Joe's Book Cafe 2015 Door 16

Street art by David Zinn

Welcome back to the cafe!

Best of 2014

*= favorite of year

Fiction

Lila by Marilynne Robinson*
Redeployment by Phil Klay
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Nonfiction

The Way I See It by Temple Grandin*
An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield
Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink
The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman
Agent Zigzag by Ben Macintyre

Young Adult/Midde Grade

Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky*

Science Fiction/Fantasy

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel*
The Martian by Andy Weir
Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber
The Peripheral by William Gibson
Cress by Marissa Meyer

Graphic Novels

Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant by Roz Chast*
This One Summer by Jill Tamaki
Exit Wounds by Rutu Modan

Poetry

Blue Horses by Mary Oliver*
Black Boy Suite Black Boy Sweet by Danez Smith
View with a Grain of Sand by Wisława Szymborska

American Author Challenge 2015

January: Carson McCullers - Ballad of the Sad Cafe and Other Stories
Feburary: Henry James - Turn of the Screw
March: Richard Ford - The Sportswriter
April: Louise Erdich - The Round House
May: Sinclair Lewis - Babbitt
June: Wallace Stegner - Where the Bluebird Sings
July: Ursula K. LeGuin (read tons of hers) - Isabel Wilkerson The Warmth of Other Suns
August: Larry McMurtry - Lonesome Dove
September: Flannery O'Connor (read enough) Chaim Potok The Promise
October: Ray Bradbury - (read tons of his) Truman Capote Breakfast at Tiffany's
November: Barbara Kingsolver - Bean Trees
December: E.L. Doctorow - World's Fair

British Author Challenge 2015

January: Kazuo Ishiguro - Never Let Me Go
February: Evelyn Waugh - Scoop
March: Daphne Du Maurier - Jamaica Inn
April: Angela Carter - The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories
May: Margaret Drabble/Martin Amis - Jane Gardam The Man in the Wooden Hat
June: Anthony Burgess - Nothing Like the Sun
July: Virginia Woolf - Mrs. Dalloway
August: Iris Murdoch - The Bell
September: Salman Rushdie - Midnight's Children
October: David Mitchell - The Bone Clocks
November: William Boyd - Restless
December: Hilary Mantel - A Place of Greater Safety, and maybe a Wodehouse for fun

Books Read in 2015

January

1. Ruddy Gore by Kerry Greenwood
2. Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
3. Ballad of the Sad Cafe by Carson McCullers
4. Saga Volume 4 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
5. Rose Gold by Walter Mosley
6. Serenity Leaves on the Wind by Zack Whedon
7. A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver
8. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
9. Urn Burial by Kerry Greenwood
10. The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan
11. Lexicon by Max Barry
12. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
13. Coventry by Helen Humphreys
14. The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion
15. First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen
16. The Lost Garden by Helen Humphreys

February

17. Turn of the Screw by Henry James
18. White Teeth by Zadie Smith
19. The Sculptor by Scott McCloud
20. Son by Lois Lowry
21. Raisins and Almonds by Kerry Greenwood
22. Scoop by Evelyn Waugh
23. The Evening Chorus by Helen Humphreys
24. Death Before Wicket by Kerry Greenwood
25. Dinner with Buddha by Roland Merullo
26. The Leaning Girl by Benoit Peeters
27. Claire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Dandicat
28. Stumptown by Greg Rucka

March

29. Consider the Lobster and Other Essays by David Foster Wallace
30. Away with the Fairies by Kerry Greenwood
31. No Time Like the Past by Jodi Taylor
32. March Book 1 by John Lewis
33. El Deafo by Cece Bell
34. Murder in Montparnasse by Kerry Underwood
35. Jamaica Inn by Rebecca Du Maurier
36. Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by Willaim Kuhn
37. Stumptown Volume Two by Greg Rucka
38. The Castlemaine Murders by Kerry Greenwood
39. Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
40. The Real Jane Austen by Paula Byrne
41. Endangered: A Joe Pickett Novel by C.J. Box
42. The Graveyard Book Volume One and The Graveyard Book Volume Two by Neil Gaiman and P. Craig Russell

April

43. The Best of It: New and Selected Poems by Kay Ryan
44. Night Film by Mariah Pessl
45. March Book Two by John Lewis
46. Queen of the Flowers by Kerry Greenwood
47. Obsession in Death by J.D. Robb
48. Death by Water by Kerry Greenwood
49. The Round House by Louise Erdrich
50. Younger Next Year by Chris Crowley
51. Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs
52. The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter
53. Murder in the Dark by Kerry Greenwood
54. Perfect State by Brandon Sanderson
55. The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
56. The Two Mrs. Abbotts by D.E. Stevenson
57. The Late Works of Hayao Miyazaki by Dani Cavallaro
58. Bones Crossed by Patricia Briggs

May

59. The Man in the Wooden Hat by Jane Gardam
60. Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs
61. River Marked by Patiricia Briggs
62. Displacement by Lucy Knisley
63. Bangkok Rules by Harlan Wolff
64. The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
65. And Sometimes I Wonder About You by Walter Mosley
66. Golden Son by Pierce Brown
67. Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis
68. To Dance with the White Dog by Terry Kay
69. Ross Poldark by Winston Graham
70. Artificial Absolutes by Mary Fan
71. Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
72. World of Trouble by Ben H. Winters
73. The Chimes by Anna Small

June

74. Crown of Embers by Rae Carson
75. The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson
76. A Spy Among Friends by Ben Macintyre
77. Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold
78. Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs
79. Nothing Like the Sun by Anthony Burgess
80. Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs by Wallace Stegner
81. Demelza by Winston Graham
82. The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
83. Velvet Volume 1 by Ed Brubaker
84. The Mask A Vanessa Michael Munroe Novel by Taylor Stevens
85. The Graphic Canon Vol. 3 edited by Russ Kirk

July

86. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
87. Stumptown Volume 3 by Greg Rucka
88. Agent of Change by Sharon Lee
89. Two Tales of Korval and Fellow Travelers by Sharon Lee
90. Conflict of Honors by Sharon Lee
91. Ghettoside by Jill Leovy
92. Carpe Diem by Sharon Lee
93. Plan B by Sharon Lee
94. Local Custom by Sharon Lee
95. Scout's Progress by Sharon Lee
96. Particle and Wave by Benjamin Landry
97. Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson
98. Charles Simic Selected Poems 1963 - 1983
99. I Dare by Sharon Lee
100. H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
101. Landline by Rainbow Rowell
102. Duty Bound, Certain Symmetry and Trading in Futures by Sharon Lee
103. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

August
104. Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff
105. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
106. A Liaden Universe Constellation: Volume 2 by Sharon Lee
107. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson and Denise Mina
108. Night Broken by Patricia Briggs
109. Wind/Pinball by Haruki Murakami
110. Fledgling by Sharon Lee
111. Saltation by Sharon Lee
112. Marriage Can Be Murder by Emma Jameson
113. Ghost Ship by Sharon Lee
114. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
115. Wayward String Theory by Jim Zub
116. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
117. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

September

118. Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomalin
119. Rat Queens by Kurtis J. Wiebe
120. Speak: A Novel by Louisa Hall
121. The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny
122. Caleb's Story by Patricia MacLachlan
123. Redshirts by John Scalzi
124. Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera
125. The Ranger by Ace Atkins
126. The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz
127. Jeremy Poldark by Winston Graham
128. Make Me and Small War by Lee Child
129. Warleggan by Winston Graham
130. Six and a Half Deadly Sins by Colin Cotterill
131. A Beam of Light by Andrea Camilleri
132. Wild Hundreds by Nate Marshall
133. Devoted in Death by J.D. Robb
134. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and Chris Yost

OK, here's what I've seen so far as nominees for the Great American Novel bookshelf (I can't get the touchstones to work for some reason):

Lonesome Dove (which started the discussion)
Grapes of Wrath
Plainsong
Invisible Man
Brooklyn
To Kill a Mockingbird
All the King's Men
Sometimes a Great Notion
Absalom, Absalom
Accordion Crimes
Ragtime
My Antonia
The March
Ship of Fools
Crossing to Safety
Arrowsmith
The Master Butcher's Singing Club
The Age of Innocence
The Yellow Birds
Native Son
Go to Tell It on the Mountain
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
Blood Meridian
Gilead
Empire Falls
Huckleberry Finn
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Killer Angels
Moby Dick
The Scarlet Letter
Beloved
Catch-22
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
Sister Carrie
Independence Day
The Whistling Season
Gone with the Wind
The Travels of Jamie McPheeters
Thirteen Moons
Caleb's Crossing
The Winthrop Woman
Little Big Man
Snow Falling on Cedars
The Things They Carried
Matterhorn
McTeague
American Pastoral
The Natural
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Johnny Got His Gun
Breathing Lessons
Digging to America
U.S.A. by John Dos Passos
The Great Gatsby
Mr. Vertigo
Being There
The Road
The Big Rock Candy Mountain
Angle of Repose

Great American "Creative Nonfiction"

The Right Stuff
In Cold Blood
Executioner's Song

Great Novels by Americans (category closed - too large a category for the proprietor!)

The Good Earth
The Fixer

Great Novels That Under A Guise Celebrate and Critique American Culture and Are Titled Lolita and Are By a USA Author (Nabakov) and Might Qualify as a GAN

Lolita

Great Nonfiction by Americans (category closed - too large a category for the proprietor)

Godel Escher Bach
The Other America: Poverty in the United States
A People's History of the United States

Did I get them all?

Still accepting additions to the GAN list.

Something to think about while the proprietor is gone: what would be your top ten for the GAN shelf? Maybe we'll have some that stand out.

Is the cafe open now? I'm needing a real, live, perfect coffee break! Honestly. I am so sick of this "everything is in boxes" life! Lost my Storm tickets, found my Storm tickets, misplaced my car keys, found my car keys, sheesh!

Happy New Thread, sir! Love the 3D sidewalk art. So cool! Unfortunately, sidewalk art is not real popular in rainy Seattle. Rain makes it go away way too fast.

Next door parking lot is being blow dried.... right now! CNN with blower accompaniment. hummmmmm

I need to go to the library and read, I guess.

ETA: I have never felt qualified to have an opinion as to The Great American Novel. I am just happy to read books which I like, and I'll let the judgments be for others to undertake.

LOL, what an opening. Congrats on your shiny new thread, Joe.
Wishing you safe travel.

>4 jnwelch: 'Tis open, Karen! Woo, I bet you're looking forward to getting your life out of those boxes. We'll get that coffee. to supplement your RL coffee break.

Thanks! I'm glad you like the 3D sidewalk art. Street art is very big in London, and we plan to go on two different walking tours to see a lot of it, plus a visit to Banksy's temporary theme park. I can see why it would be problematic in rainy Seattle - although waterproof paint would work, wouldn't it? London gets a lot of rain, too.

The library on a rainy day sounds good to me. We're in a deluge in downtown Chicago, with big spikes of lightning.

I understand your not feeling qualified to opine on the GAN, but if I waited to be qualified, I'd never have an opinion on most anything. Being definitive as to what's what without any logical support whatsoever is kind of a national sport in our country, isn't it? Now that I think about it, in view of our deplorable political debates, maybe your idea is best, and we can hope it catches on. Just not as to GANs, as I'm enjoying that project, and at the least it gives us all more good books to think about reading.

Coffee:

>6 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. We've got our books gathered, and our flight booked. Glad you like those opening images.

ah you're a reading machine and the street art images are great. I'm totally behind in keeping up with threads this summer. You've been reading some good stuff.

>9 RBeffa: Thanks, Ron. Glad you like those street art images.

