mstrust makes you wonder if that's even food

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mstrust makes you wonder if that's even food

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1mstrust
Edited: Dec 30, 2019, 11:01 am



Happy New Year!

Doesn't the phrase "twenty-twenty" roll right off the tongue? And discussing the new decade is a much nicer ice-breaker than my original " with each passing year,we're all older and closer than ever to death".
I'm Jennifer in Phoenix. My daily co-stars are my husband Mike and Coral the Boxer, plus a variety of guests. March will be my 12th Thingaversary.

Each of my threads this year will be inspired by a certain book. If I've already read the book, hooray for me, but if I haven't, that's the time I'll make it happen. This month is inspired by Something From the Oven by Laura Shapiro, so you can expect to see a few food related books. I'm a ROOTer, which helped me a lot last year. Other plans for January or the year:
1. TravelKit group- Jan.- city vs countryside. I'll host "tourist meccas" in March
2. ScaredyKit group- Jan.- 70s & 80s horror. I'll be hosting "haunted places" in March & "international" in Sept.
3. MysteryKit- Jan.- historical mystery
4. Group Read- Feb.- Wolf Hall
5. Group Read- June- Mrs Dalloway
6. My long-term read for 2020- Moby Dick. This is the book I'll dip in and out as I juggle.

I'm also responsible for planning a family trip this year, which will be so fun to coordinate people from three states, and I'm working on several writing projects that I hope to publish in 2020.
As always, my threads are politics-free.
So, Something From the Oven. Diet, schmiet, am I right?

Welcome!

3drneutron
Dec 29, 2019, 2:49 pm

Welcome back!

4Familyhistorian
Dec 29, 2019, 3:34 pm

You have ambitious plans for 2020, Jennifer. Best of luck in 2020!

5RidgewayGirl
Dec 29, 2019, 3:38 pm

So, back in the day, I worked part-time in a bookstore in PV Mall and one of my co-workers had a way of getting a few days off on short notice. He said that it would only work once per job, but he changed jobs often enough.

Call in to work, saying you're in jail in Wickenberg and can't make it in. Then take a few days off. On your return, a simple, "I don't want to talk about it."

6rabbitprincess
Dec 29, 2019, 4:24 pm

Looking forward to following your adventures in 2020! Good luck with planning your family trip, which sounds like it will be an adventure in itself.

7mstrust
Dec 29, 2019, 7:04 pm

>3 drneutron: Thanks a lot, Jim! And thanks for making it all happen!

>4 Familyhistorian: :-D I really do. The new year makes me so energetic. I hope 2020 is good for you too.

>5 RidgewayGirl: Do you mean the Paradise Valley Mall?!
Ha! I have an even better way to get all the time off I want- I just tell Mike that I ain't doin' anything that day and he needs to bring home dinner. Works every time.

>6 rabbitprincess: Hi, Princess!
Yes, I need to get started on those plans as I anticipate many weeks of "I don't know, let me get back to you." And my sister got word on Friday that she'd been promoted so her hours are going to change.

8mstrust
Dec 30, 2019, 11:03 am

Just edited my OP as I'd forgotten two more planned reads. I'll be taking part in group reads of Wolf Hall in Feb. and Mrs Dalloway in June.

9PaperbackPirate
Dec 30, 2019, 1:05 pm

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Congratulations on 100 in 2019!
XOXO

10RidgewayGirl
Dec 30, 2019, 3:29 pm

>7 mstrust: Yep. I have worked in both the Waldenbooks and the B. Daltons at that mall.

11mstrust
Edited: Dec 30, 2019, 4:14 pm



>8 mstrust: Hiya, Nicole! I hope you had a great holiday too! Happy New Year!

>9 PaperbackPirate: I worked at the Estee Lauder counter at the Dillard's there for two years!

I'm still putting Christmas presents and shopping away, doing laundry from the suitcases, and oh yeah, shopping online with the gift cards. But I didn't want to forget to put out the champagne and wish everyone a Happy New Year's Eve.


12DianaNL
Dec 31, 2019, 5:36 am

Best wishes for 2020!

13PaulCranswick
Dec 31, 2019, 9:08 am



Another resolution is to keep up in 2020 with all my friends on LT. Happy New Year!

14mstrust
Dec 31, 2019, 10:17 am

>12 DianaNL: Thank you, Diana! Happy New Year!
>13 PaulCranswick: Such ambition! Happy New Year, Paul!

15Ameise1
Dec 31, 2019, 3:54 pm



16Berly
Dec 31, 2019, 5:30 pm

Starred again!!



Wishing you 12 months of success
52 weeks of laughter
366 days of fun (leap year!)
8,784 hours of joy
527,040 minutes of good luck
and 31,622,400 seconds of happiness!!

17FAMeulstee
Dec 31, 2019, 6:20 pm

Happy reading in 2020, Jennifer!

18VivienneR
Dec 31, 2019, 6:28 pm

Looking forward to following your thread in 2020. Wishing you a great year.

19mstrust
Edited: Jan 1, 2020, 10:32 am


Happy New Year, happy new decade!

20mstrust
Jan 1, 2020, 10:44 am

>15 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara, and Happy New Year to you!

>16 Berly: Good to see you, and thanks! Happy New Year!

>17 FAMeulstee: And to you, Anita!

>18 VivienneR: Glad you're here, Viv! Happy New Year!

We were at the symphony last night. The guest conductor was very fun and danced around, and they started the performance with a version of The Stray Cats "Rock This Town", went into Miller, Dorsey and Sinatra, then Neil Diamond and Stevie Wonder, 23 movie themes in four and a half minutes, "I Could Have Danced All Night", The Blue Danube, an aria by the two singers, and closed with "Auld Lang Syne". They also gave out tiny portions of champagne. Don't worry, I had more when we got home. And a great view of four different firework displays from the back bedroom window.
How was your night?

21harrygbutler
Jan 1, 2020, 10:58 am

Happy New Year, Jennifer! Looking forward to more fun on your thread again this year.

>20 mstrust: We had a quiet evening in; we watched an episode of The Dean Martin Show (guest stars Joey Heatherton, Orson Welles, and Buck Owens and the Buckaroos) while waiting until we could start watching Guy Lombardo — his last New Year's Eve show, from 1976/77, which we started so that the change of year in the show happened at the correct time and we got "Auld Lang Syne" right at midnight.

22mstrust
Jan 1, 2020, 11:06 am

Happy New Year, Harry!
That sounds like a good night. I'd like to see that Dean Martin episode myself. Mike loves Dean and Bock Owens is always welcome. (My dad looked like a cross between Owens and Mickey Rooney, and we always told him so).

23BLBera
Jan 1, 2020, 11:11 am

Happy New Year, Jennifer.

24mstrust
Jan 1, 2020, 11:25 am

Happy New Year, Beth!

25DeltaQueen50
Jan 1, 2020, 1:05 pm

Happy New Year, Jennifer. I've dropped my star and look forward to seeing what 2020 will bring us. We spent a quiet New Year's Eve, ordered in Chinese food, watched some Netflix and stood out on our balcony at midnight and watched a tiny firework display at a neighbouring park.

26harrygbutler
Jan 1, 2020, 1:16 pm

>22 mstrust: That episode is online at YouTube: https://youtu.be/E3-OEMyXYl4.

I wish there were DVDs of the full shows, rather than just clip compilations, as I'd certainly be willing to get them and watch them.

27mstrust
Jan 1, 2020, 6:34 pm

>25 DeltaQueen50: Happy new year, Judy! That sounds like a really nice night! Mmm, Chinese food.

>26 harrygbutler: Thanks, Harry! I would imagine the Guy Lombardo is especially hard to get hold of. I know he was so popular in his lifetime.
Sometimes I come across Johnny Cash's variety show on tv and I have to stop and watch because it's him. I've even seen him singing with The Monkees when they guested.

28mstrust
Jan 1, 2020, 6:37 pm

I promised food.

Chocolate cake with "champagne bubbles"! Maybe there isn't enough to share.

29figsfromthistle
Jan 1, 2020, 8:13 pm

Found you!

Happy New Year

Dropping a star :)

30quondame
Jan 1, 2020, 9:28 pm



Happy New Year, Jennifer!

31Berly
Jan 2, 2020, 3:27 am

>28 mstrust: I got my slice! Yum.

32Ameise1
Jan 2, 2020, 7:55 am

>28 mstrust: Yummy, I took a slice. Thanks so much.

33Carmenere
Jan 2, 2020, 11:04 am

Happy 2020, Jennifer! Looking forward to more retro-ness, oh cool one!

34ChelleBearss
Jan 2, 2020, 11:05 am

Hope 2020 is kind to you!

35mstrust
Jan 2, 2020, 11:54 am

>29 figsfromthistle: Glad you found me- Happy New Year!

>30 quondame: Happy New Year, Susan!

>31 Berly: Then you arrived right on time. Five minutes later, just crumbs and tears.

>32 Ameise1: You're welcome. Hard to walk past, isn't it?

>33 Carmenere: Happy New Year, Lynda! I do love old stuff. ;-)

>34 ChelleBearss: I sure hope so! And to you too!

36mstrust
Edited: Jan 2, 2020, 12:23 pm

Here's number one!


