Mark's Reading Place: Chapter Twelve

-Yellow Warbler. This is a keeper! Even "real" photographers seem to like it.



-Huang Guanyu

Audiobook:



Graphic/Comic:



March:

29) The Hunting Accident: A True Story of Crime and Poetry by David L. Carlson 4 stars GN
30) The Friend: A Novel by Sigrid Nunez 4.6 stars
31) The Institute by Stephen King 4 stars (audio)
32) A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit 4.6 stars (audio/print)
33) The Yellow Bird Sings by Jennifer Rosner 4 stars
34) Know My Name: A Memoir by Chanel Miller 4.4 stars (audio)
35) The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields 4.7 stars
36) The Ice Cream Man and Other Stories by Sam Pink 4.2 stars E
37) The Pioneers by David McCullough 3.2 stars (audio) AAC
38) Deacon King Kong by James McBride 4.5 stars ALA
39) Everybody's Fool by Richard Russo 4.2 stars (audio)
40) Almost American Girl: An Illustrated Memoir by Robin Ha 4 stars GN
41) Deceit and Other Possibilities: Stories by Vanessa Hua 4.3 stars
42) The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson 4.5 stars (audio)

April:

43) Simon The Fiddler by Paulette Jiles 4.2 stars ALA
44) The Alphabet House by Jussi Adler-Olsen 3.2 stars (audio)
45) A Season on the Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration by Kenn Kaufman 4 stars
46) Break Shot: My First 21 Years by James Taylor 4 stars (audio)
47) Uncanny Valley: A Memoir by Anna Wiener 3.8 stars (audio)
48) Some Rain Must Fall: And Other Stories by Michel Faber 4 stars
49) The Wonder by Emma Donoghue 3.8 stars (audio)
50) The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel 3.7 stars ALA
51) The Falcon Thief by Joshua Hammer 4.4 stars (audio)
52) Call Me God: The Untold Story of the DC Sniper by Jim Clemente 4.3 stars (audio)
53) On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong 4.5 stars
54) Your Heart Is a Muscle the Size of a Fist by Sunil Yapa 4 stars (audio)

May:

55) Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen 3.7 stars (audio)
56) A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell 4.8 stars
57) At Home with Disquiet by Erin Wilson 3.6 stars Poetry ER
58) The End of October by Lawrence Wright 4.4 stars (audio)
59) Writers & Lovers: A Novel by Lily King 4.3 stars ALA
60) Beaks, Bones & Bird Songs by Roger J. Lederer 3.8 stars (audio)
61) So Brave, Young, and Handsome by Leif Enger 3.4 stars (audio)
62) Panopticon by David Bajo 3.2 stars
63) In the Dream House: A Memoir by Carmen Maria Machado 4.3 stars (audio)
64) Crooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo Ford 4 stars E
65) Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid 3.7 stars (audio)

June:

66) Orange World and Other Stories by Karen Russell 3.7 stars
67) The Last Pirate of New York: A Ghost Ship & a Killer by Rich Cohen 4.3 stars (audio)
68) IQ (An IQ Novel (1)) by Joe Ide 4 stars
69) The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom 3.7 stars (audio)
70) I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir by Malaka Gharib 4.2 stars GN
71) Bruce Lee: A Life by Matthew Polly 4.3 stars (audio)
72) Arcadia: A Novel by Lauren Groff 3.6 stars
73) The Hidden Lives of Owls by Leigh Calvez 4 stars (audio)
74) Hum If You Don't Know the Words by Bianca Marais 4.2 stars
75) The Essential Neruda: Selected Poems by Pablo Neruda 4 stars Poetry
76) One Long River of Song (essays) by Brian Doyle 4.4 stars
77) The Mirror & the Light (Wolf Hall Trilogy by Hilary Mantel 3.8 stars (audio)
78) A Burning: A novel by Megha Majumdar 5 stars

July:

79) Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler 4 stars (audio)
80) Blood: A Memoir by Allison Moorer 4.2 stars (audio)
81) The Prisoner of Heaven (Book 3) by Carlos Ruiz Zafón 4.4 stars E

^Guess what I just started on audio? The Hidden Lives of Owls. Who is shocked? Raise your hand. I think Joe may have steered me to to this one.

^I posted this on FB the other day. Christmas in June. The parcels have been crazy lately, which is a good thing, because the rest of the mail volume has dropped off dramatically.

Ooh, I read and liked I was their American dream. Hope it's a winner for you, as well as the owl audiobook. And nice photo of the yellow warbler! Hope you had some great birding and reading today.

Happy mew thread!

Happy new thread, Mark.

Happy new one!

Happy new thread, Mark. I just finished catching up on the last one, good to see that you like Last Pirate of New York. I really like books about obscure pieces of history like that. After reading your post about IQ I'm tempted to pull Righteous from the shelf.

Another new thread...wow...you can really tell what we're all doing with our plague lockdown time!

>4 msf59: !!

Happy new thread, Mark. I LOVED Arcadia.

>5 bell7: Hi, Mary. I had a very good day birding and reading. Thanks. Yes, I really enjoyed I was their American Dream. Very good GN. Like I have mentioned before, warblers are tough to photograph, but there are couple that like to cooperate.

>6 quondame: >7 PaulCranswick: >8 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Susan, Paul & Figs!

>9 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. I am sure you will enjoy The Last Pirate of New York. It was quite satisfying. I hope to get to Righteous in the next month or two.

>10 richardderus: Hey, RD. Actually I haven't been doing all that much "lockdown" time, between work, birding and other activities. I am due a flurry of mini-reviews.

>11 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. For some reason I am finding Arcadia a challenging read and having a hard time warming up to it. I do not think I will dislike it, but I am also pretty sure I will not love it.

Happy New Thread. Happy Sunday evening. Hopefully, your load of packages to deliver will not be too cumbersome tomorrow. Thanks for the information regarding the tiny red capped bird that comes to my feeder. Do you have a particular kind of bird feed you can recommend?

Happy new thread and happy bird watching. Great photos you are taking!

Just mailed a book to grand daughter in Denver and the postal guy here (British Columbia) said some parcels can take up to 3 months to deliver. WHAT!!! This is for a mid July birthday gift. Pretty please.....!!!!

>13 Whisper1: Thanks, Linda. Believe it or not I get my wild bird seed at Costco. It is a quality mix, at a great price.

>14 mdoris: Thanks, Mary. I appreciate it. Our packages within the US are delivered pretty quickly. Generally, a week at the most. I am not sure about Canada to here.

Happy reopening, Mark. Be sure you wear a mask. Ha ha.

Haven't gotten in much reading time. Cloud Atlas is being interesting. Of course.

Love the yellow warbler Mark. Good catch. Not surprised 'professional' photographers are admiring it too.

I have Arcadia in the pile.

>16 weird_O: Thanks, Bill. Glad you are hanging in there with Cloud Atlas.

>17 Caroline_McElwee: Hi, Caroline. Glad you like the yellow warbler. It was tailor-made for a topper. I do not think Arcadia will be a great read for me, although much of the writing is very good. Many others loved it though.

^ My Thingaversary was June 10th and the Old Warbler completely spaced it out. Birds and books on my mind, I guess. 12 years? I can't believe it. What a great journey, it has been. B.A.G.

Happy belated Thingaversary. I've been told it's ok to spread out the purchases when you get up past the 5 year mark. But you should get started...

Happy new thread and happy (belated) Thingaversary!

Happy thingaversary.

>19 msf59: So, what 13 books will you bring home in your statutory observance of this solemn occasion?

>20 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks, Linda. I appreciate the permission on the book buying. I will have to spread it out for the rest of the year.

>21 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie.

>22 BLBera: Thanks, Beth.

>23 richardderus: Honestly, I haven't had a chance to think about those magical 13 yet, but I am sure I will get there.

Oooh, Happy Thingaversary Mark. Look forward to seeing your book haul.

Happy new thread!

I am still pugging along with my current nonfiction reads. I am 60 pages from finishing Tenth Parallel which is a book about the intersection of Christianity and Islam in the 10 degrees latitude either side of the Equator. I am now reading about Paul's home territory - Malaysia. My other nonfiction Nomadland is easy reading compared to that and I will probably finish both books about the same time.

In fiction I started How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe. Science fiction and thrillers have become my Covid-19 reading of choice.

I did finish my short book for the weekend On Tyranny is a nice little book (125 pages) about how we are in danger of falling into tyranny with the Great Orange Gasbag leading the way.

Happy new thread and happy 12th Thingaversary, Mark!

>19 msf59: Enjoy your rest-of-the-year-13-book acquisition in celebration.

Happy Thigaversary.

Happy New Thread, Mark! And Happy 12 Thingaversary!

This August will be my 10th Thingaversary. I can't quite justify purchasing 11 books all at once, I don't think. I'll be interested in your big book haul.

>25 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline. It may be awhile before I get that book haul.

>26 drneutron: Thanks, Jim.

>27 benitastrnad: Hi, Benita. Thanks for the book update and I am glad you were finding comfort reading, with your Sci-Fi picks. I also read and enjoyed On Tyranny. Another timely read.

>28 karenmarie: >29 quondame: Thanks, Karen & Susan.

>30 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. I hear you on the Thingaversary book haul. It wasn't so bad when it was just a few. I barely purchase that many all year.

"... A perceptive and searing look at Apartheid-era South Africa, told through one unique family brought together by tragedy."

I loved this author's last novel If You Want to Make God Laugh, which I read last July. At her author event (Joe attended too), I acquired a signed copy of Hum If You Don’t Know the Words, which was her debut. It looks like it has taken me nearly a year to finally get to it but I am starting it tomorrow. Better late, right?

