freedom or better lives for themselves, their families and their neighbors, but rather for the wealthy and powerful, whose massive egos on both sides of this war led to hundreds of thousands of deaths that ultimately benefitted no one save for Franco, the fascist leadership, and the Generalíssimo's most loyal supporters.

The ultimate question that Cercas struggles to answer is: "What is a hero?" Did Manolo act heroically in fighting alongside the Falangists? Was his death in vain? Did his family or community benefit from his sacrifice? Is it better to be Achilles, the lord of all the dead, who is celebrated by many but whose life is cut short before he can fully enjoy it, or Odysseus, who returns from battle to lead a long but mediocre life?

I found Lord of All the Dead to be a thought provoking novel, which was a bit of a slog at times in the overly detailed descriptions of battles that Manuel Mena fought in, but the analysis of his life at the end was very well done, as were the descriptions of Cercas's mother, his family, the few remaining residents of Ibahernando, and himself. The book isn't as much of a page turner as his two most recent novels, Outlaws and The Impostor, were, but it was ultimately very rewarding and did provide much food for thought, about the Spanish Civil War, postwar and post-Franco Spain, war in general, and the present political climate in the western world.

171jnwelch
Jun 17, 2019, 9:00 am

Good reviews, Darryl. I'll probably pass on Lord of All the Dead (although I am a fan of The Odyssey and The Iliad), but you got me with Lanny. Adding it to the WL. I read Max Porter's Grief is the Thing with Feathers, and liked it, but this one sounds like it might be even more my cuppa.

172kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 17, 2019, 10:51 am

>171 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. I don't expect to get many takers with Lord of All the Dead, at least not in this group. One of my friends in Club Read, Mark (@thorold), read and reviewed it last month, and since that group has, I think, more Europeans that this one does, it will probably appeal to them more. Javier Cercas is a stellar author who has now become my favorite one who is still actively writing novels; I'd put him just behind Mario Vargas Llosa and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o on my ranking of favorite living novelists, but neither of them has written a fictional work recently. Hopefully the revamped and hopefully less corrupt committee that chooses the Nobel Prize for Literature laureates will honor Ngũgĩ and, ultimately, the much younger Cercas while they are still alive; I'm admittedly bitter than the last Nobel Literature laureate, Bob Dylan, who didn't want the prize and, IMO, wasn't worthy of it, was selected, whereas the great Israeli writer Amos Oz wasn't chosen that year and in previous ones when some relative lightweights, especially Patrick Modiano and Elfriede Jelinek, were chosen, and since he died late last year he'll join the ignominous list of outstading authors who weren't honored with literature's ultimate prize.

That reminds me: I do need to pick up one of the two or three books by Svetlana Alexievich that I own. She was a nontraditional choice for the Nobel Prize in Literature, as she is best known for her nonfiction, but I ultimately loved the decision by the committee to give her the award.

As usual, Rachael struck home with another book bullet with her recommendation of Lanny to me. I'll have to look for Grief is the Thing with Feathers. Lanny has been published stateside, so you should be able to find a copy without much difficulty.

173kidzdoc
Jun 17, 2019, 9:53 am

My all time favorite recipe is strawberry rhubarb pie, and earlier this month I found a recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Pie that looked tasty and incredibly easy. After several failed searches I finally found rhubarb at one of the Whole Foods Markets near me on Saturday morning, and I made this pie, the first homemade dessert I've ever cooked, yesterday afternoon:

Ingredients:
* 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
* 3 cups rhubarb, sliced 1/4-inch thick
* 1 cup fresh strawberries, quartered
* 3 large eggs
* 1 1/2 cups white sugar
* 3 tablespoons milk
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
* 1 tablespoon butter, diced
* 2 tablespoons strawberry jam
* 1/4 teaspoon water

Directions:
* Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place rolled-out pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate and set on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
* Combine rhubarb and strawberries in a bowl; transfer to the pie crust, distributing evenly.
* Whisk eggs, sugar, milk, flour, and nutmeg together in a medium bowl. Slowly pour filling over rhubarb mixture until it just reaches the top edge of the crust. Scatter diced butter evenly over the top of the filling. Lightly tap and shake the baking sheet to remove any air bubbles.
* Transfer pie to the preheated oven and bake, turning halfway through, until rhubarb is tender and custard is set, about 1 hour.
* Mix strawberry jam and water in a small bowl; heat in the microwave until warm, about 15 seconds. Glaze the top of the pie with the jam mixture and let cool. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

The video in this link mentioned that a frozen pie crust was an acceptable substitute, so I used one instead of making it from scratch. I bought just enough rhubarb, as six stalks produced exactly three cups. I followed the directions exactly, although I probably used more nutmeg (nearly half of a nut) than the recipe called for. I let it cool in the oven for a little over an hour before I cut a small slice of it: it tasted amazing! I'm still surprised that such a simple recipe could taste this good, and now that it's the peak of rhubarb season in the US (mid June to early July) I'll make at least a couple of pies later this week after I arrive at my parents' house.

174bell7
Jun 17, 2019, 10:44 am

>173 kidzdoc: That sounds delicious! Another recipe to save/try - thanks for sharing, Darryl.

175kidzdoc
Jun 17, 2019, 10:45 am

>174 bell7: You're welcome, Mary!

176streamsong
Edited: Jun 17, 2019, 11:41 am

That looks delicious, Darryl! The recipe is similar to the two crust rhubarb pie I grew up with.

I have sooooo much rhubarb right now; but unfortunately, everyone does so it is impossible to even give away. It's like the infamous zucchini season later on when one must lock their doors to avoid gifts of it.

I think I'll use your recipe but go crustless and use a crumble topping, and also use a sugar substitute so I can make it low carb and sugar free.

ETA: Book bullet with Lanny - if I ever make it through the current pile of library and LTER to be reads.

177kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 17, 2019, 12:38 pm

>176 streamsong: Thanks, Janet! Meg posted a photo of the strawberry rhubarb crumble she made this weekend; I'd love to hear more about the one she made and the one you're planning to cook.

I understand that this is or soon will be the peak of rhubarb season in North America, so I'll be on the lookout for it, and for other recipes that call for it. I understand that it can be frozen, though I don't know for how long.

