Weird_O Bill's 2022—The Prequel
Dit onderwerp werd voortgezet door Weird_O Bill's 2022—Post-Prequel, a.k.a. (weirdly) 2.
Discussie75 Books Challenge for 2022
Sluit je aan bij LibraryThing om te posten.
2weird_O
January (7 read)
1. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (1/1/21)
2. One Story by Gipi (1/4/21)
3. The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben (1/7/21)
4. The Golden Spiders by Rex Stout (1/15/21)
5. New York From the Air by Antonio Attini (photog) and Peter Skinner (intro) (1/18/21)
6. Obama: An Intimate Portrait by Pete Souza (1/26/21)
7. The Brinksmanship of Galahad Threepwood by P. G. Wodehouse (1/30/21)
February (9 read)
8. One of Our Thursdays Is Missing by Jasper Fforde (2/3/21)
9. Pretty Good Joke Book, 5th Edition by Prairie Home Companion (2/5/21)
10. The Library Book by Susan Orlean (2/7/21)
11. Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers (2/8/21)
12. Art at Work: The Chase Manhattan Collection by Marshall Lee (2/12/21)
13. A Promised Land by Barack Obama (2/15/21)
14. Home Truths by David Lodge (2/18/21)
15. Gone Fishin' by Walter Mosley (2/19/21)
16. The Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers (2/28/21)
March (8 read)
17. The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson (3/9/21)
18. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (3/12/21)
19. The End of the Alphabet by CS Richardson (3/14/21)
20. Andy Warhol Was a Hoarder by Claudia Kalb (3/20/21)
21. Some Buried Caesar by Rex Stout (3/21/21)
22. Maigret and the Killer by Georges Simenon (3/25/21)
23. This Is a Bad Time: A Collection of Cartoons by Bruce Eric Kaplan (3/27/21)
24. The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins by Dr. Seuss (3/27/21)
April (8 read)
25. Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (4/9/21)
26. The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway (4/10/21)
27. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (4/14/21)
28. Freddy the Magician by Walter R. Brooks (4/17/21)
29. Freddy and the Bean Home News by Walter R. Brooks (4/19/21)
30. The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr (4/22/21)
31. Humans by Brandon Stanton (4/28/21)
32. How Music Works by David Byrne (4/29/21)
May (10 read)
33. Summer Lightning by P. G. Wodehouse (5/7/21)
34. Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell (5/13/21)+
35. Kid's Book Medley (6/15/21)
Catwings by Ursula K. Le Guin
Night Creatures by Gallimard Jeunesse
Madeline's Rescue by Ludwig Bemelmans
Madeline and the Bad Hat by Ludwig Bemelmans
Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
Seal by Eric S. Grace, photos by Fred Bruemmer
Pigsty by Mark Teague
Red Ranger Came Calling by Berkeley Breathed
36. The PreHistory of The Far Side: A 10th Anniversary Exhibit by Gary Larson (5/17/21)
37. Midnight Rising by Tony Horwitz (5/18/21)
38. If It's Not Funny It's Art by Demetri Martin (5/19/21)
39. The Beginner's Goodbye by Anne Tyler (5/20/21)
40. Circe by Madeline Miller (5/27/21)
41. Black Orchids by Rex Stout (5/29/21)
42. The Ponder Heart by Eudora Welty (5/30/21)
June (11 read)
43. The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody by Will Cuppy (6/2/21)
44. Bangkok 8 by John Burdett (6/5/21)
45. Bangkok: City of Angels by Bill Wassman (6/5/21)
46. The Devil and Dr. Barnes: Portrait of an American Art Collector by Howard Greenfield (6/6/21)
47. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (6/14/21)
48. Abel's Island by William Steig (6/15/21)
49. Kid's Book Trio (6/17/21)
The Amazing Bone by William Steig
Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman, Illus. by Gustaf Tenngren
Sesame Street See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Smell No Evil by Anna Jane Hays, illus. by Joe Mathieu
50. Instant Replay by Jerry Kramer and Dick Schaap (6/18/21)
51. The Ballad of the Sad Cafe and Other Stories by Carson McCullers (6/21/21)
52. The Hot Rock by Donald Westlake (6/23/21)
53. The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin (6/25/21)
1. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (1/1/21)
2. One Story by Gipi (1/4/21)
3. The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben (1/7/21)
4. The Golden Spiders by Rex Stout (1/15/21)
5. New York From the Air by Antonio Attini (photog) and Peter Skinner (intro) (1/18/21)
6. Obama: An Intimate Portrait by Pete Souza (1/26/21)
7. The Brinksmanship of Galahad Threepwood by P. G. Wodehouse (1/30/21)
February (9 read)
8. One of Our Thursdays Is Missing by Jasper Fforde (2/3/21)
9. Pretty Good Joke Book, 5th Edition by Prairie Home Companion (2/5/21)
10. The Library Book by Susan Orlean (2/7/21)
11. Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers (2/8/21)
12. Art at Work: The Chase Manhattan Collection by Marshall Lee (2/12/21)
13. A Promised Land by Barack Obama (2/15/21)
14. Home Truths by David Lodge (2/18/21)
15. Gone Fishin' by Walter Mosley (2/19/21)
16. The Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers (2/28/21)
March (8 read)
17. The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson (3/9/21)
18. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (3/12/21)
19. The End of the Alphabet by CS Richardson (3/14/21)
20. Andy Warhol Was a Hoarder by Claudia Kalb (3/20/21)
21. Some Buried Caesar by Rex Stout (3/21/21)
22. Maigret and the Killer by Georges Simenon (3/25/21)
23. This Is a Bad Time: A Collection of Cartoons by Bruce Eric Kaplan (3/27/21)
24. The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins by Dr. Seuss (3/27/21)
April (8 read)
25. Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (4/9/21)
26. The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway (4/10/21)
27. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (4/14/21)
28. Freddy the Magician by Walter R. Brooks (4/17/21)
29. Freddy and the Bean Home News by Walter R. Brooks (4/19/21)
30. The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr (4/22/21)
31. Humans by Brandon Stanton (4/28/21)
32. How Music Works by David Byrne (4/29/21)
May (10 read)
33. Summer Lightning by P. G. Wodehouse (5/7/21)
34. Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell (5/13/21)
+35. Kid's Book Medley (6/15/21)
Catwings by Ursula K. Le Guin
Night Creatures by Gallimard Jeunesse
Madeline's Rescue by Ludwig Bemelmans
Madeline and the Bad Hat by Ludwig Bemelmans
Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
Seal by Eric S. Grace, photos by Fred Bruemmer
Pigsty by Mark Teague
Red Ranger Came Calling by Berkeley Breathed
36. The PreHistory of The Far Side: A 10th Anniversary Exhibit by Gary Larson (5/17/21)
37. Midnight Rising by Tony Horwitz (5/18/21)
38. If It's Not Funny It's Art by Demetri Martin (5/19/21)
39. The Beginner's Goodbye by Anne Tyler (5/20/21)
40. Circe by Madeline Miller (5/27/21)
41. Black Orchids by Rex Stout (5/29/21)
42. The Ponder Heart by Eudora Welty (5/30/21)
June (11 read)
43. The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody by Will Cuppy (6/2/21)
44. Bangkok 8 by John Burdett (6/5/21)
45. Bangkok: City of Angels by Bill Wassman (6/5/21)
46. The Devil and Dr. Barnes: Portrait of an American Art Collector by Howard Greenfield (6/6/21)
47. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (6/14/21)
48. Abel's Island by William Steig (6/15/21)
49. Kid's Book Trio (6/17/21)
The Amazing Bone by William Steig
Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman, Illus. by Gustaf Tenngren
Sesame Street See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Smell No Evil by Anna Jane Hays, illus. by Joe Mathieu
50. Instant Replay by Jerry Kramer and Dick Schaap (6/18/21)
51. The Ballad of the Sad Cafe and Other Stories by Carson McCullers (6/21/21)
52. The Hot Rock by Donald Westlake (6/23/21)
53. The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin (6/25/21)
3weird_O
July (9 read)
54. The Adventures of Tintin, Vol. 5 by Herge (7/11/21)
55. Here Is New York by E. B. White (7/12/21)
56. Walker Evans: Photographer of America by Thomas Nau (7/13/21)
57. The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived by Allan Lazar, Dan Karlan & Jeremy Salter (7/22/21)
58. Millennium Philadelphia Updated & Expanded by the staff of The Philadelphia Inquirer (7/22/21)
59. Demon Box by Ken Kesey (7/23/21)
60. Thank You, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse (7/25/21)
61. Freddy and the Perilous Adventure by Walter R. Brooks (07/27/21)
62. A Coyote's in the House by Elmore Leonard (7/29/21)
August (11 read)
63. The Great Halifax Explosion by John U. Bacon (8/3/21)
64. How the South Won the Civil War by Heather Cox Richardson (8/6/21)
65. The Round House by Louise Erdrich (8/8/21)
66. Nathan Coulter by Wendell Berry (8/11/21)
67. Blackout by Connie Willis (8/14/21)
68. All Clear by Connie Willis (8/18/21)
69. Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (8/19/21)
70. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (8/20/21)
71. A Judgement in Stone by Ruth Rendell (8/23/21)
72. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (8/28/21)
73. Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton (8/31/21)
September (13 read)
74. Nothing Personal by James Baldwin (9/1/21)
75. The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman (9/1/21)
76. America, America by Ethan Canin (9/5/21)
77. The Bird Artist by Howard Norman (9/7/21)
78. The New Yorker Book of Kids Cartoons edited by Robert Mankoff (9/11/21)
79. ...and then we'll get him by Gahan Wilson (9/12/21)
80. Lord Arthur Savile's Crime by Oscar Wilde (9/13/21)
81. Timbuktu by Paul Auster (9/15/21)
82. The Best of Connie Willis by Connie Willis (9/18/21)
83. Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House by Eric Hodgins (9/21/21)
84. Have His Carcase by Dorothy L. Sayers (9/26/21)
85. Jefferson's Children by Shannon Lanier (9/27/21)
86. Holy Cow by David Duchovny (9/28/21)
October (6 read)
87. Time's Arrow by Martin Amis (10/2/21)
88. Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things by Randy O. Frost and Gail Steketee (10/8/21)
89. Junkyard Planet by Adam Minter (10/17/21)
90. Slapstick by Kurt Vonnegut (10/20/21)
91. Not Quite Dead Enough by Rex Stout (10/21/21)
92. The Acts of King Arthur and his Noble Knights... by John Steinbeck (10/24/21)
November (9 read)
93. The Voice at the Back Door by Elizabeth Spencer (11/1/21)
94. This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen by Tadeusz Borowski (11/4/21)
95. On Writing Well by William Zinsser (11/8/21)
96. Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? by Raymond Carver (11/10/21)
97. Pops: Fatherhood in Pieces by Michael Chabon (11/14/21)
98. The Open Boat and Other Stories by Stephen Crane (11/17/21)
99. One Writer's Beginnings by Eudora Welty (11/22/21)
100. Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast (11/26/21)+
101. The Giggler Treatment by Roddy Doyle (11/28/21)
December (13 read)
102. The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket (12/1/21)
103. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (12/5/21)
104. Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit (12/10/21)
105. Women Who Read Are Dangerous by Stefan Bollmann (12/11/21)
106. Haring-isms by Keith Haring, edited by Larry Warsh (12/12/21)
107. FINNA by Nino Cipri (12/13/21)
108. 47 by Walter Mosley (12/15/21)
109. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (12/18/21)
110. The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (12/21/21)
111. Marley by Jon Clinch (12/24/21)
112. A Christmas Carol by Chas Dickens (12/28/21)
113. A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote (12/28/21)
114. A Rumpole Christmas: Stories by John Mortimer (12/29/21)
115. Reaching Down the Rabbit Hole: Extraordinary Journeys into the Human Brain by Allan Ropper and D. B. Burrell (12/31/21)
54. The Adventures of Tintin, Vol. 5 by Herge (7/11/21)
55. Here Is New York by E. B. White (7/12/21)
56. Walker Evans: Photographer of America by Thomas Nau (7/13/21)
57. The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived by Allan Lazar, Dan Karlan & Jeremy Salter (7/22/21)
58. Millennium Philadelphia Updated & Expanded by the staff of The Philadelphia Inquirer (7/22/21)
59. Demon Box by Ken Kesey (7/23/21)
60. Thank You, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse (7/25/21)
61. Freddy and the Perilous Adventure by Walter R. Brooks (07/27/21)
62. A Coyote's in the House by Elmore Leonard (7/29/21)
August (11 read)
63. The Great Halifax Explosion by John U. Bacon (8/3/21)
64. How the South Won the Civil War by Heather Cox Richardson (8/6/21)
65. The Round House by Louise Erdrich (8/8/21)
66. Nathan Coulter by Wendell Berry (8/11/21)
67. Blackout by Connie Willis (8/14/21)
68. All Clear by Connie Willis (8/18/21)
69. Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (8/19/21)
70. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (8/20/21)
71. A Judgement in Stone by Ruth Rendell (8/23/21)
72. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (8/28/21)
73. Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton (8/31/21)
September (13 read)
74. Nothing Personal by James Baldwin (9/1/21)
75. The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman (9/1/21)
76. America, America by Ethan Canin (9/5/21)
77. The Bird Artist by Howard Norman (9/7/21)
78. The New Yorker Book of Kids Cartoons edited by Robert Mankoff (9/11/21)
79. ...and then we'll get him by Gahan Wilson (9/12/21)
80. Lord Arthur Savile's Crime by Oscar Wilde (9/13/21)
81. Timbuktu by Paul Auster (9/15/21)
82. The Best of Connie Willis by Connie Willis (9/18/21)
83. Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House by Eric Hodgins (9/21/21)
84. Have His Carcase by Dorothy L. Sayers (9/26/21)
85. Jefferson's Children by Shannon Lanier (9/27/21)
86. Holy Cow by David Duchovny (9/28/21)
October (6 read)
87. Time's Arrow by Martin Amis (10/2/21)
88. Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things by Randy O. Frost and Gail Steketee (10/8/21)
89. Junkyard Planet by Adam Minter (10/17/21)
90. Slapstick by Kurt Vonnegut (10/20/21)
91. Not Quite Dead Enough by Rex Stout (10/21/21)
92. The Acts of King Arthur and his Noble Knights... by John Steinbeck (10/24/21)
November (9 read)
93. The Voice at the Back Door by Elizabeth Spencer (11/1/21)
94. This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen by Tadeusz Borowski (11/4/21)
95. On Writing Well by William Zinsser (11/8/21)
96. Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? by Raymond Carver (11/10/21)
97. Pops: Fatherhood in Pieces by Michael Chabon (11/14/21)
98. The Open Boat and Other Stories by Stephen Crane (11/17/21)
99. One Writer's Beginnings by Eudora Welty (11/22/21)
100. Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast (11/26/21)
+101. The Giggler Treatment by Roddy Doyle (11/28/21)
December (13 read)
102. The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket (12/1/21)
103. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (12/5/21)
104. Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit (12/10/21)
105. Women Who Read Are Dangerous by Stefan Bollmann (12/11/21)
106. Haring-isms by Keith Haring, edited by Larry Warsh (12/12/21)
107. FINNA by Nino Cipri (12/13/21)
108. 47 by Walter Mosley (12/15/21)
109. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (12/18/21)
110. The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (12/21/21)
111. Marley by Jon Clinch (12/24/21)
112. A Christmas Carol by Chas Dickens (12/28/21)
113. A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote (12/28/21)
114. A Rumpole Christmas: Stories by John Mortimer (12/29/21)
115. Reaching Down the Rabbit Hole: Extraordinary Journeys into the Human Brain by Allan Ropper and D. B. Burrell (12/31/21)
5quondame
Hmm, so all that space in >1 weird_O:. I thought I'd malfunctioned.
Ah well, I hope it's OK for me to land here.
Happy new thread.
Ah well, I hope it's OK for me to land here.
Happy new thread.
6richardderus
Your Weirdness! Welcome to the Dark Side with the rest of us claim-jumpers.
8Crazymamie
Dropping a star so I can follow along again, Oh Weird One.
9jessibud2
Happy new one, Bill. But, that T-A-L-L topper is gone! You could not possibly have read and shelved them all since I saw it there yesterday!
10weird_O
2021 Reading Stats
1st Report: January thru April
2nd Report: May thru July
3rd Report: August thru October
Current: November and December
Books reported read: 23 3rd Rpt: 30 2nd Rpt: 30 1st Report: 32 Year-to-Date: 115
Books really read: 23 3rd Rpt: 30 2nd Rpt: 40 1st Rpt: 32 YtD: 125
Authors read: 24 3rd Rpt: 27 2nd Rpt: 35 1st Rpt: 29 YtD: 114
Single-read Authors: 24 3rd Rpt: 25 2nd Rpt: 32 1st Rpt: 25 YtD: 106
Multi-read authors: 0 3rd Rpt: 2 2nd Rpt: 3 1st Rpt: 4 YtD: 9
Rex Stout: 0 3rd Rpt: 1 2nd Rpt: 1 1st Rpt: 2 YtD: 4
P. G. Wodehouse: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 2 1st Rpt: 1 YtD: 3
Dorothy L. Sayers: 0 3rd Rpt: 1 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 2 YtD: 3
Walter R. Brooks: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 1 1st Rpt: 2 YtD: 3
Ludwig Bemelmans: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 2 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 2
William Steig: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 3 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 3
Madeline Miller: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 2 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 2
Connie Willis: 0 3rd Rpt: 3 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 3
Oscar Wilde: 0 3rd Rpt: 2 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 2
Multi-author books: 1 3rd Rpt: 2 2nd Rpt: 4 1st Rpt: 1 YtD: 8
New-to-me authors: 14 3rd Rpt: 12 2nd Rpt: 22 1st Rpt: 13 YtD: 61
Reads/month
January: 7
February: 9
March: 8
April: 8
May: 10 Really 18
June: 11 Really 13
July: 9
August: 11
September: 13
October:6
November: 8
December: 14
Rating
Meh: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 1 1st Rpt: 1 YtD: 2
OK: 0 3rd Rpt: 1 2nd Rpt: 5 1st Rpt: 2 YtD: 7
Good-: 0 3rd Rpt: 4 2nd Rpt: 1 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 1
Good: 7 3rd Rpt: 4 2nd Rpt: 6 1st Rpt: 5 YtD: 22
Good+: 0 3rd Rpt: 7 2nd Rpt: 5 1st Rpt: 6 YtD: 18
Very Good: 12 3rd Rpt: 10 2nd Rpt: 15 1st Rpt: 12 YtD: 49
Very Good+: 3 3rd Rpt: 7 2nd Rpt: 4 1st Rpt: 5 YtD: 19
Very Good++: 1 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 1 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 2
GREAT!: 0 3rd Rpt: 1 2nd Rpt: 2 1st Rpt: 1 YtD: 4
Author gender
Here I am listing gender by author, rather than by book. Once a male always a male. (OK. Don't get picky with me here. I'll deal with exceptions as I happen upon them.) Since I've read Wodehouse three times so far this year, and I'm counting authors rather than books, I list him once as male. So if you tally males and females, the sum will be less than the total number of books read.
