Joe's Third Book Cafe 2023

Art by Georgia O'Keeffe

2022 Favorites

Fiction

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi (cast an unforgettable spell)

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus ( a close runner-up)

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (another close runner-up)

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley (ditto)

The Maid by Nita Prose (ditto)

Nonfiction

The Song of the Cell by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami

Books Read 2023

January 2023

1. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
2. The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager
3. The Guest List by Lucy Foy
4. Mass Effect by Drew Karpyshyn*
5. Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun
6. Rain by Joe Hill*
7. Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
8. A Spark within the Forge by Sabaa Tahir*
9. The Maid of Ballymacool by Jennifer Deibel.
10. Loveless by Alice Oseman
11. What’s the Furthest Place From Here by Matt Risenburg*
12. Desert Star by Michael Connelly
13. Arthur Who Wrote Sherlock by Linda Bailey*
14. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
15. A Court of Mists and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

February 2023

16. Creature by Shaun Tan*
17. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
18. Laura by Guillem March*
19. My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor
20. A court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
21 Everyday Hero Machine Boy by Irma Kniivila*
22. Encore in Death by JD. Robb
23. The Twilight Man by Koren Shadmi
24. A Wanted Man by Lee Child
25. The Last Orphan by Gregg Hurwitz
26. By the Book by Jasmine Guilloty
27. In a Dark, Dark. Wood by Ruth Ware
28. Silk Vol. 1 by Maurene Goo

March 2023

29. Fairy Tale by Stephen King
30. I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston
31. Storm Watch by c.j. Box
32. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy (re-read)
33. Revenge of the Librarian by Tom Gauld*
34. Ducks Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton*
35. It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth by Zoe Thorogood*
36. Ms. Marvel Something New by G. Willow Wilson*
37. Number One Is Walking by Steve Martin and Harry Bliss*
38. Gideon the Ninth by Tamlyn Muir
39. A Different Kind of Normal by Abigail Balfe
40. Ms. Ice Sandwich by Mieko Kawakami

April 2023

41. The Vibrant Years by Sonali Dev
42. Poverty by America by Matthew Desmond
43. Celestia by Manuele Fior*
44. once Upon a Book by Grace Lin*
45. The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff
46. Altered Carbon by richard Morgan*
47. A Career in Books by Kate Gavino*
48. Love Everlasting by Tom King*
49. Flowerheart by Catherine Bakewell
50. Georgia by Dawn Tripp

May 2023

51. To the Realization of Perfect Helplessness by Robin Coste Lewis
52. The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths
53. The Customer is Always Wrong by Mimi Pond
54. Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
55. Blind Man with a Pistol by Chester Himes
56. Happy Place by Emily Henry
57. Aunt Bessie Assumes by Diana Xarissa
58. The Banned Bookshop by Maggie Banks

*Graphic and illustrated books

New York with Moon by Georgia O'Keeffe

Welcome Home

"I asked an elderly woman once what it was like to be old and to know that the majority of her life was now behind her.
She told me that she has been the same age her entire life. She said the voice inside of her head had never aged. She has always just been the same girl. Her mother's daughter. She had always wondered when she would grow up and be an old woman.
She said she watched her body age and her faculties dull but the person she is inside never got tired. She never aged. She never changed.
Remember, our spirits are eternal. Our souls are forever. The next time you encounter an elderly person, look at them and know they are still a child, just as you are still a child and children will always need love, attention and purpose."
~ Author Unknown
Photograph by Tasha Tudor

Happy new one, Joe. All the O'Keeffes in your topper are great but I'm partial to that first one, the poppy. Wow! And >4 jnwelch:. And >6 jnwelch:, lol! Some attitude he has!

Happy new thread, Joe!

I love all the O'Keeffe art, she was a geat painter.

>2 jnwelch: Looking forward to Lessons in Chemistry, it is on my list for April. Yesterday I picked it up at the library.

There's a new O'Keeffe exhibit opening at MoMA in a few days that I'm hoping to get to. I spent a lovely couple of hours at the O'Keeffe museum in Santa Fe several years ago and went to a small exhibit of her Hawaii-inspired work at the NY Botanical Garden in 2019 (2018?)...

Have you read Georgia by Dawn Tripp? I loved it.

Happy new thread, Joe!

Joe - thank you for the remarkable art from our Wisconsin artist!

My 4th Grade class visited her homesite in nearby Sun Prairie right after
we stopped to see Jimmy the Groundhog in his year round home.

Happy new thread Joe!

You are blasting out the color for this thread!

Happy new one, Joe.

Happy new thread, Joe. I was hoping for some pics of the grandkids on the beginning of your thread because I got here in time that they wouldn't have disappeared. Guess that just means I'll have to visit more often!

>1 jnwelch: Ooh, la, la! Lovely, lovely topper paintings! Thank you!

Karen O

Lovely O'Keeffes, Joe, and what better imagery to welcome your new thread with?

Happy new thread! Beautiful and thought-provoking art.

Beautiful topper, Joe! Happy New Thread!

Another O'Keeffe fan here.

Happy Friday, Joe. Happy New Thread. Love the O'Keeffe toppers. It is Jackson Day for us and we will have him until tomorrow. Yah! Have a great weekend.

>8 jessibud2:. Isn’t that popper an eye-poppy, Shelley? I mean, poppy an eye-popper? What a gift she had with color. The dude with the ‘tude seems to think awfully highly of himself.

>9 FAMeulstee:. Agreed on the great artist O’Keeffe, Anita. She had the courage to be so very different from her contemporaries, and to forge ahead with her vision in a male-dominated art world.

Oh, I hope you enjoy Lessons in Chemistry as much as I did! You have some great reading ahead of you. Perfect for the weekend.

>10 katiekrug:. Katie, please look for my response post down below, in >30 jnwelch:.

>11 m.belljackson:. It’s good to be reminded that our Georgia grew up on a Wisconsin farm. How about that? Her singular vision has entranced the world. I wonder how many other notables grew up on farms.

My grandfather, who later became viewed as a “proper Bostonian”, grew up on a farm near Primghar, Iowa.

I didn’t realize you were teaching a 4th grade class. Kudos to you! We’re lucky to have such good-hearted people gravitate to that profession.

>12 quondame:. Thanks, Susan! I think we’re all ready for Spring and a blast of color in our surroundings. That probably influenced me in setting up this new thread.

>13 PaulCranswick:. Thanks, Paul.

>14 Familyhistorian:. Thanks, Meg. Yes, I usually include grandie photos on the new threads. They’re here with us now, all the usual routines have been thrown into a jumble-tron. Do check back; I’m sure some’ll get posted soon.

>16 richardderus:. Thanks, RD. Yes, I got a sudden Georgia craving, and her art seemed perfect for a new thread. I love seeing her lesser-known works.

>15 klobrien2:. Thanks, Karen. My pleasure.

>17 foggidawn:. Thanks, foggi.

>18 vancouverdeb:. Thanks, Deb!

>19 Caroline_McElwee:. Hi, Caroline. Her art is so different from anyone else’s, isn’t it?

>20 msf59:. Hey, Mr. Mark. Thanks, man. Have a great Jackson Day. We’re having another Rafa and Fina day over here. Poor Fina developed some mysterious red bumps, so Debbi’s with her at the doctor, while Rafa and I play Word Search and Candyland.

Happy new one, Joe! Beautiful toppers - O'Keefe is one of my faves.

Hi Joe - have a great warmer weekend with Rafa and Fina!

I wonder if any LT has visited the O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe...?

>26 drneutron:. Thanks, Jim. I’m glad you’re enjoying the toppers

>27 m.belljackson:. That sounds appealing, Marianne. Unfortunately they head home on Sunday, and will miss some of the warm-up here. Pittsburgh often gets our weather a day later, so I hope that holds true for the warm-up.

Good question about the Santa Fe museum. I hope to some day.

As I mentioned in >10 katiekrug:, I've been to the O'Keeffe museum in Santa Fe. It's excellent.

>10 katiekrug:. Sorry, Katie! In my haste I screwed up on the post sequence.

I’d love to see that MOMa O’Keefe exhibit. We used to get to NY C regularly for theater and the museums, and I’d like to get back to that.

If we can ever get you out our way, the Art Institute of Chicago has a bunch of O’Keffe paintings, including one of my favorites, Sky Over Clouds IV. It had an exhibit a couple of years ago of her New York paintings, including >5 jnwelch:. Until then I hadn’t known about her urban painting.

Marianne just asked about the Danta Fe museum in >27 m.belljackson:.

Thanks for the tip on Georgia! I just put it at the top of my Bookstore WL.

>29 katiekrug:. Thanks, Katie. I’ll bet it’s excellent. I shall confer with Madame MBH about getting our butts out to Santa Fe.

As you saw, I hope, I responded to your >10 katiekrug: in >30 jnwelch:.

Hope you all have a Happy Easter, Joe!

>30 jnwelch: and >31 jnwelch: - No worries, Joe.

Santa Fe is well worth a visit. We had one of our best vacations there. I'd like to go back.

>32 Familyhistorian:. Thanks, Meg!

Because I’m a Buddhajewbyterian (raised Presbyterian, now a Buddhist, now part of a Jewish family), and Debbi and the kids are Jewish, we celebrate Passover. But I appreciate the sentiment. Happy Easter to you!

The grandies did have an egg hunt with their Aunt Karen, and had a blast.

>33 katiekrug:. Thanks for your patience with slow service at the cafe, Katie. Good to hear re Santa Fe. It’s been on my travel-to list for years.

Happy new thread, Joe!

I have Lessons in Chemistry on my list after one of my book club ladies recommended it, and I figured I'd wait 'til it wasn't new to check it out from the library... but somehow the holds on it exploded over the last few months, and I had to buy two more copies just to keep up with demand!

>35 bell7:. Hi, Mary. Yeah, I saw Lessons in Chemistry has gone gangbusters. It’s kept climbing the bestseller lists, i think all the way to #1 on the NYTimes lists. To me it shows the power of word of mouth. Reminds me of Where the Crawdad Sings in the way it’s just kept getting more and more acclaim, until it’s on almost everyone’s bookshelf and libraries have to start buying more copies.

I think you’ll love it. I sure did.

Happy new thread, Joe! Love the art. A visit to the O’Keefe museum in Santa Fe a few years back was a real treat for us.