I'm glad that you're also considering reading Lanny.

178Familyhistorian
Jun 17, 2019, 8:48 pm

>177 kidzdoc: I didn't make a crumble, Darryl. It is a cobbler. It has a biscuit topping. There is a bit of sugar in the topping mix as well as some sprinkled on top which is the only sweetener in the whole dish. I like my strawberry/rhubarb very tart.

I am currently reading Memories of the Future. So, a potential Booker contender? It's early going yet so I am not sure.

179mdoris
Jun 17, 2019, 10:44 pm

>173 kidzdoc: Darryl, that pie looks scrumptious. I must make it soon!

180kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 18, 2019, 6:58 am

>178 Familyhistorian: *smacks forehead* Right, Meg. You would think I didn't know the difference between crumble and cobbler!

Multiple members of The Mookse and the Gripes group in Goodreads have recommended Memories of the Future in their 2019 Booker Prize Speculation thread. Mark (@thorold) from Club Read, whose opinions about books closely parallel mine, wrote a glowing review of it earlier this year. I hope that it is chosen for this year's longlist, as I'll want to read it this year.

>179 mdoris: Thanks, Mary! I'm still surprised that such a simple pie tastes so good, especially when made by someone whose last "homemade" dessert was baking cookies using Pillsbury refrigerated cookie dough.

181msf59
Jun 18, 2019, 6:34 am

Morning, Darryl. Good review of Lord of All the Dead. I am well into Milkman and finding it quite impressive. That said, it will not be for tastes. A challenging narrative. Looking forward to ALA and a mega-Meet-Up this weekend, in DC. A friend and I, are venturing on to Gettysburg, after that. First time there.

182kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 18, 2019, 6:23 pm

Good morning, Mark! I'm glad that you liked my very lengthy, Club Readesque review of Lord of All the Dead. I tend to write longer reviews for books that have had a greater impact on me, which I assume is the case for most of us, and despite its length it was easier to write than most of my reviews. Javier Cercas is my favorite currently active novelist, but I would only recommend him to readers who have an interest in Spain and contemporary Spanish history, although I wouldn't suggest shying away from his works, either. One of his novels, The Speed of Light, is mainly set in the US, during the two years that he taught at the University of Illinois.

I'm glad that you're enjoying Milkman, and I look forward to your review of it. I'll likely get to it later this year, essence it was last year's Booker Prize winner.

Have a great time in DC and Gettysburg with our fellow LT friends, and please take and post photos! I hope that the weather has settled down in the Mid-Atlantic by the time of your arrival. A vicious storm cell passed through the center of Atlanta yesterday, which produced heavy rain, hail and several strong wind gusts, knocked out power to my home for 1-1/2 hours, and brought down a large tree at a nearby restaurant that damaged its roof and brought down power lines. A good friend of mine was having supper in a restaurant within walking distance from me, and for a few seconds she thought that a tornado may have passed through Midtown; I thought the same thing as well. We may get more severe storms today, and the system that is producing them is headed toward the Mid-Atlantic states.

183tangledthread
Edited: Jun 18, 2019, 8:54 am

Hi Daryl. Not sure when you are back in Philadelphia. My textile interests have turned up this exhibit:
http://fabricworkshopandmuseum.org/Exhibitions/ExhibitionDetail.aspx?ExhibitionI...
Monumental Cloth, The Flag We Should Know.

I have a friend who was able to visit and found it very interesting.

184kidzdoc
Jun 18, 2019, 10:09 am

>183 tangledthread: Thanks, @tangledthread! That museum is easy to get to, as it's a a stone's throw away from Jefferson Station, one of the three Center City suburban rail stations in Center City Philadelphia.

185Caroline_McElwee
Jun 18, 2019, 4:19 pm

>173 kidzdoc: Favourited. Thanks Darryl.

186kidzdoc
Jun 18, 2019, 4:33 pm

>185 Caroline_McElwee: You're welcome, Caroline!

187libraryperilous
Jun 19, 2019, 1:52 pm

I really need to read Cercas. Lanny made this year's Wainwright Prize longlist.

The pie looks delicious. Congrats on your baking success!

188kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 19, 2019, 3:26 pm

>187 libraryperilous: Hi, Diana! I've now read all seven works of fiction that Javier Cercas has written that has been translated into English, all of which I've rated at least four stars, and the only book of his left for me to read is The Blind Spot: An Essay on the Novel, which I'll probably read this summer. I'd recommend starting with Outlaws or Soldiers of Salamis first.

I'm glad to see Lanny gain recognition from the Wainwright Prize judges. Hopefully the Booker Prize judges will do the same next month, when this year's longlist is announced.

Thanks regarding the pie! The recipe is beyond easy, and I suspect that everyone who makes it will have an equally good result.

I'm nearly finished cooking a double batch of crawfish étouffée. When I was preparing it I realized that I haven't posted the recipe for the Alligator with White Bean Stew that I made last month, after Jim shared a recipe from Louisiana Cookin' with me earlier this year. I'll post photos and recipes for both dishes after I finish dinner.

189drneutron
Jun 19, 2019, 7:39 pm

Mmmmm, etouffe!

190kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 20, 2019, 10:38 am

>189 drneutron: Yes! The crawfish étouffée turned out well, and since I used 36 oz of frozen crawfish tails I have plenty of leftovers. The Walmart stores in metro Atlanta all seem to have whole and peeled crawfish in their frozen seafood sections, but none of the ones in suburban Philadelphia sell it.

I remembered that I had posted the crawfish étouffée recipe in my last 75 Books thread of 2018: https://www.librarything.com/topic/299939#6651539

Here's a photo and the recipe for Alligator and White Beans:

Ingredients:
1 pound dried white beans*
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
1 pound alligator tail meat, cut into ¼-inch cubes
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 onion, diced
3 stalks celery, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, halved, seeded, and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup light floral white wine*
1 smoked ham hock
2 bay leaves
Hot cooked jasmine rice
Garnish: chopped fresh parsley, hot sauce

Instructions:
Soak beans in cold water for 24 hours. Drain beans, and rinse in cold water. Drain, and set aside.

In a small shallow bowl, combine flour, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Season alligator with flour mixture.

In a Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat.

