Mamie's 2023 Madness, page 2

Yes, please. Another image from the 1963 movie Charade, one of my very favorites.

I did not mean to fall off the threads so thoroughly in 2022, but life got away from me for a bit.

I'm Mamie. I love that Mary Oliver poem about believing in kindness and in mischief - me, too. I try to squeeze in as much of both as I can in a day. I also have a weakness for snark. And wine. And old movies. For 2023, I am just going to let my mood determine my reading journey.

Currently reading:



Books Completed:

1. The Lost Soul by Olga Tokarczuk, Illustrations by Joanna Concejo, translation by Antonia Lloyd-Jones - 3 stars
2. The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty, audiobook narrated by Eudora Welty - 4.5 stars
3. Hot Milk by Deborah Levy - 4 stars
4. Vanishing Fleece by Clara Parkes, audiobook narrated by Clara Parkes - 4 stars
5. The Distant Echo by Val McDermid - 4 stars, (Karen Pirie, book 1)
6. Bleeding Heart Yard by Elly Griffiths - 4 stars (Harbinger Kaur, book 3)
7. Watership Down by Richard Adams, narrated by Peter Capaldi - 4.5 stars
8. The Weirdies Get Weirder by Michael Buckley, narrated by Kate Winslet - 4.5 stars (The Weirdies, book 2)
9. Gun, With Occasional Music by Jonathan Lethem - 4.5 stars
10. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum - 3 stars
11. Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant, translation by Margaret Mauldon - 3 stars

This should do it - next one's yours!

Firsties!

Oh, I love Charade! I need a re-watch.

Happy new one, Mamie!

Happy new one!

I have never seen Charade so I will put it on my movie list.

>1 Crazymamie: Charade is an excellent movie!

Now I have the theme song running through my head! Luckily, it’s a lovely tune.

Karen O

Count me in as one of the Charade - and Audrey Hepburn - fans!

Happy new thread, Mamie!

and I'm so very glad you're back!

>4 weird_O: You are first, Oh Weird One! Well done!

>5 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! We were just saying we wanted to watch it again. All of us love it.

>6 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita! Hope you like it - be sure to report back.

>7 klobrien2: Karen! Welcome to my thread - lovely to see you here. SO true about the theme song - me, too, with it running through my head.

>8 alcottacre: We love Audrey, too, Stasia. And thank you!

>9 RebaRelishesReading: Aw, shucks, Reba. Thank you.

Happy 2nd tread, Mamie!

So yes, but with my jammies on and without the water.

I missed morning, so Good Afternoon, Folks! We had a weird morning because our power kept going out. First, it went out and then came back on quickly something like seven times, and then it went out and stayed out for over an hour. Luckily, the coffee had already been made or it could have been very ugly indeed.

Thanks so much for all of the well wishes. Yesterday I felt like crap, so mostly I just lazed around and then went to bed very early at about 7pm. I am feeling better today but not back to form, so hopefully by tomorrow I will be fully recovered. I plan on doing some laundry and putting together a grocery list, but other than that I am just going to take it easy.

On the reading front, yesterday I managed a several chapters in Bleeding Heart Yard - this book is jinxed or something because every time I pick it up, I get interrupted. I fell like I should grab pillow and blanket and just go sit in the bathtub so that I can make actual progress. I am finally about half way through this one. In the wee small hours I read from The Distant Echo.

The coffee today is Starbucks Peppermint Mocha.

>12 Carmenere: Thank you, Lynda!

Happy new thread, Mamie! Glad you're feeling betterish. Hope you are 100% back to health tomorrow.

Thank you, Meg. Me, too.

Happy new one, Mamie!

>17 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

>1 Crazymamie: I loved that movie and used to check it out along with several other oldies from the video store. Remember those? Sigh.
We recently consigned all the old VHS tapes I made of oldies to the thrift store because there's folks who still like them. The tapes are sold at 3/$5 (CAD) last time I checked.

Our library doesn't have the DVDs of the old faves and I have yet to manage a way to use the online Kanopy thing.
I don't own a tablet. I actually massively dislike tablets... Apparently computers can't get movies that are streamed from our Libraries (in SK) anyway.

>19 SandyAMcPherson: I do remember those! We gave all of our old VHS tapes to the local library, but that was more than a decade ago when they were still taking them.

I no longer have access to Kanopy, but it is an awesome resource for older films. I used to use it on my tablet, so no idea is there is a way around that.

Happy new thread, Mamie.
Very glad to hear that the coffee had been made before the power decided to take a holiday. Hope it's a one off incident.

>21 Helenliz: Thanks, Helen. It was very weird - they must have been working on something. I was most thankful that the coffee had already been made. And also that I did not have a load in the washing machine.

Happy second thread, Mamie, as always Mamie's Madness is moving fast ;-)

Glad to read you are feeling a bit better and I hope your power stays on now.

Happy New Thread, Mamie! Who would have guessed that you would be on your second thread already? Yah!! You know I love old movies- I should check out "Charade" again.

Happy new thread Mamie!

I love just about any movie with Audrey Hepburn. Even if the male leads were always so much older. I liked them too, only well, it was just what was done, is still so often done. And I've known women over 50 who thought they knew what they wanted until they had to deal with what they got.

Happy new one, Mamie.

>1 Crazymamie: Charade is a classic movie for sure, almost out Hitchcock-ed what the great man had done with North by Northwest four years earlier.

Happy new thread, Mamie.

Happy new thread, Mamie! Happy Thursday, too.

I'm sorry you've been feeling puny.

>19 SandyAMcPherson: and >20 Crazymamie: We still get donations of VHS tapes to the Friends of the Library. We don't sell them ourselves, and donate them to the local PTA Thrift Shop. Personally we've still probably got 50 or so lurking around in various places.

I hope you have a marvelous day.

>23 FAMeulstee: Ha! Thank you, Anita. So far, no more troubles with the power.

>24 msf59: Thanks, Mark! Yes, we share a love of old movies. Charade is full of fabulous, for sure.

>25 quondame: Thanks, Susan! I get what you are saying. "And I've known women over 50 who thought they knew what they wanted until they had to deal with what they got." This is true for both men and women and is not necessarily about age. I'm just saying that age is less of a factor the older you get. A woman in her thirties with a man twenty-seven years older than herself is not the same as a twenty year old in the same situation. Once you are out of your twenties, you have a bettor idea of what you want/who you are. It just really depends on the two individuals.

>26 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul! North by Northwest is another favorite of mine. I love Hitchcock movies, and it's always a treat when other directors can bring the same type of vibe to the screen. Another that has a Hitchcock feel to it is The Ghost Writer.

>27 BLBera: Thank you, Beth!

>28 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen! Happy Thursday to you! Today my headache is back, but I think that is weather related. Grey and overcast here, which I love.

So interesting about the VHS tapes. Wait long enough and they might come back around again like vinyl. Heh.

Hoping your day is also full of marvelous.

So I started Babel, Or, The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution last night. Only a chapter in, but I'm loving it. Definitely one you should add to the TBR!

Morning! As I mentioned to Karen, today is grey and overcast here. I love this kind of day. It's supposed to rain later, and I'm hoping that we get it. I need to go through the mail today and shred a bunch of stuff - I hate doing this. I am really good at procrastinating and then ending up with a big pile of stuff I need to shred instead of doing it as it comes in which would be much more sensible.

Last night Rae and I watched another episode of Whitestable Pearle and then an episode of Schitts Creek.

On the reading front, I actually managed to read several chapters in Bleeding Heart Yard - I was interrupted 4 times in less than half an hour. What is it with this book?! In the wee small hours, I had quite a bit of reading time because I was WIDE awake from 1am to 5am. I finished up The Distant Echo and read further in Bel-Ami.

Today's coffee is the Reading Blend.

>31 drneutron: I am intrigued that you are only one chapter in and thinking that I would love it. You have yet to steer me wrong, so I will check it out. Thanks, Jim!

>32 Crazymamie: - We throw all our shreddable stuff in a big box and then take it to the industrial shredder our town brings in twice a year. Me, lazy? Surely not!

It's also grey and rainy here. I'm planning a very chill day...

Industrial shredder! Of course you have access to an industrial shredder, Katie. *envy eyes* I cannot imagine how much shredding we would have with six months accumulation. Yowza!

Grey and rainy is a favorite of mine.

It's a big truck with a giant shredder inside it. You drive up, they take your boxes/bags/bins, dump the contents into a big wheeled cart, and then the truck lifts the cart up and dumps the contents into the shredder. It's very cool. The only bad part is the line to wait in if you don't queue up early. It stretches for blocks - I always feel bad for the people who live along the route...

I had no idea such a thing existed. Fancy. What do they do with all the shredded bits? Just recycle it? And how early is early?

Hope you enjoy your rainy day. It's super foggy here today and very grey and I don't mind one bit :)

>37 Crazymamie: - I'm not sure what they do with it - probably recycle it or maybe burn it?

It always starts at 8am on a Saturday in April/May and October. I try to get there by 7:45 at the latest, so it's not grossly early but earlier than I am normally out and about!

>38 ChelleBearss: Thank you, Chelle! I also love fog - it always feels like magic to me. Hoping today is kind to you.

>39 katiekrug: I just wondered. That's not too bad at all.

5. The Distant Echo by Val McDermid - 4 stars, (Karen Pirie, book 1)

Rae and I recently watched the tv adaptation of this book on Amazon Prime ("Karen Pirie"), and we really liked it. I wanted to see what the books were like, so I picked this up on Kindle. It's very good but also very different from the tv series. It's so interesting what they change when they adapt books for tv. What surprised me the most was that Karen Pirie is barely present in the book. You meet her early on and then just see glimpses of her until the end when she emerges into the storyline. It reminded me of how Vera Stanhope does not appear until the last part of The Crow Trap in the first book in Anne Cleeve's beloved series. Anyway, this one deals with a cold case that is being revisited twenty-five years later because of advances in science and technology, and Karen Pirie is put in charge of going back through the original case files. The biggest problem is that the evidence has gone missing. I liked how twisty this one was. The writing was very good, and I love that the series is set in Scotland. I will definitely read the next one.

