Mark's Reading Place: Chapter Two

-Morton Arboretum



-Western Tanager. LIFER 12/20

Audiobook:



Graphic/Comic:



January:

1) Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi 3.7 stars
2) How to Pronounce Knife: Stories by Souvankham Thammavongsa 4.4 stars
3) We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper 3.8 stars (audio)
4) Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar 4.6 stars
5) Five Skies by Ron Carlson 3.6 stars
6) Cowboys Are My Weakness: Stories by Pam Houston 4.3 stars
7) The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist by Adrian Tomine 4 stars GN
8) The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson 4.2 stars E
9) Owls of the Eastern Ice by Jonathan C. Slaght 4 stars (audio)
10) The Air We Breathe by Andrea Barrett 3.7 stars
11) Follow Me In by Katriona Chapman 4 stars GN
12) CivilWarLand in Bad Decline: Stories by George Saunders 4.2 stars

Fiction:

1) Shuggie Bain
2) Hamnet
3) Girl, Woman, Other
4) A Thread of Grace
5) Tiny Love: Stories

Honorable Mentions- The Stone Diaries, The Cold Millions

Non-Fiction:

1) A Field Guide to Getting Lost
2) The New Jim Crow
3) The Splendid and the Vile
4) Memorial Drive
5) Late Migrations

Honorable Mentions- The Falcon Thief, American Heiress

If, I had to narrow it down to only 5:

1) Shuggie Bain
2) A Field Guide to Getting Lost
3) Hamnet
4) The New Jim Crow
5) Girl, Woman, Other

Happy new thread, Mark!

Happy newness, Mark!

Happy new one, Mark

‘Morning, Mark! Happy new thread. How odd that you couldn't continue from your first one. I love your topper photos, especially the trees in the snow.

Have a great bird adventure today. May the books be kind to you this afternoon.

From your last thread:
>280 drneutron: I’ve thought the same thing. I think he and his family would also get medical insurance, too. It infuriates me.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Mark. I hope you have a great day.

Great pics for the new thread.

The Kirkus Review's List of the 50 Most Anticipated Books of 2021 might be of interest.
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-lists/50-most-anticipated-books-2021/#nuestra...

Happy new thread, Mark. Love the topper and the squirrel in the snow.

Morning Mark. I wonder why the move to a new thread feature isn't working. Katie couldn't get it to work, either.

Back to your prior thread, the cartoon about the Trump Presidential Library cracked me up. One of my favorites.

Happy New Thread, my friend.

I reported the thread continuation problem to the Bug Collectors group. I think it must have something to do with the just-launched re-design of Group pages...

Happy new thread, Mark. I saw you'd started a new one while checking out the latest update for Groups which will take a while to get used to.

>5 katiekrug: >6 Crazymamie: >7 jessibud2: Thanks, Katie, Mamie & Shelley!

>8 karenmarie: Thanks, Karen. Glad you like the toppers. I shared them before but I thought they would be perfect for my next thread. I had a good bird outing this A.M. more on that later and now I am getting ready to snuggle up with the books.
Yep, Trump does not deserve a single bennie.

>9 drneutron: >10 AMQS: Thanks, Jim & Anne!

>11 lindapanzo: Thanks, Linda. Looking forward to browsing through the Kirkus list. Thanks for sharing.

>12 connie53: Thanks, Connie.

>13 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen. Glad to see I was not the only one having problems with the continuing feature. I hope they can fix it. Yep, the Trump Presidential Library comic was priceless!

>14 katiekrug: Thanks, for reporting that, Katie. We sure get spoiled fast, don't we?

>15 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. Glad you were able to track me down. Grins...

>1 msf59: Gorgeous! And that tanager...!

>18 msf59: Perfect, just perfect.

From last thread, I'm glad Ayad's Homeland Elegies was already on my list....

>19 richardderus: Hey, RD. Good to see you. I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts on Homeland Elegies. Another winner from 2020, IMHO.

Happy new one, Mark.

"In Pam Houston’s debut collection of stories, we meet smart women who are looking for the love of a good man, and men who are wild and hard to pin down. Our heroines are part daredevil, part philosopher, all acute observers of the nuances of modern romance."

^Yes, with this cover, title and description, I would normally be running in the opposite direction, but like several of my LT pals, I loved her memoir Deep Creek. Cowboys Are My Weakness: Stories is her debut collection. I am just surprised to learn that it is nearly 30 years old. It sure doesn't feel like it. 2 stories in and I really like it.

This is one of the Christmas Swap books from Ellen. She knows me well.

From your last thread Mark: next month for Driftless sounds good. What in the world would Trump put in a Presidential Library? Plus at this point, who would donate to it? I mean seriously.

Happy new thread, Mark!

>1 msf59: The first photo is so beautiful! I wish I could take a walk there.

Happy new one!

>21 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul.

>23 brenzi: Ooh, that is a book date, Bonnie. Lets remind each other next month, about Driftless.

>24 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. If you ever make it to Illinois, I would love to take you to that hiking spot. Actually, a few LTers have been there with me.

>25 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Figs.

"A diminutive version of the familiar Snow Goose, Ross’s Goose is also white with black wingtips but has a shorter neck and stubbier bill. This goose breeds in northern Canada and winters much further south in the continent in the southern United States and occasionally northern Mexico."

The Ross's Goose is seen here but not very often, so when I heard about this sighting, I knew I had to take a trip (over 80 miles RT) but it was worth it, when I found this beauty, paddling along in a cold river. LIFER

‘Morning, Mark, and happy Wednesday to you!

>27 msf59: You’re really racking up the geese, aren’t you? Congrats on yet another goose lifer.

>28 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. You are an early bird today! Hooray for the geese! This time of year, any rarity will be some kind of waterfowl. I still have a few more to tick off my list. At least they are always interesting looking birds.

-American Goldfinch. My backyard. A splash of color on a winter's morning.

A few of us are going to be reading The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, starting soon. Anyone else interested in joining in? It is currently 7 bucks on Kindle. Just sayin'...

>23 brenzi:
I would go visit the Trump Library just because I would want to see what an egomaniac demagog would put in his library. Presidential libraries tend to be exhibits in ego anyway, but the Giant Orange Gasbag's library would be over the top!

>23 brenzi: Speaking of egomaniac demagogues, some years ago I visited the Nixon Presidential Library. It was surprisingly honest about Watergate and other criticisms of Nixon's Presidency. Not that Trump would let that happen at the Temple to the Best President Ever. 🙄

>34 drneutron: - Presidential libraries tend to become less hagiographic with time, and especially once a former President is deceased. They are run by the National Archives, so actually pretty legit. I worked a lot on preservation of Presidential materials back in the day :-P

>33 benitastrnad: It would probably be empty, except for the few ghost-written books *by* him, about him. Big surprise, and big yawn. He can't read and he can't write, so what's to see there?

>36 jessibud2: - Presidential libraries are basically research libraries. They house the records of the Administration and are valuable to scholars. They also often have museums attached which can be quite interesting, and which are what most people visit when they visit a Presidential library.

>35 katiekrug: This was actually well before Nixon died, but was some 2o years after his presidency. So yeah, I'm sure the story became more realistic over that time. It actually was a very interesting visit and led me to visit others.

Will 45 have a Presidential lie-(dingle)berry? Where? Hometown "love" won't let it be Queens...and Flahdah will be underwater before 2040.

...oh wait...Flahdah it is.

>33 benitastrnad: If there is even a presidential library for #45, "Giant Orange Gasbag's Library" would be a perfect name.

>34 drneutron: >38 drneutron: Despite Nixon's many flaws, he was at least a smart man. Maybe, even an intellectual. I can believe that his library would be interesting.

I also wonder how Reagan's library is? He was also not much of a reader or a big thinker!

>39 richardderus: I agree, RD- "Flahdah" would be the perfect state for this abomination, if if it even happens.

>40 msf59: Reagan's library is, where else?, Cali. Specifically Simi Valley. One of the rotten-to-the-core prepper/supremacist holes that dot the non-LA/SFO parts of that revolting place.

>30 msf59: Love your visitors Mark.

>31 msf59: I'm betting you will love it.

Happy new thread!

>41 richardderus: Well, you sure answered that one, RD.

>42 Caroline_McElwee: Hi, Caroline. Looking forward to Troublesome Creek.

>43 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle.

^This is another Christmas Swap gift, from my best book buddy, Ellen. Bright Wings, an illustrated Anthology of Poems About Birds. And edited by the great poet Billy Collins? How can I not love this one? Yeah, baby!

>27 msf59: Beautiful sighting and beautiful shot.

>45 msf59: Thanks to you and Ellen, I just purchased Bright Wings.