1. Round Ireland With a Fridge by Tony Hawks. Englishman Hawks accepts a bet from a friend that he can't hitchhike all the way around Ireland while accompanied by a smallish fridge on a handcart. That's the whole premise, and it works out well for Hawks. The bet took place in 1997, so there's very little computer or cell phone interference. Instead, his journey was made tremendously easier by the fact that he was a well-known comedian, which landed him an interview on an Irish national radio show the very first day, a show that it seemed half the country listened to daily, and by throwing out a "be nice to him if you see him" message. With repeated on-air interviews, Hawks was able to secure rides, free lodging and meals all over the country. He did avoid the majority of Northern Ireland, just dipping into the area at one point.
For me, the highlight of the book was the excitement of the people who recognized this guy with a fridge and bent over backwards to assist him. The people, whether individually or in groups, were so ready to help. On the flip side, I was pretty familiar with English comedians of this period and I'd never heard of Hawks before, even though he starts his journey just after having performed for an audience that included Prince Charles. So, I thought the book would be funny but it was just mildly amusing throughout, and I found the times when he tried to make people laugh to be pretty lame. This is a nice read to get a look at the Irish people of that decade. 3 stars

37mstrust
Edited: Jan 3, 2020, 10:26 am

My after-Christmas online purchases have started rolling in. Books received today are Supernatural: Children of Anubis and Scream With Me: The Enduring Legacy of the Misfits, 1977-1983, which turns out to be a big coffee table book.
Touchstones are being difficult today.

38lkernagh
Jan 2, 2020, 11:46 pm

Happy New Year and best wishes for 2020, Jennifer!

39SirThomas
Jan 3, 2020, 10:06 am

Happy New Year and happy reading for 2020, Jennifer!
It is always nice to discover a well-known book.
When you allready own it, you are not tempted to buy it.

40mstrust
Jan 3, 2020, 10:29 am

>38 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori, and Happy New Year to you!
>39 SirThomas: Hi, Thomas, and Happy New Year!
I have indeed gotten to the point where I go digging in my shelves and find books that I had forgotten I owned. It's almost like getting a present ;-)

41mstrust
Edited: Jan 3, 2020, 10:53 am



2. Supernatural: The Official Cookbook by Julie Tremaine. Each recipe here is a recall to a particular episode, character or just the general eating habits of the Winchester brothers. Dean is the brother who loves diners and fast food, so there are recipes for "Elvis Burger", made with two glazed doughnuts, and "Silver Screen Taquitos". Representing health-conscious Sam there is the "Mark of Cain Green Smoothie" and "Health Quake Salad Shake". There are several recipes enjoyed by carb-loving Death, such as "To-Die-For Chicago Pizza" and Castiel has a couple, of course one being an angel food cake recipe. Many really aren't unusual, but there are a couple I'd try, such as "Marcy's Famous Ginger Peach Cobbler". 4 stars


Not the image from the book, but this gives you an idea of an Elvis burger.

42mstrust
Jan 5, 2020, 2:10 pm



3. A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters. Set in 12th Century England and Wales, Brother Cadfael is the worldly man who gave up secular life and all its pleasures to become Benedictine monk. When one of his Brothers becomes seriously ill, another Brother claims to have a vision of an obscure Welsh saint. The Prior determines that this is a sign that they travel to a remote Welsh village and dig up the saint's bones in order to bring them to the monastery, but the locals don't agree and violence ensues.
I know Brother Cadfael is a beloved series and I expected to like him too, but I thought this was a snooze. 2.5 stars

43thornton37814
Jan 5, 2020, 2:12 pm

I'm finally getting around to making rounds to check out threads and drop a few more stars to follow reading. Hope you have a great 2020 reading year!

>42 mstrust: I think the series improves.

44mstrust
Jan 5, 2020, 2:17 pm

Hi, Lori, glad you popped in and happy 2020 to you!
I know I'm in the minority with him, and I've watched an episode of the tv series and liked it but didn't continue that either. Just not my sweet spot, I guess.

45Carmenere
Jan 5, 2020, 3:41 pm

>41 mstrust: Hmm, demonstrates his life of excess, wouldn't you say?

46MuranoBlue
Jan 5, 2020, 4:18 pm

I hope you write a review for a (Round Ireland with a Fridge). It was given to me as a gift and I couldn't finish it and I felt really guilty.

I'll bet you like (A Morbid Taste for Bones). I believe that is the first of the Brother Cadfael series. And although I know it's not intended to be funny, it greatly amused me.

47mstrust
Edited: Jan 5, 2020, 8:16 pm

>45 Carmenere: Or at least represents his love of sweet & carbs! I don't believe Elvis actually ever had a burger like this, but he loved the grilled peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwiches that also bear his name.
We've had the doughnut burgers available at our state fair for a few years now but I think I've always heard them called the Krispy Kreme burger.

>46 MuranoBlue: I've written reviews for both those books. Round Ireland with a Fridge is up at >36 mstrust: and AMTFB is >42 mstrust:. I thought the first was okay and didn't really care for the second, but at least I don't have to start another mystery series ;-D.

48mstrust
Jan 7, 2020, 10:55 am

Since I like to point out the weird and unusual, especially when it comes to food, I have to note that I'm just now getting around to reading the November issue of Smithsonian magazine and its cover story about Jack London's experience in the Yukon. Article author Richard Grant, who followed London's trail, writes:

At the Downtown Hotel is the Jack London Grill and a saloon that serves a highly unusual cocktail, the Sourtoe- a severed, mummified human toe dropped into the liquor of your choice. The legend is that the drink dates back to the 1920s, and originally involved an amputated frostbitten toe. These days, according to the bartender, the saloon accepts toes lost to other misfortunes, including lawnmower accidents.
I ordered mine with Wild Turkey, and it was served by the Sourtoe Captain, a young man with a patch of green hair wearing a captain's hat. Opening a wooden chest, he retrieved a long brown shriveled toe from a jar of salt, dropped it into the shot glass, warned of a $2,500 fine for chewing or swallowing, and then said, "You can drink it fast or drink it slow, but your lips must touch the gnarly toe." When the deed was done, he presented me with a certificate for framing.

49Carmenere
Jan 7, 2020, 11:05 am

>48 mstrust: It sounds like a good gimmick! Does the article say if the toe goes back into the jar of salt or is now the property of the customer?

50mstrust
Jan 7, 2020, 11:08 am

I'm guessing the Sourtoe Captain takes the toe back since there's such a hefty fine for chewing or swallowing it. You have to make the most of your mummified toes.

51harrygbutler
Jan 7, 2020, 11:53 am

>42 mstrust: I tried a few of the Cadfael books years ago, and they just didn't work for me, so I set them aside and have never been tempted to go back. We also watched (some episodes of) the Brother Cadfael TV series, and I disliked that, too.

52mstrust
Jan 7, 2020, 5:38 pm

So not a fan any way you slice it, huh? There are so many who like Brother Cadfael that he won't be lonely without us.

53lkernagh
Jan 8, 2020, 12:00 am

>48 mstrust: - That "Sourtoe" cocktail continues to be a thing to be tried in the Yukon... and I am not about to go there. ;-)

Ah, the Brother Cadfael books. I loved them as a teenage reader. I would probably find them to be a bit of fluff medieval mystery reading today. I never did watch any of the TV movie adaptations.

54mstrust
Jan 8, 2020, 10:57 am

That there have been enough people over the last 100 years who would partake and make it a tradition says a lot about the Yukon. Or about the tourists who go to the Yukon. I'd love to travel the area but I'd get my kicks from seeing a glacier.
:-D You've surprised me. I never expected someone to say they loved reading ancient monk mysteries as a teenager.

55mstrust
Edited: Jan 8, 2020, 2:45 pm



4. Murder by Milkshake by Eve Lazarus. In 1965, after months of intense suffering and including the last seven weeks in hospital care, Esther Castellani died from an illness her doctors couldn't figure out. That she vomited nearly every time she ate, and her limbs went from numbness to paralysis, leaving her a virtual paraplegic, was a mystery to the team of doctors who tried to help her, with her illness progressing even while she was in a Vancouver hospital.
The hospital policy of encouraging family to bring favorite foods to the patients was meant to bring some normalcy, but in this case, it allowed her husband to have great control over Esther's intake. Her only period of any small relief was coincidentally during the ten days her radio personality husband, Rene, was broadcasting live from a car in a "Guy in the Sky" stunt. Even though everyone in the Castellani family circle was aware that Rene was having an affair and wanted out of the marriage, no one thought that Rene might be the cause of Esther's illness, and for the first months her doctors kept telling her that she was the cause, from over-eating or because she loved junk food, especially vanilla milkshakes from the burger chain White Spot.
Not until after Esther was buried did the facts of Rene's callousness and arrogance come out, that he'd applied for a mortgage with his mistress Lolly weeks before Esther's death, and that he and Lolly left for a trip to Disneyland the day after the funeral. Esther's body was exhumed and tested for poisons.
This is one of the most famous Vancouver true crime stories, one that is even addressed in the city's Police Museum. I found the story slowed in chapters when the author included the rise of the 60's counter-culture or the effect of The Beatles to the city's youth, but it's understandable that these extended asides were to place the Castellani murder in the larger world. The case itself, with its psychopath, medical sleuths and trial, is hard to put down, and the author also had the fortune of having the cooperation of the Castellani's daughter in telling the story of what was going on in the family throughout. 4.5 stars

56curioussquared
Jan 8, 2020, 12:06 pm

Hi Jennifer! Finally made it over to your thread. Looks like you're off to a good start in 2020!

57mstrust
Jan 8, 2020, 12:10 pm

Hi, Natalie, glad you made it over!

58Ameise1
Jan 8, 2020, 12:59 pm

>55 mstrust: Sounds very interesting. Happy Wednesday, Jennifer.