Even when I was studying in school, I had to read for enjoyment on the side. It's like breathing as far as I'm concerned!

I'm glad some of those look good to you. Wish I had time to write a few more reviews. It can be hard to keep up with LT, no doubt about it, but I appreciate your stopping by when you can.

Love David Zinn!! Have a great trip, Est. Prop.

>10 jnwelch: Ah, good, Linda! Thanks - about to depart from work. Woot!

Happy New Thread, Joe! Love the Zinn street art! It fits right in.

Looking forward to following your traveling adventures. Sounds like another great trip. How long will you be gone?

>3 jnwelch: Missing from the GAN list: I haven't read it, but it always looms big in these kinds of lists: U.S.A. by John Dos Passos. Maybe others can dissuade me, since I know nothing about it except the title, which sounds like it desperately wants to be The GAN.

>14 kac522: U.S.A. is actually 3 novels...a trilogy of 1400+ pages that NOBODY I've ever known has read! Sounds like an LT project in itself, doesn't it?

Happy new thread, Joe!

Street art! Street art is my favorite art form. So expressive and eye catching! I particularly love the mice front door image.... that is so perfect. There was a street art event last year here in town where I live and it was a lot of fun watching the artists creating their optical 3-D chalk art. That takes skill and I can see why for the larger works the artist needs to stand on a ladder with a camera to make sure they have the right perspective happening to create the effect.

Love the new cafe, Joe!

Oh Joe, I adore street art like that you've posted here. I think I agree with Lori in >17 lkernagh: (well, favorite form? that's a tough call), but it's so expressive and eye catching and I love how it plays with one's mind. Totally fun.

Meanwhile, you are on VACATION! Going to the UK, I understand, although I'm not completely clear about which parts. I know I'll find out as your trip unfolds.

You and Beth both seemed to enjoy The Nature of the Beast. I have yet to read the second in that series, but I will get to it one of these days.

And you were reading Signs Preceding the End of the World. I read that on the flight to Boston and found it to be a very worthwhile read. Short and poignant.

Have a great trip! We won't expect much from you in the way of reports or photos, but I do hope you're able to check in just now and then.

That is some very cool street art up there ......

Happy new one, Joe! I *love* the sidewalk drawings!

Nice new thread, Joe. See you soon!

Thanks, everyone. Glad you're all enjoying that street art!

Yes, Ellen, I liked Signs Preceding a lot. Interesting translator's note, too.

I'll add the USA Trilogy when time permits.

See you soon, Darryl!

#10
I agree with you about reading for fun and pleasure even in the midst of heavy duty studying. For me it was a breath of fresh air, and sometimes it even helped me make some really outstanding connections.

I work with people studying to be teachers and most of them do NOT read. I am appalled. How can you teach and not read? Yesterday I was working with the science methods teacher and her new class of students, and she told them several times that as adults they were going to have to keep learning and the best way to do that was by reading. She told them that there was always going to be some kind who knew as much as they did about a subject and it would bring a richness and depth to the teaching and the teaching experience if they kept expanding their knowledge base by reading. She also told them they could do this with fiction as well as non-fiction. For me it was a very nice moment, but I am not sure how much the students liked it.

Happy new thread, Joe. Love the street art toppers. I am waving at you from Glasgow. Waiting until the sun goes down before I put my time zone confused bod to bed. There are a lot of zones between Vancouver and Scotland.

I met up with two fellow weary travelers when I got through the border line up at the airport. After dumping our bags at the hotel we wondered the streets until check in time. My its hard to decipher accents when your head is stuffed with cotton wool.

I will be heading down to England on September 23. How long will you be on this side of the pond for?

>15 laytonwoman3rd: Hey hey... I've read it. 'Twas good.

>25 weird_O: Let me shake your hand, sir!

Howdy Joe. I see you are off to the UK. Looks like we will have some great pics coming up. I'll pull up a seat and wait. :-)

Happy new thread, Joe! And love the street art at the top! People who can do that awe me!

Safe and happy travels and say hi to everyone you meet up with! Eagerly awaiting all your great photos when you get a chance to post them.

>1 jnwelch: Love the art up top. Really whimsical.

My parents have landed safely :)

>30 seasonsoflove: Good news! Thanks for letting us know, Becca.

I landed safely as well, and I'm having lunch in Heathrow Terminal 4.

>30 seasonsoflove:, >31 kidzdoc: Good to have all of you back on solid ground!

Hi, everyone! We caught some Z's, took a great walk by the Thames, and had dinner at a favorite Italian restaurant near Smithfield market. I'll catch up with you tomorrow.

Glad to hear you've arrived safely, Joe. When will you be adventuring with Darryl?

Yay!

Looking forward to theater news from you Joe!

Glad you arrived safely, Joe! Thanks for letting us know. We will anxiously be waiting for further reports.

Hope you are having a fine English ale.

>23 benitastrnad: good to have a fellow must-read-for-enjoyment no matter what-er, Benita.

To teach and not expand your thinking with continual reading makes no sense to me either. I'm with that science methods teacher, and how great she emphasized that with the students. I hope they took it heart.

>24 Familyhistorian: glad you like those toppers, Meg. We're going to go on a couple of street art tours here. We did it last year and really enjoyed it.

Glasgow? How great! Have a wonderful time. Those Scottish accents can be really tough for me even when I'm not jet-lagged. Are you traveling anywhere else in Scotland? We loved it there and want to go back.

We get back from London on the 25th, so we may just miss you, darn it. I think Darryl heads back around the same time.

>25 weird_O:. Way to go, Bill! What did you think of the USA Trilogy?

>26 laytonwoman3rd:. Ditto, Linda.

>27 luvamystery65:. Howdy, Roberta. We're here, getting ready to head out for lunch with a friend near Trafalgar Square and a play tonight. Nice cool, clear weather. Everybody was out on the streets at the pubs last night.

Our pics probably won't start appearing until we get back, unfortunately. But keep an eye on Darryl's thread; we may pop up there.

>28 Storeetllr:. Thanks, Mary! I know, what a talent that David Zinn has, and there are a bunch of exciting street artists out there. Hebru Brantley is now on the Board of Young Chicago Authors, and I think that is so cool.

We'll pass on greetings to the other LTers. We'll be at BBC Proms in the Park with Darryl tomorrow night.

>29 Oberon:. Thanks, Erik. Glad you enjoy that whimsical street art. My wife wants him to do that mouse one on one of our porch stairs, if he's ever in the neighborhood.

>30 seasonsoflove:. Your parents are so delightful, Becca. (Love their kids, too).

>31 kidzdoc:. Glad you're settling in, Darryl. Just emailed you back re tomorrow. What a town!

>32 laytonwoman3rd:. Thanks, Linda! We landed a bit sleep-deprived, but we're getting adjusted now.

>34 cameling:. Thanks, Caro. Darrylfest starts tomorrow at BBC Proms. It is one of the weirdest variety shows we've ever seen, with about 55,000 attending in Hyde Park.

>35 maggie1944:. Ha! I join in your Yay! Karen. We love it here.

>36 NarratorLady:. Thanks, Anne. I'll try to keep you posted. We're going to a farce tonight, called The Play That Went Wrong. It's not far from Trafalgar Square, one of Madame MBH's favorite places on earth. She loves all the street entertainers, and mixing with people all over the world. We had a great time with a group of Nigerians last year.

BTW, I've got Cotillion with me on the trip. Right now I'm reading Jeremy Poldark and the new Lisbeth Salander.

>37 msf59:. Debbi says hello, Mark! Haven't gotten to that fine English ale yet, but soon, maybe Sharp's Doom. Had a delicious Chianti at our Italian dinner.

Love it here in leafy Islington. Off soon for lunch. Hope you're doing well. Looks like it's comfortably cool back in Chi-town, but maybe rainy?

I just finished reading Demelza and really enjoyed it. Demelza is quite the character. I will be starting Jeremy Poldark later this month. Right now I am finishing up the Iron Fey series and then I will start Dark Horse the fifth in the Longmire series.

Have a great time in London. I am starting to make plans for an overseas trip this winter. Not sure yet where I will go as am still getting prices and information together. I will look forward to the pictures.

My daughter just scored 9 of the first 10 Poldark novels (missing No.4, Warleggan) at a charity book sale---for ME, she says!

EDIT: Don't know what she paid for them.

#44
What a deal! I am lucky in that our library has all of the first seven in the series so I don't have to buy them. I just wish I could say the same about the Joe Leaphorn series, the Longmire series, and the R. Delderfeld series. All of those are incomplete sets at the library so I will have to use Inter-Library Loan for them.

>42 jnwelch: We stayed in a flat in Covent Garden during our last
London trip and walked everywhere. I can just see you and your wife exploring all those bookshops in St. Martin's Lane! And I've spent loads of time at the Leicester Square half price ticket booth. (Theater is an expensive habit!). Have a ball you lucky ducks!

>43 benitastrnad:. Madame MBH and I love Demelza, Benita. That scene where she sings is beautiful in the BBC series, too. Glad you had a good time with that second book. The third picks up right after the arrest.

We're having a blast. Great lunch yesterday with a new pal we met in Chicago when she was bowled over by Debbi's storytelling, then went to a stunning Audrey Hepburn exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery, then an entrancing violin group from Spain and other fun at Trafalgar Square, and then a farce at the Garrick Theater called the Play That Goes Wrong, lots of laughs.

>44 laytonwoman3rd:. Nice score by your daughter, Linda! She must like you or something. I hope you have a good time with the Poldark books when you get to them. They've been a treat for me.

>45 benitastrnad:. Agreed, Benita. I've gotten the first three Poldarks used, but I may need to turn to the library after this one.

I've enjoyed the Joe Leaphorn and Longmire series. The only Delderfield I've read is To Serve Them All My Days. What series are you reading?

>46 NarratorLady:. We're not all that far from Covent Garden, Anne, in our flat in Islington. We walk everywhere, too- big one today, to Kensington and Hyde Parks.

We've visited some wonderful bookstores here on visits - Daunt and London Review of Books (with that cafe!) and Foyle's probably have been our favorites so far.

We haven't tried the half price tix yet, and may save that for next time, as we're already booked for five plays, and our new friend is trying to get us into BC's Hamlet. Woot!

We promise to have a ball! We do feel lucky to be here. :-)

Happy Saturday, Joe! Sounds like you are having a fab time. You are hooking up with Darryl today, right?

Very cool in Chicagoland, only 62 but our Cubbies remain Red-Hot!!

>47 jnwelch: I believe I read 2 or 3 of the Poldark novels back in the '70's when the first TV mini series aired. It should be fun to revisit Ross and Demelza, and icky George Warleggan.

>38 jnwelch: Sounds like you are having a great time in London, Joe. After 2 days in Glasgow I am now on Islay, known as the Queen of the Hebrides, where some of my ancestors came from. It was windy and raining hard this morning but friendly bus drivers (he let me get on and ride to the end of the line before he turned back to where I was going) and sticky toffee pudding and everything is right with my world.

I will be here until Tuesday before I head off to Edinburgh and meet up with the rest of the genealogy gang. I will be moving to England on September 23. I first go to Chelmsford, Essex which looks to be commuter distance from London.

>49 msf59:. Had a great time with Darryl! Check out FB for me and the Mrs. at BBC Proms in the Park, Mark.

We see him again tomorrow, along with Sakerfalcon Claire, for a bookstore visit in Golders Green, and then we go with him to Banksy's Dismaland theme park on Monday. It's supposed to rain on Monday, which fits the theme - not sure if Banksy arranged for that or not.

Go Cubbies! I've never seen anything quite like this run they've been on, and the youngsters have been so important during it.