Add alligator; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove alligator, and set aside.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to Dutch oven, and heat over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic; cook until onion is translucent, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in wine, and cook for 1 minute, scraping browned bits from bottom of pot with a wooden spoon. Add ham hock, beans, and water to cover. Add alligator and bay leaves. Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon salt and remaining ½ teaspoon pepper.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender, about 1 hour. For creamier beans, use the back of a spoon to mash about one-third of beans against side of pot. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Remove bay leaves and ham hock before serving. Serve over hot cooked jasmine rice. Garnish with parsley and hot sauce, if desired.

Notes:
*We used Camellia Great Northern Beans and Landry Vineyards Blanc du Bois.
_______________________________________

Overall I thought this recipe was okay, but nowhere near as good as Emeril Lagasse's Alligator Sauce Piquante. Cooking the beans for one hour was definitely not long enough, and even after an additional hour of cooking most of the beans were nowhere near soft. I'd probably cook them for 4-6 hours, and add the alligator in the last hour, or pressure cook them. One pound of alligator was okay, but two pounds would have been much better, and I would use two red bell peppers instead of one.

191kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 21, 2019, 11:54 am

Earlier this morning I ran across an article about a relatively new British literary prize that I had not heard of before, the Jhalak Prize:

"Awarded annually, this prize seeks out the best books by British/British resident BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) writers and awards one winner £1,000. The prize is unique in that it accepts entries published in the UK in 2017 by a writer of colour. Entries can be fiction, non-fiction, short story, graphic novel, poetry, children’s books, YA, teen and all genres. The prize is also open to self-published writers. The aim is the find the best writers of colour in the country.

"Started by authors Sunny Singh and Nikesh Shukla and Media Diversified, with support from The Authors’ Club and a prize donated by an anonymous benefactor, the prize exists to celebrate the achievements of British writers of colour."

This year's Jhalak Prize longlist consisted of the following books:

Roma Agrawal, Built: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Structures
Akala, Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of the Empire
Raymond Antrobus, Perseverance
Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff (ed.), Mother Country: Real Stories of the Windrush Children
Yrsa Daley-Ward, The Terrible
Aminatta Forna, Happiness
Guy Gunaratne, In Our Mad and Furious City
Afua Hirsch, Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging
Damian Le Bas, Stopping Places: A Journey Through Gypsy Britain
Roy McFarlane, The Healing Next Time
Onjali Q. Rauf, The Boy At The Back of The Class
Sharlene Teo, Ponti

The books by Agrawal, Akala, Antrobus, Forna, Gunaratne and Rauf were chosen for the shortlist, and In Our Mad and Furious City, which was also selected for last year's Booker Prize longlist, was awarded the prize last month. I read and loved it, along with the books by Akala and Forna, and I just started reading Brit(ish) early this moring. I'll look into the other books on this year's longlist and ones in the previous two years, and pay close attention to this prize in the future.

The Guardian: 'The London book of our lifetime': Guy Gunaratne wins Jhalak prize

192FAMeulstee
Edited: Jun 20, 2019, 12:29 pm

You wrote two great reviews >156 kidzdoc: and >170 kidzdoc: Darryl, thumbed them.
Sadly both are not available in Dutch translation yet, I will keep an eye out for them.
I do have some translated Javier Cercas books on my library wishlist: Outlaws, The anatomy of a moment, The Impostor and Soldiers of Salamis. I hope to get to one of them in the next couple of months.

ETA: I see Lanny was published recently in Dutch translation, on the library wishlist it goes! :-)

193kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 20, 2019, 12:26 pm

>192 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita! Hopefully Lanny and Lord of All the Dead will be available in Dutch translation soon. I'd recommend any of those four books by Javier Cercas that you mentioned.

ETA: Excellent news about Lanny!

194Caroline_McElwee
Jun 20, 2019, 1:27 pm

>191 kidzdoc: it is definitely not well publicised Darryl, I'd never heard of it, I shall be looking at some of those for sure, and passing the word around.

195SandDune
Jun 20, 2019, 1:37 pm

>191 kidzdoc: I hadn't heard of this Prize either Darryl, but several of the longlisted books are on my wish-list. I have read Stopping Places: A Journey through Gypsy Britain which was very interesting.

196kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 21, 2019, 12:59 am

>194 Caroline_McElwee:, >195 SandDune: If neither of you have heard of the Jhalak Prize then I no longer feel embarrassed not knowing about it.

I'm glad that you enjoyed Stopping Places, Rhian, as it is one of the books that I'd be most interested in reading.

197EBT1002
Jun 23, 2019, 4:56 pm

Just about a month until the long list for this year's Booker Prize is announced. Regardless of whether it makes the list, I'll be looking for a copy of Lanny after reading your comments. This is also a good reminder for me to avoid making too many commitments for the month of August as I want to try to read as many of the nominees as possible.

>191 kidzdoc: A reminder that I want to find a copy of In Our Mad and Furious City. The only book on that list that I have read is the Forna, which I very much enjoyed.

198mdoris
Jun 23, 2019, 4:58 pm

>173 kidzdoc: Darryl I made your scrumptious rhubarb/strawberry pie for visiting guests. It was gobbled down and greatly enjoyed. Thank you!

199kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 23, 2019, 7:02 pm

>197 EBT1002: Right, Ellen! I'm looking forward to seeing which books are chosen for this year's longlist, especially since Afua Hirsch, the author of Brit(ish) and, as Margaret informed me today, a regular columnist for The Guardian, is one of this year's Booker Prize judges, along with Xiaolu Guo, who wrote A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers.

From what I can tell In Our Mad and Furious City hasn't been published in the US yet.

ETA: I'm wrong (as usual); Barnes & Noble is selling print and electronic copies of it.

>198 mdoris: You're welcome, Mary! I'm glad that you tried the pie recipe and that your guests liked it.

200Familyhistorian
Jun 24, 2019, 1:18 am

Stopping Places looks interesting, Darryl, and my library actually has it. On to the hold list it goes.

201kidzdoc
Jun 24, 2019, 7:58 am

>200 Familyhistorian: Sounds good, Meg. Stopping Places has been published in the US as well, so I'll look for it here.

202kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 24, 2019, 9:00 am

Happy Monday, everyone! I'm on the last full week of my month long staycation, as I'll return to work next Monday. It's been a slower reading month than I had hoped, but I plan to read six books this week, a couple of which I'm nearly finished with. That will give me 35 books for the first half of the year, and make my goal of hitting 75 books for 2019 much more doable. These are the books I hope to finish by Sunday night:

Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah: with only 80 pages to go I'll finish it this morning
Romare Bearden: A Black Odyssey by Robert O'Meally: I should finish this museum catalogue today as well
Basquiat by Marc Mayer: another museum catalogue
Book of Hours by Kevin Young
Out of the Dark by Patrick Modiano
Lighting the Fires of Freedom: African American Women in the Civil Rights Movement by Janet Dewart Bell

203kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 24, 2019, 9:49 am

Planned reads for July:

Black and British: A Forgotten History by David Olusoga
Buried Dreams Planted Hope: Finding Hope in Life's Darkest Moments by Katie Neufeld
The History of the Siege of Lisbon by José Saramago
Minority Leader: How to Lead from the Outside and Make Real Change by Stacey Abrams
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (July read of the members of the Literary Fiction by People of Color group on Goodreads)
My Struggle: Book Four by Karl Ove Knausgaard
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
Spring by Ali Smith
We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin

204richardderus
Jun 24, 2019, 11:48 am

>202 kidzdoc: Ambitious! But doable, since museum catalogs are seldom overly text-heavy.

>203 kidzdoc: Ambitious indeed!! Good luck on them all.

205kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 24, 2019, 1:18 pm

>202 kidzdoc: Exactly. I've already finished Friday Black (a mixed bag of short stories ranging from absolutely brilliant to mundane, which will earn 4 stars from me), and it won't take me long to finish Romare Bearden: A Black Odyssey today. Basquiat has far more pages dedicated to images of his work than to text, and Out of the Dark is less than 150 pages in length, and I could finish both books as early as tomorrow. That would only leave two books to read between Wednesday and Sunday, neither of which are very long, which will allow me to make a significant dent into Black and British. I almost certainly won't finish that book by Sunday, as it contains nearly 530 pages of very small print.

>203 kidzdoc: Thanks! This plan is the more ambitious of the two, and a lot will depend on how much reading I can do on evenings after work. During the busy season it's all I can do to finish writing patient progress notes before I fall asleep at 9-10 pm, and my pleasure reading is limited to my short trips on the metro to and from work. If we're not busy I can finish working by or before it's time to leave at 4-5 pm, and I can spend a couple of hours reading after dinner.

206charl08
Edited: Jun 24, 2019, 2:06 pm

>191 kidzdoc: I'd not come across this list Darryl, thanks for sharing it. I loved Happiness as well, and have Akala's book on the shelf to read. I'd like to read the Stopping places, and the Windrush one. Coincidentally Olusoga has a programme on tv tonight about the historical roots of the recent Windrush scandal.

ETA The library had both, so I've ordered them. Thanks again for the nudge.

207jnwelch
Edited: Jun 24, 2019, 3:47 pm

I was just looking at some Romare Bearden art. What a talent.

208kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 24, 2019, 7:47 pm

>206 charl08: You're welcome, Charlotte. Unfortunately, but understandably, we can't watch proper BBC programming, save for BBC America and BBC World News, here in the US, even with the BBC iPlayer app. I'll try to watch that show when I return to London in September, and hopefully be able to watch the BBC Two series based on Black and British.

Well done on scoring Natives and The Stopping Places. I probably mentioned that I attended Akala's talk about his book at the Edinburgh International Book Festival this past August, which was enlightening (at least for me) and entertaining. A YouTube video of the entire talk can be found here: https://youtu.be/U0iiybe5-nA

>207 jnwelch: Absolutely, Joe. I purchased this book from the gift shop at the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University, my residency alma mater, which is a 15 minute drive from home, after a group of us saw the exhibition of the Black Odyssey collages there in 2014. Last year I attended a talk during the nearby Decatur Book Festival by Mary Schmidt Campbell, the president of Spelman College in Atlanta, about her recent biography An American Odyssey: The Life and Work of Romare Bearden. I read and enjoyed it earlier this year, but I haven't written a review of it yet.

209karenmarie
Jun 25, 2019, 7:40 am

Hi Darryl!

I’m pretty sure I’ve never visited your threads before, but after reading about delicious recipes on other threads over the years finally couldn’t resist

>173 kidzdoc: the Strawberry Rhubarb Pie recipe. It looks wonderful. If I can find some rhubarb, I will try to make it this week – my daughter’s visiting and she can help.

Congrats on your first homemade dessert!

>203 kidzdoc: I read My Sister, the Serial Killer in May. I'll be interested in your take on it.

210kidzdoc
Jun 25, 2019, 8:33 am

>209 karenmarie: Welcome, Karen! I'm glad that you've paid me a visit, and I'll do the same on your thread.

The strawberry rhubarb custard pie was incredibly easy to make, and I look forward to your version of and thoughts about it.

I did try a new recipe late last night, which I'll post shortly.

Will do regarding My Sister, The Serial Killer. I'll visit my favorite local independent bookshop later this week, and buy a copy of it while I'm there.

211kidzdoc
Jun 25, 2019, 8:51 am

I tried a new recipe for dinner last night which I saw on my Facebook timeline last week, Tomato-Poached Fish With Chile Oil and Herbs, which I had with crispy roasted asparagus and a slice of tortilla de patatas con cebollas (Spanish tortilla with potatoes and onions):

INGREDIENTS:
¼ cup (4 T) olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 small shallot, thinly sliced into rings
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 pound small, sweet tomatoes, halved
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional)
1 ¼ pounds fluke, halibut or cod, cut into 4 equal pieces
1 cup cilantro, tender leaves and stems
½ cup mint, tender leaves and stems
Limes, halved, for serving
Tortillas, toast or rice, for serving (optional)

PREPARATION:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet (use one with a lid) over medium-high heat. Add garlic and shallots and cook, swirling the skillet constantly until they are starting to toast and turn light golden brown, 2 minutes or so. Add red-pepper flakes and swirl to toast for a few seconds. Remove from heat and transfer all but 1 tablespoon of the chile oil to a small bowl.

