Joe's Fifth Book Cafe of 2026

Books Read in 2026

January 2026

1. This Place Kills Me by Mariko Tamaki*
2. Carl’s Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman
3. The Day the Moon and Earth Had an Argument* by David Duff, The Crystal Heart* by Aaron Shephard, and The Knives* by Brubaker/Phillips.
4. Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens.
5. Drawing on Walls* by Matthew Burgess.
6. Isola by Allegra Goodman. Good but not great story of parentless Marguerite growing up spoiled by her rich circumstances, but still good-hearted, in a medieval castle-type setting, until her guardian uncle sells her lands and takes heron a journey to the New World - Canada. She ends up left on an empty stony island where she overcomes her coddled upbringing and survives under animal and weather duress. She finally makes herway back to France and is reunited with her dear friend Claire, and all turns out well.
7. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. An epistolary novel. The life of in-her-70s Sybil Van Antwerp, as revealed in letters to and from her, and some unsent ones. She mentors a brilliant but socially teenage boy, who lives with her when things are their worst. She spars with her daughter Fiona, both of them longing for a better relationship but can’t figure out how to get it. She reveals all - almost all - to her best friend Rosalie, who has exchanged letters with her since they were little girls. Sybil lost her young son under heart-rending circumstances that broke her family apart and caused her husband to leave her. Now, at her advanced age, she finds herself caught between two men who both want her. And she unexpectedly learns she has a closely similar sister in Scotland she knew nothing about.. Well done and worthy of the popularity it has attained mainly through word of mouth.

8.Twelve Months by Jim Butcher. Harry Dresden is back, in another corker of a story. Queen Mab of the winter court has appointed Harry her Winter Knight, and told him he will be marrying Lara Raith, currently head of the White Court of Vampires. Harry is still mourning the loss of Karrin Murphy, a cop who battled alongside him and who reciprocated his love.. Harry., as usual, is not inclined to be easily compliant to authority, but Lara is intoxicatingly beautiful and brilliant in her own right, and Queen Mab has sufficient power to make it stick. Meanwhile, Harry is dedicated to freeing his half-brother Thomas (a vampire) from the clutches of a Hunger demon, and to free Thomas’s kidnapped pregnant wife, too. Lots of good ingredients for a juicy tale, and as usual Butcher manages to blend them into a tasty and satisfying dish.

February 2026

9. Stolen in Death by J.D. Robb. Another solid Eve-Roarke procedural, centered around stolen jewelry and a seemingly unnecessary death. Roarke had connections to the jewelry, and a woman from his past surfaces.

10. Villette by Charlotte Bronte. See review below.

11. A Bride’s Story 15 by Kaoru Mori. In this one we’re mostly in England instead of the Silk Road, as Smith brings Talas home with the intention of marrying her. His parents disapprove, of course, and think she must be from India (she’s from Turkistan, IIRC). They settle in his family’s enormous “cottage”, with sheep for Talas to happily tend. Mori’s drawing skills continue to impress and even improve.

12. Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Review below.

13. Anti-Hero by Gregg Hurwitz. Descent into the sordid porn and abuse of women business. During an epileptic seizure in public, Anca is kidnapped by four teenage men who proceed to brutalize and rape her, then sell the film to a porn site. Evan, with the help of his techno-wizard adopted daughter Joey, and former nemesis Candy, rescues Anca, tracks down the young men and brings them to justice via new nemesis FBI agent Naomi Templeton, who’s wiiling to work with him on this. He also straightens out a falling añart billionaire genius, who in turn helps him destroy the porn site that is fomenting the abuse.

March 2026

14. Antarctica by Claire Keegan. Short stories by the author of Foster and Small Things Like These. She was able to convey a lotbin those short novels, and the same happens here. The title story is a masterwork as a woman dissatisfied with her marriage goes on a risky adventure. The author has a knack for ending a story sooner than you’d expect, with perfection, so that you’re satisfied yet your mind carries on the story into what happens beyond. Looking forward to her next novel.

15. Murder in Mistake by Anne Cleeland. Kathleen Doyle once again uses his truth-sorting powers and dream visits from a ghost to help her husband Lord Acton solve a complicated set of murders where veiled motives cause misdirection. There’s a new baby girl who needs breast-feeding, but Doyle handles a busy maternity leave with her usual aplomb. Love this series; always a pleasure to reunite with Doyle and Acton.

16. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.* A competently done graphic version. This story is always appealing, but I kept thinking of the much more magical illustrations of Inga Moore.

17. Lucas Wars by Laurent Hopman.*

18. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. The first in a silly fun post-apocalyptic series.

19. The Crossroads by CJ Box. A Joe Pickett mystery in which Joe is in a hospital bed coma for most of it, after an ambush that gave him a bullet wound to the head. His three daughters investigate, which is fun.

20. The Hard Line by Mark Greaney. Another exciting Gray Man adventure. This time Court Gentry, the GM, is working with a team to thwart a Chine attempt to take over U.S. intelligence services with the help of high-up traitors. They send multiple GM-level assassins to kill key intelligence operatives. Among them are two with personal scores to settle with the Gray Man. One targets the GM’s father, which results in the GM and his father teaming up to fight a half dozen trained killers. Another fun thriller in this reliably action-filled series.

21. Please Wait to Cross by our cousin Elissa Bass. I enjoyed her Happy Hour, but this one a little less. Part of that is the inclusion of a somewhat grisly murder scene in an otherwise lightish romance novel. I can definitely see why she did it -it sets up a future valuable section about the main character’s good works, but yhe tonal asymmetry didn’t work for me.

22. Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis. The first half of this novel about an unhappy academician trying to get tenure at and Oxford/Cambridge-type university had me wondering why the book is revered. (I got it off that BBC Top 100 list). The introduction talks about how much Amis detested the academic environment and hidebound tradition, and it shows. In the second half Jim becomes more sympathetic, and his passive agressivevbattles with forces thst be (the main villain is named Welch, but I didn’t hold that against the book), and efforts to mollify a histrionic romantic interest while also pursuing a level-headed beauty made the reading much more interesting. As impossible as it seemed early on, thigs work out okay for Lucky Jim.

23. Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Not my cuppa. An intolerably Christian father who oppresses his wife and daughters, and tries to force his Christian beliefs on African natives (the Congo) without for am minute considering their existing beliefs or, for that matter, their daily lives.

24. Theo of Golden by Allen Levi. The self-published phenomenon by a first-time author. A huge bestseller. Theo is a handsome, charming 86 year old man who comes to a small Georgia town, Golden, and keeps information about himself under wraps. He loves a local artist’s portraits of the townspeople and proceeds to buy them bit by bit. He arranges to give their portrait to each subject in exchange for time discussing their lives. In this way he becomes a valued member of the community. I enjoyed the community members and Theo, and Levi deftly mixes it up so it doesn’t get repetitive. Turns out that Theo had quite a life pre-Golden, and has unexpected connections to the town. A well done feel good novel.

25. Becoming Yourself by Shunryu Suzuki. Suzuki was an influential Zen master and author of one of my favorite Buddhist books. Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind. This one is a loose collection of transcribed talks Suzuki gave at the San Francisco Zen Center, which my Chicago Zen Center is affiliated with. I love his lighthearted skepticism about all the behavioral rules (e.g. the 16 precepts). His view: they’re important, but don’t overweight them. If you sit (meditate) well and get yourself into the compassionate Buddhist mindset, you’ll be fulfilling them without even thinking about it. The book also has a chapter by his wife about her life with Suzuki, and Suzuki’s explanation of how he learned Zen, and how and why he came to America to teach us Buddhism. Start with Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind. If you love it, you’ll want to read this one.