>41 Crazymamie: That's interesting about the book vs tv, Mamie. Karen was my favorite part of the TV series. I really like her in general, and as a younger woman (seems like so many detectives are more ... erm ... mature).

>42 lauralkeet: Laura, I was really shocked at how little she is present in the book. Like you, she was my favorite part of the tv series. I liked the casting and I am hoping they make more of it.

>41 Crazymamie: I will have to see if I can find that one. It looks like a series I would enjoy. Thanks for the review, Mamie.

>44 alcottacre: I do think you would like it, Stasia. You are welcome - thanks for taking the time to read it.

>45 Crazymamie: I looked and found that I actually own the book. Absolutely no idea where it is, however.

>46 alcottacre: Oh, dear!

>13 Crazymamie: Scary! Luckily, I cook with gas, so if our electric goes out, I can use my stovetop espresso maker for my morning hit of caffeine. So long as I’ve got enough ground beans.

Hi Mamie, I've read The Distant Echo quite some time ago but as far as I can remember I thought it was well done. I don't remember thinking that it was part of a series back then but I see that I do have the next one, A Darker Domain so I need to put it in the rotation.

Shredders! I bought a little one at Staples years ago. Cost 20 bucks as I recall. The checkout clerk offered me the opportunity (!?) to buy an extended warrantee, for something like 30 bucks, that would replace it if should fatally gag on an unshreddable.

Seems to me that document shredding presents an entrepreneurial opportunity. Outfits that store business records in salt mines often have an industrial-size shredder that gets used, more or less, five days a week. Let some enterprising youth move it around on weekends and shred super-secret, highly personal documents. Like the scenario Katie presented of a town doing it twice a year.

Eh. The old coot's rambling again.

>31 drneutron: My son wanted that one for Christmas, told me on Sunday that he liked it. I recall that he pointed out the author's young age (under 30 I think) and sterling academic credentials and work experience.

Hi Mamie, I'm very belatedly (and erratically) making my way around the threads.
May your coffee supply remain unaffected!

>41 Crazymamie: I haven't read any Val McDermid yet, and the Vera stories I know are from the TV series. It would be interesting to read them though.

Morning, Mamie! Happy Friday. Speaking of watching the classics- I watched Rear Window last night. Does it get much better? And was there anyone more beautiful than Grace Kelly?

I have Jacksson Day today! Yah!

>53 msf59: mrsdrneutron and I did a re-watch binge of Castle - the series with Nathan Fillion. I had forgotten they did an homage to Rear Window in one of the episodes that was fantastic! It's one of my favorite movies.

We made it to Friday! We had storms and a tornado warning last night, and the morning has risen grey and still. The naked pecan trees in winter remind me of that quote from Hemingway about the trees looking sad in winter, but I think that they are so beautiful. I feel like they have been able to lay down their burdens and expose their elegant architecture and take a deep, well-earned breath.

Not much on the agenda for today. I need to go to the market either today or tomorrow. And maybe a library run. Other than that, just working on household stuff.

On the reading front, I finally got some uninterrupted time with Bleeding Heart Yard yesterday, and I was able to finish it all in one gulp. Now I need to pick a new print read. In the wee small hours, I read some more in Bel-Ami, the first story in Claire Keegan's story collection Antartica, and I started Voyager: Travel Writing by Russell Banks.

Last night Rae and I watched the first episode of Recipes For Love and Murder - very good but also very sad. To go to bed on a lighter note, we then watched the pilot episode of Castle.

The coffee today is Starbuck's Gingerbread.

>55 Crazymamie: Happy "second favorite f-word" Day, Mamie! And it's Friday the 13th, to boot. I can hardly wait to see what the day has in store for me.

I'm eagerly looking forward to your review of BHY. No pressure! ;-)

>48 Storeetllr: Right, Mary?! We also have a gas stovetop, but I would have to use my percolator in that case, and I am not good at waiting. I mean, waiting is better than no coffee, but I am very happy I did. not have to wait.

>49 DeltaQueen50: It is very well done, Judy. I am also wanting to read the next one in the series, but I am waiting for it to be in a Kindle sale.

>50 weird_O: Bill, it cracked me up that the warranty would cost more than the product. I like how you think - it's always entertaining.

I have not read R. F. Kuang before, but I do have her The Poppy War in the stacks. Good to know that your son is liking Babel. Will you be borrowing it when he is finished?

>51 charl08: Charlotte! It is so lovely to see you here. "May your coffee supply remain unaffected!" And a blessing bestowed upon me! Thank you, my friend.

>52 ffortsa: Hello, Judy! I like both the books and the tv series for Vera, but if I could only pick one, it would be the tv series. I just love Brenda Blethyn in that role.

>53 msf59: Morning, Mark! Friday happiness to you, too! Oh, I love Rear Window!! One of my favorites, and you are right about Grace Kelly. Not just beautiful but so elegant and graceful. Her parents certainly gave her the right name.

Hooray for a Jackson day!

>54 drneutron: We love Castle, Jim, and Rae and I just rewatched the pilot episode of that last night. That Rear Window episode is one of my favorite episodes from the show. We also really love the Nikki Heat episode.

Rear Window is also a favorite of mine - my Dad and I both loved it.

>56 rosalita: Ha! Thank you Julia! I always think of Friday the 13ths as lucky. Rae was born on one. When the nurse asked me what we were going to name her, I said, Jason. The nurse looked at me, and then said very gently, Honey, you know you had a girl, right?

I'm hoping to get that review written later today. Spoiler alert - I liked it.

*edited to fix the italics

Ha! I love your response to the nurse about the baby name.

And now I want to re-watch Rear Window. The Wayne hasn't seen a lot of my favorite old movies, so I am trying to "educate" him :)

ETA: I had to look up 'Recipes for Love and Murder' and now I want to watch it. I see an Acorn subscription in my future...

Morning, Katie! *grin*

I am always up for a rewatch of a Hitchcock movie. Daniel's wife Kaitlyn has hardly seen any movies, so he has been "educating" her with some of our favorites. She usually falls asleep, though. Heh.

>60 katiekrug: It was very good, just sadder than I was expecting. We will probably watch the next episode tonight. It reminds me of something with the format of the recipes being shared, and I can't think what. And yes, get an Acorn subscription so we can compare notes.

>61 Crazymamie: I'm with Kaitlyn, I'm not a great movie watcher. Over Christmas I watched a seasonal movie every day, and it was quite fun. I'm not sure why I don't do it more often.
What's on the Pecan Paradiso playlist?

We do that every Christmas time, Helen, and it is always fun. What's on our playlist movie wise you are asking? We are wanting to watch the new Enola Holmes, and the new Knives Out. In older movies, we have All About Eve and Chinatown on the agenda. I have seen these, but the girls have not. I also have a list of movies based on books that I read last year that I am wanting to get to: Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont, The Razor's Edge, The Enchanted April...

Or were you asking specifically about Christmas movies?

>64 Crazymamie: - I LOVE All About Eve.

"You have a point, my dear. An idiotic one, but a point."

Happy Friday, Mamie!! There is an inch of snow on the ground and school was cancelled for the entire county. Huh! Back in my day we had to shovel a path in 3 feet of snow to walk down the driveway to walk to school. Happily it wasn't uphill both ways.
Have a good one!

>64 Crazymamie: what's on your family go-to movie watch list please. Christmas ones can wait until December!

>65 katiekrug: Me, too, Katie! And love that quote!

>66 Carmenere: Happy Friday, Lynda! Your post made me smile. Yep, me too, with the snow. Here they cancel school if there is even a chance of snow in the forecast (which has happened maybe 3 times in our ten years here). They just don't have any way to deal with snow if they do get it - no salt just sand. I miss snow. I really do.

Okay, Helen, here goes:

We love Bogart, so:
To Have and Have Not
Key Largo
The Big Sleep
Casablanca
The Maltese Falcon

We love anything Hitchcock, but here are our favorites:
North by Northwest
Rear Window
To Catch a Thief
Notorious
Dial M For Murder

Everything Else:
High Road to China
French Kiss
National Treasure
Galaxy Quest
The Thin Man
Charade
Fool's Gold
Arsenic and Old Lace
Pride and Prejudice (the one with Kiera Knightly/Matthew Macfayden
How to Marry a Millionaire
Desk Set
The Philadelphia Story

We also love all of the Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Indiana Jones movies

Really, I could go on all day as we are huge movie fans.

>55 Crazymamie: I love that description of pecan trees in winter!!

Thank you, Reba! How goes the dog sitting?

>55 Crazymamie: Today's coffee
I'm curious, Mamie: how many varieties of coffee do you keep in stock?

Chris doesn't like flavored coffees so we drink mostly dark roast. I get my flavor fix when I go grocery shopping because I almost always get a non-fat Hazelnut latte from the in-store Starbucks.

>71 Crazymamie: They are driving me nuts this morning. I've been trying to work on some volunteer stuff I do (emails, reports, etc) and they have been barking at everything that moves -- especially at the pool cleaner who comes every Friday and works about 5' away from a big sliding glass window. I finally really yelled at them and they settled down -- right now they're all three asleep (as is Hubby if I read the back of his head correctly lol). Good news is that I have a mani-pedi appointment with the world's best technician at 11. She may be the thing I miss most about San Diego and I see her every time I'm here -- so things are looking up for the rest of the day.

>72 lauralkeet: Loads, Laura. We probably always have at least ten. I might have a slight obsession.

I love almost any kind of coffee, to be honest. I grew up with Folgers and my parents Mr. Coffee, which always had a pot on the warmer. My parents both drank coffee all day long, so...

>69 Crazymamie: *gulp* thank you. That will keep me quiet for some time!
I've never seen Star Wars - any of them. Feel free to disown me now.

>73 RebaRelishesReading: Oh, dear! We are very lucky that Griffin is not a barker at all. Of course, they live in an apartment, so that probably helps as he is used to all kinds of noises. Last evening was a bit tricky with him because it stormed here and we had very high winds, so we had to guess when the best time was to take him out.

Here's a funny - when someone knocks at the door, the dog is fine but our cat Mischief growls.

Have fun getting your mani-pedi. I hope it is very relaxing for you.