**And you know, I love that cover!

-Dicsissel

"The dickcissel is a small American seed-eating bird in the family Cardinalidae. They are most commonly found in tall grasslands, including prairies, hayfields, lightly grazed pastures, and roadsides. The curt song of the Dickcissel sounds like the bird’s name, and it’s part of the soundtrack of the North American prairies. This chunky grassland bunting is colored like a miniature meadowlark, with a black V on a yellow chest."

It took me many tries but I finally got a decent photo of this male dicsissel. He was singing up a storm too but only I caught him in repose. This was at the Arboretum, last week. Funny, I had never even heard of this bird, before I starting getting geeky about it.

>33 msf59: That is a beauty!

>33 msf59: *muffles hysterical laughter*
very handsome dickcissel
*flees howling*

Happy Thingaversary!

>34 quondame: Thanks, Susan and he has a lovely song too.

>35 richardderus: I figured you would get a kick out of that name, RD. Grins...

>36 alphaorder: Thanks, Nancy.

Happy Thingaversary, Mark! My 12th is coming up next week - looks like we joined at the same time! I think you and Joanne are my oldest LT friends, and I treasure you both!

>38 AMQS: Thanks, Anne! It sounds like 2008 was a very special year. I think Joanne joined LT in January of that banner year and I think Donna was somewhere in there too. I sure hope to get back out to CO and see you all again.

ETA- It looks like Donna joined a year earlier. She has always been a trendsetter. Grins...

Praise

Today I will praise.

I will praise the sun

For showering its light

On this darkened vessel.

I will praise its shine.

Praise the way it wraps

My skin in ultraviolet ultimatums

Demanding to be seen.

I will lift my hands in adoration

Of how something so bright

Could be so heavy.

I will praise the ground

That did not make feast of these bones.

Praise the casket

That did not become a shelter for flesh.

Praise the bullets

That called in sick to work.

Praise the trigger

That went on vacation.

Praise the chalk

That did not outline a body today.

Praise the body

For still being a body

And not a headstone.

Praise the body,

For being a body and not a police report

Praise the body

For being a body and not a memory

No one wants to forget.

Praise the memories.

Praise the laughs and smiles

You thought had been evicted from your jawline

Praise the eyes

For seeing and still believing.

For being blinded from faith

But never losing their vision

Praise the visions.

Praise the prophets

Who don’t profit off of those visions.

Praise the heart

For housing this living room of emotions

Praise the trophy that is my name

Praise the gift that is my name.

Praise the name that is my name

Which no one can plagiarize or gentrify

Praise the praise.

How the throat sounds like a choir.

The harmony in your tongue lifts

Into a song of adoration.

Praise yourself

For being able to praise.

For waking up,

When you had every reason not to.

-Angelo Geter

From Poem-A-Day

Happy Tuesday, Mark! I was just thinking about your Thingaversary (congratulations by the way), and how it overlaps (sort of) with your retirement timeline. Maybe you should buy a book a week until retirement? Or better yet, buy two: one for your Thingaversary, and one for retirement.

Go Mark!

Good morning, Mark! Happy Tuesday to you.

>33 msf59: Excellent photo. Funny, I had never even heard of this bird, before I starting getting geeky about it. Substitute ‘book’ or ‘author’ for ‘bird’ and I can completely understand the feeling.

>41 lauralkeet: I like Laura's idea of buying two books a week until retirement.

>41 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. I love your idea about buying 2 books a week, until retirement but I would not be able to keep up that pace. I will have to extend it a couple more months. Great thought, though.

>42 karenmarie: Happy Tuesday, Karen. I can completely relate with you substituting books for birds. I am in the same boat or would that be a nest? Grins...

Hi Mark - you may already have seen this one, but today's Atlas Obscura has a feature on The Library of Birds.

Your last two photos are worthy of Greeting Cards or maybe the start of the Books, Birds, and Beers Book...

>1 msf59: Awesome topper photo-maybe your second career could be photographer? Or maybe beer connoisseur...

>19 msf59: Congrats on Thingaversary #12!!

And happy Tuesday. : )

>44 m.belljackson: Hi, Marianne. I will have to check out The Library of Birds. Sounds like my cuppa. Maybe, I could start a greeting card company. Bring in a little extra income after I retire. Grins...

>45 Berly: Thanks, Kim and Happy Tuesday. Great to see you. I kind of prefer being a "beer connoisseur". Sounds less stressful.

"If you cannot speak truth at a beheading, when can you speak it?”

^The Mirror & the Light does not need any introduction. Like scores of us over here, I am huge fan of her first two Wolf Hall books. I think this is historical fiction at it's very best. The miniseries is outstanding as well. I hope that cast and production team return for this final chapter. I started the audiobook today and I think Bonnie mentioned this in her review- This is a fantastic audio performance.

-Harry Bliss

‘Morning, Mark! I hope you enjoy your birding this morning.

>43 msf59: Ha. Nest. More descriptive, I think.

>44 m.belljackson: Wouldn’t that be a great set of cards, Marianne? And of course a memoir with that title would be a winner.

>49 karenmarie: Hi, Karen. We had a good outing this morning but it sure warmed up fast. Finished by 10am. Honestly, should have left the house even earlier. Yep, I like the idea of the greeting cards.

>48 msf59: I always knew the GPS system was female.

I will definitely be reading The Mirror and the Light, but right now I need to sneak up to longer, more serious novels.

I think it would be absolutely amazing to do a FB live or Zoom Books, Beers and Birds meeting. I miss talking books so much! I wonder how hard it would be to set up?

>41 lauralkeet: a book a week til retirement, or// a book a week for *ever*. I agree- a great idea :)

>51 richardderus: me too, cos its knows best ;)

Hi Mark! Happy 12th-aversary and new thread!

>19 msf59: Happy 12 Years!!! A co-worker told me about Library Thing. She read 50 books a year. I knew that I usually read more than that, so I joined the 75 challenge group in 2008! It has made a huge difference in my life. I've met so many wonderful people--of course, including you!

>3 msf59: Want! The book and the owls :)

>19 msf59: Happy Thingaversary!! This place would not be the same without you.

>32 msf59: I love that cover too. Unfortunately my local library does not have any books by Marais.

>51 richardderus: Grins...

>52 streamsong: Hi, Janet. Good to see you. I have had The Mirror and the Light, atop the pile since March, waiting for the right moment. It is off to a terrific start. I am not a big fan of the online meet ups, but I would participate if someone put it together.

>53 LovingLit: Thanks, Megan. I just ordered 2 books, and both have a lot of potential.

>54 Whisper1: Thanks, Linda. LT was a life-changer for most of us. I can't believe, 12 years later, we have not lost a step.

>55 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia. Aw, shucks! You will LOVE The Hidden Lives of Owls. I did the audio, but the print book is supposed to have wonderful photos/illustrations. I could send Hum If You Don’t Know the Words to you, if you wouldn't mind sending it back. It is a signed copy and I am pals with her on FB.

-Common Yellow-throated Warbler

Warbler Wednesday!

^Yippee! Another warbler sat still long enough for a photo. He is sure a beauty. This was from my Sunday walk.

Wow, Mark, your pictures are just awesome! Some months back, when you started mentioning retirement looming, I was going to suggest taking some photography classes when you're retired. But how wrong I was--your pictures are so professional, you should be teaching the class!

Happy Thingaversary--which reminds me that my 12th is tomorrow--June 18, 2008! Woo-hoo!--I'm making a (book) list and checking it twice...

>58 kac522: Thank you, Kathy. I am blushing. Honestly, I have a lot to learn, but I have been practicing my butt off and you get lucky now and then. I still need to take that photography class.

Wow! We joined LT at nearly the same time. That is pretty awesome. 12 years? That is crazy...and wonderful.

>19 msf59: Congrats on your thingaversary!

As always your photos are awesome!

>60 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Figs. Glad I can share my bird joy over here.

Oh, such a gorgeous photo, Mark. How cool that you saw a Sandhill crane Mama and it's juvenile today. Apparently they are quite plentiful here - some have been killed by golf balls on golfing greens. But I can't say I've ever been able to identify one. Today Poppy and I saw a GBH. There is a rock in a pond inlet area and almost invariably there is GBH on the rock, King ( Queen ) of the Pond. At least Poppy does not bark at birds, other than crows . They get a good barking at, if we see them on the ground.

Maybe it's a secret, but I am very curious as to what two books that you have ordered.

>57 msf59: Just love the colours in this one - do you get any of your pictures printed?

And like Deborah, I am also curious re the book order! Happy Thingaversary.

Sandhill Cranes, (NMP)

>62 vancouverdeb: ^Sandies are pretty easy to identify on the ground and in the air, Deb. A unique shape and they have a very distinctive call too. I saw a few GBH and great egrets yesterday, as well. Go Poppy!

You will be happy to hear, that one of my books was A Burning. B.A.G.

>63 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. No, I have printed out any of my photos. My printer doesn't even work. LOL. I think it is time we get one. A preview of my 2 book haul coming up later...

'Morning, Mark, and happy Thursday to you.

>64 msf59: I was looking forward to seeing Sandhill Cranes when I visited friend Karen in Montana in 2018, but all I saw was one juvenile. Of course she's seen flocks and flocks of them since.

Morning, Karen. Maybe, when you get out west again, you will be able to see the sandies again. They are awesome birds. Glad we have a few nesting here, in Chicagoland.

>64 msf59: What lovely animals they are! And the warbler photo is cherce.

Thursday's almost done, no?