26. The Waves by Virginia Woolf. My goddaughter’s favorite of hers, and one of the BBC Top 100. Very poetic writing; consists of a half dozen or so freeflowing interior monologues interspersed witb lovely descriptions of the sea and shore. Stuctured from sunrise to sunset, it tracks the connected characters as they age from young to old. Explores the growth of identity and aspirations for unity over loneliness. Impressive, but my favorites remain Mrs. Dalloway and A Room of One’s Own.

27. The Astral Library by Kate Quinn. This fantasy novel on its face seemed like such a departure for this author of excellent historical novels like The Alice Network, The Rose Code and The Briar Club. But her Afterword makes it clear that she’s been an avid fantasy reader her whole life. She makes good use of that knowledge, as this novel features the ability to enter and live in the books of the Astral Library. This is a godsend for 26 year old Alix, who after being raised in multiple foster homes is eking out a meager existence cobbling together part time jobs, including one at the Boston Public Library. The Librarian in the AL is ancient and dragon- tough, and somewhat reluctantly takes on Alix as an assistant. This lead to adventures in multiple books, as the AL seems to be under a mysterious attack. Wearing the right clothing in books such as Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice is always an issue, particularly since the library’s funding (of course) has been cut, like every library’s. Luckily Alix’s best friend Beau is a rising fashion design star who can kit her out. Dire dilemmas relating to the attacks keep the book hopping, and it ended up being a very enjoyable diversion in our stressful time. A book lover’s, and fantasy lover’s delight. Given her enjoyment of the genre, I suspect that this is not the last we’ll see of Alix and the AL.

April 2026

28. Oh Brother by Georgina Chadderton. A graphic memoir from Austria about a young girl growing up with a brother very much on the autism spectrum. Rob is mostly non- verbal, so clever that they have combination locks on every door, and sometimes violent. Her parents are great with him, but he affects every aspect of their lives. Taking him to get his haircut or to the dentist is a major operation which he resists. Gina has trouble making friends but makes a good one in Callie, who puts up with Rob even after he bites her. Gina has her own anxieties and difficulties at school, but loves Rob and knows he always has to come first. . From an afterword we know that Rob becomes increasingly difficult, and after he turns 18 is moved to a house that provides proper. Gina learns at 32 that she’s on the spectrum, too. . What I particularly liked about this book is I haven’t often gotten this perspective from a sibling on a spectrum-resider. The graphics were so-so.

29. There is No Antimemetics Division by qntm. A VERY high concept sci-fi book about battling a creature who preys on memories.

30. The Violence: My Family’s Colombian War by Adrian’s Es Ramirez.
31. More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa. Liked its “Days” predecessor a lot. The first half was a snooze.💤 Peaceful, but not much happening. The second half took a turn for the much better, with suppressed characters opening up to each other. I ended up glad I read it, and I’ll read more by this author.

32. Anger by Thich Nhat Hanh. Subtitled “Wisdom for Cooling the Fames”, I found it very helpful in trying to defuse and calm down my anger. Mindful breathing, embracing the anger and taking care of it like a loved one, rather than suppressing it or”venting it”. He says the last may give temporary relief, but in the end it just feeds the anger. Lots of good stuff about getting relationships back on track, the roles of parents, and more. Glad I read this one.

33. Transition by Ben Lerner. A disappointment that probably is my fault. Book critics have been robustly supportive of this one, and it basically sailed over my head. Supposedly an examination of memory and digital recording in novel form, it unfortunately did little for me. The most interesting part was when the main character’s daughter had an eating disorder that got straightened out.

May 2026

34. The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst. This cozy fantasy was delightful from beginning to end. It took me back to the first fantasies I read as a lad, and the pleasure I took in them. Clarisa’s boyfriend breaks her heart, and she needs to get away for the summer to heal. Her Aunt Zee needs help at her Vermont Inn, which turns out to have some wonderful secrets and surprising guests. A treat to read.

35. Woods & Words: The story of Poet Mary Oliver by Sara Holly Ackerman.

36. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. Re-read. Spiritual and Buddhist, but also warmly personal and touching. This was an impressive re-read: not an easy subject to make so appealing.

37. Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood. Like our daughter, I’ve enjoyed this author’s STEM romances. This non-STEM one was just okay.

38. Platform Decay by Martha Wells. It has the humor we’ve all enjoyed, led by SecUnit’s skepticism concerning all things human, sometimes surfacing as distaste (e.g., our constant need for bathrooms) and sometimes an inability to understand (why the attempts to interpret his expression). I was a little disappointed by the somewhat unilinear plot: Murderbot has to rescue humans trapped on a space station from pursuing corporate villains out to capture or kill them. He connives his way through the ginormous space station, hoping to reconnect with an escape shuttle. His rescuees include weak and incomprehensible (to him) children whom he must reluctantly accommodate. It’s fun, but for me doesn’t reach the heights of some of its predecessors.

39. Wild for Austen by Devoney Looser. It’s subtitled “A Rebellious, Subversive and Untamed Jane”. The author is a well-known Austen scholar with other Austen books under her belt. This one seeks to dispel the notion that Austen was a cloistered, prim village girl with little exposure to the outside world. Looser’s arguments are effective. Through her brothers and other relatives and acquaintances she got around much more than commonly thought, and her inner fire was often on display. An authorial tic that annoyed me was Looser’s repeated use of the word “wild” to advance her premise. Among the otherwise skillful writing and meticulous research, it felt surprisingly amateurish. Still, I was impressed by the breadth of her knowledge and the depth of that research. It was great learning more about a favorite author and her works. I’m re-inspired to dig into her sometimes naughty, sometimes hilariously mean-spirited Juvenalia.

40. The Golden Hour by Niki smith.*. A well-done 235 page graphic story about Manuel, 10-11 years old, who was traumatized by a school shooter, but thought to pull the fire alarm and ended up saving his art teacher. A school project leads to friendship with white farm boy Sebastian and black classmate Caysha, both of whom help Manuel (who is Latin) when he gets triggered by noises or events.

It’s well done - also featuring realistic parents who are open-minded- and I hope it gets found by YAs and middle grade readers. The warm friendships are a highlight.

41. Out Law by Jim Butcher. A fun outing with Chicago wizard Harry Dresden. Harry is teaching a young apprentice wizard named Fitz, who knows how to create fire and some other things, but is ignorant of a whole lot more. Meanwhile chief gangster Marcone has called in a chip to have Harry help an annoying low echelon gangster, Tripp, go straight. It turns out Tripp is owed $10 mill by a rival gang leader after winning a bet, and the rival would rather kill him than pay it. The rival has a fantastically strong black blob called The Lurker doing what he asks; it gets inside animals and people and takes them over. The rival’s right hand man has the Lurker inside him. Harry, helped by the Valkyrie Bear, has to keep Tripp safe, get the $10 million for Tripp’s legit new charity, and defeat the rival and the Lurker. He figures out a clever way to do that with the help of Demonreach, and at the same time teach both Fitz and Tripp some valuable lessons.. I was very happy to have another Harry Dresden story to read.