Add tomatoes to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until they burst and start to become saucy and jammy, 5 to 8 minutes. Add fish sauce (if using) and 1 1/2 cups water, swirling to release any of the bits stuck on the bottom of the skillet.

Cook until the sauce is slightly thickened but still nice and brothy, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Season the fish with salt and pepper and gently lay the pieces in the brothy tomatoes. Cover the skillet and cook until the fish is opaque and just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes (slightly longer for a thicker piece of fish, like halibut).

To serve, transfer fish and brothy tomatoes to a large shallow bowl (or divide among four bowls). Drizzle with reserved bowl of chile oil, more olive oil and the crispy shallots and garlic. Top with cilantro and mint, and serve with limes for squeezing over the top. Serve with tortillas, toast or rice, if you like.
______________________________________

I used two orange roughy fillets that I bought from the frozen seafood section at Publix, so I halved the recipe, except that I used four cloves of garlic, and I prepared everything in a medium sauté pan. I didn't add salt to the thickened tomato broth, as it seemed like overkill. The amount of red pepper flakes didn't seem like much, but the fish had a serious kick to it. Anyone who doesn't like hot food should consider leaving it out, and if I were to make this for my parents I would use half of the pepper. I cooked the fish for six minutes on medium high heat. It was absolutely perfect, as the fish was flaky, tender and moist. I don't think I've ever had orange roughy before, but I love it! I ate one of the fillets yesterday, and I'll use the other one to make fish tacos for lunch today or tomorrow. If it tastes as good as I think it will this will be my preferred method to make fish tacos.

I intend to eat much more fish than I have in the past, and continue to minimize my consumption of red meat and eat more vegetarian meals; I haven't had any red meat so far this month. I'll be on the lookout for more fish recipes, so if anyone has ones that they particularly like I'd love to hear about them.

212kidzdoc
Jun 25, 2019, 11:06 am

The AJC Decatur Book Festival is the largest independent book festival in the country, which features over 250 authors who will appear from Friday through Sunday of Labor Day weekend (August 30 to September 1). Decatur is a charming town immediately east of Atlanta and close to the campus of Emory University, the sponsor of this year's festival. Talks take place in a variety of venues in downtown Decatur, which are within walking distance from each other, and there is easy access to the festival by car or public transit, as there is a MARTA subway station in the middle of the Square where the festival is centered. There is a section dedicated to children's and young adult authors, along with a centralized food stand, and downtown Decatur has numerous superb restaurants as well. Over 80,000 people attended last year's festival, which featured local, regional, national and international authors, including award winning and nationally prominent writers.

Some of the notable authors who will appear at this year's festival include Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor; Téa Obreht, winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction; Stacey Abrams, the Democratic candidate for governor of Georgia and a rising star in the party; Dr Louise Aronson, a geriatrician whose new book Elderhood is a valuable guide for the elderly and those who care for and know them; Richard Blanco, the author of the poem read at Barack Obama's presidential inauguration; and numerous others. The lineup of authors is as diverse and as interesting as any book festival I've ever attended, and when I went last year my main challenge was deciding which author to see during a particular time slot, as several times there were multiple talks that I wanted to attend simultaneously.

This year's festival features an opening talk on immigration, and several authors will discuss the topic on Friday.

Best of all, the festival is free!

Five of us met to attend last year's festival, and in the 22 years I've lived in Atlanta that was the best weekend I've ever had here. Kay (@RidgewayGirl) and I, at least, will go again this year, as I found out earlier this morning that I'll be off those three days. If anyone is interested in joining us, please let us know!

213kidzdoc
Jun 25, 2019, 1:08 pm

Book #28: Picasso: An Intimate Portrait by Olivier Widmaier Picasso

My rating:

Olivier Widmaier Picasso is one of Pablo Picasso's many grandchildren, as he is the son of Picasso's second child Maya, who was born to Marie-Thérèse Walter. Despite his close connection to the 20th century's most influential artist he was only aware of his grandfather's passing on the day of his death on April 8, 1973. Olivier was a small child at that time, and although Pablo loved his children and grandchildren dearly he was too ill at the end of his life to be able to spend much time with them. His mother had distanced himself from Pablo as well, which provided further space away from him.

Despite these distances from his children, grandchildren and former lovers Pablo was an immense and overshadowing presence on all of their lives, both while he was alive and in the immediate years after his death. Olivier, in an effort to learn more about his famous grandfather and to address the rumors and misinformation about him that was published, talked to his mother, other relatives and close friends of the artist, in order to understand him as a man, and what he meant to his family.

The book is divided into chapters: Women, Politics, Family, Money, Death and Eternity. Olivier provides details about the women who were most important to him, most notably his grandmother Marie-Thérèse, his at times shameful treatment of them, and how he used them as inspiration for his development as an artist. He implicitly demonstrates that he would have been a forgotten bourgeois artist had he stayed with his first wife Olga Khokhlova, although she provided him initially with a stable home environment in which to work; Marie-Thérèse was an essential element of his annus mirabilis of 1932, when he broke through a fog of increasing irrelevance and torpor and regained his creative energy; and Dora Maar was critical to his development as a political artist and to the creation of his most famous work, Gurernica. Olivier also reveals the trauma that some of the women, Olga and Dora in particular, experienced due to Pablo's infidelity and mistreatment of them, which carried over to his four children by three different partners.

The book is filled with photos of Pablo's works, and especially ones of his home and family. Despite his dalliances Olivier portrays his grandfather as a more traditional man that one would expect, who loved children and family traditions. The most compelling chapters to me were the first three, as I had much less interest in details about Pablo's children and grandchildren and details about his finances.

I purchased Picasso: An Intimate Portrait during the Edinburgh International Book Festival in 2018, just before I attended a talk about the artist that featured its author and another who wrote a book about Guernica. This book is an excellent and balanced addition to the works written about Picasso, which provided me with a greater understanding of and appreciation for his work, and helped me view him more favorably as a man, albeit a flawed and unfaithful one.

214jnwelch
Jun 25, 2019, 5:33 pm

Excellent review of Picasso: An Intimate Portrait, Darryl. Thumb from me.

What an interesting name the author has - there's a lot going on there! I know a Widmaier who's German, and Olivier makes me think of the famous actor. And Picasso - that seems familiar, too.