Male: 18 3rd Rpt: 17 2nd Rpt: 25 1st Rpt: 24 YtD: 84
Female: 5 3rd Rpt: 22 2nd Rpt: 12 1st Rpt: 4 YtD: 43
Other: 1 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 1
Author Birthplace
Belgium: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 1 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 1
Canada: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 1 YtD: 1
France: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 1 1st Rpt: 1 YtD: 2
Germany: 1 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 1 YtD: 2
Ireland: 1 3rd Rpt: 1 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 2
Iran: 1 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 1
Italy: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 1 1st Rpt: 2 YtD: 3
Nigeria: 0 3rd Rpt: 1 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 1
Poland: 1 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 1
South Africa: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 1 YtD: 1
UK: 2 3rd Rpt: 3 2nd Rpt: 3 1st Rpt: 4 YtD: 12
UNK: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 1 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 1
USA: 17 3rd Rpt: 22 2nd Rpt: 28 1st Rpt: 19 YtD: 86
Dead or alive
Currently breathing (afaik): 15 3rd Rpt: 22 2nd Rpt: 18 1st Rpt: 20 YtD: 75
R.I.P.: 9 3rd Rpt: 5 2nd Rpt: 14 1st Rpt: 8 YtD: 36
N/A or Unk: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 2 1st Rpt: 1 YtD: 3
First published
>1800: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 0
1800–1925: 2 3rd Rpt: 2 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 4
1926–1950: 0 3rd Rpt: 3 2nd Rpt: 7 1st Rpt: 7 YtD: 17
1951–1975: 3 3rd Rpt: 2 2nd Rpt: 9 1st Rpt: 4 YtD: 18
1976–2000: 6 3rd Rpt: 8 2nd Rpt: 9 1st Rpt: 4 YtD: 27
2001–2010: 4 3rd Rpt: 5 2nd Rpt: 6 1st Rpt: 5 YtD: 20
2011–2020: 7 3rd Rpt: 8 2nd Rpt: 6 1st Rpt: 12 YtD: 33
2021: 0 3rd Rpt: 2 2nd Rpt: 1 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 3
Unk: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 2 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 2
Binding
Hardcover: 10 3rd Rpt: 23 2nd Rpt: 17 1st Rpt: 21 YtD: 71
Paperback: 13 3rd Rpt: 6 2nd Rpt: 19 1st Rpt: 7 YtD: 45
Mass-market paperback: 0 3rd Rpt: 1 2nd Rpt: 2 1st Rpt: 4 YtD: 7
Other: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 2 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 2
F/NF
F: 13 3rd Rpt: 22 2nd Rpt: 29 1st Rpt: 21 YtD: 85
NF: 10 3rd Rpt: 8 2nd Rpt: 11 1st Rpt: 11 YtD: 40
Age group
Adult: __ 3rd Rpt: 29 2nd Rpt: 23 1st Rpt: 28 YtD: 80
YA: 4 3rd Rpt: 1 2nd Rpt: 3 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 8
MG: 1 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 8 1st Rpt: 3 YtD: 12
ER: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 6 1st Rpt: 1 YtD: 7
PB: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 0
Note: YA = Young Adult
MG = Middle Grade
ER = Easy Reader
PB = Picture Book
Source
Acquired NEW in 2021: 1 3rd Rpt: 4 2nd Rpt: 4 1st Rpt: 1 YtD: 10
Acquired USED in 2021: 14 3rd Rpt: 13 2nd Rpt: 24 1st Rpt: 10 YtD: 61
Gift: 2 3rd Rpt: 3 2nd Rpt: 2 1st Rpt: 0 YtD:
ROOT: 5 3rd Rpt: 10 2nd Rpt: 8 1st Rpt: 19 YtD: 42
Library: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 0
Loaner: 1 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 2 1st Rpt: 2 YtD: 5
Reviews posted: 4 3rd Rpt: 3 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD:
Pulitzer winners: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 0
Booker winners: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 0
Nobel laureates: 0 3rd Rpt: 1 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 1
1st Report: January thru April
2nd Report: May thru July
3rd Report: August thru October
Current: November and December
Books reported read: 23 3rd Rpt: 30 2nd Rpt: 30 1st Report: 32 Year-to-Date: 115
Books really read: 23 3rd Rpt: 30 2nd Rpt: 40 1st Rpt: 32 YtD: 125
Authors read: 24 3rd Rpt: 27 2nd Rpt: 35 1st Rpt: 29 YtD: 114
Single-read Authors: 24 3rd Rpt: 25 2nd Rpt: 32 1st Rpt: 25 YtD: 106
Multi-read authors: 0 3rd Rpt: 2 2nd Rpt: 3 1st Rpt: 4 YtD: 9
Rex Stout: 0 3rd Rpt: 1 2nd Rpt: 1 1st Rpt: 2 YtD: 4
P. G. Wodehouse: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 2 1st Rpt: 1 YtD: 3
Dorothy L. Sayers: 0 3rd Rpt: 1 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 2 YtD: 3
Walter R. Brooks: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 1 1st Rpt: 2 YtD: 3
Ludwig Bemelmans: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 2 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 2
William Steig: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 3 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 3
Madeline Miller: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 2 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 2
Connie Willis: 0 3rd Rpt: 3 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 3
Oscar Wilde: 0 3rd Rpt: 2 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 2
Multi-author books: 1 3rd Rpt: 2 2nd Rpt: 4 1st Rpt: 1 YtD: 8
New-to-me authors: 14 3rd Rpt: 12 2nd Rpt: 22 1st Rpt: 13 YtD: 61
Reads/month
January: 7
February: 9
March: 8
April: 8
May: 10 Really 18
June: 11 Really 13
July: 9
August: 11
September: 13
October:6
November: 8
December: 14
Rating
Meh: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 1 1st Rpt: 1 YtD: 2
OK: 0 3rd Rpt: 1 2nd Rpt: 5 1st Rpt: 2 YtD: 7
Good-: 0 3rd Rpt: 4 2nd Rpt: 1 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 1
Good: 7 3rd Rpt: 4 2nd Rpt: 6 1st Rpt: 5 YtD: 22
Good+: 0 3rd Rpt: 7 2nd Rpt: 5 1st Rpt: 6 YtD: 18
Very Good: 12 3rd Rpt: 10 2nd Rpt: 15 1st Rpt: 12 YtD: 49
Very Good+: 3 3rd Rpt: 7 2nd Rpt: 4 1st Rpt: 5 YtD: 19
Very Good++: 1 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 1 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 2
GREAT!: 0 3rd Rpt: 1 2nd Rpt: 2 1st Rpt: 1 YtD: 4
Author gender
Here I am listing gender by author, rather than by book. Once a male always a male. (OK. Don't get picky with me here. I'll deal with exceptions as I happen upon them.) Since I've read Wodehouse three times so far this year, and I'm counting authors rather than books, I list him once as male. So if you tally males and females, the sum will be less than the total number of books read.
Male: 18 3rd Rpt: 17 2nd Rpt: 25 1st Rpt: 24 YtD: 84
Female: 5 3rd Rpt: 22 2nd Rpt: 12 1st Rpt: 4 YtD: 43
Other: 1 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 1
Author Birthplace
Belgium: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 1 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 1
Canada: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 1 YtD: 1
France: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 1 1st Rpt: 1 YtD: 2
Germany: 1 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 1 YtD: 2
Ireland: 1 3rd Rpt: 1 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 2
Iran: 1 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 1
Italy: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 1 1st Rpt: 2 YtD: 3
Nigeria: 0 3rd Rpt: 1 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 1
Poland: 1 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 1
South Africa: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 1 YtD: 1
UK: 2 3rd Rpt: 3 2nd Rpt: 3 1st Rpt: 4 YtD: 12
UNK: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 1 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 1
USA: 17 3rd Rpt: 22 2nd Rpt: 28 1st Rpt: 19 YtD: 86
Dead or alive
Currently breathing (afaik): 15 3rd Rpt: 22 2nd Rpt: 18 1st Rpt: 20 YtD: 75
R.I.P.: 9 3rd Rpt: 5 2nd Rpt: 14 1st Rpt: 8 YtD: 36
N/A or Unk: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 2 1st Rpt: 1 YtD: 3
First published
>1800: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 0
1800–1925: 2 3rd Rpt: 2 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 4
1926–1950: 0 3rd Rpt: 3 2nd Rpt: 7 1st Rpt: 7 YtD: 17
1951–1975: 3 3rd Rpt: 2 2nd Rpt: 9 1st Rpt: 4 YtD: 18
1976–2000: 6 3rd Rpt: 8 2nd Rpt: 9 1st Rpt: 4 YtD: 27
2001–2010: 4 3rd Rpt: 5 2nd Rpt: 6 1st Rpt: 5 YtD: 20
2011–2020: 7 3rd Rpt: 8 2nd Rpt: 6 1st Rpt: 12 YtD: 33
2021: 0 3rd Rpt: 2 2nd Rpt: 1 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 3
Unk: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 2 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 2
Binding
Hardcover: 10 3rd Rpt: 23 2nd Rpt: 17 1st Rpt: 21 YtD: 71
Paperback: 13 3rd Rpt: 6 2nd Rpt: 19 1st Rpt: 7 YtD: 45
Mass-market paperback: 0 3rd Rpt: 1 2nd Rpt: 2 1st Rpt: 4 YtD: 7
Other: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 2 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 2
F/NF
F: 13 3rd Rpt: 22 2nd Rpt: 29 1st Rpt: 21 YtD: 85
NF: 10 3rd Rpt: 8 2nd Rpt: 11 1st Rpt: 11 YtD: 40
Age group
Adult: __ 3rd Rpt: 29 2nd Rpt: 23 1st Rpt: 28 YtD: 80
YA: 4 3rd Rpt: 1 2nd Rpt: 3 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 8
MG: 1 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 8 1st Rpt: 3 YtD: 12
ER: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 6 1st Rpt: 1 YtD: 7
PB: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 0
Note: YA = Young Adult
MG = Middle Grade
ER = Easy Reader
PB = Picture Book
Source
Acquired NEW in 2021: 1 3rd Rpt: 4 2nd Rpt: 4 1st Rpt: 1 YtD: 10
Acquired USED in 2021: 14 3rd Rpt: 13 2nd Rpt: 24 1st Rpt: 10 YtD: 61
Gift: 2 3rd Rpt: 3 2nd Rpt: 2 1st Rpt: 0 YtD:
ROOT: 5 3rd Rpt: 10 2nd Rpt: 8 1st Rpt: 19 YtD: 42
Library: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 0
Loaner: 1 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 2 1st Rpt: 2 YtD: 5
Reviews posted: 4 3rd Rpt: 3 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD:
Pulitzer winners: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 0
Booker winners: 0 3rd Rpt: 0 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 0
Nobel laureates: 0 3rd Rpt: 1 2nd Rpt: 0 1st Rpt: 0 YtD: 1
11weird_O
Fav o' the Month
JANUARY: One Story by Gipi
FEBRUARY: One of Our Thursdays Is Missing by Jasper Fforde
RUNNER-UP: Home Truths by David Lodge+
MARCH: The End of the Alphabet by CS Richardson
RUNNER-UP: The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
APRIL: How Music Works by David Byrne
RUNNER-UP: Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
MAY: Circe by Madeline Miller
RUNNER-UP: Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell
JUNE: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
RUNNER-UP: The Hot Rock by Donald Westlake
RUNNER-UP: Abel's Island by William Steig
JULY: Demon Box by Ken Kesey
RUNNER-UP: A Coyote's in the House by Elmore Leonard
RUNNER-UP: Thank You, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse
AUGUST: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
RUNNER-UP: How the South Won the Civil War by Heather Cox Richardson
RUNNER-UP: A Judgement in Stone by Ruth Rendell
RUNNER-UP: The Round House by Louise Erdrich
SEPTEMBER: The Bird Artist by Howard Norman
RUNNER-UP: The Best of Connie Willis by Connie Willis
RUNNER-UP: Timbuktu by Paul Auster
OCTOBER: Junkyard Planet by Adam Minter
NOVEMBER: The Voice at the Back Door by Elizabeth Spencer
RUNNER-UP: Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast
RUNNER-UP: Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? by Raymond Carver
DECEMBER: The Complete Persepolis by Marhane Satrapi
RUNNER-UP: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
RUNNER-UP: Reaching Down the Rabbit Hole by Allan Ropper & B. D. Burrell
JANUARY: One Story by Gipi
FEBRUARY: One of Our Thursdays Is Missing by Jasper Fforde
RUNNER-UP: Home Truths by David Lodge
+
MARCH: The End of the Alphabet by CS Richardson
RUNNER-UP: The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
APRIL: How Music Works by David Byrne
RUNNER-UP: Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
MAY: Circe by Madeline Miller
RUNNER-UP: Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell
JUNE: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
RUNNER-UP: The Hot Rock by Donald Westlake
RUNNER-UP: Abel's Island by William Steig
JULY: Demon Box by Ken Kesey
RUNNER-UP: A Coyote's in the House by Elmore Leonard
RUNNER-UP: Thank You, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse
AUGUST: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
RUNNER-UP: How the South Won the Civil War by Heather Cox Richardson
RUNNER-UP: A Judgement in Stone by Ruth Rendell
RUNNER-UP: The Round House by Louise Erdrich
SEPTEMBER: The Bird Artist by Howard Norman
RUNNER-UP: The Best of Connie Willis by Connie Willis
RUNNER-UP: Timbuktu by Paul Auster
OCTOBER: Junkyard Planet by Adam Minter
NOVEMBER: The Voice at the Back Door by Elizabeth Spencer
RUNNER-UP: Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast
RUNNER-UP: Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? by Raymond Carver
DECEMBER: The Complete Persepolis by Marhane Satrapi
RUNNER-UP: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
RUNNER-UP: Reaching Down the Rabbit Hole by Allan Ropper & B. D. Burrell
ed!!13richardderus
Having discovered your lair, I. Will. Be. Back.
14weird_O
>13 richardderus: Uh oh.
15benitastrnad
I found it too! See you later in January.
16Familyhistorian
That's quite the 2021 book stack, Bill. I'll be interested to see the stack for 2022.
17PaulCranswick
This group always helps me to read; welcome back, Bill.
>1 weird_O: What a great topper dear fellow!
19weird_O
2021 has been a fabulous year for The Book Steward™. But of course, it's ended. Tomorrow is a new year, right?
Except that at an extended-family birthday do last evening, my book-shopping pal Gig (my DiL's mother) confronted me with a carton of books a friend of hers gave her, telling her, "See if Bill wants any of these."
Oh my. I picked through the carton's contents. Pushing the box aside, I gave that comme ci, comme ça head wag and subtle shrug. Gig started book warbling. All righty. I called up LT on my laptop and checked the book pages, skimming the publisher's squibs and some of the reviews. And as it came down to "I think I've heard of this one" or "this sounds interesting", the pile at my foot got higher and higher. Came home with nine new-to-me books.
Today, I'm hiding under the bed.
Do please note that all but one are by female authors.
Except that at an extended-family birthday do last evening, my book-shopping pal Gig (my DiL's mother) confronted me with a carton of books a friend of hers gave her, telling her, "See if Bill wants any of these."
Oh my. I picked through the carton's contents. Pushing the box aside, I gave that comme ci, comme ça head wag and subtle shrug. Gig started book warbling. All righty. I called up LT on my laptop and checked the book pages, skimming the publisher's squibs and some of the reviews. And as it came down to "I think I've heard of this one" or "this sounds interesting", the pile at my foot got higher and higher. Came home with nine new-to-me books.
Today, I'm hiding under the bed.
Finlay Donovan Is Killing it by Elly Cosimano
With or Without You by Caroline Leavitt
The Collector's Apprentice by B. A. Shapiro
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
The Light Over London by Julia Kelly
The Paris Apartment by Kelly Bowen
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
The Yellow House by Sarah Broom
An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten
Do please note that all but one are by female authors.
20Crazymamie
Nicely done, Oh Weird One! Ima gonna be reading The Yellow House in January. Just saying...
21weird_O
>15 benitastrnad: Uh oh.
>16 Familyhistorian: Check back to my thread 12/31/22 to see how I did in the year, Meg. But...BUT...don't wait until then to check back. Check in at least weekly to witness the growth of the stack as it happens.
>17 PaulCranswick: Welcome, Paul. Don't be a stranger. (Well, not any more strange than you already are, you honorary weirdo you.)
>18 banjo123: I hope so, Rhonda. I got a plethora of good books to work on.
>20 Crazymamie: Oooooo, he moans, knowing his group reading record is awfully spotty. But maybe you can lead me through The Yellow House.
>16 Familyhistorian: Check back to my thread 12/31/22 to see how I did in the year, Meg. But...BUT...don't wait until then to check back. Check in at least weekly to witness the growth of the stack as it happens.
>17 PaulCranswick: Welcome, Paul. Don't be a stranger. (Well, not any more strange than you already are, you honorary weirdo you.)
>18 banjo123: I hope so, Rhonda. I got a plethora of good books to work on.
>20 Crazymamie: Oooooo, he moans, knowing his group reading record is awfully spotty. But maybe you can lead me through The Yellow House.
22weird_O
Hmmmmm. I guess I'm done with that clapped out derelict fourth thread of 2021. Even though I've got two chapters unread in the 115th book of 2021. I've got a few hours yet.
23msf59
Happy New Thread, Bill! Happy New Year! That is quite a stack up there in the topper. It looks like you had a good reading year. I am looking forward to following along, once again, with your bookish life.
24quondame
>19 weird_O: I can only vouch for the elderly lady. You must watch out for her.
25Berly
>19 weird_O: New Books! That's the way to start off the New Year! Nicely done.
26FAMeulstee
Happy reading in 2022, Bill!
27weird_O
>22 weird_O: See? All done with Reaching Down the Rabbit Hole: Extraordinary Journeys into the Human Brain. And 2021 still has 3+ hours of existence.
>23 msf59: Happy New Year, Mark. I read on your thread that The World Disease is messing with you and yours. Get it out before the ball drops.
>24 quondame: I'm now on alert, Susan. I started the first story last night, and I'll continue shortly. Probably the first book of 2022.
>25 Berly: Thanks, Kim. I guess if you are bushwhacked, a better outcome you couldn't have.
>26 FAMeulstee: Boy I hope so, Anita. I'll test the 2022 reading mood in just a few hours. Happy reading to you too.
>23 msf59: Happy New Year, Mark. I read on your thread that The World Disease is messing with you and yours. Get it out before the ball drops.
>24 quondame: I'm now on alert, Susan. I started the first story last night, and I'll continue shortly. Probably the first book of 2022.
>25 Berly: Thanks, Kim. I guess if you are bushwhacked, a better outcome you couldn't have.
>26 FAMeulstee: Boy I hope so, Anita. I'll test the 2022 reading mood in just a few hours. Happy reading to you too.
29thornton37814
Have a great reading year!
32richardderus
>19 weird_O: A most respectable haul. There's only one I'd quibble with giving house room to Such a Fun Age only got 2.5* because there were some really good zingers so the BookCool Index® is high.
37ursula
That's quite a book stack. That is the simultaneous advantage and disadvantage of e-readers: no stack!
38weird_O
I'm ready for the 2022 commencement flurry to subside. Puffpuffpuff. Winded already.
>28 quondame: I like the bookcase, Susan. Can I get one WITHOUT books? I already have plenty of those.
>29 thornton37814: Thanks, Lori. Mr. ADD here has to get focused on the reading.
>30 karenmarie: There are at least five books missing from that stack, books that I borrowed, read, and returned. I like it. Third year I've slowly built up that stack o' reading.
>32 richardderus: You mean—just checking here—that said book would not have gotten even 2.5* if it had not had "some really good zingers." Okay. It isn't high on the list. This "BookCool Index" is...what?
>28 quondame: I like the bookcase, Susan. Can I get one WITHOUT books? I already have plenty of those.
>29 thornton37814: Thanks, Lori. Mr. ADD here has to get focused on the reading.
>30 karenmarie: There are at least five books missing from that stack, books that I borrowed, read, and returned. I like it. Third year I've slowly built up that stack o' reading.
>32 richardderus: You mean—just checking here—that said book would not have gotten even 2.5* if it had not had "some really good zingers." Okay. It isn't high on the list. This "BookCool Index" is...what?
39weird_O
Glad so many of you...Kim, Megan, Karen, Anita, Ursula...commented on the yearly books-read stack. It will be where it is now until 2023. I'll be slowly erecting a new stack...somewhere...and that stack will displace this one around this time next year.
The 2022 stack is off to...umm...a start.
The 2022 stack is off to...umm...a start.
40klobrien2
>39 weird_O: Ooh, good start! I just loved the "Elderly Lady" books, although they are a little scary (surprisingly) too.
Karen O.
Karen O.
41Crazymamie
>39 weird_O: "One is the loneliest number." You gotta start somewhere. I love the topper stack - most impressive. For some reason it did not show up for me last time I was here, but I can see it now.
42weird_O
Is there more than one "Elderly Lady" book? Karen. I went to a friend's birthday do on the 30th and came away with 9 new-to-me books. It's such a small package, but the title was so intriguing that I started reading it that night. It was great fun to start the year.
Mamie, I changed the links that got the photo on the page. Someone—maybe it was you—posted that he/she couldn't see it. I had linked from LT to Google Photos for the image, and *I* could see it in Chrome. But to get an image everyone could see, I linked from Tumblr to Google Photos, then linked from LT to Tumblr.
I hope to get a couple more books under the "elderly lady," which is too little to be the foundation of a seven-foot-tall stack. I sampled the first page or two of Orhan Pamuk's Snow. It should be my primary read by week's end.
Mamie, I changed the links that got the photo on the page. Someone—maybe it was you—posted that he/she couldn't see it. I had linked from LT to Google Photos for the image, and *I* could see it in Chrome. But to get an image everyone could see, I linked from Tumblr to Google Photos, then linked from LT to Tumblr.
I hope to get a couple more books under the "elderly lady," which is too little to be the foundation of a seven-foot-tall stack. I sampled the first page or two of Orhan Pamuk's Snow. It should be my primary read by week's end.
43jnwelch
Hi, Bill. I saw on Ellen’s threat that there is a second Elderly Lady book: Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed. She liked it.
46laytonwoman3rd
>39 weird_O: Readin' my diary, are ya?
47weird_O
>45 klobrien2: Thanks, Karen.
>39 weird_O: Nah. I read an 88-year-old's stories. You've got a good 20 years to go before you meet the description, Linda. Don't rush it. (Oh, but I will be cautious next time I see you.)