42. Night Watch by Kevin Young. One of the best poetry collections I’ve read in a while. I always find it hard to describe poetry collections. I’ll think some more and maybe post an excerpt or two. Meanwhile I’m going to look for his previous collection, Stones.

43. Names and Faces by Leise Hook. A well-illustrated graphic memoir about a biracial Asian/white girl. She’s caught betwixt and between and has trouble figuring out her own identity. She grows up to look white. Her happiest time seemed to be when she was in an international school filled with mixed race children. There nobody thought there was something odd about her appearance.

She explores her Chinese heritage and experiments with her hair, going through a blonde phase. The lack of Asian role models, including in American girl dolls, troubles her mind. It’s all interesting enough, and caused me to think a lot more about what life is like for biracial people. But there is no real resolution. I suspect that there will be a second book covering more of her journey. She appears to marry a white man, so there may be more ruminations not only about her own identity, but that of any children.

44. This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page. A charmer in which a widow’s late husband leaves her a book a month for a year at a local bookstore, with a letter for each as to why. Some send her on adventures, others have other purposes. In the process the bookstore personnel also have an effect on her life. An enjoyable read, and each chapter begins with book recommendations from the bookstore owner which hit the spot for me and lead me already to a good book I hadn’t known about.

45. Tales from the Cafe by Kai Taksini. A follow-up to Before the Coffee Gets Cold in which the cafe time travelers travel to the past, and in one instance the future, to deal with grief issues. There are two more books in this series that I’ll likely read.

46. If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin. A family in crisis at an unexpected pregnancy and a racist cop who put the innocent father in prison.

June 2026

47. Visitations: Poems by Julia Alvarez, the author of A Time of Butterflies. Very satisfying poems that read like short stories, covering memories from her entire life, which started in the Dominican Republic. In an afterward she notes that she was first published as a poet and that this volume isn’t a departure from novel-writing but a return to her love of poetry. I’ll be looking for earlier collections.

48. The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant by Liza Tully. Like many others, I imagine, I couldn’t resist that title! Merritt is the terse, brusque, detail-retentive detective, and Blunt is her enthusiastic, not as bright assistant who is a good surrogate for the reader. It reminds me a bit of the Hawthorne and Horowitz relationship in Anthony Horowitz’s murder mysteries. Blunt also feels a bit under-used and disrespected.

It was quite enjoyable - was it suicide or murder? If murder, whodunnit and why? There’s a large cast of familial and other suspects. When it finished, the relationship had developed to where I thought, this likely is the start of a series and, sure enough, their new one will be out any minute now, The Forty Year Grudge.

49.

* Denotes a graphic work

Books One

Books Two

Books Three

Books Four

Books Five

Books Six

Books Seven

Looks like it's safe to step inside? Hope your technical difficulties are soon resolved, Joe.

>10 laytonwoman3rd:. You bet, Linda. I hope all is going well for you. Reading anything you particularly like lately?

I didn’t get a programming fix for the tech difficulties, but did get some strategies to reduce the risks of their happening. This new thread is one of them.😀

My best recent read was Rabbi Buchdahl's memoir, Heart of a Stranger, and right now I'm enjoying Jose Saramago's The Elephant's Journey. Life is pretty good.

Happy new thread, Joe. I'm hoping to get my own set up some time this weekend. It's just too gorgeous outside to waste at my computer. This perfect weather won't last long before the big heat starts and I need to take advantage. Besides gardening, I'm just soaking up sitting outside with a book.

I also just finished the same memoir Linda did, by Rabbi Angela Buchdahl. I thought of you a bit while reading it, as, if you hadn't known, she has a Jewish father and a Buddhist mother and she talks a fair bit about how they overlap and blend and made her who she is. I will have a review if I ever get my new thread set up.

>12 laytonwoman3rd:, Ah, thanks for letting me know, Linda. I’ve yet to read Saramago, believe it or not. I have his Blindness, and thought I’d start with that. Good idea?

Debbi might know Rabbi Buchdahl; nope, I just got a chance to ask her and she doesn’t. I hope you enjoy her memoir. Life does sound pretty good! I hope your weather is decent and the rest of your weekend continues in this groove.

>13 jessibud2:. Soaking up sitting outside with a book and gardening sounds most excellent. Ditto for me, except for the gardening. 😀. It’s gorgeous here; Debbi and Becca are running a very successful yard sale featuring Becca’s cast off books. She reads 200+ a year, and this is one way she funds new ones on a schoolteacher’s salary. Lazy moi provided set up muscle earlier, and now I’m keeping an eye on her dog Indy.

I’ll look for your review of Rabbi Angela Buhdahl’s book. You had me at Jewish father and Buddhist mother! It’s worked well in our house- we belong to a Reform temple that has no problem with my beliefs, and contributed a lot to our kids growing up well. Both children identify as Jewish, and let me sneak in some Buddhism on occasion. I’ll look for Angela and her book, too. Thich Nhat Hanh would be the first to say that Buddhism, with no deity, just the best way to live, works well with religions like Christianity and Judaism, and I imagine Islam, too.

>12 laytonwoman3rd:
I read Elephant's Journey and thought it was a very good work of historical fiction.

>14 jnwelch:
Blindness and its sequel Seeing are probably Saramago's most famous books. I started with Blindness and found it a fascinating work of fiction. It is probably his most political book. I say that because I think it is an allegory. At times I am not sure what it is an allegory for, but it is a book that stays with you and that I think about from time-to-time. And I read it about 15 years ago. It is very puzzling and powerful.

>14 jnwelch: I am experiencing Saramago for the first time myself, Joe. I am having a good time with his wit. As Benita says, it's historical fiction, because it is based on an actual event. But it's a clever exploration of human foibles, too. I'll definitely seek out more of his work.

As for Rabbi Buchdahl, she is currently the senior rabbi of Central Synagogue (a Reform congregation) in NYC. I'm sure I'd enjoy meeting her. My review of her book is here.

>14 jnwelch: Found in THE HEAVEN AND EARTH GROCERY STORE -

Shulchan Aruch

Wisdom
Meekness
Fear of God
Love of Truth
Love of People
Possession of a Good Name
Dislike of Money

(Yes, would definitely work with Judaism (!) and Christianity -
not certain about Islam, given how Mohammed opened his religion.)

New-thread orisons, Joe!

Happy new thread, Joe!

I hope it remains free of any issues that tangled the last one.

Happy new thread!

Happy number 5, Joe.

Happy new one, Joe!! Hope I post more than once on this one. ; ) Happy reading!

Happy Sunday, Joe. Happy New Thread! I am off to MI, so I will check in when I return.

>15 benitastrnad:. That’s very encouraging for Blindness, Benita, thanks. Sounds like my kind of book.

>16 laytonwoman3rd:. Heart of a Stranger sounds great, Linda. Thanks for the link to your well-done review. That’s the best, when an author makes you wish you had the chance to hang out with her on a regular basis.

I didn’t realize you were newly experiencing Saramago. You and Benita have moved him right up the TBR hill.

>17 m.belljackson:. Intriguing, Marianne, thanks. Heaven and Earth Grocery Store is a great book, isn’t it. The knowledgeable Jewish component surprised me after Deacon King Kong. I forgot about his mother.

I need to learn more about Islam.

>18 richardderus:. Thanks, Richard! The word “orisons” always makes me think of angels singing.😀

>19 quondame:. Thanks, Susan. Yes, so far so good on the technical difficulties. It’s a relief.