59mstrust
Jan 8, 2020, 2:48 pm

Very interesting, and I'd never heard of it before our visit to Vancouver. Have a good day, Barbara!
***

Christmas orders are trickling in. Today I received The Girl with a Clock for a Heart and The Saturday Night Ghost Club.

60VivienneR
Jan 9, 2020, 11:32 am

>55 mstrust: Excellent review! Stories like this always makes me wonder how secure the other woman feels, knowing what her man has done to his wife.

61RidgewayGirl
Jan 9, 2020, 1:05 pm

I suspect that one's willingness to order and imbibe a Sourtoe increases the longer one has been drinking. There are many foods that are largely based on drunken dares, but very few involved mummified body parts.

62mstrust
Jan 9, 2020, 2:19 pm

>60 VivienneR: You would think that would be a line in the sand, wouldn't you, but plenty of women don't seem bothered, and Lolly wasn't. She was prepared to marry Rene as soon as possible.
Let me say that I've been able to observe a similar situation up close, as years ago a family member married a man doing ten years in prison for trying to kill his girlfriend (there were other charges which led to the long sentence). My relative completely believed that he had been railroaded, despite him being a rather wealthy doctor at the time. He was "wonderful" as he served his term, then a lousy husband once he got out. I think that surprised her. Stupid can overcome any amount of documentation.

>61 RidgewayGirl: I agree, I think it's one of those things that seems more reasonable with each drink. I went looking, and unfortunately, there are plenty of pictures of the Sourtoe available on Google. I considered posting one but then I'd be the owner of "that thread with the rotten body parts".

63quondame
Jan 9, 2020, 3:24 pm

>62 mstrust: Thanks for the restraint. There have been a lot of photos of unfortunate things show up on FB lately.

64harrygbutler
Jan 9, 2020, 4:24 pm

>55 mstrust: Ugh. I've read, watched, or listened to enough old mysteries to suspect arsenical poisoning the moment someone seems to be suffering from chronic, worsening dyspepsia. It's sad that the doctors didn't have similar suspicions in time to save her life.

>48 mstrust: Not for me, thanks.

65mstrust
Jan 9, 2020, 6:35 pm

>63 quondame: I knew someone would be grateful. Let me just say that "Sourtoe Cocktail" brings up lots of things you don't want to see, including guys smiling with what I thought were cigars between their teeth, but then I realized that they weren't cigars.

>64 harrygbutler: You'd think that would be obvious, huh? My only guess is that no one, not the sick woman nor her family, took one of the doctors aside and said, "By the way, Rene has a girlfriend he's itching to marry. Any test for that?" People were more trusting then, and it seems that no one around him recognized his actions as disturbing, like when he insisted his sister-in-law flush the uneaten meal he'd brought to his wife down the toilet instead of letting anyone else eat it.
And as proof of what a psychopath he was, he even out-maneuvered the nurses and got hold of a meal the ill woman's mother had cooked at home for her and poisoned that too. The guy was widely described as intelligent and well-liked by the people who knew him, but it's clear from reading about all the impulsive actions he took that "charming" would be better description.
Not for me, thanks. Apparently there's also an eyeball cocktail. Who are these people and how can we tag them?

66mstrust
Edited: Jan 10, 2020, 12:35 pm



The Apple Lover's Cookbook by Amy Traverso. A big solid book full of useful information. Beginning with the history of apples, then going into the second chapter, which is a primer of what must be every variety grown in North American. A color photo accompanies the bio of each, with its origin, availability, taste, texture and best way to use it. Following that is over 200 pages of recipes. Of course there is apple pie and muffins, but also lots of savory recipes such as apple risotto and duck panzanella with apples and thyme, and cocktail recipes. Readers of Yankee magazine or viewers of "Weekends with Yankee" will recognize the author as their food editor. This was a Christmas gift from my sister. 5 stars

Vermont apple cider donuts

67PersephonesLibrary
Jan 10, 2020, 1:55 pm

I would enjoy some apple cider donuts right now - they sound and look delicious! Food and books are the best pairing anyway. Enjoy your reading year!

68Carmenere
Jan 10, 2020, 2:34 pm

>66 mstrust: What a great Christmas gift! Let us know what recipe you'll try first.
Those Vermont Apple Cider donuts remind me of Apple Jacks. :0)

69mstrust
Jan 10, 2020, 5:27 pm

>67 PersephonesLibrary: I'd love some too. Apple cider doughnuts are traditional in Autumn in the Midwest and Eastern states, and are they ever good.

>68 Carmenere: My family gets to hear me babbling about apples throughout the season, so she knew this would be a good choice for me. And you're right, they do look like Apple Jacks! Big, fluffy Apple Jacks, yum!

Another book arrived today- Commando by Johnny Ramone.

70rabbitprincess
Jan 10, 2020, 6:35 pm

There's an orchard about an hour south of us that makes the best cider donuts. My friends and I used to go to the orchard ostensibly to pick apples, but really, we were after the donuts.

71figsfromthistle
Jan 10, 2020, 9:09 pm

>66 mstrust: Apple cider donuts! Yummy!!!!

72SomeGuyInVirginia
Jan 11, 2020, 7:51 am

Happy New Year! I'd have been here sooner but I had to share an Uber.

No to the Sourtoe. Along a similar vein, one of the smartest people I've ever met asked me once if I'd ever tried human flesh. This guy was an econ prof at UVA when he was in his early 20s and only did that because he was funding his projects in applied mathematical theory and needed access to the school's resources. I was aghast and said of course not! Then he asked if I'd ever bought beef jerky, and I told him that I had. So he said, 'Well then you have eaten human flesh at one time for another.' So every time I'm in line at Walmart and they have jerky by the register I wonder if it's anybody I know.

Much love, Jennifer.

73PersephonesLibrary
Jan 11, 2020, 10:40 am

Thanks to your inspiration we made "apple buttons" for lunch today. :-) Happy reading weekend!

74mstrust
Edited: Jan 11, 2020, 11:15 am

>70 rabbitprincess: Sounds like a winning day. You probably ate the donuts at the orchard, then brought the apples home and acted all virtuous ;-)

>71 figsfromthistle: Not like I would turn down most donuts, but apple cider donuts are awesome. And we missed the city donut festival again.

>72 SomeGuyInVirginia: Showing up late, making an entrance.
I don't see how... wait, was he saying that the producers of beef jerky routinely murder people, say, a new hire on the overnight shift, and incorporate them into the jerky, thereby disposing of the bodies and making us all unwitting accomplices in their never-ending bloodlust?
Anyway, I really liked that bag Hawaiian teriyaki beef I finished off a few days ago.

>73 PersephonesLibrary: Happy to inspire. And I'm guessing apple buttons are cookies? Have a good weekend yourself!

I did try out the simplest recipe in the apple cookbook last night, making the Swedish Pie. It's sliced apples covered in cinnamon, a little flour, and I added in some maple sugar. Arrange in a pie plate and top with a mixture of butter, sugar and an egg and bake. The result tasted good, but I still don't know if it turned out right, as there's no crust to tell if it's done baking. It's a pie plate of apples in a rich, buttery syrup that I topped with vanilla bean ice cream. Mike really liked it and didn't care if it was wrong or right.
O.k., I googled and see where I went wrong. I should have made the topping in a separate bowl so it wouldn't have had the residual moisture of the apples. I'll try it again.

75PersephonesLibrary
Jan 12, 2020, 8:10 am

Not exactly. "Buttons" or "Spätzle" are usually cooked as a side-dish similar to meat. Or maybe you have heard of cheese buttons? That's a traditional dish from Vorarlberg, where I live.
In our family we eat the sweet adaptation with apples and cinamon-sugar. Just a lovely winter dish.

76mstrust
Jan 13, 2020, 11:50 am

I'm familiar with spatzle as we have a German restaurant we go to, besides the German bakery. I really like it, and now I'll be on the lookout for apple and cheese versions, and a cinnamon sugar version sounds pretty great. Thanks for the info!

77mstrust
Jan 13, 2020, 12:13 pm



6. Something From the Oven: Reinventing Dinner in 1950s America by Laura Shapiro. From the difficulties of getting consumers to buy frozen dinners, the rise of food advice newspaper columns and the emergence of famous female cooks who specialized in home cooking, as opposed to the trained male chefs showing how to do professional dishes who had been nearly the only experts until the 1950s. The book focuses on the female cook as the one who traditionally cooked for the family.
There's a chapter on the beginnings and entries of The Pillsbury Bake-Off, and a bio of a long-forgotten cookbook author named Poppy Cannon, author of The Can Opener Cookbook and several others, who became famous even though she had little culinary skill and was called out for publishing recipes that didn't work. She once recommended serving Campbell's tomato soup topped with canned fish cakes as the first course at an elegant dinner party.
There's a chapter called "Is She Real?" that addresses product spokeswomen such as Betty Crocker and Aunt Jemima, and another chapter that is half Julia Child, and the other half is a bio of Betty Friedan, which is sort of out of place and seems like it's there just because the author wanted to write about her.
Overall, lots of interesting and hard to find information. 4 stars

78mstrust
Jan 13, 2020, 12:42 pm

Mike and I went to the Phoenix Zoo yesterday, something we hadn't done in maybe eight years. The weather was so nice, 60-62 degrees, that it was the perfect day for it. We saw some orangutan babies playing, and a giraffe baby. And I got a video of the mandrill right up against the glass leisurely chewing his lunch.
My MIL gave us one of those entertainment coupon books again for Christmas, with the hundreds of coupons for local restaurants and museums. She gave us one last year and I think we used all of four coupons from it, so I told Mike we're actually gonna make use of it this year. One down.

