Joe's First Book Cafe 2023

Illustrations by Barbara Helen Berger

2022 Favorites

Favorite of the Year

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

Fiction

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)

Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez

The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman

The Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith

A Kind of Spark by Elle McNichol

The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn

The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy

Nonfiction

The Song of the Cell by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami

Poetry

No standout, but I liked Joy Harjo's Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light and Ada Limon's The Hurting Kind

Graphic and Illustrated Books

No standout, but I liked Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser

Top 5 Favorites Ever (Today)

Plainsong by Kent Haruf

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys

OK, I couldn’t resist. A new poem from me:

Jesus What?

Jesus spat
In someone’s hat
What’s the meaning of that?

Jesus insulted the useless poor
Later shooed them out the door
Why would he do that?

Jesus avoided the downtrodden
Hoping they’d be forgotten
Losers make the world more rotten?

Jesus would’ve admired Adolph
So rough, so tough
Even the best need time off
To play some golf

Jesus liked money
Chased it with cunning
The best are always hunting

Jesus hated talk-back women
Grabbing beauties when they let him
They were lucky to have met him

Jesus shunned people of color
He was whiter than any other
Not everyone’s your brother

When children died
He didn’t mind
Guns are more beloved
Than being kind

But the unborn
Must be kept warm
Punish the gals, never the fellas.

Wealth always has merit
The meek shouldn’t inherit
The poor should grin and bear it

You think I’m a fool
Haven’t got a clue

It’s not Jesus, it’s you.

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

*Graphic and illustrated books

Also by Barbara Helen Berger

Debbi's kitchen helpers, Rafa and Fina

Pulling up a chair. (Can't see the photo in >7 jnwelch:)

>8 laytonwoman3rd: Hi, Linda. I'm mystified by the invisibility to you of the visible to me. I'll try re-posting.

Setting my cushion down Joe. I hope 2023 is a good one for you.

Adriana's brief review of The Villa in People magazine

Hi, Joe! You are off to a roaring reading start already!

I can't see this picture in post 7 either. When I try to bring it up outside the thread, the message says 'URL signature expired'. Happens to a lot of Paul's pictures too. Do you load them into your junk drawer or gallery? Or are they elsewhere on the web?

>10 Caroline_McElwee: Oh good, Caroline. Happy 2023!

FWIW, I can see the photo in >7 jnwelch:!

Happy new year, Joe.

Ah, now I can see the photo too. It will be interesting to see if it 'expires' again.

I can see it now too. Serious chefs in the making!

>14 katiekrug:, >15 ffortsa:, >16 laytonwoman3rd:. Thanks, Katie, Judy and Linda. Good news re the photo and our little chefs. To answer Judy’s question in >12 ffortsa:, when I re-post photos from Facebook, they “expire” after what seems like a couple of weeks. They must code for that. (Petty, IMO).

Hiyah, Joe! Glad you made it to 2023. 😀 As usual, the topper pics are great!

Today’s Bargain: Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James for $1.99 on e-readers.

>19 jnwelch: I'm waiting until the whole trilogy is published before I review 'em but what a terrific imagination he brings to the stories!

>11 jnwelch: I went into more detail in my own review of the book today but yep! She nailed it.

Happy to see you, kind sir.

Thread police were almost on their way to go and hunt you down buddy!

Happy new thread and a happy new reading year - it looks like you have got off to a great start with 4 books done already.

>7 jnwelch: I can see it too and it is obvious why Granddad is proud of the two of them.

Happy new year Joe!

>1 jnwelch: My cousin Barbie!

Bustling here already. Dropping a star and preparing to lurk. :)

Happy New Year, Joe.

>1 jnwelch: Lovely starting pictures!
And the two kitchen chefs, looking so grown up!

Hi Joe, all the best for a year of wonderful reading! So glad you listed your best of's!

Happy New Year, Joe! Love the photo of the grands - so adorable.

Sweet Thursday, Joe and Happy New Thread. I was getting a bit concerned that the Cafe doors may have been shuttered for good but I am glad to see that the doors are propped back open and nice smells are wafting out. Whew! Looking forward to sharing another year of banter and books with my buddy. I hope everyone there is doing fine and staying healthy.