>76 Crazymamie: Thank you -- the mani/pedi will definitely be relaxing AND the dogs have been quiet since pool person left AND I managed to finish up my volunteer "stuff" -- so much better now and looking up :)

>75 Helenliz: We will never disown you, Helen. I told Abby and Birdy you had requested a list, and they were saying them faster than I could type. Hoping at least a few of them suit you - the touchstones are all correct now. I had the Maltese Falcon going to the book instead of the movie. And Abby says to tell you that she doesn't like The Maltese Falcon. The rest of us love it, though, so it stays on the list. Heh. Please report back if you watch any of them.

I know I wasn't asked, but can I suggest Bringing Up Baby as another fun, old movie to check out?

>79 katiekrug: Oh, yes! We love that one, too. I'm sure there are a bunch that didn't come to mind in the moment.

>79 katiekrug: you may indeed. I like a good list to work through.

>57 Crazymamie: (>50 weird_O:). Trying to remember what it was about the author of Babel, so I looked her up. Jaysus! The lady's 26. 26! Graduate of Georgetown. Masters degrees from Cambridge and Oxford. Pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale. Author of The Poppy Wars, a trilogy, and Babel and has completed Yellowface, scheduled for publication this year.

I'm too intimidated to want to borrow and read Babel. Heh.

>82 weird_O: I'm now two chapters into Babel - definitely worth overcoming the intimidation!

>59 Crazymamie: Hahahaha I had to read over your story about Rae's birth on Friday the 13th over a couple of times before I "got" it, but you did make me laugh out load, Mamie. Happy Friday the 13th!

Babel is on my list and I will get to it eventually. I already have quite the library stack going, and I have to get reading what I've got out now :D

>74 Crazymamie: thanks Mamie. My parents were big coffee drinkers too, whole bean with their own grinder, but again not the flavored varieties. Boo hoo. Anyway, I'm impressed.

You got me into 'Whitstable Pearl' Mamie, hadn't heard of it despite being a Brit! Watched the 2 series over the past couple of weeks. Series 3 will be released December 2023.

>76 Crazymamie: Cleo is a growler too! When Penny was alive, they were quite a pair - Penny barking and Cleo growling.

>81 Helenliz: Me, too - love me a list!

>82 weird_O: I knew she was young, Bill, but I did not realize she was just 26!

Intimidated? You?! Never.

>83 drneutron: I knew it had to be good for you to come telling me about it only one chapter in, Jim.

Morning, Mamie. Happy Saturday. I love your movie picks up there, especially the classic oldies. The Bogie choices are great. In regard to Hitchcock, my favorites lean toward his more dark and twisted- Vertigo, Psycho and Strangers on a Train, but that is how I roll.

My Jackson Day went swimmingly...of course, right? I never fails to make me laugh or smile.

>84 bell7: Too funny, Mary. I spent my high school years going with my friends to see all of those 80s horror movies in the theater, so I forget that not every one is familiar with them.

I have been trying to just take out a very few books at a time from the library so that I will feel less pressure in that direction. I am spoilt for choice because our library usually has the ones that everyone here is waiting for just sitting on the shelves waiting to be chosen. Demon Copperhead has been there every time, but I have no interest in reading that one.

>85 lauralkeet: My parents did not have a grinder. I got my first grinder when I graduated from college, and have never looked back. We love trying new coffees and teas, so we always have quite a few at hand.

>86 Caroline_McElwee: Caroline, you have left us in your dust! Rae and I finished season one and are ready for season two. So glad you liked it. A whole year until season three - oh, dear! I guess at least there will be a season three. Have you watched Murder in Provence? Only one season with three episodes, so far, but it we really liked it. It's on Britbox.

>87 ursula: How funny, Ursula! Mischief also growls at Griffin if he gets too close. Griffin wants to be friends, but Mischief wants none of it. It cracks us up because she is our smallest cat.

>89 msf59: Morning, Mark! Happy Saturday. Glad you approve of my movie picks. I love those Hitchcock movies as well. I just love Hitchcock. The girls (and Craig) will not watch Psycho. Heh. My very favorite Hitchcock is Notorious.

I am not at all surprised that your Jackson day was a success.

Morning, All! Craig has decided to take down some of the Christmas stuff early, and I am wondering if he will realize that I have already taken down quite a bit of it once he starts. Heh. So today will be mostly about that and some deep cleaning. We really need to dust, and I want to mop the kitchen floor.

Griffin went home last night, so no more dog adventures until next week. He was a very good boy. Last night Rae and I watched the first episode of Agatha Raisin, and we both loved it, so thank you Carrie!

On the reading front, yesterday I listened to more of Watership Down, and I am nearing the end - I think I have about two hours left. It's very good and I'm glad I finally made time for this one. In the evening I read from Voyager: Travel Writing - not loving this yet, and it is very different from the travel writing that I love to read. This feels more like self-examination while traveling, but it's early days, so I will give it more time. In the wee small hours, I was wanting something different than what I already have going, so I started Gun, With Occasional Music by Jonathan Lethem. It's so weird, but in a good way - for me at least. Like Raymond Chandler and Philip K. Dick wrote a book together that was then edited by Lewis Carroll. Dystopian with a noir feel. And talking animals.

The coffee today is hazelnut.

Morning, Mamie! I am now a proud AcornTV subscriber and have scribbled down all the recommendations here. While browsing the offerings, one that immediately caught my eye was 'Deadwater Fell' with David Tennant. Have you watched that one?

I am hoping to talk The Wayne into watching a black and white classic film tonight - but which one?!? Decisions, decisions...

I love your description of the Lethem book!

I have a copy of Notorious on shelf. I plan on getting to it soon. I love it, as well. What a stellar cast.

>93 katiekrug: Morning, Katie! *happy dance* I can't wait to compare notes. I had not come across Deadwater Fell yet, and I am wondering how I missed it because anything with Tennant goes in the queue automatically. Just added it, so thank you very much.

Hoping you do manage to talk The Wayne into that movie. Eagerly awaiting the outcome. What kind of movies does he like?

*smile* Thank you!

>94 msf59: I have not read the book, Mark, but I want to - who wrote it? I do have Vertigo on the shelves, and I am wanting to get to that one this year.

>95 Crazymamie: - He likes war movies, and has seen most classic ones. I'm going to try to get him to watch some old comedies with me. I recently picked up His Girl Friday at a used book/DVD place, and I remember loving that one when I watched it in college. He did sort of enjoy The Philadelphia Story when we watched it a few years ago. "C.K. Dexter Haaaaaaaaa-VEN!"

Oh, those are both fun! Has he seen Operation Petticoat? Not black and white but it combines a war movie with comedy.

>97 Crazymamie: - Oh, yes, that is one of his very favorites! He finally convinced me to watch it last year, and I enjoyed it. So silly and fun.

Happy Saturday, Mamie! I love the movie talk. I love classic movies, especially Hitchcock films and anything with Cary Grant or Doris Day. The Thrill of It All is one that tickles my funny bone. I noticed The Enchanted April in your queue. It's one of my all-time favorite movies. Just thinking about it makes me want to hop on a plane to Italy!

Carrie, I was just over on your thread! LOVE movies! Especially the old ones. I introduced the girls to Doris Day when the movie Pillow Talk came up for some reason I cannot remember, and they loved it. We then went on to watch Down With Love with Renée Zellweger that has a similar vibe. Have you seen that one. I have not seen The Thrill of it All in years - James Garner is favorite, and we love him in Support Your Local Sheriff.

You are making me want to get to The Enchanted April right now - I'll have to see if I can squeeze it in this weekend.

>92 Crazymamie: I read your description of the Lethem book out loud to Morgan because I thought it was so great. He said, “I’m up for a Phillip K. Dick book that’s been edited by anyone.” (He says it with love.)

I haven't seen Down With Love. I have made note of it and will keep an eye out for it on my various streaming services.

>101 ursula: How great is that! Morgan's response made me laugh - I adore PKD, but he is not for everyone, and his stuff is definitely bazarre.

>102 cbl_tn: We discovered it because Amber recommended it. Hoping you can find it at some point.

>92 Crazymamie: Apparently I'm channeling both you and Craig, because I've been slowly taking down the Christmas stuff and just today put away the wreaths and tree. A little late, but I tell myself that when I've dogsit at this time of year, it's been as late as March (fake tree, obviously) before I fully got everything down, so really I'm ahead of the game. I love putting it all up, but it's a little said to take it all down...

Anyway, happy weekend to you & the family, and glad you're enjoying your books :)

Your thread is a dangerous place, Mamie. Although I’m not much of a movie lover, new or old, the discussions here are making some of the films sound really good.

I do love Enchanted April, in all it’s forms - book, audio, and film. I wish I owned the DVD so I could watch it whenever I want.

The Lethem sounds right up my alley. It’s going right on my TBR list.

Have a lovely weekend!

OK, adding Enchanted April to the list as well. That is one where I have read the book.

Watched Casablanca today. Oh. My. Goodness. How have I never watched that before?!?

>104 bell7: Craig likes to leave the Christmas stuff up through most of January, Mary, and often that is not a huge problem, but I really wanted it down this year. Slightly crazy making, so I decided to just quietly put one thing away each day and see how far I could get before he noticed. Turns out pretty far, as he never noticed. Anyway, last night he asked if we could just take most of it down. We only leave it up for you, I said, so yes. So we start today, and after a bit he says, Wow, I really thought we put out more stuff this year - there's not as much to take down as I thought. I did not enlighten him because I may to use this tactic again next year. Heh. And yes, I agree that putting it up is more fun than taking it down.

Thank you for those good wishes - hoping your weekend is also full of happy.

>105 Storeetllr: Oh, excellent, Mary. Be sure to report back if you watch something we mentioned here.

I am really wanting to get to Enchanted April - maybe later today. I love that almost anything is available for streaming - so full of fabulous.

>106 Helenliz: Hooray, Helen - we can compare notes once we have both seen it.

Casablanca is an excellent starting point. I love everything about that movie, and now you know where all those iconic quotes come from. My Dad loved Humphrey Bogart, and we watched that movie together many times over the years. Bogart always brings my Dad back to me, so his movies are a sanctuary for me.

So we start today, and after a bit he says, Wow, I really thought we put out more stuff this year - there's not as much to take down as I thought. I did not enlighten him because I may to use this tactic again next year.