I have been waiting for Lessons in Chemistry to show up at the library for three months now but a friend just secured copy and has promised to pass it on when she finishes. I can’t remember the last time that so many of my book loving friends have recommended the same book. And now, you too!

I hope the mystery of Fina’s spots has been solved, and all is well. Our grands arrive Monday for the week. We’ve been busy rehabbing our daughter’s 30 year old dollhouse which has been living in our basement - new paint and wallpaper necessary after years of neglect. So happy to pass it on to the next generation!

Happy new thread Joe! >5 jnwelch: I was never really drawn to O'Keefe's work and had no idea she has work with non-floral features.

>37 NarratorLady:. Thanks, Anne! Man, we must get ourselves to that Santa Fe museum. I envy you and Katie.

Isn’t that wild with Lessons in Chemistry? I love it when a good one has wide appeal like that. I actually have a gut feeling that you’ll like it more than most. Elizabeth Zott is a stellar creation.

Yes, poor Fina has children’s hand, foot and mouth disease (very, very common we’re told, and it will pass) and viral conjunctivitis. Her papa says he knows exactly who she got the first from. Nothing to do except keep her comfortable and let time work its wonders.

She is so freaking cute! The doc visit reassured her, and she’s back to singing and dancing and talking in her cute little voice like a kid twice her age.

It sounds like that dollhouse will be lovely. I know what you mean about another generation - we held onto a lot of our kids’ toys in our attic, and it’s a sweet feeling to see the grandies play with something of their Papa’s or Tia Becca’s.

>38 WhiteRaven.17:. Thanks, WhiteRaven. I hope at some point you catch the Georgia O’Keeffe bug - it’s never too late! I’m like you. I didn’t know about her urban paintings until an exhibit at one of our museums here. Very exciting to see them. Like finding out that Edward Hopper painted flowers up close and southwestern landscapes.

Lessons in Chemistry was listed on several Best Of 2022 lists recently. I kept seeing the title turn up on lots of libraryland and publisher literature. Along with word-of-mouth, it is formula for increased sales. Like many others here, I am waiting for the demand to slow so I can read it.

In-the-meantime, I am working my way through the Anthony Horowitz oeuvre. I have been doing lots of driving and at the moment am back in Kansas. I listened to both Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders in the last week. I enjoyed both of them, and the recorded versions are very well done. I also had hardcopies of the books with me, so I could see all the font and pagination changes. Horowitz is certainly a creative force and he must LOVE the golden age mysteries to death to be able to write his own who-dun-it's with such panache. I will start Word Is Murder today.

Happy new thread, Joe!!

>39 jnwelch: I just checked LA city library - they currently have over 600 e-copies of Lessons in Chemistry with over 3500 holds.

Our favorite little snickerdoodles return home to Pittsburgh today

>41 banjo123: Thanks, Rhonda!

>42 quondame: Holy Smokes, Susan, that's a popular book!

>43 jnwelch: I LOVE this photo! The snickerdoodles sure love their grandparents. I bet you miss them already!

Happy Sunday, Joe. Enjoy the holiday.

>43 jnwelch: Looks like a marvelous time was had by all! Such cuties. And the kids are sweet, too.

>40 benitastrnad:. Hi, Benita. You have more patience than I do. I bought Lessons in Chemistry early on. It’s a special one.

Our daughter, Debbi and I all thoroughly enjoyed those Horowitz mysteries. He is a creative force, as you say, and I sure liked Foyle’s War.

>45 msf59:. Isn’t that a fun photo, Mark? A very nice waiter took it.

We just waved good-bye as their parents drove off with them and, while it’s nice to catch our breath, you’re right, we already miss them.

Happy Sunday, buddy.

>46 laytonwoman3rd:. Ha! Thanks, Linda. We’ll take all the “cuties” compliments we can get, but those munchkins are the true stars of the show. We had a great time with them, and their parents had a wonderful time on vacation.

>43 jnwelch: What a wonderful photo, and such a good looking group!

Karen O

>48 klobrien2:. Thanks, Karen!

>43 jnwelch: Joe, I am shocked...shocked!...to see those deep-fried Instruments of Blood Chemistry Destruction before you!!

Smooch the snickerdoodles from me.

>50 richardderus:. Ha! Some fried carbs there, for sure, RD, but no carne. Fina wanted pancakes and french fries; Rafa wanted grilled cheese and french fries. Debbi and I assuaged our more delicate constitutions with Crab Benedict (me) and I think a veggie and eggs skillet for her. And, of course, copious amounts of their quite adequate coffee for me. The location is Irene’s, owned and run by the son of parents who owned and ran its predecessor, which we went to for years and years. He named it after his mother. We’re pulling for him to do well.

Poverty by America by Matthew Desmond is an excellent call to action, and I’ll write more about it in the next day or so. It’s written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the equally exciting Evicted. Read it as soon as you can; you’ll be glad you did. Let’s all become “poverty abolitionists”.

>7 jnwelch: Thanks for posting this Joe!

>53 Whisper1:. Thank you, Linda. Right? I think >7 jnwelch: is lovely. Darryl said it made him think of his mother. Good words for us all to remember.

>43 jnwelch: Joe, What a lovely photo!!! Will called Kayla Spunkydoodle! Another term of endearment, much like your "snickerdoodles!"

>42 quondame: Susan, like you, I discovered a large amount of people on the wait list at our local library.

>34 jnwelch: Sorry, I should have written Happy Spring instead. I've always thought of the weekend more as a celebration of spring because that's what I knew growing up. When I was young my family would attempt to fly back to England as, in Quebec, we had a week off. If we got to London there would be signs of spring and British chocolate - yum!

>43 jnwelch: Good to see the snickerdoodles and their escorts!

>52 jnwelch: Amen to that, Joe.

>52 jnwelch: I just bought the Kindle version of Poverty, By America, and I'll read it no later than this summer. I look forward to your comments about it, Joe.

>43 jnwelch: Aww, so so cute. And I sure wish we could get skillet breakfasts in Los Angeles.

>43 jnwelch: Great photo Joe, you all look very happy at Irenes. So glad to see a business with roots prospering.

>57 Familyhistorian:. No worries, Meg. It’s tough to keep track of backgrounds for so many people.

Happy Spring! It’s a treat to start seeing the greenery and flowers coming back. You’re lucky - I would’ve loved flying to London for Spring break.

Thanks re the photo - we finally got their bellies full with that meal. They’re growing so fast it’s hard to keep up with their appetites.

>58 PaulCranswick: He makes it clear it’s all so doable, Paul. Lots of ex’s of successful approaches that could be more widely adopted, and ways we have changed employer behavior in the past, and of government programs that have helped alleviate poverty that just need more resource support. We’re lucky to have this guy.

>59 kidzdoc:. You’re getting my Poverty by America comments piecemeal right now, Darryl, and I hope to write a review in the next day or so. I tbink you’ll be happy and impressed with what he’s done. What a mensch.

>60 quondame: Thanks, Susan. No skillet breakfasts in LA? Why, I wonder. Regional difference are so odd sometimes. I’m another fan of skillets. Yum.

>61 Caroline_McElwee:. Thanks, Caroline. Yes, we had a fun time at Irene’s. We’re so glad the son brought back a neighborhood institution. We lost another great one (The Busy Bee) because the younger family members had zero interest in continuing.

>63 jnwelch: What a mensch.

I know what the word mensch means, but I know far more unfavorable than complimentary nouns in Yiddish, so my gut reaction was "Hmph! Why would you call Matthew Desmond a mensch?!"

>65 kidzdoc:. A mensch is “person of integrity, morality, dignity, with a sense of what is right and responsible.” Perfect fit for Desmond. Dr.paul Farmer was another.

You need to spend more with people speaking yiddish who know positives.😀

>65 kidzdoc:, >66 jnwelch: - Darryl might be too young for this but Joe, I believe you are my age so you might remember. I have an absolutely hilarious little book, spoofing the primers we had in elementary school. It's called Yiddish With Dick and Jane.....:-)

>67 jessibud2:. Ha! I love the idea of Yiddish with Dick and Jane, Shelley. Now there’s a primer worth having. Yiddish with Dick and Jane https://a.co/d/3bjd9io I’m sure it has more upbeat Yiddish than Darryl is used to hearing.😀

>66 jnwelch: What?! How dare you slander the good name of the late Dr Paul Farmer!! Oh, wait; forget I said that...

You need to spend more with people speaking yiddish who know positives.😀

Truth. My Jewish physician friends and colleagues in Atlanta, especially that zhlob Jon Popler, have not set good examples for me.

>67 jessibud2:, >68 jnwelch: Perfect! If I can't borrow Yiddish with Dick and Jane from one of the library systems I belong to I'll purchase the Kindle version of it. Thanks, Shelley!

Hello, Joe!

Those grandkiddos just get cuter every time you post a photo. How is that possible?

>69 kidzdoc:. You know, if you start calling evrryone you get mad at a mensch, Darry, you might start a peacemaking trend. Quickest way to cool things down is to say something really nice.

Shelley got me with a bb withYiddish with Dick and Jane. I couldn’t resist, and ordered a hard copy. This should be fun.

>70 scaifea:. Hi, Amber. We keep warning them that people will start passing out from their cuteness, but it hasn’t slowed them down at all. I’m starting to suspect that there’s nothing they can do about it.

>55 Whisper1:. Great minds think alike, Linda. I like “Spunkydoodle”. Debbi has called Rafa “Rafadoodle” since he was born. We also have “Miss Fina Bedina” (Feena Bedeena).

Hi Joe, mate, Happy New Thread and what wonderful Georgia O'Keeffe thread topper pictures. I see that you had a good time with Rafa and Fina, they are so cute, like our little munchkin, Elliott. I hope all is well with you and Debbi my friend and we both send love and hugs dear friend.

Yiddish with Dick and Jane -- Have to look for that one. And I hope you can keep appreciating the cuteness of your youngsters without passing out! LOL

>73 johnsimpson:. Hey, John, mate. Good to see you, and I’glad you’re enjoying the Georgia O’Keefe art. We had a grand no time with the little ones, although Fina left me an unfortunate gift - I’m congested and have little red blotches all over . This the reverse of the usual, which is Debbi getting whatever the kids had; this time luckily (?) it’s me. Nothing to be done except suffer through it.

