Joe's Book Cafe 2016 Door 18

Art by Pete Revonkorpi

Welcome back to the cafe!

2016 Books

January

1. Hattie Ever After by Kirby Larson
2. Saint Odd by Dean Koontz
3. Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich
4. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
5. Cold Mountain by Han Shan (re-read)
6. Bryant & May and the Burning Man by Christopher Fowler
7. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler
8. Valis by Philip K. Dick
9. Neon Vernacular by Yusef Komunyaka

February

10. Tokyo Decadence by Ryu Murakami
11. The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher
12. Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold
13. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
14. Martian Time-Slip by Philip K. Dick
15. The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie
16. Natural Birth by Toi Derricotte
17. A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver
18. Winterdance by Gary Paulsen
19. Heap House by Edward Carey

March

20. Evicted by Matthew Desmond
21. Pax by Sara Pennypacker
22. Voyage of the Sable Venus by Robin Coste Lewis
23. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
24. Dead Man's Mirror by Agatha Christie
25. White Sky, Black Ice by Stan Jones
26. Shifting Shadows by Patricia Briggs
27. Divine Invasion by Philip K. Dick
28. Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
29. Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs
30. Fair Game by Patricia Briggs
31. Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs
32. Venetia by Georgette Heyer
33. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
34. Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer

April

35. Off the Grid by C.J. Box
36. Lighthead by Terrence Hayes
37. At The Threshold of Memory by Marjorie Agosin
38. A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin
39. Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs
40. The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
41. Life on Mars by Tracy K. Smith
42. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Inga Moore (re-read)
43. The Transmigration of Timothy Archer by Philip K. Dick
44. In a Different Key: The Story of Autism by John Donvan
45. Brotherhood in Death by J.D. Robb
46. The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan
47. Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer
48. The Bangkok Asset by John Burdett
49. The Swallows by Adriana Ramirez
50. The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson
51. The Siege of Krishnapur by J.G. Farrell
52. The Island of Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

May

53. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
54. Shaman Pass by Stan Jones
55. Poems from the Typewriter Series by Tyler Knott Gregson
56. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
57. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
58. Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie
59. Without: Poems by Donald Hall
60. Dancing at the Rascal Fair by Ivan Doig
61. A Whole Life by Robert Seethaler
62. Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan
63. Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit
64. Zero World by Jason M. Hough
65. The Dream of a Common Language by Adrienne Rich
66. The Highwayman by Craig Johnson
67. Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorenson

June

68. The Royal Wulff Murders by Keith McCafferty
69. Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
70. Uprooted by Naomi Novik
71. Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
72. Dodgers by Bill Beverly
73. Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye
74. Application for Release from the Dream by Tony Hoagland
75. Waterloo: The History of Four Days by Bernard Cornwell
76. The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge
77. Silence in the Snowy Fields by Robert Bly
78. The Rook by Daniel O'Malley
79. An Infamous Army by Georgette Heyer
80. The Well Speaks of Its Own Poison by Maggie Smith

July

81. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
82. What is This Thing Called Love by Kim Addonizio
83. Charcoal Joe by Walter Mosley
84. Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong
85. The Spanish Bride by Georgette Heyer
86. Ubik by Philip K. Dick
87. Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave
88. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
89. The Wayward Bus by John Steinbeck
90. The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
91. The Last One by Alexandra Oliva
92. Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
93. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
94. Aeneid Book VI by Seamus Heaney

August

95. The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancy
96. The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu
97. Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes
98. Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry
99. Dragon in Exile by Sharon Lee
100. I Shot the Buddha by Colin Cotterill
101. A Question of Death by Kerry Greenwood
102. Alliance of Equals by Sharon Lee
103. Rogue Heroes by Ben Macintyre
104. Strike Sparks by Sharon Olds

Graphic Novels

1. The Fade Out by Ed Brubaker
2. Concrete Park by Tony Puryear
3. The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage by Sydney Padua
4. Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
5. Killing and Dying by Adrian Tomine
6. Sleeper by Ed Brubaker
7. Where is Jake Ellis by Nathan Edmondson
8. Lucifer by Mike Carey
9. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep Omnibus by Philip K. Dick
10. Super Mutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki
11. The Fade Out Volume 2 by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
12. Low Moon by Jason
13. The Fade Out Volume 3 by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
14. Fatale by Ed Brubaker
15. Demo by Brian Wood
16. Alex + Ada by Jonathan Luna
17. Step Aside, Pops by Kate Beaton
18. The Property by Rutu Modan
19. Descender by Jeff Lemire
20. Ms. Marvel Vol. 4 by G. Willow Wilson
21. The Sleeper Omnibus by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
22. Lucifer Volume 2 by Mike Carey
23. Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan
24. The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks
25. Ruins by Peter Kuper
26. Harrow County by Cullen Bunn
27. The Story of Mu by James Cordova
28. Torpedo Volume 1 by Enrique Sanchez Abuli
29. Lucifer Book Three by Mike Carey
30. Pocket Full of Rain by Jason
31. Batgirl by Gail Simone
32. Descender Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan
34. Deadly Class by Rick Remender
35. How to Fall Forever (Black Science) by Rick Remender
36. Hawkeye Volume 3 and Hawkeye Volume 4 by Matt Fraction
37. Wonder Woman: Earth One by Grant Morrison
38. The Planetary Omnibus by Warren Ellis
39. Princess Black by Shannon Hale
40. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Amy Corzine
41. The Private Eye by Brian K. Vaughan
42. Missed Connections by Sophie Blackall
43. Patience by Daniel Clowes
44. How to Talk to Girls at Parties by Neil Gaiman
45. Maggie the Mechanic by Gilbert Hernandez
46. Almost Silent by Jason
47. Saga Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan
48. Lucifer Book Four by Mike Carey
49. Ms. Marvel Vol. 5 by G. Willow Wilson
50. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells and Lewis Helfland
51. Jessica Jones: Alias Volume 1 by Brian Michael Bendis
52. Lumberjanes Vol. 4 by Shannon Watters and Noelle Stevenson
53. Lady Killer by Jamie S. Rich

Top 5 First Quarter of 2016

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Tokyo Decadence by Ryu Murakami (finally available in the U.S.)
Evicted by Matthew Desmond
Pax by Sara Pennypacker
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Top 5 Second Quarter 2016

A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin
The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanthi
Without: Poems by Donald Hall
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren

Top graphic novels so far in '16:

Super Mutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki
The Sleeper Omnibus by Ed Brubaker
The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks
Pocket Full of Rain by Jason
How to Talk to Girls at Parties by Neil Gaiman
Saga Volume 6 by Brian K. Vaughan

OK, I promised another Joe poem. Here you go.

Pockets

If I pull out all my pockets, all I can
put on the table is a few moments -
voices under the moon in the mountains
above Santa Barbara, my love in red
panties, telling me a secret, a road,
a morning, sun, rain. Yet sometimes I
feel as if I will never stop pulling
from these pockets, as if it is my body
that is these moments, and when the
pockets are actually empty, it will
be me sitting on that table, only
better, purely composed from all
That I thought was random.

This one by John Sloane seemed worth bringing with us.

Door in Portugal

Happy new thread, Joe - and so beautifully illustrated!

Hiya, Katie. Thanks!

As the first one in the door you get a free trip to the William Joyce's Fantastic Flying Books library.

I just recently unpacked Fantastic Flying Books and shared it with a neighbor down the hall. Can you imagine: she did not like it.

Well! I'll keep her as a friend, but probably not be talking books.

Happy new thread, my friend.

Reporting in for my cuppa, Joe. Dreamy art up top, I'd say. And that Sloane painting (>5 jnwelch:) just seems like home to me. Okay, the barn's roof isn't right for eastern PA, but still...

Happy beautiful new thread, Joe.

Every time you start a new thread, Joe, you make me so aware of how impoverished our culture is in our daily exposure to visual art! Such a pity, because there are so many beautiful pictures and you find some of the best. Happy New Thread, happy new poem, and welcome home from your short nearly media-free break.

Happy new thread. Love that first one - floating on air with my new book...

>9 maggie1944: Wow, that's the first I've heard of someone not liking Fantastic Flying Books, Karen. The animated version won the Academy Award that year.

Maybe try Fahrenheit 451 on her? (Bad joke).

Thanks re the thread. Good to see you here.

>10 weird_O: Yeah, I could settle into that Sloane painting in >5 jnwelch: meself, Bill. Dreamy art up top sounds right. Cuppa? Here you go, with a couple of cookies:

>11 DianaNL: Thanks, Diana. I'm glad happy and beautiful are the words that come to mind. We could all use some of that.

>12 ronincats: Thanks, Roni.

Your own creations add so much to the world's visual attractions, so I particularly appreciate your saying so. I see people walking around staring down at their phones and think, really? What a gift we've been given with this world, and what gifts artists have given us, and give us every day, right? Even when times are at their most challenging, that remains true. (Hope that doesn't sound too pompous).

>13 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. At first I didn't have that floating book-reading one at the top, and then I realized it was the right one to see first at the LT 75ers' latest cafe. I'm glad you like it.

>8 jnwelch: - LOVE.

>17 katiekrug: Ha! Isn't that great, Katie? You won our best prize ever, methinks.

Happy New Thread, Joe! Love the magical toppers. Also like your Pockets poem. I think you shared that before, right?

Not bad out here. Just a bit more humid that I would like.

>19 msf59: Thanks, Mark! Good to hear you love them toppers and like the poem. Yes, I brought Pockets over from the last thread.

There's supposedly some chance of rain, but I'm not seeing any yet. That might help clear out some of the humidity. I'll be out there soon. Man, this morning has flown by.

Good morning and happy new thread, Joe! I like the new toppers. Is it possible to have whimsy and melancholy at the same time? Of course it is. If there is anything I learned from watching 'Inside Out', it is that memories, like art can have blended emotions attached to them.

>8 jnwelch: You know how I love Joyce!

I hope all is well.

Happy new thread, Joe. It isn't often that I get a chance to be among the early well wishers. I love all your artwork, but the one with the giraffe really tickles my fancy. I love the whimsical touches with the elephant balanced on the streetlight and the bird about to launch himself with his goggles and helmet.

I saw over on Mark's thread that you are reading Lumberjanes IV, and I am finally going to be starting that series when I go to the library today to pick up with first couple. Looking forward to them.

Hi Joe, I'm here to wish you a Happy New Thread, which, if I'm not mistaken seems like a weekly occurrence! I brought home Jane Austen Cover to Cover from the library this weekend, so I'll be able to partake of its bounty too!

>22 DeltaQueen50: Hiya, Judy. Thanks. Good to see you among the early crowd.

That giraffe one stuck out for me, too, and was almost the first one. Lots of whimsy there, I agree.

The Lumberjanes series is witty and silly, and you should have a good time with it. I'll look forward to your take on it.

For what it's worth, when someone wanted suggestions for graphic novels for pre-teen girls, this is what I came up with (you'll see Lumberjanes in there):

Roller Girl, Raina Telgemeier books like Sisters, Lumberjanes, Nameless City, A Wrinkle in Time Graphic Novel (faithful), El Deafo, Anya's Ghost, and Delilah Dirk would all seem to fit the bill, and they're really good.

The Ms. Marvel series gets a bit more advanced in a benign way, and is one of my favorites.

{Someone} who likes The Princess in Black might also like Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale.

* * *

Not that it's limited to that group, but these seemed like quality ones that would be okay for them.

>21 brodiew2: Hiya, Brodie. Thanks. I do think you can have whimsy and melancholy at the same time; in fact, it makes for a good combo, doesn't it?

Inside Out - great animated movie. I was skeptical when taken to it, but it won me over.