Hahahahaha, thank you so much for that belly laugh.

I noted on my thread that all this movie talk inspired me to start a little "project" with TW. I'll probably be looking for recommendations occasionally :)

My favorite Bogart movie is The African Queen. All this talk of movies makes me think this needs to be a movie night!

>95 Crazymamie: No, I have the dvd of Notorious on shelf. I have a very large collection.

>108 bell7: You are welcome, Mary.

>109 katiekrug: How fun, Katie! I'll have to come over and see what you are up to.

>110 cbl_tn: I love that one, too, Carrie. There is a really fun book about the making of that movie - The Making of the African Queen or How I Went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind by Katherine Hepburn. Have you read it? It is out of print now, but I got it from my library and read it several years ago - it's full of fabulous. I keep hoping they will reprint it.

>111 msf59: My bad, Mark. I gotcha.

Mamie, I very much like the selection of movies that you posted! Your thread is a joy! And, of course, so are you.

>112 Crazymamie: I have not read that one, and now I want to! The public library has several copies, but they seem to be large print. Maybe I'll see if I can pick up a used copy instead.

>113 Whisper1: Linda, thank you so much. Your kind words have touched my heart and made me smile.

>114 cbl_tn: Hoping you can find a copy that suits you. I know you will love it.

Well, this was a delight. I was originally going to rent it from Amazon Prime, but it was only $1 more to purchase it, so that is what I did. The cast is excellent, and it was a pleasure to watch this quiet but beautiful story play out.

>90 Crazymamie: I do love my grinder and French press, but I'm not a beverage adventuress. I've stuck with a dark roast Peet's Coffee and Rooibos tea for a few years now - I did like TJ's Rooibos Chai, but that was discontinued. Only necessity has me changing brews.

>116 Crazymamie: One of my favorite movies:)

>117 quondame: Peet's makes excellent coffee, Susan. And Abby and I love Rooibos tea. Absolutely nothing the matter with knowing what you like and sticking to it - that's what I have done with Craig.

>118 RebaRelishesReading: It was so good, Reba. I started out watching it by myself, but it pulled both Birdy and Rae in, and we finished it together.

>116 Crazymamie: So glad you enjoyed it!

>120 cbl_tn: Carrie, it is one I know I will watch again, so I am very happy I spent that extra $1.

>105 Storeetllr: Mary, I forgot to comment in my original response to you that I am so happy to have hit you with Gun With Occasional Music!

>119 Crazymamie: I agree with stick with what one likes - though I'd experiment more with beverages if it weren't for my taste disorder that makes complex drinks problematical - most dark roast coffees, many red wines, and the whiskeys I liked Laphroaig and Glenlivet, not to mention dry sherries. And dark chocolates are completely off the menu.

>122 quondame: Oh, that is terrible, Susan. What a bummer - I am sorry you have to deal with that.

>119 Crazymamie: Interesting - sticking with Craig is in the same category as Susan (at 117) sticking with dark roast Peet's coffee. Uh-Huh. Very steadfast.

>124 SandyAMcPherson: Hey, a coffee blend is a serious commitment!

>125 quondame: So it is. I should have known that. We have 2 types of coffee in our house *and* two coffee 'stations'. Indeed.

>92 Crazymamie: I've been on the outlook for this very book, but have not found it so far. I did find Amnesia Moon at a library sale, and I read it last year. Definitely weird *ahem* strange. Lethem is an author included in Pearl & Schwager's The Writer's Library. He's kinda nutty, collects books, etc., and talked in the interview about quasi-art directing the cover designs of his early books, including Gun, with Occasional Music, because the publisher didn't really have a lot of confidence it was going to sell and was content to get the cover design on the cheap. (Well, that's how I remember it, anyway.) I still want it to read.

The old movies chat is fun. When I think of old movies, I think of stuff filmed in the 30s and 40s, but 1950s films come to mind too. Rebel Without a Cause, The Third Man, Singing in the Rain. All the Thin Man films. Someone mentioned Bringing Up Baby. Many of the Tracy-Hepburn flicks.

I stick with Starbuck's French Roast because the supermarket I frequent stocks it in the whole bean configuration. Late last year, I hit the store when it had NO whole bean on the shelf...except Death Wish brand, Yes, I bought it. No, I haven't tried it...yet.

>91 Crazymamie: I forgot to say, I have been to Whitstable Mamie. It's about 2 hours on the train from central London.

A little useless information, the actor Peter Cushing lived there. I once met him at a theatre, he was a lovely old gent then. He kissed my hand. One of my sister's friends commanded her to cut my hand off for her!

>116 Crazymamie: I love this film, and the book.

>116 Crazymamie: I loved Enchanted April, we saw it in the cinema waaaaay back when it was first released. It was my introduction to several actors who have since become favorites.

Speaking of ... have you seen Tea with the Dames? It's a documentary featuring Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright, and Eileen Atkins. For an hour and a half they sit around a table discussing their careers, husbands, etc. I enjoyed it, mostly because I love all four of them.

>129 lauralkeet: - Oh, Tea With The Dames was great!! Oddly, I had not known of Eileen Atkins before this film but I most certainly knew and loved the other 3. I also loved Enchanted April.

Morning, Mamie. Happy Sunday. We have a family birthday party to attend to, this afternoon. Hopefully, Bree and Jack show up. It should be a good football day too. You have a nice one!

>103 Crazymamie: Morgan loves PKD and has read close to everything he's written, but an editor could have helped at times, definitely.

Happy Sunday Morning! No big plans for today. Craig is going to make a new soup recipe he's found for beef barley stew. There will be football and some laundry - I'm washing up the new towels for the master bath that arrived yesterday. We recently purchased Everdell (the boardgame), and we need to learn the rules for that so we can play it. It's so charming!

Yesterday in the early evening we watched The Enchanted April, which was lovely. After that, Rae and I watched two episodes of Agatha Raisin.

On the reading front, yesterday afternoon I started reading The Wizard of Oz. We have had this one in the stacks forever, but I have never read it. Bill's recent read of it has given me the nudge I needed to finally pick it up. In the wee small hours, I read more from Gun, With Occasional Music - I'm loving this!

The coffee today is hazelnut.

>116 Crazymamie: I love The Enchanted April book, but I'm not 100 % sure if I've seen the film.

>133 Crazymamie: Jacob and Caroline (Jacob's girlfriend) were playing Everdell a couple of days ago before he went back to Uni. They really enjoy it but it did look quite complicated. They seem to have the basic version plus a couple of expansion packs. Caroline has more board games than many board game shop!

>124 SandyAMcPherson:, >125 quondame:, >126 SandyAMcPherson: Exactly. I started dating Craig when I had just turned 19, and I am now 55, so I think I have done an excellent job of sticking with him.

I had to read all of this conversation out to Abby, who LOVED the phrase beverage adventuress. She made a note of it, Susan, and now that is what we are going to call ourselves.

>127 weird_O: Good luck with finding yourself a copy, Bill - I am assuming you are looking for that particular cover? And now ai have added Amnesia Moon to the List - the title alone would have guaranteed it a seat, but "strange" adds to the allure. I read The Writer's Library last year, and the interview with Lethem was my very favorite - I came out with a bunch of titles to read just from that chapter.

Love talking about old movies - those are good ones that you mention. My mom loved musicals, and Singin' in the Rain was one of her favorites. We adore the first The Thin Man movie and watch it at least once a year.

It's harder and harder to find whole beans coffee in the grocery - a very limited selection. We love the hazelnut coffee that Eight O'Clock coffee makes, and the Publix carried it in whole bean and then it didn't. It's back again, and I hope it stays - love picking up several bags when it is a BOGO. When they stopped carrying it for awhile, we purchased straight from the company, and that was a rabbit hole we loved going down. Whoa to the Death Wish - please to report back when you try it.

Thanks for stopping in - love when you visit and share your weirdness with me, Oh Weird One.

>128 Caroline_McElwee: Very cool, Caroline. I am glad that you still have possession of your hand.

So great to see all the love for Enchanted April here.

>129 lauralkeet: Hello, Laura. The theater! Fun!

I have not seen Tea With Dames - that sounds full of fabulous. I will track that one down. I adore those ladies, especially Smith and Dench. Thank you so much for mentioning it.

>130 jessibud2: Hello, Shelley! More love for Enchanted April! I will have to see where I can get Tea With Dames and then report back.

>131 msf59: Morning, Mark! Happy Sunday. Have fun at the birthday party. May the cake be full of yum. Crossing my fingers that Bree and Jackson make it.

>132 ursula: Agreed, Ursula. I have big love for PKD and am slowly working my way through his cannon. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep is my favorite.

>134 SandDune: Rhian, it is definitely worth the watch.

I am very excited about Everdell. It seems to have quite a few fans on LT, so we thought we would give it a go. Our current favorite boardgame is Wingspan. We are slowly amassing our collection of boardgames, but I am sure we could not hold a candle to Jacob's girlfriend. What is their favorite to play to their go to game - do you know?

>137 Crazymamie: I don't know which is their favourite - I will ask. But she has lots, probably about 150 or so.

>138 SandDune: Whoa! That is a lot.

Hi Mamie! Yikes. 77 posts behind, since January 13th. I need to up my game…

>93 katiekrug: I’m smiling about Craig and Christmas coming down. Early? When’s usual? >107 Crazymamie: Ah. Answered. Yesterday Jenna and I took the ornaments off the tree and she gathered up the few-but-cherce decorations we had out to put up today. We’ll put up the tree – gotta figure it out because it’s the first time, EVER, that we’ve had an artificial tree since Jenna hesitantly told us in June that perhaps we shouldn’t have a real 8’ tall tree anymore… she’s right, of course, but still. I found a wonderful one on Amazon, fortunately.

>133 Crazymamie: Sounds similar to our day, although our football will be soccer and our soup will be my homemade vegetable beef. Laundry will be Jenna’s. Mine will have to wait ‘til tomorrow because she’s also taking a shower today and we’re on a well, so timing’s everything. Yay for hazelnut coffee and The Wizard of Oz. I read it forever ago and would really like to eventually re-read it and continue with the whole series.