79thornton37814
Jan 13, 2020, 8:34 pm

>77 mstrust: That was on my wish list at one time. Not sure if I kept it there or not, but it sounds fun!

80mstrust
Jan 14, 2020, 8:42 am

The author has done some heavy research, with the bibliography being pages and pages long, but she does a good job at keeping it from becoming dry. She's also the only person in the field that I've come across who really dislikes James Beard.

81Carmenere
Jan 14, 2020, 9:09 am

>77 mstrust: Sounds like an amusing read and a fun bit of Americana.
Yay! to you and Mike using your discount coupons!

82harrygbutler
Jan 14, 2020, 9:54 am

>78 mstrust: I like zoos, but it has been some time since we visited one — and I think the last one was the result of a Groupon offer for a zoo some distance away. Of course, we also took in the Pittsburgh Aviary in 2018, when we got in an interactive experience with one of their sloths. But I think I'll have to suggest a look in at another zoo sometime this year.

83mstrust
Jan 14, 2020, 2:37 pm

>81 Carmenere: I like to set little goals for myself, and one of this year's is using that dang coupon book. That 2019 book is so full it's by the fireplace to be used for kindling.

>82 harrygbutler: We tend to like aquariums best and visit them when we're on vacation, so the last one for me was the Vancouver Aquarium. I wish these places had a "no kids" day, even just once a year. Ever heard a whole class of eight year-olds screaming bloody murder inside the concrete echo chamber that is an aquarium? There should be an open topped tank to chuck them into.

The Bus on Thursday arrived in the mail.

84thornton37814
Jan 14, 2020, 7:12 pm

>80 mstrust: Isn't that blasphemous in cooking circles? LOL

85alcottacre
Jan 14, 2020, 7:29 pm

>55 mstrust: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation, Jennifer!

86harrygbutler
Jan 14, 2020, 7:43 pm

>83 mstrust: On perhaps our only visit to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, I discovered with dismay that it was (now) very play-oriented and the ostensible leaders of the group(s) of children visiting that day simply let them run wild.

87SomeGuyInVirginia
Jan 15, 2020, 6:57 am

>77 mstrust: Have you seen the new Dracula on Netflix? There's a scene where he's in a modern day living room, nothing special, and hes absolutely floored by all the gizmos and electronic toys. He guarantees the lady of the house that no medieval prince or queen he's ever met would want to leave such a room of wonders, it's that much more magnificent than any palace chamber.

88mstrust
Edited: Jan 15, 2020, 9:55 am

>84 thornton37814: :-D Pretty much. Beard usually receives gushing praise so it was different to see how many criticisms of him the author peppered the book with. But then, Beard was highly opinionated himself.

>85 alcottacre: Hiya, Stasia! You're welcome, enjoy the murder.

>86 harrygbutler: That's what I've encountered, with the exception of NYC, in nearly every aquarium and museum in America we've visited over the years. The adults, who may be volunteer chaperones rather than the actual teachers, seem to be there just to make sure they have the same number of heads when they leave as when they got there. The kids are brought in then let loose like the shute being opened for wild animals.

>87 SomeGuyInVirginia: I have that in my queue but haven't gotten to it yet. Good? My sister really likes The Witcher, which I haven't gotten to yet either. I just finished off Season 7 of Supernatural last night.
I really love those 1940s-50s film reels that TCM used to play, with the cheerful narrator explaining all the kitchen gadgets of the future while a model, dressed like the perfect housewife, showed how easy it was to grill a steak on her counter-top grill that receded back when she was done...

I found a good article about Poppy Cannon (and her modern sister, Sandra Lee) and her style of convenience food cooking. Includes several horrible recipes:
https://www.thehairpin.com/2012/03/the-first-sandra-lee-poppy-cannon-and-her-can...

89thornton37814
Jan 15, 2020, 10:38 am

>88 mstrust: Perhaps the soup comes from Green Turtle Cay?

90SomeGuyInVirginia
Jan 15, 2020, 11:58 am

I liked a lot of the new Dracula, but one thing really confused me and I wasn't a fan of the very last scene. OK to watch, though.

91mstrust
Edited: Jan 15, 2020, 2:25 pm

>89 thornton37814: No doubt that's where the greenest, most turtlely flavor comes from.

>90 SomeGuyInVirginia: I'll have to remember that when I watch. A second season of Black Summer is coming and I'll leap on that right away. Have I mentioned how baffling it is to me that AMC cancelled the wonderful Lodge 49? It was the most unique, most original show in years and I loved it, so of course it was cancelled.

Stories from the Vinyl Cafe came in the mail. Also Unusual Uses for Olive Oil.

92mstrust
Edited: Jan 16, 2020, 9:47 am



7. Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula by Loren D. Estleman. Holmes and Watson are invited to see a strange sight that has appeared at the docks, a ship whose only occupants are a giant dog that jumped to shore and ran away, and the dead captain who is still lashed to the wheel by his hands as though riding out a storm though his cause of death is that he was drained of his blood. Where is the crew?
Within a day or so, another mystery begins, as small children are going missing at night and found dazed from loss of blood. Holmes and Watson encounter Count Dracula, who can't help but be impressed by the detective's abilities.
With such a lurid title you would expect this to be a humorous story but it isn't, and in the Afterword, the author refers to his publisher overriding his title preference. This is a very well-done pastiche that remains true to Arthur Conan Doyle's creation while adding in the horror of Bram Stoker's. There appears to be a second book that has Holmes meeting Jekyll and Hyde. 4 stars

I read this for the ScaredyKIT group, but it's also appropriate for this month's MysteryKIT too,

93mstrust
Jan 17, 2020, 10:49 am

I'm bringing back the Friday Whaaaat?, at least on the Fridays I remember to do it. First up, we're sticking with the food theme.
10 Weird Things You Can Eat: https://www.oddee.com/10-weird-things-you-can-eat/

****
Help For the Haunted arrived last night.

94lkernagh
Jan 17, 2020, 2:14 pm

>93 mstrust: - Ha. I have never understood the desire to consume gold.... such an expensive thing to digest. All the other stuff, not so much of a surprise.

95mstrust
Jan 17, 2020, 5:36 pm

I knew about people who ate dirt, but cigarettes, chalk and avocado pits were new to me. I suppose it's nice to know all the options if your plane crashes.

96harrygbutler
Edited: Jan 17, 2020, 6:13 pm

>92 mstrust: I've heard of this one but don't think I've ever actually run into it. It's good to know it would be worth a look. Thanks!

97BLBera
Jan 17, 2020, 10:05 pm

98alcottacre
Jan 17, 2020, 10:11 pm

>92 mstrust: That one looks fun! Thanks for the recommendation.

99DeltaQueen50
Jan 17, 2020, 11:19 pm

Hi Jennifer, I have to say that I would have to be very, very hungry before I'd take a bite of chalk, dirt or avacado pits. Now apple cider donuts - those I could go for! Since my husband has retired he's been teaching himself to bake pies and he's gotten pretty good at it - his specialty is apple pie. This is a hobby I can really get behind. :)

100mstrust
Jan 18, 2020, 11:23 am

>96 harrygbutler: You're welcome, Harry!

>97 BLBera: I agree!

>98 alcottacre: You're welcome, hope you're able to find it!

>99 DeltaQueen50: The things on the list would be bottom of the barrel for me too. But my grandma used to send the kids out to the yard to bring in dandelion greens for her salads, which my mother didn't eat so didn't make the kids eat either. Now it's gourmet.
:-D Your husband has taken up a marvelous hobby!

***
My niece Samantha and her boyfriend Robby left for a tour of Italy three days ago, with the first stop in Rome. Yesterday she sent out pics of him proposing in front of the Trevi Fountain and the ring on her finger.

101mstrust
Jan 18, 2020, 11:38 am



8. Scream With Me: The Enduring Legacy of The Misfits- 1977-1983 by Tom Bejgrowicz, Jeremy Dean with Umberto D'Urso. This is a coffee table sized book on high quality black paper. It consists mostly of club flyers, merchandise, records and some early photo shoots, all pertaining to the formation and first phase of the band. There are quotes and stories from fans, mostly musicians, about what it was like to be a fan of The Misfits growing up. I doubt if this book would explain much to a novice as it's geared toward the fan who already knows the band and its long history. 4.2 stars

102SomeGuyInVirginia
Jan 18, 2020, 11:59 am

>100 mstrust: Nice!

>93 mstrust: Eh, if I'm ever stranded after a plane crash, I'm going to turn to cannibalism as my 1st option. Screw boiling leather, eating dirt, or foraging for weeds. One thing I've learned living in this town is that you never waste a good crisis. Other survivor- I just found a ton of canned food in the hold. Me- excellent, chow down. You still better sleep with one eye open.

I was at a Christmas party a few weeks ago where they served brownies topped with gold leaf. I filled up my plate and ate those almost exclusively because I thought it was classy AF.

I liked Help for The Haunted. Let me know what you think.

103mstrust
Jan 18, 2020, 12:22 pm



Plane tickets should require the buyer to answer questions such as "are you a smoker?" and "how much lemon and rosemary do you eat in a typical week?"
You're right, I'll bet people who saw you with a plate of gold brownies were in awe and not even grossed out when you smiled with all that black and gold stuck to your teeth. Next time, hit the shrimp cocktail too and let the sauce stay where it lay.

104quondame
Jan 18, 2020, 8:55 pm

>103 mstrust: Shudder. I hope I forget that image.