I was thinking I need to put Joyce up there as a topper artist one of these times. I really like his illustrations, too. Wow, the touchstones even have him listed above James Joyce.

>23 Smiler69: Hiya, Ilana. Thanks! I can't keep track any more - "it's a lot of cafes" is where my brain parks it.

I'm really enjoying dipping into Jane Austen Cover to Cover, but there's no question you need to be a book lover and Austen appreciator to spend time with this one. Luckily, you and I are both. :-)

>25 jnwelch: Joe, to give credit where it is due, I must say Liz is probably 90% responsible for me becoming a Janeite, because I started life as more or less of a Jane Auster hater! That was back in a different iteration from the person I am now, goes without saying! :-)

This books sounds like one I might have to borrow more than once if I want to get through it, because I tend to be a very occasional browser only.

I guess I'd better pull out my Lumberjanes books and keep up with everyone.

>26 Smiler69: That Liz. There's a lot to thank her for, isn't there. (Oh that's right, we did - thanks to you!) On Facebook a friend posted that gay men can really benefit from reading Jane Austen, and I commented that straight men can, too. (He agreed). We're all better off becoming Janeites, the cafe owner said with no bias whatsoever. :-)

Maybe they'll let you renew Jane Austen Cover to Cover. I don't think it's one you'll read straight through; it's better for the occasional dip, seems to me. I'm reading it from front to back, but only a little at a time.

>27 maggie1944: Yes! Your Lumberjanes books are guaranteed to perk up any day, Karen.

happy new thread. astonishing toppers. dote on the first one and the giraffe especially.

humph. GNs are alas no longer in the realm of the accessible but that's okay. think of all the things that are. literally millions. nay billions, if you count stars, bees, crows, audiobooks and etc. YAY!

temporarily flying in the face of your recommendation about Salt to the sea, i'm replacing The little drummer girl, finished in the wee hours, with Helen Dunmore's Exposure and the very peculiar Boy with the cuckoo clock heart, whom even the redoubtable Jim Dale couldn't save, with either Invisible monsters by Chuck Palahniuk or, as it may be, Lisa Gardner's Killing hour as i've no crime thingy going at present. or both. i like options, me.

i expect you'll see this on the morrow. still like the poem with pocketses. Gollum would be pleased with you emptying 'em all on the table. me too. happy Wednesday hump day if my tomorrow is your today.

Happy Spanking new Thread, Joe!! You certainly have an eye for awesome artwork!

>22 DeltaQueen50: Judy, you're really in for a treat with Lumberjanes!!

>29 mirrordrum: Ellie, when you say 'ff' do you mean fan fiction?

Happy new thread buddy. I am glad to have gotten Ashbery out of the way in my American poetry reading.

Happy new thread, Joe. Wonderful thread toppers!

Oh, Morris Lessmore! Love him!

Happy new one, Joe!

>29 mirrordrum: Tomorrow is my today, Ellie, I mean, today is my yesterday, no, hmm. Rats. Today's Wednesday, gahdurnit.

The first topper and the giraffe are my faves, too. The giraffe was almost no. 1. If she'd been reading, that would've dunnit.

Is Salt to the Sea not working for you? The alternating chapter approach takes a little getting used to, but it's worth it.

There should be a "large print" equivalent of some sort for GNs. Inventors, get on it! What a shame you can't read them any more. On the opposite side of the coin, how great that you can go to the library again!

Jim Dale was our audio book narrator for the Harry Potter books. (Narrator No. 1 was Madame MBH, then on car trips we listened to Jim Dale do it all over again). I saw him in Candide on Broadway - what a charmer.

Son #1 LOVES Chuck Palahniuk's books. I read Fight Club, but haven't made it any further.

I like having crimey thingys in the mix, too, although right now it's an outer space thingy instead.

Thanks re Pockets - I don't know whether Gollum would be pleased or not. Precious moments (oh jeez, I may have to start a figurine line), but no invisibility or other powers, as far as I know.

Happy Wednesday to you, too, unless you read this on Tuesday, which seems impossible, but who knows.

>30 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda! Good to have a fellow Lumberjanes appreciator in the cafe. I'm enjoying the heck out of the latest one.

>31 brodiew2: I missed the "ff" reference, Brodie. It can't mean Finally Friday, because today's either Wednesday or Tuesday, depending.

>32 PaulCranswick: Thanks, mate. Ha! I've read Ashbery's Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror and scattered others of his, but his determination to be enigmatic and impenetrable never drew me. He's got a great ear; I just wish he'd used it more accessibly. I'm happy for you that you're beyond his anthology entry. He's important, but generally no pleasure to read, IMO.

>33 tymfos: Thanks, Terri! I'm glad you're enjoying those thread toppers. Pete Revonkorpi is Finnish and has a bunch of beautiful illustrations. Penguin needs to bring some of his work over to the U.S.

>34 scaifea: Ha! Thanks, Amber! Why am I not surprised that you're a Morris Lessmore fan? Have you done Fantastic Flying Books with Charlie yet?

BTW, if there are any Phryne Fisher fans out there, A Question of Death is a fun illustrated collection of Phryne short stories - with recipes. We're going to try the champagne punch one. Australian author Kerry Greenwood says in the intro that she set out to create a "female James Bond", and Phryne has both panache and the ability to go through men like disposable tissues.

By Tessa Gray

Morning Joe! Hope those current reads are treating you well. I am deeply immersed in both Blonde and The Oregon Trail, not leaving me anytime for either my GN or current poetry collection. Hey, it happens sometimes, right?

A bit humid out here but the cloud over and breeze are making it tolerable.

>41 msf59: Best reason for not reading a book has to be reading other books, Mark. :-)

Yes, mine are treating me well, although the sci-fi one, Alliance of Equals, is slower than I'd like. Halfway through, the authors are also obstinately declining to connect the reader with a prized character, Theo Waitley. Knowing them, I am expecting a heck of a finish, but we'll see. Rogue Heroes continues to edify and entertain, and this may be my favorite Lumberjanes yet. We're starting to learn what Noelle Stevenson had in mind from the beginning.

P.S. I can't wait to get back to Strike Sparks, Sharon Olds' selected poems, this weekend. Not a shortie, but really good.

I don't do this often, but this article, entitled "Are We Ignoring an Easy Fix to Police Woes", seemed worth posting from the Newser news website:

(Newser) – On the heels of a damning report showing discrimination and sexism in the Baltimore Police Department, women’s groups are calling for what they say is a logical solution: more female cops. Among other things, they argue that accusations of rape and sexual assault would be better addressed if handled by female officers, who represent just 13% of cops nationwide, reports GlobalPost. The Baltimore report, for example, showed that police there tested less than 15% of rape kits and sometimes referred to victims as "whores." Jay Newton-Small at Time made the case for more female officers last month, arguing studies show they "almost never use excessive force," "draw their weapons less, tend to look for non-physical solutions, and are much better at community outreach."

They also are rarely the subject of expensive lawsuits or investigations, Newton-Small writes. The National Center for Women and Policing argued the same in a 2003 report, adding that female officers "often respond more effectively to incidents of violence against women, a crime that represents approximately half of all violent crime calls to police," and "reduce problems of sex discrimination and harassment within a law enforcement agency." Meanwhile, the US government will spend $133 million next year to recruit, train, and hire female officers in nations such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria, and proponents want the same effort expended in the US.

* * *

For me, this one makes sense.

Oh, the trauma, LT has been inaccessible all morning here, and I have news to share! It's Georgette Heyer's birthday and all her ebooks are $2.99 today in the US and Canada. They are usually $9.99, so it's quite a savings! I already had 14, added 4 more this morning. Joe, I know you are adding to your collection.

Thanks, Roni. Off to Kindleland! *whoosh!*

OK, I went a little nutso at that low price, Roni. I added Arabella, Black Sheep, Lady of Quality, The Reluctant Widow and The Unknown Ajax. I already had a couple of others I haven't read yet, so that should take care of me for at least a little while. :-)

Thanks for the tip!

I added the Unknown Ajax, Arabella, A Civil Contract and The Talisman Ring, Joe, to the 14 I already have on my Kindle. Of course, I already have all the romances in paperback on my shelves, but a number of those are approaching the falling-apart stage and being able to do my rereads on the Kindle will preserve them. Good for you! I already have Black Sheep and Lady of Quality is Heyer's last book and a weaker version of BS, so it's one I can wait on.

>35 jnwelch: >29 mirrordrum: my today seems still to be responding to my yesterday. Life after life moments? what is 'getting it right,' anyway and who decides and is everyone living life after life with overlapping "characters?" could Adolf have gotten it right?

haven't sampled Salt to the sea yet. when i finish Sweet Thursday, that will go there. the mystery thingy went into whatever slot cuckoo clock heart was supposed to fill.

Jim Dale is the narrator of HP for those of us who do not have access to Mme.

you're sweet, but i have plenty plenty of superb audiobooks and really don't need to be cossetted w/ GNs. embarrassment of riches already.

in re: pocketses, i roared at your 'precious moments' line. i didn't know such a thing existed but once you said it, i knew they had to. i was going to post you a really nauseous one and found this super Photoshop job called a "semi-precious moment figure."



it's from worth1000.com.

Killing hour already has me in it's grip. haven't experienced that in a long time with a mystery.

later on.

>47 ronincats: Oh, now you've got me thinking twice about my adding A Lady of Quality, Roni. Oh well. I've already got A Civil Contract. Based on LTer raves, A Civil Contract and The Unknown Ajax are my next ones to read.

Is Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan book A Civil Campaign related in some way to A Civil Contract? The titles make me think maybe so.

>48 mirrordrum: Oh my, don't those figurines make you want to jump out a window, Ellie? At least the semi-precious PS'd ones you posted carry a positive message. I still feel way over-sugared, however.

Your Tuesday and my Wednesday, or vice versa, makes me think of Life After Life, too. Do you suppose if we do them over and over again, we might get them right? On the other hand, I hate to postpone the weekend. Can we do next weekend, or last weekend, over and over again? I'd be all for that.

I think the answer to "could Adolph have gotten it right" is always no. Sort of like, could the Drumpf have gotten it right. No, no, he couldn't have. Ever.

Oh, Sweet Thursday. I miss Doc and the gang.

I think Stephen Fry narrates the Brit HP. Needless to say, that's worth going gaga over. Some day I'd like to revisit HP land with his help.

P.S. You've caught my attention with the gripacious (grip, not gripe) Killing Hour. Please keep us posted.

Good afternoon, Joe. I hope all is well with you.

>38 jnwelch: Is that a Pasquini?

>49 jnwelch: Considering that Bujold dedicated A Civil Campaign as follows, "For Jane, Charlotte, Georgette, and Dorothy--long may they rule.", I think we can rule in some Heyer influence. However, A Civil Contract is perhaps the most sober of Heyer's romances while ACC is one of Bujold's most light-hearted, so the tone is quite different for that specific book. But the romantic "comedy of biology and manners" certainly owes a debt to Heyer.

>50 brodiew2: Good afternoon, Brodie. All is well on my end, and I hope it is on yours.

I don't think it's a Pasquini in >38 jnwelch:. It's identified as a "Slab City Silo", and I see a photo of a man painting it, but I can't get a name so far. Slab City is identified as a "home of free spirited travelers & artists living off the grid... ", and appears to be somewhere in California.

P.S. I don't know whether Pasquini has every done one in the U.S. I hope she does, if she hasn't yet.

>51 ronincats: Ha! A clue, a veritable clue! Thanks, Roni. Intriguing. I've read A Civil Campaign more than once, so I'll have it in mind when I get to A Civil Contract.