>135 Crazymamie: Once Covid hit, our grocery store stopped carrying it’s branded-but-Starbucks-roasted whole bean coffee. It took forever, but we have found a good brand, Real Good Coffee Company, Donut Shop medium roast whole bean. We’re now paying 4 times what we paid before but are grateful to have a regular supply, delivered weekly.

Down with Love! Even the theme song got the 1964 treatment, and Ewan MacGregor never gets enough credit for his comic chops or singing.

I kept meaning to watch the adaptation of The Enchanted April after I finished the book a couple of years ago... Must add to the list!

>140 karenmarie: Morning, Coffee Sister!

We transitioned to an artificial tree the year that Craig has his hip replacement, which happened to be in December that year. We have never gone back. I miss the smell and the imperfections of a real tree, but love the low maintenance of a fake one. This year we left the tree naked except for the lights. We actually did not get the big tree out. Instead we used these smaller pencil trees that I usually put up in the beverage room (supposed to be the dining room) on either side of the buffet. They are both silver, one slightly shorter than the other, so 5 and 6 feet, I think. They are in hour of my aunts Margy and Lois, who always had a silver tree. Anyway, this year we put these two trees side by side in the living room - one has blue lights, one yellowish-white lights, and called it a day. I actually really loved the simplicity of it.

We had a well at our Indiana house, so I get it about the timing. I don't have to worry about that in our current house, which is happy making.

I remember the Great Coffee Search! I had not known which one you finally settled on, so thanks for sharing - I have not had that kind before. Sorry about the cost increase. But delivered is most excellent.

>141 richardderus: Darling!!! SO full of fabulous to see you here! Totally agree with you about MacGregor. The theme song is so fun, isn't it?!

I'm hoping you are felling better and well on the mend, dear one. *smooch*

>142 katiekrug: Yes, add it to the list, Katie!

>119 Crazymamie: I love that!! Even read it to Hubby I was liking it so much!

>129 lauralkeet: Yes, I really liked Tea with the Dames a lot too. I'd forgotten all about it but now I want to find it and watch it again.

How did the Beef Barley soup turn out? If it was a success I would love to have the recipe :)

Happy Sunday, Mamie!
Did Craig notice that some of the Christmas decorations were packed away prior to his decoration take down?
Beef Barley soup sounds delish! Hope you had a loaf of bread around to sop up the delishness.

>145 RebaRelishesReading: *smile* I love when things get read out loud. I do that a lot because something on the threads will make me laugh or react in some way and then I have to share.

I need to see if it's available on one of our streaming services.

The soup was not great - it needs a lot of tweaking, so I'm thinking it would be better to just try a different recipe. Craig tried it and said, so who wants pizza?

>146 Carmenere: Happy Sunday to you, Lynda! Nope - he did not notice. He was just surprised that we had not put more out this year. Heh.

The soup was a loser, so we got takeaway pizza from the Mellow Mushroom, which was delicious.

Funny that Craig didn’t notice the stealth undecorating, Mamie. I’m going to have to look back at your thread for all the movie reccs when I’m not on transit. Almost made it in to Vancouver now.

>129 lauralkeet: Two movie bullets (MB's?), Enchanted April and Tea with the Dames.

>133 Crazymamie: Everdell looks complicated. A 3-D borard, too.

I can't say that I watch a lot of movies but when I do, I enjoy the oldies. The last two weeks I watched Bringing up baby and the graduate. I had a little get together with a few friends at my house and these were the movies we watched. The only problem was that one friend kept on wanting to talk and analyze the movies while we were watching. Anyhow, have a great start to the week.

Great to see you so busy across the threads again, Mamie - you were sorely missed.

Going right back to >69 Crazymamie:, I would definitely include "Strangers on a Train" in my list of fave Hitchcock movies.

Hope that all is well at the Pecan Paradisio. x

>150 figsfromthistle: The only problem was that one friend kept on wanting to talk and analyse the movies while we were watching. I think this is why he and I don't watch movies together. I get a running commentary on things like the other film that person was in... Which doesn't usually help much with this film.

‘Morning, Coffee Sister!

>143 Crazymamie: Thanks for sharing about your artificial trees. We had the artificial tree up for 2 weeks before finally decorating it and except for the fact that we love our ornaments, might have just left it as it was, with the multicolored lights. I also miss the imperfections and smell of a real tree, but definitely love the low maintenance. And no sweeping up of pine needles after.

I grew up on city water, which included awful taste and paying for it directly every month. I bought 5-gallon bottles of Arrowhead or Sparkletts water for years before I eventually got a very expensive filter for the kitchen sink at my last house in SoCal. I love our well water and don’t miss directly paying for it or sewer.

Since we don’t drink flavored coffees, the weekly delivery of 2 lbs works out great, with skipping one week’s delivery about every 5-6 weeks.

>147 Crazymamie: Sorry that the soup was not good. The key to everything is the perfect recipe, of course. Most cookbooks I keep for just one or two recipes.

Morning, Mamie. We had a nice time at the family party and Jack was the star of the show, (there were other young children there, but you know what I mean 😄). Mild here today but rain most of the day, which will keep me off the trails. A bit bummed.

Morning, Everyone! We have been enjoying a leisurely morning here at the Pecan Paradisio. Birdy and Abby have been gaming, and I have been catching up with some of the threads while savoring the coffee today. Abby was playing her game on the big screen, and the graphics are so pretty - she's playing Immortal Fenyx Rising. The graphics and the mythology and Zeus's snark make this fun to watch her play.

Yesterday we played Everdell, and it was really fun. There is a lot to take in the first time through the games so thank goodness for YouTube videos. Heh. Maximum of four players, so the girls and I played while Craig made the soup. Birdy won. We are going to play it again today, now that we have a better understanding of it. Christmas came the rest of the way down and was boxed up and put back into the attic - so very happy making! Dinner was Get Your Own.

Last night Rae and I watched another episode of Agatha Raisin and then re-watched an episode of The Mallorca Files - the opener for the second season with the opera house. We love this particular episodes and have watched it many times.

On the reading front, I finished up the audio of Watership Down, and I loved it. My next audiobook will be The Weirdies Get Weirder - I just noticed that Audible had a second book in this series, and Audible members can listen for free. I loved the first book - just silly and fun, and they are narrated by Kate Winslet who is fabulous with audiobooks. In the wee small hours, I read some more in Gun, With Occasional Music.

Today's coffee was the Reading Blend.

>148 Familyhistorian: I tried to be very sneaky about it, Meg, but yes, I kept thinking he was going to notice any minute. Hoping you find something to watch from the movie recs and report back.

>149 SandyAMcPherson: Hooray for the movie bullets, Sandy. Everdell was kind of complicated, but it was also very fun. We have handle on it now, so we are going to play again today.

>150 figsfromthistle: Hello, Anita! We sometimes talk through movies but only the ones we have all watched a million times. Those were both excellent movie choices, sorry you did not get to fully enjoy them.

>155 Crazymamie: - Ooooh, thanks for the heads-up about another Weirdies being available! I loved the first, which I think I listened to on your recommendation. Totally agree about Kate Winslet's narration.

>151 PaulCranswick: Hello, Paul! Thank you for those kind words.

Strangers on a Train would make my top 10 but not my top 5 as far as Hitchcock movies go. It is very good. Better than the book, IMO.

All is well here. The weekend was lovely, and we got a lot done, which is happy making.

>152 Helenliz: Oh, dear! That is annoying, Helen. I love film trivia but not during the movie.

>153 karenmarie: Morning, Coffee Sister! We love our ornaments, too, but it was nice to do something different this year. I like changing things up, and this year no one wanted to do the work of hanging the ornaments, so it worked for us.

Our Indiana well water was excellent, but I hated that when the power went out we also had no water because no power to pump the well. I was thrilled that this house had city water. The filter on the fridge does a good job, so that is what we drink.

Weekly coffee delivery sounds most excellent!

Me, too, with the recipes books. Yeah, the soup was disappointing, but we will try again with another recipe.

>154 msf59: Morning, Mark! Glad the party was a success, and of course all the other children paled in comparison to your Jack. That's how it's supposed to be - good work Grandpa.

Happy first day of the week!
>155 Crazymamie: The Weirdies sounds like something I would like! Added to the list that never ends

Sorry the soup didn't work out well. I have an "OK" recipe but am always looking for something better.

>133 Crazymamie: HUGE Everdell fans in my house. We play it pretty regularly and own multiple expansions (and are eagerly awaiting the new expansions that are supposed to be released this year). Once you get a handle on the game play, I find it's a pretty straightfoward game.

>155 Crazymamie: Weirdies? Weirdies? You can't be serious.

Your chat about "old" movies prompted me to Google "screwball comedies," which is the sort of old movie that appealed to me. I found a list purporting to be the best 15 such. Here's a link:

https://www.slashfilm.com/839786/the-best-screwball-comedies-of-all-time/

Only two or three—Design for Living, Midnight, Easy Living—were unknown to me, and now I want to seek them out. Of the dozen didn't heard of, only The Lady Eve and To Have and Have Not have escape my viewing. Two others to seek out. Awww. What the hell am I saying/thinking? Who would I share the viewing pleasure with?

>164 weird_O: - I was surprised to see your mention of To Have and Have Not, as I don't think of that as a screwball comedy at all. I see, reading the linked list, that you probably mean To Be or Not To Be?

Hi Mamie! You missed me in your flurry of responses this morning. I snuck in :)

>160 ChelleBearss: Chelle, I think you would love The Weirdies. I think they may only be available as audiobooks. I just finished listening to the second one, and it made ma laugh out loud.

Happy First Day of the week to you!

>161 RebaRelishesReading: We were kind of bummed, too, Reba. Oh well, maybe next time. Craig and I had the best beef barley soup on our honeymoon, and he is wanting to find something that tastes as good.

>162 MickyFine: We played it again today, Micky, and it went so much faster now that we knew what we were doing. It is SO fun - might be our new favorite.

>163 weird_O: I am totally serious, Oh Weird One. And the audios are full of fabulous, just like you.

>164 weird_O: Off to check out the link and report back, Bill. You can share your viewing pleasure with us - watch them and report back.