------------
Completed Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu. Very Good.
Close to completion of the graphic edition of On Tyranny.
Then on to Snow by Orhan Pamuk.
>39 weird_O: Nah. I read an 88-year-old's stories. You've got a good 20 years to go before you meet the description, Linda. Don't rush it. (Oh, but I will be cautious next time I see you.)
------------
Completed Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu. Very Good.
Close to completion of the graphic edition of On Tyranny.
Then on to Snow by Orhan Pamuk.
48weird_O
Completed my first read for the 2022 AAC, the graphic edition of Timothy Snyder's short but very pithy, very essential On Tyranny. I read the original text in 2018. I did spot-check the text in the graphic edition against the original and found few alterations. In one case, a reference to "a strategist" was edited to name Steven Bannon. The illustrations were created by Nora Krug, who supplemented her own artwork with old photos gleaned from the Library of Congress, historical archives, and flea markets.
Very effective presentation. I even picked up three or four book bullets. I'm rating it.
Very effective presentation. I even picked up three or four book bullets. I'm rating it
.49drneutron
>48 weird_O: Gonna have to read that one…
50weird_O
Yes you are. Say, does this constitute a book bullet? I'd be so proud. I often leave your thread feeling like Fearless Fosdick.
51msf59
I haven't been by since I greeted you Happy New Year? WTH? I am so glad you liked Interior Chinatown. Such a good read. I did not know they released On Tyranny in GN form. Great idea. I loved the original book. My current GN, When Stars are Scattered has also been very good.
52drneutron
>50 weird_O: Oh, definitely a BB!
53Crazymamie
Morning, Bill!
>48 weird_O: I read the original print book of that, and it was very good. I am curious about the GN version, so I will have to see if our library system has it.
>48 weird_O: I read the original print book of that, and it was very good. I am curious about the GN version, so I will have to see if our library system has it.
54benitastrnad
There are two Elderly Lady books. Both written by Helen Thursten. She was asked to write a short story with a Christmas theme for a magazine. The first book is the result. It was such a hit that she did another small book of short stories. Both of these books have been a hit with the ladies at coffee in my hometown of Munden, KS.
Thursten is a well known Scandicrime author. She writes two mystery series. The first series she wrote is the Inspector Huss series and the second is Embla Nystrom Investigation. If I remember correctly, Inspector Huss makes an appearance in the first Elderly Lady book.
Thursten is a well known Scandicrime author. She writes two mystery series. The first series she wrote is the Inspector Huss series and the second is Embla Nystrom Investigation. If I remember correctly, Inspector Huss makes an appearance in the first Elderly Lady book.
55laytonwoman3rd
"The illustrations were created by Nora Krug" Krug? Krug? We have our own Krug around here somewhere.
56weird_O
>54 benitastrnad: Thanks for that, Benita. I don't believe I've ever heard from a Kaffeeklatsch, much less one based in Munden, KS. I looked up the second book on amazon, but didn't buy it. There'll be another opportunity. Other books have fired my interest.
>55 laytonwoman3rd: I did think about that, Linda. I guess I know more about Nora Krug's background than I do of The Wayne Krug. Nora was born in Karlsruhe, Germany in 1977 and studied at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (founded by, among others, Paul McCartney) and the Berlin University of the Arts. Earned an MFA at NYC's School of Visual Arts. She's the author of Belonging: A German Reckons With History and Home. She teaches at Parsons School of Design in NYC.
------------
Turns out that I'm not entirely done with On Tyranny. Snyder cited an essay written by George Orwell, titled "Politics and the English Language." I have it in a collection of Orwell essays, compiled by George Packer and titled All Art Is Propaganda. It's on my mind so I want to read it now.
Current reading includes Snow by Turkish Nobelist Orhan Pamuk, a '50s how-to-do-it called Living the Good Life by Scott and Helen Nearing, and Krazy Kat: The Comic Art of George Herriman. Expecting the delivery of another GN on Saturday.
>55 laytonwoman3rd: I did think about that, Linda. I guess I know more about Nora Krug's background than I do of The Wayne Krug. Nora was born in Karlsruhe, Germany in 1977 and studied at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (founded by, among others, Paul McCartney) and the Berlin University of the Arts. Earned an MFA at NYC's School of Visual Arts. She's the author of Belonging: A German Reckons With History and Home. She teaches at Parsons School of Design in NYC.
------------
Turns out that I'm not entirely done with On Tyranny. Snyder cited an essay written by George Orwell, titled "Politics and the English Language." I have it in a collection of Orwell essays, compiled by George Packer and titled All Art Is Propaganda. It's on my mind so I want to read it now.
Current reading includes Snow by Turkish Nobelist Orhan Pamuk, a '50s how-to-do-it called Living the Good Life by Scott and Helen Nearing, and Krazy Kat: The Comic Art of George Herriman. Expecting the delivery of another GN on Saturday.
57Crazymamie
>56 weird_O: Hooray for Orwell! I'm so happy you're going to read him next!
58Storeetllr
Happy New Year, Bill!
>1 weird_O: Wow, that's some stack. Hope an earthquake doesn't occur when someone's standing nearby. Seems you and I have read more than a couple of the same books, and our "ratings" are very similar.
>39 weird_O: I just heard about this book and it's up toward the top of my Wishlist/TBR list. I just love the title, especially being an elderly lady myself.
>1 weird_O: Wow, that's some stack. Hope an earthquake doesn't occur when someone's standing nearby. Seems you and I have read more than a couple of the same books, and our "ratings" are very similar.
>39 weird_O: I just heard about this book and it's up toward the top of my Wishlist/TBR list. I just love the title, especially being an elderly lady myself.
59weird_O
>57 Crazymamie: Mamie. Mamie. Calm down. I'm reading only one essay. A mere 16 pages. Of course, I could...
>58 Storeetllr: I never heard of the author or the book. It just fell into my hands, along with 8 other books. But that was the one I opened and read. A fun read. I am fighting the urge to snap up the sequel.
I've been doing the annual stack for several years. I did have one that collapsed—in the middle of the night, of course. Happily, all the books survived.
>58 Storeetllr: I never heard of the author or the book. It just fell into my hands, along with 8 other books. But that was the one I opened and read. A fun read. I am fighting the urge to snap up the sequel.
I've been doing the annual stack for several years. I did have one that collapsed—in the middle of the night, of course. Happily, all the books survived.
60Storeetllr
>59 weird_O: Whew! Glad the books were okay! :)
61Crazymamie
>59 weird_O: In essay is an excellent start. And who knows, after one essay, you might want to read the rest of the book. It could happen, Oh Weird One.
62Storeetllr
>56 weird_O: On Tyranny was so good. Everybody should read it imo. That reminds me, I was going to check the local library to see if they have a copy of the GN. *scurries off to do that*
ETA I couldn't get a paper copy but I was able to put a hold on the ebook copy.
ETA I couldn't get a paper copy but I was able to put a hold on the ebook copy.
63richardderus
Not being a tablet person, Sir Weird of O, I'm sure that loading 24 graphic novels for as little as $18, from the Abrams publishing concern (including titles like R. Crumb's Heroes of Blues, Jazz & Country and Carter Family: Don't Forget This Song) wouldn't cause you to click this link: https://www.humblebundle.com/books/best-graphic-novels-abrams-comicarts-books
Especially as it's in aid of the MakeAWish Foundation. Can't imagine you'd find that relevant or, perish forbid!, enticing.
Especially as it's in aid of the MakeAWish Foundation. Can't imagine you'd find that relevant or, perish forbid!, enticing.
64weird_O
>63 richardderus: Sorry, RD. I myself is a dead-tree edition devotee. No Kindle or tablet.
>61 Crazymamie: Well, yeah. I am not ignorant of Orwell. I've read both Animal Farm and 1984 multiple times, as well as Burmese Days, Homage to Catalonia, and Keep the Aspidistra Flying.
>60 Storeetllr: :-) Me too.
>62 Storeetllr: You won't be sorry, Mary.
>61 Crazymamie: Well, yeah. I am not ignorant of Orwell. I've read both Animal Farm and 1984 multiple times, as well as Burmese Days, Homage to Catalonia, and Keep the Aspidistra Flying.
>60 Storeetllr: :-) Me too.
>62 Storeetllr: You won't be sorry, Mary.
65benitastrnad
>63 richardderus:
That whole schpeal was too cute! It made me chuckle (which I felt I could do since I am all alone in my office today.) I do hope that somebody who likes to read graphic novels on a tablet will take you up on the link. I, myself, am not a devotee of the graphic novel format. I have read some very well done graphic novels. Strangely, the ones that I really liked the best were nonfiction graphic novels.
That whole schpeal was too cute! It made me chuckle (which I felt I could do since I am all alone in my office today.) I do hope that somebody who likes to read graphic novels on a tablet will take you up on the link. I, myself, am not a devotee of the graphic novel format. I have read some very well done graphic novels. Strangely, the ones that I really liked the best were nonfiction graphic novels.
66msf59
Happy Friday, Bill. Good news- My copy of The Lincoln Highway came in. I am shocked and very pleased. I could start it later next week, if you like to join me?
68alcottacre
>1 weird_O: I love that idea but have a feeling my stack would fall over and injure me, lol.
>11 weird_O: I love how you detailed your best of the months throughout 2021. Some great reading there!
Happy Friday, Bill!
>11 weird_O: I love how you detailed your best of the months throughout 2021. Some great reading there!
Happy Friday, Bill!
70weird_O
>69 Oberon: How did those guys get into my basement? And why are they criticizing the way I stack my books?
>68 alcottacre: Now Stasia, they're just books. And the really heavy ones are on the bottom. Those at the top are the light-weights, just ephemeral reads that lift your spirits.
>68 alcottacre: Now Stasia, they're just books. And the really heavy ones are on the bottom. Those at the top are the light-weights, just ephemeral reads that lift your spirits.
71weird_O
# 1. An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten Finished 1/1/22
The Weird ReportTM
Gracious. Who would suspect an 88-year-old of such dastardly deeds? No one would, of course, which is why she gets away with it.
Helene Tursten is the author of a long shelf of detecting stories featuring Swedish Detective Inspector Irene Huss. This collection of five stories grew from a publisher's request for a story to include in a Christmas anthology. As the deadline approached, Tursten writes in an afterword, "I almost panicked."
The premise is that Maud occupies a spacious apartment in a building once owned by her father. Forced to sell, Maud's father negotiated a provision allowing members of his family to live rent-free in their apartment. Years later, Maud alone survives and many a neighbor covets her space. But she parlays the deference that most accord to the elderly into cover for her sharp mind, her remarkable fitness, and her self-centered schemes.
It is not literature, just good entertainment. Now I'm on the lookout for the sequel, An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed. I might even snap up a DI Huss story if I come upon one.
The Weird ReportTM
Gracious. Who would suspect an 88-year-old of such dastardly deeds? No one would, of course, which is why she gets away with it.
Helene Tursten is the author of a long shelf of detecting stories featuring Swedish Detective Inspector Irene Huss. This collection of five stories grew from a publisher's request for a story to include in a Christmas anthology. As the deadline approached, Tursten writes in an afterword, "I almost panicked."
And then she came to me: Maud. She was 88 years old and looked like most old grannies. But inside she was quite special. Her age was a perfect disguise for a criminal! Even . . . a murderer. I wrote the first story, "An Elderly Lady Seeks Peace at Christmastime," in just three hours, and I enjoyed every minute of her company. But let's just say I would not like to have her for a neighbor or a relative!
The premise is that Maud occupies a spacious apartment in a building once owned by her father. Forced to sell, Maud's father negotiated a provision allowing members of his family to live rent-free in their apartment. Years later, Maud alone survives and many a neighbor covets her space. But she parlays the deference that most accord to the elderly into cover for her sharp mind, her remarkable fitness, and her self-centered schemes.
It is not literature, just good entertainment. Now I'm on the lookout for the sequel, An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed. I might even snap up a DI Huss story if I come upon one.
72Storeetllr
>71 weird_O: Okay, moving this one up the queue. It sounds like a lot of fun!
73klobrien2
>71 weird_O: I really liked the Elderly Lady books. I found them really...scary, though! That sweet old lady!
Karen O.
Karen O.
74benitastrnad
>71 weird_O:
Just remember that the ladies in the Munden will not be crossed when it comes to reading the "Elderly Lady" books. You NEED to read the sequel.
Just remember that the ladies in the Munden will not be crossed when it comes to reading the "Elderly Lady" books. You NEED to read the sequel.
75weird_O
>74 benitastrnad: Uh oh. I'm . . . I'm . . . kinda booked up just now. I won't be able to bookhorn it in, as Mark would say, for at least a couple of months. You won't tell . . . the . . . the . . . un . . . Coven of Munden, will you? Please?
76Crazymamie
Morning, Bill! Happy Sundaying to you!
>69 Oberon: Ha!
>71 weird_O: A direct hit - onto The List it goes!
>69 Oberon: Ha!
>71 weird_O: A direct hit - onto The List it goes!
77richardderus
>71 weird_O: ...I suspect you've been moonlighting in Swedish...
78weird_O
>72 Storeetllr: You won't regret it, Mary. Karen >73 klobrien2: is just funning about the scary-ness. Aren't you, Karen. See, Karen? Mamie >76 Crazymamie: isn't scared. And Richard is just. . .Richard.
79weird_O
# 2. Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu Finished 1/4/22
The Weird Book ReportTM
This is the story of Willis Wu, a man of Asian descent, as he struggles to figure out where he fits in American society. What does he want to be? Must he forever be a generic figure in the background? The narrative is presented like a script for a TV series. Make-believe characters and scenes spill into real life and back again. Willis lives in a sort of tenement, known in the novel's "real life" as the Chinatown SRO (single room occupancy); he rents a tiny cubicle with shared shower and toilet down the hall. His life is structured around a particular TV series with a rigid hierarchy of roles for Asian men. Called Black and White, after the lead detectives—a Black male, a white female—the show is conventional TV.
Willis' Taiwanese parents live in the building. Both have risen through the hierarchy of available Asian roles. However, a sibling, known simply as Older Brother, has sought a different life elsewhere. But almost every resident in the building is connected with the TV series. Even the first-floor Oriental restaurant is central.
Born in California to Taiwanese immigrants, Yu didn't engage the TV cop-show version of life initially. Instead, he attended law school and worked as a lawyer. But he began writing short stories on the side, and eventually compiled a collection that was published to good reviews. Something about his writing got him recruited to write TV scripts. (Now you know where this novel got its structure.) Ultimately, he gave up the lawyering to write full time.
The genesis of Interior Chinatown, Yu told an interviewer, was the immigrant experience of his parents, as well as the experience of his children and himself. Who gets to be the star of his or her own story, rather than a supporting character in someone else’s? He asked himself. “The elevator pitch for the book became, ‘You know that “Law & Order” episode we’ve all seen that’s set in Chinatown?’ I want to know about the life of that guy in the background—the one who’s unloading the van and who got one line.”
The Weird Book ReportTM
This is the story of Willis Wu, a man of Asian descent, as he struggles to figure out where he fits in American society. What does he want to be? Must he forever be a generic figure in the background? The narrative is presented like a script for a TV series. Make-believe characters and scenes spill into real life and back again. Willis lives in a sort of tenement, known in the novel's "real life" as the Chinatown SRO (single room occupancy); he rents a tiny cubicle with shared shower and toilet down the hall. His life is structured around a particular TV series with a rigid hierarchy of roles for Asian men. Called Black and White, after the lead detectives—a Black male, a white female—the show is conventional TV.
There's a pattern, a form, a certain shape to it all. The idea that any problem, no matter how messy and blood-spattered, from EXT. STREET to INT. OFFICE or INT. CRIME LAB or INT. CHINESE RESTAURANT, any blight or societal ill, any crime of hate or intolerance, can be wrapped into the template. The idea that there are clues, and the clues can be discovered and understood, at a reasonable pace, i.e., one major breakthrough or setback for every commercial break, with each act a new understanding of the problem. That they, our heroes, can get to the bottom of things, and in the end, it's human nature (jealousy and treachery and, you know, murder). A strangely optimistic idea. A deeply ingrained hope that they, Black and White, will be able to face that danger, get a handle on it. Downtown may be gritty and dark and full of evil but on some level an unspoken belief, a faith that we live in a manageable world with its own episodic rules and conventions:
Life takes place one hour at a time.
Clues present themselves in order, one at a time.
Two investigators, properly paired, can solve any mystery.
And there's just something about Asians—their faces, their skin color—it just automatically takes you out of this reality. Forces you to step back and say, Whoa, whoa, what is this? What kind of world are we in? And what are these Asians doing in my cop show?
There's just something about Asians that makes reality a little too real, overcomplicates the clarity, the duality, the clean elegance of BLACK and WHITE, the proven template and so the decision is made not in some overarching conspiracy to exclude Asians but because it's just easier to keep it how we have it. Two cops roaming the city. The precinct, the car, the bar after work. The decision is made but it's not a decision at all, it's the opposite. It's the way things are. You do the cop show. You get your little check. You wonder: Can you change it? Can you be the one who actually breaks through?
Willis' Taiwanese parents live in the building. Both have risen through the hierarchy of available Asian roles. However, a sibling, known simply as Older Brother, has sought a different life elsewhere. But almost every resident in the building is connected with the TV series. Even the first-floor Oriental restaurant is central.
INT. GOLDEN PALACE-MORNING
In the world of Black and White, everyone starts out as Generic Asian Man. Everyone who looks like you, anyway. Unless you're a woman, in which case you start out as Pretty Asian Woman.
You all work at Golden Palace, formerly Jade Palace, formerly Palace of Good Fortune….
You wear the uniform: white shirt, black pants. Black slipperlike shoes that have no traction whatsoever. Your haircut is not good, to say the least.
Black and White always look good. A lot of it has to do with the light. They're the heroes. They get hero lighting, designed to hit their faces just right. Designed to hit White's face just right, anyway.
Someday you want the light to hit your face like that. To look like the hero. Or for a moment to actually be the hero.
ROLES
First, you have to work your way up. Starting from the bottom, it goes:
5. Background Oriental Male
4. Dead Asian Man
3. Generic Asian Man Number Three/Delivery Guy
2. Generic Asian Man Number Two/Waiter
1. Generic Asian Man Number One
and then if you make it that far (hardly anyone does) you get stuck at Number One for a while and hope and pray for the light to find you and that when it does you'll have something to say and when you say that something it will come out just right and have everyone in Black and White turning their heads saying wow who is that, that is not
just some Generic Asian Man, that is a star, maybe not a real, regular star, let's not get crazy, we're talking about Chinatown here, but perhaps a Very Special Guest Star, which for your people is the ceiling, is the terminal, ultimate, exalted position for any Asian working in this world, the thing every Oriental Male dreams of when he's in the Background, trying to blend in.
Kung Fu Guy.
Kung Fu Guy is not like the other slots in the hierarchy—there isn't always someone occupying the position, as in whoever the top guy is at any given time, that's the default guy who gets trotted out whenever there's kung fu to be done. Only a very special Asian can be worthy of the title. It takes years of dedication and sacrifice, and after all that only a few have even a slim chance of making it. Despite the odds, you all grew up training for this and only this. All the scrawny yellow boys up and down the block dreaming the same dream.
Born in California to Taiwanese immigrants, Yu didn't engage the TV cop-show version of life initially. Instead, he attended law school and worked as a lawyer. But he began writing short stories on the side, and eventually compiled a collection that was published to good reviews. Something about his writing got him recruited to write TV scripts. (Now you know where this novel got its structure.) Ultimately, he gave up the lawyering to write full time.
The genesis of Interior Chinatown, Yu told an interviewer, was the immigrant experience of his parents, as well as the experience of his children and himself. Who gets to be the star of his or her own story, rather than a supporting character in someone else’s? He asked himself. “The elevator pitch for the book became, ‘You know that “Law & Order” episode we’ve all seen that’s set in Chinatown?’ I want to know about the life of that guy in the background—the one who’s unloading the van and who got one line.”
80weird_O
# 3. On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder, illus. by Nora Krug Finished 1/5/22
The Weird Book ReportTM
In 2017, Yale University history professor Timothy Snyder published a little book titled On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century. On the back cover, Snyder is quoted.
Each of the 20 lessons is spelled out in a chapter, typically a short one. The lesson is stated in three to five sentences, then expanded upon in two to eight pages. Examples, primarily from European and U.S. history, clearly describe the threat. Correctives often are cited.
In 2021, a graphic edition was published with the same text and an array of illustrations and photos created by Nora Krug. The trim size is substantially larger than the original book and the printing is in color to accommodate the graphics. The text is set in a typeface simulating hand lettering. Krug found old photos depicting, for example, Nazi attrocities against Jews and other targetted peoples. She created original art and graphic layouts.