Does "Dorothy" in the dedication = Dorothy Sayers, or someone else?

#43
I agree.

The sheriff of Jefferson County in Alabama keeps advertising for open deputy positions and for advertisements he shows sheriffs deputies tricked out in full on camouflaged combat gear, crawling on the ground with a big rifle sticking out in front. This is so totally wrong!

I'm late , Joe. Apologies. Happy new one! Love the toppers and Katie's prize.

>53 jnwelch: Oh, definitely Sayers, Joe!

Happy new thread, Joe!

>43 jnwelch: Yes.

William Joyce's Fantastic Flying Books contains incredible illustrations! Your opening images are, as usua, striking. It is wonderful that we share an appreciation for illustrated images.

>43 jnwelch: ayup! a number of years ago, i recall PBS doing a special on emotional and social IQ. they suggested, tho did not assert, that, to the extant that certain dimensions of intelligence are indeed gender-based, our tests of intelligence tend to focus primarily on traits that are natured/nurtured more in males than females. they were doing studies that suggested that females from childhood upward tend to demonstrate higher social and emotion intelligence. this would be consistent with what the article reports.

i'm still reading Are we smart enough to know how smart animals are and his reports of studies of primate behavior, his own and others', show fascinating differences in the ways males and females work within social contexts. the descriptions of social "politics" around alpha males, conflict resolution, hierarchy, and community maintenance are so like human politics it's a gas. i keep saying, "ohmigod. that's exactly what we do."

excellent. thanks.

>49 jnwelch: Thanks Joe, just when I was in need of some Heyer recommendations, here you are with some! I'm finishing up Robert Galbraith's Career of Evil and something lighter is called for after the mayhem.

>1 jnwelch: argh! The fish are upside down! Oh....I get it :)

>43 jnwelch: makes sense to me! And, wha? Referring to the victims of violent sexual assault as 'whores'? Holy mackerel. That is heinous.

Meanwhile, I better get out of here before the battery goes completely flat! A good prompt to get me into bed for a rare early night! (it's 9:09pm)

>59 mirrordrum: Are we smart enough to know how smart animals are is now on my tbr list. I'm intrigued.

Yes! Charlie has the actual book version of Morris Lessmore and the app, which is amazing and so fun for it's interactive elements.

And yes, again, to Stephen Fry narrating the HP books - we have the complete set and absolutely love them.

Morning, Joe!

>54 benitastrnad: Doesn't that make sense, Benita? Yeah, we've got to bring a different mentality to policing. It's dangerous work with some bad armed folks out there, but it's also community service, with a premium on good decision-making. More women police would help, IMO, for the reasons described in that article.

>55 Crazymamie: Ha! No worries, Mamie. We've just been waiting to bring out your usual. Glad you like the toppers and Katie's library.



(Sorry, somebody spilled the beans)

>56 ronincats: Ha! Good, Roni, thanks. I couldn't think of anyone who'd fit other than Dorothy Sayers.

>57 kidzdoc: Thanks, buddy. Yes to >43 jnwelch: for me, too.

>58 Whisper1: I was just thinking of that, Linda. I always love seeing the illustrations on your thread. I don't know how you get so many good ones from those books. I'm glad you like the Revonkorpi ones, and I agree re Fantastic Flying Books. Being able to look at the still pictures in the book is as good as and maybe better than watching the excellent short movie.

>65 jnwelch: VERY thoughtful, Joe! Don't mind if I do, thanks!

>59 mirrordrum: Yeah, that fits my thinking, Ellie. I know Daniel Goleman wrote about Emotional Intelligence (but I haven't read it). That seems too often to be missing in the decision-making we're seeing, and I believe adding more policewomen would improve that.

The comparison to primates in Are We Smart Enough sounds like a hoot. Makes me think of how we tried to raise our kids with no toy guns. After our son (quite peace-loving now, actually) kept using bananas, sticks, etc. as guns, we gave up. Our daughter, no interest in guns whatsoever.

>60 NarratorLady: Hi, Anne! My pleasure. I'm always looking for Heyer recommendations, too. If you go over to Mark's thread today, karenmarie has some more interesting ones.

>61 LovingLit: Ha! I know, Megan. As a viewer, it takes a couple of seconds to figure out what's bugging you in that fourth one, doesn't it. Clever.

Yeah, >43 jnwelch: seems like a no-brainer to me. We have seen and heard more heinous stuff in 2016 than I recall since the 60s. (Yes, I'm an old fellow). I suppose it's partly the ubiquitous means of communication - visuals and statements get spread widely and fast. But I sometimes wonder whether we've learned anything over the years. I thought we'd come further than a lot of this crap.

Sorry for the grumbling digression. I hope the early sleep was a good one.

>62 Whisper1: I look forward to hearing more about Are We Smart Enough, Linda.

>63 scaifea: I'll bet those Stephen Fry HPs are great, Amber.

I love the book version of Morris Lessmore, and I had no idea there was an interactive app. What a great idea. We had some interactive books for our kids when they were growing up, but I bet they were rudimentary compared to what's going on now.

(I bet they're going to remember black and white educational software like I remember black and white tv).

>67 Crazymamie: You're welcome, Mamie!

Os Gemeos at 2014 Vancouver Biennale

An Alice Pasquini for Brodie:

GOod morning, Joe!

>66 jnwelch: William Joyce is such a wonderful illustrator and storyteller. But I'm preaching to the choir. :-)

>72 jnwelch: I love the Pasquini, Joe. Thank you. This one tell quite a story. let me get back to you on my thoughts.

>73 brodiew2: Good morning, Brodie!

Agreed re Joyce. Looking forward to whatever he comes up with next.

Isn't that a good Pasquini? I knew you'd appreciate that one.

>72 jnwelch: Like!!

Sweet Thursday, Joe. With the sun back out, it is back to another warm one.

I only have an hour left on The Oregon Trail. I will miss this journey. Sad face.

I also finished The Private Eye, not my favorite of Vaughan's work but I still liked it.

>75 msf59: Isn't that a good one in >72 jnwelch:, Mark? She should illustrate a graphic novel.

I saw the temp's supposed to be high today and tomorrow. Oh well. It hasn't been bad for August.

That's a hallmark of a really good book, if you'll miss it when you're done. I'll WL it.

Yeah, Private Eye wasn't as good as some of his others, but I still liked it, too. I saw that Lady Killer and Age of License have come in at the library, so I'll probably pick them up this weekend. I'm pretty sure you liked both of those.

Oh I like that mug with the cookie shelf!

A bit late to the party as usual. Congrats on your shiny new thread, Joe.

>77 sibylline: Isn't that mug with the cookie shelf a fine idea, Lucy?

>78 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. No worries. Traveling the French Alps is an excellent excuse. :-)

>76 jnwelch: Sounds like you've got some good reading ahead of you Joe.

>80 charl08: I do, Charlotte, thanks. I just started The Unknown Ajax, and I'm about halfway through Macintyre's Rogue Heroes.

Besides the library for graphic novels, our daughter and I are going to our local Comic-Con on Saturday, where there'll be steeply discounted ones. I always come home with a backpack full. :-)

Sweet Thursday, dear Joe. hope you're having at least a dash of merriment here and there.

>62 Whisper1: hey Linda. it's a book that requires some perseverance in the early going. he tends to get on his high horse and he gets lost in snarking at people who disagree with him. a bit tiresome. i'm in the second half of the book and this is where it's worth the early irksomness.

>68 jnwelch: >59 mirrordrum: one of my very favorite books in life is Melvin Konner's The Tangled Wing: Biological Constraints on the Human Spirit. in the intro or preface or something, he talks about the common conception that women are risky leaders b/c of monthly hormonal changes. however, he notes. nobody takes account of the fact that men experience continual hormonal fluctuations (esp. testosterone) that, unlike women's, are unpredictable and potentially dangerous. as example, he notes that testosterone tends to make men combative and that perceived domination (winning) increases testosterone in the bloodstream. this may be functional in the wild and in small communities but not so much in the White House Sit Room or when making decisions about conflict. i could go on but won't. i'd give a good bit to be able to read his 2nd edition from 2003 if for no other reason than to read it and be able to use Google to check secondary sources.

just one more thing on the women as coppers. one of the brief, early, defining scenes in the original Prime Suspect series occurs when DCI Tennyson (Helen Mirren) visits a doss house where one of the female victims, a prostitute, was held, tortured and killed. as they're leaving, the local PC with them makes some snarky comment about slags asking for it. cut to an external shot of the "door," a hanging sheet of metal and Tennyson exiting with the PC behind her also ready to exit. as she comes out, Tennyson lets the door go so it whacks him hard in the face. "sorry" she says, unrepentant.

well, i've hijacked your thread but i am, like Tennyson, unrepentant. thank you for putting up with me, my dear. of course by now, it's probably your tomorrow today. perhaps later i shall post you a morning snack.

>72 jnwelch: ooohhhhhhh.

Hi Joe. I've started the thread for September Series & Sequels.

It's at: http://www.librarything.com/topic/229450

Hoping you'll all stop by.

some breakfast options

sweetish: creamy coconut almond blueberry ricotta bowl



substantial breakfast for the person not wanting a sugar load: eggs Benedict with lemony hollandaise



a more traditional feast that should appeal to Amber at least: pancakes and Hogwarts bacon. no dead pigs involved.



the two hot dishes will be magicked steaming to the table as soon as the patron, or proprietor, is ready.

and now i am old and tired and full of sleep. off to bed i go.

>74 jnwelch: Have you read Ollie's Odyssey yet? It's Joyce's latest and it's, of course, absolutely lovely. We're also nearly finished with a read-through of his Guardians books with Charlie, and we all love them, too.

Morning, Joe! Happy Friday!

Oh my what wonderful breakfast selections! I've just devoured a Nutri-grain bar so I'll have to pass. Me thinks I need to track down those Fantastic Flying Books. Have a wonderful Friday, Joe!

>82 mirrordrum: Sweet Thursday and Fanackapan Friday, dear Ellie! (If I've got it right, "fanackapan" is Brit slang for "little dear").

Some other LTer said something similar about Are We Smart Enough: the first half strains tolerance, but is worth it for the second half.

Intriguing re testosterone; I hadn't heard that one. This is a subject I don't feel like I'm very knowledgeable about (I sure haven't read a lot about it), but it does seem clear that men in general are more prone to violence and combativeness, and women in general more prone to empathy and finding common ground. Does that sound right? And it makes sense that, while it's all degrees of gray when it comes to individuals, we could use more of the latter among our coppers.

I LOVED Prime Suspect, and want to get Madame MBH to watch it with me. That's the series where I first fell in love with Helen Mirren. (We got to see her on stage in The Audience in NYC a couple of years ago; one of the best experiences of my life). I didn't see all of Prime Suspect, unfortunately, but she was indomitable as Jane Tennison. I can tell that, like Tennison, as well as Tennyson, you're unrepentant. :-)

>83 mirrordrum: Yes! What is her back story, I wonder?

>84 lindapanzo: I'll definitely stop by, Linda. I starred the September Series & Sequels thread. Roberta once called me "The Series Pusher", so I'm a natural for SS & S.

>85 mirrordrum: How wonderful to come to the cafe and find breakfast already in the works, Ellie! Nice choices. Lately I've been drawn to eggs benedict, so I'm going with that one, California style.

>86 scaifea:

I haven't read Ollie's Odyssey, Amber. It helps to hear your enthusiasm, as the drawings I saw seemed more muted than usual for him.

The Guardians of Childhood books have felt a little young for me, but maybe I should take another look. I don't have a Charlie-age child any more - would an adult like them? (I read a lot of books targeted to young readers, as you know, but some are just . . . too young).