>50 laytonwoman3rd:. Yes, I loved that first BBC Poldark production back in the 70s. I didn't pick up on the fact that it was based on a book series, so this is the first time for me reading it.

I have to say, I like this new BBC version as much as the first, and I came into it very skeptical, as I had loved then first one so much. The actors playing Ross and Demelza are excellent, and quite easy on the eyes, as my wife and daughter would say.

>51 Familyhistorian:. Sounds wonderful, Meg. Mmm, sticky toffee pudding.

We loved Edinburgh. Part of my background is Scottish, the Macfarland clan. Apparently they were well-known at one time for excellence in sheep stealing. Every once in a while, when there's a full moon, I get an urge to go out and nab a fluffy one.

Good thing I live in the city.

Those who enjoyed Stieg Larsson's Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series will want to get their hands on The Girl in the Spider's Web. David Lagercrantz's continuation is spot on and a real pageturner. I had a great time revisiting with Lisbeth and Blomkvist and all the others.

Sounds like your trip to London is going to be full of culture. Are you going to any other places in England?

At the used book store today I found a copy of Rick Steves London book for 2014. For $2.00 it was quite a find.

The Delderfield books break down into two series. To Serve Them All of My Days is part of one trilogy. I am not sure which one, but I have had them on my list for twenty years. I just haven't gotten to them. It is going to take me some time to work my way through the Poldark books so they may have to wait another twenty years.

>53 jnwelch: "Every once in a while, when there's a full moon, I get an urge to go out and nab a fluffy one" .... sure you don't have any mainlander New Zealand blood in you .... :)

sounds like a grand time in being had in London by all .....

Hi, Benita and Alex and everyone. Having trouble posting from here today. I'll check back in later. Hope this one works.

Great to see you having so much fun in the UK, Joe. How long will you be there as there is a slight chance that I might be UK bound for a week or so in about ten days time?

Have a great Sunday.

Oh, that seems like a dream come true for Paul and you to Meet-Up unexpectedly in UK. I hope it can happen.

Happy Sunday, Joe! I am sure you have another delightful day planned.

That is good to know about, The Girl in the Spider's Web. Honestly, I had no interest in reading that one but the reviews have been very enticing. Temptation is creepin' in...

>54 jnwelch: I'll pass on this one Joe.

Sounds like a great time in London. Say howdy to Debb from me.

>55 benitastrnad:. Hi, Benita.

Not sure where today's jourmey, Golders Green, is located. Tomorrow to Dismaland is two hours out from London, and the Jane Austen tour is all over the place.

Some year I want to go to Hay-on-Wye, but it's a good ways away, so it will take some planning.

I didn't realize To Serve Them All My Days was part of a trilogy. It sure was good.

>56 roundballnz:. Ha! Maybe there is an NZ connection in my past, Alex. Yet another reason I need to get back to your part of the world and meet up with some kindred spirits.

A grand time is being had by all. Looking forward to seeing Sakerfalcon today.

>58 PaulCranswick:. That we are, Paul. Met up with Darryl and Claire today at a most excellent cafe and bookstore in Golders Green. If you can wrest FB away from Hani, there are some pics there. Or maybe Darryl is posting on his LT thread.

We're here until the 25th - it would be great to see you!

>59 maggie1944:. Me, too, Karen. That would be an unexpected treat.

>60 msf59:. Happy Sunday, Mark! Glad you saw the pic of me tipping an Adman's at the Angel Pub.

We had a great meal at Cafe Also (Darryl posted pics) and loved Joseph's bookstore. Claire tipped me off to Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov, which I now own. It looks bizarre and good. Makes me think of Lethem's Gun with Occasional Music.

I'm with you on Girl in the Spider's Web. I had figured it wouldn't be good, and then I started seeing these very positive reviews of it. I had an unqualified good time with it, to the point where it was a problem when we needed to do something/go somewhere, because I was begging for time to read just a bit more.

A reviewer in the New Yorker said it might well be a good thing to have other authors write new ones based on his outlines. While she thought he was terrific storyteller, she cited ex's that he wasn't actually a very good writer. That was running in my mind, too. Very unusual for something like this to work well, although I thought Brandon Sanderson did an excellent job of concluding the Wheel of Time fantasy series.

The various post-Austen takes on Pride and Prejudice that I mistakenly read were stomach-turning from my POV, but I'm glad I still managed to give the other side of the coin Longbourn a try. That one was cleverly done, and I liked it very much.

I think I've digressed!

>61 luvamystery65:. No worries, Roberta. We're having a fine time indeed. Debbi returns your Howdy. Maybe we can get you in Chi-town some day?

Every time I go to the Melville House booth at ALA the people at Melville House keep trying to get me to pick up Death and the Penguin. One of these days it will go home with me. Melville House does such a good job of getting and publishing authors who write in other languages and exposing them to American readers. I picked up one of Wolf Haas's books at ALA and gave it to my sister. She loved it. Haas is from Austria and writes in German. Because of her endorsement I purchased the four of his books available in English and have them on the TBR pile starting with Brenner and God.

They also have a Polish author whose work looks like something I would be interested in. I have all of the books by Jakob Arjouni starting with Happy Birthday Turk. All of these are published by Melville House and need readers!

Hi Joe, sounds like you're enjoying London and glad for you, but then, what's not to enjoy?! I'm sort of envious. It's been ages since I've travelled anywhere, but then, all I really have to do is get off my rear end and get going! Well, a bit of planning wouldn't hurt either, I guess. But I'm not keen on leaving the house and my beloved furry ones quite yet. Maybe the travelling bug will bite me again soon. I know Pierre's never been to London and is dying to discover it.

Love the street art up there. So sweet and so creative.

I'm sorry to say my experience with My Antonia wasn't exactly brilliant. But then I was going through a bit of a funk during that time and wasn't enjoying much of anything, so there's a good chance I'll want to revisit someday when I'm better disposed to enjoy it.

Enjoyed the GAN list and I did think as I read it that I haven't contributed to it... but do I have anything worthwhile to add to it?... I'll come back and post suggestions if I think of any.

>65 benitastrnad:. Interesting stuff, Benita. I hadn't thought of Death and the Penguin in terms of the publisher. Claire just made it sound like an irresistible read. But if I like it, which I imagine I will (a penguin as an important character? Bizarre, i.e right up my alley), I'll look into more Melville House books.

>66 Smiler69: Hi, Ilana. We love it here, as you can tell. It does take a lot of planning, and it helps to have two of us. Sounds like Pierre would be enthusiastic help.

Each time we know our way around a bit better. Darryl is an ace at getting around, and gave us a refresher tutorial today on the Underground.

Glad you like the street art up there! We're going to take a night time street art tour here soon, and visit Banksy's theme park tomorrow.

Sorry My Antonia didn't work for you. Your tastes and mine overlap a lot, but we're not cookie cutters. I love that book, and it's the one that turned me onto reading lots of Willa Cather.

Looking forward to any thoughts that may arise re the GAN list.

Hi Joe! Just looking in and reading about The London experience! I hope the weather is not going to be as bad as predicted! Have fun.

I've been enjoying your meet-up pics on Facebook, Joe. Glad you're having a good time.

Ok, a few contenders for the GAN (which haven't been listed already) and which are among my favourites:

Mr. Vertigo by Paul Auster: narrated by a now old man who retells of his childhood during the depression era. One of my all-time favourites, and I'm due for a reread.

I found this interesting blurb by an LT reviewer who starts off by saying "First thing, this is not the Great American Novel [!]. Which is fantastic, because frankly that is not the sort of thing that the majority of high school students are going to give the smallest flying crap about. Instead, it is a very American Novel. Easily swallowable sentences, fast paced action, the kind of visual imagery well adapted to the movie screen, and vulgar realism in the manner of 1920's United States, home of vaudeville, baseball, and the thick and viscous grime of rampant racism that flowed with all the speed of a horde of horsed members of the Ku Klux Klan. Also, did I mention swearing? Because swearing."

The Great Gatsby. Surprised it hasn't made the list yet. Or has it already been struck down as a contender?

Being There by Jerzy Kosińsk. Maybe not "great" in terms of length or size, but certainly a wonderful commentary on America and its fascination with television, fame, power and politics.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Again, surprised it isn't already on the master list, even though it covers a very specific time in American history.

The Road by Cormack McCarthy. Maybe too dystopian and bleak to be considered as one of the "Great American Novels"? All the same, a Great Novel.

The Big Rock Candy Mountain and/or Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner (the only two I've read by him so far).

>68 connie53:. Hiya, Connie. Thanks.

Bad weather would suit for Dismaland, but we'll see. It should be a fun, unusual, and interesting time.

>69 Storeetllr:. Thanks, Mary. You probably saw Darryl's pics of the terrific food at Cafe Also (I had the shaksouka), and that Madame MBH finally got me to a pub to have a pint.

Keep an eye peeled tomorrow - this should be something unusual.

Fingers crossed - The post to Connie finally worked. Here goes.

Darn, long response to you went kablooey, Ilana. Grapes of Wrath is the second on the list and a hot contender, IMO. I'll try again tomorrow on the others.

>70 Smiler69:. Great stuff, Ilana, thanks.

The Grapes of Wrath is the second one up there, and one I suggested. Hot contender, IMO.

I wondered whether someone would mention The Great Gatsby. It is a natural for the list, but I'm not a fan (the magic others find in it missed me entirely).

I love the Being There and The Road picks. We have McC's Blood Meridian on there, but not this one. Kozinski is another great writer who killed himself, right? Woo, that list would be long. Don't, just don't. Get help.

We've got Stegner's Crossing to Safety on there, but not those two.

Ah, and Vertigo. You've got me there.

ETA: I'll add these to the list tomorrow.

Oops, not sure how I missed GoW on that list! I did a 'find' search and must have typed it wrong. Also, I'm intrigued that you mentioned Vertigo by W. G. Sebald, because I've been wanting to read some of his work for a long time (The Rings of Saturn to start with), but haven't made it to him yet. The book I meant was Mr. Vertigo by Paul Auster. Only add those to the list you think NEED to be there. No need to put in all of Stegner's oeuvre, for example... I might have picked Crossing to Safety just as well had I read it already. ;-)

>47 jnwelch: "We're having a blast."
Excellent.

Heading over to Darryl's thread to see photos!

Keep having fun!

>75 Smiler69:. It's ironic, Ilana, but the Vertigo touchstone is what caused the post to go kablooey. I was trying to get it to Auster and couldn't. I don't know this one of his at all.

I've repeatedly thought about reading Sebald, too.

I'll (try to) put them on the list and see what folks say.

>76 EBT1002:. Hiya, Ellen! Lots of good stuff up ahead, and we're seeing Darryl again today. I need to get over to his thread, too!

>64 jnwelch: I assumed The Girl in the Spider's Web wouldn't hold up and haven't even looked at reviews. Now I need to go find out what the buzz is... :)

Love listening in on the GAN discussions, also, the trip to UK comments! Glad to hear the follow-up to "The Girl With...." Books is delivering!

As Ellen writes: Keep Having Fun

Looking forward to hearing about Dismaland. Our nephew is with the tourist board in that area and he was very excited about it. Not sure it would be everyone's cup of tea but certainly an experience!

Hi Joe, I landed here this morning to catch up and find you are off enjoying a well deserved holiday. Hope you and the Mrs. are having a great time. :)

>78 drneutron:. I know, Jim. That's where I started with The Girl in the Spider's Web. If you liked the first three, you'll enjoy this one.

>79 maggie1944:. Hiya, Karen.