105mstrust
Jan 20, 2020, 10:12 am

:-D Go ahead and try.

106mstrust
Jan 21, 2020, 11:19 am



9. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson. Bryson's memoir of his childhood in Des Moines, Iowa. Born in 1951, he recalls the era of comic books, baseball, his school friends and his family. That sounds really sweet, but it's Bryson, so his father was so cheap that the family dentist cut costs by not using Novocaine, his mother sent Bryson to school wearing his sister's capris, and his paper route took him to the city's wealthy homes, with one particularly vicious dog. He describes hoping for the excitement of being present when the man who works the buzzsaw at the lumber yard cuts off another finger, the decline of farmers and the rise of corporate businesses that make every town look the same. He discusses the popular tv shows of his childhood and mentions forgotten figures who were in the news when he was a kid, especially the scandals.
Very funny. This is one I'll likely re-read in a few years. 4.5 stars

107curioussquared
Jan 21, 2020, 12:54 pm

>106 mstrust: I love Bryson and really enjoyed this one when I read it a while ago!

108mstrust
Edited: Jan 21, 2020, 1:26 pm

It's one of his funniest!

***
Mike has been off at his yearly convention for a few days now. Last night he informed me that his dinner had included short ribs, Korean bulgogi, gyros, and he had some of the full luau pig on offer. Then told me that his dessert had been tiramisu, gelato, brownies and a selection of cookies, and then complained that he was getting old and couldn't eat like he used to. Uhhh...
And the huge annual book sale is in three weeks!

109RidgewayGirl
Jan 21, 2020, 5:01 pm

I live vicariously through your annual visit to that giant sale.

110mstrust
Jan 21, 2020, 6:34 pm

Ha, it's one of the best things about this city! And the chocolate festival is also in February.

111alcottacre
Jan 21, 2020, 6:53 pm

>108 mstrust: I get to dodge that particular BB as I read it a few years back. I really enjoy Bryson's books and agree that it is one of his funniest.

112VivienneR
Jan 21, 2020, 7:34 pm

>106 mstrust: I've read Bryson's Thunderbolt Kid a few times and love it every time. Time to read it again.

113SirThomas
Jan 22, 2020, 5:50 am

>106 mstrust: ... and another BB hits me.

>108 mstrust: It must be like being in paradise - until you want to put the hunted books in the shelves ;-)

114Carmenere
Edited: Jan 22, 2020, 7:35 am

>106 mstrust: That book is one included in my 2020 neighborhood book swap! It will be a couple of months before it makes its way to me but I'm really looking forward to it.

>108 mstrust: Wow! That's some convention and the food seems anything but your conventional fair. Can't sig others come along?

Woo hoo! Book Fair Sale time again! Are you getting into condition? Is your basket in working order? Do you need an extra car for the overflow?

115mstrust
Jan 22, 2020, 11:26 am

>111 alcottacre: Sounds selfish, I know, but I wish he was as prolific as Stephen King, because then I'd have years of catching up. I think there are just two or three Bryson's that I haven't read yet.

>112 VivienneR: It's a chain reaction. Jump on the Bryson train!

>113 SirThomas: Hope you enjoy it, Thomas. And that's exactly the problem when I get home from the sale, but being at the sale and filling my cart is wonderful. I'm always amazed at how much my little cart holds.

>114 Carmenere: Wow, your book swap must have lots of people involved. Getting it will be that much sweeter.
Mike is quite the foodie, so he'll lead this group of guys to very good restaurants when they would have ended up at a Coco's on their own, and they end up being very happy. I can say without exaggeration, he's changed the eating habits of at least a dozen people over his years of attending. He's told me he believes the conversations in their heads is, "I'm gonna let the fat guy choose!"
Yes, the book sale draws near! I'm going to start hunching over and calling my little rolling cart "My Precious", just to scare the other shoppers. I'll oil the wheels a bit and it's good to go. We take Mike's Yukon and lay down the back seat for more room. I think we have the routine down: get there forty minutes early to stand in line (they let the crowd in by shifts so this puts me in the first group), study the map, send Mike to look for the popular fiction while I go to mystery, he looks around for an hour then grabs a stack of mine to pay, which makes more room in the cart, he goes for a nap in the truck, I shop for another two hours before calling him to help at check-out. Then lunch.

116DeltaQueen50
Jan 22, 2020, 4:09 pm

Wow! You and Mike have book buying down pat. I doubt if my hubby would stay engaged that long - he doesn't understand the joys of book browsing.

117harrygbutler
Jan 22, 2020, 4:50 pm

>115 mstrust: That sounds like a good routine for a big book sale. I usually spend much longer than Erika, so depending on our mutual progress, she may buy what has accumulated while I continue, but other times she just finds a good location and reads or sketches or otherwise fills the time while I wander. What may be the best local sale (for me) is coming up in March here, but there's a fairly good one (large, but variable) this weekend.

118mstrust
Jan 22, 2020, 5:18 pm



>116 DeltaQueen50: Ha, like going into combat, we've got a plan! Mike doesn't read much himself, but he occasionally finds old sports books. Otherwise he goes just to help me carry my haul and for the lunch after. I think he may enjoy that nap in the car too.

>117 harrygbutler: I'll mention that the sale also includes movies and CDs. And usually a section of rare books but I don't see them listed so far. Good luck with your own sales!

119SomeGuyInVirginia
Jan 22, 2020, 7:42 pm

I'm totally jealous, I do love me a good book sale!

120mstrust
Jan 23, 2020, 11:18 am

I believe this is the biggest sale in the country. In addition, it's very well organized with volunteers stocking throughout, lots of check-out lanes at both ends of the building and a local newscaster who sits at a table in the middle and does announcements to help people find each other. Last year he announced, "Miss Trust, Paperback Pirate is waiting for you. I don't know what that means, but if you're Miss Trust..."

121figsfromthistle
Jan 23, 2020, 4:45 pm

>118 mstrust: Wow you really were not kidding! A gigantic book sale!! Have fun :)

122Carmenere
Jan 24, 2020, 8:36 am

>118 mstrust: I love to gaze at that photo.
>120 mstrust: Such a cool announcement. Only a LibraryThinger would understand.
I was wondering. Where do all those books come from? I'm thinking a fairy waves its wand and Poof, they're just there. But for those who don't believe...are they donated? but how can so many be accumulated every year.....Hmmm, it must be a fairy.

123mstrust
Jan 24, 2020, 1:03 pm

>121 figsfromthistle: If you want to see some pics that will blow your mind, google "VNSA book sale" and look at the images. People fly in from all over the country for this one.

>122 Carmenere: The books are all donations that are gathered from throughout the year. There are permanent drop boxes throughout Phoenix, but also they get bulk donations from businesses, estates and schools. I'm also guessing that they get overstocks from bookstores. Over the years I've bought books from this sale that look brand new, and I've gotten 50 year old paperbacks that have the old "From the library of ____" stickers. I also enjoy all the random things I've found in these books, like a Japanese concert ticket.
Their site states that they don't hold onto anything that doesn't sell, other than rare books, so each year is a new year of donations.

124mstrust
Edited: Jan 24, 2020, 1:40 pm


10. Commando: The Autobiography of Johnny Ramone by Johnny Ramone. This is a book you wouldn't have expected, as Johnny died in 2004 and this book was published eight years later. That it was edited by the immensely talented songwriter and producer John Cafiero rather than a book editor is also unusual.
This is Johnny in his own words, though I'm not sure if he was keeping a journal throughout his life or if he was writing his memoirs later with the intention of publication.
He writes of his childhood, then teen years, graduating from high school without an idea of what he would do, and working jobs that were just jobs. The story of how the Ramones were formed is here, and so unremarkable that it's almost funny. Johnny also writes of his approach to the Ramones style in both music and dress, his feelings towards his bandmates, his personal life, and then his diagnosis of prostate cancer.
I've read the autobiographies of bandmates Marky and Dee Dee, and Johnny's is the difficult one to assess. He is acknowledged, even by himself, to be the unfriendliest member of the band, the one who intimidated even the other guys. He was argumentative and sometimes violent. He also had a habit of overlapping his romantic relationships and it's interesting to see his complaints of how stressful it was for him to juggle multiple secret relationships. And then there's the biggest scandal, that Johnny was having an affair with singer Joey's fiancee, Linda, for years, then finally Johnny and Linda got married. Here, Johnny tells his version of the affair, their marriage and how he and Joey managed to still work together for another twelve years without being friends and barely speaking.
For all his abrasiveness, it's still heartbreaking to read of his realization that something was physically wrong, and of his diagnosis at around 48 years old of aggressive prostate cancer, and his attempts at being cured. This is a must for Ramones fans. It's not the only version of what went down, but it's Johnny's version and his opinions. 5 stars

125mstrust
Jan 24, 2020, 1:54 pm

And here's your Friday Whaaat?, a list of food trends expected to be big in 2020. Some sound pretty good, such as souffle pancakes and brown sugar bubble tea, but then I give a thumbs up to most sweet things. It's my exercise. Other things are new and seem like they should have happened before, like ghost kitchens, where one kitchen is making the menus from multiple restaurants.
https://www.eater.com/2019/12/26/20992519/2020-food-trends-alternative-meat-impo...

126quondame
Jan 24, 2020, 2:09 pm

>125 mstrust: That list is so long it can't help but have some of them take off.

127mstrust
Jan 24, 2020, 6:26 pm

True, and some were the wishes of just individual chefs, their own interests. But wouldn't I love a big ol' cup of brown sugar tea.

128Berly
Jan 25, 2020, 1:28 am

>118 mstrust: Look at all those books!