215Berly
Jun 25, 2019, 9:10 pm

>213 kidzdoc: Great review of Picasso: An Intimate Portrait and a book I know I would thoroughly enjoy. Thanks for posting. Coincidentally, right before I signed onto LT, just minutes ago, I ordered another book about Picasso's younger years, called The Blue Period. I think this means I am destined to read about Picasso and find some more art in my life!

216kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 26, 2019, 7:59 am

>214 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe! Widmaier, as you can imagine, is the surname of the late husband of Maya Widmaier Picasso, the eldest daughter of Pablo and the son of Olivier Widmaier Picasso, the author of Picasso: An Intimate Portrait. Maya, who has devoted much of her life to the study and the preservation of the legacy of her father, is still alive, and she undoubtedly played a major role in ensuring the accuracy of Olivier's book, although it could be argued that they both shaped the narrative in favor of Pablo and Marie-Thérèse, Maya's mother. Olga Khokhlova, Pablo's first wife and the mother of his first son, Paulo, is portrayed quite negatively, although it wasn't completely out of line with what I had read about her elsewhere, whereas Dora Maar, Françoise Gilot and Jacqueline Roque, his last wife, were given more favorable treatment.

Pierre Widmaier, Olivier's father, doesn't warrant a single mention in the book. Interestingly Olivier and his sister Diana have become prominent in the arts without being closely wed to Pablo and his career.

Your tongue in cheek comment about the author's last name made me ponder what I would do if I was graced with the surname of a person whose father, grandmother, etc. was uncommon yet recognizable by everyone: Picasso, Hitler, Stalin, Dalí. Having that name could open doors, especially in the art and cultural worlds, but I'm sure Olivier has had hundreds if not thousands of instances of essentially the same conversation: "Picasso?! Are you related to Pablo Picasso?" "Oh wow, he's your grandfather?" "Tell me, what was he really like?" Would I embrace the surname when meeting new people ("Hello, I'm Olivier Widmaier Picasso"), seek to deny it ("Hello, I'm Olivier Widmaier"), or use it preferentially?

>215 Berly: Thanks, Kim. It's a superb book, and since it came from Tate Publishing (the organization that operates the four Tate museums in England) it's a high quality book that would be perfect for a coffee table or a prominent bookshelf in your home. I'll be eager to get your take on The Blue Period, although his work from that period is the least interesting to me.

It's obvious that Pablo Picasso is my favorite artist, right?!

There is also a National Geographic series about Picasso that Delta Air Lines featured on its long distance flights the past two years. I normally don't watch anything when I fly to and from Europe, but I did enjoy that series, which I haven't finished, and I was disappointed when it wasn't offered on the flights to and from London that I took last month. I'll have to look for them on YouTube or elsewhere.

217kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 26, 2019, 8:06 am

As I mentioned yesterday I did use the other orange roughy I cooked on Monday to make fish tacos last night:

They tasted great! All I did was heat soft tacos and the fish separately in the microwave and cut up the fish into chunks. I'll definitely use that recipe preferentially to make fish tacos from now on. Easiest entrée ever!

218kidzdoc
Jun 26, 2019, 8:51 am

The winners of the Orwell Prizes were announced yesterday:

The Orwell Prize for Political Fiction: Milkman, Anna Burns
The Orwell Prize for Political Writing: Say Nothing, Patrick Radden Keefe

219BLBera
Jun 26, 2019, 10:31 am

>212 kidzdoc: This sounds wonderful.

>218 kidzdoc: Both are on my to-read pile.

Your fish recipes look declicious.

Great comments on the Picasso book.

220kidzdoc
Jun 26, 2019, 10:42 am

>219 BLBera: Thanks x 4, Beth!

221kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 26, 2019, 4:26 pm

Book #29: True Remarkable Occurrences by John Train

My rating:

PHILADELPHIA—A former Philadelphia fireman, in Federal Court here trying to overturn his dismissal for long hair, set his head on fire.
"It must have been the hairspray I used," said the sheepish ex-fire-fighter, William Michini, who apparently tried to dramatize that his locks were not a safety threat to his job.
"Hair is self-extinguishing. It doesn't burn," he boasted.
With that he struck a match and held it to his head, which caught fire.—Associated Press

This is an extremely short collection of excerpts of personal anecdotes and short newspaper and magazine stories, such as the one listed above, about supposedly true but hardly believable events of marginal interest and minimal humor that the author collected in the 1970s. Train was an editor of The Paris Review along with George Plimpton, who wrote the book's preface, and his literary connections probably explain why this book, which nowadays could have written by a middle school student with access to the Internet over a weekend, was ever published.

True Remarkable Occurences, which can be read in half an hour, is recommended only to those who need to add a quick book to their annual total, or budding authors who doubt that their manuscript is good enough to warrant publication.

222kidzdoc
Jun 26, 2019, 4:58 pm

Book #30: Friday Black by Nana Kweisi Adjei-Brenyah

My rating:

Friday Black is an impressive début collection of short stories set in a dystopian version of contemporary America, which touches on race, what it means to be an African American man in this country, and the consumer driven culture we live in. The first story, 'The Finkelstein 5', is narrated by a young man who can adjust his blackness level to fit his dress, attitude and emotional state, who is outraged by the verdict of a trial involving five young black kids and a white man and struggles to balance his rage with his responsibilities. In 'Lark Street', a young man who has gotten his girlfriend pregnant is forced to face the consequences of their decision to abort the pregnancy, in a wholly unexpected manner. 'Zimmer Land' is narrated by another young man who works in a virtual reality amusement park, where he portrays a black man who walks in an unfamiliar neighborhood and is confronted by an offended and usually armed resident who challenges his right to be there. The title story is a brilliant and hilarious parody set in the early morning hours on Black Friday in a suburban shopping mall, as store employees face a crazed mob who will bite, maim and even kill their competitors and the staff for a PoleFace winter jacket or other item that will ensure the continued love of a spouse or child on Christmas Day.

The best of the short stories in Friday Black are amongst the best and most unique ones I've ever read, as Adjei-Brenyah has his pulse firmly on the contradictions and absurdities of American society. The remaining stories are good ones, but pale in comparison to the best of them. Friday Black is a superb and highly entertaining book, which is deserving of the high praise and recognition it has received.