I have tried to visit many of the Presidential Libraries. I have been to the Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Carter, and Clinton libraries. I have also visited the Lincoln Library in Springfield, Illinois. It is NOT a Presidential Library. It was started by a Lincoln fan who managed to raise enough money to create a foundation to raise more money to fund a library. Lincoln's papers are part of the Library of Congress. They were placed there by Robert Lincoln - Abraham's son.

Most Presidential libraries house the personal records of the President as well as the State records and are run by the National Archives. However, the Nixon materials are actually in two places. The White House Tapes and White House Communications Agency videotapes are located in College Park, Maryland, while the majority of his papers and records are in the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, CA. It is because of Watergate. The Ford Library is in Ann Arbor, MI and the Ford Museum is in Grand Rapids, but they are considered to be one institution by the National Archives. The Presidential Library system was started with the Hoover Library and there are some people who think that the government should do away with the Presidential Library system and the papers should just be administered by the National Archives.

The libraries hold much more than the personal libraries of the former president. For instance, the Eisenhower library also has the papers of John Foster Dulles, who was his Secretary of State. Most of the libraries also include materials that are about that person, so sometimes papers from important people who weren't in the government are also included in the collections.

>33 benitastrnad: I would guess that if he is convicted by the Senate he may be debarred from having a library.

Happy New Thread!

Happy new thread Mark!

>46 alphaorder: I am glad you grabbed a copy of Bright Wings, Nancy, although I am not surprised at all. It sounds like a Must Have!

>47 benitastrnad: Thanks for all the great presidential library information, Benita. I am jealous that you have been to so many of them. I would especially like to visit Truman's. Hopefully, we get an Obama library, right here in Chicagoland. That one I would visit too.

>48 PaulCranswick: Interesting point.

>49 SilverWolf28: >50 mdoris: Thanks, Silver & Mary!

-Red-Bellied Woodpecker. My backyard.

Mark-- Happy new thread and I love all your bird photos, as per usual. ; ) You are really adding the lifers!!

Bright Wings sounds like the perfect book for you (way to go Ellen!).

>52 msf59: This may be a rough week, but I am hopeful for a good outcome.

>54 Berly: Thanks, Kim. Sweet Thursday. Trouble sleeping? You are up mighty early. Yep, I am enjoying my books and birds, that is for sure. My sanctuary in these dark times. Go, Ellen! She is the best!

Morning, Mark! Bright Wings sounds like a perfect pick for you - way to go, Ellen!!

‘Morning, Mark, happy Last Thursday of the Worst President Ever.

>30 msf59: Excellent photo!

>52 msf59: 👍

>53 msf59: I just love Red-Bellied Woodpeckers. Haven’t seen any yet this morning but just watched a female Downy Woodpecker chow down on the suet.

>30 msf59: Beautiful! Hi Mark!

Since we are talking Sibley...

Note to Mark and his bird-loving friends on LibraryThing.

We just booked a virtual event with David Sibley on Tuesday, February 23! (It was coordinated by my local indie bookshop - Boswell Books - and is co-sponsored by Schlitz Audubon Nature Center - where I work.)

Anyone is welcome to join the event that will take place at 7:00pm CST. You do need to pre-register, which you can do here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wMcH1zKSR5O-pI0P4EVVhQ

Thanks, Mark for letting me do a little promo on yoru thread.

>53 msf59: Handsome beast indeed!

Happy Thor's Day, Birddude, and may it contain excellent reads.

>45 msf59: and >46 alphaorder: I'm probably going to order a copy of Bright Wings for myself, too!

>57 karenmarie: "happy Last Thursday of the Worst President Ever" What a day-brightener!! Yay!

I'm really enjoying Book Woman so far.

>56 Crazymamie: Hi, Mamie. I am looking forward to dipping into Bright Wings. It is such a lovely copy.

>57 karenmarie: Hi, Karen. Glad you like the bird shots. I plan on doing more feeder photos.

>58 leperdbunny: OMG!! Great to see you, old friend. Welcome back, Tamara!

>59 alphaorder: Hi, Nancy. This is awesome. You can hijack my thread for anything book or bird-wise. If you can post another reminder in a month or so, that would be great.

>60 richardderus: Sweet Thursday, Richard. My books have been treating me fine, so I should have a wonderful afternoon, snuggled up with them.

Happy New Thread, Mark!

As a fan of Deep Creek, I'll look forward to your comments on her collection of short stories. I'm glad it's off to a good start.

Nice to see you got your hands on Bright Wings. You know I'm a fan of the editor.

I'm looking at our The Sibley Guide to Birds on our kitchen shelf. Beautiful and useful. I'm sure it's the same guy as Nancy's talking about.

I'm loving Jack so far. I'm at the part where he and Della finished their walk in the graveyard, and he is working in the shoe store.

>61 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen. I have not started Bright Wings yet but I would think it would be a perfect fit for you, along with the Houston story collection. I will start Troublesome Creek tomorrow. Glad to hear you are enjoying it.

>63 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. Glad you were able to track me down. Sweet Thursday, indeed. I really enjoyed Cowboys are My Weakness. I wish Houston would write more books! Looking forward to sharing my thoughts on Bright Wings. Glad to hear Jack is off to a good start for you.

"In 1936, tucked deep into the woods of Troublesome Creek, KY, lives blue-skinned 19-year-old Cussy Carter, the last living female of the rare Blue People ancestry."

Several of my LT pals really liked The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. That was good enough for me. I am starting it tomorrow. Ellen is currently reading and enjoying it. Benita hopefully will be starting it soon. Anyone else?

>63 jnwelch: Yes Joe! you should sign up for the event too!

>65 msf59:
I will be starting Book Woman of Troublesome Creek as soon as I finish with Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker.

>66 alphaorder: You can get Joe to join, Nancy!

>67 benitastrnad: How is Silence of the Girls, Benita? I have heard good things.

poem where no one is deported

now i like to imagine la migra running
into the sock factory where my mom
& her friends worked. it was all women

who worked there. women who braided
each other’s hair during breaks.
women who wore rosaries, & never

had a hair out of place. women who were ready
for cameras or for God, who ended all their sentences
with si dios quiere. as in: the day before

the immigration raid when the rumor
of a raid was passed around like bread
& the women made plans, si dios quiere.

so when the immigration officers arrived
they found boxes of socks & all the women absent.
safe at home. those officers thought

no one was working. they were wrong.
the women would say it was god working.
& it was god, but the god

my mom taught us to fear
was vengeful. he might have wet his thumb
& wiped la migra out of this world like a smudge

on a mirror. this god was the god that woke me up
at 7am every day for school to let me know
there was food in the fridge for me & my brothers.

i never asked my mom where the food came from,
but she told me anyway: gracias a dios.
gracias a dios del chisme, who heard all la migra’s plans

& whispered them into the right ears
to keep our families safe.

-José Olivarez From Poem-A-Day

'Morning, Mark, and a very happy Last Friday of Trump to you.

Much bird activity here and I'll be doing some feeder filling and bird bath cleaning/refilling later, after it gets above the current 27F.

Morning, Karen. I heard they are busy packing up at the White House. Don't forget those red ties. We hope to never see one of those again. I think it may be chillier by you. Low 30s here at the moment.

Morning, Mark! I'm so happy we made it to Friday.

I read Silence of the Girls in 2019 and really liked it.

Happy Friday, Mamie. It looks like I should read The Silence of the Girls sometime in 2021.

>74 msf59: Has anyone brought the sheeple in QAnon's attention to the fact that their Q looks a lot like the hammer and sickle?

I smell Little Vladdy Pu-Pu's tiny little hackers' hands....

>75 richardderus: Astute observation, RD. You may be on to something, comrade.

5) Five Skies by Ron Carlson 3.6 stars

“The river came through this park winding in a perfect S and the sand and willows and twenty gigantic cottonwoods were half in the shade. The air rode down the river fragrant with water and willows.”

Three men get together for a construction project in Idaho. That is the gist. I love reading stories set in the modern West and Carlson seems to be the kind of author I enjoy but this was an uneven narrative and I am not sure I needed a description of building a ramp in painstaking detail. I still found plenty to admire. I like these three, flawed, rugged, characters and Carlson can certainly describe the great outdoors with a sense of beauty and serenity. The author is known as a short story writer and I wonder if I would appreciate him more, in that format. I will definitely give him another try.

**I much, much preferred Cowboys Are My Weakness a story collection, also set in the modern West. This was an absolute treat. 4.3 stars

‘Morning, Mark, and happy Saturday to you.

>74 msf59: Ugh. The more I read, the worse it gets.

Morning, Karen. It is snowing lightly out here and looks beautiful. Feeders are quiet though.

"At noon on January 20, Trump will be in desperate shape. His business is floundering, his partners are fleeing, his loans are delinquent, prosecutors will be coming after him, and the legal impunity he enjoyed through his office will be gone. He will be walking naked into a cold and friendless world. What appeared to be a brilliant strategy for escaping consequences was merely a tactic for putting them off. The bill is coming due."