>165 katiekrug:, >157 katiekrug: My apologies, Katie and thank you so much for letting me know. I just finished listening to the second entry in The Weirdies, and it was so funny. Not quite as good as the first one, but still a treat. And obviously, Buckley wrote it with Kate Winslet narrating it in mind because there is a very funny reference to Titanic.

Top 15 Screwball Comedies (According to the link Bill posted in >164 weird_O:)

1. Design for Living
2. It Happened One Night
3. My Man Godfrey
4. Easy Living
5. The Awful Truth
6. Bringing Up Baby
7. Midnight
8. The Philadelphia Story
9. His Girl Friday
10. The Lady Eve
11. Ball of Fire
12. To Be or Not to Be
13. The Palm Beach Story
14. Some Like it Hot
15. What’s Up, Doc?

This is an interesting list - I have seen all of them except Design for Living, Midnight, and To Be or Not to Be. I don't think these would be my top 15, but I would have to give it a lot of thought as to which 15 I would choose. I'm thinking The In-Laws would have to be in there for me - the original one with Peter Faulk.

>165 katiekrug: Bah! You are correct. I'll just let it stand as a rebuke, which I know I deserve for something or other.

Hi Mamie! I'm glad you're still enjoying Agatha Raisin! And I love The Mallorca Files!

Mamie--here I am at post 171! I almost missed your second thread! Thanks for the comedy list and heads up on your new game.

>168 Crazymamie: Ooh, fun list. His Girl Friday was on yesterday and I was able to bore my dad with remembered trivia from a (long ago) BFI showing. (I am one of those people who talks through the film. Oops.)

Thank you for the kind comments on my thread. I have just been to the library to tell them my mum won't need her card anymore. Sadness.

Morning, Y'all! Yesterday was kind to us. Abby, Birdy and I played a second game of Everdell, and I won. In the afternoon I listened to an audiobook while doing household stuff, and then Birdy and I made stuffed peppers for dinner. Not sure what today holds. I want to do a load of laundry and I need to organize some paperwork that I have been procrastinating about. Griffin will be here shortly - his current schedule is MTW from about 8am to 6pm.

Last night Rae and I watched the first two episodes of Madame Blanc, which we both enjoyed.

On the reading front, yesterday I listened to The Weirdies Get Weirder - it's short, so I finished it. Very fun, and I hope there is more coming. In the wee small hours I read more from Gun, With Occasional Music.

The coffee today is gingerbread.

>169 weird_O: Happens to all of us, Bill.

>170 cbl_tn: Carrie, I was just telling Abby that I think she would love Agatha. And yes, Mallorca Files is a favorite here. I hope there is going to be a third season.

>171 Berly: Hello, Kim! Great to see you! The comedy list os one that Bill found - I just posted it here so people could easily see it.

>172 charl08: Charlotte, I love film trivia, and I don't mind talking if it is one I have seen before.

That is a sadness - it's always those small moments that get me the most. It is staggering when someone who has been part of your foundation is suddenly no longer here. Please know that I am thinking of you and holding you in my heart.

Morning, Mamie. How has Gun, With Occasional Music been? I am a fan of Lethem. I am getting ready to head out on my Rehab assignment.

>168 Crazymamie: Great list up there. Some Like it Hot should be at the top, IMHO. There are several of these I would like to see again, including Ball of Fire and The Palm Beach Story.

Morning, Mark! I am really liking Gun, With Occasional Music, but it will not be for everyone.

Some Like it Hot is a classic, for sure. I think the list should include The Thin Man. One of my favorite screwball comedies is also a Christmas movie - Christmas in Connecticut.

6. Bleeding Heart Yard by Elly Griffiths - 4 stars (Harbinger Kaur, book 3)

“‘…Aren’t you a Christian, though?’ She remembers a comment about St. Peter’s Italian church.

‘Not really,’ says Kim. ‘I just pick the bits I like from every religion. Is there a word for that?”

‘Heretic,’ says Harbinder.”

I loved this third entry in Elly Griffiths' Harbinder Kaur series. There is a change in location in this one as Harbinder relocates to London. I like the format of these books as we are presented with multiple points of view throughout the story. This one kept me guessing and when I thought I had it figured out, it twisted one more time surprising me.

>174 Crazymamie: I read somewhere that they'll be filming season 3 of The Mallorca Files soon, so hopefully that means new episodes by the end of the year! I'm glad you enjoyed The Madame Blanc Mysteries. I loved the Christmas special!

>177 Crazymamie: Glad to see you enjoyed that! I adore Griffiths' books! I need to go back and reread the first book of this series to get back into it. My library has big holds though

7. Watership Down by Richard Adams, audiobook narrated by Peter Capaldi - 4.5 stars

This is an excellent adventure story. The author began telling this story as a way to keep his daughters entertained during long car trips. His daughters begged him to write it all down, and that is just what he did. It took him many attempts before he finally got it published because he refused to change any of the story. And also because it is about talking rabbits, one of whom has visions. His stubbornness paid off because the story is perfect just as it is, and it was finally published in 1972.

I loved how detailed this was and that it is a story for both children and adults. There is nothing cute or precious here, and the tale of a group of rabbits fleeing their warren which is about to be destroyed and striking out on their own with little knowledge of the greater outside word is harrowing in places. There are stories within the story that explain their culture and their beliefs, and these are beautifully done. I can see why Adams' daughters begged him to write it down, and I am thankful that when he did, he refused to compromise the story in order together it published.

Morning, Mamie! I've never read Watership Down, but I have the audio read by Ralph Cosham, and I think a print copy on my shelf.

Some Like It Hot is my best friend's favorite movie. I am going to try to get tickets to the new Broadway show for her birthday.

Stuffed peppers are a favorite easy meal of ours. So versatile!

Hope you have a good Tuesday.

8. The Weirdies Get Weirder by Michael Buckley, narrated by Kate Winslet - 4.5 stars (The Weirdies, book 2)

This is the second entry in Michel Buckley's The Weirdies series. These are only available as audiobooks, and they are narrated by Kate Winslet, which is full of fabulous as a narrator. You can listen to this for free if you have an Audible membership, but don't skip the first book or you will be missing out on the extremely entertaining backstory. This one was obviously written with Winslet in mind as narrator because it has a Titanic reference that had me laughing out loud. I sincerely hope there is more on the horizon.

*Buckley also wrioe the The Sisters Grimm series, which are beautifully illustrated in the original format. I read these to the kids when they were younger, and we all loved them. The original hardbacks were gorgeous; the newer cover art and illustrations are not.

‘Morning, Mamie!

>158 Crazymamie: We have what I call a most-house generator. When the water storage tank, 40 gallons, gets depleted when we’re using the generator, we switch the breaker off the refrigerator/garage freezer to the well pump for about 20 minutes or so to replenish it, then back to refrigerator/garage freezer.

>168 Crazymamie: Oooh, fun. I love 2, 3, 6, 8, 9.

>173 Crazymamie: Drat. You had to mention gingerbread. I might need to make my grandmother’s recipe, just need a package of cream cheese for the frosting. And I am going into town today.

>177 Crazymamie: I have a friend’s copy to read, just haven’t gotten around to starting it. I really love this series.

>178 cbl_tn: Carrie, that is excellent news! Rae and I both loved Madame Blanc - we will probably watch more if it tonight. And now I can't wait to see the Christmas special.

>179 ChelleBearss: Chelle, I really enjoy Harbinder, and I know I am in the minority here, but the first book in the series remains my favorite. I love the gothic vibe it has and the kind of literary mystery within the mystery. And I adore her Ruth Galloway series, which I am sad will be ending with the next book. I have not tried her other series, but I do have the first book of it in the stacks.

>181 katiekrug: Morning, Katie! I did not have that Ralph Cosham narration, which Mary (Storeetllr) says is full of fabulous. Peter Capaldi is excellent, but I would love to hear the Ralph Cosham one.

How fun about the Broadway show - crossing my fingers you can get tickets.

The stuffed peppers were very good, and we had them with garlic bread, so even better. We had not had them in a long time - you are right that they are so easy and versatile.I usually do Uncle Ben's Wild Rice with sausage and mushrooms in mine. I know you are not a fan of mushrooms, but we love them.

>183 karenmarie: Morning, Karen!

Ah, that makes sense about the generator.

Yep - we love all of those, too.

Hoping you do make the gingerbread. I love those and also molasses cookies. Yum.

The Harbinder Kaur series is fun, isn't it?! I had it out from the library, but I will pick up my own copy when it is for sale on Kindle.

>184 Crazymamie: I also read her Brighton Mysteries on audio and really enjoyed them

>185 Crazymamie: - You can have all my mushrooms (though I don't actually mind them if they are chopped small and mixed with other things...). Our stuffed peppers are usually Southwestern, but I am going to try an "Asian" style next time.

It's still morning, yet here I am, Mamie. Posting on your thread. (I am going to need a nap before noon, though. Yes, coffee. But that won't eliminate napping.)

>169 weird_O: - Not meant as a rebuke! I just thought someone else might be confused to. I'm glad you mentioned the list, because now I have a good source of ideas for my movie project :)

(Hi again, Mamie)

>190 katiekrug: Oh, I know you didn't mean it as a rebuke, Katie. I'm glad you pointed that out. I seem to be very prone to such mixups, and I'm often perceiving them as signs of mental decline. Rebuking myself is all.

>187 ChelleBearss: Good to know, Chelle. Making a note that you liked the audiobooks.

>188 katiekrug: Oh, southwestern would be excellent. I do chop the mushrooms up and sauté them, then mix them in with the rice and sausage. I like the depth of flavor it adds. Please to report back on the Asian style ones.

>189 weird_O: Thank you for posting on my thread, Bill. Especially in the morning. Yes to both the coffee and the nap.

>199 Crazymamie:, >191 weird_O: I like when people point out my mistakes. Unless you are related to me. Heh. Bill, it's not mental decline, just simple human error, which we are all susceptible to.

>191 weird_O: - What >193 Crazymamie: said!

>180 Crazymamie: So glad you enjoyed Watership Down too! Your review encapsulated many of the things I loved about it. I also love the way that, although the rabbits could "talk," they did not "do" anything that is contrary to what rabbits actually do. I mean, they didn't drink tea out of cups, wear clothing, or sleep in beds or anything like that, as they do in many children's stories. They behaved like real rabbits, and their trials and tribulations and joys and interests were those of real rabbits, not people. Anyway, now I want to reread it for the upteenth time, if I can find the audiobook read by Ralph Cosham.