Dismaland was clever and unique. One of my favorites was a booth where, for a pound, you'd get three ping pong balls and a chance to try to knock over an anvil with them. Succeed, and you get to keep the anvil AND win a Meaningless Rubber Bracelet. The sullen barker made it tougher by standing right in front of contestants, so they had to throw around him. Madame MBH managed to win a Meaningless Rubber Bracelet, although she had to work hard to get him to hand it over.

Beautiful countryside on the train ride there, too.

>80 NarratorLady:. Dismaland was so crazy good, Anne. We'd been warned that everyone working there would be in a bad mood, and sure enough, the "security" guy when we came in ordered us to stop smiling, and wouldn't let us in until we did.

Some great Banksy art, lots of bizarre theme park parodies, and plenty to gawk at and think about. Darryl has some pics over on his thread, and I'll post some whe we get back.

It closed early because of gale force winds! At first, no one knew whether they were serious in telling us all we had to leave. So, as Sakerfalcon said, we had the full Dismaland experience. :-)

>81 DeltaQueen50:. Thanks, Judy. We are having a wonderful time. Today we're slowly getting ourselves organized to go have fish and chips at the Angel Pub. Mmm.

BTW, Jack Reacher fans, the new one is another good one, with a bizarre plot and a new partner, ex-FBI agent Michelle Chang.

National Book Awards long lists for YA and Poetry have been announced; non-fiction and fiction will come tomorrow and Thursday.

>82 jnwelch: Very envious of your Dismaland trip. I enjoy Banksy a lot.

>84 laytonwoman3rd:. Thanks, Linda. I'm really out of the loop this year in YA. The only one I've read on the list is Nimona.

>85 Oberon:. You would have loved Dismaland, Erik. Subversive humor and intriguing art everywhere. Frustrating to not be able to post pics yet, but I'll cure that when we get back.

>82 jnwelch: Great story, Joe. Go Debbi!
And a train ride to boot. Very nice.

>87 EBT1002:. Thanks, Ellen. It was a great day.

Today we're off to a two hour guided walk of Dickens' and Shakespeare's London, followed by a trip to the Southbank book market. Then we meet up with Darryl and others for dinner and a play adaptation of Jane Eyre at the National Theatre.

Good morning, Joe! Did you & Debbi hear about today's weather forecast?

ETA: I suggested to Bianca last night that she and Claire decide on a place and time to have dinner, and the three of us could follow their lead.

Love following your adventures on FB, Joe! Sounds like you guys are having a terrific time. Wish I were there.

>82 jnwelch: Love it! Actually, I'm loving all of it...you are having a very literary time of it, it seems.

>89 kidzdoc:. Hiya, Darryl. Yeah, we got rained on during the Shakespeare/Dickens walk, but we were ready. The guide said the rain was a surprise, as it hardly ever rains in London. :-)

Good idea to have our knowledgeable colleagues pick the dinner spot. See you not too long from now!

>90 msf59: Wish you were here, too, buddy. You would absolutely love it. We're having tea and coffee and treats (lemon pound cake and custard tart) in the Cloisters at St. Bartholomew's church, where Four Weddings and a Funeral and a whole lot of other movies have been filmed.

Our S/D guide was using a map from 1561 to take us around, as the streets in what used to be all of London haven't changed.

>91 laytonwoman3rd:. Yeah, we love literary London, Linda. Big surprise, right? The tour was great (from the London Walks group, which we've grown to like very much). We hope to swing back to the Guildhall Library to look at a First folio. If Hemings and the other guy(Burbage?) hadn't gotten it published in 1623, we would've lost 18 of Shakespeare's plays, including many of his most famous ones, like Macbeth. Thank goodness they did.

>88 jnwelch: - The South Bank Book Market is my very favorite place :)

Sounds like a perfect day!

Wow, Joe, following everybody on FB and here you must have a blast. I'm just a bit jealous. Enjoy it.

>88 jnwelch: I am so jealous I can hardly stand it!

>94 katiekrug: the buckets of rain caused the South bank booksellers to close up, darn it, Katie, so we're going to go back.

It was a great day despite that. We had dinner (takeaway from Wahaca food truck to eat in the National Theatre Lobby, right by the book market), with Darryl, Claire and Bianca. Then we all saw a remarkable production of Jane Eyre, with music skillfully interwoven throughout and the actors doing a marathon on the stage that was almost a piece of modern art, with scaffolding and ramps and ladders and so on. Madeline Worrell, as Jane, showed physical strength and stamina as well as acting chops in playing Jane at different ages.

>95 Ameise1:. We feel very lucky, Barbara. We're having a blast for sure. The Shakespeare/Dickens guided walk was filled with cool info and places, including hidden alleyways and gardens.

>96 EBT1002:. You would've loved today, Ellen, with bookshopping at Daunt's and Foyle's, and a tasty meal at Le Pain Quotidien with Darryl and Claire. All the walking has left us wiped out, but tomorrow I'll let you know what all we found.

>97 jnwelch: Well, Joe, I'm Barbara but never mind you're on holiday. ;-)

>3 jnwelch: I love this list. Seriously, I love it. I am thinking of getting it all printed onto a tshirt and wearing it proudly. I love American novels, and so many are great but THE great American Novel? Gee. How might fun would one have trying to settle on that ONE? Maybe I shall make that my life's mission....

The Grapes of Wrath is often mentioned...as Ilana already noted. Not that I have read it...

I am loving keeping up with you in the UK via Darryls Facebook, Joe. Looks like a great trip and my jealousy is taking over now so I will sign off. :)

>98 Ameise1:. Sorry about that, Barbara! In my mind I was typing Barbara, but I must have tripped over the B.

Expect more goofs, as we are on heavy informational and sensory intake right now. :-) I fixed it up above.

>99 LovingLit:. Glad you're enjoying the GAN list, Megan. I love it, too. When we get back I'm thinking we can all vote and see whether we can come up with a top 5 or 10.

The Grapes of Wrath is definitely worth your time at some point. That may be my #1.

I know, I wish everyone could follow on Facebook, as that's where a lot of the photos are.

Do go over to Darryl's kidzdoc thread on LT, as he's putting together a photo essay on our trip to Dismaland.

Book haul from yesterday:

Daunt Books

Madame MBH:

All the Light We Cannot See
Londoners by Craig Taylor
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson

Proprietor:

A Brief History of Seven Killings
The Art of Killing Well by Marco Malvaldi
Don't Cry, Tai Lake by Qiu Xiaolong
The Dream of My Return by Horacio Castellanos Moya

Foyle's on Charing Cross Rd

Madame MBH:

The Bees by Laline Paull
Now and at the Hour of Our Death by Susana Moreira Marques

Proprietor:

The Summer Book by Tove Jannson

And we together bought "Pulp Classic" versions of the following, with hilarious pulp covers:

Frankenstein "This kid was born on the wrong side of the Lab . . ."

Three Men in a Boat "To Say Nothing of the Dog"

The Picture of Dorian Gray "Hey Girl . . . I'd Sell my Soul for You!"

Hi, Joe! The Jane Eyre play sounds wonderful. What a treat!

Great book haul! I've been hearing good things about My Brilliant Friend. I also want to get my greedy mitts on A Brief History of Seven Killings. This looks like just my cuppa. I am not familiar with your other Daunt Book titles. You will have to enlighten me.

When do you return home? We leave for Petoskey on Sunday. It's not London but still...

Wow, what a great book haul you both got. I hope you have enough room in your luggage to take everything new back home.

Never mind about the name. I know during holiday a lot of things are irrelevant. Enjoy it.

Joe, I just watched the advert for Dismaland; "Where the magic never stop... for 5 weeks only." Don't know if you've seen it? http://www.dismaland.co.uk/advert/
Must say I hadn't heard of it before I saw it mentioned on your thread. Wish I could visit too, sounds like just my kind of thing!

On the other hand, I got ticket from National Theatre Live to see Jane Eyre in December, so seems I can share a little bit in your UK fun. xx

Just found this video Joe, from the perspective of a visitor: https://youtu.be/Fao-pyP7wWo

Love the sound of those pulp covers. Any chance of a pic when you are back on your side of the pond?

>102 msf59:. The Jane Eyre play was a treat, Mark. We saw another one last night, The Woman in Black, which wasn't at that level, but was finely acted and had some fun scary moments. We see Nell Gwynne at the Globe tomorrow night.

I picked up A Brief History based on Darryl's enthusiastic comments. Claire tells us the Elena Ferrante series is hugely popular here, and the first one does look good.

My other Daunt ones are an Italian mystery, an Inspector Chen mystery set in modern day China, and a novel by a South American author Darryl admires. I could have bought as many books again there, but we're trying to spread it out a bit.

Petoskey's in a beautiful part of the country- have a great time. We're here several more days.

>103 Ameise1:. Ha! We just bought a cheap duffel bag to bring the books back in, Barbara. (We forgot to pack one). Love the bookstores here! We've been to three so far, with more to come, including Persephone.

Just call me Jim. That's my usual mis-name on LT. :-)

>104 Smiler69:, >105 Smiler69:. Thanks for the advert and video, Ilana. My kind of humor.

You would've loved Dismaland. Very clever, and full of laughs. It was great to see the anvil toss in the video; it was hilarious. Ours was even better, because the sullen employee would stand right in front of the contestant, glowering. The exploding feather woman on the bench was outstanding art.

>106 charl08:. Don't those pulp covers sound great, Charlotte? Yes, I'm sure I can post images of them when we get back.

Today we're off to the Southbank book market (no rain, we hope) and Waterloo station to pick up some train tickets to Basingstoke station for Monday's trip, then off to Warrick for a guided tour of Little Venice.

Happy Saturday, Joe! Darryl is giving the homebodies, a great virtual tour of your trip. It all looks wonderful. I wish I could join you guys, one of these years.

BTW- I picked up a library copy of Signs Preceding. See? Still following in your biblio-wake.

Have a good time in Little Venice.

Thanks, Mark. Gorgeous day here, with lots going on by the Thames. The Southbank book market was a-buzzing, and we, amazingly, found more books! Including The Siege of Krishnapoor, rec'd by Darryl.

We're having a cafe lunch in the Little Venice area, then off to the guided walk.

I think you'll love Signs Preceding. Hope you're having a great Saturday.

*waving* Suffering from acute jealousy, am I. Love all the stories.

Happy weekend, Joe.

Enjoy your weekend in the UK Joe!

>112 maggie1944:. *waving back to Karen* what a wonderful time we're having! Wish all our LT friends could be here. Heaven for book lovers.

>113 Ameise1:. Beautiful, Barbara, thanks. We're having quite the happy weekend, and I hope you are, too.

>114 Smiler69:. Thanks, Ilana. What a gorgeous day it was here. We enjoyed being down along the Thames, with lots of good books out at the Southbank book market, and music and various busker acts.

Then we tubed it to the Little Venice area, which was beautiful. We took a guided tour among a lot of expensive houses (successful rockers in particular like to settle there, and Rumpole author John Mortimer had an elegant home there before he died) plus the canals with lots of interesting houseboats and people paddle boarding and kayaking. Then back to the Waterloo area along the Thames where we grabbed some freshmade "dinky donuts" and made our way to a pub dinner at the Pater Noster where we got to see Japan pull off a history-making upset over South Africa in the Rugby World Cup.

One of the houses in the Little Venice area just changed hands for 26 million pounds, or around $40 million U.S. Woo.

Joe, I haven't heard you mention Hatchard's bookstore in Piccadilly. It's my favorite. Like stepping back in time!

Nice Hauls up there by you both .....Sounds like you are having a grand time

>116 NarratorLady:. Many thanks, Anne! I'm Hatchards-ignorant, and I'm thinking Darryl may be, too. I'll see whether we can get there before we leave. If not, next time.