-Jonathan Chait. He is one of the best political analysts out there. Here is the full article:

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/01/donald-trump-after-presidency.html?fbcli...

>80 msf59: It will be interesting to see what Dumpster does on the 20th. Stand and fight, or run and hide.

Morning, Mark!

>80 msf59: #thoughtsandprayers

>81 ChelleBearss: Morning, Chelle. Thankfully, it will be over soon and we will find out his fate.

>82 scaifea: Morning, Amber. Thoughts & prayers for sure, my friend.

Hey Birddude, it's an owlfest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-1d5zdeg9A&ab_channel=BBCEarth

>80 msf59: - for who the bell tolls. And it's about time.

>81 ChelleBearss: - I heard on CNN that he is planning his own farewell parade. Yes. I hope no one comes.

Morning, Mark! January 20th cannot come too soon.

-Barn Owl (NMP)

>84 richardderus: Thanks for the great owl video, Richard. I will come back and review it again. I love Barn Owls. I saw one briefly in Mexico but they are unfortunately not seen much in the Midwest these days. I hope they can be re-introduced.

>85 jessibud2: We need to toll a bit faster for my taster, Shelley. A farewell parade? Pshaw...

>86 Crazymamie: Hi, Mamie and I completely agree with you.

>77 msf59: Hooray for Pam Houston!

Hope you are having a good weekend, Mark, though I guess all life is weekend now, right?

>89 banjo123: "all life is weekend now, right?" You got it, Rhonda! Happy Saturday, my friend.

I'll be draining a whole bottle of champagne myself on Inauguration Day Mark, just thankful that this horror story we've been living through is finally over.

>91 brenzi: I am not a big champagne drinker, Bonnie but I might join you on Wednesday. And Go Bills! Another reason to celebrate.

‘Morning, Mark! Happy Sunday to you. Enjoy the books and the football.

>80 msf59: Thanks for the article. I read it and one about my state’s newest embarrassment – Madison Cawthorn. Thank goodness I’m in a good Democratic District with David Price. I’ve also signed up for the Intelligencer newsletter.

Morning, Karen. I have enjoyed reading Chait for a couple of years, but somehow failed to sign up for the Intelligencer. I have corrected that oversight. I am not familiar with Cawthorn but with a name like that. Yikes!

Morning, Mark! I thought of you when I checked the Kindle Daily Deals today as one of the books featured is this one:

^Snow on the feeders, with Papa Cardinal as sentinel. A bit blurry. Cell pic.

Hope you have a relaxing Sunday and that you are able to keep warm, buddy. >96 msf59: looks pretty cold!

>95 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie. The image isn't coming up.

>97 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Great to see you. About 30F out there, about normal for this time of year.

Happy Sunday, Birddude. Read hearty!

>98 msf59: I can see it, Mark.

Enjoy your Sunday, Mark. I'll be reading and watching hockey, fitting in a football game when I can.

>98 msf59: Weird. I can see it, but I changed it, so maybe you can see it now. It's The Bird Way by Jennifer Ackerman, and the cover is charming.

>99 richardderus: Hey, RD! Thanks! I have definitely been reading hardy. I am really enjoying Troublesome Creek.

>100 PaulCranswick: "I can see clearly now..."

>101 lindapanzo: Thanks, Linda. Have a great day with books and sports.

>102 Crazymamie: Funny, I see the image now, Mamie and I now own a copy of The Bird Way. Yah! I really enjoyed The Genius of Birds. Thanks.

-Dark-Eyed Junco. My backyard.

>104 msf59: Nice Mark!

I found a thread on Twitter that I wanted to share. It's called: animals interrupting wildlife fotography, it's really funny. I thought we could all do with a good laugh.

https://twitter.com/joaquimcampa/status/1350843546471952387?s=21

Happy Monday, Mark!

>87 msf59: I love that face!

>105 EllaTim: Hi, Ella. I love the wildlife link. It proves to you, how still these photographers have to be, that the wildlife forgets they are there. Very cute.

>106 ChelleBearss: Morning, Chelle. Yep, how can you not love that other-worldy face of a Barn Owl.

^A stand-off: A Dark-eyed Junco and a Northern Cardinal. My backyard.

>87 msf59: I can remember as a child we had a barn owl. My father left the old barn up so that the owl had a place to go to. We also had flatlands nearby as well so I am sure it encouraged the owl to stay in our location. However, it has been years since we have seen a barn owl. Sadly, most old habitats are gone

Have a wonderful Monday!

>109 figsfromthistle: Thanks, for sharing your Barn Owl story, Figs. You are right, I think loss of habitat has really affected these birds. They seem to be a bit more fragile than other owls. They seem to be more common in area outside the US. They have tried to reintroduce them into Illinois but without any success.

Hi Mark, and happy Monday!

>96 msf59: I love pictures of Male Cardinals in snow – the bright red contrasts so beautifully with the white, browns, and grays.

>104 msf59: and >108 msf59: Very nice.

Morning, Karen. Glad you like the photos! Hooray for the cardinals. A welcoming, splash of color, during those winter months.

>104 msf59:, >108 msf59: Them junkyard birdies is sinister-lookin' with the absence-of-eye thing.

It's the same color as they head...think if that was a person. *shudder*

>107 msf59: Glad you liked them Marc! I love that the animals are curious and look back at the photographers. And i had to giggle about the bears, sorry.

>114 richardderus: Interesting spin on the juncos, Richard. Hard to find them sinister but I will try to be more imaginative. Grins...

>115 EllaTim: We need a giggle now and then, Ella.

>113 msf59: Mark, I want an hour/minute countdown! Only 48 hours....47 hours...left.
ETA: I found one: https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/to?p0=263&iso=20210120T12&msg=Time...

Happy Monday, Mark! Love those bird photos - such a treat to visit your thread.

>41 richardderus: Richard, I spent the first 6 years of my life in Simi Valley before my family moved to Colorado. I went back to California for school (UCSD) and when I told people I had lived in SV as a small child they ALL told me it was a good thing I didn't grow up there. When I asked why they all said that kids from SV were... weird. So your comment made me LOL :)

>117 kac522: I love that countdown, Kathy. Thanks, for sharing. Getting close...

>118 AMQS: Hi, Anne. Great to see you. Glad you like the bird pics.

>117 kac522: - Love it, Kathy!

"In the fall of 1916, America prepares for war—but in the community of Tamarack Lake, the focus is on the sick. Wealthy tubercular patients live in private cure cottages; charity patients, mainly immigrants, fill the large public sanatorium. Prisoners of routine, they take solace in gossip, rumor, and—sometimes—secret attachments."

^The Air We Breathe has been languishing on my shelf for years. Interesting, because I loved The Voyage of the Narwhal & Ship Fever; Stories. It has been nearly a decade since I read the story collection. As part of my continuing OTS Challenge, I will finally start this one too.

ROOTs, BOMBs, or BOTS, getting the backlog handled is a really, really good feeling...and it's Andrea Barrett, how bad can it be? (I'm waiting to hear from you about this one since I haven't read it.)

>122 richardderus: I know this is something we all have to deal with, Richard. Stacks and stacks of TBR books. What are those abbreviations?

Read Our Own Tomes, Books Off My Bookshelves, Books Off The Shelf.

Useful ones to almost all of us around here!

Oh I read all three of those Andrea Barrett books Mark several years ago. I will never forget the scene in The Voyage of the Narwhal when they are fighting their way across the ice trying to save themselves from the horrid ice and cold. I enjoyed them all.

>124 richardderus: Thanks for the clarification, Richard. This is our mission, kind sir.

>125 brenzi: I thought you were a Barrett fan, Bonnie. I also loved Narwal. So, you remembered enjoying The Air We Breathe? I wonder why she hasn't written anything in awhile?

>126 msf59:
I read Air We Breathe back in 2008 and I liked it. It took a bit to get going, but it was a very good book. I remember it after 12 years so it had to memorable. It is a good book to read in a plague year.

>127 benitastrnad: Oh, thanks for chiming in on The Air We Breathe, Benita. Looking forward to it. Have you read any of her other books? I also finished Troublesome Creek yesterday. Good, solid read.

...and 30 minutes.

^From my short hike yesterday. Trails still a bit icy. The fresh coating of snow helped with traction. No birds but the fresh air and exercise felt good.

‘Morning, Mark! Happy Day Before the Adults Take Over, Thank God.

>118 AMQS: Anne, I worked in SV for 3 years, 1982-1985. It was all white cops. Several of them participated in the Rodney King beating. The trial against them took place in SV so of course they got off.

>124 richardderus: There’s at least one LT group dedicated to ROOTing. I’m in that group too. My goal there is to read 30 ROOTs this year – my definition of a ROOT being a book on my shelves before 1/1/2021. Other folks have different definitions and different goals. It’s lots of fun and I’ve met some interesting folks there who don’t participate here, although I’m not the only one who is in both groups.