All the reading I can handle is a Gray Man thriller from Mark Greany called Burner. (I’m alo reading Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff). So love to you and Karen from both of us, but hugs only from Debbi!

>74 Berly:. Hi, Kim. Yiddish with Dick and Jane was a hoot, and I ended up learning some new words. I appreciate the cuteness of those youngsters even when they unintentionally lay me low for a few days.😀

Burner by Mark Greaney. Do you like thrillers? This one’s a corker. Court Gentry, the Gray Man, gets pulled into trying to connect a Swiss banker with a Manhattan professor, so they can transform stolen bank data to show the aAmerican authorities and public exactly which Senators, Congressmen, media pundits and key machinery movers the Russians are paying to benefit Russia. Believe me, with so many pro-Russia Republicans out there and a former Putin’s puppet President, i wondered whether there was a RL correlative to this. With a lot of globe-hopping, competitive schemes to outwit, carnage, personal heroics and cynical betrayals, this has everything you look for in a thriller. I enjoy the Gray Man, and this time his estranged paramour Zoya, a former Russian agent turned Ukrainian sympathizer, has been drawn into it, too. Perhaps in battling together for the forces of good, they can overcome their estrangement?

I’m still too sick to pull together any kind of review of Poverty by America, but it’s on my to-do list.

Sending “get better soon!” wishes your way, Joe!

Karen O

>76 jnwelch: I hope you feel better soon and until then that you have the comfort of some great reads.

>77 klobrien2:, >78 quondame:. Many thanks, Karen and Susan.

I’m feeling a bit improved, and optimistic. This feels like a hump day, i.e. get through this one and the sailing will start turning smooth. I’m keeping the reading on the easier side, having just finished The Bandit Queens and started Don’t Forget About Me. This congestion has me feeling like a stuffalumpagus with muzzy head.

Happy Sunday, Joe. Sorry, I didn't realize you were sick. Bummer, my friend. Bree is suffering from a bad cold too. I hope you recover quickly. Looking forward to your thoughts on Poverty By America. I am sure it was awesome.

Not much happening here today. Getting ready for my Texas trip on Tuesday.

Glad to hear your health is improving. I know the stuffalumpagus feeling all too well. I hope yours clears up soon.

Hang in there and enjoy the books.

Today’s Bargain: Killer Angels by Michael Shaara for $1.99 on e-readers. Here’s the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003O86Q8U/ref=nodl_?_bbid=130753565&tag=noteworth...

This is an exceptionally well done historical novel about the Civil War and the Battle of Gettysburg. The eyes light up of everyone I’ve ever met who’s read it. What a price for it.

Poverty By America by Matthew Desmond. Here we go, best I can. Not poverty in America; by America. We’’ve sustained it by choice and we can abolish it by choice. There’s plenty of money, Desmond shows us, to get rid of poverty altogether in this country. All of us non-poor are benefitting, to one degree or another, from perpetuating it. He proves in detail how this is so. As in his monumental Evicted, every “radical” conclusion he reaches is based on deep and extensive research detailed in his notes, and comes across to the reader as common sense. If we enforced our tax laws against the wealthy and corporations, there’s plenty of money. If we tax the wealthy as we did in pre-Reagan years, there’s plenty. If we redirect existing government money in sensible ways, there’s plenty. And it’s not just throwing money. In various parts of this large country communities have found effective ways to alleviate poverty and provide affordable housing. (New Jersey(!) is a surprising exemplar for the latter), and these can be more widely adapted.

You and I also can provide the type of boycotts and directional buying we’ve supplied in favor of other social causes like combatting racism and sexism; we can become “poverty abolitionists”. If a company is unfairly underpaying its workers and overpaying its leadership, we can apply both consumer and investor pressure. We have been and are, he persuasively argues, exploiting the poor for our extra measures of affluence. It’s time to recognize it and remedy it.

I can already hear the cries of alarm over libtard “socialism.” As he shows us, it’s more a matter of fairness and easy affordability than anything else. No need to dismantle our system or overhaul it. It’s a matter of direction and will. And making our country great .. . . finally.

What an exciting and flowing read. “Common Sense”, as Thomas Paine might’ve titled it.

I’ll do a separate post of some excerpted quotes.

>80 msf59:. Thanks, brother. I feel much improved. I even worked out today - wearing a mask and gloves. I’m still contagious , and catching this miserable virus would not be good for our trainer’s business.

Poverty by America was indeed awesome, and you have my take on it above. How lucky are we to have Matthew Desmond?!

Texas tomorrow - good for you, man. It looked like a great time in New Orleans. We may need you to do a 75er symposium on how best to hanle retirement

>81 ffortsa:. Thanks, Judy. That is the single most miserable sickness I’ve had since I was a teen and got way too close to scarlet fever while traveling out west with a couple of buddies.

But I’m way better now, thank goodness. See my comments to Mark.

>82 Berly:. Thanks, Kim. I’m Much Improved Guy now and ready to look around again for more challenging reads. Don’t Forget About Me is the romantic equivalent of a cozy mystery, i guess. Which is to thank it, not knock it.

Sorry to read that you were feeling unwell, Joe. Glad you are much improved. I do like thrillers, but my husband Dave is fan of The Grey Man series. I'll let him know about Burner. I enjoyed The Bandit Queens.

Nice review on Poverty by America. Here I am , a " libtard socialist! :-)

I hope you are feeling better now Joe.

>86 vancouverdeb:. Ah, that was the worst, Deb. I’d much rather be Much Improved Guy.

If your Dave is a Grey Man fan, he’ll find much to love in Burner. It was just the ticket for my sluggish brain. Give me action, hold the subtlety please.
I enjoyed Bandit Queens, too. It’s a little hard, I would think, to maintain a light, humorous tone over old-timey paternalistic abuse and murder, but she does and does it well.

Thanks re the Poverty by America review. I’ve come to think that most serious readers would qualify as libtard socialists and certainly most LT 75ers. No surprise, it’s a rightwing dismissive concept that permits avoiding thinking (or feeling) and avoiding concepts of fairness.

>87 Caroline_McElwee:. Much better, thanks, Carolline. I wouldn’t wish that one on anyone.

Quotes from Matthew Desmond in Poverty by America:

If America’s poor founded a country, that country would have a bigger population than Australia or Venezuela. Almost one in nine Americans - one in eight children- live in poverty. There are 18 million people living in the United States who cannot afford basic necessities, and more than 108 million getting by on $55,000 or less, many stuck in that space between poverty and security.

The United States annually produces $5.3 trillion more in good and services than China. Our gross domestic product is larger than the combined economies of Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, India, France and Italy . . . California alone has a bigger economy than Canada does; New York State’s economy surpasses South Korea’s. America’s poverty is not for lack of resources. We lack something else.

In 2022, the poverty line was drawn at $13,500 for a single person and $27, 750 for a family of four.

Decade after decade, the poverty rate has remained flat even as federal relief has surged. How can this be?

The states that have taken in the most immigrants over the past half century have not grown poorer. In the case of Texas and Florida, they have grown more prosperous.

When poor workers receive a pay raise, their health improves dramatically. Studies have shown that when minimum wages go up, rates of child neglect, underage alcohol consumption, and teen births go down. Smoking, too, decreases.

(The question) we should ask every time we pass a tent encampment, those tarped American slums smelling of asphalt and bodies, every time we see someone asleep on the bus,slumped over in work clothes, is simply Who benefits?Not Why don’t you find a job? Or Why don’t you move or Why dion’t you stop taking out such bad loans? but Who is feeding off this?

In 2020 the federal government spent more than $193 billion on homeowner subsidies, a figure that far exceeds the amount spent on direct housing assistance for low income families ($53 billion). Most families who enjoy those subsidies have six figure incomes and are white.

I can’t tell you how many times someone has informed me that we should reduce military spending and redirect the savings to the poor. . . . In a public venue, it always garners applause. I’ve met far fewer people who have suggested we boost aid to the poor by reducing tax breaks that mostly benefit the upper class, even though we spend twice as much on them as on the military and national defense.

The American government gives the most help to those that need it the least. This is the true nature of our welfare state, and it has far-reaching implications, not just for our bank accounts and poverty levels, but also for our psychology and civic spirit.

(I’ll try to post a few more quotes over the next couple of days).

Fabulous review of Poverty, By America, Joe; thanks for sharing those quotes with us. My copy is waiting on my Kindle to be read, probably in June or July.

>90 kidzdoc:. Thanks very much, Darryl. Can’t wait to hear your reaction to Poverty by America.

I’m glad the quotes were useful. It’s so different excerpting forom a non-fiction book.

What a lot Desmond has given us to help us understand the problem and how it can be successfully addressed!

>89 jnwelch: Excellent peek inside this book. Thanks. Looks like I might have to read it, if I can stand to.

>89 jnwelch: I absolutely HATE that no one is listening to Matthew Desmond. EVICTED should've been all it took to ignite The Revolution. And now he's back with more horse-sense analysis of the horrors of late-stage capitalism that still won't blow the damned thing up.

Despair consumes me, I fear.

>93 richardderus:. I know exactly what you mean, RD. Sometimes I feel that way about Isabel Wilkerson. The wheels turn slowly. As to Evicted, there have been positive changes in different parts of the country, some of which you can read about in Poverty By America. What we need in those instances is wider adoption. A good source of despair is the question: will our politicians act on any of this. The inability to get anything done, e.g. on gun control, is so frustrating. And yet a lot is possible at a more local level, and the Biden legislation has contained a lot of positives, also described in Poverty by America. In some instances, it’s a question of directing more money to what is working. That’s a lot easier bridge to cross than reinventing the wheel, if I may use only slightly connected metaphors.

More than once i’ve been thinking about Generation Z and their voting. They made a significant difference in the Biden win. They made a significant difference here in Chicago, in getting a former school teacher elected mayor(Brandon Johnson) over a right wing-connected veteran politician (Paul Vallas). Having lived through all the school shootings with no help provided, they are ACTIVE, and “liberal” (i.e. compassionate and filled with common sense, rather than self-obsessed and filled with looney tunes).

It’ll surprise you not at all that this Rebecca of SunnyJoe Cafe remains hopeful.😀

>92 ffortsa:. Oh please read it, Judy. He’s done us all such a huge favor, and we need everyone talking about it and thinking about it and, ideally, starting to take action and support action based on it. I’d love to hear your and Jim’s reactions to it.