We leave soon for Spitalfield's market, where we'll meet Darryl and Bianca.

>117 roundballnz:. Thanks, Alex. We're indeed having a grand time.

At Southbank book market, we found:

The Famous Five: Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton
Looking-Glass Insectsby Lewis Carroll and Helen Oxenbury

The Siege of Krishnapur by J.G. Farrell
And one I can't mention for seasonsoflove

I am highly highly intrigued ;)

>118 jnwelch: You have to check out Hatchards, Joe. It is the London bookstore that Heyer's ladies visit in the metropolis.

I loved The Summer Book.

>119 seasonsoflove:. :-) My lips are sealed, Becca.

>120 Familyhistorian:. Even more reason to visit Hatchards; thanks, Meg. Remarkable how some institutions can stick around for so long here.

>121 EBT1002:. Ah, good to hear, Ellen. Ellie (mirrordrum) spoke highly of The Summer Book some time ago, and it caught my eye at the store. I read a ways into it, and it was charming.

We're up early today and off to Basingstoke (three trains) to get picked up for our Jane Austen tour of the countryside. I'll report back.

Have a great time in Basingstoke! I look forward to hearing about it when I see you two on Wednesday.

Three trains?

>125 jnwelch:. We did, Darryl! Just got back.

Farringdon on Circle Line to Baker st., Jubilee line from Baker to Waterloo station, national line from Waterloo to Basingstoke.

Rinse and reverse.

Ah. I thought that you took three National Rail trains to Basingstoke, not two London Underground trains and one National Rail train. I like the location I'm currently staying in, but I often have to take two Underground trains to get to where I need to.

What do you two have planned for today? It's pretty dismal outside.

>126 kidzdoc:. We took it easy today, Darryl, as yours truly contracted a bit of a cold during our exploits. The Jane Austen tour was a delight; it was special to be in her part of the world and walk where she walked. The guide was quite a character himself.

Tonight we see The Octagon, a play that has been getting great reviews. It's by a woman we know from Chicago, Kristiana Colon, and we may get to see her afterwards.

The new Dr. Siri, Six and a Half Deadly Sins, and the new Inspector Montalbano, A Beam of Light, were both good, and will be enjoyed by fans of the series. Lots of red herrings in the former, and more romantic entanglements in the latter.

Saw a fantabulous play last night at London's Arcola Theatre, "Octagon", by brilliant Chicago playwright Kristina Rae Colon. Based in the poetry slam community it features a character totally at peace with her sexuality. That's disconcerting to many of the men drawn to her. How they deal with her finding each of them "special" in their own way is one theme. Another is the monster inside some people, and how to express violence without harm. Is that possible? Another is how to make a "career" in a niche art world. Gender issues, race issues, religious issues, other divisive issues, get popped and batted and parried and sweetly serenaded.

The language is rich and torrential. Some older folks in front of us said at interval that they had trouble keeping up with the speed, a characteristic of a lot of slam poetry. Madame MBH and I realized that we've learned to follow it over the years. If you get a chance to see this, don't miss it. But have your mind ready for what often is a very fast pace.

What a wonderful and awesome trip you guys are having. Lovely. I am so happy for your fun, and enjoyment!

I'm jealous.

>129 maggie1944:. Thanks, Karen! It's been a beaut. We just had a great guided tour of the British museum with Darryl. Now I want to research all sorts of things, including "Bog Men".

>130 weird_O:. Wish we could have all of you over here with us, Bill. So much going on! We're already talking about things we want to do here next year.

>131 jnwelch: Sounds like you are having a wonderful time, Joe. Maybe having a home base and going out from there is the way to do it. I have been spending quite a few days in traveling from one place to another on my journey around the UK. I made it from Edinburgh to Essex today. (I think my timing on the weather worked out just fine - just 2 mornings of rain since September 8)

Was there a "Bog Man" exhibit at the British Museum? I was fascinated by the Bog people display that I saw in Ottawa - it must be over 10 years ago now but I think that they were recent discoveries at that time.

>128 jnwelch: "The language is rich and torrential."

I love that description.

>132 Familyhistorian: Hiya, Meg. We've certainly done it the way you're doing it, and enjoyed it, but there's a lot to be said for operating from a home base. This is our second year in the same flat, rented via airbnb, and we're really appreciating knowing our way around.

Yes, the "Lindow Man", found in a peat bog in the 1980s (if I remember correctly) is in the British museum. Fascinating. Bigger than they expected, and may have been a Druid priest who was a human sacrifice.

Mysterious, and worthy of more research follow-up.

>133 EBT1002:. Thanks, Ellen. It was quite a play - she just overflows with beautiful language. She makes me think of the creator of In the Heights and Hamilton. There's something new going on.

Safe travels home tomorrow, Joe! I won't get to see Octagon this week, as I'm seeing a play at The Young Vic tonight, and meeting Bianca for dinner (and Claire for lunch) tomorrow. If you hear about it being performed in the US please let me know.

Our guided tour to the British Museum was very educational and entertaining. Thanks for inviting me. I'll remember to avoid mistletoe juice if it is offered to me!

Safe trip home! What a wonderful time you have had.

>135 kidzdoc:. Thanks, Darryl. Safe travels to you on Saturday!

Too bad re the play, but it sounds like you have plenty of fun things going on. Please give our best to Claire and Bianca. We're glad we got to spend lots of good time with Claire, and hope we can see more of Bianca next time. And meet up with some of the rest of the LT gang.

We really enjoyed that British Museum tour, too. Besides avoiding poisonous mistletoe juice, we need to remember to duck if someone tries to cudgel us from behind. And maybe give up our ambitions of becoming Druid priests?

>136 maggie1944:. Thanks so much, Karen. It sure has been a wonderful trip. We have mixed feelings - not wanting to leave, and looking forward to being home. The furry Sherlock will be the first to greet us, while his mom's still at work.

We're off to get coffee/chai near St. Paul's, and find a comfortable spot for journaling, then we need to polish off the packing and get the flat all spic and span.

Your new place sounds great, with simpatico neighbors - wonderful to hear.

Sweet Thursday, Joe! I have really enjoyed following your English Adventure! Sounds like a fantastic time. And you, Debbi & Darryl make a great team.

Hope you have a safe return.

Since, I finally finished the O' Connor collection, I am going to start Signs Preceding the End of the World. Yep, still in your biblio-wake. LOL.

ETA: I also picked up a copy of A Brief History of Seven Killings. Fortunately, it just came out in paper.

>138 msf59:. Sweet Thursday, Mark!

We've had a terrific time. As Debbi said today, it feels like we just got here. But it feels good to be heading back to home sweet home, too.

There's a reason that Darryl has so many pals. He's a pleasure to hang out with. Even in the rain, with gale force winds, in some crackpot artist's idea of a bemusement park.

Signs Preceding is a good 'un all right. I'm glad you're reading it. I'm sure I'll be in your biblio-wake soon enough. I know you had to bring the biblio-boat around a few times before I got my reading skis going for Lonesome Dove, but that was quite a ride.

I thought I had pulled off quite the trick by finding A Brief History of Seven Killings in paperback here. Oh well.

Right now I'm enjoying one I suspect would not be your cuppa in the least: Cotillion by Georgette Heyer. Humorous, complicated romantic doings among the British upper crust and those aspiring to it. Once again she's making me think of Wodehouse. No Jeeves, but no one else has that guy either.

Forget Mr. Darcy or Elizabeth Bennet, I bet most honest folk would admit they wish they had a Jeeves in their life, helping them deal with the day and getting them out of the scrapes their crazy aunts create. Oh, and that amazing hangover remedy of his.

How was the Jane Austen tour? Did I miss pictures of it?

>140 benitastrnad:. The Jane Austen tour was most excellent, Benita. Really special. I'll be able to post some pics this coming week.

I have heard some good things about several of the companies that host Jane Austen tours. A friend of mine is a member of the Jane Austen Society here in the U. S. Her lifelong dream is to go to England and do a week long Jane Austen tour.

Last night I watched Rick Steves program on Bath and York, and after watching it I decided that perhaps someday I would like to tour Bath. I then looked on the map and was surprised to find out that Bath is in the southwest of England. For some reason I thought it was in the South east closer to London. Doing a trip to Cornwall (Poldark country) and Bath (Jane Austen) country would be very doable. It is a possibility that I never thought of.

*waves cast*

You're reading Cotillion?? Well, probably you're done reading it what with today being a travel day and all.
I'm about to start that one (Katie and Jenn are responsible); hearing that you're enjoying it makes me more optimistic!

I'm jealous that you and Mark seem to have gotten your paws on paperback copies of Seven Killings. But, my turn will come. :-)

Save Travels back home ....... been just as fun hearing about your adventures

We're back! Now we just have to get back on the right clock. I'll check in later.

I had a lot of fun with Cotillion, Ellen. It would've made for a great '30s movie. I need to think about which Brit actors. On the Hollywood side, I'm think thinking Ingrid Bergman as Kitty, Jimmy Stewart as Freddy, and maybe Errol Flynn as Jack. Those who have read it, what do you think?

Happy Saturday, Joe! Welcome home, my friend! At least you have a couple days to get back on track.

I finished Rat Queens. I really liked it. I am starting to steer away from these action, super-hero type comics but I can still enjoy something like this. I already have Volume 2. I just started Velvet, Vol. 2. I like this series.

See? Still in that Biblio-Wake. LOL. Fortunately, I almost always enjoy the ride.

Go Cubbies!

>142 benitastrnad:. I love the idea of other Jane Austen tours, Benita. This one had been highly rec'd to us by my goddaughter (a major Jane Austen geek) and her mother. Phil, the guide, was a fascinating guy in his own right, having retired young from a succesful business career and started this tour and a "Jurassic Coast" tour on the Dorset Coast, while playing guitar in two bands, one R&B and the other folk. We also met his artist wife Sue, who was as strong and smart as him.

My next travel project for next year may be figuring out a good visit to Hay-on-Wye, which has been calling out to me for years. No surprise, our big monetary declaration to Customs on this trip was, ahem, books.

We loved our visit to Bath several years ago, and I can recommend it - it's beautiful - although that medicinal spring water tastes like blech. Interestingly, Jane Austen apparently didn't really like it there. She'd been torn away from the home she loved by her father's unexpected retirement and decision to move, and reportedly thought the people there were superficial and preening for each other. She stopped writing while there, and I think she didn't resume at all until her brother Edward provided the cottage in Chawton. Then she went on a huge writing binge that produced much of the work that we all love.

We got to see the table where she did the writing - it was a tiny little circular thing, looking more like a side table to hold a lamp than someone's working "desk". Amazing that some of the greatest books we'll ever see were produced by hand there.

The Hampshire area is still rural, with small villages and ancient homes. But now the bigger homes seem to be owned (from what Phil said) by financial mucky-mucks who commute to London. What was at least a complete day's trip to London by horse drawn coach in JA's day, and often 2-3 days, is now a 45 minute train commute from nearby Basingstoke.

It's a stunningly beautiful area. Reminded me of Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility. I don't whether she filmed it there, but it carried that feeling.

>143 ronincats:. Hi, Roni! So sorry to hear about your cast - broken hand, right? I'd be happy to virtually sign the cast, if that would help any. I'm glad you can at least divert yourself by goofing around a bit on Librarything.

>144 EBT1002:. I'm pretty sure you'll get a kick out of Cotillion, Ellen, as long as you're in the mood for a funny tale of 1930s style romances and obstacle-overcoming.

ETA: This "1930s style" romance is set in the early 1800s and was written, I believe, in the 1950s.