>20 figsfromthistle:. Thanks, Anita!

>21 PaulCranswick:. Thanks, Paul. 5’s my lucky number, so this bodes well.

>22 Berly: Thanks, Kim! No worries. It’s a treat when you can make it here, but I know you’re a busy woman. It’s fun to cross paths on Duolingo.

>23 msf59:. Happy Sunday, buddy. Have fun in Michigan!

>14 jnwelch: Our Book Club read Cain by Saramago a few years ago. Mixed reviews but I liked it.

Blindness is a good 'un too, but it's Saramago firing with both barrels. Neat, no chaser.

and a tip of the Hatlo Hat in celebration of your new thread Joe.

>25 jnwelch: Good starts for learning about Islam:

1. Islamic Empires by Justin Marozzi

2. Nomad by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

3. Heretic by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

All powerful and full of truth...

>30 m.belljackson:. Many thanks, Marianne. A little too ambitious for me right now, but I appreciate the thought.

>29 magicians_nephew:. Ha! Thanks for sending me into the archives, Jim. I imagine I’ve seen Jimmy Hatlo cartoons before, but didn’t properly appreciate who the cartoonist was. Apparently he’s the origin of “a tip of the hat”, which I use a lot. Thank you Jimmy and Jim.😀

>28 magicians_nephew:. Hmm. Thanks, Jim. Kudos to your adventurous book club. I wonder whether Seeing is the chaser to Saramago’s Blindness? Anyway, it sounds like I have a good place to start.

>31 jnwelch: Ayaan was Theo Van Gogh's closest friend when he was murdered by a Muslim -
with a note on his chest that she and Jewish people could be next...

The Dutch wanted her to leave her adopted country...

Happy new thread, Joe! I hope they get your technical difficulties straightened out.

>32 m.belljackson:. Thanks for the info, Marianne.

>33 Familyhistorian:. Thanks, Meg!

Abigail looked into the technical difficulties, but the true mystery seems destined to remain unsolved. The good news: her suggestion of a new thread is working well. The problems have disappeared, and I’m hoping they stay gone.

Happy new thread! Hope all of the technical issues stay away!

Happy new thread, Joe!

>32 m.belljackson:. Thanks for the info, Marianne.

>33 Familyhistorian:. Thanks, Meg!

Abigail looked into the technical difficulties, but the true mystery seems destined to remain unsolved. The good news: her suggestion of a new thread is working well. The problems have disappeared, and I’m hoping they stay gone.

Joe - The Great Stupa at Sanchi is featured in WONDERS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD - a remarkable old classic to revisit.

>35 foggidawn:. Thanks, Misti! I was just telling LT’s Abigail that there have been no problems since we started the new thread. Phew. Kinda like rebooting, I guess.

>36 drneutron:. Thanks, Jim! Have you been keeping up with Ann Leckie? I’m going to try Radiant Star.

>38 m.belljackson:. Fun, Marianne. Enjoy your armchair traveling!

Today’s Bargain: Sea of Tranquility by Emily St.John Mandel for $2.99 on e-readers. This cast its spell on me; she’s the author of the terrific Station Eleven.

>39 jnwelch: ps. It's a Buddhist shrine!

>39 jnwelch: I haven’t been - sounds like a good one!

>42 drneutron: 👍. It’s up next for me, Jim.

>41 m.belljackson:. Right, thanks, Marianne.

>40 jnwelch: You should enjoy that one!! And thanks for the continued bargain notifications. ; )

>40 jnwelch: And she has a new one out in September! I'm a huge fan too and I can't wait!

>44 Berly:. Good morning, Kim! I did enjoy Sea of Tranquility, and I’m glad that you did, too. What a most excellent author she is.

You’re welcome re the bargains. It’s always fun to see what’s being offered, and often to reminisce about a rewarding read.

>45 vivians:. Hi, Vivian. A new one from Emily St. John Mandel in September? Thanks - can’t wait! She’s a spellcaster, she is.

Hi Joe, mate, Happy New Thread dear friend. Hope this finds you, Debbi and the family all well.

Regarding Saramago, who is high on my list of favorite authors, Blindness was the first book of his that I read, in 2000 or 2001, which I thought was harrowing but absolutely brilliant. It does take time to get used to his sentence structure, though, as his sentences not infrequently extend beyond one page and they often lack quotations to let the reader know who is speaking.

As an alternative to Blindness I would highly recommend The Stone Raft and Death at Intervals (alternate title: Death with Interruptions), which are two great comic novels.

BTW the ebook version of The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis is on sale today for $2.99. It's considered as one of Saramago's greatest novels, and because I can't remember if I read it or not—LibraryThing tells me that I haven't, but it's possible I did before I became a member here in 2006—I decided to purchase it, along with Ancestor Stones by Aminatta Forna, another favorite author of mine.

>48 kidzdoc:
I ran across my copy of Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis a few weeks ago. Now that I know where it is, perhaps I can get it read?

>49 benitastrnad: I was looking at a summary of The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis last night, which reminded me that Ricardo Reis was one of the heteronyms of the great Portuguese writer Fernando Pessoa. I've been wanting to read my copy of Pessoa: A Biography by Richard Zenith ever since I visited Lisbon in 2018 or 2019. It's a door stopper, though, as it's slightly less than 1100 pages, so I don't know if I'll get to either book this year, or Pessoa's masterpiece The Book of Disquiet, which Zenith translated into English.

Today’s Bargain: The Miniature Wife by Manuel Gonzalez for $1.99 on e-readers.. A mind-bending short story collection. Clever and witty and askew.

>50 kidzdoc:
Pessoa was very famous in Portugal and lived in very difficult times under the Salazar regime. In many ways the history of Portugal parallels that of Spain under Franco. I really need to dig out that copy of Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis and get it read.

>52 benitastrnad: Right, Benita. I learned about all of this when I visited Portugal in 2018 or 2019.

>53 kidzdoc:. 👍

>52 benitastrnad:. Hi, Benita. I’ll need to find Pessoa and figure out which book is the best starter for me.

>50 kidzdoc:. Hi, Darryl. I thought heteronym was same spelling, but different meaning and pronunciation, like tear (rip) and tear (eye water)?

Would an uninitiated Pessoa tourist start with The Book of Disquiet?

>49 benitastrnad:. What got you started with Pessoa, Benita? Why were you drawn to his books?

>49 benitastrnad:. Congratulations on your liber-location, Benita.😀

>48 kidzdoc:. Thanks for the heads-up on the Saramago stylistic challenges, IDarryl. That will help stave off my “what the heck?” and to get me situated, and help me persist if it’s initially off-putting.

I’m taking mental note of his two great comic novels conditioned on my enjoying the boat trip down the river Blindness. Ditto re the bargain Ricardo Reis.

I read a different Aminatta Forna - Happiness - and wasn’t as taken by it as other readers were. Without more, I probably wouldn’t read another of hers.

>47 johnsimpson:. Hi, mate. Thanks a lot. We’re all well, and are taking a Disney cruise trip together to Alaska in two weeks. It should be a hoot with those two grandlittles on board.

I hope you and your expanding family are doing well, too. Are you reading hefty tomes again? I’ll stop by.

From Ghalen today: “It sounds like you are sometimes willing to give up what you need for others. That’s what it is to be a real man or woman.”