>87 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie! Happy Friday! Woo, we made it. I was ready for Friday on Mmphmumble Day at the start of the week.

>88 Carmenere: Agreed, Lynda. Ellie outdid herself with the breakfast options.

I bet you can hear your mother saying, a Nutrigrain bar is not enough to start your day. But I'm guessing you probably don't need a second mother (or father) to further annoy you.

Yes, find Fantastic Flying Books. It's a charmer, and features BOOKS.

Hope you have a wonderful Friday, too!

>86 scaifea: As a lover of Joyce's work and in full recognition of his cross artist style brilliance, I had a hard time accessing Ollie's Odyssey. I won't say I fully disliked, but it is not once of my favorites. It is creepier than most, rougher and less clean than what draws me to his work. I know this is purposeful, but it did not draw me in.

Morning Joe! Happy Friday. I really liked Lady Killer but have not read Age of License. I am a fan of hers, so it is on the List.

Little drizzly out here at the moment but the humidity feels better.

>92 brodiew2: Thanks, Brodie. That fits with my off-the-cuff reaction to it.

>93 msf59: Morning Mark, and Happy Friday!

I'm looking forward to reading Lady Killer. I'll probably pick it up on Sunday. I know you like Lucy Knisley, but I must've confused you with other LT warblers on Age of License. I'll keep you posted.

We just got walloped with a surprising heavy rainstorm downtown! The prediction was "no rain". I'm shocked, shocked I tell you, at yet another off-target weather prediction.

>90 jnwelch: >83 mirrordrum: >72 jnwelch: asked, given. Alice Pasquini backstory bits 1 and 2. fascinating! amazing! stupefacente!

Tennison not Tennyson. check. me too Mirren via Prime suspect who gave full and deserved props to Cagney and Lacy. :-)

" as a child I drew comic strips on all pages of the school diary, until the teacher did not call my mother to make her notice that plus my latest story did not make sense: A girl enters and exits an ice cream shop with a different outfit. What nonsense. Luckily for me, I cultivated a parallel passion for collage and assembly of objects with which to build entire cities in my room."

wow. luckily for us as well.

>95 mirrordrum:, >96 mirrordrum: Well, that was fascinating. Thanks, Ellie! Personally, I love the idea that A girl enters and exits an ice cream shop with a different outfit. Why would that be? Could make for a great story.

I actually meant the backstory of the girl/young woman depicted in >72 jnwelch:. She's got a, for me, mysterious personality. But some of the best discoveries come from misunderstandings, and that info you found on Alice Pasquini is a great example of that. It turns out she has illustrated a graphic novel, called Vertigine. It's a little pricey on Amazon ($25), but I WL'd it.

She's done work in New York, so I'll try to track that down. I'll sure look for her work in Rome if we ever get back there.

Here's one I found on that website of hers that I hadn't seen before, and liked.

>97 jnwelch: oh. happy oops. yeah one of my faves.

>98 mirrordrum: :-)

>90 jnwelch: I'm still reading Lonesome Dove. If I can finish that by the end of the month, I'll have plenty of time for series in Sept.

>100 lindapanzo: Such a great book, but no shortie, I know, Linda. I suspect you'll finish Lonesome Dove in time - it gets harder and harder to put down.

Hi Joe, you are a hard man to catch up with! That electronic downtime must have recharged your batteries.

>97 jnwelch: Love that one. Tempted by my library's collection of street art books now...

>91 jnwelch: Well, I Loved Ollie's Odyssey despite of *and* because of the variations from his other work, but I understand that others may not have the same reaction. The Guardian books, yes, are for a young audience, but Joyce's writing is gorgeous, and they're just *made* to read aloud because the language is gorgeous. Maybe try a readaloud with MBH? I bet she'd knock it right out of the park.

>5 jnwelch: Love that spot...

>14 jnwelch: Several of my friends NEED that cup...but they mention that two cookies are never enough.

'lo Joe. :-)

>102 Familyhistorian: We did seem to charge out of the chute with this thread, Meg. Glad you were able to stop by!

>103 charl08: Isn't that a beauty, Charlotte? Our son has some great street art books; I never thought of trying to find ones at the library. Good idea!

>104 scaifea: Hiya, Amber. Nice idea to try Guardians with Madame MBH. We're in the grip of the Little House on the Prairie series right now, but I'll make a mental note for the future. I'll look for Ollie's Odyssey, too, since you liked it so much. Can't hurt to check it out.

>105 laytonwoman3rd: I love that spot in >5 jnwelch:, too, Linda. Very peaceful painting.

I'm thinking one cup of coffee is never enough, either. So three of those cups in >14 jnwelch:, with six cookies . . . that sounds pretty good, doesn't it?

>106 mirrordrum: 'lo, Ellie. Good to see you! BTW, that "Angela" on FB, asking why I was one of the Sweet Thursday boys, was my bibliophile sister.

So, we just got back from Comic Con. Here's a photo of seasonsoflove/Becca, standing with a friendly fellow dressed up as the MST3K guy.



And here's my graphic novel haul. Great discounts there.



Funkopops for Becca and Madame MBH were also on the agenda.

Nice haul, Joe! Looks like a very fun time!

Happy Saturday, Joe! Great GN haul! Many of these, I am not familiar with, so I will be watching for reports. Nice to see Criminal, in there.

I would like to join you guys, one of these years.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Happy new thread, Joe!

>43 jnwelch: I think that would help a lot, but sadly it is a slow process.

>109 jnwelch: Great GN haul Joe. Looking forward to getting some good recommendations as you work your way through those.

Excellent haul, Joe!

>110 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie. It was a blast, as usual!

>111 msf59: Thanks, Mark! Some of the GNs our ones I've been thinking about trying for ages, like Bandette and Lazarus. I was really happy to find the third GN in the series, The Girl Who Played with Fire. It's an excellent GN adaptation of the story. I'll keep you posted on the others.

Enjoy your Sunday!

>112 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita!

You're right, >43 jnwelch: will be a slow process. I'd love to see it at least widely adopted as a policy and initiative.

>113 souloftherose: Thanks, Heather. You would've loved Comic Con. On Facebook Becca posted a pic of her looking exasperated as I happily look through another large trove of GNs.

We've been quite taken by the Jessica Jones series on Netflix (warning: very dark!), and I just read the first GN, which had essentially three stories. I liked the first one a lot, the second two not as much. I have the second GN, too, so we'll see how it goes. She's a disenchanted former costume-wearer with powers (particularly exceptional strength) who now is a emotionally beaten down private eye with a heart of gold.

>114 scaifea: Thanks, Amber! You can imagine, I was (as usual) like a kid in a candy shop. Daughter #1 was the same way with the Funko Pops.

That's quite a GN haul, Joe. I think the cafe's proprietor will be a bit distracted while he gets through those!

Happy Sunday, Joe! Gorgeous day. We have been waiting for this cool down. Ahhhh...

Hope to cram in plenty of reading this afternoon.

Hey Joe and Happy Sunday! I am back from an amazing trip to Alaska and hope to spend a couple of hours later this evening catching up on LT. I have several books to log and stories to tell. It will likely be next weekend before I post photos.

In any case, before P and I run off to the grocery store to put in supplies for the week, I thought I would let you know that I finished my final vacation read last evening (perfect timing!) and I plan to start A Brief History of Seven Killings today. I am hoping it's okay with you if we call it a shared read more than a Group Read, such that I won't create a special thread for it. We can share observations or thoughts along the way on our respective threads -- if that works for you. I know there were a handful of other LTers thinking about joining us and I hope they do!

So, come one and come all, consider this an open invitation to join Joe and me in a shared read of the 2015 Booker Prize Winner.

>199 brodiew2: Good luck you guys with the Marlon James. It is inventive and has a certain something, but I wasn't blown away quite as much as were some of our peers.

>120 PaulCranswick: I admit to some trepidation about this one, but with Joe and my side, I know I will be fine. :-)

Morning, Joe!

>109 jnwelch: Wow! Joe, you've struck the jackpot! So much fun reading ahead of you and I'm willing to bet many of those will work for S&S month, yes?

I won't be joining you and Ellen on the Marlon James but I have requested it from the library. The only Booker Prize winner I've read is Life of Pi and it's time I check out another.

>117 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. It's tempting to drop everything else and binge out on those GNs. I already liked the first Jessica Jones (first story more than the last two), and the GN adaptation of The Girl Who Played with Fire is right up there with the first two.

>118 msf59: That was a beautiful Sunday, Mark. We spent a lot of it out on our front porch. Glad you got such a good one on a day off.

>119 EBT1002: Happy Sunday and Mmphmumble Day, Ellen! Welcome back!

Looking forward to hearing more about the amazing Alaska trip. I'll be over to your thread soon.

A shared read of Brief History of Seven Killings is fine by me. I started it this morning on the commute, and no surprise, I can already tell this isn't one for the overly sensitive. Quite a start with Bam-Bam. I'm glad I'm reading it in hard copy. I have a feeling I'll be using the list of characters in the front a lot.

>120 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Inventive works, and I wouldn't mind getting blown away by Seven Killings. I'm still getting situated in it, so we'll see.

>121 EBT1002: Ha! We'll get through it together, Ellen. It'll be an amazing literary hike. :-)

>122 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

>123 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda! Oh yeah, I didn't even make the connection with S & S month. You're right, a bunch of those GNs will work for that. I'm psyched. There are ones I've wanted to try for ages, ones that complete a series I've liked, and ones that sure look like they'll be a fun read. Plus seasonsoflove and I had a blast.

Ben Macintyre is an expert at telling war and spy stories, and his Rogue Heroes is another success. This ER book is an authorized WWII history of Britain’s Special Air Service, founded by idiosyncratic David Stirling, a "sideways thinker" who was looking for an unorthodox way to help beat Hitler. It's based on previously unavailable SAS archives and a "war diary" collection of original documents gathered in 1946 that werre only recently made available. The SAS members were Foreign Legion types, that is, adventurous non-rule followers, some from rough backgrounds, some from the upper class, some from other countries. They volunteered for an unprecedented style of attacks behind enemy lines, first in North Africa against Rommel's forces, and later in Europe. Initially, they would sneak into German airfields and destroy airplanes and other valuable vehicles and cargo. Later they received Jeeps refitted with weaponry and carried out all-terrain missions of destruction and upheaval. They learned on the run, and showed amazing courage in taking on desperate situations. Their efforts helped turned the tide in Egypt and elsewhere, and the SAS became the model for U.S. Special Forces and similar units in other countries.

This is an excellent read, and I recommend it to any Macintyre fans and WWII history buffs, or those who simply enjoy a well-told history-based story. For me, it nonetheless didn't quite measure up to his Agent Zigzag or A Spy Among Friends. This was mainly because there was no way to center it around a single character as was done in those books, although Stirling and his second in command Paddy Mayne feature prominently. Without that, there was a bit of a feeling of going from battle to battle with changing casts. But that's a minor quibble for an another topnotch outing from this author, involving a little known but key piece of the WWII conflict.

Morning Joe! Good review of Rogue Heroes. It is on the list. Lovely start to our week, weather-wise, eh?

I am on the homestretch of Blonde, with less than a 100 pages left. I like this book a lot but my other books are shouting my name.

Hooray for Seven Killings. This was my favorite fiction read of last year. I hope you have similar feelings.

Good morning, Joe! I hope your weekend went well.