>181 katiekrug: I am SO jealous you have the audio by Ralph Cosham! I'm going to see if I can find a copy to buy so I can listen to it anytime I want (it's a comfort read for me).

>185 Crazymamie: It's just that, after having listened and relistened to Cosham read Watership Down so many times, Cosham is, for me, the rabbits' voices. When I tried to listen to Capaldi's narration, it just felt wrong and I couldn't do it.

>195 Storeetllr: - Well, apparently I am losing my mind because I *don't* have it... But both my library systems (local and NYPL) have both the Capaldi and Cosham narrations available to download.

>197 katiekrug: Oh! I thought I checked the NYPL Digital site for Cosham's version and didn't find it. Must have been dreaming. Thanks for the tip!

>194 katiekrug: *smile*

>195 Storeetllr: It was so good, Mary, and I know that I will listen to it again. I agree about the rabbits not being just humans in rabbit form. I feel like I learned a lot about rabbits.

>196 Storeetllr: I totally get this, Mary. I get very attached to narrators. I had no pre-conceived notions for the voices and so Capaldi's narration worked for me. I feel like a similar thing is happening with the Murderbot books - people who listen to the audio first love the audio, but a lot of us who read the print version first heard the voice of Murderbot in our heads as female. I cannot listen to the Kevin R. Free narration that so many here love because he is putting a male voice to what is to me a female character.

>197 katiekrug: Oh, dear! At least your library system has it.

>198 Storeetllr: Hoping you can get it, Mary.

>199 Crazymamie: I'm one of the exceptions to the Murderbot rule in that I first read them, then listened to the audiobooks. Apparently, when I read them, I heard MB's voice as male, or neutral, i guess, based on its insistence it has no gender or sex-related parts, and I LOVE Kevin R. Free's interpretation.

>200 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie!

>173 Crazymamie: I went and checked out The Madame Blanc series and saw they are putting up episodes for series 2 now. I got to the end of series 1 and there was nothing more for a long time. Your thread has prompted me to put more Acorn shows on my watchlist too.

>201 Storeetllr: I love the Murderbot audiobook conversation that I know has come up on Beth's thread before - so fascinating. I keep trying to listen to the audio, but I just can't. I might try again some time. Heh.

>202 Familyhistorian: Hello, Meg! Oh hooray! You will have to report back on what you like. Also feel free to recommend your favorites. I do love me a list, and Rae and I are having fun working through the titles that others have provided here.

I love hearing about what everyone else is watching! Do you think there might be enough interest to start a "what we're watching" thread?

>168 Crazymamie: I am not sure if it quite fits the genre but Midnight Run with De Niro is a favourite of the type and slightly more madcap Trains, Planes and Automobiles.

>180 Crazymamie: Pleased to see that Watership Down made a good impression. One of my favourite books in my teens and when I read it to the kids I realized how dark some of it was.

Hi Mamie, I have been reading with interest all the comments on classic movies - which I dearly love. I don't think anyone mentioned a couple of my favorite crime movies - "High Sierra" from 1941 and "White Heat" 1949. Also the great John Wayne in a couple of classic westerns - 1948 "Red River" and 1956 "The Searchers". I know you agree with me on "The Searchers. :)

>199 Crazymamie: Interesting about Murderbot. Morgan and I both read those, and I asked him how he imagined Murderbot - he leaned male, while I leaned female.

>177 Crazymamie: I'm enjoying this - well except when a character I like goes to meet someone I realize might be the murderer... I still have my suspicions for the next hour or so of reading..

'Morning, Mamie! Happy Wednesday to you and yours. My first cup of coffee is going down nicely. *smile*

I got a package of cream cheese yesterday, but ran out of energy. I did print out the recipe from my computer, confirmed low-sodium changes (unsalted butter + 1/4 t salt and non-sodium baking soda). 158 mg sodium for 12 pieces in a 9" x 13" pan, so perhaps today.

Morning, Mamie. Happy Wednesday. My Rehab duties went well. I am leading a winter bird walk this AM. A small group. I also loved Watership Down. I would like to revisit that one.

>206 DeltaQueen50: Red River & The Searchers are also two of my favorites. Wayne at his best. Great choices, Judy.

Morning, Everyone! The Pecan Paradisio is enveloped in a gorgeous fog this morning, which is happy making. Abby has an appointment this morning at 10am, but other than that I don't have anything on the schedule today. So cleaning and paperwork and hopefully some reading. Dinner is going to be baked potato bar.

Last night Rae and I watched two more episodes of Madame Blanc. And then after Rae went to bed, I re-watched the very first episode of The Sandhamn Murders.

On the reading front, yesterday I started a new audiobooks and it's one from Katie's Dirty Dozen - The Lost for Words Bookshop. I listened to several hours of it, and I can already tell it's one I am going to love. The audio I have is narrated by Imogen Church, and she does a fabulous job. In the evening, I read some more from The Wizard of Oz, which I am hoping to finish up today. In the wee small hours, I finished off Gun, With Occasional Music. What a crazy ride!

The coffee today is gingerbread.

>204 cbl_tn: Carrie, you could try it and see. I love seeing them on individual threads, but if they were all in one place it would be easier to keep track of. The Boardgame thread that Stasia started had plenty of traffic last year and is up and running again this year, so I am guessing that a what we're watching thread would take off.

>205 PaulCranswick: I had forgotten about Midnight Run, Paul - I have not seen that one in many years. And the run in the title makes me think of Running Scared, which featured Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines. And definitely Planes, Trains and Automobiles fits the genre.

Watership Down was excellent. And yes, very dark in places for a children's story. That's part of what makes it feel so real, though, that he didn't dumb it down or underestimate his audience.

>206 DeltaQueen50: Hello, Judy! I know that you are a fellow movie buff. I love High Sierra - anything with Bogart, really. And The Searchers and Red River are both excellent. I am trying to think if I have seen White Heat. I need to check into that one.

Have you read The Searchers: The Making of an American Legend? It's about the making of the film, and it's very well done - Mark and I both enjoyed that one.

>207 ursula: The whole Murderbot dialogue is so intriguing to me, Ursula. Birdy, Craig and I all said female.

>208 quondame: Right?! I bet you have finished it up by now, Susan. I shall have to come and see what you thought of it.

>209 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! Happy Wednesday. Me, too, with the coffee.

I'm sending you baking mojo.

>210 msf59: Morning, Mark! Happy Wednesday. Hoping your winter bird walk is a success.

I am so happy that I finally made time for Watership Down. It's one I know I will visit again. How long has it been since you read it?

My Dad was a big John Wayne fan, so I think I have seen most if not all of his movies. Even the really bad ones where they were thinking he might be the next singing cowboy. Heh. Helps if you can sing.

>211 Crazymamie: - This makes me happy :) And yes, the audio narration is excellent. I still would have liked the book but not as much, I think.

>215 katiekrug: Morning, Katie! It's not a book I would have found without you, so thank you. I agree that the audio makes the book - listening to it reminded me how very much I loved How to Build a Girl. It's kind of that same style where the main character is talking directly to you, the reader.

I have such fond memories of Watership Down. The message is so pertanient in every stage of life. While I'm at the library today, I'm going to see if the have a copy on the shelves.
I too love a foggy morn and we've had a strange amount of them lately.
Have a good one!

9. Gun, With Occasional Music by Jonathan Lethem - 4.5 stars

"Some people have things written all over their faces; the big guy had a couple of words misspelled in crayon on his."

I loved this. It is Lethem's debut novel, and it is so original and quirky that it is amazing that he manages to pull it all off. I will stick with my original description of the novel - Like Raymond Chandler and Philip K. Dick wrote a book together that was then edited by Lewis Carroll. Dystopian with a noir feel. And talking animals. I only wish there were a sequel.

>213 Crazymamie: Cagney's big scene in White Heat:



Actually, this is pretty much all I've seen of White Heat.

Running Scared brings to mind Silver Streak with Wilder and Prior.

By the way, how the hell do you cram it all into one day‽‽ TV's on, book being read out loud, dead-tree being read silently, coffee being brewed, meal being cooked. Scrolling LT threads and tapping in bon mots‽‽ You be a dervish! Why, it makes you c r a z y...

>219 weird_O: OH! I have definitely see that film then. Thanks, Bill.

I remember Silver Streak! My favorite Gene Wilder movie is Young Frankenstein.

I start with the coffee and LT, and then mostly just wing it. I can do loads of things while listening to an audiobook, including cooking. I like to do the print books either in the late afternoon before making dinner or in the early evening before Rae and I watch crime. Nor sure my right knee is up to being a dervish, but the crazy I'll happily claim.

Thanks for stopping in, Oh Weird One. Your posts always make me smile BIG.

Your threads move fast, Mamie! Now I'm curious what my interpretation of Murderbot's voice would have been. I listened to them first, so I hear them as male.

This happened to me and my husband with Early Riser by Jasper Fforde. I read the main character as male, he read the main character as female, and then when we tried to talk about it after, we got very confused. Turns out Fforde left it deliberately up to the reader.

>221 curioussquared: Hello, Natalie! I think the threads in general move quickly this time of year. Also, I completely fell off the thread last year, so it is very fun to be back.

The Murderbot thing is endlessly fascinating to me for some reason. So interesting about Early Riser -I have not read that one. I can see where it would have been confusing when talking about it since you read it as differing genders.

Hi, Mamie. Nice to see you threading busily like this!

Also nice to see you read and loved Gun with Occasional Music. Me, too. I wish he'd go back to writing the shorter, weird novels like he did when he started out. As She Climbed Across the Table was another good one from that era.

i hope all the young ladies and Dan and your hubby are doing well.

I have read The Searchers: The Making of an American Legend and agree that it was very well done.

Hiya, Mamie! Happy Thursday to you, Coffee Sister.

>211 Crazymamie: I love waking up to fog at the house, although Bill and Jenna driving in it to work is always a tad nervous making. Hope Abby’s appointment went well.

>218 Crazymamie: Ya got me! Snagged a copy on Amazon and it will arrive Sunday. I mean, detectives, noir, and talking animals? Yup.