P.S. That’s the first book I’ve ever said “please read it”about. Presumptuous, sorry. Please feel free to ignore me.

>94 jnwelch: I am utterly unsurprised that you're seeing the glass is half-full. I don't have your sunny nature, sadly, so I frown my way through the horrors of our Kulturkampf. Dig we must....

Today’s Bargain: Ulysses by James Joyce for $1.99 on e-readers.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09T5GRLZG/ref=nodl_?_bbid=125977364&tag=noteworth...

>95 jnwelch: Well, I will not "ignore" you if you agree to someday read at least the first three chapters

of A GOOD AMERICAN FAMILY the Red Scare and My Father by David Maraniss.

>96 richardderus:. Ha! Understood. For me, it’s in my bones and generally immune to reason. We can balance each other. Sometimes I need a strong dose of cynicism and just the facts, ma’am.

>99 m.belljackson:. Ha! A deserved comment, Marianne, but I’m not horse-trading. I will take note of A Good American Family, and your 3 chapter offer is temptingly generous.

Did you read Evicted? If not, if you read both, I’ll re-read the first 6 chapters of Pride and Prejudice. 😅

>95 jnwelch: >89 jnwelch: Copy of The Other America is on the way from Abe.com!

>101 m.belljackson:. A kind, subtle reminder that i didn’t check the Poverty by America touchstones in those posts, Marianne. I fixed them!

The Harrington book would probably make an interesting companion to it.

>102 jnwelch: Matthew Desmond is speaking in NYC, I think in May. I'm going to try to see his presentation.

>103 ffortsa:. Great, Judy. I’d love to hear him speak. I hope he’s good. If you’re able, please let me know how it goes.

Today’s Bargains: The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw, The Best American Short Stories 2022 by Heidi Pitlor, The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer, The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner, all for $1.99 on e- readers. I thought The Beak of the Finch was terrific.

Here are the Amazon links: (to be posted)

Another Bargain: Benediction by Kent Haruf for $1.99 on Kindle. I loved this conclusion of the Plainsong trilogy.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00985E52C/ref=nodl_?pd_rd_i=B00985E52C&pd_rd_w=Dk...

Hi Joe. I'm thinking I may sample Evicted, which I planned (out loud for gosh sakes) to read several years ago, then weaseled out. See how (if) it goes this time.

>107 weird_O:. Sounds good, Bill. He’s a very good writer, as you’ll see. He’s concise, too - a lot of resource cites are in the notes in the back that you probably won’t need to read.

>102 jnwelch: So, did I order the wrong book?

>109 m.belljackson:. Sorry! Yes, Marianne, that’s the worst consequence of an unchecked, unproofed touchstone that i can imagine. Mea culpa. DM me and I’d be happy to reimburse you for my mistake, Marianne.

https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781419745508#:~:text=It's%20an%20explosive%2C%....

Good review of an interesting new graphic novel, The Last Count of Monte Cristo . I’m a pushover for tales of the Count.

>3 jnwelch: Happy new thread! I read The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida last week and enjoyed it quite a bit. I admit to not knowing much if anything about the civil war in Sri Lanka.

>110 jnwelch: Maybe we could just trade books?

Or somebody, somewhere could update on what is in this one...?!

>112 ocgreg34:. Hi, ocg. Thanks! I’m with you in not knowing much about the Sri Lankan civil war, and also in enjoying Seven Moons a lot. What a great satire.

>113 m.belljackson:. I’ll DM you on LT, Marianne, and we’ll figure something out. The problem with the idea of trading is I don’t want to give up our copy of Poverty by America!

>84 jnwelch: >89 jnwelch: Very tempted by this Joe. I hope it helps to find those who will take it up as a cause. I don't doubt much will apply here too.

Hi Joe! I am excited by this idea of reading trades. If I read Poverty by America (already on library hold list) can I have you read something that I like? I want to have more people read Brian Doyle who is a favorite Oregon author.

>116 banjo123:. I appreciate the idea, Rhonda, and do think it’s exciting. I’d love to see it catch on - just not for me. Why?

If we were at a book fair, or in a bookstore, and you strongly recommended a Brian Doyle book to me, I’d hold it, look at what the back cover says, maybe read a little bit of it, and probably buy it. In a library, I’d do something similar, and probably check it out. But that holding and looking at it is a crucial part. It makes me think of people who won’t read a book if there’s cruelty to a dog in it. I don’t like books featuring addictions, including gambling, although I’ve read my share for other reasons. Is it really a book for me? The holding and looking part can be wrong, but it’s usually necessary.

Your personal presence would also be part of it. The in-person enthusiasm of brother Mark or Darryl or others has certainly convinced me on occasion - although once in a while I’ll explain why it’s not for me.

To complicate things further, I’ve tried books based only on a persuasive review - I must read that! If you pointed me to a irresistible review of a Brian Doyle book, that might work.

Thanks for causing me to think about this. I’ll now take a close look at Brian Doyle as an author. Please let me know if there’s one in particular that’d be a good starter.

But the trading life, unfortunately, is not for me.

P.S. wow, his books do look good, Rhonda! I’ve added One long River of Song to my wishlist.

>115 Caroline_McElwee:. Thanks, Caroline. Yeah, the realists say that’s all well and good, but the proof is in the pudding. I’m sure Desmond feels that way. But his book is the (in my mind) necessary first step - to see how very possible it is, and how it might be accomplished. I find that very exciting.

P.S. And he also persuasively explains to the capitalist market forcers among us why it’s desirable and the right thing to do.

>117 jnwelch:
Regarding what you said about choosing a book. Very astute. I tend to be a holder and looker as well. I have also fallen for a book that was highly recommended by people who know me and I know them. Most of the time that kind of personal recommendation works - but not always. I always feel like I have failed somehow, if I don't like a book that was highly recommended by somebody else, whereas when I pick on and don't like it, I don't have that problem.

Holding and looking at a book is very important to the reading experience. The French philosopher Gerard Genette wrote a whole book about that. Paratexts: Thresholds of Interpretation He dubbed that pre-reading looking over part; paratext. Paratext is everything about a book that creates an atmosphere, a threshold into the book for the reader. Paratext is all the physical things about the book - the cover, the feel of the cover, the cover illustration, the frontispiece, the dedication, the print style, the font size, the feel of the paper, the illustrations or maps, the color of the ink, the index, and even the placement of the page number on a page affect the reader. All of these things add to the experience of reading. He believed that when combined, they create an atmosphere, a kind of subtext experience that is subconscious for the reader. This is part of what keeps the reader reading, or makes the reader want to read. Change one of those things and there is a different threshold. A different window through which the reader looks when they pick up that book.

It sounds to me like that is exactly what you are describing in your post.

>117 jnwelch:. LOL, Joe, it looks like I did convince you on Brian Doyle, so my work is done!

And I will read Desmond's book, regardless, as it looks like an important read.

Joe, I hope you are feeling much better!

>121 Whisper1:. Thanks, Linda! I am feeling much better, thanks.

A small price to pay for the visit of an adorable little girl.

>120 banjo123:. Thanks for understanding, Rhonda. Yes, you definitely hit me with a BB with Brian Doyle. I’m glad you’re going to read Poverty by America. I look forward to your thoughts on it.

>119 benitastrnad:. Hi, Benita. What a thoughtful post. Yes, it’s hard when I don’t like a recommended book - or even don’t love it as much as a gift giver did. I’ve got one sister who knows me well and gives me books I enjoy, and an older one who doesn’t, and doesn’t. It’s always challenging to tell the latter sister that the book was okay or that I didn’t read it - the second reluctantly, if she pushes it.

Paratext: What a wonderful concept from Genette. Yes, that’s a well thought out description of what I was trying to say. Kudos to you for reading the book.

Today’s Bargain: The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri for $1.99 on e-readers.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001JTPXVW/ref=nodl_?_bbid=130354340&tag=noteworth...

As you’ve probably seen, I love the Detective Montalbano mysteries set in Sicily. This is a good one to start with.

>122 jnwelch:
I confess, I didn't read the whole thing because --- well it is French philosophy. But I concentrated on the part about the threshold of reading. That was because I wrote a paper about it that was published in an academic journal. In all my academic reading about literacy and early literacy in particular, I had never heard that term. I learned about paratext from reading a travel book. Riding With Rilke: Reflections on Motorcycles and Books by Ted Bishop. Bishop is a professor in the English Literature Department at the University of Alberta. He rode a motorcycle (a Ducati) from Edmonton to Austin, Texas. In Austin he did research in the Virginia Wolf archives. The book was a travel book and it won the Motorcycle Award of Excellence for best motorcycle book in 2006. When Bishop got to Austin, TX he wrote a chapter about working in the archives. In that chapter he mentioned that Wolf had an original copy of Ulysses by James Joyce and he went into detail about the color of the cover - Aegean Blue. Joyce insisted on that particular color and sent back the very first books because they weren't the exact color he wanted. The reason he did so, was because he wanted the book to be evocative of Odysseus and his journey. Then Bishop went on about Gerard Genette and his concept of paratext. When I read that you can bet I went to find the book by Genette, and then looked up academic articles about paratext and early literacy. The penny dropped for me because it turns out that paratext is one of the unconsious ways children learn to read. They are looking at all the clues they find in the book, on the book, around the page, etc. etc. For me, paratext, was an amazing discovery and explanation of what I have observed in classrooms of all kinds.

Since then I have seen the concept of paratext at work in many different situations. What you described in your original post about how you choose a book, just fit right in with that concept and my observations over the years.

Since I read that book, I have run across Genette and his work in several different contexts - mostly in philosophy of education classes that I have taken or participated in over the years. Most of Genette's writing has to do with visual analysis of culture and thought. In particular the impact of film on culture and how it influences what we think. By-the-way, I don't feel guilty about not reading the entire book by Genette. I found what I needed and learned from it. I will always remember that book and Genette, but the larger part of the book was very dense. And, well, philosophical.

>-24. Another great post, Benita. I’ll come back to it. But first I have to jump up and down a bit.

Tucker Carlson is off Fox News!! That makes me very happy. I know, I know. He’ll land somewhere else. But at least he won’t have this everyone-genuflecting platform to spew his awfulness and have it lapped up by our credulous fellow citizens. The craziness inspired and abetted by the orange disaster is slowly getting corrected. This made my day. Trump, Mitch McConnell and this Carlson guy are probably my Top 3 that I’d like to see get smoked by karma.