>145 roundballnz:. Thanks, Alex. It was a surprisingly smooth trip back on an early morning flight. It helped that we had gotten Global Entry passes (longish process to get, but worth it) and just zipped through U.S. Customs, which normally feels interminable.

Glad you liked the tales from what, for us, is across the pond. What do NZ'ers call the part of the planet between NZ and England?

>146 jnwelch: Good to hear that you are back home, Joe. Did you get to Hatchards?

When you named the cast for Cotillion I didn't recognize the character's names. Must be time for a reread.

>147 msf59:. It's great to be back and in our own bed again, Mark. Plus we have a little time to adjust to the time zone and get over the jet lag.

Isn't Rat Queens a good 'un? I've got the second one from Comic Con, and I'm looking forward to reading it. I love Doing the second Velvet! What a great central character, and what a complicated and. Interesting plot they've created.

I'm reading the collected Ender's Game GN right now, and they've done a surprisingly good job of graphically telling the story. The movie sounded disappointing, so I'm glad at least this visual adaptation ain't bad.

I think I missed with you on Gracefully Grayson and maybe one or two others, but otherwise our recs back and forth have worked well, haven't they?

ETA: Go Cubs!

>150 Familyhistorian:. Thanks, Meg. Hatchards is on our list for next year. We still managed to bring back two duffel bags full of books.:-)

Yes, at least glance through Cotillion again and please let me know what you think of my choices. There are an awful lot of well-drawn characters in it, but I consider Kitty, Freddy and Jack to be the main ones.

I'll be reading more of Ms. Heyer's books; if I could fix my brain to read multiple books simultaneously (why aren't scientists working on that one?) hers would be one of them.

Right now I'm reading the new Eve Dallas mystery, and I'm going to try the somewhat daunting Neurotribes, which I received as an ER book.

Loved Hay the couple of times I've been, but don't know it as well as I wish I did! Crazy tempting for the book buying. Will you be going for the festival, or normal time of year? Gorgeous part of the world - very green, with a valley full of walks to enjoy nearby too.

>152 jnwelch: Wow, two duffel bags of books! It would be wonderful to bring back extra luggage full of books. As it is I have to keep my suitcase about the same weight as when I left so that I can continue to make my way from place to place on public transit. That is very hard on a compulsive book buyer!

I will look in my Heyer section for Cotillion when I get home in October.

>153 charl08:. Ah, someone who knows Hay. Great, Charlotte! I may be asking you some q's at some point, if that's okay. Very happy to hear it's gorgeous, with a valley full of walks to enjoy. We love to walk, as you can probably tell.

I can't remember when the festival is, but I do remember it's not at the right time for us, unfortunately. We'll likely visit in September.

>154 Familyhistorian:. Yes, we're going to pack the duffel bags from now on, Meg. This time we had to buy them cheap in London. Going to bookstores in London is a big source of enjoyment for us. For our pal Darryl, too, I might add.

"When I get home in October" sure has a nice ring to it! I'll have to get over to your thread and catch up on your adventures.

The southwest part of England and Cornwall are famous for their "walks." There are wonderful trails all along the Cornwall coast. First time I heard about the English walking trails system was about 20 years ago. My boss at the time took a week long walk in the southwest part of England. She wanted to go back and do Cornwall, but never made it. There is a poets walk that goes through the moors to the north coast of Cornwall that I would love to do. It is a retracing of the summer walk that Wordsworth and Coleridge took.

A friend of mine here in Tuscaloosa is a native of the Isle of Wight and she spent a week in Cornwall this summer touring the towns in the Doc Martin series that is so popular in Britain. She said it was beautiful and was great fun.

>149 jnwelch: Good stuff on getting thru quickly, when doing the NZ/HK/UK run easier for me as i travel on UK passport but with a lifelong returning NZ visa so get treated as a local both ends (NZ is more concerned about its agricultural risk than the fear factor of the US).

NZ are rather well travelled lot, I don't think we really have a phrase .... except when you are young & it is/used to be common to spend 1-2 yrs in the UK referred to as O.E. (supposedly done before you become a adult & settle down etc yawn ...)

Next time I go back I want to get some walking done, thinking Pennine way or Lake district, etc

I wouldn't say I knew it well - camped about half an hour outside the town during the festival to try and get some peace and quiet (worked) so I won't be much use on the hotel facilities.

If you and the other half are doing a long distance path perhaps this is irrelevant, but I am rapidly building a collection of the Pathfinder Guides books of walks - as well as detailed route guide, they include a section of the official map (ordnance survey), photos and details on parking, pubs etc.
*stands back so the traditionalists can tell me this is cheating*


The Welsh coastal path is supposed to be amazing, too, I've just done small sections near where it meets northern England . This is the long distance route I want to do completely (although probably with the aid of a baggage company, again, cheating ☺.)
http://www.walescoastpath.gov.uk

Oh and there's a route to see the pretty black and white villages - a driving /cycling tour. Ended up doing some of this inadvertently when the sat nav system got creative. Was a lovely detour though.
http://visitherefordshire.co.uk/thingstodo/2393/black-white-village-trail/

Happy Sunday, Joe.

OMG! I need to have one of those >159 Ameise1:! I love desserts made with apples, as is befitting someone born and raised and living in the great state of Washington.

Welcome home, Joe! and Debbi! I know your fuzzy Sherlock and his fine companion were happy to see you!

>156 benitastrnad:. Woo, that all sounds great, Benita. Were there world enough and time. I guess there's plenty of world, and we're working on the time part. I'd love to do some of the walks you describe.

>157 roundballnz:. Getting treated as local on both ends sure sounds good to me, Alex. We didn't get fast-tracked at Heathrow, but it wasn't bad.

Old England, that fits. It's always striking, coming from a relatively young country like ours, to get immersed in the history there. I think I mentioned that the guide for our Shakespeare/Dickens walk was using a map from 1561, because the streets, including the names, hadn't changed. You just don't run into that around these here parts.

I'll have to take a look at Pennine way and the Lake district for potential walks.

>158 charl08:. Ah, you were at the festival, Charlotte. How was it? Any highlights? Smart to camp outside town. I'm sure there were tons of folks milling about.

I'll take a look at that Pathfider series.

They show some of the Welsh coast in the BBC Poldark series, and it's gorgeous. I'd love to spend some time there.

We avoid driving in the UK as not very relaxing with the different side of the road adjustment - it takes some caution to even be a pedestrian; a friend lost his mother there when she mistakenly stepped right in front of a motorcycle. But maybe we'll figure out another way to see the pretty black and white villages.

>159 Ameise1:. Happy Sunday, Barbara. Oh my, that pie sure looks good. I'm looking forward to getting back on my laptop and able to post images of edibles again.

>160 maggie1944:. Hi, Karen! Yes, the furry mastermind and his human mom were very happy to see us. His main interest seemed to be visiting laps and getting belly rubs.

I know, I want some of that pie, too. I'm a pushover for Apple pie anyway, but if you add caramel, I'm going to be diving in with my fork before anyone has a chance to blink.

I read another entertaining Eve Dallas mystery, Devoted in Death, and (finally) a good Jack Reacher short story, Small War. In the past the short stories have fallen far short of the quality of the novels, but this one, thank goodness, ranks up there with them. So I teed up another relatively recent one, Not a Drill on my Kindle. Hope it's as good.

My hard copy book is the doorstop, Neurotribes, about the autism spectrum, which I received as an ER book.

Welcome home, Joe! Loved hearing about your trip. Will you post pics?

Happy weekend to you.

>161 jnwelch: That long history is something that is so embedded, for locals seems nothing, but once you have spent any length of time in a young country ( NZ is even younger?) it does strike you ....

Very lucky to be local both sides, downside is ever go to Australia I am no, when most NZ born are .... not a bad trade off in view - this is probably your equal to 'over the pond' only its 'over the ditch'

Hi Joe! just doing the waving (again)

I'll be interested in your take on Neurotribes, Joe. We are, of course, seeing more and more students on the spectrum coming to college. Many of them do just fine but now and then we see a student really struggle with the somewhat chaotic interpersonal milieu that is college, both in the living situations and in the classroom.

I'm glad you're home safely and I hope you have a lovely remainder of your Sunday.

>164 AMQS:. Thanks, Anne. Glad you've enjoyed the tales from Old England. Yes, I'll be posting pics this coming week.

Happy weekend back atcha.

>165 roundballnz:. Ha! I like that, Alex - across the ditch. We visited the east coast of Australia a few years ago and loved it. We'd like to see more of that country, and NZ, too.

>166 connie53:. Hi Connie! *waves*

>167 EBT1002:. It's funny, Ellen. I thought of you when I started Neurotribes. I thought you probably had to deal with students on the spectrum. I'll let you know what I think.

It's been a good weekend. Thank goodness Madame MBH thought to have us return on a Friday, so we've some time to get readjusted to the time difference and kick some of the jet lag. Hope you've had a good weekend, too.

>146 jnwelch: Since I recommended Cotillion (after you hooked me on Heyer with The Grand Sophy), I feel I must rise to your challenge in casting it. But I was thinking in terms of current British actors:
Kitty: Carey Mulligan
Freddy: Eddie Redmayne
Jack: Chris Hemsworth (Australian I think, but he can do accents)

>170 NarratorLady: Thank you for that Cotillion recommendation, Anne! As you can tell, I got a big kick out of it.

I like your casting. That's what I was looking for - Brit actors, although I may try to think of some farther back in time. On the other hand, I didn't think of casting current U.S. actors, so that's worth some consideration, too.

Cary M. and Eddie R. would be excellent. I like Chris Hemsworth, and my only reservation there is he comes across as a nice, compassionate fellow, and I wonder whether he could embody Jack's brash self-centeredness. I imagine the answer's yes; he's got some range. He's certainly got the physical presence for it.

I've got a bunch of books lined up, but I hope to circle back to your other Heyer recommendations soon.

OK, here are the first photos from our trip. They don't translate from my camera phone quite as well as I hoped, but so it goes. Not sure why it works better on Facebook than here.



This shows Madame MBH in one of our favorite spots in London. This church near St. Paul's was bombed out in WWII, but its skeleton remains, and they have planted where the pews were the beautiful flowers and so on that you see.



Here we have Darryl, Debbi and Claire at Cafe Also in Golders Green, London. What a meal (Darryl has pics of that). The cafe is attached to the excellent Joseph's Bookstore, where I found Death and the Penguin.







These were taken at Shakespeare's Globe Theater, re-created principally due to the efforts of Sam Wanamaker. We had seats (with cushions we rented!) in the first tier, but were allowed to wander the main floor as "groundlings". (Last year we saw five groundlings, who must stand during the show, pass out. None this year).

The play was the excellent Nell Gwynn, by Jessica Swale, featuring young film star Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

Morning, Joe! Hope you are muddling through this Monday, your first day back. Hopefully, it will get easier.

Love the first batch of photos. It looks like you guys had a fantastic trip.

Great photos of a great trip Joe. It's been fun living vicariously!

My next Heyer will be The Corinthian which comes highly recommended.

>173 msf59: Hiya, Mark. I'm muddling through all right, and will probably leave a bit early today, as it still feels much later than the clock says.

Glad you like the photos. It was a great trip. I just found this one of our first dinner, the day we arrived, at an Italian restaurant called Attilios, near Smithfield Market in Islington.



>174 NarratorLady: Thanks, Anne. I like living vicariously through others with their photos, so I'll get some more up tomorrow. Glad you've enjoyed it - sounds like you have some memories from the area that enhance the vicariosity.

I thought you'd recommended The Corinthian to me - probably you just passed on the high recommendation you had received. That's the one I thought I'd try next, too, although it will be awhile. Drat these brain limitations; I'd like to be reading it sooner rather than later.