>130 msf59: I.Want.Snow.

Morning, Mark! Like Karen, I want the snow.

Morning, Mark! Go and make it a good day!

>131 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. "Happy Day Before the Adults Take Over, Thank God." Well said, my friend. I didn't know what ROOT stood for. DUH! But I have become a true believer in it, that is for sure.

>132 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie. So far our snowfall has been perfect. Just enough to make things pretty, without all the shoveling. Still a long way to go, though.

>133 katiekrug: Morning, Katie. Getting ready to head out on a birding jaunt. Only in the teens here, though. Brrrrrr...

>135 msf59: I have a cure in mind but it's procrustean and deeply cruel. So probably best I'm not in charge of healing our divisions.

Happy owling.

>136 richardderus: "Procrustean"? Now, that is a helluva word and also a bit disturbing. Grins...No owls on the owl hunt today. Boo!
Although I did finish my audio of Owls of the Eastern Ice, which was very good.

Well, *some* owls were experienced, even if on audio instead of video, then.

Happy Tuesday, Mark. Are you missing work yet?

I'm glad your owls book was very good. I'm liking our shared poetry read, Bodega, so far. I'm taking longer with Jack than usual, as her writing is beautiful and always slows me down. He's been told by her aunt not to see Della any more, and he's abiding by that, but we know that won't stick..

Kind of an inviting day out there (the snow just started coming down here), but we're one day away from 1/20/21. Looking forward to it!

>138 richardderus: I like the way you think, Richard.

>139 jnwelch: Happy Tuesday, Joe. Big day tomorrow, right? I have not given work much thought these days. Are you surprised?
Hooray for Bodega: Poems and I am glad you are enjoying Jack.

Hey Mark! I couldn't find this thread and I had to star it again. But we're good now.
I enjoyed The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. I learned alot from it.
I'm convinced a gazillion juncos exist.
>141 msf59: Yeah, that's pretty much it. Hope all goes well tomorrow

>128 msf59:
I have not read any other books by Andrea Barrett. I have 2 others on my TBR list, but haven't gotten to them yet. The one I want to read is Archangel. It is a short story collection, but none of the libraries around here have it. I guess I don't want to read it bad enough to request it through Inter-Library Loan.

>140 msf59: Huge day tomorrow. I tried to get as much work done today as possible so I can spend some time watching the festivities tomorrow, at least in part.

>142 Carmenere: Hi, Lynda. Glad you found me. Hooray for Troublesome Creek & "a gazillion juncos"!

>143 benitastrnad: Ooh, Archangel? And a story collection too? You definitely have my attention, Benita.

>144 lindapanzo: 15 Hours to go, Linda. Music to our ears! I hope you are able to watch some of the festivities.

>145 msf59: I saw some of the COVID memorial ceremony but have the Hawks on now. Reading a Harry Volkman book between periods. Remember him?

Hi Mark, I managed to track you down. It's been such a long time coming but hopefully tomorrow will be a joyful and safe day for America. I haven't read any Andrea Barrett but I have Ship Fever on my shelves - will have to give that one a little nudge.

>146 lindapanzo: Harry Volkman! That's a (arctic?) blast from the past, Linda! Speaking of weathermen, just tonight Chicago Tonight replayed a 2017 interview Phil Ponce did with Jim Tilmon.

>146 lindapanzo: I hope the Hawks won, Linda. I haven't checked yet. Of course, I remember Harry Volkman. A great weatherman. Is it a memoir?

>147 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy. Good to see you. Just a few more hours, my friend. I am glad you have Ship Fever on shelf. It is an excellent collection. I think I gave it 5 stars.

>148 kac522: Hooray for Harry Volkman. A Chicago legend!

>150 msf59: :-D
We will be watching on TV.

>151 FAMeulstee: Glad my European friends are as excited we are, Anita. We have to turn this page...

8) The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson 4.2 stars

“What I wanted most was to be okay as a Blue. I never understood why other people thought my color, any color, needed fixing.”

“Being able to return to the books was a sanctuary for my heart.”

“Those that can’t see past a folk’s skin color have a hard difference in them. There’s a fire in that difference.”

In 1936, deep in the woods of eastern Kentucky, lives a nineteen year old, named Cussy Carter. She has blue skin and may be the last in the blue ancestry line. She is also a member of the historical Pack Horse Library Project. This WPA program delivered books to the impoverished that lived in the hills and the hollows. Demanding work.
This is a wonderful novel, that takes hard looks at race, the poor and the love of literature. Something us book nerds can really appreciate. Highly recommended.

Happy Inauguration Day, Mark. It’s been a long time coming. So glad we made it.

>154 lauralkeet: Whew! I am with you, Laura. I sure hope brighter days are ahead. This has been one ugly chapter in our history.

‘Morning, Mark! Happy Inauguration Day to you. The idiot in chief is on Air Force 1 already, heading to poor Florida, the Bidens/Harris/Emhoff are off to church, and I’ll be peeking online throughout the morning before watching the actual inauguration. We're almost there!

>141 msf59: Very Sad. It hurts my heart to see that. I wonder how many of the folks who followed Trump will return to the fold of sanity, respect, and truth? It's the biggest challenge for Biden/Harris after Covid, I think. They don't have to Go Blue, but they have to repudiate Trump and all he stands for.

>156 karenmarie: Happy Inauguration Day, Karen. Glad he is on his way out of town. Good riddance. I may turn in to the event later on. I agree with your comments are our divided country. I hope we can heal that ugly wound.

^This says it all...

Morning, Mark! I woke up this morning, and I remembered what day it was, and it was very happy making. Just a few more hours...

Happy Inauguration Day, Mark. I see you're more than ready ;0)

>153 msf59: Drat it, I have to read that darn book now. Pfui.

>158 msf59: Oh GLORY is that beautiful!

>159 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie ! Happy Inauguration Day! Lets pray for a brighter future.

>160 Carmenere: Happy Inauguration Day, Lynda. Yep, I am ready to move forward.

>161 richardderus: A Bald Eagle carrying off Trump? What could be more perfect, right? I would love to hear your take on, Troublesome Creek, Richard!

>149 msf59: What a day this is!! I got so choked up when Kamala was sworn in. Something I never thought I'd see.

Unfortunately, also a workday, so it's been a weird combo of watching/listening and working (and talking to co-workers and friends about the events of the day).

Yes, the Volkman book is a self-published memoir. Interesting but it could've used an editor. When Volkman had his weather observers get in touch with him about snow totals or whatnot, one of them was a kid named Tom Skilling. Little Tommy would help out when he could but didn't want to run up the long distance phone charges from Aurora, on his Mom's phone.

A question, as I can't find it: does anyone know what the black flag (with a white picture?) means, that was under the American flag at the Capitol?


ETA: Also posted on Katie's thread, got the answer: it is a POW/MIA flag.

>163 lindapanzo: I can understand getting choked up, when Harris was sworn in. It was a beautiful moment in our history. I bet it would be a good day, to take off work, like Katie did. I loved the Little Tommy Skilling story.

>164 FAMeulstee: That would have been my first guess, Anita. Glad it was answered for you.

"Trailblazing food writer and beloved restaurant critic Ruth Reichl took the job (and the risk) of a lifetime when she entered the glamorous, high-stakes world of magazine publishing. Now, for the first time, she chronicles her groundbreaking tenure as editor in chief of Gourmet, during which she spearheaded a revolution in the way we think about food."

I love to eat but I am not a "foodie". I have never read Gourmet magazine and I have never watched a cooking show but I do trust an LT friend, when they recommend something. Nancy gave me her copy of Save Me the Plums quite awhile back. I also found it on an Audible deal and I have decided to go with it, in that format, narrated by Reichl. Not far in, but I like it. Does Reichl have any other fans here?

>167 msf59: I loved that one, Mark! It's really good.

>158 msf59: - I hope the weight is too heavy and he drops him in the middle of the ocean....;-)

>164 FAMeulstee: - Thanks for asking (and answering), Anita. I was also wondering.

>166 msf59: - LOL! Yep!

>168 Crazymamie: I am to hear you also enjoyed Save Me the Plums, Mamie.

>169 jessibud2: That would have been a damn shame if Mr. Bald Eagle would have dropped him, Shelley.

Hi Mark!

We Keep the Dead Close arrived safe and sound today. Thank you!

Reichl's Tender at the Bone was a real pleasure to read.

So. Damned. Happy.

I have several of the Ruth Reichl books. I have not read ANY of them. They languish on my shelves. I do read food memoirs off and on and find them fascinating. In October I read Marcus Samuelsson's memoir and was surprised that back in 2013 he was concerned about the lack of diversity among Chefs. He had lots to say about that subject in Yes, Chef. It is the reason why he located his own restaurant in Harlem and he runs a program to get poor students into culinary schools. I am about ready to start on Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. I am behind you and Ellen, but I am going to get started on it this weekend.