>125 jnwelch: - I am not American and I have never watched more than maybe 5 minutes of fox news. But isn't that network a rag, in the vein of The Enquirer? That was my impression, since it even came on my radar in the early trump years. So, I guess my question is, will the sacking of one person make a difference to them or to their herd of sheep followers? I agree 200% about your sentiments about trump and McConnell (and probably a handful of others, like DeSantis, etc). Anyhow, it's good news, regardless. I bet CNN is throwing a party! ;-)

I'm as glad as anyone to see Tucker Carlson get the boot. But Fox made him what he was, and it's disingenuous of them to try to use this as evidence of journalistic integrity, if that's what they want us to believe. He did exactly what Fox wanted him to do, until it started to hurt them, and now he's a scapegoat. I've no sympathy for him, but Fox doesn't get points for this either.

Hi Joe, mate, having seen so much comment on your thread about Poverty by America, i am so intrigued, i am going to have to find a way in getting a copy.

I hope that you and Debbi had a good weekend and that you are both well, we are doing fine and just waiting for the weather to warm up. Temperatures were slowly on the rise up to 18C and then this week it has halved and will remain so until the weekend. Sending love and hugs to both of you from both of us dear friend.

>127 laytonwoman3rd: Very good point. I'm glad Carlson is gone, but Fox News is still Fox News, unfortunately.

Joe, I'd add Clarence Thomas to that karma smoking list. Politicians come and go (eventually), but justices are there for life.

>124 benitastrnad:. I also love when an author mentioning a book leads me to track down that book and read it, but Benita. How interesting Riding with Rilke sounds! Was it the title that first caught your eye? Makes me think of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, which likewise led me to other books, as I recall.

I’d feel guiltless, too, about not reading all of Genette. You read what you came for. As you can tell, Eastern philosophers often intrigue me; my ignorant gut reaction to many western ones is, “I don’t really care how many angels can dance on the end of a pin.”

>126 jessibud2:. Fox News is a frustratingly influential rag, Shelley, appealing not just to conspiracy theorists but your seemingly intelligent neighbor down the street. “News as entertainment”. Probably not a bad definition of a rag periodical, although we’ve been known in our house to gulp down the newest People magazine. That’s “News About entertainment”, I guess, which ends up being quite different. As far as I know, at People they don’t lie and twist the truth for popularity.

When the Con Man in Chief wS in office, he loved to watch Fox News. That’s how I think about FN - a bunch of successful con men (and women) who know how to push their dupe audience’s buttons. Even a smart person, unfortunately, can fall for a good con.

Will it change at FN? $787 million is a helluva lot of money. I think Murdoch has said, we’re changing direction. They fired another conspiracy theorist. (Coincidentally , CNN at the same time fired Don Lemon for ugly femarks about women and aging). Anyway, the trick for FN will be to make their right wing audience happy while not crossing so far over the line into actionable fabrication. Carlson without lying would be like a meal without seasoning, if you like that kind of meal.

CNN has its own problems, but I’m sure they are happy to see Carlson go, as are all sane people.

>127 laytonwoman3rd:. Agreed, Linda. Didn’t Fox’s settlement announcement say something about their “continued commitment to the highest standards of journalism? I saw one newscaster gag with laughter over that one.

Yes, Fox is just as much to blame for Carlson and the others as they are. As long as the lying and distortion were creating lots of profit FN encouraged them.

>128 johnsimpson:. Hiya, John. I’d love to hear your perspective on Poverty by America. He does a masterful job of showing how deluded we all are.

We are fine here and likewise waiting for the warmup. Spring is beginning to show its colors, and we’re thrilled to see how well our new plantings are doing. We just got a tenant for the flat in a building next door we acquired, so that’s a big one to tick off the list.

Love and hugs to you and Karen. We miss seeing you and your beautiful part of the world!

>129 kac522:. Hi, Kathy. Yeah, I saw an interview with 4 Fox viewers that supports that. They were all pissed about the Dominion revelations of election fraud lying (they trusted the newscasters), but 3 of 4 said they would still watch FN, albeit “with a grain of salt”. One who said that said he would now “broaden his net” and watch news from other sources, too.

Yes, Clarence Thomas is a good karma-smoking list addition. He and other SCt justices are not held to the same ethical standards as all other judges and lawyers. What an unfortunate mistake that is. There’s no enforcement mechanism for his rich sponsor conflicts of interest (other than a very difficult impeachment process)to kick him
Off the Court, and he’s too shameless and encouraged by the Right to voluntarily resign. I wish Chief Justice Roberts would at least publicly denounce him.

"I wish Chief Justice Roberts would at least publicly denounce him." Has such a thing ever happened? I'm not sure it would be good for the Court, but it sure would feel just.

>130 jnwelch:
The library I worked in stocked works of literature that dealt with education. Riding with Rilke was reviewed in Library Journal where I read the review. At the time we noticed that the works of literature criticism we had circulated fairly well for it being an Education Library, so I ordered it for our library. It proved to be one of those enlightening books that really captured me on several levels. There was the Genette thing, but there was also the motorcycle thing. I had never heard of Ducati, so I did some research about that automobile/motorcycle company. There was also much information in it about BMW motorcycles and so I did some research about that. There was the chapter on the Virginia Wolf Archives, so I ended up looking at that. It also prompted me to purchase a copy of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance for my own self. I have not read it yet. But I will.

>134 laytonwoman3rd:. In the 60s the Chief Justice (Warren?) convinced Justice Abe Fortas to resign for undisclosed financial arrangements with a wealthy sponsor that strike me me as similar to what Clarence Thomas has hidden.

>135 benitastrnad:. Cool beans, Benita. Your curiosity and follow-up are commendable. Yes, you seem like a natural for Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

>135 benitastrnad: I love Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, but understand that it is fiction. Still the bits about assembling a BBQ are dead on as are many other observations and the tone can be hypnotic. But then I liked the Carlos Casteneda books too. And I never did peyote or smoked much pot.

>136 jnwelch: He did it behind the scenes, though, right? Not a public "shame on you, you should resign" kind of announcement?

>130 jnwelch: F*x isn't paying the $787mm...we are. It's tax deductible.

In case you thought things were going to be fair.

That's enough to gag a vulture off a gut-cart. So let's not dwell on it.

I hope you are feeling better by now and then STAY better. It's just not worth the time and effort to be sick. So don't! (If only it was that easy...)

Much time -wasting reading chez moi, but I still don't have the stamina to do serious reading consistently. The strokes were only three months ago... and I feel like it was years already. I've been so incredibly lucky...

Joe - my 1,000th LT book Review choice turned out to be A Good American Family: The Red Scare and My Father:

"When Louis Brandeis, the first Jewish member of the Supreme Court, retired at age eighty-two, Elliott praised him
as a believer in 'the living law' who committed his legal career to social betterment and represented the spirit of America.

He challenged the railroad monopolies and public corruption; helped shape the legal concept of a right to privacy;
pushed for workers' rights, including a minimum wage, and popularized the idea of probono legal work..."

"...the humanitarian and ethical motivation of his judgments place him in the front ranks of the body of men
who have contributed to the preservation and extension of American democracy."

Those were the days...

>138 quondame:. 👍. Don’t know whether Benita’s seen this.

>139 laytonwoman3rd:. I suspect that’s right, Linda, although I believe there was an awful lot about it in the news at that time. I wish we had a clue as to what, if anything, Roberts is doing behind the scenes. Fortas reportedly was afraid of public impeachment hearings. Thomas probably isn’t.

>140 richardderus:. Good point on the taxes, RD, although i think its salutory effect only goes so far (only offsetting incurred taxes to that extent). It remains a huge monetary loss for Rupert, not that he hasn’t had them before.

I think both Madame MBH and I are in the clear for a while as far as sickness goes. What a bad stretch we had (particularly Debbi). When one partner is suffering, the other suffers with them.

Wow, I failed to realize that little time (3 months) had passed since your stroke. You’re doing remarkably well (I’m sure it’s been a lot of work getting there). The highest compliment I can get these days is “If I didn’t know about your stroke, I wouldn’t have guessed.” But I’m two years on from mine. At 3 months i was still stumbling about and looking well-dinged.

Incredibly lucky - yes! When things feel bleak I tell myself, I’m still here! I’d give anything to have some of our lost compatriots like Ellie still here. I’m sure glad you are!

Today’s Bargains: Smokescreen by Dick Francis; Turquoise Lament by John D. MacDonald and Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, all for $1.99 on e-readers. A Dick Francis race horse mystery, a Travis McGee mystery, and classic sci-fi from the esteemed Octavia Butler.

>141 m.belljackson: Good for you, Marianne. Nice excerpt from A Good Family; those were the days indeed. Brandeis had a profound effect on the legal (and nonlegal) world, and his judicial reasoning was still taught when I was in law school.

>142 jnwelch: My brother in law, who's known me for 36 years, said he could not detect anything off or unusual in my speech. This is in the context of helping me figure out how to get my laptop to work again, so I was under a lot of stress. I felt so delighted! And he is on the autism spectrum and frequently does not use the softest words, not out of unkindness but just because he doesn't know to do so. Having him notice and then think to say something meant so much to me.

I've worked at it but I was also INCREDIBLY lucky. Barely three months ago I was unable to think at all clearly and now I can read and even write a little. Astounding!

I think of Ellie and Rebecca often, wishing they were still here to chat and share insights with us. Our world is poorer without the brightness so many good people took with them.

Me? I'm planning to lump my way around until I get planted.

I hear you about Fox News but inquiring minds want to know what is a fairly unbiased news station to watch in the US. I’m in Utah at present and we were flipping through stations to see if we could catch up with what was going on in the world.

>146 Familyhistorian: Meg, I'd go with MSNBC'S lineup.

>141 m.belljackson: 1000 reviews? Way to go, Marianne.

Hi Joe.

>145 richardderus:. A casual remark like your BIL’s can mean a lot, for sure, RD. I’m glad the goddess of luck smiled down on you. Amazingly, right after mine, in the hospital, I was physically discombobulated, but I could still read. Oh joy! The benefits of a right brain stroke . . . If I’d lost the ability to read, yikes. Audio books I guess.

Right, I miss that brightness you speak of. I didn’t know Rebecca, unfortunately. Wish I had.

>146 Familyhistorian:, >147 richardderus:. CNN is good, too, IMO.