I am enjoying all the talk about Georgette Heyer. I loved her books when I was younger. My cousins and I traded them around like most guys do baseball cards. Barbara Cartland was another favorite. It is nice to see that Heyer's work has seemed to weather well.

Morning, Joe. Here's a nice hot cuppa to start your day.

Morning, Joe! Lovely photos of your amazing trip!

>175 jnwelch: Lovely picture!

>176 benitastrnad: Heyer has been a surprisingly good find for yours truly, Benita. When I first heard she was a good writer, I tried one of her mysteries, and that one was meh, so I kind of forgot about her. Then an LTer enthused about The Grand Sophy, and I liked that one a lot. Cotillion was fun, too, so I'm looking forward to reading more.

>177 weird_O: Ha! Thanks, Bill. That one seems particularly alive with flavor.

>179 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks, Linda. It felt great to have arrived and to be visiting a restaurant we'd enjoyed before, and to be starting our adventures. What a couple of weeks that was!

Ready to start the day.

I just discovered that it is National Coffee Day! So Yes, Have Some!

I got and read Uncommon Grounds years ago. The others in your stack o' coffee books...I don't know about.

National coffee day! I love my coffee and for some unknown reason I have a HUGE coffee cup collection, mostly Starbucks. Interesting.

Yesterday, the queen of the house climbed up and over boxes to access the kitchen counter to get to the Halloween candy. I swear that schnauzer is a monkey😀

Morning Joe! Yes, I could use a piping hot cup of java. It is cruddy out here at the moment.

I really enjoyed the 2nd volume of Velvet. Is the 3rd out yet? I just started Honor Girl and this GN, looks like just your cuppa. It has been getting some strong reviews.

*waves cast--6 more days*

Love the pictures of your trip, Joe.

Happy Coffee day!

Here you have the link to a Dutch song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xeFkmWLZzI

called Een kopje koffie

Today Dunkin' Donuts is offering free coffee, so after I leave work I will be heading that way. I am also going to see a movie tonight. It is part of the Bama Art House series and is titled "Irrational Man." I don't know anything about this movie, but I trust the jury to find movies that are obscure but very well done. I usually enjoy them, so I don't complain much with their selection.

>182 weird_O: Thanks, Bill - I enjoyed National Coffee Day thoroughly. Uncommon Grounds looks like I might like it.

>183 maggie1944: You live in a great part of the world for good coffee, Karen. We miss going to Seattle cafes.

Greta Garbo sounds like she has some of those mysterious kitchen-climbing skills that Becca's Sherlock has demonstrated. How do they do it?

>185 msf59: Hey, buddy! Yeah, a surprisingly lousy day out there. Hope you found some hot java in your travels.

I'm glad you liked the second Velvet as much as I did. Can't wait for the third. As far as I know, it's not out yet.

Honor Girl is new to me, so I'll have to check it out. The new Saga is excellent.

>186 ronincats: Woo, I bet you can't wait for those 6 days to go by, Roni. At least that's not too long from now. *waves*

>187 connie53: Glad you like the pics of the trip, Connie. I'll try to get some more up tomorrow.

Happy Coffee Day! I'll circle back for the Dutch coffee song; thanks for the link.

>188 benitastrnad: I knew some places gave out free coffee on National Coffee Day, Benita. Good for Dunkin Donuts. I'll look forward to hearing your reaction to "Irrational Man", which I've not heard of either.

Joe I am trying to get my hands on Saga, Volume 5! Hoopla has Velvet, Volume 1 and the Lumberjanes. I just need to find a good device to read it on!

So much to digest and get caught up on. Happy to see your trip across the pond was an enjoyable one with great places, events and LT meetups in the mix!

>191 luvamystery65: Oh, those are all good ones, Roberta. I feel like Velvet hasn't gotten the recognition it deserves. Really well done, with a kickass main character. I got a kick out of the humor in Lumberjanes, although her Nimona deserves the accolades it's gotten.

Hope you're able to get your hands on Saga Volume 5. What a series!

>192 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori! Yes, that trip had a little bit of everything, all of it good. I'll post some more pics below. Hope all is going well for you.

Here's Darryl (kidzdoc), Bianca (drachenbraut23) and Madame MBH (walklover) at Spitalfield's market in London:



Madame MBH at the Southbank book market under Waterloo Bridge by the Thames:



Huge bubble awing the kids along the Thames on a gorgeous Saturday:

Happy Hump Day, Joe! Love the photos. Debbi fits right in, doesn't she?

I am enjoying a day off and getting a few things done. I am reorganizing some of my TBR books, especially after the last haul or 2. Always a mighty task but I love handling the books, even though, I want to weep in frustration, at the lack of time. I need to hibernate someone and take along, about 50 books.

thanks for the wonderful photos. So many great trips to take vicariously here on LT.

Happy Hump Day, Mark! I'm still figuring out how I wound up at work rather than being at a local pub enjoying some fish and chips and an ale.

Glad you like the photos! Yeah, I think Debbi may have picked up more books than me this time. We sure had a good time with Darryl and Bianca - and Claire.

Glad you've got the day off, and it's not crazy weather. Yeah, I enjoy working over the TBR books, too. I tend to winnow out ones that I've haven't gotten to after years of their waiting for me. Better they find their way to someone more interested. I'd love a big block of hibernation reading time, too. Makes me think of poor Burgess Meredith on the Twilight Zone library steps, all set with his books with time stopped, but broken glasses.

>196 catarina1: Hi, Catarina! Nice to see you here. You're very welcome.

Yes, like you, I enjoy traveling hither and yon via photos with our globetrotting fellow LTers. Plus the LT meetups are always fun to see. It's great that we've all been able to connect up with kindred spirits via this website. I know some serious readers in RL, but not a lot.

>194 jnwelch: Happy Wednesday, Joe. I found last year some books at the same place. :-)

I went to see "Irrational Man" last night. It turned out to be a Woody Allen movie. It was not nearly as good as "To Rome With Love." Irrational Man was about an older philosophy professor who comes to a wonderful liberal arts school and becomes involved with a lovely young student and ends up committing murder in an attempt at an existential experience. There were moments of snide humor in the movie, but overall it was just another middle aged man in a mid-life crises. It was full of plot twists but was not the best Woody Allen movie I have seen. Nor was it the best "Art House Movie" I have seen this year.

It seems that I am going more and more to "Art House Movies" because, even if I don't like them, they provide more food for thought and outstanding writing and character acting than do the majority of commercial movies. Am I being an intellectual snob?

>197 jnwelch: I remember that episode of the Twilight Zone! How mean was that?

>198 Ameise1: Happy Wednesday, Barbara. Isn't that a great place to find books? That was our first visit there, but we'll go back. One of the ones I picked up was Famous Five Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton. I've seen in multiple places that many Brits love her books and this middle grade(?) series, so I thought I'd give it a try.

>199 benitastrnad: Hmm, that doesn't sound too great, Benita. The last one of his I liked was "Midnight in Paris".

I used to see a lot more art house movies when I was younger. These days we get that intellectual input from theater plays. To me your preference for art house movies these days is admirable, and not being an intellectual snob at all. Please let us know when you see a particularly good one.

>200 weird_O: I know, Bill. What a heartbreaker. One of the really good ones (among many) on Twilight Zone.

I read Blyton's books as a kid and I loved them all.

>202 Ameise1: That seems to be a widespread reaction, Barbara. The other one I want to give a go is whatever is the right one in her Faraway Tree books. That's one they have listed in the 1001 Children's Books, I believe.

Love the London photos, Joe!

>204 scaifea: Thanks, Amber! I'll try to get a few more up today or tomorrow. I have to go through a bit of a circuitous route to get them on here.

She often fell asleep in the middle of a book. Artist unknown.

>207 jnwelch: love it!

>208 maggie1944: :-)

*waves cast --4 more days!*

Sweet Thursday, Joe! Hope you had a good one. Love that Wonder Woman!

Not far into the new Mieville collection but I am enjoying it. I am loving Honor Girl. You might want to request this one, pronto!

I just finished reading a beautiful book. It is part of the National Geographic Kids publishers title list. This particular series is about mythology. This title was Treasury of Egyptian Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Monsters & Mortals by Donna Jo Napoli. This is a beautiful book. Large, almost over-sized, but not too much over-sized. Extraordinary color. Napoli is a noted expert on folk and fairy tales and has written numerous retellings of these stories for children and young adults. This particular book is a work of non-fiction and it isn't as good as some of the other books she has written. I think it is the mythology itself. Apparently, Egyptian mythology doesn't lend itself to linear story telling as much as does Greek or Norse mythology, but just looking at the luscious pictures is a feast for the eyes.

>207 jnwelch: wonderful!

Hi Joe, I'm loving the pics. I know you had a wonderful trip! I thought I would let you know that I let you influence me to bump Between the World and Me ahead of my stack of library books -- and I'm so glad to have done so. I have not had much reading time in the past couple of days but so far I'm finding it to be, well, just excellent. I will ride the bus to work tomorrow (this driving to work every day has really cut into my reading time!) and hope to make significant progress on it.

I hope your week has been good and that the upcoming weekend is even better!

>194 jnwelch: Now that looks like my kinda market .......

>210 ronincats: I believe I've magically turned it into three more days, Roni? Almost there! *waves*

>211 msf59: Isn't that Wonderwoman image a hoot, Mark? A belated Sweet Thursday to you, and Happy Friday!

I'll have to look into Honor Girl. My recent ones have been more martial artsy, like Shinku, and probably no one's cuppa but mine. Glad you're liking the Mieville. I'll have to check which one on your thread.

>212 benitastrnad: I'll have to take a look at Treasury of Egyptian Mythology, Benita. You sure make it sound good. In the back of my mind I've always wanted to catch up more on world myths. I've read many along the way, and of course they get referenced and used in a lot of literature, but I feel woefully under-read in that area.

>213 LovingLit: Ha! I love that one, too, Megan.

>214 EBT1002: Glad you like the photos, Ellen. I'll try to get some more up over the weekend, maybe the Dismaland ones.

I saw you had bumped up Between the World and Me, and I have to admit I was really glad. Isn't it excellent? Thought-provoking and insightful, and very direct. I really hope it gets a wide readership. It was on the NY Times bestseller list, so a lot of folks must be buying it, but I haven't seen much said about it on LT. You probably saw he just got one of those MacArthur genius grants, too. He's already a major voice on race relations, and I imagine will only become more so.

>215 roundballnz: Oh, you would love the Southbank market, Alex. Great location under the bridge, and tons of good condition used books. It will be a regular stop for us now.

I highly recommend this interview daughter seasonsoflove did with Ami Polonsky, author of Gracefully Grayson, a middle-grader novel featuring a transgender girl: http://thebookkeepersapprentice.blogspot.com/ You also get to hear about the author's new book.

Becca also received nominations from another blogger for two Blog Awards. I really enjoyed her answers to the questions they posed: http://thebookkeepersapprentice.blogspot.com/2015_09_01_archive.html

Chuckle chuckle ****

>221 jnwelch: :-)

Happy Friday, Joe! I know I can't do the splits. LOL!

Glad to see The Martian had a very good write up in the Trib. I really respect Phillips reviews. We are still planning on seeing it Sunday afternoon. It will sure beat sitting around watching the Bears. Ugh!

And Go Cubbies! Looks like they are wrapping up the regular season with a bang!

>222 msf59: Happy Friday, Mark! You and me both, buddy. I was surprised Phillips rated The Martian so highly; he doesn't do that often. Sitting around watching the Bears ain't no fun this year. I'm hoping that when Cutler gets back and Fox's coaching sinks in more, they'll at least be tolerable. Seeing the movie is a much better idea.