223richardderus
Jun 26, 2019, 7:11 pm

>222 kidzdoc: I have my upgethumbing given.

224kidzdoc
Jun 26, 2019, 8:54 pm

>223 richardderus: Thank you, sir!

225The_Hibernator
Jun 26, 2019, 9:58 pm

>222 kidzdoc: Looks really good. I'll keep an eye out for it. I should probably make a goal of culturally diversifying my reading. I'm going to think of how I can organize a goal of that next year. Working on genre diversity this year...

You watching the debate tonight? I'm having high hopes for Cory Booker, but would be happy with several of them.

226kidzdoc
Jun 26, 2019, 10:11 pm

>225 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel. If I've encouraged you to diversify your reading then I'm happy!

I won't watch tonight's debate...although I should. I will listen to NPR's Morning Edition and read the NYT to get a summary of it,though. I'm eager to hear what Cory Booker has to say about his comments about Joe Biden, and the resulting blow up.

227Familyhistorian
Jun 26, 2019, 10:21 pm

I didn't realize that Black and British: A Forgotten History was also I book, Darryl. I really enjoyed the episodes of Black and British featuring Olusoga when I saw them on Knowledge Network. I'll have to read the book.

Good luck with your ambitious reading plans.

228kidzdoc
Jun 26, 2019, 11:12 pm

>227 Familyhistorian: It is, Meg. I first saw Black and British when Paul Harris (@Polaris-) and I visited New Beacon Books in Finsbury Park, the first Caribbean bookshop in London and the UK. It was a huge hardcover book, and since I was nearing the end of my vacation and was out of additional space to fit extra books in my luggage I reluctantly left it behind. I purchased the softcover edition the following year, but I'm only now getting to it. I haven't seen the BBC Two series based on the book, but it is available on YouTube, and I'll watch it after I finish the book.

I've already modified my end of month plans, as I'd rather read two books that are much more compelling that the novel by Patrick Modiano. I'm currently working on Now and at the Hour of Our Death by Susana Moreira Marques, a so far splendid book written by an award winning journalist who accompanies a team of palliative care specialists who visit patients in remote villages in the north of Portugal, and I'll start reading What Dementia Teaches Us About Love by Nicci Gerrard tomorrow.

229Berly
Jun 26, 2019, 11:20 pm

>216 kidzdoc: National Geographic always does a great job, so let me know if you find that series about Picasso and I will do the same for you!

>222 kidzdoc: Really? Another book I have to read? You are a dangerous man. : )

230Familyhistorian
Jun 26, 2019, 11:58 pm

>228 kidzdoc: It's a really interesting series, Darryl. I'll look forward to finding out more in the book when I get to it.

231kidzdoc
Jun 27, 2019, 5:47 am

>229 Berly: Before I went to bed I purchased Season 2 of National Geographic's Genius series for $14.99 from Amazon Prime Video, which includes all 10 one hour episodes of Picasso, so I'm good.

>230 Familyhistorian: That's great to hear, Meg. I'll definitely watch the series after I finish Black and British next month.

232kidzdoc
Jun 27, 2019, 6:01 am

I didn't watch the Democratic presidential debate last night, but NBC News posted a five hour video of it on YouTube, with the third and fourth hour being the actual debate itself, running from roughly 2:00:00 to 4:00:00. I'll watch it over the remainder of this week.

https://youtu.be/vJ6MrDO0kgY

233The_Hibernator
Jun 27, 2019, 7:49 am

Hi Darryl! As I said on my thread, Booker didn't have me too impressed. I may switch my support to Warren or maybe Castro. Of course, there are 10 more people tonight!

234msf59
Jun 27, 2019, 8:16 am

Morning, Darryl. Sweet Thursday. Obviously, I have not had time to visit any threads, since I left, so I will have to play catch-up, over the next few days. Nothing planned for today, other than some yard work, so I will spend some time online and plenty of time with my neglected books.

Thanks for helping to keep my thread warm, while I was gallivanting across the eastern countryside. It was so nice, to spend so much time with different LTers and everyone is so special in their own way.

I am glad you enjoyed Friday Black. I also really enjoyed that collection and I agree with you, a couple of those stories are quite excellent.

235kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 27, 2019, 9:16 am

>233 The_Hibernator: Hi, Rachel! I haven't watched the debate yet, and NPR's Morning Edition, oddly enough, hasn't had as much to say about the candidates' performances as I thought it would. I'll read the NYT after I finish cooking breakfast, then start watching the debate. I'll watch the YouTube video of the second debate this weekend.

ETA: This hour of Morning Edition is focused on the debate. I should have known...

I don't have a clear favorite candidate at this point, so I'll need to see and read a lot more about their policies before I can begin to narrow my list. I won't let a single performance during a debate completely sway me toward or away from any candidate, although their performances in those settings will be extremely important in my final decision.

>234 msf59: Good morning, Mark! I'm glad that you'll have a least one day of down time after your trip. They are immensely enjoyable, but they can leave you exhausted as well.

Of the 70 LTers I've now met in person I can only think of two people who were so introverted or uncomfortable in a group setting that they didn't fit in, although I had pleasant one on one conversations with each of them. (Neither is a member of this group or Club Read, and I doubt that anyone is familiar with either of them.) Despite our different tastes in books, politics, and food, and our different careers and countries of origin I've found all of them to be the antheses of what non-readers classify avid book lovers are: we have plenty of interests other than books, we're great conversationalists, and we're thoughtful, introspective and kind (I do have my moments, though...). I'd much rather spend an afternoon in conversation with a group of LT friends than in the company of most of the physicians who I consider friends, as they, in general, have far fewer interests and our conversations, in one-on-one or group settings, tend to be more about work and medicine than anything else (ugh!!!).

Hopefully Friday Black will gain recognition from the major literary awards for short stories in the UK and US. I'm glad that you also enjoyed it.

236The_Hibernator
Jun 27, 2019, 9:43 am

>235 kidzdoc: I'll need to see and read a lot more about their policies before I can begin to narrow my list. I won't let a single performance during a debate completely sway me toward or away from any candidate, although their performances in those settings will be extremely important in my final decision.