Here is one lesson, abridged.
The Weird Book ReportTM
In 2017, Yale University history professor Timothy Snyder published a little book titled On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century. On the back cover, Snyder is quoted.
The Founding Fathers tried to protect us from the threat they knew, the tyranny that overcame ancient democracy. Today, our political order faces new threats, not unlike the totalitarianism of the twentieth century. We are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to facism, Nazism, or communism. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience.
Each of the 20 lessons is spelled out in a chapter, typically a short one. The lesson is stated in three to five sentences, then expanded upon in two to eight pages. Examples, primarily from European and U.S. history, clearly describe the threat. Correctives often are cited.
In 2021, a graphic edition was published with the same text and an array of illustrations and photos created by Nora Krug. The trim size is substantially larger than the original book and the printing is in color to accommodate the graphics. The text is set in a typeface simulating hand lettering. Krug found old photos depicting, for example, Nazi attrocities against Jews and other targetted peoples. She created original art and graphic layouts.
Here is one lesson, abridged.
81alcottacre
>70 weird_O: Uh huh. I am fairly sure that I do not believe you :)
>71 weird_O: I already have that one in the BlackHole or I would be adding it again.
>79 weird_O: My local library actually has a copy of that one so I have a chance of getting to it at some time or other. Thanks for the review and recommendation, Bill.
>80 weird_O: I wish my local library had a copy of the graphic book. It does have a copy of the original book though.
Have a great week!
>71 weird_O: I already have that one in the BlackHole or I would be adding it again.
>79 weird_O: My local library actually has a copy of that one so I have a chance of getting to it at some time or other. Thanks for the review and recommendation, Bill.
>80 weird_O: I wish my local library had a copy of the graphic book. It does have a copy of the original book though.
Have a great week!
82weird_O
I'm hoping for a great week, Stasia. Got an invite to dinner at my older son's house. The twins are heading out by the week's end, and this'll be a "Have a Good Semester" send-off. Helen is going back to Fordham at Lincoln Center. Claire is flying off to Greece for the semester.
The good stuff for reading is piling up.
The good stuff for reading is piling up.
83alcottacre
>82 weird_O: Well, it sounds like the good stuff will be gotten to soon! At least I hope so.
84klobrien2
>78 weird_O: I loved both Elderly Lady books, but I did find them unnerving...they just once more show that you can't trust appearances. That's all I meant. They are definitely worth the read!
Karen O.
Karen O.
85richardderus
>82 weird_O: Ain't it? And what a joy it is!
>80 weird_O: Too damn depressing to re-read. Even with the pretty pickchers.
>80 weird_O: Too damn depressing to re-read. Even with the pretty pickchers.
86msf59
Howdy, Bill. Good reviews of Interior Chinatown & On Tyranny. I also loved both books. The GN version might be one to own, though.
Oh yeah- I am going to dip into The Lincoln Highway tomorrow.
Oh yeah- I am going to dip into The Lincoln Highway tomorrow.
87Storeetllr
>80 weird_O: It is depressing, but I'm going to *gasp* buy a DT copy of the GN (I NEVER - well, seldom - buy books anymore: 1) can't afford it and 2) no room to put them). But this is too important and maybe, just maybe, someone (besides me) will see it, pick it up off the shelf, and read it, and learn from it.
88PaulCranswick
>80 weird_O: That must be review of the week, Bill!
I will keep my beady eyes open for that book by Timothy Snyder. I have his book on the Holocaust that I wanted to read next month.
Great to see you rolling along nicely over here dear fellow.
I will keep my beady eyes open for that book by Timothy Snyder. I have his book on the Holocaust that I wanted to read next month.
Great to see you rolling along nicely over here dear fellow.
89weird_O
>83 alcottacre: Here's my idea of some good stuff, Stasia. Your opinion may vary.
Current reads:
Way Station, Clifford Simak
Living the Good Life, Scott and Helen Nearing
Krazy Kat: The Comic Art of George Merriman
Next:
The Lincoln Highway, Amor Towles
After THAT:
The Sea of Monsters, Rick Riordan
Watchmen, Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
Current reads:
Way Station, Clifford Simak
Living the Good Life, Scott and Helen Nearing
Krazy Kat: The Comic Art of George Merriman
Next:
The Lincoln Highway, Amor Towles
After THAT:
The Sea of Monsters, Rick Riordan
Watchmen, Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
90benitastrnad
I have so many good books lined up for the next two months that I am already experiencing reader's fatigue. or maybe readeri's ennui.
91weird_O
>84 klobrien2: Unsettling absolutely, Karen.
>85 richardderus: Gee, maybe we can give you a bye on that, RD. I'm sure you won't have trouble with the test.
>86 msf59: They both were good, Mark. I finished Vertigo very early this morning, and as soon as Way Station is done, I'm dipping into the new Towles.
>87 Storeetllr: :-)
>88 PaulCranswick: Thanks for that, Paul.
>85 richardderus: Gee, maybe we can give you a bye on that, RD. I'm sure you won't have trouble with the test.
>86 msf59: They both were good, Mark. I finished Vertigo very early this morning, and as soon as Way Station is done, I'm dipping into the new Towles.
>87 Storeetllr: :-)
>88 PaulCranswick: Thanks for that, Paul.
92alcottacre
>89 weird_O: I have Way Station, I just have not gotten to it yet. I read Living the Good Life more years ago than I care to contemplate! I liked, but did not love, The Lincoln Highway. I loved A Gentleman in Moscow, so I may have set the bar too high for Towles' next book.
I read Watchmen several years ago. It was one of the first GNs that I remember reading here in the group. I have also read the entire Percy Jackson series, thanks in part to my daughter Beth, who loved that series.
I read Watchmen several years ago. It was one of the first GNs that I remember reading here in the group. I have also read the entire Percy Jackson series, thanks in part to my daughter Beth, who loved that series.
93weird_O
>92 alcottacre: I just borrowed four of the Percy and the Olympians series from my granddaughters. The three of them all devoured the initial five, followed by a subsequent four or five books series. I read the first in that series, so now I've got the rest of it. Claire so got interested in the Classics, thanks to Riordan's novels, that she's majoring in that and in fact is flying off to Greece tomorrow for her Spring semester.
I finished Way Station overnight, and I've started the Towles.
I finished Way Station overnight, and I've started the Towles.
94ffortsa
I can't believe I haven't yet wished you a happy New Year. Half-way through the month! An inexcusable lapse.
You are stacked to the rafters with good titles. Wasn't Interior Chinatown terrific? Happy reading!
You are stacked to the rafters with good titles. Wasn't Interior Chinatown terrific? Happy reading!
95msf59
Happy Saturday, Bill. I didn't get as much reading in yesterday, as I would have liked but I am making up for it today. Nearing the halfway point on The Lincoln Highway. The freight has arrived in NY. Pastor John and the mighty Ulysses were memorable characters.
96weird_O
Good-O, Mark. I read a substantial chunk yesterday, but I'm not really rolling yet today. It'll happen, I assure you. :-)
Ah, I thought, seeing the corner of the book poking out from the folds of his sheets. I should have known. The poor old chap, he suffers from the most dangerous addiction of all.
Ah, I thought, seeing the corner of the book poking out from the folds of his sheets. I should have known. The poor old chap, he suffers from the most dangerous addiction of all.
97karenmarie
Hi Bill!
Long time no visit…
>71 weird_O: I got a copy of this book for my Kindle and have started it.
>80 weird_O: I started and never finished On Tyranny. Methinks I should have bought the version illustrated by Nora Krug.
Long time no visit…
>71 weird_O: I got a copy of this book for my Kindle and have started it.
>80 weird_O: I started and never finished On Tyranny. Methinks I should have bought the version illustrated by Nora Krug.
98LovingLit
>80 weird_O: Oooh, I love those graphics! What a wonderful looking production.
99klobrien2
>80 weird_O: I just got my personal, own copy of the graphic On Tyranny! I'm so excited! Thanks again for posting illustrations--that's what put me over the edge for owning my own copy (didn't want to wait another second for my turn at the library's copy).
Hope you're having a great weekend!
Karen O.
Hope you're having a great weekend!
Karen O.
100PaulCranswick
Nothing too much to add, Bill, except have a great weekend.
101jnwelch
Thanks for the good review of the graphic On Tyranny, Bill, and all the illustrative excerpts. I’ve requested it at our library.
102weird_O
>96 weird_O: Woo hoo! Less than 100 pages to go. Not even 11 p.m. I just might get to the end of that ol' highway before the light blinks off. :-)
>97 karenmarie: Now that I read the first of the elderly lady's...ummm...adventures, I been needled to get and read the sequel. I can resist for now. But I bet you won't be able to resist, Karen. Bwahahahaha.
You know what to do about On Tyranny. Am I correct?
>98 LovingLit: >99 klobrien2: >101 jnwelch: Yes! :-)
>100 PaulCranswick: Weekend's off to a decent start, Paul. Almost finished with The Lincoln Highway.
>97 karenmarie: Now that I read the first of the elderly lady's...ummm...adventures, I been needled to get and read the sequel. I can resist for now. But I bet you won't be able to resist, Karen. Bwahahahaha.
You know what to do about On Tyranny. Am I correct?
>98 LovingLit: >99 klobrien2: >101 jnwelch: Yes! :-)
>100 PaulCranswick: Weekend's off to a decent start, Paul. Almost finished with The Lincoln Highway.
103alcottacre
I will be curious to see what you think of The Lincoln Highway when you finish it, Bill.
105weird_O
Hello, Stasia and Joe. I'm digging my head out of wherever it got stuck. The Power took leave of my little corner of the township, Sunday night/Monday Morning. No warning or by your leave. It just stopped circulating through the wire. No lights, heat, water, internet. No caw-fee. So between naps, I read. Three-quarters of the way through The Paris Apartment by Kelly Bowen, and a quarter into Watchmen, the GN by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.
Happily, the Power returned from its holiday leave about 6 p.m., so I was able to reheat the leftover mac 'n' cheese for supper.
Today I want to work out my thoughts on Way Station, Vertigo, and The Lincoln Highway. All were Top Drawer, but. . .um. . .why? Just have to write down "why."
Happily, the Power returned from its holiday leave about 6 p.m., so I was able to reheat the leftover mac 'n' cheese for supper.
Today I want to work out my thoughts on Way Station, Vertigo, and The Lincoln Highway. All were Top Drawer, but. . .um. . .why? Just have to write down "why."
106weird_O
Finished reading The Paris Apartment by Kelly Bowen. Quite a page-turner. I'll award it a .
In other good news, I got out of the house, picked up three days of mail, and took a couple of letters to the post office. I bought another batch of those luvly coffee stamps.
The last thing jammed into the mailbox was the Usborne Graphic Shakespeare edition of Macbeth, which I bought through Amazon (only after failing to unearth a copy in any of three local brick-and-mortar bookstores). My fantastical stunt is to read the GN, then read Shakespeare's play (I have the "No Fear Shakespeare" edition), followed by Jo Nesbo's reimagined Macbeth, created for the Hogarth Shakespeare collection.
Of course, I still am working through the storied GN Watchmen, created in the 1980s as a comic-book series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, then issued as a single volume. I've also started a reread of Helen and Scott Nearing's seminal "back to the land" guidebook called Living the Good Life. I first read it—honest to God—almost 50 years ago. I may DNF it; we'll see.
.In other good news, I got out of the house, picked up three days of mail, and took a couple of letters to the post office. I bought another batch of those luvly coffee stamps.
The last thing jammed into the mailbox was the Usborne Graphic Shakespeare edition of Macbeth, which I bought through Amazon (only after failing to unearth a copy in any of three local brick-and-mortar bookstores). My fantastical stunt is to read the GN, then read Shakespeare's play (I have the "No Fear Shakespeare" edition), followed by Jo Nesbo's reimagined Macbeth, created for the Hogarth Shakespeare collection.
Of course, I still am working through the storied GN Watchmen, created in the 1980s as a comic-book series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, then issued as a single volume. I've also started a reread of Helen and Scott Nearing's seminal "back to the land" guidebook called Living the Good Life. I first read it—honest to God—almost 50 years ago. I may DNF it; we'll see.
107weird_O
Ah, I'm still here. My sleep pattern is fruit-tilly-ooped beyond all recognition. So I'm not being goal-oriented. My goals stumbled into the outhouse and I'm not going to pull 'em out.
I'm about halfway in Watchmen, which surely is a violent, blood 'n' guts publication. But also imaginative. It's been in print for 30 plus years.
I dipped a toe into the graphic version of Macbeth, and I did the same with the "No Fear Shakespeare" edition of Macbeth. The latter edition displays the Shakespearian text on the left and a modern version of the same lines on the right.
I'm about halfway in Watchmen, which surely is a violent, blood 'n' guts publication. But also imaginative. It's been in print for 30 plus years.
I dipped a toe into the graphic version of Macbeth, and I did the same with the "No Fear Shakespeare" edition of Macbeth. The latter edition displays the Shakespearian text on the left and a modern version of the same lines on the right.
108msf59
Howdy, Bill. As you are all ready aware of, I did finish The Lincoln Highway. I read it in about 7 days which is pretty good for a 600 pager. I liked it well enough to give it 4 stars but its meandering nature left me frustrated at times. I was hoping for The Count to show up and take the wheel. Curious, how you felt.
109weird_O
Vertigo: A Novel in Woodcuts by Lynd Ward Finished 1/13/22
The Weird Book ReportTM
Is this the ultimate graphic novel? It's billed as "A Novel in Woodcuts" and is the final such book Lynd Ward produced. Published in 1937, it was preceded by five other stories told in woodcuts, the first published in 1930. Vertigo is apparently considered Ward's best example of the genre. It has 230 woodcuts, which took Ward two years to make. The book was out of print nearly 70 years before Dover reissued it in 2009. For someone exploring graphic stories, Vertigo is certainly significant .
The presentation is not wordless. Ward included headings to organize the images and direct the story. Too, quite a number of the woodcuts show newspaper headlines, advertising, and business signs, conveying important information. Viewers are going to derive different interpretations of individual woodcuts as well as the aggregate. Despite being printed in only black, subtleties abound: body language, facial expressions, settings and props, point-of-view, lighting, texture. Every picture tells a story.
Against the plans and dreams of a couple of kids, graduating from high school, looking for their first jobs, intending to marry, the storyline sets the harsh reality of the stock market crash and the ruthless response of business and industry to falling profits. Page through the novel, scanning the images, and the story plays out. Study the individual images and experience the emotions that elate, trouble, and ultimately devastate the mass of Americans depicted.
According to the book's introduction, Ward chose to title the book Vertigo The title Vertigo, Ward later explained, "was meant to suggest that the illogic of what we saw happening all around us in the thirties was enough to set the mind spinning through space and the emotions hurtling from great hope to the depths of despair."
THE GIRL
AN ELDERLY GENTLEMAN
THE BOY
Lynd Ward
The Weird Book ReportTM
Is this the ultimate graphic novel? It's billed as "A Novel in Woodcuts" and is the final such book Lynd Ward produced. Published in 1937, it was preceded by five other stories told in woodcuts, the first published in 1930. Vertigo is apparently considered Ward's best example of the genre. It has 230 woodcuts, which took Ward two years to make. The book was out of print nearly 70 years before Dover reissued it in 2009. For someone exploring graphic stories, Vertigo is certainly significant .
The presentation is not wordless. Ward included headings to organize the images and direct the story. Too, quite a number of the woodcuts show newspaper headlines, advertising, and business signs, conveying important information. Viewers are going to derive different interpretations of individual woodcuts as well as the aggregate. Despite being printed in only black, subtleties abound: body language, facial expressions, settings and props, point-of-view, lighting, texture. Every picture tells a story.
Against the plans and dreams of a couple of kids, graduating from high school, looking for their first jobs, intending to marry, the storyline sets the harsh reality of the stock market crash and the ruthless response of business and industry to falling profits. Page through the novel, scanning the images, and the story plays out. Study the individual images and experience the emotions that elate, trouble, and ultimately devastate the mass of Americans depicted.
According to the book's introduction, Ward chose to title the book Vertigo The title Vertigo, Ward later explained, "was meant to suggest that the illogic of what we saw happening all around us in the thirties was enough to set the mind spinning through space and the emotions hurtling from great hope to the depths of despair."
THE GIRL
AN ELDERLY GENTLEMAN
THE BOY
Lynd Ward
110RBeffa
>109 weird_O: excellent Weird Book ReportTM.
112alcottacre
>106 weird_O: You are not the only one who first read Living the Good Life almost 50 years ago, Bill, if it makes you feel any better!
113figsfromthistle
>106 weird_O: Nice stamps! Do you regularly collect stamps? I used to collect stamps and first day covers with the matching sheet set.
Hope you are having a wonderful Thursday!
Hope you are having a wonderful Thursday!
114laytonwoman3rd
The Lynd Ward images are just incredible. I think Vertigo may be more impressive (based on the examples you're sharing) than any of the first three he did. I have yet to get to it myself.
115ursula
>109 weird_O: Aaaahhh! Those are stunning illustrations.
116weird_O
OK! It's Friday. I have another book—another GN—under my belt. I have a couple going, and I've started a third. Oh, and I've jotted some notes on The Lincoln Highway and have hopes of slapping a report together over the weekend.
The book finished: Watchmen, written by Alan Moore, illustrated by Dave Gibbons. It's the quintessential comic-book GN, since it was published first (in 1986) as a 12-issue comic-book series, then republished as a 400+ page book. In the latter form, it was selected to TIME Magazine's Top 100 Novels list. Lev Grossman's citation:
I can't argue with that. Give it a. I must point out that the book isn't eligible for inclusion in the AAC challenge for January, simply because its creators are both Brits. *Sad trombone* And as evidence of my perverseness, I will add that my current GN read is not eligible for the AAC either; a Brit and a pair of Italians are behind it.
That GN is Macbeth (Usborne Graphic Shakespeare). I'd say it is ok but nothing special. It IS however a good introduction to the play. I intend to follow it with a reading of the play itself, and have in fact already started it. I'm using the No Fear Shakespeare edition to guide me through the madness. It's still my intention to follow these two versions with Jo Nesbo's Macbeth, written for the Hogarth Shakespeare series.
Finally, I've peered into the pages of Rebecca Solnit's Orwell's Roses. Not even out of the first chapter, but I'm being drawn in.
The book finished: Watchmen, written by Alan Moore, illustrated by Dave Gibbons. It's the quintessential comic-book GN, since it was published first (in 1986) as a 12-issue comic-book series, then republished as a 400+ page book. In the latter form, it was selected to TIME Magazine's Top 100 Novels list. Lev Grossman's citation:
Watchmen is a graphic novel—a book-length comic book with ambitions above its station—starring a ragbag of bizarre, damaged, retired superheroes: the paunchy, melancholic Nite Owl; the raving doomsayer Rorschach; the blue, glowing, near-omnipotent, no-longer-human Doctor Manhattan. Though their heyday is past, these former crime-fighters are drawn back into action by the murder of a former teammate, The Comedian, which turns out to be the leading edge of a much wider, more disturbing conspiracy. Told with ruthless psychological realism, in fugal, overlapping plotlines and gorgeous, cinematic panels rich with repeating motifs, Watchmen is a heart-pounding, heartbreaking read and a watershed in the evolution of a young medium.
I can't argue with that. Give it a
. I must point out that the book isn't eligible for inclusion in the AAC challenge for January, simply because its creators are both Brits. *Sad trombone* And as evidence of my perverseness, I will add that my current GN read is not eligible for the AAC either; a Brit and a pair of Italians are behind it.That GN is Macbeth (Usborne Graphic Shakespeare). I'd say it is ok but nothing special. It IS however a good introduction to the play. I intend to follow it with a reading of the play itself, and have in fact already started it. I'm using the No Fear Shakespeare edition to guide me through the madness. It's still my intention to follow these two versions with Jo Nesbo's Macbeth, written for the Hogarth Shakespeare series.
Finally, I've peered into the pages of Rebecca Solnit's Orwell's Roses. Not even out of the first chapter, but I'm being drawn in.
117PaulCranswick
Some great stuff over here, Bill.
118weird_O
>117 PaulCranswick: Not much traffic here, Paul. Nice of you to drop by. It's a nice realm where you can pause, enjoy the quiet, and savor the "great stuff."
>112 alcottacre: I don't feel any embarrassment about having read Living the Good Life, Stasia. We bought a few shares of the stock—big garden, canning and freezing, chickens for eggs and meat. But we didn't invest unabashedly. It's interesting to me now what stuck with me and what didn't.
>113 figsfromthistle: My wife's grandmother collected stamps, and Judi did inherit her collection. But the enthusiasm for the stamps pretty much died with Nana. The stamps pictured I bought simply to mail the occasional check. I just liked the depiction of the coffee brews.