>148 PaulCranswick:. Top o’ the evening to you, Paul.

Today’s Bargain: The Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland for $1.99 on e-readers. Immersive tale of the beautiful Vermeer painting through time.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X8ZQVF9/ref=nodl_?_bbid=134433632&tag=noteworth...

>150 jnwelch: - I loved that book!! And almost all the other books she wrote. All with connections to art.

>146 Familyhistorian:
I recommend CNN and the PBS News Hour. For in-depth reporting on a subject you can't beat PBS News Hour. Or, if you listen to the radio, try NPR's news programs .

>152 benitastrnad: What Benita said.

>152 benitastrnad:, >153 kidzdoc:. Agreed. I’m glad you included NPR. I’m an admirer.

>151 jessibud2:. Wasn’t The Girl in Hyacinth Blue a standout. Shelley? Every chapter a gem. You remind me I need to read more by her.

Today’s Bargain: Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy for $1.99 on e-readers. You got two five star re-read reviews of this one from Mark and me. Don’t miss it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003XT60E0/ref=nodl_?_bbid=134587185&tag=noteworth...

Flowerheart by Catherine Bakewell. An enjoyable light fantasy. Clara has trouble controlling her wild magic and inadvertently harms her father. Her childhood friend Morwyn is already a recognized wizard and looks to help her, but at what cost? Can their former friendship be renewed and perhaps develop into more?

Georgia by Dawn Tripp. I felt like I’d dropped into the life of Georgia O’Keeffe and her relationship with Alfred Stieglitz in this novel. Thanks to Katie for recommending it. Tripp makes artful (!) use of the form to draw us directly into Georgia’s experiences, her strength and clarity, and her fraught romance with the biggest admirer of her art, Stieglitz.

The author successfully draws us into O’Keeffe’s acts of creating that art, paintings and drawings resoundingly American and like no other. I found it hypnotic. What a woman. At times I wanted to applaud Stieglitz, at times strangle him. His fame as a photographer derived in no small part from Georgia’s willingness to be his muse and openly honest and mysterious model. Her fame as an artist grew through his capable efforts featuring and publicizing her work. Their romance remained vital amid all the stresses brought on by fame, business and their needs to create. Altogether a topnotch read.

>157 jnwelch: - I'm glad you liked it!

To the Realization of Perfect Helplessness by Robin Coste Lewis(winner of the 2022 National Book Award for Voyage of the Sable Venus).. The black Great Migration went West, as well as North. This book is based on her grandmother’s treasure trove of photos from that time. Lots of scenes from daily family life and in finery for special occasions, newborns and so on. A fascinating look at a different era and circumstance. I found the accompanying poetry tonally splendid but too elliptical in meaning. I don’t get the title at all - there is no depiction or feeling of helplessness; quite the opposite. I can’t imagine why she picked it.

P.S. Here’s her explanation of the title in a LitHub interview:

“The title is a direct quote from African American Arctic explorer, Matthew Henson. In his retelling of his final Arctic expedition, he constantly—by necessity—ponders his mortality because death occurred constantly all around him. Like so many of us, over these past few years, he lost many, many beloved friends. So, in this instance, Henson is speaking about a colleague on his final expedition. The colleague (who was also a friend) had just been struck dead in the center of his chest by a giant boulder during a storm.”

There is a whole section of poetry featuring Matthew Henson, but I still don’t get the title.

>158 katiekrug:. 👍. Thanks again, Katie. Perfect timing, too, with this thread’s toppers.

>157 jnwelch: it's always amazing to me that powerful people manage to stay in any kind of close relationship for any length of time at all. These two were Forces of Nature, so it's even more astounding.

Happy weekend ahead's reads, Joe.

>160 jnwelch:. Agreed, Richard. Their magnetic attraction to each other was mighty strong.

Back atcha re upcoming reads. - ain’t it grand?

>100 jnwelch: Hi Joe -

You may well want to read all of A GOOD AMERICAN FAMILY instead of just the suggested first 3 chapters,
since there's yet another mention of a famous Welch, as well as a lot centered in both Ann Arbor and Madison.

Also, THE OTHER AMERICA - the oddly ordered Michael Harrington book -
is acclaimed as "the book that sparked the War on Poverty!"

Sure wonder if progress from this 1963 book is mentioned in your Poverty book. (Touchstone not cooperating)

>164 jnwelch:. Sounds good, Marianne. The more mentions of that famous Welch the better, I say. (Love his grape juice).(Kidding - no relation).

Given the importance of the Harrington book (which probably explains its topping the touchstones) I bet you’d find it in Desmond’s resource notes at the end of Poverty by America.

Rare wild black lion in African bush

>165 jnwelch: WOW!

>165 jnwelch: - Beautiful!

Morning, Joe!

A book just came across the circ desk that I think YBH would *love*: The Storyteller's Handbook by Elise Hurst. It's filled with gorgeous illustrations - no words - and the point is for the reader to create the story. I think it would be a fantastic story time for the two of you and your grandkiddos!

>166 FAMeulstee:. Isn’t that cool, Anita? I didn’t know there was such a lion.

>167 jessibud2:. Agreed, Shelley.

>168 scaifea:. Thanks for thinking of us, Amber. How intriguing. I will check it out. The grandkiddos are starting to make up their own stories while “reading” books, based on the illustrations. Our library has The Storyteller’s Handbook (no correct touchstone?) by Elise Hurst.

Today’s Bargains: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett for $1.99 on e-readers. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FC10S4/ref=nodl_?_bbid=135200526&tag=bookbubem.... If you haven’t read this perennial favorite or want a handy copy, here’s your chance.

Also, The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal for $1.99 on e-readers. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0756JH5R1/ref=nodl_?_bbid=135499666&tag=bookbubem... A very well done alt-history of a woman astronaut in the 1950s.

If anyone here is, like me, a Walter Mosley fan, or enjoyed The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, I just watched the AppleTv adaptation and liked it a lot. It’s the story of an elderly black man given a temporary medical reprieve from dementia, giving him a chance to straighten out his family and fulfill a childhood promise. Starring Samuel Jackson and a terrific young actress (Dominique Fishback) as his caregiver. Its multiple episodes have the measured and intimate pace of the book.

One of Mosley's forefathers was Chester Hines...and his last Coffin Ed and Gravedigger Jones novel, BLIND MAN WITH A PISTOL, is $1.99 today.

>172 richardderus:. Good one, thanks, RD! I’m also a Chester Himes fan and will track it down.

P.S. Did you like Friday Black? I liked it a lot, and I’m reading his new first novel, Chain Gang All-stars.

>173 jnwelch: Oh, and Timothy Snyder's excellent ON TYRANNY is only $2.99 today, too.

>173 jnwelch:. Agreed on the excellence. A good heads-up for our cafe-goers.

I added a p.s. to my previous post to you.

The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths. The last Ruth Galloway mystery “for now”? Brings tears to me eyes. A diverting mystery regarding a young woman’s skeleton hidden behind a cafe wall. Lot of character updates. (Can Katie really be 12 years old?!). More graceful handling of the pandemic, like the previous book. Ruth and Nelson. . . . If you’ve been following this series, you’ll probably read it for them alone. I gave it 5 stars, out of appreciation for the whole series.

>173 jnwelch: I adored FRIDAY BLACK! And am delighted by CHAIN GANG ALL STARS, as well. I think he's going to be a big voice in fiction, unless They get to him and force either a toning down or a shutting up on him. This could easily happen in today's debased world.

Good goddesses I hope it doesn't!

>176 jnwelch:. Great to hear! Sounds like you finished Chain Gang All-Stars with great enthusiasm. I’m enjoying it so far.

I share your prayer to the goddesses of fiction.

>176 jnwelch: - It's Kate, Joe, not Katie. Who are you, Nelson?

;-)

I just finished it, too. I thought it was a solid finale.

I like the sweet sadness and simplicity of this one by the outstanding young Chicago poet Jose Olivarez:

Ojala: My Homie

Oscar once saw someone
Get jumped for their shoes.

We didn’t stop wanting
Jordans. Instead, we learned
that if we ever had shoes worth robbing,
It was better to hide them
In our backpacks. dear god,
this is how we learned to be boys:
we kept everything we loved close by
& out of sight.

>176 jnwelch: 😂. I did think of Kate vs. Katie, Katie. I know Ruth would correct me.

“Solid finale” is a good description. My emotional attachment to the whole series carried me to five stars. Thank goodness Nelson and Ruth ended up living together and “maybe” (Ruth) marrying later. Anything else would’ve been a letdown.

>171 jnwelch:
I heard about the series being done for Last Days of Ptolemy Grey and the reviews of it were very good. I would be interested in watching it at some point, but I generally like to read the books first. I have most of Mosely's books on my TBR list but keep putting off reading them. Perhaps it is time for me to move them up on the list. I also have the Lady Astronaut series on my TBR list as well. But then, I have the entire Expanse series as well. Since I retired I am reading alot, but I keep filling up my dance card with other things.

I have started a new temporary hobby since I retired. I am now binge watching the Star Trek Discovery series and enjoying every minute of it. There are several series I am interested in watching on DVD that are available through my public library and I intend to spend a significant amount of time in the next two weeks watching them. At least watching the series allows me to knit and so I am upping my knitting output.

On a whole different note - If you do any mailing right now is a great time for USPS author stamps. They just issued a Tomi De Paola stamp, and there is one for Toni Morrison and Ernest J. Gaines. I keep thinking I should place my order for a flat of all three. Can you believe the author bonanza on the part of USPS?

Thanks for the tip on the Mosley series - we'll check it out!

>182 benitastrnad:. “Since I retired I am reading alot, but I keep filling my dance card with other things.” How great is that? That’s exactly the beauty of retiring, isn’t it. For folks who love to read and have a wide-ranging curiosity and enthusiasm for a lot of things, retirement is a godsend. I know Mr. Mark is enjoying his, too.

I’m glad to hear that the Ptolemy Grey series garnered positive reviews. It doesn’t really have some of the bells and whistles that often draw viewers. It’s more a slice of a humble, remarkable life, like maybe The Maid starring Maggie Qualley (Andie McDowell’s daughter -AM plays her mother in The Maid). I loved that one, too.