I am really enjoying Scorpions: The Battles and Triumphs of FDR's Great Supreme Court Justices. I just finished reading about the decisions made about the Japanese Interment and the author calls the Fred Korematsu decision one of the two or three worst Supreme Court decisions ever made. I can't believe how much the ideas about the Supreme Court have changed over the last 60 years. For instance - most of the Supreme Court justices didn't consider the job to be a lifetime appointment. It was just something you did for awhile and then you moved on to bigger and better jobs. Several of the justices wanted to run for President. Can you imagine that today?

>171 karenmarie: I hope you enjoy We Keep the Dead Close as much as I did. Thanks for the letting me know, Karen.

>172 richardderus: Thanks for chiming in on Reichl, Richard. That is encouraging.

>173 benitastrnad: Hi, Benita. I am looking forward to your thoughts on Troublesome Creek. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Scorpions: The Battles and Triumphs of FDR's Great Supreme Court Justices sounds very interesting.

The Hill We Climb

"When day comes we ask ourselves,
where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
The loss we carry,
a sea we must wade
We've braved the belly of the beast
We've learned that quiet isn't always peace
And the norms and notions
of what just is
Isn't always just-ice
And yet the dawn is ours
before we knew it
Somehow we do it
Somehow we've weathered and witnessed
a nation that isn't broken
but simply unfinished
We the successors of a country and a time
Where a skinny Black girl
descended from slaves and raised by a single mother
can dream of becoming president
only to find herself reciting for one..."

Amanda Gorman, the nation's first-ever youth poet laureate, read the following poem during the inauguration of President Joe Biden on January 20. The rest of this incredible poem can be found here:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/20/politics/amanda-gorman-inaugural-poem-transcript/...

I like this section too:

"For while we have our eyes on the future
history has its eyes on us
This is the era of just redemption
We feared at its inception
We did not feel prepared to be the heirs
of such a terrifying hour
but within it we found the power
to author a new chapter..."

'Morning, Mark, and happy Thursday to you. Good luck on your Owl Hunt.

I was absolutely stunned by her poem and her reading of it. She has a book of poems being published September 21st, The Hill We Climb and I've pre-ordered it.

>175 msf59: What a moment! What a young star!

Megasuperextra Sweet Thursday!

>175 msf59: That was amazing. Definitely one of the top moments.

>176 karenmarie: Hi, Karen. The owl hunt was mostly a bust, but I still had a good time. I am glad and not surprised that the Gorman poem was such a hit around here.

>177 richardderus: Hooray for "The Hill We Climb" & a "Megasuperextra Sweet Thursday!"

>178 lindapanzo: I think we just found our first superstar of 2021, Linda! Hooray for Ms. Gorman!

-Eurasian Collared Dove (NMP)

Our owl hunt was a bit of a wash out yesterday, only catching a very brief look at a snowy owl flying in the distance. I did get this dove though. This collared dove is native to Europe and Asia but has successfully adapted to North America.
LIFER



^We also saw at least a dozen Horned Larks, (FOY) feeding along the roadsides. Good looking birds but I could not get any photos.

'Morning, Mark, and happy Friday to you.

Congrats on the Eurasian Collared Dove and Horned Larks.

I've heard a Collared Dove, in 2017 when I was closing down my mother's house in Southern California. I didn't have good binoculars, couldn't confirm the sighting. However, they do not sound like Mourning Doves at all.

>180 msf59: Glad to read you have seen the Eurasian Collared Dove, Mark.
No need anymore to come over to see the couple of them nesting in a tree in our backgarden ;-)

Or ours;-) but I would be excited to see those Horned Larks! Pretty special for us. Congrats on another Lifer! When I was a young birder we used to give ourself a treat when we saw a Lifer. Ice cream it was. Do you do something like that?

Morning, Mark! We get those Eurasian Collared Doves at our feeders everyday. They are very elegant looking, aren't they?

Hiya, Mark. Sorry I've been late to your thread. It's so quiet these days you could hear a drumpf drop.

Hooray for Book Woman of Troublesome Creek! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. It's a special one, isn't it. Good mini-review. I hope your co-readers liked it, too. I didn't know about the blue people before reading it, and found that part fascinating. Also, the ability to get treated and turn white! I kept thinking that she could've gone elsewhere and started anew, and no one would've known. But the continuing animosity in the town after she "turned white" was even more telling.

Wasn't Amanda Gorman amazing? I thought the whole inauguration was really well done, and we enjoyed the evening celebration, too. (Poor Tom Hanks looked like he was freezing his ass off, but he hung in there).

I join Karen and Anita in congratulating you on the Eurasian Collared Dove and Horned Larks.

I enjoyed Bodega, and I'm glad that Nancy tipped us off to it. I also got a kick out of Su Hwang's enthusiasm in the Acknowledgments. It ain't easy to create a book of good poetry and get it published.

Enjoy the weekend, buddy. I saw someone describe retirement as "six Saturdays and a Sunday". Ha!

>181 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. Hooray for the doves & larks. Making the best of a winter day.

>182 FAMeulstee: Happy Friday, Anita. I would still like to visit your backyard. Someday?

>183 EllaTim: "we used to give ourself a treat when we saw a Lifer. Ice cream it was. Do you do something like that?" I have a beer, Ella. LOL. Something special.

>184 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie. I am glad you get to enjoy the collared doves on a regular basis. They sure are elegant. Our regulars our mourning doves, which were out there, just a little while ago.

>185 jnwelch: Morning, Joe. Hooray for "six Saturdays and a Sunday"! You know I am loving that. I agree with you on your comments on Troublesome Creek. A good, thought-provoking read.

Yes, the Gorman recitation was an absolute winner. She became an instant superstar with that one. I am loving Bodega, but reading it at a slower pace than you, plus I am alternating it with Wicked Enchantment, another terrific collection.

>188 msf59: Ha!

>188 msf59: - LOL! I have seen a few of these. The one of Bernie with Forrest Gump was a good one but these Beverley Hillbillies is hilarious!

Mar-a-Lago delendus est.

Hey Mark, just stopping by to say Hey! Hope you have a great weekend.

On the beer front, if you have Stone in your neck of the woods and you see Sublimely Self-Righteous Black IPA. Give it a try.

Its more like a porter, but its very good.

>191 richardderus: *delendus

(Why yes, I *do* enjoy being a pedantic butt on occasion, thanks for asking!)

Hi, Mark!

>193 scaifea: Pedantry is, by definition, *unwelcome* correction, so nope you aren't that. Fixed it.

>194 richardderus: Aw, you're too kind (and patient with my pestering) by a long measure.

>189 Crazymamie: >190 jessibud2: Yep, that one is my favorite so far. Go Bernie!

>191 richardderus: "Mar-a-Lago delendus"! Not sure what it means but I love it anyway, Richard!

>192 mahsdad: Happy Friday, Jeff and thank you. The Stone black IPA definitely looks like something I would enjoy. I appreciate the recommendation.

>193 scaifea: Big Waves to Amber!

Hi Mark, I haven't read any Ruth Reichl books but I'm interested so I'll look for your remarks on that one. The Bernie memes are hysterical. You have to wonder how the whole thing happened. I know he looked like he just stopped by on his way to the drug store but it's so interesting how thing like that happen and go viral.

This might just be the cutest video YouTube's algorithm has ever spat at me:husky puppy and snowy owl are besties

>197 brenzi:
I love them too! I have been having a fashionista moment over the Inauguration fashions. I noticed that Biden chose the stove pipe pant leg for his suit trousers and that G. W. Bush looked frumpy in his trousers that were too long. I loved Hilary Clinton's frilled scarf that matched her pantsuit and as good as V.P. Harris looked - Michelle Obama and Bernie stole the show!

>197 brenzi: Hi, Bonnie. I am enjoying the Reichl memoir. I think you would like it. Yes, the image of Bernie in that chair with those mittens and mask was a perfect launching point for these memes. I expect some overkill on that one.

>198 richardderus: If that one doesn't warm your heart, you are dead inside, RD. I have seen the snowy and husky videos before and it always makes me smile.

>199 benitastrnad: "Michelle Obama and Bernie stole the show!" We're not surprised, right? Yah!!

Hi Mark, Love the poem by Amanda Gorman, it really moved me when I heard her read it on Wednesday.

"In six stories and the novella, Bounty, Saunders introduces readers to people struggling to survive in an increasingly haywire world."

^Man, I love me some, George Saunders but I have not read anything by him in a long time. There is no excuse either since I have had CivilWarLand in Bad Decline on shelf for eons. I will start it today.

**I have sparked Sean, my SIL, into reading and he has been tearing it up, including this collection. My daughter has been reading Cowboys Are My Weakness, her first book in a couple of years. Yah! The Old Warbler strikes again. Spreading that book joy!