Drove an errand yesterday. The road down off our ridge is about two miles long with four houses along it. At the second house, I had to stop so Mama Duck could get her two ducklings across. On my return, I had to stop because two raccoon kits were playing in the road. As they moved off the road into the weeds and bushes, I saw Mama Raccoon's bushy tail as she jumped from one side of the road to the other, about thirty yards further up the road.

That's it. Big doin's in my neighborhood.

>68 richardderus: Hey, RD! Hooray for the sandies and the warbler! Sounds like a rock band. Yep, I am home relaxin'...

>69 weird_O: Hey, Bill. Thanks for the wildlife report. Exciting happenings in PA, eh? I am so glad you didn't run anything over.

^Yah, my first Thingaversary title! A Burning: A Novel has been one of the hottest new novels (it came out June 2nd), so purchasing it, was a very fine idea. I know Nancy and Deb warbled vigorously, on this one. I hope to start it soon. A week or, is my guess.

Mark , what a tease you are , keeping us in suspense about your second Thingaversary purchase ! I’ll bet I have seen a few Sandhill Cranes, but failed to recognize them
. The GBH is easy to identify .

>72 vancouverdeb: I am a reader, birder and a teaser, Deb. Among other things. I requested A Burning from the library, but it looks like it was going to take awhile. I wanted to join Tonto on this one.

'Morning, Mark, and a very happy Friday to you. I hope your day is a good one.

Morning, Karen. A very hot one in the Midwest. Ugh! Looking forward to getting home in the a/c, with a cold beer or two.

Hot. Yuck. I hope you are enjoying some cold by now.

>71 msf59: I am adding that one to the BlackHole. Congratulations on your first Thingaversary purchase. Where are the other 11? :)

>76 richardderus: Yep, RD. I am home in the A/C and contemplating making an old-fashioned.

>77 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia. I have another new book on it's way, but the rest of the Thingaversary haul will be spread out over the next few months. Be patient. Grins...

From the LA Times:

"Carlos Ruiz Zafón, author of the bestselling novel “The Shadow of the Wind” and one of the world’s most popular Spanish writers, has died at the age of 55.

His Spanish publisher, Planeta, said in a news release Friday that Zafón died in Los Angeles. It gave no cause of death, but Zafón was known to have cancer.

A tweet from the publisher included a quote from “The Shadow of the Wind,” which earned Zafón international renown: “Every book, every volume you see, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and the soul of those who read it and lived it and dreamed about it.”

Born in Barcelona in 1964, Zafón worked as a publicist before becoming a full-time writer."

^Oh, this is sad and he was still young too. He will be missed. Like many of us here, I loved The Shadow of the Wind.

>79 msf59: That's very sad. So young!

Belated happy new thread, Mark!

The picture of the Yellow Warbler at the top is a great shot.
>64 msf59: And I love the cranes.

>79 msf59: So sad :'(

>80 richardderus: Amen to that, RD. Have you read any of his work?

>81 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. Glad you like the warbler and the cranes. Yep, bummer about Zafon. Have you read The Shadow of the Wind?

-Clay Bennett

>82 msf59: No, I haven't read any of his books yet. They are on the endless list of books I want to read someday.

Hi Mark and a belated Happy 12th Thingaversary. Mine is coming up in a week or so and I have been slowly buying the 13 celebration books. Both you and Joe were certainly among the first people that I met here on LT.

>84 FAMeulstee: I hope you can start with The Shadow of the Wind, Anita. A book-lover's book.

>85 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy. We are definitely the old-timers around here. Glad you started buying your Thingaversary books all ready.

Good morning, Mark, and happy Saturday. Nasty weather there, nasty weather here. I hope your day goes quickly so you can get back to the AC quickly.

>79 msf59: 55 is so young... I have The Shadow of the Wind on my shelves, just haven't read it yet.

>83 msf59: Oh my, I really like that one. It’s totally unbelievable, his holding a rally.

>87 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. Maybe, his untimely passing, will get you to read The Shadow of the Wind.

It is cloudy and breezy at the moment, so it is making it a bit more comfortable.

Yep, this rally tonight is ridiculous but I sure hope the protests are peaceful.

So sad about Ruiz Zafon's death!

>82 msf59: All the Lost Library books, yes, and not likely to pick up the YAs.

>83 msf59: Sad but true.

>89 banjo123: Hi, Rhonda. Yep, Zafon should have had several more good books in him.

>90 richardderus: Not sure, I have read any of his YAs either, RD.

-Steve Sack

>92 msf59: Ha!! Beautiful!

>79 msf59: I very much liked The Shadow of the Wind, and I have at least one other of his books.

It was weird to pick up on his passing from LT's daily births/deaths feature. I look at it everyday, and I checked it yesterday morning. Later, I looked at it again, and there was the name Carlos Ruiz Zafon. My reaction was: What!?!. He just died today?!

Stunning.

>94 weird_O: Hey, Bill. Thanks for chiming in on Zafon. He will be missed.

HI Mark. I have been trying to slowly catch up having been awol for awhile. Happy thingaversary to you and happy Father's Day too.

Your pic at >57 msf59: is spectacular! You are on a tear!

I have also had Shadow of the Wind on my shelf for ages but haven't got to it yet. I will, though, one of these days soon I hope. It's been brutally hot and humid here lately, not fun at all.

Have a good one today!

>96 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley! Great to see you. I hope you can bookhorn in The Shadow of the Wind, in the near future. It is a GOOD one.

‘Morning, Mark, and happy Sunday to you. Enjoy your books and family day.

>92 msf59: Excellent. I debated whether to buy the Bolton book and may still do so, but it won’t be arriving on publication date if I do. Haven’t heard any details from the Mary Trump book. Was absolutely shocked to hear that she had to sign a NDA in 2001 with him. I love the title of her book: Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man

Happy Father's Day, Mark.

Sunday and father's day benisons, Birddude!

Happy Father's Day, Mark!! Enjoy the big day.

>98 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen. Happy Sunday! I am not sure I will read the Bolton book. Not sure I can stomach any more Trump.

>99 PaulCranswick: >100 richardderus: Thanks, Paul & RD.

>101 lindapanzo: Thanks, Linda. We will be going over to my BIL's, to celebrate Father's day with my FIL. First time I have been over there in 4 months or more.

>102 msf59: My sister and nephew, who just got his driver's license this week, are coming up for the day. My dad doesn't travel too well anymore.

Oh, have a great day with your Dad, Linda. Beautiful day.

"A playful, deeply moving book of spiritual essays-for the spiritual and non-spiritual alike-that excavate the rich seams of examined life and point to the miracles that surround us."

Sadly, Brian Doyle died of brain cancer at the age of 60, (my current age), in 2017. I had only only read one of his novels, The Plover but I absolutely loved it. I just never got back to his sizable body of work. I believe Caroline, recently read and enjoyed One Long River of Song, a collection of his essays, so that sparked me to try this one, which was released last year. I am starting it today. Any other Doyle fans out there?

Happy Father's Day, Mark and so good that you can celebrate together!

Shadow of the Wind has been a long time favorite.

Happy Father’s Day! Love Doyle and did get to meet him at a bookstore event. He was the nicest guy and told me to get his books from the library

Did you not read Mink River? It comes before Plover, as I remember

>106 m.belljackson: Thank you, Marianne! Hooray for The Shadow of the Wind!

>107 banjo123: Thank you, Rhonda. I think it is wonderful that you got to meet Brian Doyle. No, I have not read Mink River. Bad Mark! One Long River of Song is off to a terrific start, so keep this one in mind.

>92 msf59: Love it.

>105 msf59: Looks like a beautiful book, Mark. Look forward to hearing your comments.

>109 charl08: Hi, Charlotte. Not far into the Doyle collection but I can tell this one will be special.

Shadow of the Wind was a really really good book. So was Angel's Game. It to was set in Barcelona and had much the same atmosphere as Shadow of the Wind. The next book up on my bedside nightstand was Prisoner of Heaven which is another of Zafon's Barcelona novels. I have several of his YA novels as well. Marina had good reviews but I have not read it. I wanted to get done with the Barcelona Quartet first.

>111 benitastrnad: Hi, Benita. Thanks for chiming in on Zafon. I also liked Angel's Game but for some reason never got to The Prisoner of Heaven.

Good morning, Mark! I hope you have a good day. I'm just waking up and have taken 2 sips of coffee so far.

Morning, Karen. I hope you enjoyed your coffee. Have a great day.

Ahhh, Monday! I love the smell of burning dreams on Monday morning.

>71 msf59: Adding to the warbling on A Burning Mark, I finished it last week and highly recommend it!

Hi, Mark! Happy Monday. I know, oxymoron, at least until one is retired. Then it's the same as Happy Tuesday, Happy Wednesday, Happy...well, you get the picture. If I didn't have a smartphone, I'd never know what day it is anymore.

Love that little yellow warbler up top. Wish I had a few of those at my feeders instead of only grackles and sparrows.

So sad about Zafon. I hate when people die so young, especially ones who are as talented as him.

Wasn't that rally thing on Juneteenth the bomb!?! Expecting a million and getting around 6,000. Hahahaha. I laughed out loud when I saw that. As I was reminded, though, we can take a day to enjoy that, then get back to the serious work of getting him the hell out of the WH.

>92 msf59: LOL Love it!

Mark - Put this on your wishlist - pubs November 10. https://islandpress.org/books/naturalist

Oh, and this one comes out on November 17. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/547092/oak-flat-by-lauren-redniss/

>115 richardderus: I never liked that smell of burned dreams, RD. Once it hits your senses, you can't get rid of it.