I based my interest in Cory Booker on his policies, but we also need a tactful and charismatic president, and I'm not seeing that in Booker in this particular debate. I have a lot of interest in Warren's policies, too, though I already had a slight prejudice against her due to the Cherokee thing. It would seem I have more Cherokee than she does. My great-great grandmother chased the census people off her property with a shotgun so she wouldn't be registered as American Indian. Not that I think people shouldn't be proud of their heritage, but she was using it as a political tool which tends to minimize the challenges Native Americans suffer in the US. Plus, that silly video she put out to tell Trump she was Cherokee... it was totally scripted and unprofessional.

Bernie is too old and I'm not feeling the Biden thing. Buttigieg has some promising policies, but needs more experience.

To be honest, what I REALLY want is someone who can beat Trump.

Anyway, I shouldn't pour out my political nonsense on your thread. Sorry for the rant. :)

237kidzdoc
Edited: Jun 27, 2019, 10:12 am

>236 The_Hibernator: To be honest, what I REALLY want is someone who can beat Trump.

That is Job 1: Beat trump! Job 2 is to reclaim the Senate, so that Mitch McConnell can be overturned as Majority Speaker. Whoever has the best chance of doing that, and appealing to independents and those who voted for trump in 2016 after selecting Obama in 2008 and/or 2012, will be my preferred candidate. We outnumber them, but we need to match them in turnout at the polls, which we failed to do in 2016.

One of my colleagues posted this on her Facebook timeline last night, and after I saw it I posted it on mine as well.

I will scream in anguish and outrage if I hear anyone claim that they will stay home in protest of the November election or if they can't see a difference between trump and the Democratic candidate, unless the Democrats choose Mike Pence, Ted Cruz or Mitch McConnell.

238Caroline_McElwee
Jun 27, 2019, 10:17 am

>237 kidzdoc: Like that.

239kidzdoc
Jun 27, 2019, 10:25 am

>238 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks. I think this will be featured in my threads between now and the presidential election in November 2020, as a reminder to all of us.

240The_Hibernator
Jun 27, 2019, 11:32 am

>237 kidzdoc: That's how I feel, too. But I want to do a better job of knowing what's going on in the primaries this time around. I'm trying to figure out if I should volunteer a little time for one of the candidates. For that,I'll need an opinion.

241jnwelch
Jun 27, 2019, 12:32 pm

>239 kidzdoc: Amen!

Good review of Friday Black. Upthumbered by me, too. Friday Black is on my WL, but I'll move it up.

242kidzdoc
Jun 27, 2019, 1:03 pm

>240 The_Hibernator: I agree, Rachel, and now that there are so many candidates running in the Democratic primary I also want to learn more about them, at least the ones who will survive the narrowing process.

>241 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe!

I just finished writing my review of Romare Bearden: A Black Odyssey, but since I'm nearing the Derus Line (250 posts) I'll create a new thread, and make it my first post-introduction entry there.

243weird_O
Jun 27, 2019, 1:25 pm

Just one word, Darryl. Scrapple!

Heh heh heh.

244libraryperilous
Edited: Jun 27, 2019, 2:37 pm

Most Independents actually are severe partisans who vote consistently with one party or another but just don't register with parties. I'd rather see us focus on the regular Democrats who stayed home in 2016. Am I angry they stayed home? Hell, yes. But they are far less of a lost cause, imo. As much as I like HRC, many of the criticisms lobbed at her are fair. One valid criticism is that she tried to peel off Republican voters. It didn't work.

Anyway, I agree completely with the meme in >237 kidzdoc:. No candidate is perfect. In fact, making constructive criticisms of politicians in your own party is how you push your party to be better! I liked (and still like) Sanders, but he isn't a saint. One byproduct of the demagoguery in his campaign is that many newer voters now are convinced any shift in your thinking is a sign of insincerity or lack of principles. It's like, how do you think progress happens? Fairy dust?!

>236 The_Hibernator: All of the top-tier candidates already are polling well against Trump. I think it matters more that Democrats vote in the primary for the candidate they think best represents the values they want in the party. 2016 was a maddening primary in many ways, but it ultimately ended up shifting the party further to the left in a shorter period of time. There's so much potential for an even greater shift in 2020 and I am so excited for that! If you want more of that, there are several candidates on offer. If you want less, there are several candidates who are more centrist. It actually is a great field—a smorgasbord, really.

Edited: typos

245msf59
Jun 27, 2019, 6:53 pm

>235 kidzdoc: I loved your comments, on LTers, up there, Darryl. That just confirms my own thoughts, especially since you have met 70. Wow! I wish I would have kept count.

246kidzdoc
Jun 28, 2019, 8:32 am

>243 weird_O: Ha! I see your scrapple, Bill, and I'll raise you...hmm. Let me get back to you on that.

>244 libraryperilous: Interesting point, Diana. I didn't know that Independents are more partisan that their position would indicate. I can't think of anyone I know well who is an Independent, and the majority of my personal friends are Democrats, although I have plenty of (reasonable) Republican good friends as well.

I agree; I think the focus should be on Democrats who didn't vote in 2016, followed by the two groups I mentioned. Turnout is going to be extremely important in 2020, and we need to get as many people to the polls as possible.

I thought HRC ran a very poor campaign, by pandering to white middle class Republicans who were never going to vote for her, and ignoring swing voters in Midwestern states like Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin. She failed to energize voters of color and younger voters in the way that BHO did, and she and her team seemed to arrogantly think that the election was in the bag.

>245 msf59: Thanks, Mark. I may have mentioned that I use an LT feature on my home page to tag LTers I've met, similar to the one we use to list friends and interesting private libraries, which makes it easy to count how many people I've met (actually the number I've met is 69, not 70). There are at least a dozen LTers who I've met once and don't keep in touch with, and there's no way I would remember their usernames without that feature.

This topic was continued by Kidzdoc Reads Black Male Writers for Our Time in 2019, Chapter 5.

Kidzdoc Reads Black Male Writers for Our Time in 2019, Chapter 4

Talk 75 Books Challenge for 2019

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37figsfromthistle
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38FAMeulstee
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58msf59
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62tangledthread
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65benitastrnad
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68libraryperilous
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69Caroline_McElwee
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