>201 connie53: Hi, Connie. Gorman was turned into an instant superstar. Karen mentioned that she will have a poetry collection coming out in the fall. I am sure it will be a bestseller.

‘Morning, Mark! Happy Saturday to you.

>188 msf59: One of the better ones I’ve seen!

>204 karenmarie: Morning, Karen! Hooray for Bernie! He has made a comeback.

>205 msf59: I don't particularly like him although I'm happy that he votes with the Democrats most of the time.

>202 msf59: Good job on getting your family to read!! :)
Happy Saturday!

>206 karenmarie: I may not agree with Bernie on everything but I am a fan. I got to hear him at an author event in 2016. Never did read his book, though. LOL.

>207 ChelleBearss: Morning, Chelle. I just got a text from Bree that she is ready for another book. B.A.G.

^I love the chair.

>209 msf59: - But shouldn't that chair have Bernie in it?...oops. Never mind. I just found him, warming up inside, lol!

Hi, Mark!

>210 jessibud2: Hi, Shelley! That made me smile.

To Rebuild

The house was built,
Brick by brick, pane by pane,
Initially withstanding winds,
The force of a hurricane.

But over time, the faults are found
As storm after storm
Assails, the craftsmanship outdated,
In need of reform.

The windows break, one by one,
Under the weight of wrongs, the structure strains,
Until one day fire catches,
And only the foundation of good intentions remains.

While easiest would be to walk,
To abandon, moving on to rebuild,
The value is seen by those who have called it
Home, desires to be fulfilled.

Remembering the mistakes,
Maintaining the hope of freedom,
Hand in hand, we work,
Entering a new season.

The work is not complete until
The walls protect all who live there,
No exceptions. Abandonment of all
Unnecessary despair.

A job led by all, not by one,
We work long days turn long nights.
The creation of our hands
Proving more than surface level acknowledgment of rights.

The past is not buried
But underlies
What we have transformed
Before our eyes.

-Hallie Knight. From Poem-A-Day

^I think this another fitting poem for our current time.

Happy Saturday, Mark! Isn't it lovely that everyday is Saturday for the retired ;0)
Thanks for posting a bit of Gorman's poem. She is amazing, transfixing.
I've decided I'm not one to read poetry but I sure do like it when it's read to me.
Brutal cold outside, but for me, perfect for books, puzzles and netflix.
Have a good one.

Afternoon, Mark! I just missed morning.

>209 msf59: I love this one!

>203 msf59: There are plans of translating her poetry into Dutch so I'm looking forward to that.

>213 Carmenere: "everyday is Saturday"! Hooray for that, Lynda! It has been a smooth transition. Nearing 5 months all ready. Sweet! Your plan for the day sounds perfect.

>214 Crazymamie: Hi, Mamie! glad you enjoyed the Bernie. How could you not, right?

>215 connie53: Great news on the Dutch translation, Connie. That is perfect.

Follow Me In by Katriona Chapman 4 stars GN

The debut graphic novel from Katriona Chapman is a travelogue of her extensive trip to Mexico, that she took in 2003. She was just finding herself in that time period and her travel mate was her alcoholic boyfriend, who could disappear on a bender, at any time. This beautifully illustrated memoir, is a coming of age story and a love letter to Mexico.

>217 msf59:, >218 msf59: I really like the art! Very pretty, very suitable to be used with text and still interesting in its own right.

>202 msf59:. CivilWarland - Read that back in 17, really enjoyed it. And, as I look at the tags on the book in my collection, that copy came from me. 😜. Hope you enjoy it, Happy Saturday to ya,

>202 msf59: Haywire world...I'd agree to that as a characterisation!

>209 msf59: I love it. These memes are keeping me very entertained lately, I just find them hilarious and endearing.

Happy reading Mark :)

>219 richardderus: Glad you appreciate the art in these illustrations, Richard. Honestly, those 3 examples really don't capture how talented she is, plus I enjoyed all the Mexican history she offered.

>220 mahsdad: Hey, Jeff. Well, thank you for that copy of CivilWarLand. I just can't believe it took me this long to get to it, especially since I am such a fan. I still have 2 more of his collections to get to.

>221 LovingLit: Hi, Megan. Great to see you. Have you read Saunders? Glad you like the Bernie memes. I am sure these will get tiresome quickly but they sure were fresh and amusing when they first popped up.

10) The Air We Breathe by Andrea Barrett 3.7 stars

Tamarack Lake, in upper state New York is a sanatorium tucked into the Adirondack Mountains. It is the fall of 1916, on the cusp of America entering the war. Wealthy tubercular patients live here, stuck in a monotonous routine. Gossip and rumors abound. This is a highly ambitious and smart novel, touching on science, anti-immigrant prejudice and mulitple romantic interludes. My issues were in the uneven narrative flow and convoluted storylines, along with keeping up with the myriad of characters. I prefer her short fiction but I still think it is worth reading, especially for Barrett fans.

'Morning, Mark, and happy playoffs Sunday to you.

>209 msf59: Another good Bernie mittens meme.

Morning, Karen. It should be a good day ahead and I am getting ready to cozy up with the books.

>223 msf59: The book jacket is lovely!

>223 msf59: That sounds like a pass from me. I don't think I want to work that hard without more tangible rewards.

Playoffs? Which flavor of sportsball is playing off what?

>226 thornton37814: Hi, Lori. It is a beautiful cover.

>227 richardderus: Hey, RD. First game is the Packers/Tamp Bay. Rodgers & Brady. It should quite entertaining. And then the later game is the Bills/ Chiefs. Another promising one. I will be rootin' for the Bills. Getting ready to head over to Bree's place. ..beer awaits.

Happy Sunday, Mark. My Packers don't look very good today but I'm still holding out hope.

>229 lindapanzo: Hi, Linda. Sorry about your Packers but those Bucs were really fired up. That D completely shut Rodgers down which is pretty rare. Too bad, they had a great year.

Morning, Mark! Oof. Your football comments are so true, but it doesn't make it any less painful.

>231 Crazymamie: Morning, Mamie. The Packers have looked so dominant all season, I was surprised at, how well the Bucs were able to shut them down. Rodgers could still be MVP. I was bummed about the Bills too.

Last Words

I don’t want to die in a poem
the words burning in eulogy
the sun howling why
the moon sighing why not

I don’t want to die in bed
which is a poem gone wrong
a world turned in on itself
a floating navel of dreams

I won’t meet death in a field
like a dot punctuating a page
it’s too vast yet too tiny
everyone will say it’s a bit cinematic

I don’t want to pass away in your arms
those gentle parentheses
nor expire outside of their swoon
self-propelled determined shouting

Let the end come
as the best parts of living have come
unsought and undeserved
inconvenient

now that’s a good death

-Rita Dove

Good morning, Mark, and happy snowy Monday to you.

>228 msf59: Sorry your Bills didn’t win, but glad my Chiefs did. Allen looked shell shocked by the third quarter.

>234 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. I have been a fan of the lowly Bills for decades and this is one of the best teams I have seen. Yes, Allen was overwhelmed by that mighty D. I like the Chiefs too. You doesn't love Mahomes?

I finished reading Scorpions: The Battles and Triumphs of FDR's Great Supreme Court Justices by Noah Feldman. I read this book for the NonFiction Challenge hosted by Suzanne. The theme for this month was Award winners and honorees. I picked this book because it won the American Bar Associations Silver Gavel Media Awards back in 2010. This is an award that is given to honor outstanding work by those who help improve comprehension of jurisprudence in the United States. Awards are given to books, news broadcasts, newspaper stories, movies, blogs, etc.

I had heard about this book when it was published but the length of it, 513 pages, kept me from reading it. However, the events of the last years and the importance that conservatives have put on getting conservative judges appointed to fill court vacancies made me think that I should do more reading about how the system works and why so many people think it is failing. In short, I wanted to know how we got to now. That led me to this book.

Basically, this book is a history of the US Supreme Court from 1930 to 1960. It is about the judicial philosophies of four Supreme Court Justices. All were appointed by FDR because FDR wanted judges on the court who would advance his political aims. Each of the four men were selected because they had proved themselves valuable to FDR in political ways by finding legal arguments that would advance FDR's New Deal laws. The four justices were, William O. Douglas, Felix Frankfurter, Hugo Black, and Robert Jackson. Two of the four were Solicitor Generals and then Attorney Generals of the U.S. before they were appointed. Black was a senator from Alabama who was a progressive and had voted to advance New Deal policies while in the Senate. Only one, Frankfurter, was an academic, but he was also heavily entwined in New Deal legislation and in the political inner circle in Washington, D. C. Three of the four men had political aspirations. By that, I mean that three of them wanted to run for President.