>116 vivians: Hi, Vivian. Great to see you. Hooray for another fan of A Burning! I plan on starting it, by the end of the week.

>117 Storeetllr: Hi, Mary. I can't wait for all of those Happy Days! Glad you like the yellow warbler. Warblers seldom visit bird feeders, since they are mostly insect eaters. Sorry you are not getting more "color" at your feeders.

Yep, bummer about Zafon. The Tulsa debacle backfired, didn't it? Sounds like the orange gas-bag was PISSED! I heard that those peaceful protesters kept thousands of people from entering. That is impressive. Grins...

>118 alphaorder: Ooh, both of those titles sound very good. That GN could be a lot of fun. Thanks, Nancy.

ETA- Redniss wrote Radioactive? That is one of my very favorite GNs.

'Morning Mark, and a very happy Tuesday to you.

I didn't see any serious reportage of protesters preventing Trump supporters from getting into the venue in Tulsa. Did I miss it? I'm just glad that the stadium was only 1/3 full and that Trump was seriously pissed.

Morning, Karen. Beautiful day here. Trump and his flock stated that the rally numbers were so low, because the fierce and nasty protesters kept people from getting in...Yeah, right!!

>122 msf59: - He wouldn't be t-Rump if he wasn't blaming someone for something (treating him badly, for example). I wouldn't expect anything less (or more) from him.

>123 jessibud2: Amen to all that Shelley. It was so good to see him all pissed off and yelling at everyone because of the low turnout. Fingers crossed that this is the beginning of the end for him.

Happy Chewsdy, Mark, and may the end of it bring you a brew and book combo of your fondest imagining.

Hey Mark, just seen that the author of The Genius of Birds has a new book out...

The Bird Way by Jennifer Ackerman
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jun/16/the-bird-way-by-jennifer-ackerman-...

>125 richardderus: Hey, RD. I am having a beer and I am reading a bit of my essay collection, so you sure have me pegged. Grins...

>126 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. The Bird Way has been on my HOT list for awhile. It is nice to have so many good friends that keep me well-informed. You read and enjoyed The Genius of Birds, right?

I started reading Prisoner of Heaven last night and I read 90 pages before I went to bed. I think it will be a good one. Of course, it is going to be hard to top Shadow of the Wind. Angel's Game introduced one of the major characters in Prisoner, but it is clear that you don't have to read the books in order for them to make sense. They are stand alone, but it is neat to see the connections.

>128 benitastrnad: Oh, that is great to hear, Benita. I think I will request Prisoner of Heaven from the library and do the same thing.

Ode to the Book (II)

Book,
beautiful
book,
minuscule forest,
leaf
after leaf,
your paper
smells
of the elements,
you are
matutinal and nocturnal,
vegetal,
oceanic,
in your ancient pages
bear hunters,
bonfires
near the Mississippi,
canoes
in the islands,
later
roads
and roads,
revelations,
insurgent
races,
Rimbaud like a wounded
fish bleeding
thumping in the mud,
and the beauty
of fellowship,
stone by stone...

The Word

...I drink to the word, raising
a word or crystalline cup,
in it I drink
the wine of language
or unfathomable water,

maternal source of all words,
and cup and water and wine
give rise to my song
because the name is origin
and green life: it is blood,
the blood that expresses its substance,
and thus its unrolling is prepared:
words give crystal to the crystal,
blood to the blood,
and give life to life.

-By Pablo Neruda

>130 msf59: Big Neruda fan here Mark. I love 'Ode to my Socks'

https://poets.org/poem/ode-my-socks

Both of those passages came from The Essential Neruda: Selected Poems, (which I finished recently) and are a tribute to books and writing. Like many collections, not every poem hit it's "mark" but when he does, it is an absolute bulls-eye.

>131 Caroline_McElwee: Hey, Caroline. You slipped in there, on me. Hooray for another Neruda fan. Thanks for sharing Ode to my Socks. Another fun one.

I thought you might enjoy this piece about the US postal service Mark..

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/24/us-postal-service-coronavi...

GOD

By purest chance I was out in our street when the kindergarten
Bus mumbled past going slow and I looked up just as all seven
Kids on my side of the bus looked at me and I grinned and they
Lit up and all this crap about God being dead and where is God
And who owns God and who hears God better than whom is the
Most egregiously stupid crap imaginable because if you want to
See God and have God see you and have this mutual perception
Be completely untrammeled by blather and greed and comment,
Go stand in the street as the kindergarten bus murmurs past. I’m
Not kidding and this is not a metaphor. I am completely serious.
Everyone babbles about God but I saw God this morning just as
The bus slowed down for the stop on Maple Street. God was six
Girls and one boy with a bright green and purple stegosaurus hat.
Of course God would wear a brilliantly colored tall dinosaur hat!
If you were the Imagination that dreamed up everything that ever
Was in this blistering perfect terrible world, wouldn’t you wear a
Hat celebrating some of the wildest most amazing developments?

-Brian Doyle
October 8, 2015

This is from One Long River of Song. An essay collection I am nearly done with. I am leaning more toward being an agnostic, these days, than a believer but something like this definitely moves me.

>135 msf59: I kinda love it too.

>134 Caroline_McElwee: That is an awesome article, Caroline. I am glad the USPS means so much to people. Thanks for sharing.

The post in #135 is dedicated you, for turning me onto this collection.

>136 laytonwoman3rd: I think you can take God out of this equation, Linda and it just expresses the little joys of life, that happen every single day. If you are receptive to it, that is.

^Supporting my local bookstore. This is my second Thingaversary title, (Yep, folks. This is going to take awhile). Animal Spirit: Stories is a story collection, with a terrific cover. Has anyone else heard of this author?

That is a beautiful cover (and accompanying brew). I love the idea of you spreading out the Thingaversary celebration - that's the way to do it! I just realized mine was yesterday and I missed it!

>139 AMQS: Happy Thingaversary, Anne! Great to see you. I definitively can't afford to buy 13 books at one time, so this works for me.

>138 msf59: I read her Rules in the Wild before I moved back to Texas, and remember mostly thinking I was *so*blinkin*tired* of how everyone thought Esmé was so hawt (per the lady herself).

Stories could be good?

>141 richardderus: Thanks for chiming in on Marciano, RD. I had not heard of her before and it sounds like she has been around awhile. Looking forward to this collection.

^This is a female ruby-throated hummingbird. She is a regular visitor. The male stops by occasionally. I hope to get a photo of him. Since they buzz in and feed briefly, it is never easy to snap a photo.

'Morning, Mark, and a very happy Thursday to you. Enjoy the three Bs today.

I finished Prisoner of Heaven and it is clear that the four books of the Barcelona Quartet are intended to be read together. They are fine on their own, but they are interlocking stories. The connections and hints that are given inter-story and resolved-in-book will make for a richer reading experience. That said, they can be read separately. Prisoner is a short book and you will zip through it quickly. Now I have to track down the last book in the quartet.

I have used the last three months to finish reading several series that I have started and this is one of them. Labyrinth of the Spirits is the last book in the quartet, so on my reading list it goes.

I have a bunch of good books going right now, so my reading has been spread pretty thin on any one of them. Today I start back to work, so now my reading will return to normal levels. Right now I have two (count 'em - two) really good nonfiction books going at the same time. Glass House: the 1% economy and the Shattering of the All-American Town by Brian Alexander - this one is about the town of Lancaster, Ohio, the home of Anchor Hocking Glass company. It is a depressing read. I have not read J. A. Jance's book on hillbillies but Glass House seems to be of the same ilk. I am also reading a great mystery - at least it started out that way - City of Windows by Robert Pobi. This is a new series I learned about in a Webinar I attended during the Covid Crisis. Pobi is a Canadian author and this is the first in a, so far, two book series.

Keep delivering that mail. At least for a few more months. I have to say that I have loved being at home and I can now say that when I hit that magic age for Medicare - I AM OUTTA HERE!

>144 karenmarie: Hi, Karen. The 3 Bs treated me just fine today, although I did miss my target birds. I will persevere, my friend.

>145 benitastrnad: Hi, Benita. I always enjoy your reading update and I am tickled that you enjoyed The Prisoner of Heaven. Hopefully, I can bookhorn it in, in the coming weeks. Good luck getting back to the grind.

"For readers of Tommy Orange, Yaa Gyasi, and Jhumpa Lahiri, an electrifying debut novel about three unforgettable characters who seek to rise—to the middle class, to political power, to fame in the movies—and find their lives entangled in the wake of a catastrophe in contemporary India."

^A Burning has really caught fire and from the sound of it, it fits in with everything happening in America today. It could be a contender for novel of the summer. I might dip into it tonight or full throttle tomorrow.

Still chugging along with The Mirror & the Light. It feels like it is taking me forever but there is some light at the end of the tunnel. I think this one could have been trimmed back a couple hundred pages.

Been slowly reading The Fire Next Time. James Baldwin is remarkable. Intelligent, thoughtful, very articulate and readable.

>148 weird_O: Hey, Bill. I have been meaning to get to The Fire Next Time. I have not read much of Baldwin's NF.

>147 msf59: BB, thanks Mark. ETA: not available here til 2021!

>148 weird_O: Yes Bill. I read him first in my mid teens (long ago), and am glad he is getting a refresh. I've reread several of his books more than once, and plan to reread the essays again soon.

'Morning, Mark! Have a great day and a wonderful time in WI!

>143 msf59: I debated getting bird feeders for the yard but I didn't. I still have plenty of feathered visitors.

>147 msf59: - I just bought A Burning from my local bookstore yesterday, Mark. Looking forward to it!

>151 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen. Looking forward to it.