129mstrust
Jan 25, 2020, 3:24 pm

>128 Berly: It's pretty exciting. Actually, it's all I can do not to push people out of my way. Kidding. Sort of.

***
I've had my magnetic exercise bike for a year now and two days ago I noticed that I'd hit 1000 miles. I've biked to Portland, Oregon.
And made up for it with all the baking and freezing I've done this week. I tried out a different recipe for lavender cookies and they turned out really great, thick and cakey. And a friend gave us a big bag of lemons from his trees, so I've made lemon squares, but not the ones you're thinking of. These are thick, fluffy squares, so soft. I've also made two loaves of sweet lemon bread that is topped with a powdered sugar and lemon frosting. Mike will come home tonight, so I'm making a roasted lemon chicken and hot milk lemon sponge cake. I have a lot of lemons.

130Berly
Jan 25, 2020, 5:49 pm

>129 mstrust: If only you really HAD biked to Portland, Oregon!!! ; )

And I'll gladly take some of those lemon squares off your hands. I mean, I don't want you to have done all that biking for nothing. I can help you cut down on the possible caloric intake 'cuz I'm generous that way.

131VivienneR
Jan 26, 2020, 4:00 pm

>118 mstrust: Imagine a mini version of that booksale - very mini. That would be the library booksale I went to this weekend. I still managed two bags of books and my son got three huge bags. In total, $30. We were very happy. Now to find room for them.

132mstrust
Edited: Jan 26, 2020, 6:44 pm

>130 Berly: I would love to be able to pass the cookies 'round. But since I can't, *sad sigh*, I have to keep eating them myself. But I'm going to post the recipe for the lavender cookies in The Kitchen tomorrow.

>131 VivienneR: A small book sale is better than no book sale. It scratches the itch. Glad you had a good time!

We found one of the book drop boxes for the sale and made a donation, so see, I'm making room.

133mstrust
Edited: Jan 27, 2020, 11:32 am



11. England Made Me by Graham Greene. Anthony Farrant has been separated from his twin sister Kate for a while, something that bothers her a lot but not him. Anthony is a slick guy who has been fired from jobs all over the world, and it's only his immediate need for money and Kate's urging that gets him to Stockholm to interview for a job with Kate's boss Krogh, an enormously successful and wealthy businessman who is so famous that there are several reporters who solely cover his comings and goings. Before he even has the job Anthony has a deal with scummy reporter Minty to give him inside information. The question is, can Anthony hold down the job for any amount of time, even with the bonus that it includes a lot of unethical behavior that he's naturally drawn to.
First published in 1935, then re-worked a bit and republished under another title in 1953. This is a surprisingly modern story featuring a man (Krogh) who has become enormously wealthy, famous and practically invincible, who doesn't enjoy it but possesses such an ability with numbers that amassing wealth is a substitute for a personality. He is hounded around the clock by reporters trying to follow his schedule, figure out who he's with and get inside dirt on him.
The author cleverly keeps the reader wondering if Kate is a sympathetic character, then maybe Krogh or Minty or Anthony. Each one has a twisted part that makes for a complex cast of characters. 3.5 stars

I've had this for one to two years, so it's a ROOT.

134mstrust
Jan 27, 2020, 11:33 am

I've posted the recipe for Lavender Cookies over in The Kitchen: https://www.librarything.com/topic/314330

135PaulCranswick
Jan 27, 2020, 1:25 pm

>133 mstrust: Probably considered Greene's first "good" novel. Not my favourite but still, I think, pretty good.

>134 mstrust: I like the taste (and smell) of lavender so I'll ask Belle to do the cookies!

136harrygbutler
Jan 27, 2020, 4:47 pm

>132 mstrust: I'm eyeing clearing out some books myself — mostly duplicates, but also some books neither of us will ever read or reread. A couple of the weekend's book acquisitions were upgrades, so the copies we already had will be set free as soon as I come across them.

137mstrust
Jan 27, 2020, 5:05 pm

>135 PaulCranswick: I thought it was pretty good too. I liked that ***spoiler*** Kate turned out to be just as warped as Anthony but in a very different way.
Good to see another fan! I love lavender as a flavoring, and scent, but I know many people would never try it in food because they can't get past its reputation as a bath or potpourri scent. These cookies aren't like that at all. I hope you like them.

>136 harrygbutler: Sometimes you gotta do it. I used to hold onto every book I read with a death grip, even the ones I knew I'd never read again.

138RidgewayGirl
Jan 27, 2020, 5:20 pm

You have me now itching to go buy books. Any books. Anywhere. And I just got back from picking my book club books up from the bookstore!

139harrygbutler
Jan 27, 2020, 5:22 pm

>137 mstrust: I've ended up re-buying books that I had previously purged, so I'm still rather reluctant if there's even a chance I'll read them again. However, I'm certainly now more willing to get rid of those I didn't like.

140SomeGuyInVirginia
Jan 27, 2020, 7:12 pm

Total moratorium on physical books. I'm not even going to the Leesburg Friends of the Lie-berry sale and that's one of the last biggies in the area.

I wonder if I'll gain weight now that I've sworn off books?

141mstrust
Edited: Jan 28, 2020, 11:28 am

>138 RidgewayGirl: :-D Have you tried looking on booksalefinder? At the very least it will let you know when your local library is having even a minor sale.

>139 harrygbutler: I have my habit of buying the same book in a mystery series twice. I have an app on my phone for entering my library and I worked on it for maybe a week, then got tired. I should get busy, at least enter my Agatha Christies.

>140 SomeGuyInVirginia: Well, well...let's just see how long that lasts. I say, two months at the most. Place your bets!

142curioussquared
Jan 28, 2020, 12:47 pm

The big Friends of the Seattle Public Library sale is in March. My calendar is marked. It's very big, but not quite as big as yours! They moved the location in recent years, but it used to be held in an old airplane hanger (which it looks like yours might be?), and I just really enjoyed being able to use the phrase "airplane hangar full of books."

143BLBera
Jan 28, 2020, 3:57 pm

>106 mstrust: This does sound hilarious. I've never read Bryson, so maybe I will start with this.

144mstrust
Jan 28, 2020, 4:10 pm

>142 curioussquared: Our book sale is held in one of the fairground buildings, the same one that houses the culinary and art competitions in the Fall. You're right though, it does look like an airplane hangar, which I'd never noticed before. I wonder if your sale will be bigger than ever since they had to move it.

>143 BLBera: It would be a good place to start. And then follow with A Walk in the Woods. I know, I put that one off because I didn't see how hiking could be funny. It's funny.

145mstrust
Jan 28, 2020, 4:18 pm

File this under: Ugh, She's Found More Weird Food.


I came across this at the international store. Pretz Baked Snack Sticks out of Thailand look just like the Pocky sticks, even come in a similar box, but Pretz makes the sticks in flavors like corn, salad, basil and olive oil, and the pizza flavor that I tried. And it really does taste like pizza, as they contain tomato paste and powder, cheese powder, onion powder, spices (tastes like garlic and oregano), along with salts and preservatives.

146harrygbutler
Edited: Jan 28, 2020, 6:35 pm

>141 mstrust: I've had a tendency to get tired when compiling lists to avoid buying duplicates, too, but fortunately I slogged through adding our books (and now movies on DVD) to LibraryThing, and I'm glad I did.

We may head up on Saturday to another library book sale (held every other month), where I've sometimes had good finds and sometimes come up empty. It's not quite worth the trip on its own, but about a month ago a nearby antique store got in some old pulp magazines that I'd like to check out if they still have them, and there's an antique mall we could hit on the way home that we haven't visited for probably close to a year.

147figsfromthistle
Jan 28, 2020, 6:38 pm

>145 mstrust: As unhealthy as it may be, it really doesn't sound too bad.

148mstrust
Edited: Jan 29, 2020, 12:02 pm

>146 harrygbutler: You're a good shopper, Harry. I don't think I'd ever find all those old movies and pulp magazines where I live.

>147 figsfromthistle: They weren't bad at all. I was amazed that all that distinct pizza spice flavor was there without it falling back on that sweet tomato sauce flavor that usually passes for pizza. It's nice for someone who wants a carb load that isn't sweet.
I'm curious about the salad flavored sticks.

149mstrust
Edited: Jan 29, 2020, 4:38 pm

Here's the long awaited trailer for Moira Rose's movie, The Crows Have Eyes: The Crowening 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tbCP7H_kZ0

150SomeGuyInVirginia
Jan 29, 2020, 5:01 pm

Ermahgerd! Is that Catherine O'Hara? Love her, she's a household god.

151RidgewayGirl
Jan 29, 2020, 8:32 pm

I was listening to a podcast today and they talked about the Sourtoe cocktail. Did you know that people mail in their amputated toes to the bar? Although the toes are reused, some are "accidentally" swallowed, so they rely on donations.

152mstrust
Jan 30, 2020, 10:03 am

>151 RidgewayGirl: It is O' Hara, as Moira Rose in Schitt's Creek. That's the trailer for her Bosnian horror movie, which she's pinning all her hopes on for a Golden Globe, maybe an Oscar.
Schitt's Creek is in it's final season but the first four are on Netflix. Get on it, dude.

>151 RidgewayGirl: I know that if I severed an appendage, of course I'd be trying to drop it into the cocktails of strangers. I'll bet these same customers would gag if someone put a still-attached toe in their drinks, cuz that'd be gross.
The article said that the toes were provided by people who lose them through frostbite or accidents, but not that people mail them in. From the pictures online, it's obvious that they have a selection of toes. Maybe the older ones are like malt Scotch.