I like that definition. Makes me think of my days as a callow youth.

>54 jnwelch: Hi Joe, the word heteronym can have a different meaning when it's used in a literary sense. According to Wikipedia, "The literary concept of the heteronym refers to one or more imaginary character(s) created by a writer to write in different styles. Heteronyms differ from pen names (or pseudonyms, from the Greek words for "fake" and "name") in that the latter are just false names, while the former are characters that have their own supposed physiques, biographies, and writing styles." Pessoa used this technique in The Book of Disquiet to describe different characters, that I believe were meant to be alter egos of himself, but I haven't read the novel, or the biography I referred to, to know for certain.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heteronym_(literature)

>54 jnwelch: I'm sorry that reading Happiness didn't make you, um, happy. I gave it 4½ stars, so Forna may not be your cup of Joe.

I do learn a lot on your thread, Joe.

>59 ffortsa:. 😂. You and me both, Judy!

>58 kidzdoc:. Thanks, buddy. Yeah, one thing I’ve learned on LT more than anywhere else is that books that I assume eveyone will love because they were such a hit with me = nope. And it can be for unexpected reasons, like me not appreciating enough how a scene might affect dog lovers, or that some people are turned off by prevalent swear words. Or simply that what I found so exciting bores someone else.

I had a bookstore customer come in once who I didn’t know but as I remember it I learned that he loved flying and the space program, so I recommended Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff. Great research and writing, and right on topic. Had to be a reading home run, right? A week or so later he came back in just to let me know that he didn’t like the book at all. If it happened today I’d explore why, but back then I was too shocked by the failure and his animus to say much. Never saw him again. He probably found a store more on his wavelength.

Anyway, Happiness just didn’t grab me, and I don’t quibble with your 4.5. It was very well written, but missed me as a target. The same happened recently with Isola.

And I LOVED When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzen, and said so here (Debbi loved it, too). I’m sure a number of people thought, a novel about an old man dying, and his dog, and an uncomprehending son, and a muy simpático caregiver? Doesn’t exactly sound like a sunny day in the park. But it was so good! Makes me think of Kent Haruf, who so successfully delves into souls making do on cloudy days. Not everyone’s cuppa.

>57 kidzdoc:. Thanks so much for your patience, Darryl. I knew the term but had never heard that second, even more interesting meaning. I’ll have to think awhile about what authors I know that have used a heteronomic character like that. Yeah, it made me think of “alter ego”, too, but it’s not necessarily that, is it?

Google AI identifies the narrator and Tyler Durden as a heteronomic duo in Palahniuk’s Fight Club, and also cites the Saramago book you mention.

>60 jnwelch: I thought When the Cranes Fly South was OK, but I spent half the book wondering why the son didn't just hire a nearby kid/teen to walk the dog? Dog would still get his exercise and old guy would be happy 'cause he gets to keep his dog. Seems simple enough to me.

>62 kac522:. Yeah, me too, Kathy (hire a teen to walk the dog). Legit criticism.

My aggravation, as a reader, with the son reminded me of Haruf’s Our Souls at Night, where children interfered with their elders’ romance. Yes, the parent can become the child and the child the parent. But credit the oldster with some self-determination and respect that. My dad, as he became more and more incompetent, still wanted to stay in his house. My sisters and I moved heaven and earth to make that happen. I would’ve used your sensible solution for Bo and Sixten.

>63 jnwelch: Yes, my mother was the same and died at home with hospice caretakers. She insisted her hospital bed be put in the middle of the living room, so she could be in the midst of everything.

>57 kidzdoc: Fascinating literary concept. Trying to think of a book I've read that explores this...

>60 jnwelch: So many things affect our love of books -- #1 for me is they have to hit me at the right time or they might not be fully appreciated. No way you can accurately predict that for someone else when you make a recommendation, but I still do it! And I still want to get them. : )

Is it too late for me to wish you a happy new thread, Joe? Stopping by before I get too far behind to hope you have an excellent weekend!

Today’s Bargain: Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson for $1.99 on e-readers.My first of his, and still my favorite. A pizza delivery guy becomes critical to our survival.

>54 jnwelch:
I read Night Train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier back in 2008. It was a book that was a best seller in Germany and was translated into other languages. English being one of them. Pessoa was mentioned several times in that book, and I knew nothing about him. I did a bit of looking into his life at that time. Actually, I recommend the Wikipedia page on him to people when they ask, because it is readable and contains lots of information about his life.

Pessoa, created several alter egos in his writing. He did exactly what Darryl describes in the meaning of the word heteronym. Pessoa created different personas and became those people while he was working on what he was writing. His real life was very different than these personas.

I have not read a single book of poetry by Pessoa, so can't make a recommendation. However, I can say that his poetry has had a profound effect on the citizens of Portugal. He is a national hero, and his work is beloved in that country. For that reason alone, his poetry, and a few novels, are defiantly required reading for people who want to understand modern Portugal.

I have read Saramago. I started reading his books when he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Blindness was the first book of his I read. It was so powerful that I felt I had to read more of his work. The same thing happened to me when I read Gurnah for the first time. I can honestly say that I would never have read anything by either of these authors if they had not won the Nobel Prize. Both authors have opened up doors of understanding that I know I would not have had without their literature in my life.

Saramago, not only writes, powerful allegories, he writes very good historical fiction and contemporary novels. The contemporary novels are very good and allow the reader to enter into the lives of people who live in countries very different than mine. So far, I have only been touched remotely by repression, but the characters in the writing of both men mentioned above, have to live with repression all day - every day. So far, I have been lucky to not experience that kind of soul bending. I think we are on the cusp of that same kind of existence here in the US and it worries me, but at my age, it will probably occur after I am gone. That is a very selfish thought. I know it is the same as saying "not my problem. Let somebody else deal with it." Reading the works of these men helps me to understand others better, so I try to promote their work when I can.

We’re still having problems with ICE in Chicago. This happened yesterday:

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents crashed an SUV into a woman’s car before arresting a man later identified as Domer Jesus Martinez-Sifontes following a chase in Albany Park around 8 a.m. Tuesday near the intersection of Lawrence and Kedzie avenues, according to police, federal authorities and eyewitnesses.

“We should not have to live like this and be afraid. And we need to be protecting our neighbors,” said an eyewitness who asked for their name to be withheld out of fear of reprisal from federal authorities. “I don’t want to be on high alert when I take my dog out for a walk and stuff. I don’t want to live like that.”

ICE dropped an ammo magazine on the street and tackled the man roughly, and trained guns on the upset neighbors.

The Rest of Us live on Normally while this Monster Rages Unchecked.

A development I forgot to mention: thanks to Gov. Pritzker, Illinois has outlawed book banning. So those annoying yahoos can go to public meetings and demand book removals and now they’ll be told, “Sorry, no can do.” Hoorah! So far IL is the only state to do this, but I hope others pick up on it.

>60 jnwelch: I completely agree with you, Joe. Before I joined LibraryThing I was frequently astonished when someone expressed a completely different opinion about a book than mine, particularly someone whose literary tastes aligned closely with mine, but I now accept that we can't all like the same books, or the same things—such as beets!—and that's okay.

>61 jnwelch: The French author Antoine Volodine is another example of an author who uses heteronyms as a literary technique. I recently received a copy of his novel The Monroe Girls as part of my subscription to Archipelago Books, and this entry is included on the book's back cover:

Antoine Volodine writes under at least four heteronyms, including Lutz Bassmann, Manuela Draeger, and Elli Kronauer.