>152 thornton37814: Hi, Lori. Good to see you. I hope you reconsider putting up the bird feeders. Loads of fun.

>153 katiekrug: That is great, Katie. I did not get a chance to start A Burning last night but will dive in shortly.

>12 msf59: Way behind here Mark. I did enjoy Last Pirate of New York when I read it 2019.

A belated happy Thingaversary. I love the way you are keeping us in suspense by buying one book at a time to celebrate.

Oh, you are in for a treat, Lone Ranger , when you get to A Burning. Dave is reading and enjoying Long Bright River. I'm pleased about that since I purchased it and this way two people read the book instead of one.

I confess I've never read anything by Hilary Mantel. Somehow the length of the books and that time period have not grabbed me so far. Happy Weekend, Mark.

>155 Familyhistorian: >156 vancouverdeb: My two best buddies from B.C.! Yah!

>155 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. Great to see you back. Still deciding on my next couple of book purchases.

>156 vancouverdeb: Hi, Deb. A Burning is off to a wonderful start. What a great new talent. I hope Dave is enjoying Long Bright River as much as we did.

Yep, Mantel is not for everyone but she is right there at the top, in historical fiction, IMHO.

^This is one of the Sandhill Cranes that is nesting at Springbrook Prairie. She is keeping a close eye on me. There is a juvenile in there somewhere too, feeding low. So cool, to see these guys on the ground.

>158 msf59: *snort*

>159 msf59: she's got the stink-eye thing down to a science.

Happy Saturday!

Hi Mark! Happy Saturday to you.

Beautiful crane! We went kayaking today on the Monocacy River near Frederick - saw the bald eagle that lives there again.

Along with doing some yard work I finished a book today. I read City of Windows by a Canadian author Robert Pobi. It is book 1 in a new series and book 2 will be published in July. I heard about this series in a webinar for librarians that I attended back in April. The series sounded interesting so when I public library opened up at the end of May I went in and grabbed it. It is another murder mystery and it was OK. Not outstanding but OK.

Happy Saturday, Mark! Cranes are so cool.

Love your sandhill crane photo, Mark!

Happy Thingaversary! My 12th was in May. It seems so many of us started right around the same time and stuck around. Lucky us!

My feeders have been very active lately. And we’ve had a lot of fledglings - robins, chipping sparrows, downy woodpeckers, and goldfinches. The young chipping sparrows are relentless chippers! I’m not sure if it’s like this every year or not, but I’m certainly around more to enjoy them this summer.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about A Burning and hope you’re liking it.

>159 msf59: Cool crane. I have wanted to see those since reading A Sand County Almanac

That's an amazing crane photo Mark. We finally got out for some birding not too long ago, and saw egrets and herons, among others things (it was a marshy spot).

‘Morning, Mark, and happy Sunday to you!

>158 msf59: Sad but true.

>159 msf59: Great picture. My first thought is “Up scope!”

Just finished the poetry collection Bodega by Su Hwang. Highly recommend! Not sure why touchstones aren't working but you can learn more here: https://www.boswellbooks.com/book/9781571315243

Hi Mark. Big congratulations on 12 years here on LT (along with our book friendship) AND on surpassing the 75 Book Milestone. It will be about 3 months until I get there...about the time you hit 100.

I love your recent bird photos. You are working that camera! Also loved the Neruda poems about Books and Words, two of my favorite things. Sorry I fell behind on your thread. It's so much fun catching up with you. Are you getting any of the Sahara dust? It finally got here this weekend so I'll send some your way. Cheers!

>157 msf59: Heh! Can I be a best buddy from B.C. too? Hope you're having a great Sunday Mark!

Having a couple of Heavy Seas Tropicannons tonight - really good citrus IPAs. Nothing like local breweries, right? 😀

^It is great to have so many wonderful visitors stop by, while I was away goofing off for most of the weekend. We had a nice time but our weather has been HOT. Not much reading or birding but plenty of socializing (aka, drinking) with Bree and friends, up in WI. I did read just enough of A Burning to report, that it continues to be excellent.

>160 richardderus: Yep, the ole' Sandhill Crane stink-eye! It is legendary, RD.

>161 karenmarie: >168 karenmarie: Happy Saturday & Sunday, Karen!

>162 drneutron: Hey, Jim. Hooray for kayaking on the Monocacy River. Maybe, someday I can join you both.

>163 benitastrnad: Hi, Benita. Sorry, to hear your mystery fell a bit short.

>164 banjo123: Happy Sunday, Rhonda. Yep, cranes are COOL!

>165 Copperskye: Happy Sunday, Joanne and thanks, my friend. We go way back, don't we? I sure hope we can meet up again in person. Love the bird feeder report and those feisty chipping sparrows. Yep, A Burning has been fantastic. You will love it.

>166 Oberon: Hey, Erik. Great to see you. You see and hear the Sandhills while they migrate through, right? They sure come through in sizable numbers.

>167 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. I am so glad to hear you got out for a birding stroll. It is slow this time of year but still plenty of cool birds to see.

>169 alphaorder: Hey, Nancy. Ooh, the Hwang collection sounds good. I should request that one. I have no poetry going at the moment.

^This is the Wind Point Lighthouse, in Racine WI, that we visited this morning. It is beautiful and so are the surrounding grounds and buildings. Well- maintained. I got a new Samsung cellphone that actually takes decent pics.

>170 Donna828: Happy Sunday, Donna and thanks. I love the fact that I am still in touch with my very first LT friends. I think that is special. I sure enjoy playing with my camera. Practice sure helps and I still have a lot to learn. I am glad you like the Neruda poem. Have you read any of his work?

Not sure what the Sahara Dust is. Am I missing something?

>171 mdoris: Thanks for the reminder, Mary! Another lovely B.C pal and lets not forget Judy either. That makes for an exquisite quartet. Yep, I am wrapping up a very nice weekend.

>172 drneutron: Ooh, those Heavy Seas Tropicannons sounds delish, Jim. Is this brewery in Frederick?

Nah, Baltimore. But it’s one of our faves.

>176 msf59: That's a great cellphone pic! Amazing what the tiny little beasts can do, no?

The Sahara dust cloud. An annual phenomenon that is especially big and ...well....cloudy....this year.

Hey, buddy. I'm glad you got to get away on that boat trip and had such a good time.

Great yellow warbler photo up top! And I like that bookish Huang Guanyu painting.

We're gradually getting our sleep-deprived selves back in order after the parental kids and the grandkids left yesterday. It was such a good visit. We miss them already.

>178 drneutron: Glad you found another brewery to enjoy, Jim.

>179 richardderus: I did get a couple lighthouse photos with my Canon too, but haven't checked them out yet.

>180 laytonwoman3rd: Hi, Linda. Somehow I missed hearing about the Sahara Dust event.

>181 jnwelch: Happy Sunday, Joe. Good to see you. It sure seems like you both got to enjoy a lengthy visit with Jessie & Co.
I am sure it was special, spending so much time with those adorable little ones.

We had a fine time in WI. Good luck with getting back in the groove.

>182 msf59: I'm calling it the Saharan mud storm event here. We had a thunderstorm yesterday with all that Saharan dust in the air. It's thundering and raining again this morning.

'Morning, Mark!

We love our Galaxy S10s - Samsung phones - and I hope you enjoy the picture taking qualities. Not ever as good as a good camera, but definitely good for most picture-taking needs.

Glad you had such a good time in WI.

It looks like Linda and Lori filled you in on the Sahara dust clouds. They have made for some pretty sunsets here. I should take a picture. All my pics these days are taken on my iPhone. Very convenient. My brother is a semi-professional photographer and spends big bucks on his equipment and oodles of time playing with his photo effects. I’ll try to remember to use one of his photos when I start a new thread.

A boating weekend sounds like so much fun. Has Bree set a new wedding date yet? So much is still uncertain. I’m ready for this Covid thing to be over.

>184 thornton37814: Hi, Lori. Sorry, to hear about the mud storm. I hope you are staying safe, dry and clean.

>185 karenmarie: Hi, Karen. I have the Galaxy S9. Pretty simple design, which is fine with me. I need to experiment more with the camera.

>186 Donna828: Hi, Donna. I don't think the dust has had much affect on my part of the Midwest...yet.
Yep, fun time in WI. We stayed docked. Our future SIL is still learning the ropes, piloting this boat and he couldn't make it up there this weekend anyway, due to work. Still fun hanging out at the marina and the the cabin was comfortable for sleeping.

No date yet. Still hoping for the end of September.

Hi Mark, I am happy to see that I am included in the "Best Buddies From B.C." List! Sounds like you have a lovely weekend, we are slowly expanding our horizons here. I went shopping on the weekend with my daughter but most of our time was spent in line-ups to get into the stores as they only let a few in at a time. We actually had fun in the line-up as everyone was very social - although at a proper distance. It was nice to talk to people other than those in my immediate family.

>176 msf59: Nice, Mark.

I haven't seen anyone congratulate you on passing 75 books yet. Well done buddy.

>188 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy! Hooray for my "Best Buddies From B.C." B.C is on my bucket-list, so I hope we can get a Meet Up in, one of these days. Glad you ventured out a bit, this past weekend.

>189 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. I have fallen behind again on my mini-reviews, so I don't think many noticed I passed 75. I have to do better.

74) Hum If You Don't Know the Words by Bianca Marais 4.2 stars

“I didn't know what to say in a world where people were hated and attacked for not being the right color, not speaking the right language, not worshipping the right god or not loving the right people; a world where hatred was the common language and bricks, the only words.”