>114 laytonwoman3rd: The woodcuts are marvelous, Linda. They are not very big: 2" square, 2" X 4", up to 3 1/2" X 5 1/2". But not larger than that. I read that Ward's preference was to run each woodcut on the right, opposite a blank left page. (I'm still waffling about dropping 60 bucks or more for the LOA two-volume set.)
>115 ursula: Yessss.
>112 alcottacre: I don't feel any embarrassment about having read Living the Good Life, Stasia. We bought a few shares of the stock—big garden, canning and freezing, chickens for eggs and meat. But we didn't invest unabashedly. It's interesting to me now what stuck with me and what didn't.
>113 figsfromthistle: My wife's grandmother collected stamps, and Judi did inherit her collection. But the enthusiasm for the stamps pretty much died with Nana. The stamps pictured I bought simply to mail the occasional check. I just liked the depiction of the coffee brews.
>114 laytonwoman3rd: The woodcuts are marvelous, Linda. They are not very big: 2" square, 2" X 4", up to 3 1/2" X 5 1/2". But not larger than that. I read that Ward's preference was to run each woodcut on the right, opposite a blank left page. (I'm still waffling about dropping 60 bucks or more for the LOA two-volume set.)
>115 ursula: Yessss.
119drneutron
I was hoping to find the Ward book with the woodcuts, but so far no luck. I’ll keep trying, though.
120laytonwoman3rd
>118 weird_O: "I'm still waffling about dropping 60 bucks or more for the LOA two-volume set." Yeah...I inherited mine, and I probably never would have taken it on otherwise.
121msf59
Howdy, Bill. You might be the one that finally gets me to read Watchmen. As a big fan of GNs, I am embarrassed to admit I haven't read it. The good thing is, I have a nice copy at hand. I want to clarify that I did like The Lincoln Highway, giving it 4 stars. It just didn't reach the heights of his last novel, IMHO.
122weird_O
Now I know the basics of Shakespeare's Macbeth. What a revelation after all the years I've lived. I knew that a guy named Macbeth killed another guy, and that Mrs. Macbeth was wigged out and kept trying to wash her hand and get the imaginary blood off it. I knew about the witches creating a stew. But now I've tackled the plot by reading a graphic adaptation of the play. With the plot now in my tenuous grasp, I'm ready to read Shakespeare's version.
Read a few more chapters of Orwell's Roses. Reading also, now, well...rereading Lauren Redniss's spectacular graphic biography of Pierre and Marie Curie, called Radioactive. Since Redniss is an American, I can tag it for the January AAC.
I be cookin' on the front burner.
Read a few more chapters of Orwell's Roses. Reading also, now, well...rereading Lauren Redniss's spectacular graphic biography of Pierre and Marie Curie, called Radioactive. Since Redniss is an American, I can tag it for the January AAC.
I be cookin' on the front burner.
123richardderus
Happy week-ahead's reads, Bill.
124ffortsa
>122 weird_O: I hope you like reading MacBeth. As with most of Shakespeare - maybe more than most - it's even better on its feet. I haven't seen the new film version, but I'll let you know what Jim and I think of it when we see it.
127weird_O
Way Station by Clifford Simak Finished 1/13/22
The Weird Book ReportTM
A relatively short novel, Way Station encompasses the American Civil War at one end of its storyline and the Cold War at the other, pitting peaceful isolation against human brutality. Oh, and space aliens too. The splendid wise, pacific, almost loving sorts, not H. G. Wellsian warriors who neglect due diligence, violently try to subdue new territory, and discover that the new turf is not hospitable (to them).
Enoch Wallace returns from Civil War battlefields to his family's farm in a remote corner of Wisconsin. His parents die, but he stays put, working the fields alone. It's not a prosperous life, but he's content. Then a passing stranger solicits a bit of hospitality, is rewarded, and converses long and deep with Enoch. Eventually, this stranger, named Ulysses by Enoch, makes an unusual job offer, one that transforms his ancestral home, prolongs his life, and deepens his isolation. As the narrative begins, Wallace is about 125 years old and has but a single regular visitor, the postman. His daily routine turns on a long stroll around his property that ends at the mailbox, where he collects his considerable mail, the occasional parcel, and hears the news and gossip of the day. This routine naturally draws attention and makes people curious, then suspicious.
The rest is The Story, for Enoch is a stationmaster on an intergalactic thoroughfare. Attention is not good. How will it be dealt with?
The Weird Book ReportTM
A relatively short novel, Way Station encompasses the American Civil War at one end of its storyline and the Cold War at the other, pitting peaceful isolation against human brutality. Oh, and space aliens too. The splendid wise, pacific, almost loving sorts, not H. G. Wellsian warriors who neglect due diligence, violently try to subdue new territory, and discover that the new turf is not hospitable (to them).
Enoch Wallace returns from Civil War battlefields to his family's farm in a remote corner of Wisconsin. His parents die, but he stays put, working the fields alone. It's not a prosperous life, but he's content. Then a passing stranger solicits a bit of hospitality, is rewarded, and converses long and deep with Enoch. Eventually, this stranger, named Ulysses by Enoch, makes an unusual job offer, one that transforms his ancestral home, prolongs his life, and deepens his isolation. As the narrative begins, Wallace is about 125 years old and has but a single regular visitor, the postman. His daily routine turns on a long stroll around his property that ends at the mailbox, where he collects his considerable mail, the occasional parcel, and hears the news and gossip of the day. This routine naturally draws attention and makes people curious, then suspicious.
The rest is The Story, for Enoch is a stationmaster on an intergalactic thoroughfare. Attention is not good. How will it be dealt with?
128weird_O
This Tuesday has been a day of rumination, it seems. Rumination isn't on the schedule (because, of course, there IS no schedule), but here I sit, ruminating. Feels kind of bovine. Moooo. I fadiddled around last night (figuratively, of course) with what I wrote as a report on The Lincoln Highway. I enjoyed the book enormously, and my positive impression only grew as I reread passages. But when I got up today and reread what I wrote... Bah!
So there's that.
So there's that.
129LovingLit
>109 weird_O: wow- more amazing imagery from the thread of Weird-O :) And I lived the coffee stamps as well!
130Berly
>128 weird_O: Ah! So ruminating on your cud is a good thing! I wasn't sure (see my response to you on my thread). Glad to hear you enjoyed The Lincoln Highway. : )
131richardderus
>127 weird_O: That is a wonderful reading memory for me. I'm glad it hit the right notes for you as well.
132weird_O
>119 drneutron: Amazon has it, Jim, but even with Prime delivery time is about a week.
>120 laytonwoman3rd: Ah ha. The truth will out. I think I've stifled the spendy urge. I now have a Solnit work working me...playing with my mind...a Siren. And also a couple of Redniss books.
>121 msf59: Read Watchmen, Mark. Read Watchmen, Mark. I mean it: READ Watchmen. Ah ha ha ha ha...
>123 richardderus: Thank you, RD. I've got some tasties on the menu.
>124 ffortsa: We talked a bit about the current Macbeth film in our weekly family Zoom. My daughter said it's streaming on Apple TV. And since she's been a Fraggle Rock devote since day one, and it IS on Apple TV, she's considering a trial signup.
>126 Storeetllr: It's always a ---day, isn't it. I'm not always sure what the day is.
>120 laytonwoman3rd: Ah ha. The truth will out. I think I've stifled the spendy urge. I now have a Solnit work working me...playing with my mind...a Siren. And also a couple of Redniss books.
>121 msf59: Read Watchmen, Mark. Read Watchmen, Mark. I mean it: READ Watchmen. Ah ha ha ha ha...
>123 richardderus: Thank you, RD. I've got some tasties on the menu.
>124 ffortsa: We talked a bit about the current Macbeth film in our weekly family Zoom. My daughter said it's streaming on Apple TV. And since she's been a Fraggle Rock devote since day one, and it IS on Apple TV, she's considering a trial signup.
>126 Storeetllr: It's always a ---day, isn't it. I'm not always sure what the day is.
133weird_O
>129 LovingLit: Glad you like it, Megan. Wait 'til you see the images in Radioactive. Spectacular color. Just finished rereading it after 11 years.
>130 Berly: I'm an enthusiast, Kim. I want to do it justice, and it is a lot to digest. Happily, I think, I have not yet read A Gentleman in Moscow, so my mind isn't "tainted."
>131 richardderus: It will be a good reading memory for me, too, Richard.
Hey by golly, I'm caught up on my own thread. :-)
>130 Berly: I'm an enthusiast, Kim. I want to do it justice, and it is a lot to digest. Happily, I think, I have not yet read A Gentleman in Moscow, so my mind isn't "tainted."
>131 richardderus: It will be a good reading memory for me, too, Richard.
Hey by golly, I'm caught up on my own thread. :-)
134laytonwoman3rd
>127 weird_O: You know I don't do science fiction----but you very nearly winged me with that BB. Must cogitate.
135msf59
Happy Wednesday, Bill. I am so glad you enjoyed The Lincoln Highway so much. I sure hope that leads you into reading A Gentleman in Moscow. Do you have a copy? I would be shocked if you didn't.
136weird_O
>134 laytonwoman3rd: I did what I could, Linda. The rest is up to you.
>135 msf59: I do have A Gentleman in Moscow, Mark. And maybe, yes, maybe this is the year.
--------------
I spent time with Oliver Sacks and Temple Grandin last night. The NYT featured an interview with Professor Doctor Grandin, who is 74 and still working. Grandin is autistic and has forged a career teaching animal husbandry at Colorado State, designing cattle slaughterhouses, and being an advocate for people with autism. The interview is here: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/01/24/magazine/temple-grandin-interview...
(I have a novice-level NYT subscription; can't know about paywalls. Sorry.)
The easter egg in the piece is a link to a Sacks profile of Grandin published in The New Yorker almost 30 years ago. Here: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1993/12/27/anthropologist-mars
(Not a subscriber on any level, but I still could access the article and even print it out.) I remember reading it, way back. But I was floored to have Sack's authorship pointed out.
Because I've read reports here on LT on some books about autism, I know there's interest. Grandin is a treasure, as was Dr. Sacks.
>135 msf59: I do have A Gentleman in Moscow, Mark. And maybe, yes, maybe this is the year.
--------------
I spent time with Oliver Sacks and Temple Grandin last night. The NYT featured an interview with Professor Doctor Grandin, who is 74 and still working. Grandin is autistic and has forged a career teaching animal husbandry at Colorado State, designing cattle slaughterhouses, and being an advocate for people with autism. The interview is here: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/01/24/magazine/temple-grandin-interview...
(I have a novice-level NYT subscription; can't know about paywalls. Sorry.)
The easter egg in the piece is a link to a Sacks profile of Grandin published in The New Yorker almost 30 years ago. Here: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1993/12/27/anthropologist-mars
(Not a subscriber on any level, but I still could access the article and even print it out.) I remember reading it, way back. But I was floored to have Sack's authorship pointed out.
Because I've read reports here on LT on some books about autism, I know there's interest. Grandin is a treasure, as was Dr. Sacks.
137weird_O
I did finish rereading Radioactive yesterday. Very savvy book. Spectacular package of storytelling, history and science, lavish production, insight. Boffo!
Squandered some more time pushing words around in an effort to sum up my reactions to The Lincoln Highway. I did chew and rechew a full rumen.
Through 30 percent of Orwell's Roses.
But started a Freddy the Pig yarn at 5 in the sleepless morning.
Squandered some more time pushing words around in an effort to sum up my reactions to The Lincoln Highway. I did chew and rechew a full rumen.
Through 30 percent of Orwell's Roses.
But started a Freddy the Pig yarn at 5 in the sleepless morning.
138laytonwoman3rd
I highly recommend Grandin's Animals in Translation. There was decent movie about her starring Claire Danes and David Strathairn a few years ago, too.
139weird_O
I did read Animals Make Us Human in 2011. Animals in Translation is in there amongst those pesky TBRs. Lots of Grandin on YouTube.
140weird_O
I'm bookhorning a reread of Art Spiegelman's two-volume Maus into the end of January's graphic novel AAC. Yep, the school board in Athens, Tennessee, unanimously voted to ban the book from the eighth grade history curriculum because of its occasional "rough" language and depiction of nudity. Asked for comment by numerous news media, the board members are mute.
Also, I plan to expand reading/rereading of Orwell.
Also, I plan to expand reading/rereading of Orwell.
141m.belljackson
>122 weird_O: Is it pride or lust for power or ? that turns Macbeth from a Hero into a Madman...
The opening of Roman Polanski's movie is a sweet little classic.
I've still got the Videotape right in between "ROXANNE" and "La Bamba."
The opening of Roman Polanski's movie is a sweet little classic.
I've still got the Videotape right in between "ROXANNE" and "La Bamba."
142weird_O
>141 m.belljackson: Lust for power. No? That's what I get from the graphic edition. Have never seen any of the films. Never a stage play.
143weird_O
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles Finished 1/16/22
The Weird Book ReportTM
The title says it—The Lincoln Highway. It was the first coast-to-coast route in America, named for the president who led the fight to keep the nation united, stretching from New York's Times Square to San Francisco's Lincoln Park. Driving across the country was an epic adventure when the highway was built in the teens and twenties. By the early 1950s, the time of Amor Towles' book titled for the route, the tour was not as epic, but still it was an adventure.
The Lincoln Highway, the book, is a "road novel", a quintessentially 20th-century American form, the essence of which is exploration and adventure. The youngest of Towles' adventurers totes The Guidebook, refers to it often, and shares its information with anyone who'll listen. Professor Abacus Abernathe's Compendium of Heroes, Adventurers, and Other Intrepid Travelers has 26 chapters extolling the accomplishments of 25 adventurous travelers, real and imagined. Among its exemplars are Achilles, Galileo, Hercules, Ishmael, Jason, Lincoln, Sinbad, and Ulysses. (The 26th chapter, titled You, is for the reader to write his or her own story.)
The journey on the Lincoln Highway will begin in Morgen, Nebraska, and carry two brothers west to either Texas or California. The pair, 18-year-old Emmett Watson and 8-year-old Billy, are leaving their home following their father's death and the bank's foreclosure on the house and farm. (Their mother abandoned the family years earlier, fleeing west along the same route, all the way to San Francisco.) Their transport will be Emmett's blue 1948 Studebaker Land Cruiser, which was stored in the barn while it's owner was serving time in a juvenile detention facility in Kansas. Emmett, taunted by a bully, punched him out, and when the bully fell, he hit his head on a cement block and died. Charged with involuntary manslaughter, Emmett ended up incarcerated, but has been released early, driven across two states by the warden to his home.
As the brothers check out the Studie one last time, two figures greet them from the barn's doorway. Uh oh. The two are fellow inmates who stowed away in the trunk of the warden's car. They—Duchess and Woolly— are looking for transportation to New York, and they can see Emmett has got it. Duchess and Woolly are hopeful, optimistic. Emmett is infuriated. He does agree to shuttle them east to Omaha's train station. Then…
Here's why. Woolly's given name is Wallace Wolcott Martin. He's the scion, and lost soul, of an old-money family with a home on the upper east side of Manhattan as well as a property in the Adirondacks, to which they retire in the summer months. They call it a "camp" though it isn't a clearing in a forest with a campfire site surrounded by spots where tents are set up. Rather, it is a mansion with "rustic"—wink wink—decor. Great-grandfather's office there has a sturdy wall safe, wherein $150,000 in cash is stacked, and Woolly perceives it to be his inheritance. He plans to split the cash evenly amongst himself, his friend Duchess, and the guy with the car who'll drive them to the camp (from Nebraska), Emmett.
With the appearance of Duchess, the story's rich seam of the picaresque is exposed. Duchess is a rogue, but appealing adventurer if ever there was one in a novel. He checks most of the boxes on the list of a picaresque character's traits.
• He's of low social class, but can be very charming and gets by on his wits.
• He narrates "his" chapters.
• To him, the trip is just a series of adventures.
• His character isn't altered in the narrative's course; he ends as he began.
• As he sees himself, criminality isn't in him. Yes, he's a rascal, but a carefree, sympathetic rascal.
Read this book. It is long and rambling and tangled with digressions. The characters are many: endearing, inspiring, annoying, self-centered, provoking, duplicitous. Most have stories to tell, and they tell them. It's a road trip, gosh darn it.
The Weird Book ReportTM
The title says it—The Lincoln Highway. It was the first coast-to-coast route in America, named for the president who led the fight to keep the nation united, stretching from New York's Times Square to San Francisco's Lincoln Park. Driving across the country was an epic adventure when the highway was built in the teens and twenties. By the early 1950s, the time of Amor Towles' book titled for the route, the tour was not as epic, but still it was an adventure.
The Lincoln Highway, the book, is a "road novel", a quintessentially 20th-century American form, the essence of which is exploration and adventure. The youngest of Towles' adventurers totes The Guidebook, refers to it often, and shares its information with anyone who'll listen. Professor Abacus Abernathe's Compendium of Heroes, Adventurers, and Other Intrepid Travelers has 26 chapters extolling the accomplishments of 25 adventurous travelers, real and imagined. Among its exemplars are Achilles, Galileo, Hercules, Ishmael, Jason, Lincoln, Sinbad, and Ulysses. (The 26th chapter, titled You, is for the reader to write his or her own story.)
The journey on the Lincoln Highway will begin in Morgen, Nebraska, and carry two brothers west to either Texas or California. The pair, 18-year-old Emmett Watson and 8-year-old Billy, are leaving their home following their father's death and the bank's foreclosure on the house and farm. (Their mother abandoned the family years earlier, fleeing west along the same route, all the way to San Francisco.) Their transport will be Emmett's blue 1948 Studebaker Land Cruiser, which was stored in the barn while it's owner was serving time in a juvenile detention facility in Kansas. Emmett, taunted by a bully, punched him out, and when the bully fell, he hit his head on a cement block and died. Charged with involuntary manslaughter, Emmett ended up incarcerated, but has been released early, driven across two states by the warden to his home.
As the brothers check out the Studie one last time, two figures greet them from the barn's doorway. Uh oh. The two are fellow inmates who stowed away in the trunk of the warden's car. They—Duchess and Woolly— are looking for transportation to New York, and they can see Emmett has got it. Duchess and Woolly are hopeful, optimistic. Emmett is infuriated. He does agree to shuttle them east to Omaha's train station. Then…
—You mean the Studebaker?
Emmett was standing alone in Sister Agnes's office talking to Sally on the phone.
—Yes, he said. The Studebaker.
—And Duchess took it?
—Yes.
There was silence on the other end of the line.
—I don't understand, she said. Took it where?
—To New York.
—New York, New York?
—Yes. New York, New York.
—And you're in Lewis.
—Nearly.
—I thought you were going to California. Why are you nearly in Lewis? And why is Duchess on his way to New York?
Here's why. Woolly's given name is Wallace Wolcott Martin. He's the scion, and lost soul, of an old-money family with a home on the upper east side of Manhattan as well as a property in the Adirondacks, to which they retire in the summer months. They call it a "camp" though it isn't a clearing in a forest with a campfire site surrounded by spots where tents are set up. Rather, it is a mansion with "rustic"—wink wink—decor. Great-grandfather's office there has a sturdy wall safe, wherein $150,000 in cash is stacked, and Woolly perceives it to be his inheritance. He plans to split the cash evenly amongst himself, his friend Duchess, and the guy with the car who'll drive them to the camp (from Nebraska), Emmett.
With the appearance of Duchess, the story's rich seam of the picaresque is exposed. Duchess is a rogue, but appealing adventurer if ever there was one in a novel. He checks most of the boxes on the list of a picaresque character's traits.
• He's of low social class, but can be very charming and gets by on his wits.
• He narrates "his" chapters.
• To him, the trip is just a series of adventures.
• His character isn't altered in the narrative's course; he ends as he began.
• As he sees himself, criminality isn't in him. Yes, he's a rascal, but a carefree, sympathetic rascal.
Read this book. It is long and rambling and tangled with digressions. The characters are many: endearing, inspiring, annoying, self-centered, provoking, duplicitous. Most have stories to tell, and they tell them. It's a road trip, gosh darn it.
146laytonwoman3rd
>143 weird_O: You've got me.
147richardderus
>143 weird_O: I upgethumbèd your review! As Towles and I are not simpatico, I ain't gettin' book bulleted, but I know a persuasive review when I read one.
148msf59
>143 weird_O: "It is long and rambling and tangled with digressions." It certainly is, Bill but you clearly stated how enjoyable you found it, as well. A bit more than I did but that hardly matters.
Great review! Big Thumb! It looks like you are going to inspire a few others to read it. I sure hope this gets you to read A Gentleman in Moscow. That is his masterpiece, IMHO.
Great review! Big Thumb! It looks like you are going to inspire a few others to read it. I sure hope this gets you to read A Gentleman in Moscow. That is his masterpiece, IMHO.