I know what you mean about binge-ing Star Trek. We just finished watching the Picard series, and enjoyed that very much., with alL the old STTNG characters stopping by. We thought Strange New Worlds, with Captain Pike was also very good. Another
season of that is coming up. This crazy proliferation of channels and shows sure has its benefits. Right now we’re enjoying a French detective show (via Britbox, I think!) called Astrid, where the title character is a young autistic woman working the criminal archives who ably assists a police woman. Wonderful ensemble acting.

That’s great news about the USPS author stamps. I hope they do Brits like Jane Austen. Maybe that’s unlikely.

>181 jnwelch:. Oh good, Jim. It deserves viewers!

>184 jnwelch: We absolutely cannot keep up with all the TV we want to watch. I'm trying not to make it a 'requirement', you know?

>186 ffortsa:. Right, Judy. Similar to books, right? A nice problem to have. I try.to just be happy with what I manage to read/watch, and circle back to those that pull strongly, during “lulls”.

Something I never expected to have happen in our lifetime: “the launch of the Thich Nhat Hanh Center for Mindfulness in Public Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The center aims to explore the growing body of research and approaches to improve health and well-being through mindfulness — a meditative practice of being fully present in the moment.”

Wow, we’ve come a long way. I’m a Thich Nhat Hanh fan, may he rest in peace.

>184 jnwelch: I tried to order the stamps when UK issued the Jane Austen ones but couldn't get the purchase to go through. Bummer.

>171 jnwelch:

The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey

Just when we were thinking fo giving up our AppleTV subscription here comes a reason to keep it a while longer

>172 richardderus: BIG fan of the Coffin Ed and Gravedigger books. Sorry they only made one movie about the team Cotton Comes to Harlem but that movie was a corker.

>188 jnwelch: My daughter and I love his book Going Home: Jesus and Buddha as Brothers.

Happy Sunday, Joe. It looks like I have not been by to see buddy in awhile. I am back from my various travels and still catching up on LT. It also migration season, so I been busy with the birds and of course, with my beloved Jackson. The books are treating me well, although I haven't had much time for poetry or a GN, but I should today. I will also start The Three Musketeers, which I have never read.

Thanks for the rec on Ptolemy Gray. I hope to start the series soon.

Sunday orisons, Joe! I saw that THE HATE U GIVE scribe, Angie Thomas, has a new middle grade fantasy novel coming out: https://www.cbc.ca/arts/q/angie-thomas-nic-blake-and-the-remarkables-q-tom-power...

Knowing that you also like her work, I thought you'd like to give a listen to that interview.

Today’s Bargains: Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin for $1.99 on e-teaders. The classic.

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John Lecarre for $1.99 on e-readers. The granddaddy of all spy thrillers? It was for me.

The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson for $1.99. Has anyone read this? It sounded fun, and I scooped it up.

Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead for $1.99 on e-readers.https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QMZC2PM/ref=nodl_?_bbid=135495951&tag=bookbubemail1-20&dplnkId=081fafb1-bfa0-4e29-997a-868eb049e2e9

I was surprised to see this as a bargain offer. A very good, more conventional Harlem story from this exceptional author.

>194 richardderus:. Hey Mr. D. Sunday kinda slipped by me, so greetings on the first day of what is sure to be a magnificent week of reading and enjoying the improving weather. I’m liking Chain Gang All-Stars very much, and I’m entering the final stretch.

I’m a big-time Angie Thomas fan (how can she be that young?) and appreciate your supplying the interview link. I’ll be on it after these posts. I wouldn’t have guessed middle grade fantasy, but from her I look forward to it.

>193 msf59:. Hey, buddy. Good to see your post. Oh man, I envy you reading The Three Musketeers. Dumas is the master of adventure classics. You’ll have a mighty good time.

Ptolemy Grey - I’m still thinking about those characters. I’d like to hear how Robyn is doing now - what a great performance by Dominique Fishback

I’m nearing the end of that The Customer is Always Wrong GN you recommended. It’s a long one, but a good one.

>197 jnwelch: How can my grandson be a father? Time is going way faster than I ever thought was possible. Funny how my mother told me it would, and I shrugged it off... well, chalk one up for her.

>192 m.belljackson:. Nice one, Marianne, thanks. I’ve enjoyed his comments about Buddhism being a perfectly fine complement to Christianity. As we know, Buddhism is not really a religion; it’s a way to live.

>191 magicians_nephew:. Me, too, Jim. I haven’t read the Coffin Ed and Gravedigger bargain book, so I’m looking forward to that. Yes, what a corker that Cotton Come to Harlem movie was. I have a feeling it would be a much bigger financial success if it came out now. I wish they’d done more movie adaptations, too. Maybe we’ll get a tv series? They’re looking everywhere for content these days.

>190 magicians_nephew:. Can’t wait to hear what you think of the Ptolemy Grey adaptation, Jim.

>189 quondame:. Jane Austen was just the author I was thinking of, Susan. I wish it was easier to get the stamps and I’d also like a banknote with her on it. Maybe eBay?, which I haven’t been on for ages.

>199 richardderus:. Your grandson a father, Great-grandpappy? The mind boggles. I’m going to be a lot older than you are when Rafa or Fina has a child. You must’ve started young?

>176 jnwelch: and >181 jnwelch: I finished The Last Remains this weekend, and agree with your summation and your spoiler. She had me thinking, for a while there, that some things were not going to work out all right in the end!

>202 jnwelch:. Wasn’t Last Remains fun, foggi? I’m glad the review worked for you. Yes, she had me worried, too. Ruth seemed to be thinking a lot about reasons not to do it, didn’t she. Now, of course, I want to read about her and Nelson and Katie all finally in the same house together (sounds like a great house, too). But that’ll be a long wait now, if she ever gets around to it.

I’ve enjoyed her Harbinder Kaur mysteries, so I guess I’ll make do with those for now.

>200 jnwelch: Christianity and Islam would have profited by emulating the Origins of Buddhism.

>205 m.belljackson:. Nice to hear, Marianne. I sure agree.

>204 jnwelch: Yeah, I was also concerned that Cathbad was going to die -- glad she didn't do that! I've liked the Harbinder Kaur books as well. She has another series that I haven't delved into yet, so maybe I'll have to give that a try.

>202 jnwelch: Yeppers I surely did that. I was 20 when his mother was born, 42 when he was born. Waaay too young both times.

>207 foggidawn:. Ditto, foggi. Yeah, she had readers… wondering. I should try her other series, too.

>133 jnwelch: >134 laytonwoman3rd: I'm dismayed by Senator Feinstein's stubbornness. Reminds me of Justice RBG clinging to her job, only to hand the job of replacing her to the enemies of the Nation.. "Only I can fix it," somebody said. I don't know who it was, but somebody said it. Without the senator's vote, the Judiciary Committee is stymied, unable to advance Biden's judicial nominees to a vote in the full Senate. And the Democratic senators are unable to effectively press for some ethics amongst SC justices.

>210 weird_O: What Bill said

>211 magicians_nephew: what Jim said Bill said

>210 weird_O:. Well said, Bill. I join Jim and Richard and you on this. That means we have enough cafe votes to ask Feinstein to step down. But apparently she still won’t? What sad selfish grasping is going on in her mind?

>208 richardderus:. Oh man, I would’ve been such an inept father at that young age. How’d you pull it off? I guess you muddle through. But the bills! Oh my lordy.

>213 jnwelch: Re: Feinstein - maybe Dementia?

>213 jnwelch: I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. One manages, but it is hugely stressful. Not that it ever isn't, of course.

>214 m.belljackson:. Could be, Marianne. If so, those around her should be stepping up and taking care of this problem, shouldn’t they. I had to step up for my dad when the time came.

>215 richardderus:. Right, Richard. That much more stressful. Man, that would’ve been a much different time for me if i’d taken that one on. Well, at least you got a great-grandkid out of it. I’m always looking for something to brag about to the neighbors.

I have decided that I won't be attending ALA this summer. I am on a tight budget until October when my SS will start, so I have forego the pleasure of 3 days with books. However, I am starting to receive information from publishers that there are going to be lots of authors at this conference. That bodes will for getting free books. I suspect that since it has become one of the few venues for publishers to get stuff out to the public that they will be out in full force.

I contacted the LT people about ALA but have not heard anything back from them. I will try again and see what they have to say and pass it on to you and Mark.

>217 benitastrnad:. Thanks, Benita. Sorry to hear that you won’t be going, but thanks for following up with LT about the ALA conference in Chicago. We love those free books. We’ll look forward to hearing.

Today’s Bargain: Red Dragon by Thomas Harris for $1.99 on e-readers. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001ODEP8U/ref=nodl_?_bbid=137651090&tag=bookbubem...

This one scared the crap out of me. By the Silence of the Lambs author.

>218 jnwelch: >217 benitastrnad: Sure wish an ALA would be scheduled for Madison!

>219 jnwelch: I read the ARC decades ago and I still have nightmares about that story...eeewww

>220 m.belljackson:. It’s a short trip from Madison to Chicago, Marianne.😀

>221 richardderus:. Right, RD? Yikes!

Today’s Bargain: Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami for $1.99 on e-readers. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085HJQKS8/ref=nodl_?_bbid=133974873&tag=bookbubem...

This supposedly is the best book by this acclaimed Murakami-appreciated author. At this price, I grabbed it.

>222 jnwelch: Joe - If only Amtrak had finally scheduled a train a day to Madison in the nearly 40 years since we moved to Wisconsin

from Michigan!

Not only Ann Arbor, but even little East Lansing had Trains,
while the bus from Madison to Chicago often has a weird layover in Janesville (I think - it's been awhile).

And though my three husbands each stated that I was a better driver than any of them,
and even though the local DMV renewed my license until 2030 without a driving test (!!!),

I am 79 years old and that 3 hour drive from Madison to Chicago
(with the b-busting Chicago traffic that I used to drive through nearly every day from age 18 on)

is not advised by any Family member who wants me to make it to age 80.

So, hope the ALA votes for Madison in 2024...

>224 m.belljackson:. Understood, Marianne. Yes, the toughest part of any drive usually starts in Chicago.

I took the Amtrak train to Ann Arbor regularly when my mother was in the last stretch. Comfortable and pretty reliable - a delay once in a while.

Sorry to hear there isn’t an easy way for you to attend ALA. We have a great time, and our daughter is an awesome free book Hoover.