In apartheid South Africa, Robin Conrad, is a nine-year-old white girl, living comfortably in Johannesburg. Beauty Mbali, is a Xhosa woman, working as a teacher, in a rural village in the Bantu homeland of the Transkei. How these two individuals, from such different worlds, come together is the heart of this novel. It is told in alternating perspectives. These events take place in the late 1970s but much of this racial unrest and division, is just as relevant, as today's America.
My introduction to Marais, was her last novel If You Want to Make God Laugh, which I loved. I am happy to report, that her debut is just as wonderful.

*As a bonus, I adore her book covers, as well.

Have a 75-year-old owl in celebration!

This owl isn't 75 years old.

>192 richardderus: >193 weird_O: It looks like an owl party! Yah!!

>193 weird_O: Brilliant photo, Bill.

>176 msf59: Looks beautiful, Mark. I'm glad you had such a lovely weekend. Congratulations on passing 75 books!

>193 weird_O: haha.

Congrats on 75 reads Mark. Her's to the next 75!

>196 vancouverdeb: >197 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Deb & Caroline. 75 books for the first 6 months is not bad. I am sure my numbers will taper off, in last 4 months of the year, but it sure will not be anything to complain about.

Dad Poem (Ultrasound #2)

(with a line from Gwendolyn Brooks)

Months into the plague now,
I am disallowed
entry even into the waiting
room with Mom, escorted outside
instead by men armed
with guns & bottles
of hand sanitizer, their entire
countenance its own American
metaphor. So the first time
I see you in full force,
I am pacing maniacally
up & down the block outside,
Facetiming the radiologist
& your mother too,
her arm angled like a cellist’s
to help me see.
We are dazzled by the sight
of each bone in your feet,
the pulsing black archipelago
of your heart, your fists in front
of your face like mine when I
was only just born, ten times as big
as you are now. Your great-grandmother
calls me Tyson the moment she sees
this pose. Prefigures a boy
built for conflict, her barbarous
and metal little man. She leaves
the world only months after we learn
you are entering into it. And her mind
the year before that. In the dementia’s final
days, she envisions herself as a girl
of seventeen, running through fields
of strawberries, unfettered as a king
-fisher. I watch your stance and imagine
her laughter echoing back across the ages,
you, her youngest descendant born into
freedom, our littlest burden-lifter, world
-beater, avant-garde percussionist
swinging darkness into song.

-Joshua Bennett

From Poem-A-Day

'Morning, Mark, and happy Tuesday to you.

Belated congrats on 75 books. I'm surprised that you think your reading will taper off in the last 4 months if you're going to retire in September, but perhaps the other 2 Bs - beer and birding - will take priority over books.

Congrats on the 75 my friend! I am happy with my 30, all things considered. Hoping to still hit 100.

>200 karenmarie: Morning, Karen and thanks. There is no question, that there will be a drop-off in my audiobook listening, beginning September. Of course, I will continue to listen to them but nothing like the volume I currently do. Hopefully, my print reading will pick up, as well.

>201 alphaorder: Thanks, Nancy. You know I will be rooting for you, on reaching 100! A nice, solid number.

Congrats on 75+, Mark! Hope you're having a good week.

>203 bell7: Thanks, Mary. Other than dealing with the heat, the week has been going pretty good. I am off Friday, so 2 more days. Yah!!

I'm glad to hear that A Burning will be among your top reads this year. Me too, but I must say for me, Hamnet was a masterpiece! Enjoy Redhead by the Side of the Road. I very much liked it too.

>205 vancouverdeb: ^ A Burning earned the Full Boat, Tonto! Great read. Now, you have me interested in Hamnet. The Tyler has been a lot of fun.

"Full of intrigue and emotion, The Prisoner of Heaven is a majestic novel in which the threads of The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel's Game converge under the spell of literature and bring us toward the enigma of the mystery hidden at the heart of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a collection of lost treasures known only to its few initiates and the very core of Carlos Ruiz Zafón's enchanting fictional world."

^Due to Zafon's sudden passing and Benita's gentle nudging, I am finally starting The Prisoner of Heaven, which I have had saved on my Kindle forever. I really enjoyed both previous books.

Congrats on reading 75 books!

>208 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Figs!

Congrats, Mark, on 75 and on >210 msf59:~ :-)

I am reading a short interesting book I got for my birthday last year. It's called A Short Philosophy of Birds. Each chapter takes a simple behaviour or philosophy of humans and explains it in terms of various birds' behaviours. I will review it in more detail, with examples, on my own thread when I finish, probably later today.

Stay cool. The heat and humidity here are relentless, too. Can't wait for autumn, lol!

>210 msf59:

Congratulations on reaching your 75 books, Marc!

>211 jessibud2: Sounds interesting Shelley.

Congrats on reading 75, Mark!

>199 msf59: Love that one.

I'm nearing the end of Blanche on the Lam. It's one I think you'd appreciate. A bit of upstairs/downstairs U.S. style.

The weather gods smiled on us and it's not as hot as predicted, thank goodness. Have a good one today, buddy.

'Morning, Mark, and a very happy on-the-countdown Wednesday to you.

I wasn't thinking of your audiobooks, just envisioning you in your Marky-Mark Man Cave sipping a brew and reading a book. Of course the audiobooks will drop dramatically. They did for me when I retired in 2016, although my listening was on my commute to and from work.

Happy July, Mark!

I had to stop by to share that my current graphic novel - which arrived in my mailbox yesterday and I started reading immediately - has won the Wodehouse Prize! I think both you and Joe should check it out. I learned about it somewhere a while back and I think I snagged a UK copy.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jul/01/graphic-novel-ice-cream-wins-wodeh...

That 8 weeks has to feel good! Counting down with you my friend.

>211 jessibud2: Hi, Shelley. Great to see you. Your philosophy book sounds interesting. Thanks for the rec. Keep cool.

>212 richardderus: Yeah, baby!

>213 EllaTim: Thanks, Ella. Before I started audiobooks, it was actually a challenge to reach 75.

>214 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. Good morning. The Blanche book sounds interesting. It might be a bit cooler, closer to the lakefront but it is HOT here. It is all about the humidity levels at this point.

>215 karenmarie: Hi, Karen. Yep, the Man-Cave will be getting a workout, post-retirement, especially in the winter.

>216 alphaorder: Thanks, Nancy. Ooh, the GN sounds good. I am getting an itch to start one. I have not read one, in a month or so.

Here’s a fundraiser right up your alley, Mark.

https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/beer/2020/06/29/drive-through-beer-...

Hi Mark - hope you get off early enough to cool off - not quite 90s up here near Madison,
but now need to get up and out earlier or gardening time drops to barely 5 minutes.

Online, today's DelancyPlace.com has a sweet short feature on Bird Songs,

an excerpt from a new book, The Bird Way.

New month, Mark. Same old year.

For your enjoyment. Caption said this is a crow. Could it be a magpie?

You need to know about this on sale for $3.99!

>219 lindapanzo: Hi, Linda. Good to see you. The fundraiser sounds like a lot of fun. I wish it was a lot closer. Hooray for Ale Mary! That is a great beer name.

>220 m.belljackson: Hi, Marianne. Still hot & humid here. About 90F. The breeze kept it from being insufferable. The Bird Way is very high on my TBR list. Thanks.

>221 weird_O: Hey, Bill. It sure looks like a magpie to me. I don't think many crows have white much white on them, as far as I know. These magpies are pretty talented too. They are also part of the Corvid family, which includes crows.

>222 richardderus: Thanks, for thinking of me, Richard. Sounds and looks like a fun book.

76) One Long River of Song (essays) by Brian Doyle 4.4 stars

“Something is opening in me, some new eye. I talk less and listen more. Stories wash over me all day like tides. I walk through the bright wet streets and every moment a story comes to me, people hold them out like sweet children, and I hold them squirming and holy in my arms and they enter my heart for a while, and season and salt sweeten that old halting engine and teach me humility and mercy, the only lessons that matter, the lessons of the language I most wish to learn; a tongue best spoken without a word, without a sound, hands clasped, heart naked as a baby.”

“But you cannot control everything...All you can do is face the world with quiet grace and hope you make a sliver of difference...You must trust that you being the best possible you matters somehow...That being an attentive and generous friend and citizen will prevent a thread or two of the social fabric from unraveling.”

“Not to mention they (raptors) look cool, they are seriously large, they have muscles on their muscles, they are stone-cold efficient hunters with built-in-butchery tools, and all of them have this stern I could kick your ass but I'm busy look, which took me years to discover was not a general simmer of surliness but a result of the supraorbital ridge protecting their eyes.”

Brian Doyle is a Canadian writer of novels, essays and short stories. He died in 2017 of brain cancer, at the age of 60. This is an excellent collection of his essays, released in 2019. He has a knack for finding the joys in life – a stroll in the woods, birding his favorite patch, a deep discussion with a good friend, watching the wonder of his children at play. He also had a strong spiritual side as well and a couple of these pieces explore the solace he finds there. If you are looking for something uplifting during these dark times, give this terrific book a try.

Right now I am reading a really good book that makes me so mad I can't see straight. It is nonfiction Glass House: the 1% Economy and the Shattering of the All-American Town by Brian Alexander. It is about Lancaster, Ohio and the Anchor-Hocking glass company. This book lays the blame for many of the problems in small town America at the door of corporate greed. There are chapters in there about how a profitable company was bought and sold and put into bankruptcy twice just so the investors could make a profit. It is really heart rending because the town gave the corporations concessions that included taking tax money for schools and education and moving it to "help out" the corporation.

This is a book that more people should read. I think it does a much better job of explaining the bitterness of the common man and the rise of Trump better than does Hillbilly Elegy.