149klobrien2
>143 weird_O: I’ve just gotten The Lincoln Highway from the library, so your review is perfect timing for me. Can’t wait!
Karen O
Karen O
150weird_O
From Post 144 through 149, you all liked the report on The Lincoln Highway. Thank you all.
----------
Attendance has been spotty at this outpost. I've been Lurky MacLurkdingy most of January.
Yet I read 13 books. That's a decent number for those of us who read at a stroll rather than a race-walk.
January 2022 (13 read)
1. An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good, Helene Tursten. Finished 1/1/22
2. Interior Chinatown, Charles Yu. Finished 1/4/22
3. On Tyranny graphic edition, Timothy Snyder, illus. Nora Krug. Finished 1/5/22
4. Vertigo: A Novel in Woodcuts, Lynd Ward. Finished 1/12/22
5. Way Station, Clifford Simak. Finished 1/13/22
6. The Lincoln Highway, Amor Towles. Finished 1/16/22
7. The Paris Apartment, Kelly Bowen. Finished 1/18/22
8. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Finished 1/21/22
9. Macbeth (Usborne Graphic Shakespeare), Russell Punter, illus Massimiliano Longo and Valentino Forlini. Finished 1/23/22
10. Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout, Lauren Redniss. Finished 1/24/22
11. Freddy and the Dragon, Walter R. Brooks. Finished 1/27/22
12. Maus I: My Father Bleeds History, Art Spiegelman. Finished 1/28/22
13. Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began, Art Spiegelman. Finished 1/29/22
----------
Attendance has been spotty at this outpost. I've been Lurky MacLurkdingy most of January.
Yet I read 13 books. That's a decent number for those of us who read at a stroll rather than a race-walk.
January 2022 (13 read)
1. An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good, Helene Tursten. Finished 1/1/22
2. Interior Chinatown, Charles Yu. Finished 1/4/22
3. On Tyranny graphic edition, Timothy Snyder, illus. Nora Krug. Finished 1/5/22
4. Vertigo: A Novel in Woodcuts, Lynd Ward. Finished 1/12/22
5. Way Station, Clifford Simak. Finished 1/13/22
6. The Lincoln Highway, Amor Towles. Finished 1/16/22
7. The Paris Apartment, Kelly Bowen. Finished 1/18/22
8. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Finished 1/21/22
9. Macbeth (Usborne Graphic Shakespeare), Russell Punter, illus Massimiliano Longo and Valentino Forlini. Finished 1/23/22
10. Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout, Lauren Redniss. Finished 1/24/22
11. Freddy and the Dragon, Walter R. Brooks. Finished 1/27/22
12. Maus I: My Father Bleeds History, Art Spiegelman. Finished 1/28/22
13. Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began, Art Spiegelman. Finished 1/29/22
151weird_O
Happy Lunar New Year! Eat some dumplings.
I seem to be under some narcoleptic spell. Maybe coffee is the antidote.
I seem to be under some narcoleptic spell. Maybe coffee is the antidote.
152Storeetllr
>143 weird_O: Great review. Almost makes me want to read the book.
>140 weird_O: Naked mice! Horrors! (I need to reread the Maus duology too.)
Happy Lunar New Year!
>140 weird_O: Naked mice! Horrors! (I need to reread the Maus duology too.)
Happy Lunar New Year!
153weird_O
>152 Storeetllr: I'm proud to have persuaded you to read The Lincoln Highway, Mary. Well. . .almost.
I'm annoyed that I can't find those cussed cuss words. Supposedly there are 8, but I've found only 4. Fooey.
The final granddaughter turned four on Sunday. She's Annie.
I'm annoyed that I can't find those cussed cuss words. Supposedly there are 8, but I've found only 4. Fooey.
The final granddaughter turned four on Sunday. She's Annie.
154jessibud2
>153 weird_O: - Looking so grown up! Sweet!
155Storeetllr
>153 weird_O: Oh! She is beautiful! And, yes, so grown up looking, especially in contrast to Ruby, who just turned 3. Belated happy birthday wishes to Annie!
156weird_O
Kicked off the library book-sales season today in Bethlehem. I got a late start; showed up at 1 instead of noon, when the door opened. Because of covid, the sale bosses limit the number of shoppers to 50. So instead of the room being crowded, the hall is crowded. Nice.
The unpositive upshot is that a lot of the inventory exited before I got into the room. Boo. I didn't find a whole lot, although I did get some good books. I came away with fewer books from this sale than I ever have in roughly 5 sales annually for the last 5 years. Which DOES have a positive aspect.
Book Group Shot:
The unpositive upshot is that a lot of the inventory exited before I got into the room. Boo. I didn't find a whole lot, although I did get some good books. I came away with fewer books from this sale than I ever have in roughly 5 sales annually for the last 5 years. Which DOES have a positive aspect.
Book Group Shot:
157PaulCranswick
Nice haul, Bill, and there are a few that we now share on there.
158Berly
Annie is adorable!!!
I enjoyed both Red Clocks and Anxious People and have The Night Watchman in my TBR pile. Have fun!!
I enjoyed both Red Clocks and Anxious People and have The Night Watchman in my TBR pile. Have fun!!
159ursula
>156 weird_O: In that small stack of books, you managed to pick up 2 of the 5 books I read in January!
160jessibud2
Someone is wearing SHORTS??! In February?! Eek.
Bill, what is the Tom Gauld book? I can make out his name on the spine but not the title.
Bill, what is the Tom Gauld book? I can make out his name on the spine but not the title.
161katiekrug
>160 jessibud2: - The genius kid in shorts is also wearing his mask below his nose, so....
162laytonwoman3rd
>161 katiekrug: I think all those kids have their masks below the nose. I would be freaking out in that confined space. Not even for a book sale...
163katiekrug
>162 laytonwoman3rd: - It gave me the heebie-jeebies, just seeing it!
164weird_O
>160 jessibud2: >161 katiekrug: >162 laytonwoman3rd: The genius family of mom and four kids ALL wore their masks over their mouths but not their noses. Since it was 40°F, the shorts aren't unthinkable. I had doffed my sweatshirt inside, buried it under the books in my little tote, and walked to my car in a tee-shirt (yes, and pants and shoes). The Tom Gauld is titled Mooncop.
>154 jessibud2: >155 Storeetllr: >158 Berly: Annie is cool, and she's come out of shyness in the last six months. She used to hide behind her mom or dad, even during a Zoom chat. All of a sudden, she was sitting at the table and chattering. I just know she'll respond well to tickling. Here's hoping that the vax will be approved for kids 5 and under.
>159 ursula: It seems you like both of them too. That's encouraging. I was undecided about Red Clocks at the beginning of the year. Then I settled on not going out of my way to acquire. And so it's just fallen into my hands. It's my destiny to read it. An Advanced Reading Copy signed by the author to "Jennifer".
>157 PaulCranswick: It feels good to me that I'm finding books that others (who I consider to be discerning readers) have cited, recommended, or otherwise added to their shelves. :-)
>154 jessibud2: >155 Storeetllr: >158 Berly: Annie is cool, and she's come out of shyness in the last six months. She used to hide behind her mom or dad, even during a Zoom chat. All of a sudden, she was sitting at the table and chattering. I just know she'll respond well to tickling. Here's hoping that the vax will be approved for kids 5 and under.
>159 ursula: It seems you like both of them too. That's encouraging. I was undecided about Red Clocks at the beginning of the year. Then I settled on not going out of my way to acquire. And so it's just fallen into my hands. It's my destiny to read it. An Advanced Reading Copy signed by the author to "Jennifer".
>157 PaulCranswick: It feels good to me that I'm finding books that others (who I consider to be discerning readers) have cited, recommended, or otherwise added to their shelves. :-)
166richardderus
>156 weird_O: Ooo, Mooncop! That, and The Only Good Indians, are the ones I'm most excited to see you read.
167benitastrnad
I think you should pull Only Good Indians out of the pile and read it next. or maybe Red Clocks but definitely Only Good Indians.
168alcottacre
>150 weird_O: Looks like you had a terrific month, Bill. Congratulations!
>153 weird_O: What a cutie!
>156 weird_O: Nice haul!
Have a fantastic Friday!
>153 weird_O: What a cutie!
>156 weird_O: Nice haul!
Have a fantastic Friday!
169RBeffa
>134 laytonwoman3rd: Linda, waystation is very good.
170figsfromthistle
>156 weird_O: Yay! A book sale. Nice haul! Our library book sale has been cancelled three years in a row. Today my local used bookstore has a member only exclusive 50% off sale. I will have to head over after work.
171PaulCranswick
>164 weird_O: I will take some comfort Bill that I get associated with discerning readership!
Have a great weekend.
Have a great weekend.
172richardderus
I'm very glad you enjoyed Mooncop, Bill, but >167 benitastrnad: speaketh sooth about Stephen Graham Jones.
173weird_O
>166 richardderus: >167 benitastrnad: >172 richardderus: Your urgent recommendations are noted. Fairly actionable; see list below.
>165 klobrien2: >168 alcottacre: >170 figsfromthistle: Yes, I agree, though it feels odd to me to call a stack of merely 10 books "a good haul". Given the venue, I anticipate collecting twice that number. Not a complaint, just an observation.
------------------
Spurred by a desire to read a Vonnegut short story titled "Harrison Bergeron" and to get a Raymond Carver story collection for the AAC February, I drove to Kutztown's Firefly Bookstore. Stopping along the way, I picked up a half-dozen each of fastnachts and crullers which are made only for about a month before Lent. Mmmmm. Also a pizza.
My scatterbrained scheme for February:
Orwell's Roses, Rebecca Solnit (current read)
Macbeth, Will Shakespeare
The Only Good Indians, Stephen Graham Jones
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, Raymond Carver
Macbeth, Jo Nesbo
The Sea of Monsters, Rick Riordan
Somethin'...
Somethin' else...
So there!
>165 klobrien2: >168 alcottacre: >170 figsfromthistle: Yes, I agree, though it feels odd to me to call a stack of merely 10 books "a good haul". Given the venue, I anticipate collecting twice that number. Not a complaint, just an observation.
------------------
Spurred by a desire to read a Vonnegut short story titled "Harrison Bergeron" and to get a Raymond Carver story collection for the AAC February, I drove to Kutztown's Firefly Bookstore. Stopping along the way, I picked up a half-dozen each of fastnachts and crullers which are made only for about a month before Lent. Mmmmm. Also a pizza.
Books acquired:
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, Raymond Carver
Welcome to the Monkey House: A Collection of Short Works, Kurt Vonnegut
How to Change Your Mind, Michael Pollan
My scatterbrained scheme for February:
Orwell's Roses, Rebecca Solnit (current read)
Macbeth, Will Shakespeare
The Only Good Indians, Stephen Graham Jones
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, Raymond Carver
Macbeth, Jo Nesbo
The Sea of Monsters, Rick Riordan
Somethin'...
Somethin' else...
So there!
175laytonwoman3rd
>173 weird_O: "a Raymond Carver story collection for the AAC February" So is it the version his wife badgered into publication after his death, or the "severely edited" one that was published first?
176weird_O
>175 laytonwoman3rd: Gee, I dunno. Touchstone is mute on that. Hmmm. But it is a new book, which makes me think it is the former. Interesting review posted in 2020: I'm ready to credit Raymond Carver's editor with his success as a short-story writer. Hmmm. So did the reviewer read the original editor's version or Tess Gallagher's version. Now, see, uh. I had to see that RD gave this collection a paltry three stars just one year ago. I covered my eyes, read not a word.
ETA: Talk about spoilers.
ETA: Talk about spoilers.
177laytonwoman3rd
>176 weird_O: I believe the Library of America collection of Carver's work contains what Tess viewed as "the way Ray wanted it". I'm going to pull it off the shelf and see if the introduction tells me for certain.
ETA: OK, it seems that the LOA collection contains the "manuscript version" of What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, (entitled Beginners), as well as the originally published version. So comparisons can be made.
ETA: OK, it seems that the LOA collection contains the "manuscript version" of What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, (entitled Beginners), as well as the originally published version. So comparisons can be made.
178weird_O
>177 laytonwoman3rd: So are you going to do it, compare the two versions? I'm looking at the read as a Wild Card for February, Carver instead of Gallagher. You have the LoA book. I don't, and I don't want to buy it. Hmmm. Am I being uncooperative?
179RBeffa
>174 weird_O: I keep coming back here to watch this gif. Weird it is and oddly fascinating.
180weird_O
>179 RBeffa: Weird it is and oddly fascinating. Isn't it. I like when it is still loading and you can capture each little action in slo-mo.
181laytonwoman3rd
>178 weird_O: Not uncooperative at all. I think it's pretty appropriate to substitute Ray for Tess. I haven't decided if I'll plunge into his work or not. I know he's highly regarded as a "master" of the short form, but that's never my favorite, so we'll see. I'm nearly finished with one of her collections of short fiction, which I think is quite excellent.
182weird_O
Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons Finished 1/13/22
The Weird Book ReportTM
:quality(50)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/semana/Q2LFFWECBZCBTKJOQ33O2WSBCA.jpg)
Watchmen is an epic comic book depicting the revival of "costumed adventurers" and their eventual fall, brought about—deliberately—by one of their own.
It's set in the United States, but a United States that won the war in Vietnam in 1971, that never uncovered the Watergate break-in, and that eliminated presidential term limits. Consequently, Nixon is still president in 1985 when the story begins. Internationally, tensions between the U.S. and Soviet Russia are high, threatening to spark World War III. As the story plays out, the Soviets do invade Afghanistan and seem poised to push through into Pakistan. Though costumed freelance crime-fighters were outlawed in 1977, two are now employed by the government. The murder of one such, Edward Blake, triggers an investigation that draws the interest of Rorschach, the character who ignored the ban and never stopped prowling.
>
The murder of Edward Blake, a.k.a. The Comedian
After the police depart the murder scene, Rorschach slips in and locates a false wall in the back of the bedroom closet, exposing the costume worn by The Comedian. He also finds The Comedian's signature yellow smiley-face pin, now marked with blood. The book's first chapter introduces each of the Watchmen, as Rorschach approaches each in turn to warn them, suggesting each is in danger, that it's a plot against all of them. We see their reactions, each one different from the others.
Dr. Manhattan (rear), Nite Owl II, Silk Spectre II, Rorschach, The Comedian, Ozymandias,
• Dr. Jon Osterman is unique. He is the lone Watchman with superpowers and the only one who can't shed his "costume." He's about 7 feet tall with the physique of Adonis, and he's blue, a nice shade of powder blue. Oh, and he's usually naked. In a 1959 accident with an experimental "Intrinsic Field Subtractor", Osterman was vaporized. Several months later he started to reappear, first as a brain and nervous system, then several days later with a circulatory system, adding a musculoskeletal structure after that, and finally skin, that blue skin. After his reappearance, he became known as Dr. Manhattan.
• Dan Dreiberg once patrolled as Nite Owl II, a persona he adopted after the original Nite Owl retired and resumed being just Hollis Mason. Dreiberg still has a stockpile of high tech devices he used when active as Night Owl II, but now he's melancholy, paunchy, and out of condition.
• Laurie Juspeczyk appears initially as Dr. Manhattan's lover. But he's distant, preoccupied, emotionally cold. When she leaves him, he hardly notices. The only child of Sally Jupiter, the first Silk Spectre, it's natural she would be Silk Spectre II. Her relationship with her mother has been strained, primarily because her mother won't tell her who her father is.
• Rorschach was another, always standing apart from the other Watchmen. Because he wasn't ever seen without his defining mask, no one really knew who he was until captured by police and unmasked as Walter Kovacs. He held rigidly to his vigilante pose, seeing the world in black and white terms without any compromising gray. Walter kept a diary and often leaked his grim views to the right-wing media.
• Edward Blake was known only as The Comedian. His persona was the coarse, muscle-bound, ruthless cynic, amoral, and usually at odds with the other Watchmen. He was one of the "costumed adventurers" retained by the government. Deployed in Vietnam, he was a conspicuously violent operative. He always wore a yellow smiley-face pin.
• Adrian Veidt is a rich guy, perhaps the richest in the world. Before turning to accumulation of money, Veidt patrolled as Ozymandias. The smartest guy in the world? Many think so. And he has the physical fitness and body control to match. What Veidt has trouble controlling is his condescension. He is, after all, smarter than everyone else.
The fate of humanity and of the world seem to be at stake. Dr. Manhattan with his superpowers has been America's deterrent to Soviet aggressiveness. His powers have been exhibited. But when he's accused of giving cancer to workers in the research lab, he abandons Earth for Mars. No longer threatened, the Soviets invade Afghanistan and drive toward Pakistan
Watchmen, the book, began as a 12-issue comic book series. From the beginning, the intent was to pull the issues together and publish the collection as a coherent book. The initial proposal came from veteran comic book writer Alan Moore. Illustrator Dave Gibbons wanted in, and later got colorist John Higgins involved. An immediate success, Watchmen has been in print for 35 years. It's the benchmark against which every new venture in the genre is measured.
By all means, give the book a look. It does dump a load of mayhem and violence into your lap, so it won't be for everyone. But it is the only graphic story Time selected for its top 100 list. Lev Grossman, one of the magazine's critics, wrote: "Told with ruthless psychological realism, in fugal, overlapping plotlines and gorgeous, cinematic panels rich with repeating motifs, Watchmen is a heart-pounding, heartbreaking read and a watershed in the evolution of a young medium."
The Weird Book ReportTM
:quality(50)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/semana/Q2LFFWECBZCBTKJOQ33O2WSBCA.jpg)
Watchmen is an epic comic book depicting the revival of "costumed adventurers" and their eventual fall, brought about—deliberately—by one of their own.
It's set in the United States, but a United States that won the war in Vietnam in 1971, that never uncovered the Watergate break-in, and that eliminated presidential term limits. Consequently, Nixon is still president in 1985 when the story begins. Internationally, tensions between the U.S. and Soviet Russia are high, threatening to spark World War III. As the story plays out, the Soviets do invade Afghanistan and seem poised to push through into Pakistan. Though costumed freelance crime-fighters were outlawed in 1977, two are now employed by the government. The murder of one such, Edward Blake, triggers an investigation that draws the interest of Rorschach, the character who ignored the ban and never stopped prowling.
>The murder of Edward Blake, a.k.a. The Comedian
After the police depart the murder scene, Rorschach slips in and locates a false wall in the back of the bedroom closet, exposing the costume worn by The Comedian. He also finds The Comedian's signature yellow smiley-face pin, now marked with blood. The book's first chapter introduces each of the Watchmen, as Rorschach approaches each in turn to warn them, suggesting each is in danger, that it's a plot against all of them. We see their reactions, each one different from the others.
Dr. Manhattan (rear), Nite Owl II, Silk Spectre II, Rorschach, The Comedian, Ozymandias,
• Dr. Jon Osterman is unique. He is the lone Watchman with superpowers and the only one who can't shed his "costume." He's about 7 feet tall with the physique of Adonis, and he's blue, a nice shade of powder blue. Oh, and he's usually naked. In a 1959 accident with an experimental "Intrinsic Field Subtractor", Osterman was vaporized. Several months later he started to reappear, first as a brain and nervous system, then several days later with a circulatory system, adding a musculoskeletal structure after that, and finally skin, that blue skin. After his reappearance, he became known as Dr. Manhattan.
• Dan Dreiberg once patrolled as Nite Owl II, a persona he adopted after the original Nite Owl retired and resumed being just Hollis Mason. Dreiberg still has a stockpile of high tech devices he used when active as Night Owl II, but now he's melancholy, paunchy, and out of condition.
• Laurie Juspeczyk appears initially as Dr. Manhattan's lover. But he's distant, preoccupied, emotionally cold. When she leaves him, he hardly notices. The only child of Sally Jupiter, the first Silk Spectre, it's natural she would be Silk Spectre II. Her relationship with her mother has been strained, primarily because her mother won't tell her who her father is.
• Rorschach was another, always standing apart from the other Watchmen. Because he wasn't ever seen without his defining mask, no one really knew who he was until captured by police and unmasked as Walter Kovacs. He held rigidly to his vigilante pose, seeing the world in black and white terms without any compromising gray. Walter kept a diary and often leaked his grim views to the right-wing media.
• Edward Blake was known only as The Comedian. His persona was the coarse, muscle-bound, ruthless cynic, amoral, and usually at odds with the other Watchmen. He was one of the "costumed adventurers" retained by the government. Deployed in Vietnam, he was a conspicuously violent operative. He always wore a yellow smiley-face pin.
• Adrian Veidt is a rich guy, perhaps the richest in the world. Before turning to accumulation of money, Veidt patrolled as Ozymandias. The smartest guy in the world? Many think so. And he has the physical fitness and body control to match. What Veidt has trouble controlling is his condescension. He is, after all, smarter than everyone else.