Hiya Joe. Just skimming through, agreeing with most things. I need to get back to Elly Griffiths' work; I think I've read all but the last two? And I need to give Walter Mosley a try.

>224 m.belljackson:
I doubt that ALA will be in Madison. Even post-COVID the attendance is huge. The 2022 conference in Washington, D.C. had 12,000 attendees. That's a huge number of hotel rooms.

>226 EBT1002:. Hi, Ellen. Can’t wait to hear what you think of Mosley.

>226 EBT1002:. Thanks, Benita.

Good morning, everyone. We’re off for adventures in the Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion national parks. I’ll touch base when possible. Back next week.

Wow! Have a fantastic time, Joe. Sounds fantastic. Who is all going?

Have a great time!!

>230 msf59:. Thanks, Mark! Just the two of us.

>231 jessibud2:. Thanks, Shelley! It’ll be Grand and great, I’m sure.

Faulty hydraulic pump on the airplane has us all scrambling to find a new flight. We gave ourselves some time slack figuring the chances were high there’d be some kind of flight trouble. I’d love to have the airline industry regulated.

>229 jnwelch: Glorious trip y'all have planned there... enjoy every inch of it!

>233 jnwelch:- Well, better on the ground than in the air. Whatever it takes to get there safely

>227 benitastrnad: Hmm - hard to tell - the last report is that there were 10,000 hotel rooms in the Madison area in 2017.

Maybe Mark could bring his new Camper?!

>234 richardderus:. Thanks, Richard. We will! It’s nice to be adventuring again after the pandemic shutdown.

>235 jessibud2:. Thanks, Shelley. We’ve arrived safely, and the delay wasn’t that bad, with a healthy plane taking us a little more than two hours later. We’re in Scottsdale for the time being, enjoying the cactus-strewn landscape.

>229 jnwelch: Have a great adventure Joe.

Hope you have a great trip, Joe!

Joe, is this a tour or are you going on your own?

. Shoot. Unsuccessful photo experiment. If you’re on Facebook, Debbi is traveloguing our trip.

>240 ffortsa:. Primo question, Judy. We’re on a Tauck tour, soon to be joining 24 others (small group). It is so beautiful already, and we’re just in Scottsdale. Took an early morning hike among the saguaros and exotic desert flora - we’re not in Kansas (or Chicago) any more!

>239 bell7:. Thanks, Mary! It ain’t New England where you are, another favorite part of the country.

>238 Caroline_McElwee:. Thanks, Caroline. Wish you could join us. We may not have the Cotswolds and Daunt bookshop, but the natural beauty is stunning.

>242 jnwelch: Oh thanks, Joe. Let us know how you like the Tauck tour. I'm really interested in that part of the country; I've never spent any time there. A tour might be the way to go.

>243 ffortsa:. Will do, Judy. We’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about Tauck from family members and friends (and strangers who hear what we’re doing!). This is our first with them, and right now it looks like it won’t be our last.

Grand Canyon: Stunning. Spectacular. Overwhelming. Humbling and exalting. Two billion years in the making.

A highlight yesterday was Slot Canyon near Lake Powell. Today we raft on the Colorado River. Been a great trip, with more to come. I’ll have photos when we get back mid-week.

>246 jnwelch: Ooh, have fun river rafting!

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is available on e-readers for $1.99.

>246 jnwelch: oOoOO OOO! River rafting! Y'all are too cool for school!

>249 richardderus:. 🤣🤣. It was bee-yoo-tee-full

Imagine if Van Gogh painted our Southwest. He would’ve loved it.

>250 jnwelch:🤣🤣. It was bee-yoo-tee-full, Richard.

>248 jnwelch: One of my faves.

>251 jnwelch: Now there's a thought Joe. Continue having a great time.

>253 Caroline_McElwee:. So good, isn’t it, Caroline. Unprecedented at the time is what I’ve read.

The great time continues. Today we watched the sun rise in Bryce Canyon, gradually lighting up the hoodoos ( stunning rock formations). Coffee on our balcony, breakfast in the Lodge, and now we’re off to hike the canyon rim. Wunderbar. And Madame MBH is fabulous. (She might’ve just told me to say that! But it’s true).

Hi Joe, mate, loving the photos that Debbi is posting on Facebook, looks like you are both having a really lovely time.

Having wonderful time wish you were here.

We’re back! I’ll post some photos soonish.

Today’s Bargain: The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman for $1.99 on e-readers. A fun one.

Bell Rock, near Sedona, AZ. We flew into Phoenix, stayed in Scottsdale, then motorcoached to Sedona and then the Grand Canyon. 16 very nice folks in our group.

With Madame MBH at the Grand Canyon

Beautiful photos of a *perfect* day 💗

Wow! Great photos!

Karen O

Fabulous photos.

>260 jnwelch: Awesome!

>260 jnwelch: Impressive landscape, great pictures.
Glad to see a picture of you both :-)

>255 johnsimpson:. Thanks, John. We had a fabuloso time. I’d never seen the Grand Canyon. I was gobsmacked as we walked along the rim. Bryce and Zion were jawdroppers, too.

>256 richardderus:. Glad you had a wonderful time in my absence, RD. Your wishing worked, and here I am.

>261 richardderus:. Thanks re the photos, Richard, and this was a vacation full of perfect days. Check Debbi’s FB page if you want to see a whole lot of photos. I’ll post some more today.

>262 klobrien2:. Thanks, Karen!

>263 johnsimpson:. Thanks, buddy.

>264 quondame:. Thanks, Susan!

>265 FAMeulstee:. Thanks, Anita. Folks were wonderful about offering to take a photo of the two of us, so there will be more.

Beautiful photos, Joe. So glad you and Madame MBH had such a fantastic experience.

>268 MickyFine:. Thanks, Micky. More photos coming. . . .

>270 jnwelch: Great fun photos of good Grand Canyon memories -
and, Holy Smokes, is that Butter or Ice Cream on top of those Frosted Pancakes!

Morning coffee



Our Scottsdale hotel room patio



Our jack rabbit friend that liked to hang out by our patio

>271 m.belljackson: Thanks, Marianne. That's a delicious sweet carrot cream on top.

>273 jnwelch: Carrot cream? That's a great idea... make pancakes more like carrot cake! Sounds and looks like a beautiful trip, Joe. Your bunny pal is lucky no one was in the mood for hassenpfeffer or rabbit tartare.

>260 jnwelch: >270 jnwelch: >272 jnwelch: What an amazing trip Joe, and great photos. Is it the first time you've been there. I like your little furry visitor.

Fabulous vicarious visit for me, here with your pics. Good to hear it was such a good trip for you both.

And yum!

Welcome back, Joe! I LOVE all the great photos, which I have also been seeing and enjoying on FB. It looks like you had a wonderful time. Good for you for planning this.

I requested Promises of Gold. Thanks for the rec.

Great photos!

I love the hotel room patio. Great place to relax and read :)

Wonderful photos! Thanks!

Karen O

>274 richardderus:. I tell you, Richard, I know you’re a carrot cake fan like me, and you would’ve loved these pancakes. I’m tempted to fly back just to have them. So delish. I was fueled to the max for the day to come. If I had enough room I would’ve had them twice. The Grand Canyon was great , but these pancakes!

Our friendly little jack pal was too cute for someone’s plate. He’s just waiting for the southwest Beatrix Potter to come along.

>275 Caroline_McElwee:. Thanks, Caroline. Yes, it was my first time seeing the Grand Canyon. I was stunned. It’s overwhelming. Have you been there? I was wishing we had someone from across the pond in our group (we were all domestics) just to experience their reaction. We also had the best geologist I’ve ever heard tell us about the 2 billion(!) year formation of the Grand Canyon, plate tectonics and the Colorado river and the ocean and periodic flooding and all. Among other things, it’s the happiest place I’ve ever been. Its affect on every human being near it is profound. We were all minute specks lucky to be on this planet, lucky to be near its immensity.

Our furry visitor was charming, and seemed to enjoy visiting us.

>276 jessibud2:. That’s great to hear, Shelley. I’m glad you’re enjoying the pics. I’ll be posting more -what a trip. We’re still digesting it all.

>277 msf59:. Thanks, buddy. Aren’t the photos great? Debbi has a terrific eye and knack, and I take an occasional good one that we mix in. I’m glad you were able to get the full experience on FB; this is just a sampling here.

Next year we really want to get back to London, our home away from home, but we’re already thinking about Kenya and Tanzania for 2025.

I’m happy you’ll be trying Promises of Gold. I’m thoroughly enjoying it. What a writer he is.

>278 figsfromthistle:. Thanks, Anita! We loved that hotel patio. That unique dry desert heat and the unusual-to-us landscape along with the quiet and the birds and our furry visitor - we could’ve hung out there for a long, long time. Wonderful place to start and end the day.

>279 klobrien2:. Thanks, Karen! I’m glad you’re enjoying them.

Part of the Colorado River, taken from a small plane







On the Horseshoe Bend hike near Lake Powell in northern Arizona

>282 jnwelch: - Wow!! Was that you hanging off the wing taking that pic from the small plane? ;-)

That first pic is similar to a pic shown to us by our grade 7 geography teacher, to illustrate the meaning of the word *meander*. That's where and when I learned that word and a pic like this is forever etched in my mind's eye whenever I read or see it.

Spectacular!

>282 jnwelch: Unfortunately I haven't been to the Canyon Joe. More great photos.



One of David Hockney's Grand Canyon paintings.

>280 jnwelch: I am so a huge carrot cake fan! I got so hungry for some that after I left the eye doctor appointment I got a piece at the convenience store in the building!

Wouldn't a Southwestern Beatrix Potter be a wonderful find? So very much to work with.

Amazing pictures!

>283 jessibud2:. Ha! That plane was so small I could take that wing photo from the inside, Shelley. I had to bend way down to get to my seat.

Meander is such a great word, isn’t it. The Colorado River, coming down from the Rockies, has had a profound effect on the landscape in the southwest.

>284 weird_O:. Right, Bill?

>285 Caroline_McElwee:. Thanks, Caroline. Intriguing. I’ll have to look for more Hockney GC paintings.

>286 richardderus:. Ha! I get it, Richard. I snarfle down some carrot cake every chance I get.

Yes, Beatrix in the southwest would’ve been such a treat.

>287 banjo123:. Hi, Rhonda. Amazing landscape. I’m so glad we made the trip.

The new cafe is open. See you there!