>225 benitastrnad: Hey, Benita. Glad to hear you got a lot out of "Glass House". Sounds like an important read. I will add it to my list.

"The Grammy- and Academy Award- nominated singer-songwriter's haunting, lyrical memoir, sharing the story of an unthinkable act of violence and ultimate healing through art Mobile, Alabama, 1986. A fourteen-year-old girl is awakened by the unmistakable sound of gunfire. On the front lawn, her father has shot and killed her mother before turning the gun on himself."

I am a fan of Allison Moorer's music, although I have not listened to her in many years. She was married to Steve Earle, another favorite of mine. I caught a concert they did together. Somehow, this memoir, which came out last year, escaped my notice. When it popped up as an Audible Daily Deal, it caught my attention. I just dipped in and it is beautifully written but of course, dark and disturbing, as well.

>227 msf59: - I snapped this one up when it was the ADD, too, Mark. I am not at all familiar with Moorer.

'Morning, Mark, and happy Thursday to you.

>228 katiekrug: Hey, Katie. Blood is off to a very good start. Moorer also does a fine job narrating. Glad you snagged a copy.

>229 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. Sweet Thursday.

Sweet Thursday, Mark!

>207 msf59: Coincidentally, I have The Prisoner of Heaven waiting for me at the library. Like you, I enjoyed the first two books in the Barcelona Quartet and wanted to continue the series. It’s too bad an author’s death is the impetus it takes sometime to nudge me into following up on my desires.

You kinda got me with your Brian Doyle essay book, too. Another life lost too soon. I was unaware of this author but you made a good case for him. Unfortunately, my library doesn’t have One Long River of Song, but I have his Reading In Bed essays waiting on my Kindle. Can’t go wrong with that title, right?

>227 msf59: Hm. I think, on balance, not for me.

*shudder*

>231 Donna828: Sweet Thursday, Donna. I am having a grand ole' time with The Prisoner of Heaven. This is going to end up as a very under-rated trilogy. Expect more warbling on this one.

I am so glad I caught your attention with Brian Doyle. Looking forward to your thoughts on Reading In Bed. Keep his fiction in mind, as well. I loved his novel The Plover and I want to read Mink River, which I have heard is equally as good.

>232 richardderus: Hey, RD. Yep, the parental abuse is tough in this memoir, so it will not be for everyone. Moorer is doing a terrific job though. She is an excellent songwriter, so this is a perfect fit for her.

>234 msf59: - Oy. Not an encouraging prospect, is it?

>235 jessibud2: I agree, Shelley. It is not encouraging. That said- I have no choice but to vote for Biden. Lets hope he picks a strong VP and she takes over, when he completely loses it. Grins...

>227 msf59: wow, that sounds a tough read.
Did you know I am now about to complete my third *ever* audio book!!??! the current one is almost 30 hours, and is taking me utterly ages...I have renewed it 3 times already :) (The Vivisector by Patrick White- read beautifully, I might add.)

>237 LovingLit: Hi, Megan. Great to see you. If you have a chance listen to some of Allison Moorer's music. She is a terrific singer/songwriter. Congrats on listening to another audiobook. The Vivisector sounds like a very interesting read. I had never heard of it.

'Morning, Mark, and happy 3 days off. Enjoy the birds and buddies at the Arboretum. Bill and I will be fuddyduddies with no plans except to stay in and stay cool.

I made great progress last night on Glass House by Brian Alexander. I am now about 30 pages from the end. I find the authors observations about what went wrong in the town of Lancaster, Ohio very insightful. He is now writing about the opiod epidemic and it is painful to read. His analysis of the financial crisis at Anchor Hocking is amazing and really makes me angry that investment companies could ruin a profitable company like that is criminal. How those rich b______s used the system to cheat employees and tax payers is criminal. They should be in jail just like Bernie Madoff.

The author doesn't just blame high roller rapist investors. He tackles the average American as well. "The power of American big-box retailers like Walmart exacerbated the situation. The American flag on Anchor Hocking packaging was nice, but Americans wanted cheap stuff- and the harder they shopped for the cheapest stuff, the more they helped drive down the wages of people who made stuff. And the lower those wages dropped, the more a desire for cheap morphed not the self-fulfilling necessity of cheap." page 274

Happy Friday and a much-deserved long weekend, buddy. Did I see you were out birding today with a pal, before it got hot? I hope so.

I finished that Ted Kooser poetry collection, Kindest Regards, and will loan it to you when next we meet. He's a plain-spoken Midwestern type I think you'd like. Lot of nature poems.

I'm enjoying the second Barbara Neely "Blanche" mystery, Blanche Among the Talented Tenth, even more than the first. The black author is striking me as very wise about race issues and people in general. This one has Blanche at a resort among affluent light-skinned black folks who look down on darker black people. I remember the same kind of thing came up in Good Talk by Mira Jacob, with the author looked down upon in her family (and believed to have dim marriage chances) because of skin darker than others in the family.

>239 karenmarie: Happy Friday, Karen. Nothing wrong with being a fuddyduddy now and then, right?

>240 benitastrnad: Hey, Benita. The Glass House book sounds really good. You have convinced me.

>241 jnwelch: Happy Friday, Joe. Me and my birding pal met at 715 and were done by 10, as it was really beginning to heat up. Thanks for the book update. ooh, the Kooser collection sounds really good. I am itchin' to read some poetry. Good Talk was a great one, wasn't it?

^This was from the Arboretum this morning. Such a gorgeous setting. Not an overabundance of birds seen and only a few photos taken. Not sure how many will be worth sharing. Back at it, tomorrow morning. This time solo and at a different locale.

Well, that shot is a lovely one, Mark. I love the haze of the sunlight coming through the trees! Happy weekend, and hope you see a lot tomorrow.

>244 bell7: Thanks, Mary. Funny, I turned and saw that sunlight filtering through the trees and knew that would be a perfect photo and from my cellphone, too.

^I won The Lives of Edie Pritchard from ER! I am a big fan of Larry Watson, a former AAC inductee. Yippee!

I had a bird-sighting today, Mark. As I came around the corner of the house from the side garden, I heard a loud call over my head in the grapefruit tree. I got the camera and tried to get a photo, but it was amongst the tree limbs and the only one I got was fuzzy. Since it was pecking on the wood, I looked up woodpeckers in San Diego County and hit the jackpot right away. It was a Nuttall's Woodpecker, common to the native oaks here, but I have never seen one in 40 years. Here's a stock photo:

>247 ronincats: Hi, Roni! Great to see you. Hooray for seeing the Nuttall's Woodpecker! A beauty. Thanks for sharing. I hope to see one, on my post-retirement travels.

^Happy Independence Day, everyone! Be safe!

>243 msf59: Ooo, that's a lovely shot. I hope you see more birds on your independent (!) trip today.

Happy 4th of July, Mark! Enjoy your SBR. I hope you get a lifer.

>242 msf59: Nothing wrong with being a fuddyduddy now and then, right? Bill and I are always fuddyduddies. *smile*

>243 msf59: Beautiful photo.

>221 weird_O: >223 msf59:

Bet this Magpie video will send Magpies to the top of a lot of Lifer Lists!

I finished Glass House last night and I am so angry about what happened to Anchor Hocking and to Lancaster, Ohio. The story is simply not-to-be-believed, even though it happened. The author did a good job of tying so many strings together and making the story of Lancaster, Ohio come together for the reader. The demise of Anchor Hocking is a maze of financial shenanigans that should shame every invest banking corporation and make American's force their politicians to shape up and regulate them and stop gutting laws put in place in 2007 to keep this very kind of stock and debt manipulation from happening. Then the author ties all this to the apathy and the drug epidemic in states like Ohio. He makes a good case in many of arguments while showing compassion for people living in the situation; many of whom were his classmates in high school. He did a remarkable job.

"Corporate elites said they need free-trade agreements, so they got them. Manufactures said they needed tax breaks and public-money incentives in order to keep their plants operating in the United States, so they got them. Banks and financiers needed loser regulations, so they got them. Employers said the needed weaker unions - or no unions at all - so they got them. Private equity firms said they needed carried interest and secrecy, so they got them. Everybody, including Lancastrians themselves, said the needed lower taxes, so they got them. What did Lancaster and a hundred other towns like it get? Job losses, slashed wages, poor civic leadership, social dysfunction, drugs." page 291

Some might say this is a book written by an angry man. They are correct. Of course by the end I was an angry reader.

I say - he is speaking truth to power and he should carry on.

>202 msf59: Congratulations on your impending retirement Mark. Mr SandDune and myself have decided that we will be retiring next year, probably in the Spring for me, when I turn 60. I have noticed that my reading rate has gone done since I have stopped commuting to work from home as the amount of time I have for audiobooks has reduced exponentially.

>250 richardderus: >251 karenmarie: Happy 4th, Richard & Karen. Due to such a popular target bird, in this case the prairie warbler, I quickly joined a couple of other fellow birders in search of this rarity. They are an eastern US migrant but rarely venture into Illinois. With the assistance, of more experienced birders, I did see it briefly. Just enough to count it as a LIFER. I wish I could have reveled in it's beauty a bit longer.



^(NMP) Shit...I WISH!!!

>251 karenmarie: Hooray for the fuddyduddies!

>252 m.belljackson: Hi, Marianne. If these are the same magpies we have out west, I seen them in Colorado

>253 benitastrnad: That is an excellent quote, Benita. It sounds like a book we should all read. Sometimes anger is good.