Morning, Mamie. Sweet Thursday. I listened to the audio of Watership Down twelve years ago, so it has been awhile. I am so glad you loved Gun, With Occasional Music, because I happen to have a copy on shelf. Sometimes it just takes a nudge...

Oh yeah- I also loved The Searchers: The Making of an American Legend. You sent it to me, right?

>223 jnwelch: Hello, Joe! Great to see you here, and thank you for those kind words.

It was my first Lethem, so I appreciate you recommending another title - adding that one to The List.

We are all doing as well as we possibly can. We are hopeful that 2023 will be kind to us.

>224 DeltaQueen50: Judy, he has two others out that I am wanting to get to: High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist and the Making of an American Classic and Shooting Midnight Cowboy: Art, Sex, Loneliness, Liberation, and the Making of a Dark Classic, which I know Mark recommended to me. But first I want to re-watch the movies and read the book Midnight Cowboy. Have you read either of his other books?

>225 karenmarie: Morning, Karen!

Right - fog is pretty to look at but not fun to drive in. Abby's appointment went really well. It was with her primary care physician, and we just love her.

Hoping you like Gun, With Occasional Music as much as I did. It really felt like Philip Marlowe in a PKD world.

Hoping your Thursday is full of happy, Coffee Sister.

>226 msf59: Morning, Mark! Sweet Thursday - I have missed that. I will be interested on your thoughts of Gun, With Occasional Music - it's so weird, but it worked for me.

I did send that one to you - good memory!

Morning! Yesterday was good. We got a lot done and also managed some lovely down time. Today I am hoping for more of the same. And I don't need to go anywhere, so hooray for that. Birdy and I watched an excellent documentary on the music from the James Bond films - highly recommended if you are at all interested in that sort of thing. It was available for free on Amazon Prime. Full of interesting insights on the creation of the original theme music and on how creating music for the films evolved over the years. In the evening Rae and I watched another episode of Madame Blanc and then after Rae went to bed I re-watched episode two of The Sandhamn Murders.

On the reading front, I finished The Wonderful Wizard of Oz yesterday and started reading Young Bloomsbury by Nino Strachey. In the wee small hours, I read from Bel-Ami.

The coffee today is the Reading Blend.

10. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum - 3 stars

This one has been on the shelf for ages. It actually moved across the country with us from Indiana more than a decade ago. I am glad to have finally read it, but I was disappointed with the writing. Very simple prose - I would probably have liked this more if I had read it when I was younger. I was surprised with all of the bloodshed that is not in the movie, and that the flying monkeys were not at all scary. The Wicked Witch of the West was also a huge disappointment. Ah well, at least my edition had deckled edge pages.

>69 Crazymamie: I am a huge Humphrey Bogart fan! I even have a statue of him in my dining room - granted, it is only about 18" tall, but it counts!

>116 Crazymamie: I have read the book, so I will give the movie version a shot. Thanks for the recommendation, Mamie.

Not reading through everything, Mamie, but I wanted to at least try and catch up a bit :)

>229 Crazymamie: I think we've seen that documentary! Does it talk about how they introduce the theme as the action builds? I'm not sure I'm saying that right but if it's the same doc you'll know what I'm talking about. Anyway, I agree it was an excellent film.

Gun, With Occasional Music sounds interesting, Mamie.

I wonder if you have to read Wizard of Oz at a young age to appreciate it?

>231 alcottacre: Stasia, I love that you have a Humphrey Bogart statue!! My Dad was also a huge fan, and we spent many happy hours watching his movies together. Now those same movie always bring my Dad back to me - I can hear his laughter and his comments in the right places, and it is so very comforting. We WILL always have Paris. Heh.

I think you will like the movie when you get to it. It's lovely.

No worries ever about reading everything. It's always perfectly fine to just drop to the bottom and say hello.

>232 lauralkeet: It does, Laura. I loved that the iconic Bond theme music was adapted from a tune originally intended for A House for Mr. Biswas!

>233 BLBera: It's very different, Beth, and very weird, but I love weird.

For me, I do think reading it at a young age would have had me liking it more. I might have also liked it more as an audiobook if it had the perfect narrator to elevate the story.

>229 Crazymamie: I will watch this over the weekend Mamie.

>235 Caroline_McElwee: Hooray, Caroline! Hope you like it as much as we did.

>230 Crazymamie: You know, I STILL have not read that book. Feels like I ought to have.

Happy Friday, Mamie!!

Morning, Mamie. Happy Friday. We are going to Grand Rapids MI, with our "camping" buddies, sans campers, to do some brewery hopping. A little winter fun and relaxation. I won't be online much until I get back. Enjoy your weekend at the Pecan Paradiso.

>237 The_Hibernator: Rachel, I am glad to have finally read it, but I will not be reading it again or delving into any of the sequels.

>238 figsfromthistle: Happy Fridayness to you, Anita!

>239 msf59: Morning, Mark! Love me a Friday! Now that's more my kind of "camping". As long as there is not any actual camping involved. Have fun!

Morning, Mamie! We might be having Mexican for lunch, and it made me think of the traditional Friday lunch at the PP :)

Hi Mamie! I hope Friday treats you well. I forgot that fun fact (>232 lauralkeet:) about the Bond music.

>241 katiekrug: Morning, Katie! *Grin* I love that you thought of me - we are having Mexican takeaway today, and I am most excited because we did not have it the past two Fridays.

>242 lauralkeet: Hello, Laura! Thank you. Birdy and I were laughing so hard when the guy who wrote the original song was singing the lyrics.

Happy Fridayness! As I mentioned to Katie, we are getting Mexican takeaway for lunch, and I am very excited because I got outvoted the past two weeks. Yesterday was lovely and lazy, and I mostly read, which was full of fabulous. I also got some laundry done. And some cleaning. Late afternoon was bliss as I poured myself a glass of wine, made a small charcuterie board, and sat down with the books. In the evening, Abby, Rae, and I watched an episode of Agatha Raisin.

On the reading front, I listened to more of The Lost for Words Book Shop - it continues to be full of charm and sadness and honesty. Then I switched over and listened to Dubliners - this is narrated by Gerard Dolye, who is a favorite of mine. I have the Penguin Deluxe Classics edition of this book, so I followed along in print. My first entry into Joyce, and it's so good. I love how the stories are perfectly encapsulated moments of being where someone is having to acknowledge a truth about themselves. I listened to the first eleven stories, and I probably would have just listened to the end if the girls hadn't wanted to watch something together. It just pulls you right in. In print, I started Pippi Longstocking, which is another book that has been on the shelves for years - I am hoping to just continue my way through the Puffin Chalk and Puffin Clothbound editions that we own that I have not yet read. These little books fit in the hand so nicely and are a joy to read. In the wee small hours, I read some more in Bel-Ami - this is starting to drag for me, and I am wanting it to be over but also wanting to know how it plays out. I am at the 76% mark.

The coffee today is hazelnut.

Dubliners is a favorite of mine, and I collect different editions of it. Just wait until you get to the last story - "The Dead." The last line..... oof.

>234 Crazymamie: Yeah, we have the collection with Bogie and Bacall. I have been a fan since childhood.

Have a fantastic Friday, Mamie!

>246 katiekrug: I can see why it is a favorite, Katie. I was thinking it was one of the ones you collected, but I was not sure if I was remembering correctly or not. Now I can't wait to get to the last story.

>247 alcottacre: LOVE Bogie and Bacall! Me, too, with the fandom since childhood. Screen magic. Hoping your Friday is also full of fantastic, Stasia.

Happy Friday, Mamie!!

Also a Bogie lover here. For a guy who looks so ordinary there sure is something appealing about him. Hmm, I think it's time for a Bogiefest!

Have an awesome day!

The Dubliners is a good one; I have never listened to it.

>249 Carmenere: Happy Friday, Lynda! Agreed. And I love his voice. Yes to the Bogiefest - we were thinking the same thing to honor my Dad's birthday on Saturday.

Thank you, you, too with the awesomeness!

>250 BLBera: I am loving it as an audiobook, Beth, but I am happy to be following along in print. That way I can pause the audio and reread sections when I want.

Happy Friday, Mamie!

We had to do a critical essay on one of the stories from the Dubliners when I was taking some college courses in the late 1900s. (It’s jarring to see it put that way, as if it were ancient history!) The story (“Araby”) was really good, and I always meant to read the rest of the stories but just never got around to it. This may be a good time, especially on audio. I’ll have to look for it.

Hi Mamie, I haven't read anything else by Glenn Frankel, but I just checked my library and they have Shooting Midnight Cowboy so I have added it to my library list. I struggled through my first James Joyce which was A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man but perhaps short stories would appeal so I have picked up a copy of Dubliners for my Kindle and will give it a try at some point.

I keep meaning to read Dubliners. Morgan and I both started and DNF'd A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man at various points in our lives, and we were doing a shared study/read of Ulysses with weekly coffee shop book dates until the pandemic hit and threw everything off (I mean, pandemic and across-the-world move). One day we'll go back and finish it.

Hi Mamie. I haven't visited for awhile. You are really clipping along with your reading. I don't have Amazon Prime but if I did I would want to watch the documentary you mentioned above regarding the James Bond movie music.

>252 Storeetllr: Hello, Mary! In the late 1900s does sound like it was long ago. That's when I was in college, too. I did like "Araby", but really, all the stories so far have been very good. I am hoping to get back to it today as I did not get time to listen yesterday. Hoping you can find it on audio as Doyle is excellent.

>253 DeltaQueen50: Hello, Judy! I'm glad that your library had Shooting Midnight Cowboy. I have no experience with Joyce, but it sounds like I made a good choice of where to start. My copy of Dubliners says that a lot of the characters from the short stories reappear in Ulysses.

>254 ursula: Ursula, your joint read of Ulysses sounds like fun - sorry it got interrupted. Not sure I am brave enough to attempt that one, but I do remember Lucy reading it and loving it several years ago.

>255 Whisper1: Hello, Linda! Lovely to see you. I went through a reading funk last year, so I am very happy to be back to reading daily and loving it. The documentary was really interesting, and I am hoping that you get to see it at some point. Perhaps your library will get it on DVD.