Thank you for this review of Rogue Heroes. I look forward to this on audio, which is the way most of my nonfiction is experienced. :-) The broad cast of characters seems consistent Macintyre's Double Cross Spies, which I listed to recently. I have heard of Paddy Mayne from one of the stories in the book my son read earlier this year, 'Guts and Glory: WWII' by Ben Thompson. It is a middle grade history book which features high action stories from WWII. This story featured was Paddy Mayne's North Africa adventure and his machine gun spree while driving a jeep.

Morning Mark!

Thanks re the Rogue Heroes review. I know that one will fit the bill for you.

Yeah, it's a beaut out there. I'm going to get out in it again at lunchtime.

Good for you for working through Blonde.

Seven Killings - so far, so good. Glad to be reminded it was your favorite fiction read last year; it's not a shorty, so all motivation helps.

>130 brodiew2: Good morning, Brodie! Yeah, that was a most excellent weekend. I hope yours went well, too.

You're welcome re Rogue Heroes. Paddy Mayne is quite the character; I'm glad to hear he's talked about in your son's middle grade history book. If anyone warrants the label "high action", it's Paddy Mayne. They would drop those refitted Jeeps in by airplane, believe it or not - some of them "pranged" and weren't usable, but those that made it unharmed were fantastic weapons - obviously, much more mobile than tanks, with surprising firepower.

hi Joe.

thanks for doing Seven Killings as a shared read, folks, and yes, you are in for a ride. i read a very brief chapter yesterday concerning Bam-Bam. there's a group of exceptional narrators doing the book. i don't know who does Bam-Bam but his performance on this chapter was . . . well, i really don't know how he did it. it was full stop all out gut-busting and lasted about 7 minutes. i'm still trying to pick up the pieces. just keep going. Marlon James is very clear about his use of violence and his belief that it's essential.

oh, um, where does the shared read take place, please?

>133 mirrordrum: Hi, Ellie.

Thanks for the encouragement re Seven Killings. I'll be returning to it shortly for the commute home.

We haven't set up a separate thread. So far Ellen and I are just going to exchange comments on each other's thread. If more folks join in, we can expand that concept.

I'm just 72 pages into Seven Killings, reading it in old-fashioned paper copy. Whew. It is intense. But incredibly well-written. The characters are starting to take form, at least some of them, starting to develop their particular voices. Definitely not for the squeamish.

Ellie is joining in (on audio, it sounds like). I'm happy to set up a GR thread, perhaps tomorrow evening after I get home from work? It might encourage more conversation....

>135 EBT1002: yeah, Ellen, i'm joining in audio. i'm already on chapter 35 but you folks should pass me easily. that chapter was so tough i had to take a break today.

(lurking)

Nice review of Rogue Heroes, Joe.

I'm glad to see that you, Ellen and Ellie are enjoying A Brief History of Seven Killings so far!

>69 jnwelch: The library notified me that they are holding this book for me! Hopefully, I can twist Will's arm to take me to the library today. I so look forward to when I can drive longer distances.

Happy day to you Joe. Here is an illustration for you


Anne of Green Gables illustration by Hanuol

Morning Joe! I am off today, so nothing but joy for me. Bike ride and books later. Just a few pages left in Blonde and then I am FREE!!

And then I want to finish up Grief Is the Thing with Feathers, which I was loving then there is Flaubert's Parrot. Looks like I am set, doesn't it?

Hope to see more Seven Killings love. Not always an easy read but oh, so rewarding...

>135 EBT1002: Sounds good to me, Ellen. I'm about 60 pages in, and having the same reactions as you. Very well written. I'm using the character list at the front for each different POV.

>136 mirrordrum: Excellent! For some reason I thought you'd finished Seven Killings, Ellie. It'll be great to have your company for this.

>137 maggie1944: *waving to one of the cafe's favorite lurkers*

>138 kidzdoc: Thanks re the Rogue Heroes review, Darryl. The book progresses through the war, and eventually some of the SAS members help liberate a concentration camp. The inhumanity is overwhelming.

Yes, A Brief History of Seven Killings is very good so far. I'm about 60 pages in.

>139 Whisper1: Hi, Linda!

Love that Anne of Green Gables illustration. Did you see they're going to do a new tv series based on it? The Megan Follows one will be tough to beat, but it's exciting that they're trying.

Do you mean the Are We Smart Enough book in >69 jnwelch:? Looking forward to your comments on it.

>140 msf59: Oh, I didn't realize you were off today, Mark. What a great day for that!

Ha! I know what you mean. I felt that way with War and Peace - great book, but it was a relief to be "free" and able to get to the other books calling my name. Kudos to you for hanging in there with Blonde.

I'm very curious about Grief is a Thing with Feathers. I read a very positive review that sure made it sound good. Are you liking it?

You do look set - Flaubert's Parrot is more high quality reading for you. What a writer he is.

Seven Killings is very good so far, and I'm looking forward to reading more of it.

Good morning, Joe! Read on, Brother.

>145 brodiew2: Ha! Good morning, Brodie! I wish. This pesky working life. Later on, yes.

^That is a perfect picture :-)

I might join in later with Seven killings, but my library doesn't have it, so I have to order from an other library.
Awarded Dutch YA doesn't do the trick at the moment, so I am going to try a few of the Booker Prize winners.

>147 jnwelch: dote.

if not too diffy, could you post chapters you're on for 7 killings as audiobooks aren't paginated only chaptered. chaptered? awwww, why not. txs!

Reporting back on the historical Heyer Royal Escape, Joe. I now know a lot more about Charles II and the Heyer humour and showing of character were there as well. It was a slow start but she gradually got to me so I had to read to the end.

>148 FAMeulstee: Your dog pal and a book on a nice day - what more could a person want, Anita?

We'd love to have your company on Seven Killings. It's very good, but it's not short or easy. I'm glad for the push from fellow readers.

>149 mirrordrum: Isn't that dote-acious, Ellie?

Hmm. I'm not sure how best to answer your chapter question re Seven Killings. My table of contents has five divisions, and I'm still in the first one, "Original Rockers". My chapters have names, not numbers, and I'm on "Alex Pierce" on p. 80, having just finished a Bam-Bam chapter involving his intro to free C. Does that help? I'm way behind you at this point, if you're 35 chapters in.

>150 Familyhistorian: Hmm, thanks, Meg. Sounds like not one of her best, but still good? I'm thoroughly enjoying The Unknown Ajax. So far it's right up there with the best ones for me.

Plenty of seats available.

OK, here's a longish Joe poem.

Voices Upstream

I

In waders I am invincible
A too small boy in his brother's old sleepers.
Not 100 yards away the highway cuts
Into the hillside,
And the hillside can't care. No one would

Think of us
Here in the dark, in the mud,
Beneath the logs and supports
Of this old bridge.

II

My friend, who never understood school,
Persuasively lectures us on river lore.
We examine our bits of fur, our hackles and chenille
The whiteflies and nymphs we will put to use.

This will not matter so much at night.
At night not even the fish see well.
At night the river is deserted,
The only sound the water
Splitting on our legs.

At night the shadows of half-submerged logs
Shadows from the hollows
Beneath the river bank
Move out into the water, splitting
On rocks and branches,
Sliding further into the shiny dark water.
At night the big fish come out of hiding
And can be fooled.

III

Impatiently I work my line
From the overhanging pine tree. My hands
Undo the most of my undoing, eager to
Rip loose, to be done.

There are words all parts of me
Once agreed on; the knot
Between my shoulders shakes loose,
My hands become calm.

The hook is caught in its eye.
For a moment I can't move;
It thrashes in my hand, the hook
Tears.
I work it out slowly, and place the struggle
Back in the water.

There are voices
Upstream. Somewhere,
In the hollows,
A shadow slides back.

Mornin', Joe!

Good morning, Joe. Thank you for arranging such a lovely place for some breakfast!

>154 scaifea: Mornin', Amber!

Why did that make me think of the Hugh Jackman "Oklahoma"? If you haven't seen that version of the musical, it's mighty good. I'm pretty sure Netflix has it.

>155 maggie1944: Good morning, Karen. Our pleasure! Wouldn't spending some time there be a fine thing? We might have borrowed the look from one in Tuscany, Italy.

By Claudia Tremblay

Good morning, Joe! I hope all is well with you.

>157 jnwelch: Lovely image.

Morning Joe! I will have to stop back later to read the "Joe" poem.

It started drizzling here again but it is supposed to move out soon. Fingers crossed.

I hope to spend time with The Arab of the Future. It looks good and I have been neglecting my GN books.

>158 brodiew2: Good morning, Brodie! 'Tis. Hope all is well on your end.

That's a lovely one, isn't it? I want to look into her other work.

>159 msf59: Morning Mark! I know, I think the length of this poem is a bit daunting for folks. I thought twice about posting it. We'll see.

A colleague just told me a whopper storm is expected down here in about a half hour. Not sure where from, and how that might affect you. Hope it all leaves you alone.

The Arab of the Future is in my future, after I work through that Comic Con haul. I'll look forward to your take on it.

Thanks for the Rogue Heroes review Joe. Can't wait to get into it.

Considering what a fan you are of illustrations (as am I), I thought you might be interested in a small museum in Newport, RI that I just heard of, the National Museum of American Illustration. (http://americanillustration.org/)

It has very limited hours and is only open to the public during the summer months but having found it, I'm determined to pay a visit before Labor Day. I'll let you know what it's like since it seems right up your alley and - who knows? - you may find yourself in New England again one of these days!

>168 mirrordrum: What beautiful site, NarratorLady! I will be spending some time there. Glancing at the collection, it may inspire me to write a few short fictions inspired by specific pieces. Thank you for bringing this to Joe's (my) attention. :-)

>153 jnwelch: each one can't be my favorite. or can it? this one, though, this one. something of a heartbreaker and i want to hold both fish and boy. your enjambments are ah-making. slipping it lovingly into Joes poems on my desktop. i think it's time to make a folder and not just a word doc. thank you.

Hello, Joe. I went home yesterday, having been swamped by a cold on my first day back at work, and collapsed into bed. No reading, no dinner. Just sleep. I'm back at work today but hoping to go home a bit early to crash yet again. But hopefully with a bit of reading mixed in.

My copy of Seven Killings doesn't have chapter numbers, either, but tells me whose voice I'm about to read (and thank goodness for the cast of characters at the beginning!).
I'm on page 126, getting ready to start a Papa-Lo chapter within the "Ambush in the Night" section. Just finished a Nina Burgess chapter in which she rode in the back of a police car after curfew (intentionally being a bit vague here, for others' sake, but giving Ellie and you an idea of where I am in the story). I continue to find the story compelling. It's an odd mix between difficult, in that it requires concentration and because of its hard emotional edge, and easy, due to its steady forward momentum.

>161 NarratorLady: Oh good, Anne, thanks. I'm glad the Rogue Heroes review worked for you. If all our history books growing up were as interesting as Macintyres, we probably all would've been history majors.

That Newport illustration museum does sound intriguing. Thanks for the link; I'll circle back to it. Yes, please report back. I'll definitely be back in New England; we still have some family there, and we both love it so.

>162 brodiew2: Oh, that's encouraging, Brodie. I will peruse. I join your thank you to Anne.

>163 mirrordrum: Yay! Voices Upstream is a bit of a heartbreaker for me, too, Ellie. Glad to hear those enjambments be jammin'. Thank you for taking the time to make your way through it.

>164 EBT1002: Oof, sorry to hear about the swamp cold, Ellen. I've had that happen, where sleep is the only medicine that works.

Yeah, your copy of Seven Killings sounds like mine - the chapter name is whose voice I'm about to read. I'm making heavy use of the cast of characters at the beginning, too - I'm not very nimble on a Kindle, so I'm doubly glad I'm reading it on paper, and can just flip to the C of C.