>254 SandDune: Hi, Rhian. Great to see you. Hooray for 2021. I will be 61 later this month, so I agree that this is a good age range to finally pull the trigger. Unfortunately, my wife, who is nearly 6 years younger, will have awhile to wait.

>255 msf59: Congrats! Perhaps a second sighting will be longer so you can get your own picture :)

Happy July 4th and enjoy the rest of the weekend.

>257 figsfromthistle: Happy 4th, Anita and thanks. I do not think this rare warbler will be hanging around much longer and have a six day work week ahead of me, so I do not think I will get back out there, unfortunately.

Congrats on the Prairie Warbler!

Happy July 4th Mark! Did you get out birding to celebrate? Love the photo in >243 msf59:, such good lighting and all those soft greens are gorgeous. It looks like a special place.

In this difficult year with an unprecedented pandemic and where the ills of the past intrude sadly upon the present there must still be room for positivity. Be rightly proud of your country. To all my American friends, enjoy your 4th of July weekend.

>255 msf59: so pretty Mark.

>221 weird_O: Actually, I think it might really be a crow: a Hooded Crow



Hooded crow in front, magpie in the back. Magpie has a longer tail.

I hope the picture shows up for you, found it on this birding site:https://matthewwills.com/2017/09/23/a-cacophony-of-corvids/

And it's Swedish name is fun as well: Gråkråka

>255 msf59: Congrats on your Lifer!

>259 alphaorder: Thanks, Nancy. I hope to get a better look at it one of these days.

>260 mdoris: Thanks, Mary. Yes, I am getting out each morning, for a birding jaunt. Early too, to beat the heat. Yep, the arboretum is a special place around here, among many.

>261 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Very well said, sir. We are more divided than ever and that is sad.

>262 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline. It sure was.

>263 EllaTim: Hi, Ella. I am not sure where Bill's video was from, the US or Europe, but I could see it also being a hooded crow, which I am unfamiliar with.

^Heading out early. Once again, the target birds are the summer tanager and the male blue grosbeak. Can he do it?

>266 msf59: You can do it Mark! Enjoy your outing.

‘Morning, Mark, and happy Sunday to you.

>255 msf59: Yay for your lifer, boo hiss that you weren’t able to get a photo of him/her.

>263 EllaTim: I thought it wasn’t a magpie, but couldn’t figure out what it might be.

>266 msf59: And the search is on. Good hunting.

>255 msf59: Congratulations on your lifer, Mark!

>265 msf59: Bill's video is probably from Europe, the hooded crow is native in North and Eastern Europe.

>266 msf59: Good luck spotting the summer tanager or the male blue grosbeak.

Congratulations on adding a lifer, and good birding today!

^Struck out on today's target birds, (these guys are being particularly difficult and there were four other birders looking, with intense diligence). No usable bird photos either but we did see a few gorgeous red-headed woodpeckers and four osprey- 1 adult and three fledglings, in a nesting box. We needed the scope to see them. I did get a couple very nice woodland shots too, including the one above, once again with my cellphone camera.

>267 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura. I think you would really like this location. It has quickly become a favorite.

>268 karenmarie: Happy Sunday, Karen. Taking advantage of my 3 day weekend and navigating around the intense heat.

>269 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. I was not familiar with the hooded crow, but it does look like the one in the video.

>270 richardderus: Thanks, Richard. Happy Sunday!

Looks and sounds like you've had a good weekend, Mark, with some solid birding even without finding target birds.

I'm going to try Deacon King Kong, which I know you liked. I haven't read him in a while, and this one sounds intriguing. Like you, I won that Larry Watson ARC, so I'm looking forward to that. My next poet will probably be Sarah Kay, who has a huge online following.

Worse heat coming our way?! Say it ain't so!

>271 msf59: Another lovely photograph Mark.

Congratulations on reading 75 and beyond, Mark. If the photos are any indication, it looks like you have been having good weather. We've finally had sunshine for two days in a row. My fingers are crossed that it stays warm and sunny

>273 jnwelch:
Usually I am not interested in Oprah picks, but Deacon King Kong sounds intriguing. I have been thinking of reading it myself - but not right now.

>273 jnwelch: Hi, Joe. I did have a good 3 day weekend. Bird walks all 3 days. No reading today but I will catch up. I think Deacon King Kong was a terrific read and I see no reason why you won't have a good time with it.

And yes, the intense heat will continue. Possibly the next 10 or more days. Ugh!

>274 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline.

>275 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. We have been having an intense heat wave, 90F-plus for over a week and will continue for at least another week. Ugh!

>276 benitastrnad: I loved Deacon King Kong, Benita. Did you snag a copy from ALA?

Oh my, Mark, you are retiring in eight weeks!! -- right at the same time as my knee replacement. 😬 I like your countdown better than mine but I am looking forward to pain-free (ish?) walking. And I'm down to 13 months so I can hang in there.

I'm currently reading and loving Hamnet -- so very good!

Electronics glitches have added to relentless work pressure to make LT hard to fit in but I'm still around. 😀

>263 EllaTim: Good to hear from people who know. I didn't think the bird was a crow; the American crows I've seen are all black. I saw a few magpies in Ireland a couple of years ago. I accept your ID with thanks.

So Mark. Photo of mama and her new hatchling.

Congratulations on the lifer! A gorgeous bird! I got a decent picture of a GBH a couple of days ago. Eventually I'll get it on my thread. I saw a spotted towhee yesterday. They are quite plentiful around here, but it's the first time I was aware of seeing one. No picture. The heron was cooperative! :-) Lovely woodland picture!

>277 msf59:
Yep! Got it at ALA.

Looks like there may never be another physical ALA. The winter conference was about dead and my guess is that Covid 19 will kill the summer one. I know that the publishers are almost quit printing ARC's and are pushing the digital print copies really hard. It may be that only BookExpo will end up having a conference and, maybe the Public Librarians. We had better hope that this Covid thing ends - not just gets controlled - or there won't be any more free books or librarians conferences.

>278 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen. Great to see you. Yep, it is 7 weeks now. I am so glad to hear, that you are getting the knee replacement and hopefully a pain-free existence. I promise you, 13 months will fly by. Sorry, to hear that work has been so tough.

>279 weird_O: The crow/magpie debate continues, Bill. I LOVE the snowy owl with her hatchling. That is a wonderful shot.

>280 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. Look at you, being all birdy. Grins...Looking forward to seeing your GBH photo. There was a spotted towhee, which is very rare this far east, hanging around someone's backyard, for a couple of months. I never got over to see it, but several birder pals of mine did. Cool birds. We have the eastern towhee, which we like having around too.

>281 benitastrnad: Oh, that would be sad, Benita! We LOVE our ALAs and I will be retired too, so much more flexible to check them out.

BTW- I should be close to wrapping up The Prisoner of Heaven which has been a terrific read. An under-rated trilogy, IMHO.

'Morning, Mark! I hope your work week goes by quickly. Any special vacation plans?

Morning, Karen. We are going on two different WI outings, during my week off, hanging with friends. I hope it will be cooler up there.

How could it not be cooler in Northern Wisconsin?! Noooo, not global warming there too!

Anyway, sorry about your six-day stretch.

Morning, Richard. It still gets hot in WI, but hopefully a little less extreme than here, with more comfortable humidity levels. Fingers crossed.

>283 msf59:
The Carlos Ruiz Zafon series is a quartet. The final book in the quartet is Labyrinth of the Spirits. My local public library has it and I am hoping to get there this week and check it out. I is a big novel - I think close to 500 pages. Then I plan on reading his YA novels. We have several of them in our collection. (I bought them for the collection because of how good his adult novels were. I figured his YA stuff would be good too. Paul confirmed that with Marina.) 🥰

I thought I'd pop in here and leave a "Hello!" before you start another thread. : )

I have been so much enjoying watching the birds in the garden during lockdown, Mark.

On a regular basis we have the following:
House sparrows
Starlings
Blue tits
Great tits
Robins
Wood pigeons
Magpies
Blackbirds
Dunnocks

I have also seen:
Collared dove
Goldfinch
Jackdaw
Crow
Sparrowhawk
Red Kite

The sparrowhawk was very exciting as it dived down to catch one of the baby starlings, but Mr SandDune startled it and the fledgling escaped. The first seven species have been breeding either in or very close to our garden as they have all been feeding their fledglings on our bird feeders. I’m not sure whether there are more birds this year or whether I just haven’t noticed them as much previously.

>288 benitastrnad: Thanks for reminding me that the Zafon series is a quartet. I had forgot all about Labyrinth of the Spirits and I do not recall any LT activity on it either, do you? And yes, it is massive, pushing more like 900 pages. Wow! Maybe, I can squeeze in the audio before I retire.

>289 Berly: Hey, Kimmers. Always good to see you. Yep, starting the new one tonight.

>290 SandDune: Hi, Rhian. Thanks for your birdwatching update. Your garden sounds wonderful. That is an impressive list of birds, especially the sparrowhawk and the kite. Wow. Go Mr SandDune, for saving the fledglings!

Mark - How did I miss your vacation dates?

For you and Joe - and other Larry Watson fans - my local (Larry's too!) independent bookshop is hosting an event with him on the publication date. https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwkdOisqDgrGdPITUwl82_E6QBMP_gipshI

I will be on vacation at a cottage in northern Wisconsin, so I may not attend. I am sure my copy will be waiting for me when I return.

>293 alphaorder: Hi, Nancy. Since I canceled the week of my daughter's wedding, I decided to take the week of the 13th off. We will be hanging with friends in Eau Claire and in Rhinelander. Should be fun.

If you saw my earlier post, I have a copy of the new Watson coming, from ER. Yah!!