153mstrust
Jan 30, 2020, 10:21 am



12. Supernatural: Heart of the Dragon by Keith R. A. DeCandido. "Heart of the Dragon" is the title given to a ronin, a man who had been a samurai and is still known for his integrity throughout the province where he tries to scratch out an honest living. When he is lured to a small village for a job, it's an ambush by a demon who longed to kill a virtuous man. The lineage is followed from this good man to his petty loser of a modern-day descendant who has figured out how to enslave his ancestor for his evil purposes.
This is the fourth in the series. The story jumps hundreds of years between a rural Japanese village to modern San Francisco's Chinatown. The Winchester brothers are secondary characters until maybe two thirds of the way through, with the story changing central characters from grandfather Samuel and mother Mary in 1969, to John Winchester in 1989, to the brothers in 2009. There are demons, angels, the Triad and gruesome deaths. 4.5 stars

154harrygbutler
Jan 30, 2020, 1:07 pm

>148 mstrust: I've been pleasantly surprised by what has shown up at thrift stores in terms of DVDs. I think it's a good time to be buying them right now, as people shift to streaming.

155mstrust
Jan 30, 2020, 4:50 pm

That's true, and I'm cleaning out some myself.
I don't know if I've ever come across pulp magazines in our local antique stores around here, but I believe there must be a big difference in the stuff we get, which is often collectibles or "new" antiques versus the antiques of the East Coast.

156SomeGuyInVirginia
Jan 30, 2020, 8:52 pm

Eh, you want antiques you gotta go to the Old Country. Maybe even Charleston.

My whole life I've never been drunk enough to down a Sour Toe, and I've been plenty drunk. I saw the pics. Just no.

157mstrust
Jan 31, 2020, 10:49 am

Yeah, it would be great to look through some English or German shops full of real antiques. My mom collected when I was a kid, she had a period of maybe five years when she was really prolific. Her bed is English carved cherry wood, nearly 300 years old, and she has a French hunter's cabinet, all carved scenes of musicians and fruit, that is a little older. Lots of old porcelain and plates, some pewter.
I suppose you think you're too good to chew on someone's old hammertoe that fell off and got all crusty in the jar of salt? Really, you think that highly of yourself?

158mstrust
Jan 31, 2020, 10:51 am

I've posted a really delicious apple and currant Irish soda bread recipe in The Kitchen. It's easy too.
https://www.librarything.com/topic/314330#7050234

159lkernagh
Jan 31, 2020, 2:21 pm

>145 mstrust: - Nothing weird about those.... they sound like something I would try (and really no different than all the experimental potato chip flavours out there).

>158 mstrust: - Lovely! Thanks for sharing. I would probably replace the currants with dried cranberries.

160mstrust
Jan 31, 2020, 2:34 pm

Hope you like it.

161mstrust
Edited: Jan 31, 2020, 2:37 pm

I almost forgot Friday's Whaaat?


Researchers have recently discovered four (four!) new varieties of shark off the Australian coast. One is a "walking" shark, which uses its fins like feet.
https://earthsky.org/earth/new-spacies-walking-sharks-discovered-in-tropics

162SomeGuyInVirginia
Jan 31, 2020, 7:20 pm

Say whaaaa?! That is cool. It's a shark and a puppy! Now I know what I was trying to think of when I was a kid and people asked me if I wanted a dog.

God, your mother's stuff sounds amazing. I love really old furniture but don't have anything like what she's got. I take my time and look around, you'd be surprised what you can find for a song over decades. And cherry wood is gorgeous!

What's a bargain now are Persian rugs. You can find beautiful stuff for a few hundred dollars, and 10×13 shop rugs for less than $1000.

When I was a kid my grandmother dragged me to visit all of her friends in their old houses and they always had two things. They had paintings and they had 'Turkey rugs', which were Persian carpets. I had a Scarlet O'Hara moment when I was about 11 and swore, as God was my witness, that I would have paintings and Turkey rugs, too. And those two things I do have. Again, stuff I liked and could afford bought over 20 years.

Sour Toe no, but I'm a germaphobe. Plus I bought a bottle of pear flavored Absolute yesterday and don't even like that!

163quondame
Jan 31, 2020, 11:36 pm

>162 SomeGuyInVirginia: It's good to know about the rugs - as a child I sat on the rolled up carpets at the Armenian dealer's while my dad had rug after rug unrolled and checked the knots and haggled. Since those were the days of wall-to-wall, he got some fine carpets which alas were mostly later destroyed because with my mother dead, he hadn't the attention to keep the dogs off them. Oh woe! the blue Sarouk. I got a Heriz for my largest room that is almost identical to the one we got from my grandfather's house and almost wore out over 20 years. My brother did finish it off.

164ChelleBearss
Feb 1, 2020, 9:17 am

>161 mstrust: It's so amazing that new animals and bugs are still being discovered

165PaperbackPirate
Feb 1, 2020, 10:30 am

>120 mstrust: Ah I'm so sad I don't get to go this year! My husband's family is gathering in Flagstaff. This will be the second time I've missed since I started going about 10 years ago. My bookshelves are totally full so maybe it's for the best, but it's not for the best. Happy hunting!

166mstrust
Feb 1, 2020, 10:54 am

>162 SomeGuyInVirginia: My mom does have some really nice pieces. A little grand for her dinky little house, but beautiful. She's never had a Persian rug, and I can't see me ever having one, what with dogs who bubble and drool the way Boxers do. There's always something hiding in their lips.
Congrats on having your paintings and Turkey rug. I have a little bit of art work around the house, but mostly we've had photos Mike took on vacations blown up to decorate the living and dining room.
...I bought a bottle of pear flavored Absolute yesterday and don't even like that!
Are you proving that you are willing to drink something that disgusts you? It's no decayed toe. It sounds good, maybe paired with some caramel or cinnamon vodka? Let me know how you use it.

>163 quondame: I know nothing about Persian rugs, but a lot about dogs destroying rugs. Sorry for you loss.

>164 ChelleBearss: Isn't it? I saw the video of this walking shark on the news and ran over because it's exciting to have a new species of anything discovered. For humans, not for the species. They could do without us.

I recently bought a wine from the Finger Lakes called Alta B. by Wagner. I once saw a YouTube video of a guy making wine from regular Concord grape juice, and the Alta B. tastes the way I'd think grape juice wine would. It's a little thicker on the tongue, sweet and jammy.

167mstrust
Feb 1, 2020, 10:58 am

>165 PaperbackPirate: Oh no! Ha, that's too bad that they arranged the gathering for the most important weekend of the year, but I hope you have a good time anyway. You'll have to drop in and see my enormous haul. Just last night Mike was trying to talk me into going both days, which means he's an enabler who has become blind to my already packed shelves.
Btw, you know you'll also be missing the Glendale Chocolate Affair that weekend too?

168mstrust
Edited: Feb 1, 2020, 1:44 pm



I know what I'm doing in April. We've just purchased tickets for two seminars at the Arizona Tiki Oasis. Saturday morning will be a seminar of tiki signage throughout America, Sunday afternoon we'll attend a seminar about creating tiki gardens.

Which reminds me that I don't think I posted a pic for the Frankie's anniversary mug that Mike gave me for Christmas. Very cool "Creature from the Black Lagoon" style.

internet pic

169mstrust
Feb 2, 2020, 5:36 pm

January was a stellar month for me, reading-wise, with twelve books. I think I usually average seven or eight.
February plans:
I'll be reading Before the Fact for the psychological thriller month in ScaredyKit
Shipwrecks by Akira Yoshimura for the In Translation month in TravelKit
Try to keep up with the Wolf Hall Group Read
This month is both the huge book sale, the chocolate festival and my mom's birthday, so we'll be hitting Vegas at the end of the month.

Today we went to the art museum and saw the "Legends of Speed" race car exhibit. I'll post a pic later.

170mstrust
Feb 2, 2020, 5:51 pm



13. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein. When twelve year-old Kyle learns that the prize for an essay contest is being one of just twelve kids who gets to spend the night in famous game-maker and weirdo Luigi Lemoncello's brand new library, he's willing to do anything to be one of the winners, even re-write his sloppy essay. That he is actually chosen as one of the winners amazes even him, and his friends, who are also winners. The children gather inside the state-of-the-art library on the special night, expecting to stay up all night exploring the books, museums and interactive video library, but crazy Lemoncello has an even bigger prize on offer for the kid who can figure a way out of the locked library by morning.
Placed in a slightly alternate universe where twelve year-olds can name five books each written by Agatha Christie and Dostoyevsky, and, as a group, happily bury themselves in volumes of Sherlock Holmes, these are kids as adults would like them to be, but this is still a really enjoyable story. Lots of literary references, of course, and even a villain. 4 stars

171figsfromthistle
Feb 2, 2020, 6:15 pm

Happy Sunday!

>168 mstrust: Cool mug.

Congrats on your awesome reading month!

172Carmenere
Edited: Feb 2, 2020, 6:18 pm

>161 mstrust: Hey, that's a nice looking shark! He looks as if he has pixelated camouflage.
Yeah for a dozen books in January!!!

173mstrust
Feb 3, 2020, 10:47 am

>171 figsfromthistle: Thanks and thanks! I hope you had a good weekend!

>172 Carmenere: Hey, Lynda! Nature comes up with some beautiful patterns, doesn't it?
I'll admit to having a "look what I did" moment when I saw how many books I'd read. I can almost promise that won't be repeated for a long time. By February I'm usually back to my one a week rate.