Poor Nina. I hope things look up for her at some point.

Good description of its difficult/hard/easy aspects. I'm alternating with a Georgette Heyer (The Unknown Ajax); that makes for an unusual flavor combination. :-)

>151 jnwelch: don't worry about trying to locate yourself in Seven Killings. i was actually 40 chapters in. i got an on-line study guide yesterday to help with characters and chapters and such.

i'm intrigued by the fascination with US westerns and their impact from '50s-70s. i was a bit baffled by Josey Wales until this became clear. i implore you to listen to Bam-Bam's voice in the clip at audible.com. at one point, the man who voices him produces an 8-minute tour-de-force i wish you could hear as well as read.

>161 NarratorLady: thank you very much, Anne and Joe. i've now had to pre-order the audio version of Rogue Heroes and the narrator damn well better be good. ;-). why do you force me to come here where i am endlessly beset by books, she whined. if i were Dobby, i'd have to hit myself on the head w/ the shorter OED Vol. 1.

>164 EBT1002: take care of yourself, Ellen. sounds yucky.

bit of a tsunami, Seven Killings. i like Nina Burgess. she's tough but dear lord, what an entanglement in that ride. odd thing is, Marlon James's writing is such that if i don't really like every character, he doesn't really write one-dimensionally so there's a part of me pulling for everyone. i find empathy for the Jamaican characters at least. i have a bit of trouble w/ the CIA and other US jerks. what i continually come away with in his books is a respect for, a deep feeling for, humanness (word?) and human complexity. answers are never pat, brutality and violence are not simply gratuitous. i had a bit of a day after one chapter, 2 days actually. feeling haunted. JB said, 'do you really want to be reading this book?' i said yes because it's not gratuitous. it's the closest i can come to bearing witness and it seems almost an obligation or perhaps a way to honor struggle and suffering and the ways people survive and sometimes die. like reading Mountains beyond mountains or Behind the beautiful forevers.

>156 jnwelch: Sadly, it appears that neither Netflix nor Amazon have Jackman's Oklahoma! available for streaming, and the DVD is almost 50.00 on Amazon. *sigh* I got very excited there for a minute.

>167 mirrordrum:
Just checked to see who narrated Rogue Heroes and unlike most of his other books which were narrated by the excellent John Lee, the author has taken on the job himself! Let us know what you think Ellie.

>151 jnwelch: Yes, Royal Escape is still good but not the same as her fiction where she can take more liberty with the characters but she still fleshes out the characters for an entertaining read.

>153 jnwelch: I like the imagine in
At night the river is deserted,
The only sound the water
Splitting on our legs.

>156 jnwelch: Oh, whoa, that sounds amazing!

>169 laytonwoman3rd: Oh. Well, poop.

Morning, Joe! Your poem up there in >153 jnwelch: has a lovely lyrical flow to it. Thanks so much for sharing. Sweet Thursday to you!

Morning, Joe. Beautiful artwork here as always. Your poem was very nice; I like to start my day off with a bit of poetic imagery.

>167 mirrordrum:, >168 mirrordrum: Thanks for the Bam-Bam link, Ellie. It's fascinating to hear Bam-Bam. I see they have multiple narrators - a good idea with so many different voices!

We'll figure it out as we go along, in terms of where each of us is in the book. I'm in the second section now, Ambush in the Night, and Nina just had her ride home with the two cops.

Yes, big influences from American films and tv shows, and romantic views of the Wild West. Outlaw Josey Wales is a very good Western movie if you like that genre.

Ha! That Anne. Rogue Heroes - as I probably said, I wish all history were taught this way.

Good thoughts on the sympathies Marlon James evokes. He shows how Josey Wales and Weeper and others come to be the way they are, and I think that's a big part of why we care for and pull for the characters, some of whom do bad things. We don't really get that with the music journalist or CIA guys, so far anyway, so for me they're more annoying and I don't care as much about them.

Nina sure has my attention. I've no idea how things are going to work out for her.

I love Mountains Beyond Mountains and Behind the Beautiful Forevers; I can see why they came to mind.

>169 laytonwoman3rd: Boo! I'm so sorry, Linda. I'm almost positive we got the Jackman Oklahoma on disc from Netflix years ago; maybe they didn't keep it when they moved online. It's well, well, worth tracking down if you can find it at a reasonable cost. $50 is crazy; I guess it must be rare now.

It was his breakthrough role. From Wikipedia: "Jackman became known outside Australia in 1998, when he played the leading role of Curly in the Royal National Theatre's acclaimed stage production of Oklahoma!, in London's West End. The performance earned him an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. Jackman said "I totally felt like it can't get any better than this. On some level that production will be one of the highlights of my career." He also starred in the 1999 film version of the same stage musical, which has been screened in many countries."

>170 NarratorLady: Intriguing! I'd like to hear Macintyre narrate his own work, Anne. Can't wait to hear what Ellie thinks.

>171 Familyhistorian: Hi, Meg. I thought Heyer did a great job with Wellington and Waterloo in An Infamous Army, not so much with the war in Spain in The Spanish Bride, although it was still good. I do like her non-historical fiction better; someone pointed out that she seems to get constrained by all the underlying research (she's quite thorough about it) in the historical fiction.

I'm glad you liked that part of the poem. It's funny, I was just thinking about that sound last night. It's good to hear that it came across to you.

>172 scaifea: The Jackman Oklahoma is amazing, Amber. I hope it becomes more accessible to folks.

Yes, beautifully put. Oh poop. :-)

>173 Crazymamie: Morning, and Sweet Thursday, Mamie! Oh good, lovely lyrical flow ain't easy. Now if we can give just give you a bit of heartbreak, the job is done. :-)

>174 Thebookdiva: Hiya, Abby! Nice to see you back at the cafe.

Glad you enjoyed the poem; we have a lot more poetry popping up these days, on Paul's and Mark's threads, and on the AAC poetry thread, http://www.librarything.com/topic/220301, among other places.

David Zinn

>167 mirrordrum: and >168 mirrordrum: Ellie, thanks for the link. It was interesting to listen to Bam-Bam's voice. I think it will help as I move forward with my reading.

I love your comment: "it's the closest i can come to bearing witness and it seems almost an obligation or perhaps a way to honor struggle and suffering and the ways people survive and sometimes die." Seven Killings definitely falls into this category for me. I often say "reading is supposed to be fun," especially when I'm fighting my own compulsive tendency to take on challenges or fall into "I should be reading *fill in the blank*," but I also believe reading should be rewarding. This is a rewarding read so far.

Hi Joe! I'm staying home today, giving myself a day to really rest from this dang cold/flu. I imagine I will spend some of my day on LT and some of it reading. You commented that you're alternating Seven Killings with a Georgette Heyer. What a juxtaposition! I have been thinking about alternating it with something but I also feel like ABHOSK requires a level of concentration and absorption that, for me, makes sharing brain space less appealing. Of course, as I say that I remember that I have been listening to the final chapters of Missoula during my commute to and from work the past two days. So, not a cheerful companion to SK but apparently my brain can follow more than one thread, even in its foggy congested state.

>180 EBT1002: Yes, I love that comment, too, Ellen. And I agree, this is one of those rewarding reads, rather than a "fun" one, as good as his writing is. I do the same thing.

Sorry to hear you're still under the weather, but I'm happy to hear you're giving yourself a chance to rest and get over it. I know - I was just telling Debbi that one of the funny aspects of the Heyer juxtaposition is that in The Unknown Ajax a main character is speaking in Yorkshire dialect, so I'm often going from Jamaican patois to (for me) a bizarre Yorkshire way of speaking - draw someone's cork, faradiddles, and so on, but also lines like this: "Seemingly he's as throng as he can be, and a trifle hackled with me for loitering here. I shall have to post off to Huddersfield next week, sir - and a bear-garden jaw I'll get when I arrive there, if I know Jonas Henry!” . My mind's becoming some sort of bear-garden after all this.

It's rare for me to be reading only one book. I like to change the pace. For all the Yorkshire-ness, The Unknown Ajax is easier than Seven Killings.

Good morning, Joe!

>179 jnwelch: That is hilarious good work. As with so many great sidewalk artists, the 3D effect is amazing.

>153 jnwelch: I really like Voices Upstream. You know I like to fish, (although I have not gone in a couple of years) and I am a fool for nature imagery, so this one works for me.

Sweet Thursday, Joe. A bit humid out here but no complaints...so far.

>182 brodiew2: Good morning, Brodie! Isn't that a fun one? David Zinn is really good at that kind of effect. Turns out he grew up in my home town of Ann Arbor.

>183 msf59: Oh good, Mark. Great to hear Voices Upstream works well for you. Yeah, I thought of you with the fishing. You would've liked the guy lecturing in the poem; he actually passed away (heart attack) a few years ago while fishing a northern Michigan river (somewhere near Petoskey). Fitting, and likely the way he would've wanted to go.

Sweet Thursday, buddy. Yeah, it was cool but muggy coming in - such an odd combination. Hope any rain waits until night time.

>176 jnwelch: Netflix lets you "save" Oklahoma! in your DVD queue, but lists the availability as "unknown". So maybe they did have it, and then their rights expired, and they don't know if they'll have it again.

>186 laytonwoman3rd: That could be it, Linda. I hope the situation changes; that's one that needs to be available.

>181 jnwelch: That quote from Heyer cracked me up!

>188 EBT1002: Ha! Isn't that a corker, Ellen?

Oh, The Unknown Ajax was a blast. Thanks to those who encouraged me to read it, one I hadn't yet heard of.



Who recommended My Side of the Mountain? I loved it a while back, and Madame MBH just stayed up half the night finishing it - she loved, too.

Sweet Thursday, Joe. :-)

>170 NarratorLady: thanks, Anne. i'll swear the narrator wasn't up there when i pre-ordered. even though i can't hear him yet, i just un-pre-ordered it. why will they insist on doing this. i grieve for the loss of John Lee's narration.

Joe, glad you and Ellen listened to Bam-Bam. the narrating ensemble is stunning. not a loser in the bunch so far.

i'm currently in first part of "Shadow dancin'." if i've met Kim Clarke before, i don't remember her. this is why i have to listen to books multiple times. i miss a lot and forget a lot. the intensity and complexity of Seven Killings makes it even worse than usual. probably will have to listen to it again.

here's a hoopies street art from slinkachu to amuse you.

>191 mirrordrum: Sweet Thursday, Ellie! Nice touch with the book link.

I can imagine the narrative ensemble for Seven Killings is stunning. So much dialogue in the book, too. Yeah, I have to admit, I'd have some trouble keeping it all straight on audio if it were a first read. I could see doing it on a re-read, but you're doing something quite mentally challenging, seems to me.

The street art is blank on my screen. Is it showing up on yours?

Hey Joe: love the 3d cat. So funny.

Once I got over my grump that the library had The Story of My Tits but I had somehow missed it until now, was delighted to get my hands on it. I also noted that near the end she mentioned being inspired by other GNs. Have you come across Julie Doucet?

>193 charl08: Hiya, Charlotte. Isn't that 3d cat a hoot? He's good, that guy.

Yes, I'm so glad you found The Story of My Tits. That's an outstanding, and moving, graphic memoir, as we were talking about over on your thread. I have not come across Julie Doucet, but you've sure caught my interest. I see one of hers here that looks intriguing: https://www.amazon.com/New-York-Diary-Julie-Doucet/dp/1896597831/ref=sr_1_1?s=bo...

I can't imagine keeping the Seven Killings characters straight without my written copy. I agree. Ellie, you are tackling quite the mental challenge!