Google AI has this additional information:

Antoine Volodine is the primary pen name for a French author who uses dozens of fictional heteronyms to build a complex, interconnected literary universe known as "post-exoticism". This genre explores apocalypses, failed revolutions, and the Bardo state. The core heteronyms include:

• Lutz Bassmann: Often writes about underground militant groups, political prisoners, and the survivors of cataclysms.

• Manuela Draeger: Known for writing surreal, dark fables and detective stories that frequently feature sentient, talking animals and inanimate objects.

• Elli Kronauer: Represents another distinct voice in the post-exotic movement, blending political paranoia with science-fictional elements.

• Antoine Volodine: Acts as the primary spokesperson for the collective, orchestrating the works of the 49 supposed post-exotic authors.

Volodine’s works span over forty books, where characters, settings, and factions frequently cross over between the different heteronyms' works.

I have a sneaking suspicion that The Monroe Girls, which I haven't started yet, may be way over my head. 😂

>64 kac522:. A tip of the hat to your late mother, Kathy. Love that attitude!

It was sadder when my dad’s bed was in our living room. He had become uncooperative and my help was needed to clean him up - but the bedroom was too small. Soon after we had to move him into hospice.🥲

>65 Berly:. Right, Kim? Darryl’s literary heteronym has me thinking, too. One example I saw was Ben Franklin’s Poor Richard persona. I have this nagging feeling that I’ve read current writers using this technique.

Yeah, like you, I enjoy giving and getting recommendations too much to stop. I’m a mood reader, too, and share your feeling that I need to read the book at the right time. It’s rare that I mistime one, but it has happened.

>66 bell7:. It’s never too late to get new thread wishes, Mary, thanks.

We were just remembering your fun visit here. Looking forward to the next time next year we’re going to get the whole family out to Western Mass so our clan can spend time with Debbi’s cool relatives there. If that works out, I’ll let you know.

It’s an excellent weekend so far. I started with a two thumbs up doctor’s appointment. All my numbers are good, including my weight. Happy doctor, happy patient. Tomorrow is our neighborhood’s “progressive party” where we travel among 7-8 houses enjoying food and drink. We’re hosting one of the stops. We start the day with a belated birthday brunch for daughter Becca, which will reunite old friends of hers and ours. Plus I’m really enjoying Walter Mosley’s “black romance” Ghalen.

>68 benitastrnad:. Hi, Benita. I very much enjoyed Night Train to Lisbon, but (unfortunately) I didn’t follow up on those Pessoa references. It’s cool that you did.

I’ll have to look into Pessoa’s poetry. I’m intrigued.

You and Darryl and others are definitely inspiring me to explore Saramago’s writing, thanks.

I know what you mean about a concern about darkness descending in the near future. I remember as a young fella looking at my parents’ world and thinking, we’ll fix all those problems. And with Obama in office, I thought, here we go. And then came Trump and the Magas and the resurgence of racism and cruelty and retro- stupidity. What a spirit crusher. Now I feel bad about what we will be leaving the young ‘uns.

All I know to do is to keep pushing in the right direction. I’m happy to see the rise of Talarico in Texas - a Christian who actually follows Christ’s teachings and lines up with Democrat principles. And maybe the midterms will show a blue turn. We’ll see.

>70 m.belljackson:. Right, Marianne. Will the tables turn? I hope so.

>72 kidzdoc:. Right, Darryl? Yes, it’s important and healthy to realize that serious readers can differ in their reactions to books, and that not loving a book we love is okay.

However, you go a step too far when you suggest that reasonable people might like beets. That makes no sense to me.

>73 kidzdoc:. 😂. Just reading about Volodine is boggling my mind. What a complexity! It also has me wondering what the heck “post-exotic” is. Please let us know your reaction to The Monroe Girls when the time comes.

Man, that’s a lot of posts with no technical problems. Thank you, Abigail!

>75 jnwelch: Definitely keep me posted the next time you come out to western Mass, I would love to get together again. The progressive party sounds like a blast, and I hope you enjoy your time tonight.

>77 jnwelch: However, you go a step too far when you suggest that reasonable people might like beets. That makes no sense to me.

🙄 😂

>78 jnwelch: Right? I found this entry using Google AI, for what it's worth:

"Post-Exoticism" (Avant-Garde)This is a specific literary movement created by author Antoine Volodine (and his various pseudonyms). It describes politically engaged, dream-like, and darkly dystopian novels that take place in imaginary, totalitarian universes. Notable translations include Post-Exoticism in 10 Lessons, Lesson 11.

Umm. That didn't help one bit. I can give examples of avant-garde jazz musicians, but avant-garde literature is a different story. I almost always love the titles that Archipelago Books publishes, so I hold out hope that The Monroe Girls will be readable, and enjoyable.

>80 bell7:. 👍. Thanks, Mary. Will do. The party prep is pretty much done, and we’re just relaxing for a few.

I hope you have a most excellent weekend.

>81 kidzdoc:. Now I’ll have to give some attention to Archipelago Books, Darryl, as I've known them insufficiently so far, and your affinity carries weight.

Thanks for the mysterious explanation of “post-exotic”. Like you, I’m intrigued but still at sea.

Today’s Bargains: Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo for $2.99 on e-readers and The Complete Short Stories of Edgar Allen Poe for $1.99.

The first is a highly regarded fantasy novel.

The second contains stories that creeped me out in my youth. The Tell- Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, The Fall of the House of Usher . . . Remember?

>82 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. I get, I think, 10 to 12 or more books every year as part of my annual subscription to Archipelago Books for $150 or so. It's a small publishing house based in Brooklyn that specializes in translated books by little or unknown authors, and probably the most successful and best selling books are the six volume My Struggle series by the Nowegian author Karl Ove Knausgaard, which were a literary sensation, especially in Europe. I loved those books as well, although I've only read four of them so far.

>84 kidzdoc:. I’m impressed, buddy . A subscription to Archipelago Books? It speaks to your perspicacity and insouciance, which I can say after a special visit to the More Than Ten Letters store.

I subscribed to a publisher once, I think it was Greywolf, but I was less than enthused with the result. You’ve obviously been served dishes you’ve enjoyed.

Yeah,I’ve read about the My Struggle books and may take a swing at them some day, but so far not yet.

Do you ever read Walter Mosley? He’s a favorite author who has written some beauts (the short story collection The Awkward Black Man is a recent favorite) and right now I’m enthused about his new one Ghalen: A Black Romance, which so far is his most upbeat book I’ve read.

>85 jnwelch: Despite some great early imaging subplots, I rated My Struggle at One Star

for the 2 grandsons leaving Grandma to sit in her own urine. Great image - thanks, K.

(A book which he had also considered the title F---You.)

My struggle, book 2 ramped up to 2 Stars for the remarkable funny trip to his kid's Rhythm group.
His paid visit to America was a real downer.

>86 m.belljackson:. I’m impressed that you made it through two with such low ratings, Marianne. It would have been hard for me to keep trying after a one star read.

>85 jnwelch: It speaks to your perspicacity and insouciance, which I can say after a special visit to the More Than Ten Letters store.

You completely lost me, Joe!

>87 jnwelch: He can be a good and compelling writer!