Perhaps the most surprising thing I learned was that people serving on the Supreme Court did not see themselves as holding a lifetime appointment. They saw it as a stepping stone to higher office, whereas, we now, tend to see appointment to the Supreme Court as the highest job in the land. For instance, Chief Justice Charles Evens Hughes, was appointed to the Supreme Court twice. Twice. He resigned the first time so that he could run for President in 1916. He was then appointed as Chief Justice in 1930. Also surprising was that, while all of them started out as "liberal" - meaning that they supported New Deal ideas, laws, and initiatives, two of them ended up being judicial conservatives, while two of them became judicial liberals, with one, Douglas becoming more and more liberal due to his emphasis on individual rights over those of the states. Douglas was the only one of the four who was not trained in Eastern establishment law schools. He was from Yakima, Washington, and he laid much of the ground work for environmental laws, even going so far as to say that inanimate objects such as rock and rivers have a right to exist and that these rights shouldn't be ignored.

Lastly, all four of these judges believed that all Supreme Court decisions are political. Politics, for them was inseparable from the interpretation of the law. Justice was a different matter. Politics is personal, and while all four of these men came onto the court with different goals and objectives, they all ended up as judicial enemies. (scorpions, in a bottle - hence the title.). Only Black and Douglas remained on personal speaking terms by the 1950's and even that was tenuious.

I also learned that appointment to the Supreme Court was always a political matter. No president took selecting a judge lightly and always considered their political aims when making a selection. What has changed, is Congress. Congress now is so closely divided that it slows down appointment to judgeships to the extent that it now impedes the ability of the courts to implement and interpret laws. This is why the down ballot elections are as important as is the vote for president. That seems to be something that the present day electorate doesn't seem to understand.

This book was a very accessible academic book. It had extensive notes and indexing, but it read like a story. I would class this book as narrative nonfiction - whatever that is. Anybody who has an interest in history or want's to know how we got to now, should read this book. At times it was engrossing and at times infuriating, but it was always informative, instructive, and, I believe, important and timely. Even if published in 2010.

I think Benita makes the case for including Scorpions: The Battles and Triumphs of FDR's Great Supreme Court Justices on one's 2021 reading list. The Supreme Court is extremely important to the long-term health of the country and we need to pack that puppy while battling right-wing gerrymandering with all our might, and shoring up the political independence of the Census.

Oh, Happy Snowy Monday you Insider you!

I lost you for a while there Mark.

>121 msf59: >223 msf59: I really ought to get back to Andrea Barrett, I loved The Voyage of the Narwhal, and have several of her others on the shelf.

>153 msf59: Of course you loved it.

>158 msf59: Brilliant.

>175 msf59: What a stunning poem and performance.

I hope the air is more breathable now under the new grown-ups in the White House Mark.

>236 benitastrnad: Good review of Scorpions: The Battles and Triumphs of FDR's Great Supreme Court Justices, Benita. It definitely sounds like an interesting and informative book. It is on my list.

>237 richardderus: Happy Snowy Monday, Richard. I got out for a short time, looking for an owl, (failed again) and now I am safely indoors, with books calling my name. Snow arrives later.

>238 Caroline_McElwee: Hi, Caroline. Glad you got caught up with my various posts. Yep, the Gorman poem, turned her into an instant superstar. How cool is that? Yes, the air especially around our nation's capital has definitely cleared up. Grins...

"Section 4:

The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States shall be removed from office on impeachment for and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."

-Constitution Illustrated

>241 msf59: Someone needs to explain to me, slowly and enunciating clearly, why this isn't a priority for the Senate. Spend the mornings on Biden's agenda, the afternoons on trying 45 for incitement of insurrection.

We *can* walk and chew gum as a species.

>209 msf59: OMG, I have been loving all the Bernie memes but that is the very best one. The chair!

>242 richardderus: Due respect, Richard, but you know why it's not a priority for the Senate, at least the half that sits on the right side of the aisle.

Hi Mark. I'm enjoying the poems you share. Also, I saw on Karen's thread that you were going out in search of Snowy Owls. Did you see any? And I also see up there that you referenced your cell phone camera for one of your photos. I'm curious what kind of camera you usually use for your bird excursions.

Sorry I wasn't on line much while we read Book Woman. I quite enjoyed it. After that, I read The Only Good Indians which was dark, dark, dark, and good, good, good.

Now I'm reading The Boy in the Field and listening to The Splendid and the Vile. I need to spend more time on my stationary bike so I can get some momentum going for the audiobook.

>242 richardderus: I am with you completely, Richard. It is a no-brainer!

>243 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen. Glad to see you stop by. That Bernie meme is my favorite too, but these have worn out their welcome rather quickly. On our Snowy Owl hunt last week, I only saw a Snowy at a great distance and in flight. It barely counts. Fortunately, I have seen a few others in the past and got better looks. My camera is a Canon S-50. It has served me well.

You know I like dark so The Only Good Indians is high on my TBR list. The Boy in the Field also sounds interesting.

Hi Mark, I agree that Andrea Barrett's The Air We Breathe wasn't quite as good as her other two books but it wasn't too bad either. I don't know if she's published anything since. And yes I'm a bit down in the dumps about the result of yesterday's game but oh well. There's always next year.

Hi Mark, I have The Only Good Indians so I am glad to hear it is both good and dark. I like dark. :)

>246 brenzi: Hi, Bonnie. I would like to read more Barrett, so I hope she continues to write.

>247 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy. I just requested The Only Good Indians, so I am looking forward to that one.

>243 EBT1002: & >244 msf59:
Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones was awarded an Alex Award today by the American Library Association. The Alex Awards are given to the best adult novels suitable for young adults.

>222 msf59: Have you read Saunders?
No, I have not! Never even heard of the fellow. Clearly I need to examine my choices :)

Tell me, now that you aren't a postal worker, can you wish for snow? Or do you feel too much for your ex-colleagues...
Today here we have record high temperatures in my region, 36 C (=97F). I went fishing with little Lenny and a friend, no catching, just wandering and a wee swim in the river. Eta: Oh, and I finished a collection of essays too :) (by Franzen)

>249 benitastrnad: Thanks, Benita. I requested The Only Good Indians, so I should be reading it soon. It sounds like my cuppa.

>250 LovingLit: Hi, Megan. I thought you may have read or heard of Lincoln in the Bardo, Saunders first novel, which really caught fire when it came out in 2017. In regards to snow, I am sure glad I no longer have to work in it but it still can make my regular bird outings more challenging. Obviously smaller amounts are easier to deal with.

It sounds like you had a good time with little Lenny, fishing and swimming. Nice.

"Willie Sutton was born in the squalid Irish slums of Brooklyn, in the first year of the twentieth century, and came of age at a time when banks were out of control. So began the career of America's most successful bank robber. Over three decades Sutton became so good at breaking into banks, and such a master at breaking out of prisons..."

I read and loved The Tender Bar: A Memoir a decade ago. I wish this would have been a bigger LT hit. It was such an excellent memoir. Sutton is historical fiction but it also sounds excellent. Another OTS pick and one I have had for years. I start it today.

Morning, Mark! Did you end up with much snow?

I have The Tender Bar on my shelf - it's been there for years. I guess I should actually, you know, read it?

>253 katiekrug: Morning, Katie. Right now, I think we are at 3 inches, maybe a bit more, although it is still supposed to continue for a few more hours. It looks like we dodged the 8-10. The Tender Bar is an excellent read. I hope I gave you a nudge to give it a shot.

^Not as much snow as expected but I am still glad I don't have to work in it anymore. Pretty out there and the feeders are hopping. I do have a heater for the birdbath, snow has just collected on the sides. The finch feeder is a mess, although the junco doesn't seem to mind.

Morning, Mark! I'm adding The Tender Bar to The List - you hit me with a book you're not even reading.

Love the snow!

‘Morning, Mark! Happy Tuesday to you.

>240 msf59: Very good. I hope 17 Republicans do their sworn duty and follow the law instead of politics.

>255 msf59: Yay for the new feeders pic.

Woo - lost you in the non-transition to this thread. I think I'm caught up now! I've enjoyed the poems, cartoons, and reviews -- too many to comment on individually.

Only Good Indians sounds quite intriguing. I'm not much into horror, but I enjoyed Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre earlier this year. (maybe horror light?)

Have you read Empire of Wild? Another First Nations with a bit of supernatural horror.

Tuesday's here...they're telling me I can expect snow, but I strongly doubt it. It's the kind of day where the clouds'd need to really get their oomph on to make snow and it's a lazy, low-energy kinda day out there.

Rock on, Birddude.

Good Tuesday to you, Mark! We didn't get the ice storm predicted either. So far, with winter half over, it's been pretty mild. Knock on wood. Looks like you got a healthy couple of inches.
Stay warm and cozy, my friend

>252 msf59: & >253 katiekrug: & >256 Crazymamie:
I have had Tender Bar on my shelves for years as well. It had great reviews when it came out and it was on the ALA Best Books list for 2006, but none of that was enough to move me to read the book. I kept thinking that somehow Tender Bar won some kind of award, but I can't find listed anywhere. I did find that George Clooney has bought the rights to film it, and that Ben Affleck is going to star in it when the screenplay is written. I also discovered that Moehringer ghost wrote Shoe Dog. The memoir of Phil Knight the founder of Nike.