And Ellie, as you start "Shadow Dancin'", I don't believe you have encountered Kim Clarke yet. I'm almost done with "Ambush in the Night" and she hasn't yet made an appearance. The Cast of Characters lists her under "Montego Bay, 1979" (the characters are listed under categories such as "Copenhagen City" or "The Eight Lanes" to help place them in space and time). She is described simply as "unemployed."

Morning, Joe!

I don't know if I can exactly take credit for the recommendation, but I *did* sort-of-recently read My Side of the Mountain, and I think we chatted about it then...

>195 EBT1002: Me either, Ellen (can't imagine reading Seven Killings in non-print). Good thing Ellie's such a smartie.

I'm at the beginning of "Ambush in the Night", and I don't remember meeting Kim Clarke - what was the name of Nina's sister? For me, Mark Lansing just offered the rock journalist access to the Singer in exchange for . . .

>196 scaifea: Morning, Amber!

If we chatted about My Side of the Mountain, then you're definitely one of the recommenders of My Side of the Mountain. I saw you mentioned Julie of the Wolves over on walklover's thread. That was the first of hers I read, and it was outstanding.

Rua de Santa Maria, Guimaraes, Portugal - unknown artist

Good morning, Joe! I hope all is well.

I think the reading slump is truly ended. I am greatly enjoying When the Astors Owned New York. It is a brief history of the Astor Dynasty accompanied by a survey of grand hotels. It is surprisingly fascinating.

>198 jnwelch: Like!

Happy Friday, Joe. I am getting close to vacation time. Grins...

Expect a lot of warbling about The Hour of Land. Her writing is gorgeous and evocative. Where has she been all my life?

I highly recommend The Arab of the Future. Good stuff. Look forward to book 2, which I have nearby.

I ran across this article in my on-line subscription to Publisher's Weekly. I thought you Chicagoans would be interested in it.

Amazon Opening a Physical Bookstore in Chicago

Amazon has confirmed that it is opening another bricks-and-mortar store, this one in Chicago.

The mega-retailer told the Chicago Tribune that the store will be located in Chicago’s Southport Corridor and is set to open next year. The 7,200 sq. ft. location is on the former site of the Mystic Celt bar and grill at 3433 N. Southport Avenue.

This will be Amazon’s second beach head in Chicago. Last week it announced that it will open its first pickup location in the Windy City later this year. The 2,300 sq. ft. pickup spot will be located at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Student Center East.

Since Amazon opened its first physical bookstore, Amazon Books, in University Village in Seattle last fall, there has been wide speculation about just how deeply Amazon is committed to its bricks-and-mortar business. Despite comments by a mall chain operator CEO in February, when Sandy Mathrani at General Growth Properties said Amazon plans to open 300-400 bookstores, the tech giant has moved relatively slowly on opening additional bricks-and-mortar locations.

Amazon's second physical bookstore, slated for San Diego this summer, has yet to open. A third store is expected to open later this year in Portland, Ore., but no opening date has been set yet.

>199 brodiew2: Good morning, Brodie. What an interesting reading choice. What made you think of reading When the Astors Owned New York?

Hope you're setting up for a good weekend.

>200 msf59: Isn't >198 jnwelch: a good one, Mark? Those look to be shutters, don't they?

Happy Friday! Vacation soon - excellent. Are you going anywhere?

Hour of Land - looking forward to hearing more. She's new to me, too.

Good to hear re Arab of the Future. Once I get through the couple of dozen from Comic Con (!) and what's come in from the library (including your recommendation, Lucky Penny), I'll be ready. :-)

>201 benitastrnad: Thanks, Benita. Yeah, that Amazon store is going to be located not far from where we live in Chicago. We'll be able to walk to it.

They continue to surprise me with this brick-and-mortar initiative. It'll be good to have another bookstore, and I'm curious to see their approach, with it being all face-outs based on Amazon popularity and employee input. (Encouraging purchases of Kindle and Fire are a big part of it, too, according to our Seattle LTers).

Impressive 3D art by Sean Fitzpatrick

ayup, Joe, the weekend's coming. can you tell i am too much in telly contact w/ Yorkshire via "Happy Valley" and "Last Tango in Halifax?" what a splendid greeting or, apparently, a sort of "hedzup" or "watch out."

just popped in to wish you well and see if you'll check out "Senzenina" by Cape Town Youth Choir on my FB page. i was thinking of you and Chicago Children's Choir. it's breathtakingly, achingly beautiful.

later, tater. gotta go wrangle w/ Comcast. :-)

eta >203 jnwelch: whoa! that's gonna make Marky a very alert and attentive fellow. ;-)

Afternoon Joe, I hope you have a relaxing weekend planned.

>202 jnwelch: I have long had an interest in the Rockefeller and Vanderbilts over time, but never full engaged it. As a teen I lived in Asheville, NC, where the Biltmore House is located. A couple of weeks ago I saw this book on another user's page and decided I would check it out. The book contains a brief history of the Astor dynasty, but also focuses on the opulence and innovation of hotel construction at the turn of the century. Surprisingly interesting.

>203 jnwelch: Nice one!

>204 mirrordrum: Ayup, Ellie. You continue to teach me, as I'd not heard of the Happy Valley or Last Tango in Halifax telly series. Both sound good, yes?

We're FB blocked at work, so I have to squeeze in time on my phone. Haven't listened to "Senzenina" yet, but I'll find it and do so. I'm glad you were reminded of the Prop and the CCC.

Sending positive vibes for your Comcast wrangling. It can be mighty frustrating, can't it. They'll probably send you through a long maze of press 1, press 2, etc. choices before they'll let you talk to a human being.

Ha! I thought of Mark when I posted >203 jnwelch:. Why do you suppose both of us had him come to mind? :-)

>205 Familyhistorian: Afternoon Meg. Thanks. It should be relaxing. We've got Madame MBH's writing group coming over tonight, and a pal of hers as a house guest, but otherwise it's open. Looks like decent weather. I hope you have a relaxing weekend ahead of you.

>206 brodiew2: I can understand that interest in the Rockefellers and Vanderbilts, Brodie. Such influential families. The opulence and innovation of hotel construction at the turn of the century - that's the kind of thing that catches my interest, too. Looking forward to hearing more about your adventures with the book.

ETA: I thought you'd appreciate the 3d virtuosity of >203 jnwelch:!

I had to try this, from the How to Do Cool Stuff In Your Threads thread:



Oh yeah, five different colors. Cool, right?

Here's the link to this very useful thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/129158#5700831

>209 jnwelch: If I remember correctly we have Tad to thank for the multicolored stars.

"Last Tango in Halifax" is a very good BBC show that I watch from time-to-time on PBS. At first I thought it was another long series like "Downtown Abby." It is a series, but NOT like Downtown Abby. I like it, but don't watch it too often because it comes on late at night here in Tuscaloosa. However, some of my friends watch it because they record it and watch it when it is convenient. The same is true of the BBC series "The Tunnel." It is a police procedural that I find very interesting. It reminds me of the MI5 series from several years ago. "The Tunnel" comes on late on Sunday night and I don't have a recorder so I don't get to watch it that often. But it is also good.

>207 jnwelch: >204 mirrordrum: it's pronounced, best as i can get it and i'm sure with variations, "ay" (as in bacon) and "up" is kinda "uwp." not a US sound. accent on the "ay" or "hey." i'm sure you've heard it. or will.

not heard? i suppose next you'll be tellin' me you don't know British BAFTA winner Sally Wainwright or BAFTA winner for "Last Tango" Sarah Lancashire?" i warn you, LTIH has 80's lovers Alan (Derek Jacobi) and Celia (Anne Reid) and middle-aged Lesbian lovers Caroline (Sarah Lancashire) and Kate (Nina Sosanya currently starring in Young Chekhov at the Nat'l's Olivier). also a superb supporting cast including Nicola Walker and 4 adorable young male actors playing various sons. i want to bring them all home and cosset them, endearing creatures. Wainwright was so taken with Lancashire in Halifax that she wrote "Happy Valley" for her to star in as a tough copper in an equally tough town. both shows are excellent but may be hard to find unless you do Netflix.

>207 jnwelch: >203 jnwelch: oh, there were a couple of things i thought might get Mark's attention. er, the nice blue touches on the boots and, um, the sword? just an intuitive thing i guess. :-)

Happy Saturday, Joe!

Ah, Joseph. You host such interesting and informative conversations. Love this stuff.

Morning, Joe!

>210 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl. You know, I'm not sure who Tad is. What's his LT name? I do like the multi-colored stars.

>211 benitastrnad: Thanks, Benita. I'm getting close to retirement, so maybe I'll expand my tv fare a bit. Those both sound good. We tried "Penny Dreadful", and will continue with it. Madame MBH was fine with the gore; her more sensitive husband had to shield his eyes. We're told that the gore diminishes quite a bit as the series goes on.

The ones I'm really hooked on are Orphan Black and Lucifer. An amazing tour de force of acting in the first, and engaging humor in the second. Plus Poldark second season is coming.

>212 mirrordrum: I have heard "ayup", though I can't remember where, Ellie, and what you're saying about pronunciation matches what I heard. I feel like if we said it in Fargo, North Dakota, they also would find nothing odd about it.

>213 scaifea: Happy Saturday, Amber!

>214 weird_O: Oh good, Bill. I'm glad you find it that way, and thank you for the kind words. You're a great addition to the cafe patrons, and the 75ers in general.

>215 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie!

ETA: >212 mirrordrum: I spaced out, Ellie (such a rare occurrence) (not). Last Tango sounds like a mighty one, and Happy Valley, too. I love Derek Jacobi (I, Claudius = first time I saw him), and it sounds like I sure should get to know Sarah Lancashire. We were talking here a couple of days ago about Helen Mirren's wonderful turn as a tough cop in Prime Suspect.

Ha! Yes, I also thought there were a couple of things that might get Mark's attention in >203 jnwelch:. Yeah, the blue touches on the boots and the sword, those might be it. Those wrist shields are pretty cool, too. :-)

Kringle, anyone?

>218 jnwelch:



hiya, Joe. happy impending weekend. hope you've a good 'un planned. you usually do.

>218 jnwelch: Ha! I think the kringle is yours, Ellie - and your friends' if you're willing to share. Although I bet we could find more for them.

It's been a groovy weekend so far. Madame MBH's storyteller work group is full of good folks (met at our place), and one stayed over (she lives about an hour and a half away, and the group went a long time). Very nice woman who (whom?) we took out for breakfast (and she took us out for Starbucks). Now they're both at a writing class. Storytellers - gotta love 'em. I sure do.

Hi Joe and Happy Saturday. I've been doing laundry and running errands all day, finally propped up with LT and Brief History of Seven Killings.

I'm partway through "Shadow Dancin'" (Papa-Lo is narrating at present) and, of course, by now you, Ellie, and I are all up-to-date on the status of Kim Clarke. I caught on about halfway through her long narrative and was pleased to be correct.

I also finally did some googling about Babylon as I felt like I was missing something as it is referenced so much. I found this: "Babylon is used in reggae music as a concept in the Rastafari belief system, denoting the materialistic capitalist world." Ah yes, that helps.

>221 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen. I used to be a big Bob Marley fan (still am, actually, though he be long gone), so the Babylon part I've been getting. But I'm still a long ways behind you and Ellie - I know nada about Kim Clarke yet. The big attempt just happened in the book where I am, so I'm in the aftermath of that.

Even though I happened to know the Babylon one, I welcome stuff like that, that help explain what the heck we're reading. :-)

>220 jnwelch: sounds truly wonderful. *sigh*

>221 EBT1002: oh bless you for the Babylon bit, Ellen. i keep forgetting to look it up. it took me longer than it did you, i'll bet, to twig Kim Clarke.