What a roll the Cubs have been on for a long time now - I love these players' attitudes. I hope they make some noise in the playoffs.

dahling, because i dote on and respect you, i have finished all 13 hours of Murakami's Hard-boiled wonderland and the end of the world. my response at the end was "what?" "WHAT?" i loved the beginning and the beasts. it caused me to think a lot about Buddhism. there were people and ideas i'd like to have had explored more, but that was about it. my biggest question, aside from "what happened to the shadow?," was "how could the calcutec be narrating in the first person, past tense given what happened? where was he standing to be telling this story?" it will be a while before i contemplate Kafka or Qteen84. i think i'm in the minority except for Paul West's 1991 NY times review "Stealing dreams from unicorns." that made me feel a bit better and less dunce-like.

isn't it nice we all have such different tastes?

lovely to have you back. also superb thread-toppers.

>224 mirrordrum: Ha! Thank you, Ellie - I'm sorry it was an arduous journey, but I'm glad you got so much out of it! It's been a while for me, but my take was the Town was the Calcutec's subconscious, inside him, and the Hard-Boiled Wonderland was his consciousness dealing with the world outside him. So he was never "gone", IMO, and could narrate the story. The present tense vs. past tense, I understand, is the translator trying to convey a difference in the Japanese original (familiar address vs. formal).

Woo, I'm not fond of that Paul West review, although I can understand people feeling some relief in seeing some of their concerns expressed. I've never read a Paul West book, but whenever someone starts talking about how they would prefer a book to have been written, I start getting skeptical. I see HBWATETW (yikes, even that is long) as a wonderful, poetic exercise of the imagination, a chance to ponder those big existential questions, and a fun mashup of science fiction and noir, among other things. I could see West's criticism of a lack of "passion" apply to Kafka books like The Castle, which I also love. I'm sure we could think of others.

Here's a review I like better: http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2012/11/6/hard-boiled-end/ I can imagine you reacting in horror to the idea of multiple readings! :-) Couple of great quotes in it.

We do all have different tastes, and you're a sweetheart to have stuck with what isn't an easy book even for its fans.

It's great to be back, and I'm glad you enjoyed those toppers. Isn't David Zinn a fun artist? How I'd love to be able to give people laughs like that.

>225 jnwelch: thanks so much for that other review. you're right, it's much better, much more informed. it helps amazingly and explains why i kept listening. and now i don't feel so irretrievably stupid for being lost. he's very difficult to do in audio and the pieces that i loved, like the paperclips and 'a man can only watch someone else's laundry revolve (in a dryer) for so long,' don't store well in my brain and can't be revisited.

i kept thinking that i wished i were able to reread it visually. really. but i'm not willing to relisten. too many books, too little time. 1Q84 (qteen 84) is 40 hrs or something. gnah!

>226 mirrordrum: Oh, good, Ellie. Glad that helped. Yeah, I think our friend Murakami would be much easier to read in print, although our audio book-ers may have some ideas on making the audio-listening easier. Sorry print-reading is not an option for you.

1Q84 is such a cool book, but I'd find it daunting on audio, too. I can read so much faster than I can listen, although Roberta (luvamystery) showed me how you can at least speed up the audio if you want. Life After Life seemed like a long (but good) audiobook to me, and I see it was less than 16 hours long. I'd need to retire before trying one for 40 hours!

I see Kafka on the Shore is a more reasonable 19 hours on audio, so you might try that one instead?

#227
I'll add my two cents on this discussion. I read both Kafka and 1Q84 because they were hard books to understand and I needed to do some re-reading as I moved along. I simply can't imagine myself listening to these books. Or Windup Bird either.

I did listen to one of his short story collections and enjoyed it, but that was totally different than these larger works.

I think that there are parts of Murakami's work that may not translate that well. Even though I think the translations are superb. I think it is really hard to read books about another culture when I have no experience with that culture. Reading a work by an author like Murakami is always and adventure and the translation and the culture is a part of that adventure.

Happy Saturday, Joe! Another cool, blustery one out here. Looks like it warms back up, next week. Whew!

Love the Murakami chatter. I have still not read Hard-boiled but it will be my next Murakami.

I just started Armada. I know the reviews have been less than grand but I am hoping for a fun, diverting listen. I should have watched The Last Starfighter, which this book pays homage to. I don't think I have ever seen the film.

Hi, Joe! Would you & Debbi like to meet for dinner at Ottolenghi tonight? Oh, wait a minute...rats.

I really must read more Murakami - I have still only managed Norwegian Wood.

Have a great weekend, Joe

>228 benitastrnad:. Good points, Benita. Yeah, seems like Murakami generally would be a tough go on audio. Maybe Kafka on the Shore would be too much, too. Ellie has the unfortunate choice of not reading any if she doesn't do it on audio.

I like your idea of the short stories. Those would come across better and easier, I imagine.

I'm sure you're right about the translations, good as they are. I love the armchair travel, one of my favorite parts of reading lots of authors.

>229 msf59:. The Last Starfighter is great! It's hilariously low tech, but charming. Now you've got me more interested in Armada.

We love this kind of weather - had to walk a lot for errands, including, ironically, picking up our brake-repaired car. We're about to walk over to the local theater to watch The Martian.

Can't wait to hear what you think of the bizarre Hard-Boiled.

>230 kidzdoc:. What a great idea, Darryl. Oh, wait . . . Rats.

I read your post to Debbi, and first she gave a sad sigh. Then she said to tell you, okay, let's do it, as long as it's the one in Islington.

Maybe we should have torn up those return tickets, as you suggested?

>232 jnwelch: Great! I'll make reservations...for next September. :(

I'm flying back to Heathrow next Saturday night, on my way to Barcelona, and am scheduled to fly back to Atlanta from there two weeks later. I think I'll cancel that last return ticket, so I'll be ready for dinner at Ottolenghi starting three weeks from now.

*waves cast--2 more days!*

The movie of The Martian was terrific! Very faithful to the book, and a great cast. Matt Damon = excellent.

>231 PaulCranswick:. Hiya, Paul. Man, I have nothing but great memories of being in your position re Murakami. Once I got started I went on a long Murakami binge, reading everything by him I could get my hands on.

Hope you have a great weekend, too. Ours sure has started out well.

>233 kidzdoc: Ha! I envy you that Barcelona trip, Darryl. Have a great time. We'll be picking your brain some more at some point, as we still plan to get there the year after next.

You might want to move that reservation from three weeks to next fall. I have a feeling we're going to be delayed. Plus I think a lot of your Atanta pals are going to want you back. :-)

>234 ronincats:. Really getting close, Roni! I'm sure you can't wait. Hope you can distract yourself a bit, and that you have a good weekend. *waves*

Hey, Joe. I finished the Gibson book (Spook Country) a few hours ago. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't as baffling right up to the end, as were the others of his that I've read. I figured out where it was going about 2/3 of the way through. Still a few surprises, but I was right. The resolution brought smiles. (Not like that Ol' Bat Wharton! Ha ha ha.)

Starting The Van, so as to wrap up the Barrytown Trilogy. And to keep that smile on me mug. (Ah, that Ol' Bat Wharton will wipe it off when I resume House of Mirth.)

I try to read a couple of translated books every year. I do so because they provide me with a window into that culture I wouldn't otherwise have, but because I have never been there I am sure that there are parts of these books I just wont understand. That doesn't mean I didn't like the book. It just means won't understand everything I read. For instance. Kafka was the first Murakami book I read and I thought the references to Colonel Sanders were really weird. Then I read somewhere that Kentucky Fried Chicken is very popular in Japan and the Colonel is instantly recognizable everywhere in Japan. That made me think of those passages in a very different way.

>237 weird_O: Good morning, Bill. Glad you liked Spook Country. Have you read his Bridge Trilogy - Virtual Light (1993), Idoru, (1996) and All Tomorrow's Parties (1999)? Those are some of my favorites of his.

Jeez, the play based on The Commitments has been playing in London for umpteen years near Charing Cross Road. I'll look forward to hearing what you think of the last one, and the three together. I do enjoy Edith Wharton, but she ain't no chucklefest.

>238 benitastrnad: I read a lot of translations, too, Benita, and I haven't really thought a lot about what I might not understand because of it being a translation. I think Murakami likely is a challenge even in the original Japanese, as his plots tend to be pretty far out there. Colonel Sanders in Kafka is weird, but what a powerful character! I thought it was a bit of a take on American violence, too.

My 92-year-old father having a conference with my sister's young pug Roxy.

>239 jnwelch: Haven't read the Bridge Trilogy. Looked at the Wiki, and it sounds very interesting. Thanks for the tip. Somethin' for next year.

Happy Sunday, Joe! Love the Dad and Pug photo. Yes, it looks like a serious discussion going on.

Getting ready to leave for the movies, in just a little bit...

I am nearly done with Honor Girl. Another excellent GN. One of the best I have read this year. Just your cuppa. I'll need to do extra warbling on this one.

And Go Cubbies!!

>241 weird_O: Oh, if you enjoy reading William Gibson, Bill, I think you'll have a great time with those. They're good for re-reads, too.

>242 msf59: Ha! Yeah, I'm not sure what Dad and Pug are discussing, but they're both obviously quite intent on the subject. Roxy is quite interested in dog treats, so it may be that.

Ah, that's a strong recommendation for Honor Girl. I'll look for it. I'm running through some of the Witchblade GNs from Comic Con, which I doubt would catch your interest. I even enjoyed the tv series that only lasted a season.

>194 jnwelch: I've been to the book market too! And found some books there.

>207 jnwelch: Love that picture. She looks a lot like a little fairy I have.

>240 jnwelch: Adorable! And a bit emotional too.

It's Sunday morning and time for that Sunday morning cappuccino. Can the cafe provide that now that the proprietor is back from vacation? Mayhap the proprietor is participating in the morning coffee or tea debate elsewhere in LT land and not able to froth that foam for a cappuccino?

>244 connie53: Isn't that a great book market, Connie? We'll be back.

The girl who fell asleep in the middle of a book does look like a fairy, now that you mention it. Books are magic, right?

Yeah, charming in >240 jnwelch:, and a bit emotional for me, too. We had pugs when I was growing up, so my dad has a lot of experience conferencing with them.

>245 benitastrnad: I think we can help out with that, Benita. The proprietor has a bit of the sloth in him, but thank goodness the staff here are an active bunch.

I am currently at Dunkin' Donuts drinking coffee and having a triple chocolate donut. I have paid my bills and caught up on LT and now I will be reading. Then off to the library for a David Mitchell book for the BAC. Then home to finish painting my bistro table and chairs a bright bright turquoise. I am hoping to make my patio look like it belongs in Carcassonne. Or somewhere in the south of France.

>240 jnwelch: That's the cutest!

>248 banjo123: Quite the high level discussion, isn't it, Rhonda? Pondering the ponderables - treats, food, water, going out for a walk.

Morning, Joe! Hope you have rebounded well from the dental visit and are able to face your Monday workload.

I think you will get a nice kick out of Armada. It does not pack, the same fun punch, as RPO, but it is light and entertaining, at least in the first half.

>250 msf59: Grrr. The dentist is not the way to start the week! I am such a dope. Never should've agreed to that. I treated myself to some Starbucks afterward, and that's helping.

Encouraging to hear re Armada. I'll look forward to your report after you cross the finish line. I'm liking The Summer Book so far. I'm going to try to do a review of Neurotribes soon, and I'd like to try to do one of Between the World and Me, although I'm not sure what I'll say beyond, read it!

From what I hear, the tooth fairy gives more than this now. I can imagine Calvin's eyes lighting up at that news.

The new cafe is open. See you there!