The fate of humanity and of the world seem to be at stake. Dr. Manhattan with his superpowers has been America's deterrent to Soviet aggressiveness. His powers have been exhibited. But when he's accused of giving cancer to workers in the research lab, he abandons Earth for Mars. No longer threatened, the Soviets invade Afghanistan and drive toward Pakistan
Watchmen, the book, began as a 12-issue comic book series. From the beginning, the intent was to pull the issues together and publish the collection as a coherent book. The initial proposal came from veteran comic book writer Alan Moore. Illustrator Dave Gibbons wanted in, and later got colorist John Higgins involved. An immediate success, Watchmen has been in print for 35 years. It's the benchmark against which every new venture in the genre is measured.
By all means, give the book a look. It does dump a load of mayhem and violence into your lap, so it won't be for everyone. But it is the only graphic story Time selected for its top 100 list. Lev Grossman, one of the magazine's critics, wrote: "Told with ruthless psychological realism, in fugal, overlapping plotlines and gorgeous, cinematic panels rich with repeating motifs, Watchmen is a heart-pounding, heartbreaking read and a watershed in the evolution of a young medium."
183quondame
>182 weird_O: I've read through it twice. I remember remembering nothing from the first time I read it when I re-read, and now, once again, all those pages might as well be new material for how little I recognize them. The mood, yes. Anything else no. And yet I do remember thinking it was well done and special.
184weird_O
>183 quondame: I read Watchmen through one time, but I paged back and forth through it. Can't say if consulting WikiPedia several times will help or hinder in what I remember of the book in the years to come. I've savored this book, looking at spreads or individual panels repeatedly. I think that'll be beneficial in remembering. I'll use this finding to report that I just completed my first reading of Rebecca Solnit's Orwell's Roses. First because I know I've missed so much that's important to thoroughly understand Orwell and Solnit.
185quondame
>184 weird_O: I have got to read some Rebecca Solnit but don't think I'll start with the Orwell. Orwell instantly turns me bitter(er) and angry(er) at the world, and there's no pressing need for that. I don't expect Ms. Solnit to exactly sweeten my mood, but at least I can hope to feel fellow traveler vibes.
186weird_O
Serendipity: I read a review of Orwell's Roses in the New York Review of Books. It's long. Here's a link: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2022/02/24/invitations-to-dig-deeper-orwells-ro....
I don't know if there's a paywall. I've had a subscription to the dead-tree edition for years, and I don't know how they work, but I can access the publication on line.
I don't know if there's a paywall. I've had a subscription to the dead-tree edition for years, and I don't know how they work, but I can access the publication on line.
187weird_O
I judge that my graphics loaded report on Watchmen is a crippling burden on my thread here. Sorry about that. I will be thinking about the structure of the next 'quel to my 2022 and get a new thread started. Need to apply what I've learned here, ain't?
Daily lifewise, I'm twitching between Macbeth as The Bard wrote it and Animal Farm as George Orwell wrote it. Who knows what I might be reading this afternoon and/or tomorrow; I certainly don't.
Daily lifewise, I'm twitching between Macbeth as The Bard wrote it and Animal Farm as George Orwell wrote it. Who knows what I might be reading this afternoon and/or tomorrow; I certainly don't.
188weird_O
The Paris Apartment by Kelly Bowen Finished 1/18/22
The Weird Book ReportTM
Aurelia Leclaire (Lia) inherited an apartment in Paris from her grandmother. The place has been closed up for decades, but it's fully furnished and jampacked with artwork. No one in the family knew Estelle Allard was an art lover, much less an art collector. No one knew she had this apartment. As far as Lia knew, her grandmère always lived in Marseilles. But here in the apartment are photos of Estelle…with Nazis in uniform. A postcard signed to Estelle from…Herman Goring! Her beloved grandmère a Nazi sympathizer, the apartment a repository of undoubtedly stolen art.
In addition to the apartment, Lia was given a small painting of a British manor house. Signed by William Seymour. Nothing about him on the Web. Another mystery.
But a different man named Seymour, Gabriel Seymour, is on the Web. He's a respected art restorer, and Lia hires him to help her identify the artworks and artists and locate surviving families to whom she can return the paintings. The story shifts to Estelle's life in 1940s Paris, with periodic returns to present day Paris. It's a pretty good yarn, revealing the interwoven exploits of Estelle and Gabriel's great aunt Sophie, long presumed dead in the 1939 bombing of Warsaw, where she worked in the British Embassy. I bit my nails some, but remained credulous as to the coincidental meeting of heirs. As an entertainment, it's quite good.
The Weird Book ReportTM
Aurelia Leclaire (Lia) inherited an apartment in Paris from her grandmother. The place has been closed up for decades, but it's fully furnished and jampacked with artwork. No one in the family knew Estelle Allard was an art lover, much less an art collector. No one knew she had this apartment. As far as Lia knew, her grandmère always lived in Marseilles. But here in the apartment are photos of Estelle…with Nazis in uniform. A postcard signed to Estelle from…Herman Goring! Her beloved grandmère a Nazi sympathizer, the apartment a repository of undoubtedly stolen art.
In addition to the apartment, Lia was given a small painting of a British manor house. Signed by William Seymour. Nothing about him on the Web. Another mystery.
But a different man named Seymour, Gabriel Seymour, is on the Web. He's a respected art restorer, and Lia hires him to help her identify the artworks and artists and locate surviving families to whom she can return the paintings. The story shifts to Estelle's life in 1940s Paris, with periodic returns to present day Paris. It's a pretty good yarn, revealing the interwoven exploits of Estelle and Gabriel's great aunt Sophie, long presumed dead in the 1939 bombing of Warsaw, where she worked in the British Embassy. I bit my nails some, but remained credulous as to the coincidental meeting of heirs. As an entertainment, it's quite good.
189laytonwoman3rd
>188 weird_O: Hmmm....this sort of set-up is usually less than a total success for me (I think of Sarah's Key, People of the Book, The Geographer's Library), and yet I am kind of a sucker when a new one comes along. With your cautious recommendation, I may take a look at it.
190ursula
>187 weird_O: I know that images can be a problem for some people but personally I love that you post a lot of images, especially pages from graphic novels like that.
191RBeffa
>188 weird_O: I would be very hesitant without a recommend but you have made this sound good. I may bite.
192msf59
Happy Friday, Bill! I hope to bookhorn in Watchman in the coming weeks. Good review. I enjoyed The Only Good Indians but it was very dark. I am also a big fan of Raymond Carver. Is this your first go around with him?
193weird_O
>185 quondame: I just ordered from Amazon:
I also have River of Shadows. Cripes, she's written 25 books. Lots to choose from.
>190 ursula: >191 RBeffa: Give it a try. The chapters set in the 1940s are good, but the framework chapters have some soft and gooey spots.
>192 msf59: Hey, welcome home, Uncle Traveling Mark. (That's a Fraggle Rock reference, FYI.) Your reading awaits. But so does Jackson. Reading? Or Jackson? Reading? Or Jackson? Wait! I know. Read TO Jackson.
Watchmen is worth your time. So The Only Good Indians is dark, huh? Is that why Richard is pushing it so hard? Nevermind. My best reading time is after dark. Then there's Carver. I read Will You Please Be Quiet, Please last fall. I picked up this other story collection to be my Wild Card in place of Tess Gallagher in the AAC. I think the edition I have presents the stories as Carver wrote them (and Gallagher edited them). I think he and his wife believed that Gordon Lisk, the publisher's editor, gutted them, and after Carver died, Gallagher moved heaven and earth to have a "restored" edition published. But you knew that, right?
A Field Guide to Getting LostSupposed to deliver Saturday, before 10 p.m.
Wanderlust: A History of Walking
Infinite Cities: A Trilogy of Atlases―San Francisco, New Orleans, New York
I also have River of Shadows. Cripes, she's written 25 books. Lots to choose from.
>190 ursula: >191 RBeffa: Give it a try. The chapters set in the 1940s are good, but the framework chapters have some soft and gooey spots.
>192 msf59: Hey, welcome home, Uncle Traveling Mark. (That's a Fraggle Rock reference, FYI.) Your reading awaits. But so does Jackson. Reading? Or Jackson? Reading? Or Jackson? Wait! I know. Read TO Jackson.
Watchmen is worth your time. So The Only Good Indians is dark, huh? Is that why Richard is pushing it so hard? Nevermind. My best reading time is after dark. Then there's Carver. I read Will You Please Be Quiet, Please last fall. I picked up this other story collection to be my Wild Card in place of Tess Gallagher in the AAC. I think the edition I have presents the stories as Carver wrote them (and Gallagher edited them). I think he and his wife believed that Gordon Lisk, the publisher's editor, gutted them, and after Carver died, Gallagher moved heaven and earth to have a "restored" edition published. But you knew that, right?
194quondame
>193 weird_O: I enjoyed the first of those. It's the only one of Solnit's I've read.
195alcottacre
>173 weird_O: I love your scatterbrained plan for February, Bill!
>182 weird_O: Dodging that BB as I have already read it.
>188 weird_O: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the review and recommedation.
Have a wonderful weekend!
>182 weird_O: Dodging that BB as I have already read it.
>188 weird_O: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the review and recommedation.
Have a wonderful weekend!
196weird_O
>194 quondame: Glad to read that you liked A Field Guide to Getting Lost, Susan. It's tempting to dive right into that one, thus blowing off Shakespeare, Orwell, Redniss, Spiegelman, Carver, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
>173 weird_O: Glad you like the scatterplan, Stasia, but it's already blowing up. Too many temptations. I got five more books today. Instead of a productive day with books tomorrow, I'll be driving to a field hockey tourney to cheer on The Grand Gracie. At least an hour's drive each way. Oh ye gods!
>173 weird_O: Glad you like the scatterplan, Stasia, but it's already blowing up. Too many temptations. I got five more books today. Instead of a productive day with books tomorrow, I'll be driving to a field hockey tourney to cheer on The Grand Gracie. At least an hour's drive each way. Oh ye gods!
197PaulCranswick
>193 weird_O: I am gonna give Carver's missus a try, bookishly of course, and I think it is an interesting pick by Linda for the American Author Challenge.
Have a great weekend, Bill.
Have a great weekend, Bill.
198weird_O
Yes, interesting pick by Linda. And with the Wild Card option, I can read Gallagher's mister another try. I will say that Linda's report on At the Owl Woman Saloon makes the collection of stories by Carver's missus appealing. Can I find a copy of that and get it read in two weeks? Hurm.
199PaulCranswick
>199 PaulCranswick: I got my copy on Open Library, Bill. No chance in the shops here. Carver is available locally though in my bookstore.
200weird_O
I am pretty much recovered from my SportingEvent spectating of Sunday. Noooo. Not that Super Bowl thingie. Didn't watch that. I went to a field hockey tournament that The Grand Gracie's team was playing in. The event draws teams from a several-state region, and each team plays four games. It's indoors, on a reduced-size field. And five or six games are being played simultaneously. Hooo. The venue was HUGE, the building enclosing 14 acres. And it was hosting similar tournaments in other sports—volleyball, soccer, basketball, wrestling, and all going on at the same time. Thousands of participants and spectators. Barely tolerable for this introvert. I had slept well Saturday night. Two-and-a-half hours on the road, 3 hours or so in the venue. A long nap followed my return, and I remained wiped out into today.
I coulda been reading...
I coulda been reading...
201msf59
Kelly Bowen is gorgeous. Just sayin'...
A Field Guide to Getting Lost is excellent. Joe is a big fan too. Great choice.
A Field Guide to Getting Lost is excellent. Joe is a big fan too. Great choice.
203Crazymamie
Bill, I have been here several times, and yet I find no trace of me - I guess I have been lurking, but I could have sworn I had posted. Losing my mind, I guess. It wouldn't be the first time, but so far I have always managed to find it again.
>190 ursula: What Ursula said.
>193 weird_O: Now you are hitting me with BBs you have not even read yet. Hm.
>200 weird_O: You coulda been reading but instead you were being a good granddad. Well done.
Your thread is one of my very favorite places. Just saying...Oh, Weird One.
>190 ursula: What Ursula said.
>193 weird_O: Now you are hitting me with BBs you have not even read yet. Hm.
>200 weird_O: You coulda been reading but instead you were being a good granddad. Well done.
Your thread is one of my very favorite places. Just saying...Oh, Weird One.
205benitastrnad
I am not sure if I mentioned it on this thread or on the previous thread. I just read a book on Women's Field Hockey. We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry. It was a book about a high school field hockey team and its championship season. It was also full of nostalgic bits of information and was a great coming of age story. It was also about the beginnings of the culture wards. It was rollicking good fun and I enjoyed reading it. I know that you aren't much of a sports fan, (I am not either) but this one might be one to put on your radar screen to watch for at the book sales. It was an Alex Award winner in 2021. That is for adult books that Young Adults would enjoy reading and I totally get why this one was on that list.
206weird_O
>205 benitastrnad: Hey, thanks for that, Benita. As it happens, Mary (Bell7) mentioned that book last year, and I gave a copy of it to The Grand Gracie, who is a field hockey fanatic, for Christmas.
------------------
Want you all to know that I channeled some domestic god or other yesterday.
1. Three loads of laundry washed, dried, hung up/put away.
2. Emptied the last three or four clean dishes from the dishwasher, then cleared the stockpile of dirties from the counters, almost filling the dishwasher. Pans cleaned and in the drainer.
3. Groceries bought and put away.
4. Sube gassed up, oil added.
5. Changed sheet and pillow cases. Olds are in the drier as I write.
6. Extricated a Kenwood receiver/amp from the shop and today, after starting the beef stew, will endeavor to hook it up.
Yay for me!
------------------
Want you all to know that I channeled some domestic god or other yesterday.
1. Three loads of laundry washed, dried, hung up/put away.
2. Emptied the last three or four clean dishes from the dishwasher, then cleared the stockpile of dirties from the counters, almost filling the dishwasher. Pans cleaned and in the drainer.
3. Groceries bought and put away.
4. Sube gassed up, oil added.
5. Changed sheet and pillow cases. Olds are in the drier as I write.
6. Extricated a Kenwood receiver/amp from the shop and today, after starting the beef stew, will endeavor to hook it up.
Yay for me!
207lauralkeet
>206 weird_O: Wow, that's an impressive list of accomplishments. It has the added benefit of reminding me I have laundry in the washer than needs to be moved to the dryer just as soon as I finish my sandwich.
209weird_O
Thanks, Laura. Reading your post reminded me that the sheets and pillow cases were in the dryer and it'd stopped running.
I've decided to put the reads I have going on hold so I can jump into the group read of Michael Chabon's Moonglow. I read it before, but didn't realize that was 4 1/2 years ago. Scanning the comments in the group thread, I found blanks in my recall of the book. So a re-read I shall perform, beginning in 5...4...3...2....
I've decided to put the reads I have going on hold so I can jump into the group read of Michael Chabon's Moonglow. I read it before, but didn't realize that was 4 1/2 years ago. Scanning the comments in the group thread, I found blanks in my recall of the book. So a re-read I shall perform, beginning in 5...4...3...2....
211laytonwoman3rd
"Extricated a Kenwood receiver/amp" Ohh....a technical report will need to be filed on that. We still have some Kenwood stuff on active duty around here.
212LovingLit
>143 weird_O: ooooh, a VG+ for the latest from the pen of Amor Towles, that sounds promising!
>174 weird_O: Seriously, you find the best weird things.
>188 weird_O: Aurelia Leclaire (Lia) inherited an apartment in Paris from her grandmother.
Hey! That's *MY* dream life! Danggit ;)
>174 weird_O: Seriously, you find the best weird things.
>188 weird_O: Aurelia Leclaire (Lia) inherited an apartment in Paris from her grandmother.
Hey! That's *MY* dream life! Danggit ;)
213Whisper1
>1 weird_O: What a tower of interesting books! Lately, I've started to go through books throughout the house and take a tough look at those I know I might not read, then donate them to the Easton, PA library. Though, in conversation with Diane Keenoy a few days ago, she did the same, then read a book by an author whose books she previously donated and was sorry she did.
214weird_O
>203 Crazymamie: Yow! It's been four days and I have not acknowledged your visit, Mamie. How ya comin' with Orwell? I gotta report on Orwell's Roses, along with four or five other books. What's distracted me the last few days is the Holocaust. I read and re-read Maus, then dowloaded and listen to the Zoom session Spiegelman had with folks about the McMinn County, TN, schools flap. Then I discovered where my copy of Moonglow was hiding and jumped into re-reading it. And both those reading endeavors keep sending me to my computer to look for this photo or that one, check on this character or that one. Chabon's book especially has sent me into the stacks for my copy of Operation Paperclip, which reports on the US gov't program that imported hundreds of Nazi war criminals into the country to continue their research for us instead of them (or the Soviets).
ETA: >208 Crazymamie: Sorry, sorry. Just being distracted.
ETA: >208 Crazymamie: Sorry, sorry. Just being distracted.
215weird_O
>210 msf59: Thanks, Mark
>211 laytonwoman3rd: Here's as technical as I can get, Linda. I was using a Technics turntable and a Panasonic receiver/amp to listen to selected vinyl in my basement lair, but I've pretty much abandoned that hidey-hole. In extricating that setup, I screwed up the connections and settings and was unsuccessful in getting it working. (Just today I found in the manual the trick of resetting all the various adjustments to the default settings.) So I tried using a Kenwood receiver/amp that I was using to play music from my iPod in the shop. Still fumbling, but I've got music now. Need to set up the turntable so I can access music on vinyl I never digitized.
>211 laytonwoman3rd: Here's as technical as I can get, Linda. I was using a Technics turntable and a Panasonic receiver/amp to listen to selected vinyl in my basement lair, but I've pretty much abandoned that hidey-hole. In extricating that setup, I screwed up the connections and settings and was unsuccessful in getting it working. (Just today I found in the manual the trick of resetting all the various adjustments to the default settings.) So I tried using a Kenwood receiver/amp that I was using to play music from my iPod in the shop. Still fumbling, but I've got music now. Need to set up the turntable so I can access music on vinyl I never digitized.
216laytonwoman3rd
Hey, it sounds better on vinyl....we're systematically listening to all our old albums, trying to weed out stuff we don't care about anymore. In some cases we have both vinyl and CD versions, and we are astonished that we can hear so much difference between them with out antique ears.
217karenmarie
Hiya, Bill!
>102 weird_O: You know what to do about On Tyranny. Am I correct? No, I’m clueless. Fill me in?
>106 weird_O: I didn’t get the espresso stamps, but I did get the coffee stamps.
>109 weird_O: Beautiful artwork, thanks for sharing so much of it.
>127 weird_O: Onto the wish list!
>137 weird_O: I have the first Freddy the Pig book, Freddy Goes to Florida on my Kindle. I’d sorta forgotten about it, thanks for the reminder.
>143 weird_O: I’m actually more inclined to read it now that you say it’s long and rambling and tangled with digressions. I’ve loaned it to a friend of mine, but it will return soon enough.
>153 weird_O: Belated happy birthday to Annie. What a cutie.
>157 PaulCranswick: Instant Lives, illustrated by one of my favorite writers/illustrators, Edward Gorey, is cherce. I predict that you will enjoy it.
I’m on the Book Sale team of the Friends of the Library, and we’re planning for a two-day Fiction/Mystery/Science Fiction sale April 1 and April 2. Keep your fingers crossed that nothing will interfere. We haven’t had a book sale since Fall of 2019.
>206 weird_O: Yay for you!
>102 weird_O: You know what to do about On Tyranny. Am I correct? No, I’m clueless. Fill me in?
>106 weird_O: I didn’t get the espresso stamps, but I did get the coffee stamps.
>109 weird_O: Beautiful artwork, thanks for sharing so much of it.
>127 weird_O: Onto the wish list!
>137 weird_O: I have the first Freddy the Pig book, Freddy Goes to Florida on my Kindle. I’d sorta forgotten about it, thanks for the reminder.
>143 weird_O: I’m actually more inclined to read it now that you say it’s long and rambling and tangled with digressions. I’ve loaned it to a friend of mine, but it will return soon enough.
>153 weird_O: Belated happy birthday to Annie. What a cutie.
>157 PaulCranswick: Instant Lives, illustrated by one of my favorite writers/illustrators, Edward Gorey, is cherce. I predict that you will enjoy it.
I’m on the Book Sale team of the Friends of the Library, and we’re planning for a two-day Fiction/Mystery/Science Fiction sale April 1 and April 2. Keep your fingers crossed that nothing will interfere. We haven’t had a book sale since Fall of 2019.
>206 weird_O: Yay for you!
218weird_O
>212 LovingLit: Hi, Megan. Yes, I liked The Lincoln Highway very much. I seem to be on a roll with those VG+ reads.
I have a granddaughter named Aurelia, called Lia. Thanks to covid, I haven't seen her or hugged her (or her two sisters) in a year. Saw them via Zoom yesterday, but that's not nearly the same.