Despite the title, he did not appear to be a nazi; why K. chose it is never fully explained.

From my review: Brilliant introspection alternates with chilling self exposure.

>85 jnwelch: I forgot to answer your question about Walter Mosley, Joe. I haven't read anything by him, although he was one of my late father's favorite authors (Dad was possibly a more productive bibliophile than I am, but he preferred crime, espionage and science fiction novels). I donated most of his books to our local Vietnam Veterans of America charity shop after he died, but I may have kept one or two of Mosley's novels. Which ones of his would you recommend the most?

BTW my favorite contemporary African American male authors are Percival Everett, Colson Whitehead and James McBride, and my all time favorite author, regardless of race, gender or country of origin, is James Baldwin.

>88 kidzdoc:. Can you imagine what our poor kids had to put up with, Darryl. Both perspicacity and insouciance have More than Ten Letters, and I thought I was being a little fancy with my compliment. I could have said your smartosity and casual deftness with difficult subjects instead. 😀

>89 m.belljackson:. Hmm. Thanks, Marianne. I like that line from your review. I’ve never read his reason for that title.

>90 kidzdoc:. Ah, thanks for the follow- up, Darryl. I wish I could have talked with your father about Mosley’s books. They sell well, but so far I haven’t come across another fan. Your father’s genre preferences are right in my wheelhouse, too.

Man, I wish I had known you better back then. I would’ve probably taken those Mosley books, although maybe not, as I already have a lot.

I think you’d enjoy The Last Days of Ptolemy Gray and Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned. Neither is a mystery; both are slice of life. Both also were made into good tv movies, the first with Samuel Jackson and the second Laurence Fishburne.

If you get in the mood for mystery, it would be Devil in a Blue Dress, the start of the irresistible Easy Rawlins series. That one was turned into a most excellent movie starring Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle (who deserved an Oscar nod) and Jennifer Beals.

I’m totally on board with your list of African-American authors. I’d recently add Jason Mott (Hell of a Book, People Like Us) and probably S.A. Cosby, (dark crime thrillers), too. I need to read more Percival Everett for sure, and probably James Baldwin, too. Thanks for the nudge on If Beale Street Could Talk.

>91 jnwelch: Joe - read James Baldwin's Go Tell it on the Mountain only if you are up for a super dose of the Bible.

>91 jnwelch: Ah! Now I get it.

I think you would have enjoyed meeting my father, to discuss books or any other topic. He was also the fastest reader I've ever known, as he could knock out a 300 to 400 page novel in a single day before he devoted his remaining years to the care of his beloved wife, my lovely mother.

Thanks for those book recommendations.

I haven't read anything by Jason Mott or S.A. Cosby yet, so Ill keep them in mind.

Liz/Eliz_M from Club Read informed us of the Literary Hub Summer Reading Challenge, which I intend to participate in. I started reading The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy yesterday, one of Literary Hub's 50 Great Classic Novels Under 200 Pages, and later this week I'll begin a re-read of Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin, one of the 50 of the Greatest Summer Novels of All Time according to Literary Hub. This will probably be the third time I'll read it, but after reading the brilliant biography Baldwin: A Love Story by Nicholas Boggs, which is my favorite book of the year so far, I decided to read all of the books contained in the Library of America volume James Baldwin: Early Novels this year. Giovanni's Room will also be a great choice for Pride Month.

>93 kidzdoc: - Thanks for the link to the LitHub summer reading challenge, Darryl. Those lists are great! Coincidentally, my two book clubs are reading two books from the Greatest Summer Novels list this month - Rebecca and The Virgin Suicides. Not sure if I'll participate formally in the challenge, but I'm definitely bookmarking the site for easy access to the lists.

--

Hi Joe!

>92 m.belljackson:. Thanks, Marianne. I loved Go Tell It on the Mountain as a lad. That was what kicked me into gear for Baldwin. I never mind a lot of Bible so long as it doesn’t mind irreligious me. I actually read a lot of the Bible once because so many writers draw upon it, and a friend gave me a book of everything Jesus said without the surrounding frippery. I’m actually a Jesus fan, as every Democrat should be (to me the principles are the same). I just wish he had left it at Son of Man and not said he was Son of God and so on. Like Buddha, he was pointing insightfully to a better way to live.

>95 jnwelch: Go Tell it on the Mountain Plot was very confusing and the beating of his injured son by Gabriel was horrible to read.

We have four Bibles and a lot of Buddhist writings here - focus on early New Testament.

>94 katiekrug: You're welcome, Katie! I agree, there were several books in each list that appealed to me, and I chose these books, mainly because I own copies of them and was most interested in reading them:

5/28: Great Classic Novels Under 200 Pages:
The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy

6/11: The Greatest Summer Novels of All Time:
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

6/25: What the New York Times Missed:
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

7/9: The Best Contemporary Novels Under 200 Pages
Sula by Toni Morrison

8/13: The Greatest Coming-of-Age Novels:
Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin

9/3: The Best Campus Novels from the Last 100 Years
Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov

BONUS: The Best Contemporary Novels Over 500 Pages:
The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk (thankfully this nearly 1000 page novel is on my Kindle!)

>93 kidzdoc:. Good! Someone once called my humor “obscure”, Darryl, and you can see why.

Man, your father was my kind of reader. Before the stroke I was fast as a whistle duck, and I imagine that they must be pretty fast. Darn it. Well, who knows, maybe we’ll meet up in the Celestial Library after I get kicked off this planet.

Don’t get me started on Jason Mott. I get over-enthusiastic about him. He’s an exciting writer and not a rule- or tradition-follower.

I like LitHub a lot, thanks for the link to the summer reading challenge. I shall peruse.

That’s a Tolstoy I haven’t read and a Baldwin I haven’t read. You’re right, Giovanni’s Room is a good pick for Pride Month. I haven’t gravitated to it because I had misgivings that a hetero might not grok it. Pretty dopey, huh.

As I’m sure I’ve said before, I don’t read many biographies, but your enthusiasm for the Nicholas Boggs one of Baldwin puts it on my radar.

What a great idea to read through Baldwin’s oeuvre (tough one to spell!) since you enjoy his writing so much. I did that with Murakami. I haven’t done that with Mosley, much as I like his writing. I didn’t enjoy his science fiction, and his prolific adventuresomeness takes him sometimes into my “nah” zone. I do mean to try his children’s books some day.

P.S. if you do read Kafka on the Shore, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. It’s my favorite of his.

P.P.S. I might join you in September for Pnin.

>94 katiekrug:. Hi Katie! I’m curios about those lists, too. Rebecca is the only book I can remember finishing and immediately re-reading the beginning. So good!

>96 m.belljackson:. Somehow I had a more philosophical reaction to Go Tell It on the Mountain, Marianne. Wish I could go back and re-hear what the teacher said about it.

That’s a lot of Bibles!

>97 kidzdoc:. Thanks, Darryl. Jeez Louise, we left Toni Morrison off our African- American author list! I must read more of her books. I want to read Olga
Tokarczuk, too, but not that lengthy one, at least not for starters.

Good stuff, man, thanks.

>99 jnwelch: Also have Islamic Empires and a related poem that I sent to Mark for when he returns.

^^^^^^^^

Sending Best Wishes that your Alaska Journey
will feature many Whales, the Northern Lights, and Glaciers!