Such gorgeous photos on your thread, Joe. Just stopping by to what is up on your thread. Gosh, I need to find some good tv like you have. I find not much worthwhile on TV at all lately. But I need HBO or something?

No that the Ollympics are over I am sitting in front of the TV and it is tuned to PBS. Or I am listening to some podcasts about books. All of this so that I can find time to spend with my knitting. I love those BBC series. I am not watching Orphan Black anymore but watched some of the episodes the first season it was out. I am not going to miss the first episode of Poldark and need to get the fourth book in the series read Warlegen before the new season starts. That book is on my list for the September Series and Sequels read.

Joe, I'll be careful to avoid spoilers since I'm ahead of you. I can safely say this: I just started the Alex Pierce chapter in "Shadow Dancin'" and it has me chuckling out loud (So far). Marlon James is brilliant.

>153 jnwelch: Nice atmosphere Joe for a little slice of growing up.

>181 jnwelch: You'll be hearing my own version of the Yorkshire accent next month, Joe, all being well.

>224 vancouverdeb: To get good TV like that I think you have to cross the border, Deb.

Hi Joe, the kringle looks delish but need some tea to wash it down.

I'm not sure who Tad is. What's his LT name? I do like the multi-colored stars.

Tad (TadAD) has been a member of this group longer than I have. He taught many of us how to use HTML on LT, from his posts that have been incorporated into the How to Do Cool Stuff in Your Threads thread from the 2012 version of 75 Books. He lives in northern NJ and we've met in person several times, most notably last year when I spent several days with him, his wife Julie, their daughter and her close friend in Amsterdam and Utrecht. Here's a photo I took in Utrecht last year, which shows Tad and his wife, their daughter's friend (their daughter had a bad hamburger the previous day, when we met Anita & Frank Meulstee at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam), and Connie:

Morning, Joe!

>229 kidzdoc: Love the photo, Darryl. Good looking bunch.

Happy Sunday, Joe! Hope you are kicking back with a refreshment and some poetry. You might like my current collection, Night Sky with Exit Wounds. Some of the prose is jaw-dropping, plus with a name like "Ocean", how can you go wrong?

Finished up, Flaubert's Parrot. Not always easy or smooth, but very smart and plenty of fun. He is a dazzling writer.

Happy Sunday, Joe.

Hey Joe! Hope your Sunday is going well! I picked up Seven Killings from the library but it's on the bottom of a stack of 8 library books. Keeping my fingers crossed I'll be able to renew!

Hi Joe, haven't been visiting much around the group and was very much due for a visit here! I've been reading various comments about A Brief History of Seven Killings with interest. It always takes me loads of self-convincing to jump into really big books, and it's certainly the case with that one. I have it as an audiobooks and am doubtful that's the way to go, though I can probably get my hands on the list of characters. I have so much difficulty retaining names that novels with large casts of characters inevitably become hugely confusing to me. Anyway... guess that's just a bunch of excuses to explain away why I probably won't be joining you guys this time.

>82 mirrordrum: Thrilled to add this book to my WL - I'm always going on about this subject and would like to have a book to back me up.

Love the street art pix.

>223 mirrordrum: OK, I've twigged Kim Clarke, Ellie. Bet it took me longer than you took longer than Ellen. :-)

We had a productive time at Delicious cafe this morning, reading and writing. I finished my re-read of selected Sharon Olds poems, Strike Sparks. Hope you and JB are having a good one.

>224 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. I'm glad you're liking what you see at the cafe. We don't have HBO, so I guess you can do without that. We've got Comcast (Infinity on Demand), Netflix and Amazon Prime. I still can't get used to all the options. Our kids both use Hulu a lot. Last night we watched Key & Peale's "Keanu" movie which someone rec'd to us. We love Key & Peale, but it was just okay. Lightweight fun.

By the way Joe, I took note of your comment on The Unknown Ajax. I had SO many Heyer books on the tbr... a bit overwhelming actually!

>225 benitastrnad: Looking forward to Poldark resuming, Benita. Great cast in that. We love Orphan Black - I read somewhere she made a rule that she can only play two different characters in one shooting day. I can imagine her mind would start getting boggled otherwise. Helena and Alison the soccer mom are probably our favorites, although the new hairdresser Crystal is a hoot.

>226 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen. I'm in Shadow Dancing, having just twigged to Kim Clarke. I'll look forward to the Alex Pierce chapter. Hope you're having a good Sunday.

>227 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Seeing you next month would be most excellent! Fingers crossed.

>228 Familyhistorian: Hi, Meg. Living in Ann Arbor growing up we used to get Canadian tv - I remember best Hockey Night in Canada and the Canadian Second City tv. Wish it was easier to for you all to get U.S. tv.

Here you go for your kringle:

>229 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl. Maybe I'll get a chance to meet Tad some day. I recognize the TadAD name, but haven't seen him much in the parts of the LT campus that I wander. How cool that you were able to get together in Amsterdam and Utrecht.

>230 scaifea: Morning/afternoon, Amber! We was out and about this a.m., living the cafe life (different cafe!).

>231 msf59: Happy Sunday, Mark!

Woo, you buzzed through Flaubert's Parrot quickly! He is a such a smart writer, isn't he? We could probably fill a thread with quotes from that one.

I've read Night Sky with Exit Wounds. How did you find out about Ocean Vuong? I'm wondering whether he's a local guy. He's sure spending a lot of time in the local scene. He just performed at Women and Children First with Nate Marshall. That's a good book of poetry, yes.

>232 Ameise1: Happy Sunday, Barbara. Thank you for stopping by.

>233 Carmenere: Hi, Linda. I know the problem! Glad you picked up Seven Killings. It lives up to the buzz. Our daughter loaned me a book from the library that she renewed, but it's still going to be a close call to get it read, as Seven Killings ain't a shortie.

>234 Smiler69: Hi, Ilana. Nice to have you stop by. Yeah, the small print of Seven Killings and the length is a bit daunting. We set up the shared read to give a bit more motivation and support to each for reading it, which I definitely needed. I've had it for nearly a year! Sorry you won't be joining us. Yes, when you get to it, have a cast of characters handy. As you get further in, with the repetition the different names sink in, but for me anyway, it was confusing at the beginning.

>235 sibylline: I always like it when someone catches something useful from earlier in the thread, Lucy. That Ellie is a wide-ranging reader. Glad you're enjoying the street art. I'll try to get another one up today.

>237 Smiler69: You and me both, Ilana. I've got at least a half dozen more Heyers on my Kindle, and that's probably an under-estimate. Right now I'm enjoying A Civil Contract. I thought The Unknown Ajax was a gas. Among other things, the way the Major plays with the Yorkshire accent is very funny.

>240 jnwelch: I picked up Exit Wounds at the library. They have a tiny, new release poetry section, that I check periodically. That is so cool, that you have read it and know "Ocean". I am really enjoying this collection. Dark & Edgy. My cuppa...

On the GN front, I have been reading Criminal Volume 4: Bad Night. I really like this series. This one has a comic artist, as the main character. Like we have said before: Brubaker Rocks!!

Wow! I'm caught up with your thread. I am following very few folks these days being "busy" as I say. Getting ready for surgery on a bunion this coming Wednesday, and I think recovery will include a good deal of reading. And perhaps more LT than I've been doing recently.

Hope your weekend was swell. Seems like it was working out quite nicely for you.

Say "hey" to wife and daughter from Seattle. When will you come back?

>234 Smiler69: Ilana, i can't encourage you strongly enough to have both a hard copy of Seven Killings and the audio. the performers, they're not just narrators, capture things that written words simply cannot. i have to do it in audio alone and it's very difficult, but the performances, it's an ensemble, are exceptional. at the same time, i miss all kinds of things, i get lost b/c so much is dialogue or stream of consciousness. i would love to have my audio cake and read it too.

James is a genius, the book is a brilliant tour-de-force as are some of the performances. it's a hard, intense read but it is absolutely worth it. if you're audio listener, the audio version of his earlier book of Night women narrated by Robin Miles is not to be missed. James is an author of stunning talent and vision.

>235 sibylline: i hope you like Melvin Konner as much as i did, Lucy. it would be wonderful to be able to use google to check up on some of his assertions and of course, the research.

i was, and still am, enamored of his idea that we suffer from, o lord, what does he call it, ah, the "tinker theory" which he believes, and i agree, is the fallacious theory that "everything will be alright" if we just tinker long enough: get a new President, monarch, therapist, drug, set of laws, etc. in his opinion, and mine, there is no "fix." biological, and other, constraints predicate against it. this was a balm to my spirit in a lot of ways. it's also enormously helpful in dealing with chronic, unpleasant physical conditions. i know that some things simply have to be lived with and one has to make one's peace. not everything can be fixed. if it still appeals, then go for it. also, he's very readable.

>245 mirrordrum: Thanks Ellie, I am indeed a frequent audio listener, and it sounds like I'll have to follow your advice and borrow the printed version from the library as a read-along when I'm ready to dive into Seven Killings.

>246 Smiler69: you'll be very glad you did, Ilana. :-)

>246 Smiler69: I did a read and listen of 7 Killings. Best way to tackle this book.

Looks like you and Ellen are really into 7 Killings. Love this book so much.

>133 mirrordrum: >168 mirrordrum: Well said.

Great to read the enthusiasm for 7 Killings here. I have The Book of Night Women on the shelves and will try and get go it!

Morning, Joe!

>243 msf59: Thanks, Mark. I'm glad the library had Exit Wounds! He's a new one, but is getting a lot of recognition.

Yes, go Brubaker! I've read one of the Criminal volumes, and picked up another at Comic Con. I'm liking the second Jessica Jones even more than the first one.

>244 maggie1944: Good morning, Karen. Thanks for catching up. I know the threads can fill up quickly.

Good luck with that surgery. I'm sure you'll be a lot more comfortable after recovery. Yes, recovery time should be great for reading. Not being able to run around for a while has its advantages.

Can't even tell you how often we talk about Seattle. That ungrateful son didn't ask for our vote when he moved to Pittsburgh. Well, maybe he did ask for our input, but he knew we'd think about what's best for him, rather than what's best for us, like we should have. My schedule is going to be freer next year, so maybe we can figure out a time to visit. I want to get to Portland and Powell's, too. Maybe we can combine them. We'd sure like to see you and Ellen in person again!

>245 mirrordrum: i would love to have my audio cake and read it too. I'll bet, Ellie! A combo sounds like a great way to go with this one. I would enjoy hearing all the different voices I'm reading.

The guy is a genius, and I'll have to look for The Book of Night Women when we're finished with this one.

Papa-Jo is carrying out justice right now at the beach, where I am in Seven Killings.

You certainly make the Melvin Konner sound appealing. I had a lot of resistance to "accepting things" when I was younger (big surprise, right? Seems like an integral part of being younger), and of course getting older brings some reality. But I still like to think we can improve things incrementally (which might be tinkering?), and that getting involved to do that is worthwhile.

>246 Smiler69: The print/audio combo does sound ideal, Ilana.

>247 mirrordrum: Ayup. (That might be a North Dakota ayup, instead of a Yorkshire one).

>248 luvamystery65: Good confirmation of the print/audio approach, Ro. I don't know how I missed that you loved Seven Killings, but I'm glad to hear it. Yes, I think we're all finding Seven Killings very rewarding - not easy, but really good.

Ellie's a well said kind of gal, isn't she.

>249 charl08: I'd love to hear what you think of The Book of Night Women, Charlotte. It's great to find an elite new author like this.

>250 scaifea: Morning, Amber!