>256 Crazymamie: Hi, Mamie. I love a successful warble about a backlog title. It is such a good read and deserves more love and attention.

>257 karenmarie: Hi, Karen. Come on you 17 senators! Show a little spine! Make America Truly Great Again!

>258 streamsong: Hi, Janet. Great to see you. I thought I may have offended you, somewhere down the line. Grins...Ooh, not familiar with Empire of Wild. Sounds like my cuppa. Thanks.

>259 richardderus: Hey, RD. We ended up with 4-5 inches of wet heavy snow on our driveway. We paid somebody to shovel it and it was worth it. Not sure if this Midwest storm is moving eastbound. I hope it misses you.

>260 Carmenere: Hi, Lynda. We probably have about 4-5 inches. Still pretty heavy but not terrible. I am still glad I don't have to walk around in it. I agree, it has been a mild winter so far. Lets hope this next 6 weeks or so is kind.

>261 benitastrnad: I hope I can inspire you to pull The Tender Bar off shelf and give it a go, Benita. I forgot he had co-written Shoe Dog, which was really good. He also co-wrote Open, the Agassi memoir and that was also really good and I am not a big tennis fan.

>263 msf59: I expect it will. We've got rainsnow now...the snow's sheeting down like rain but not sticking, just sort of blggglrrrccchhhing into sloppy gutter-puddles.

Weak-kneed snow, or aggressively overachieving rain, take your descriptive pick.

>263 msf59: Hey Mark, still snowing in my part of the North Side--maybe Lake effect? Anyway, another thing gone this year--Snow Days--if they're not already home, kids are just staying home for online school. Boo--what a bummer. Snow Days were the Best.

>263 msf59:
I might do that, but first I have Book Woman of Troublesome Creek on my list. I hope to start it tonight when I get home from work.

We had no snow here in Alabama - but we did have a thunderstorm about 1:00 a.m. It banged and popped enough that it woke me up. My sister in Kansas got 8 inches of snow yesterday and there will be more tonight.

Hiya, Mark. Happy Tuesday.

Love all the poetry-posting you're doing. I'll try to remember to do more over on mine. I'm reading one by Ross Gay right now, called Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude. I think it's one you'd enjoy. It got the NBCC award and was shortlisted for the NBA.

My GN is Be Chill, about a high school loser who finds a way to become way cooler, but it comes with a price. Apparently it's based on a YA book which I doubt I'd read, but I'm enjoying the GN version.

The snow wasn't as bad as predicted, was it. Nothing to scoff at, but we're not buried, and I saw you're not either.

>265 richardderus: We NEED this "blggglrrrccchhhing" to come to a merciful end, RD. Sending dry weather vibes your way.

>266 kac522: Hi, Kathy. The weather folks did say that certain portions of the Chicago area, would get additional lake effect snow. Still coming down here, but very lightly.

>267 benitastrnad: Looking forward to your thoughts on Troublesome Creek, Benita. I hope you are able to start it later today.

>268 jnwelch: Happy Tuesday, Joe. It seems to be a good time to share poetry, so I do it, whenever I see something that moves me. Both of my current poetry collections have been winners, so I will be posting something from each of those. The Ross Gay and the GN both sound promising. I appreciate it.

It looks like we got 4-5 inches of heavy wet snow. I am glad it wasn't more. We just paid a guy to shovel this time. It looked like he could use the money and it gave my back a break.

The weak-kneed little blggglrrrccchhhes have stopped already, thank goodness. Icky stuff.

Oh I loved The Tender Bar Mark. This one seems like it'd be a good audiobook.

>271 richardderus: Yah!!

>272 brenzi: Hi, Bonnie. Sutton is off to a very good start. I agree it would make a fine audiobook. Moehringer is a terrific writer.

Sorry about the icky snow, Mark. Hope the books are making the day much warmer.

>274 Familyhistorian: Hi, Meg. We managed just fine today. Thanks. I just stayed in and that gave me a lot more book time.

"I wish the Constitution which is offered, had been made more perfect; but I sincerely believe it is the best that could be obtained at this time."

-George Washington

"I consent, Sir, to this Constitution because I expect no better, and because I am not sure, that it is not the best."

-Benjamin Franklin

Amendment IV:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

^This one seems to get regularly trampled. Just sayin'...

^I enjoyed this entertaining illustrated volume. I have not read the Constitution or the Bill of Rights in many years. It was refreshing. I wonder if 45 ever bothered to read it?

>276 msf59: Well it is up to Uncle Joe now to uphold it, Mark. I am sure that he will do a better job than the last fellow.

>277 PaulCranswick: Come on, Uncle Joe! You can DO IT! Or, better yet, YOU BETTER DO IT! Hope the work week is going smoothly for you, Paul.

OKLAHOMA WANTS TO RETURN HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE

"Oklahoma is trying to return its $2 million stockpile of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug touted by Trump despite limited medical evidence as a cure for COVID-19."

^I had first big chuckle this morning, after seeing this headline. 2 million dollars? I wonder if OK will be able to get this from Trump? Grins...

>279 msf59: Well, he is in Florida... 😀

>280 drneutron: LOL. He sure is, Jim and we are glad.

>279 msf59: - I saw that last night and started laughing. Idiots.

Morning, Mark!

Good morning, Mark, and happy Wednesday to you. Enjoy scratching the birding itch today.

>264 msf59: You always find the best political cartoons. So sad and true.

>279 msf59: Ass hats. I remember reading during the frenzy over hydroxychloroquine that there was a shortage for people who were getting it for legitimate medical purposes. What OK should do is give each person who takes it in the state a ‘prescription’ for it and sell it to other states at cost so they can do the same.

>282 katiekrug: Morning, Katie. Yep, that is priceless. I wonder how many other states have similar stockpiles?

>283 karenmarie: Morning, Karen. I am going to be scratching that bird itch in an hour or so.

"Asshats"! A great term for these knuckle-heads. Can you believe, I take this drug and have for several years? I did not have any problem renewing my prescription. Grins...

They're stuck with the malaria drug. In a state with inadequate water for water-use purposes. So no likelihood of the damned mosquitoes of the right species to infect the Okies with malaria.

Of course they could donate the doses to countries with endemic malaria as a gesture of goodwill.

Ha. Ha ha. It is to laugh.

Morning, Mark!

>279 msf59: I saw this, too. Funny but also really sad.

>270 msf59: Ha! I doubt there is a return policy for 2 million!

>262 msf59: Nope, not offended. Just a bit of a space cadet lately and having trouble keeping track of the fast moving LT threads.

Ellen also really liked Empire of Wild. Her review was totally from a psychological standpoint, which was very interesting and will be very different from mine if I ever get it written. I still have ten or so reviews to finish from the end of last year; I'm just trying to keep up with the reviews for the January books read right now.

>276 msf59: Interesting review. I think I need a copy of that.

>279 msf59: I'm not sure if you could return drugs. Even for those stored at room temperature, you wouldn't know if they had been stored in an overly hot shipping container somewhere.

>285 richardderus: "Of course they could donate the doses to countries with endemic malaria as a gesture of goodwill." Great idea, Richard. I hope they take you up on that suggestion.

>286 Crazymamie: Happy Wednesday, Mamie. I am sure there are many other states with large stockpiles of that drug. Now, that is really sad.

>287 ChelleBearss: Very doubtful, Chelle and just as unlikely, is Trump giving them their money back.

>288 streamsong: Hi, Janet. Just kidding about the "offended" remark. We are all guilty of being a bit "spacey" trying to keep up with the threads. No easy task. I am going to keep Empire of Wild in mind. Sounds good.

>289 msf59: They're Repulsivecans, Mark, there is precisely *zero* chance of that. The ideologues want profits for themselves, so unless it's their shipping company getting the $$ no chance; the religious nuts believe in charitable giving (to white people) but only with jeebusy jazz attached.

So no. Too actually useful to appeal to the appalling people of the "Great" State of Mobilhoma.

>290 richardderus: With your snappy Derus vernacular, you summed up the GOP perfectly. I am sure Fox News won't cover that story.

>245 msf59: Yes!!

>249 benitastrnad: Interesting. Even though it is labeled "horror" (and it is definitely dark), I agree that it is suitable for young adults.

Happy Wednesday, Mark. I'd say happy hump day but that no longer matters to you, right?

I think I have seen a snowy owl once, in flight, and only fleetingly.

>292 EBT1002: Happy Wednesday, Ellen. What is Hump Day, I forgot? Grins...Glad you got to see a Snowy, even briefly. Where was this?