>98 jnwelch: "Obscure" is a good word, Joe! I took your comment far too literally, as I thought that you were referring to a bookshop titled More Than Ten Letters. 🤦🏾😂

As a Christian I do believe in Heaven, and that I'll be reunited with my father and other beloved family members and friends after it's time for me to go. I dream about him quite often, at least twice a month, even though it's been 4½ years since his death.

You've piqued my curiosity about Jason Mott. I would imagine that the two library systems I belong to will have his books, so I'll look through and choose one of them soon. I would probably lean towards reading the first book in Mosley's Easy Rawlins series, as I know my father enjoyed those books.

Baldwin: A Love Story is a tome, as it's more than 700 pages long, but it's extremely well written and it gave me a far greater understanding and appreciation of Baldwin the man and his entire oeuvre of novels, essays, plays and literary reviews.

I've almost certainly read more books by Haruki Murakami than anyone else, as I devoured everything he wrote after I read Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World roughly 25 years ago. I thought I had read Kafka on the Shore but I haven't rated or reviewed it, and even if I have I don't remember anything about it, so it would be worth reading regardless.

That sounds good re: Pnin. I haven't read anything by Nabokov yet, so I'm looking forward to reading it.

>99 jnwelch: I hadn't forgotten about Toni Morrison; I was limiting my comments to African American male writers. I should check to see if the Library of America has one or more volumes of her works, as I do want to read everything she's written.

I nearly forgot to mention that Amazon is having a huge sale on Kindle books today, with more enticing books than I recall ever seeing at one time. I bought a copy of Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green; several LTers wrote glowing reviews of it and this topic is right up my alley, as my undergraduate major was Microbiology.

>100 m.belljackson: I’m sure Mark will appreciate that, Marianne.

Thanks re the Alaska trip! We’re getting close! Our basement may even be mostly done before we leave, which would be a happiness-maker.

>101 kidzdoc:. Yeah, Darryl, I’m a little surprised I wasn’t nicknamed Obscure when I was a kid. I got “Gahzeppe”, which still comes up sometimes, “Deputy”, after a knee operation that made my leg stiff when I played basketball, after Dennis Weaver’s leg-swinging character on Gunsmoke, and “Dr.Strange”, which is the one I wanted after the Marvel character, but no one else ever called me that.😃

I like your belief in heaven and what it’s like. I just don’t know. I was there for both my parents’ deaths, and saw the spirit go out of them, that vital life force that was who they were, leaving only the empty flesh. I sure hope that spirit exists in some way somewhere. Energy can’t be destroyed, right? It can only change form or transfer to another object, according to the First Law of Thermodynamics.

Sounds good about Jason Mott and the first Easy Rawlins. I’ll try not to nag you like a little kid about them.

Wow, you started Murakami with Hard-Boiled Wonderland?! One of his most challenging. Did you try The City and Its Uncertain Walls yet? Same world. Kafka on the Shore will be a piece of cake for you. The character Nakata in it is my hero. I started with the easy After the Quake after seeing a stage adaptation here.

I haven’t read any Nabokov either. I find the idea of reading Lolita singularly unappealing, although both kids tell me it’s beautifully written. Looking forward to a Pnin joint venture.

Good goal to read all of Toni Morrison. For starters I just want to read more.

>102 kidzdoc:. Thanks for mentioning the Amazon sale. I did take a look, but I think I’d better take an acquisition breather! Kindle purchases are dangerous; no matter how many I buy, my Kindle weighs and looks the same.

We love John Green’s YA books (Becca, too), but haven’t read his NF. I know that Tuberculosis one got critical raves.

Oops. First glitch. Those were some long posts by yours truly.

>103 jnwelch: Gahzeppe?! I searched Google for that word, but came up with nothing. We didn't watch Gunsmoke, so that reference is lost on me. I know that we preferentially watched Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In on Monday nights during the late 1960s to the mid 1970s ("Sock it to me, baby!"), and although I'm not sure I believe my parents limited my evening television watching on school nights to only one hour when I was younger, and probably another hour when Monday Night Football began to air during the 1970 season. I only vaguely remember Dr Strange, especially in comparison to other characters who had their own afternoon or evening television shows. As a kid I most wanted to be Kato, the sidekick of The Green Hornet, who was portrayed brilliantly by Bruce Lee on the prime time television program in the late 1960s.

I wasn't at his bedside when my father died. When I was told by the ICU physician that he met the criteria for brain death I asked for him to be taken off of life support, as I was his power of attorney and knew that he did not want his life to be prolonged artifically. I said my final goodbye to him along with my brother the following day, and I saw his face relax and a tear run down his cheek when I told him, "Don't worry, Dad; I'll take care of Mom," even though he was in a coma. I received a call from the hospital before sunrise a few days later, after he was moved out of the ICU, to let me know that he had died, and because as part of my career I had to declare several kids with incurabe illnesses dead I did not want to be there when my father died, and as it turns out I would not have been allowed to stay there when he did expire, as it was past normal visiting hours. My mother, as you probably know, is in a memory care center, and although she is doing well she is DNR, as her will, which was originally created years ago when she was able to make her own decisions, states that she does not want any prolonged measures to save her life, such as painful procedures such as CPR, which not infrequently can result in the fracture of several rubs, even if done correctly.

I can't explain my belief in the afterlife on the basis of vital energy or physics; it's something I deeply believe as a Christian.

I can't promise that I'll get to Jason Mott or Walter Mosley this year or next, as I already have several planned and unplanned book projects going, along with books I've purchased recently. Do remind me of them, though.

The reason I chose to read Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World was because it was on a display table in one of the Borders bookshops in Atlanta that featured literature in translation. I probably bought it, along with Blindness by José Saramago, another author who I was completely unfamiliar with, in the latter half of 2000 or 2001 when I finished residency and became a pediatric hospitalist, as my meager salary as a resident didn't allow me to spend much money on unnecessary purchases. I was blown away by both books, and I began to buy anything I could find by either author. Let's see...according to Murakami's bibliography on Wikipedia, and with the possible exception of Kafka on the Shore—I thought that I had read it, but LibraryThing tells me otherwise— I haven't read anything by him after Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage.

Hmm...yesterday was my 20th Thingaversary, and I see that my entry for Kafka on the Shore was in 2006, so it's actually possible that I read it before I became active in LibraryThing. I'll look for reviews of it here and online before I decide to read it, especially if there is another book in that challenge I'm also eager to read.

We must have seen the same stagee adaptation of After the Quake! I saw it at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, not far from the campus of UC Berkeley and a stone's throw from the Downtown Berkeley BART station. The most surreal aspect of seeing it was that there was an actual miid earthquake that took place during the performance, which caused the overhead lights to sway but did no structural damage. It didn't last long, and because it was so mild, even though it was clearly an earthquake, the perfomers on stage simply looked at each other, got an okay to continue from the stage manager, and proceeded shortly afterward as if nothing had happened.

I've been wanting to read Pnin, Lolita and Speak, Memory: An Autobiography Revisited by Nabokov, so I'm glad to finally get to one of his books.

I really should have read Toni Morrison's works long ago, and because I loved Beloved and Song of Solomon I'm eager to start correcting that blind spot.

>82 jnwelch: So, I get your lifetime's supply of pickled beets, then? I'm most peckish for a beet and onion salad....

Enjoy your Wednesday, Joe and Debbi.

For Joe, Mark, and Paul -

"O poets to come, I depend on you."

Walt Whitman