>213 Whisper1: I like to read good news from you, Linda. I too have a lot of books (mostly but not exclusively duplicates) to part with. I'm just undecided about which library I should bequeath them to.
>216 laytonwoman3rd: I don't have a critical ear, Linda. I just have a lot of music on vinyl only. I have other music on CDs only. Then I have copies of music from relative and friends. I don't deal well with the sort of crazed, almost artificial, obsolescence that rules us these days. Trying to keep the old electronics working. (Especially so with computers. Every software "upgrade" means to me that features vital to me are disappearing.)
I have a granddaughter named Aurelia, called Lia. Thanks to covid, I haven't seen her or hugged her (or her two sisters) in a year. Saw them via Zoom yesterday, but that's not nearly the same.
>213 Whisper1: I like to read good news from you, Linda. I too have a lot of books (mostly but not exclusively duplicates) to part with. I'm just undecided about which library I should bequeath them to.
>216 laytonwoman3rd: I don't have a critical ear, Linda. I just have a lot of music on vinyl only. I have other music on CDs only. Then I have copies of music from relative and friends. I don't deal well with the sort of crazed, almost artificial, obsolescence that rules us these days. Trying to keep the old electronics working. (Especially so with computers. Every software "upgrade" means to me that features vital to me are disappearing.)
219weird_O
>217 karenmarie: Gracious sakes alive, Karen. So nice to have you pop by. You really do read the posts, too.
• In post 97, you wrote: I started and never finished On Tyranny. Methinks I should
have bought the version illustrated by Nora Krug. In post 102, I replied: You know what to do about On Tyranny. Am I correct? What I meant was: "So go get a copy of the graphic edition of On Tyranny and read it from beginning to end." :-)
• Gosh, I didn't even see coffee stamps. Missed 'em.
• Artwork is SOOO vital to the graphic story that a failure to share more than a sample or two is a disservice to the potential reader. That's why I value Amazon's "Look Inside" feature.
• Credit to Joe (I'm pretty sure) who fired the BB. And a nod to drneutron, my 2021 LT Secret Santa, for gifting me with it. Enjoy.
• My brother, Freddy the Pig fan that he is, would tell me to tell you to get crackin' and read it.
• Get it back. Get it back. Read it.
• She is a cutie. Yes indeed.
• You're not April Foolin' about that book sale, are you? Keen!
• In post 97, you wrote: I started and never finished On Tyranny. Methinks I should
have bought the version illustrated by Nora Krug. In post 102, I replied: You know what to do about On Tyranny. Am I correct? What I meant was: "So go get a copy of the graphic edition of On Tyranny and read it from beginning to end." :-)
• Gosh, I didn't even see coffee stamps. Missed 'em.
• Artwork is SOOO vital to the graphic story that a failure to share more than a sample or two is a disservice to the potential reader. That's why I value Amazon's "Look Inside" feature.
• Credit to Joe (I'm pretty sure) who fired the BB. And a nod to drneutron, my 2021 LT Secret Santa, for gifting me with it. Enjoy.
• My brother, Freddy the Pig fan that he is, would tell me to tell you to get crackin' and read it.
• Get it back. Get it back. Read it.
• She is a cutie. Yes indeed.
• You're not April Foolin' about that book sale, are you? Keen!
220weird_O
I've been grappling with several books that all seem rooted in World War II: Maus, Moonglow, Orwell's Roses, Animal Farm, even to some extent, Radioactive. They all are challenging to digest. And, of course, they are tough reads to follow. What to read next?
I have a toehold in Macbeth and a couple stories read from Raymond Carver's What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. Last night (this morning) I read the opening vignette (12 pages) in The Only Good Indians.
Hurmmm.
I have a toehold in Macbeth and a couple stories read from Raymond Carver's What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. Last night (this morning) I read the opening vignette (12 pages) in The Only Good Indians.
Hurmmm.
221msf59
Howdy, Bill. I finally started Moonglow, just under 200 pages in. I am really enjoying it. Chabon is a terrific author. I have Orwell's Roses on my audio list.
222weird_O
I'm one of those people who find that "scheduling" the reading of a particular book will sap any interest in actually reading it. So I'm in a bit of a sump. Interest in charging into Macbeth is low, as is my interest in savoring the individual treats in the sampler of Raymond Carver stories called What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. Reading instead The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. Halfway through this chilling, grisly story.
I'm also trying to complete some book reports.
I'm also trying to complete some book reports.
223richardderus
>222 weird_O: I am the same...I don't want to do the work when it becomes work. I turned down a reviewer slot because reading to *their* schedule made me feel mulish just contemplating it.
224weird_O
Finished The Only Good Indian just now. Grisly and chilling. A piece of work, I must say, wrapping up every last loose end on the last page. Oh ye gods!
To Richard goes the thanks. I paid heed.
ETA: Book # 19.
To Richard goes the thanks. I paid heed.
ETA: Book # 19.
225richardderus
>224 weird_O: Yay!! I am sure that you will be grateful, as your nightmares wind up their plot-threads, that he left no room for a sequel.
226weird_O
Riding that ol' roller coaster. And I h*a*t*e roller coasters.
Getting a turntable steamed and dry-cleaned so I can play my collection of 40-, 50-, even 60-year-old vinyl. Yeehaw! I'm envisioning happiness.
Except a tooth is being painful, necessitating a dental appointment (just this morning) that is sending me off to interview endodontists in hopes a root canal will rescue da toot. Phone calls. I h*a*t*e phone calls.
On the other hand, I got my hair cut and my face mowed this afternoon, with pre and post visits to my old hometown library to snaffle up three $5-a-bag...uh...bags. Have to see if I can get them books reigned in tomorrow. After phone calls.
ETA that I checked out a graphic edition of Macbeth, adapted and illustrated by Gareth Hinds. I mean, it was a library and there it was. I read a different graphic version of the play. I think Hinds' version will be better; certainly his illos are better. I am reading a word-based version of the play by some guy named Shakespeare. And a much longer version by Jo Nesbo is downloading into the queue.
I gotta snap out of this!
Getting a turntable steamed and dry-cleaned so I can play my collection of 40-, 50-, even 60-year-old vinyl. Yeehaw! I'm envisioning happiness.
Except a tooth is being painful, necessitating a dental appointment (just this morning) that is sending me off to interview endodontists in hopes a root canal will rescue da toot. Phone calls. I h*a*t*e phone calls.
On the other hand, I got my hair cut and my face mowed this afternoon, with pre and post visits to my old hometown library to snaffle up three $5-a-bag...uh...bags. Have to see if I can get them books reigned in tomorrow. After phone calls.
ETA that I checked out a graphic edition of Macbeth, adapted and illustrated by Gareth Hinds. I mean, it was a library and there it was. I read a different graphic version of the play. I think Hinds' version will be better; certainly his illos are better. I am reading a word-based version of the play by some guy named Shakespeare. And a much longer version by Jo Nesbo is downloading into the queue.
I gotta snap out of this!
227weird_O
The excitement continues to build, doesn't it.
I've booked a seat on some endodontist's tour through the dental canals of weird_o's #3 molar. Good luck to me.
On a less painful plane, I count 49 rewards for my rescue efforts at the hometown library's charity bookage event, including E. Lynn Harris's Just Too Good to Be True for last year's AAC (or was it the year before that) and Gish Jen's Typical American for this year's AAC. Also notable: I borrowed a book from the library for the first time in the '20s.
I guess I should read something, yeah?
I've booked a seat on some endodontist's tour through the dental canals of weird_o's #3 molar. Good luck to me.
On a less painful plane, I count 49 rewards for my rescue efforts at the hometown library's charity bookage event, including E. Lynn Harris's Just Too Good to Be True for last year's AAC (or was it the year before that) and Gish Jen's Typical American for this year's AAC. Also notable: I borrowed a book from the library for the first time in the '20s.
I guess I should read something, yeah?
229richardderus
>227 weird_O: I guess I should read something, yeah?
Now, Bill...you're in the throes of life- and mind-altering times, what with root canals and the attendant maskless co-breathing and suchlike, and the phone-calling, and the stuff-doing inherent in not being comatose...let's not add the one-straw-too-many to your camelhairèd back.
Bird by bird, buddy.
Now, Bill...you're in the throes of life- and mind-altering times, what with root canals and the attendant maskless co-breathing and suchlike, and the phone-calling, and the stuff-doing inherent in not being comatose...let's not add the one-straw-too-many to your camelhairèd back.
Bird by bird, buddy.
230msf59
Sweet Thursday, Bill. How are those books treating you? Sorry you are not up for those "scheduled reads". I was hoping on joining you on one or two. I am really enjoying Firekeeper's Daughter, so keep this one in mind, unless it is already on your radar.
232weird_O
I mentioned (>227 weird_O:) that I had to rescue some library *discards* earlier this week. I rescued them with great abandon, but not a lot of money. Bag sale, don't you know. Everybody loves 'em some book pictures. Here's one.
233lauralkeet
Nice haul, Bill!
234laytonwoman3rd
Excellent! I see a copy of Braiding Sweetgrass in there....you should get to that one soonish. It has healing powers. Were those art books in the bag sale, or did you cheat a little?
235jnwelch
Hiya, Bill.
Annie looks like a ssweetheart.
I’m always happy to see a Walter Mosley or two in someone’s bookstack.
I liked. But didn’t love, Watchmen.
Maus is brilliantly sad, isn’t it.
My favorite book so far this year is the page-turner The Maid by Nita Prose.
The rest of my family does Wordle; I’m one of the few in the control group.
Annie looks like a ssweetheart.
I’m always happy to see a Walter Mosley or two in someone’s bookstack.
I liked. But didn’t love, Watchmen.
Maus is brilliantly sad, isn’t it.
My favorite book so far this year is the page-turner The Maid by Nita Prose.
The rest of my family does Wordle; I’m one of the few in the control group.
236richardderus
>232 weird_O: Chimera!! I remember loving that read so much...and your Mosley rescues are sone of the good reads he's produced over the long career that he's enjoyed...I haven't read Dreamers of the Day yet...*hyperventilates*
Oh, yes, some good bag-day shopping indeed.
Oh, yes, some good bag-day shopping indeed.
237PaulCranswick
>232 weird_O: I am seriously jealous, Bill.
I haven't seen a copy of Jackson's Dilemma, Iris' last novel, around for the longest time.
I haven't seen a copy of Jackson's Dilemma, Iris' last novel, around for the longest time.
238weird_O
>233 lauralkeet: I was being very restrained this year, avoiding Goodwill, for example. Then, kerblooie!
So yeah. Nice haul. *crocodile tear* :-)
>234 laytonwoman3rd: I remember seeing this book title mentioned on several threads without its subject really registering. Just praise. So I placed it in the bag. Maybe I'm due for some cure. As for the art books...I don't know how I could have cheated. I passed over most of them.
>235 jnwelch: Nice list of reactions, Joe. Annie is indeed a sweetie. The touchstone for The Maid has no hint as to the topic or plot. (Boy, aren't you just disappointed by that; just a tease.) I'll have to seek out info on your thread. (Or Amazon.)
>236 richardderus: Richard! I'm always encouraged when you highlight something I've acquired. Barth makes me apprehensive; I'm not sure I'll "get" what he's meaning. I've now got four titles by Mary Doria Russell, none read. I caught some warbling about her writing and scarfed up three last fall. And now a fourth. Mosley, of course.
So yeah. Nice haul. *crocodile tear* :-)>234 laytonwoman3rd: I remember seeing this book title mentioned on several threads without its subject really registering. Just praise. So I placed it in the bag. Maybe I'm due for some cure. As for the art books...I don't know how I could have cheated. I passed over most of them.
>235 jnwelch: Nice list of reactions, Joe. Annie is indeed a sweetie. The touchstone for The Maid has no hint as to the topic or plot. (Boy, aren't you just disappointed by that; just a tease.) I'll have to seek out info on your thread. (Or Amazon.)
>236 richardderus: Richard! I'm always encouraged when you highlight something I've acquired. Barth makes me apprehensive; I'm not sure I'll "get" what he's meaning. I've now got four titles by Mary Doria Russell, none read. I caught some warbling about her writing and scarfed up three last fall. And now a fourth. Mosley, of course.
239weird_O
Working my way through Macbeth, getting close to the end. I've got a couple of "ponies" to help me understand what's being said and to envision what's happening on stage. The No Fear Shakespeare edition has the original language on the left and a modernized language on the right. That's helpful. So too are two graphic versions, especially the edition by Gareth Hinds.
241brenzi
Found you Bill. Just coincidentally, I am starting the audio of Orwell's Roses tomorrow.
Looks like you're a veteran of the Library sales. They stopped doing those around here since Covid. Worst of all was the discontinuation of the National American University Women sale which was an enormous one they held every June. That was always the best source of books for me.
I read On Tyranny in 2017 and I'm sure you can guess why. I'm not one for graphics though but that one looks interesting.
Your granddaughter is beautiful.
Looks like you're a veteran of the Library sales. They stopped doing those around here since Covid. Worst of all was the discontinuation of the National American University Women sale which was an enormous one they held every June. That was always the best source of books for me.
I read On Tyranny in 2017 and I'm sure you can guess why. I'm not one for graphics though but that one looks interesting.
Your granddaughter is beautiful.
244karenmarie
Hi Bill!
Our book sale is still on, and we’re having the Official Planning Meeting tomorrow, in person, at the Library.
>222 weird_O: I’m with you on the "scheduling" the reading of a particular book will sap any interest in actually reading it. I’m definitely a mood reader.
>226 weird_O: Lots of excitement – turntable rejuvenation, book sale, personal grooming. Bad excitement of tooth woes, though.
>227 weird_O: Blech to the endodontist’s chair. Good luck for sure.
>232 weird_O: Photos of stacks of books make me happy. Thanks for making me happy.
>242 richardderus: I was going to mention Tsundoku, but Richard beat me to it.
Our book sale is still on, and we’re having the Official Planning Meeting tomorrow, in person, at the Library.
>222 weird_O: I’m with you on the "scheduling" the reading of a particular book will sap any interest in actually reading it. I’m definitely a mood reader.
>226 weird_O: Lots of excitement – turntable rejuvenation, book sale, personal grooming. Bad excitement of tooth woes, though.
>227 weird_O: Blech to the endodontist’s chair. Good luck for sure.
>232 weird_O: Photos of stacks of books make me happy. Thanks for making me happy.
>242 richardderus: I was going to mention Tsundoku, but Richard beat me to it.
245weird_O
Here the report for Monday, March 7. Noteworthy weird accomplishment the first: Up and out of bed at 7:30 on the fuzzy, amoeba-like...uh...dot. Remembered to take completed forms, vax-cards, checkbook, etc., and left the house pretty much on time. Arrived on time. The edodontist gave my tooth a D minus, not a worthy candidate for a root canal, but just fine for extraction. Well, back to the dental g.p.
In other news, I can report that the used Subaru Forester we bought for Judi's birthday several years ago has been paid for. The state should be issuing the title forthwith. Pisses me off that she isn't available to light the payment book on fire. (The monthly payment can be deposited now in a dental catastrophe fund.)
Stand by for an announcement—it's coming soon—pertaining to the title of the book I shall read next.
In other news, I can report that the used Subaru Forester we bought for Judi's birthday several years ago has been paid for. The state should be issuing the title forthwith. Pisses me off that she isn't available to light the payment book on fire. (The monthly payment can be deposited now in a dental catastrophe fund.)
Stand by for an announcement—it's coming soon—pertaining to the title of the book I shall read next.
246benitastrnad
>245 weird_O:
That sounds like my day - I got a $458.00 phone bill and am not sure why. I suspect that our stellar USPS didn't deliver my February check. I have been having trouble with it getting there late, but it eventually did get there. I am so looking forward to waiting to talk to a real person.
That sounds like my day - I got a $458.00 phone bill and am not sure why. I suspect that our stellar USPS didn't deliver my February check. I have been having trouble with it getting there late, but it eventually did get there. I am so looking forward to waiting to talk to a real person.
247weird_O
That's a scary phone bill, Benita. Well, good luck with getting to talk to a real person. My experience on that is a bit spotty.
248katiekrug
>245 weird_O: - Tooth extraction? *shudder* I had a tooth out late last year and it traumatized me. Does your regular dentist not do root canals? The only time I've had to go to an endonotist was for a possible "re-do" of a badly done root canal I had years ago. I have an appointment with my dentist for next week for a root canal. The crappy dental work I had done back when I was young and poor with crappy insurance is now catching up with me....
249weird_O
Traumatized were you? I've had a few extractions, but nothing to equal the trauma of being "teased" by a sadist when you are eight. He'd poke around, murmuring darkly, tsk-tsking, enjoying your sweating and squirming, then say, "Ok. All done." The real trauma I remember to this day was staring at a huge syringe on the tray, the needle with just a drop at the tip, aimed at me at eye-level, while he blithely examined someone in the other room. Keep in mind that this was back in the day when hamster-power dental drills were state of the art.
Actually, the regular dentist was prepared to do a root channel, but wasn't convinced that it would be an enduring procedure. The root was capped at some point. The endodontist pretty much concurred that it's truly problematic. So there it is. Get out the pliers!
Actually, the regular dentist was prepared to do a root channel, but wasn't convinced that it would be an enduring procedure. The root was capped at some point. The endodontist pretty much concurred that it's truly problematic. So there it is. Get out the pliers!
250laytonwoman3rd
"nothing to equal the trauma of being "teased" by a sadist when you are eight." OMG, I had dental office trauma as a kid too. My baby teeth were very tiny, and as the new ones came in, they didn't have room, so I had to have some pulled. What a beast that man was. Hollered at me for choking on his enormous fist in my tiny mouth. Then gave my mother a hard time about the way I "behaved". Blessings on my mother, who gave it right back to him and told him our entire family would be finding a new dentist. Which we did---a man with a wicked, but not evil, sense of humor, who talked about finding my "stash" of hamburger and mashed potatoes while examining my teeth, and never once made me cringe, let alone cry. RIP Dr. Hippensteel.
251weird_O
I asked my mother why she kept taking us to Dr. J. J. Kelsey, the sadist, and she said, "Well, your father liked him." To which I replied, "Yeah, but he was dead. So why did you keep taking us there." Of course, that didn't elicit further discussion.
Anyway, I spent today goofin' off. Finishing the jigsaw puzzle with the seven toucans, napping, not answering the telephone, mailing my monthly contribution to the oilman. (I guess the cost of heating oil's going up dramatically.) My current, active read is The Titan's Curse, book three in the Percy Jackson series. I have Raymond Carver to finish (my wild card for February's AAC) and The Fixer to start for March's AAC. I've also consulted the opening chapters in two Rebecca Solnit books, in Jo Nesbo's Macbeth, and in The Writer's Library.
Did I ever mention that I have a few books cataloged as "Shelved But Unread"? A. K. A. "To Be Read". Mmmm. Okay. More than a few.
Anyway, I spent today goofin' off. Finishing the jigsaw puzzle with the seven toucans, napping, not answering the telephone, mailing my monthly contribution to the oilman. (I guess the cost of heating oil's going up dramatically.) My current, active read is The Titan's Curse, book three in the Percy Jackson series. I have Raymond Carver to finish (my wild card for February's AAC) and The Fixer to start for March's AAC. I've also consulted the opening chapters in two Rebecca Solnit books, in Jo Nesbo's Macbeth, and in The Writer's Library.
Did I ever mention that I have a few books cataloged as "Shelved But Unread"? A. K. A. "To Be Read". Mmmm. Okay. More than a few.
252weird_O
The Titan's Curse: Finished. Hooray for me.
253richardderus
>252 weird_O: Yay you indeed!
254LovingLit
>232 weird_O: Deaf Sentence- good title! There's a few other good-lookers in that stack as well. Once again, I bow to your book-buying prowess.
I am traumatised by dental work. I seriously considered begging to be sedated last time I had a *procedure*. Instead I placed by balled fists into my zipped-up jackets' pockets and stiff-armed the whole procedure. (To the point where my elbows were sore, and my jacket stretched afterwards.)
Shudder.
I haven't been back since, and that was three years ago.
I am traumatised by dental work. I seriously considered begging to be sedated last time I had a *procedure*. Instead I placed by balled fists into my zipped-up jackets' pockets and stiff-armed the whole procedure. (To the point where my elbows were sore, and my jacket stretched afterwards.)
Shudder.
I haven't been back since, and that was three years ago.
255msf59
Sweet Thursday, Bill. It sounds like you are getting some reading done. I am enjoying Winesburg, Ohio for the Group Read and loving my audio of Project Hail Mary.
257RBeffa
>232 weird_O: I really liked Dreamers of the day and I learned stuff too. That wyeth looks wonderful.
Dit onderwerp werd voortgezet door Weird_O Bill's 2022—Post-Prequel, a.k.a. (weirdly) 2.