Is anyone else a fan of the show "Evil"? Really good, and they just had their season finale.

174mstrust
Edited: Feb 4, 2020, 6:31 pm

This message has been deleted by its author.

175mstrust
Feb 4, 2020, 6:31 pm



14. Eisenhower: A Life by Paul Johnson. This bio keeps up a brisk pace as the reader is taken through the life of the 34th President. There's just a bit more depth when it comes to Eisenhower's military command in WWII, but I think this book skims along the surface of most of his life while still praising his accomplishments and pointing out a few character interesting flaws, like his dislike for paying up when he lost a bet.
I should be ashamed to admit that I know almost nothing about the majority of the American Presidents, including Eisenhower, so I have a short stack of bios about a few waiting on the shelf. I think this one was probably a good choice for me as I tend to go glassy-eyed when it comes to war and military strategy, and Johnson keeps it as simple as possible. 3 stars

This has been on the shelf for a year.

176harrygbutler
Feb 4, 2020, 6:44 pm

>161 mstrust: Cool!

>168 mstrust: We'd attend if we were nearby. I do like that tiki mug.

177mstrust
Feb 5, 2020, 10:19 am

Who knows, maybe there will be a Tiki Oasis near you in a few years. I think they came to Phoenix because we're close enough to the original in San Diego and we have the Mid-Century Valley Ho hotel, which is a perfect location.
And I ordered a dress yesterday that will hopefully be perfect for the event.

178mstrust
Edited: Feb 5, 2020, 10:31 am

Another food you've got to try:

This is pismaniye, Turkish cotton candy.


It usually comes in a box, the candy folded into bun shapes about the size of a dinner roll. The texture is soft but defined shreds that turn to powder in the mouth before melting. The original flavor is gently sweet and faintly floral. There's also a lightly cocoa flavor.

179harrygbutler
Feb 5, 2020, 11:35 am

>177 mstrust: I wonder whether there's still a good location down in Wildwood, or if the shore redevelopers have replaced everything. We haven't been down there for a few years.

>178 mstrust: I like the resemblance to angel-hair pasta or rice noodles.

180mstrust
Feb 5, 2020, 5:23 pm

I've heard about Wildwood and its extensive Mid-Century architecture, but I've never been there so I don't know if anything appropriate is left either. In San Diego the event takes place at what was a Crown Plaza that has a big tropical courtyard.
The pismaniye is cool because it retains its defined shredded texture even when it's pulled apart, unlike regular cotton candy that melts together when you grab it. I like the light flavor too.

181FAMeulstee
Feb 6, 2020, 12:30 pm

>178 mstrust: We had some of that when we were in Rotterdam last month, with other very sweet Turkish sweets. Normally we don't eat sugar, so we both suffered from sugar-shock afterwards ;-)

182mstrust
Feb 6, 2020, 1:49 pm

I have to admit that the sweets stalls would be of prime interest to us, and I'd love to find more Turkish cotton candy. But as with regular cotton candy, I can't eat that much at once, a little goes a long way.

183mstrust
Feb 7, 2020, 11:49 am



Friday's Whaaat?
January and February were the last months added to the Roman calendar, around 713 B.C. Winter was originally a monthless period of the year.

184mstrust
Feb 7, 2020, 2:36 pm



15. Shipwrecks by Akira Yoshimura. Set in a coastal village in Medieval Japan, this is the story of young Isaku, who has had to step up, at ten years old, and help his mother in trying to keep his younger siblings from starvation. Isaku's days are spent learning to fish, searching the forest for vegetables and firewood and praying for O-fune-sama, the gifts and rice that come from the merchant ships that crash upon the rocks. That the villagers would surely starve to death if they didn't lure the ships in with their salt fires, and that any surviving sailors must be killed by the villagers in order to save themselves is a hard truth that Isaku must face in order to take care of his family.
First published in 1982 and translated by Mark Ealey. This is such an engrossing story, as the reader is watching a very young boy who has no time to behave like a child. He realizes the life and death struggle that his family and his village are in daily and does his best to shoulder great responsibilities. 4 stars

I read this for this month's TravelKit theme, "In Translation". I can usually remember when I acquired a book, but I'm drawing a blank on this one.

185mstrust
Feb 7, 2020, 2:59 pm


Chocolate festival tomorrow. I think I have enough room in the car.

186lkernagh
Feb 7, 2020, 5:52 pm

>185 mstrust: - Oh, yes please! I am sure I do not have to wish you a wonderful time at the festival tomorrow. ;-)

187RidgewayGirl
Feb 7, 2020, 5:59 pm

Have fun at the festival!

188SomeGuyInVirginia
Feb 7, 2020, 8:30 pm

I want some! Can I luau to have skinned shipped!?

189rabbitprincess
Feb 7, 2020, 9:24 pm

>185 mstrust: That cake looks AMAZING!

I found this Twitter thread and thought of you! A research scientist trained a neural net to generate new recipes using a corpus based on vintage Jello-centric recipes from the 70s. https://twitter.com/JanelleCShane/status/1225826027475128321
I was practically on the FLOOR laughing, and even my BF was laughing so hard he couldn't speak.

190drneutron
Feb 7, 2020, 9:26 pm

191Berly
Edited: Feb 8, 2020, 4:34 am

>153 mstrust: I have been seeing their pictures everywhere, and I didn't know what show they are from--now I know and I am going to watch a few. Thanks!!

>183 mstrust: One of my favorite shopping days!!!

192PaperbackPirate
Feb 8, 2020, 10:02 am

>167 mstrust: Yes I think it was very inconsiderate of everyone to plan this visit without my input about the importance of VNSA! I was reminding my husband of my sacrifice last night and he asked (knowing the answer) how many unread books are on our shelves. 500. So he reminded me I should be ok for awhile! Can't wait to see what you find!

Chocolate festival! I have never been! I have a dairy allergy so sadly most chocolate is off limits to me. Please have extra for me!!

193mstrust
Edited: Feb 8, 2020, 3:07 pm



Back from the festival!

>186 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori, it was very nice to be in a room of chocolate!

>187 RidgewayGirl: Thanks, we did!

>188 SomeGuyInVirginia: You want some skin shipped? What, pudding skin? *or that other thing we talked about? Shhhh.*

>189 rabbitprincess: Yummy cake...mmmm. I just split a double chocolate cupcake with Mike and it was so fluffy chocolately.
That Twitter account has some disgusting and entertaining fair, ha! I have always looked to James Lileks for the grossest food. https://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/

>190 drneutron: Somebody slap Jim on the back!

>191 Berly: They were on the air only about twelve years before I discovered them, so you're right on time, as they are in their final season. I think it's a great show, so imaginative. I hope you enjoy it too.
Even though I still have bags of Halloween and Christmas candy in the deep freeze, I'd still throw some Valentine's on top at 70% off. I can't pass up a deal.

>192 PaperbackPirate: :-D I admit that if my husband's family planned it for this weekend, I say I wasn't going and probably tell him not to go either. This weekend is off limits to anything else! Wanting and needing are two different things! I am not an animal!
Please have extra for me!! I gotcha covered.

The city changed the venue this year, as the chocolate festival has always been in the town square with lots of vendors that sold non-chocolate, unimportant stuff like wooden roses. Wooden roses are not nice to eat, they leave splinters in my tongue. This year they moved it into the Civic Center and almost everything was chocolate. We walked around for about half an hour and came away with:
1 double chocolate cupcake- gone already
3 pecan turtles
1 almond cluster
2 caramel chocolate pretzel rods
1 long dark chocolate covered orange peel
1 chocolate coconut marshmallow stick
3 chocolate crinkle cookies
1 extra large chocolate chip cookie
1 s'mores rice krispie treat
1 peanut butter and chocolate rice krispie treat
1 pound of lavender caramels- probably going to be a gift for my brother
1 iced mocha

194SomeGuyInVirginia
Edited: Feb 9, 2020, 2:11 pm

This message has been deleted by its author.

195SomeGuyInVirginia
Edited: Feb 9, 2020, 2:12 pm

This message has been deleted by its author.

196SomeGuyInVirginia
Edited: Feb 9, 2020, 2:12 pm

seemed funny at the time.

197alcottacre
Feb 8, 2020, 5:46 pm

>170 mstrust: I enjoyed that one quite a bit when I read it a few years ago.

>184 mstrust: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the review, Jennifer!

198harrygbutler
Feb 9, 2020, 11:47 am

>193 mstrust: Glad you found the chocolate festival enjoyable.

Erika and I are both fans of James Lileks, but it's too hard to read his website, so neither of us keeps up with his posts in the Bleat now.

199mstrust
Feb 9, 2020, 4:18 pm

>194 SomeGuyInVirginia: What'd you say?
>195 SomeGuyInVirginia: I can't hear youuuuu!
>196 SomeGuyInVirginia: Awww, come on, I'm sure it was. Never second guess a bad joke. Even if it isn't funny to you anymore, the rest of us can enjoy the fail.

>197 alcottacre: Mr Lemoncello's Library is a good one, and I think there was a follow-up or two.
You're welcome for the review! I like to think I've added one or two to the force that is the BlackHole.

>198 harrygbutler: The only way a chocolate festival wouldn't be enjoyable is if we walked into an empty room and someone yelled, "Psych!"
I so wish Lileks would come out with another food book. It's been too long since I marveled over a pea and hot dog aspic from 1955. I miss it.

200mstrust
Feb 9, 2020, 5:15 pm

My new thread is up! Come see how nuts I went at the book sale!
This topic was continued by mstrust #2- Just the Facts.