Glad to see the poem up there. I love it, along with those lovely grands.

Happy new year, Joe! I'm glad to see you started a thread - I was starting to get a little worried as well.

Btw, I think "Top 5 Favorites Ever (Today)" is my new favorite book list heading. I can relate.

>18 drneutron:. Thanks, Jim. A tip of the hat for how easy you make it for us all to pick up again in the new year. Happy 2023!

>20 richardderus:. Agreed, mon frere. I’m waiting for the third to come out before reading the second. How great to have a top author tell this kind of story.

I’ll look for your review of The Villa. She was surprised by how much she enjoyed it. Becca liked it a lot, too.

Happy to see you, too, sir, in this best of all possible worlds.

>21 PaulCranswick:. Hiya, Paul. I could hear the LT clock ticking. It took me a while to recover from the holidays and our energetic visitors.

Thanks re the thread and the new reading year. Seven Moons is set in Sri Lanka and is one you might appreciate.

I am proud of those two little whippersnappers, by crikey. I’m glad the photo shows up now.

>29 jnwelch: I read Seven Moons last year, Joe, and agree with your endorsement of it.

>22 quondame:. Hiya, Susan. Are you a Berger? Is Barbie really a cousin? She’s a talented one, she is.

I tell people I wish I was related to the grape juice Welches. I suspect their wealth just keeps on wealthing.

>23 MickyFine:. Oh good, Micky. Just know you’re one of my favorite de-lurkers when time permits.

>24 EllaTim:. Thanks, Ella. Happy New year. I’m glad you like those toppers. She’s written and illustrated some really special books, including Grandfather Twilight and All the Way to Lhasa.

Our two kitchen chefs are a constant crack-up. Great visit.

>31 jnwelch: Barbara's mother was my father's sister. Yes, Barbara is very talented, though I heard she hasn't been able to use her hands fully for some time now. She became a visual artist partly because she wasn't able to pursue a career in ballet due to the shape of her feet. She's always been somewhat reclusive.

Im new here just wanted to say really cool illustrations.

>25 mdoris:. Hi, Mary. Happy New Year! I hope 2023 is full wonderful reading for you, too. Mine certainly is off to a good start.

I’m glad you enjoy the best of’s list. I wish everyone would do that- I enjoy reading them, too.

>26 Crazymamie:. Mamie! Yay! Good to see you, my friend.

Those grands are so much fun. It’s challenging to keep up with their energy sometimes - wow!

>27 msf59:. Happy New Year, buddy. I kept expecting a “what the heck” text from you. Thanks for your patience. I needed some post-holiday recovery time. We had a very full house. Three of Adri’s relatives from Colombia also visited.

I’m looking forward to another book- and banter-filled year, too. We’re all fine and healthy, and I hope the same is true for you and yours.

Thanks again for your enthusiasm fir the poem - and the grands. I’ve gotten fewer reactions to the poem than I expected.

>28 bell7:. Happy New Year, Mary! Thanks for your patience; sometimes I’m a slowpoke, aren’t I.

I love Favorites lists, but they’re hard aren’t they. We love books so much, we inevitably feel guilty about ones we left off the list, or think of ones we should’ve put on there, or read new favorites, and so on. The best we can do, I think, is do a list for “today”. I’m glad you like that idea.

>30 PaulCranswick:. I should have known you’d read it, Paul, but at least it confirms my instinct that it’s a “Paul” book. I’m happy that you agree with my endorsement.

>32 quondame:. How cool, Susan. I’ a big fan of your cousin’s books. Sometimes reclusive people are the best people, aren’t they. How interesting that she had a passion to be a ballet dancer.

>33 ryanb0517:. Welcome, Ryan! Thank you for being brave enough to comment. I know it can be hard when you’re new. Barbara Helen Berger is a cousin of quondame (see >32 quondame:) and her books are well worth a browse. I love those illustrations up top, and I’m glad you do, too.

Happy new year, Joe! I'm happy to see the cafe up and running for 2023. I lurk more than I post here, but I always enjoy the chatter.

>1 jnwelch: Happy New Year Joe!

>1 jnwelch: Those illustrations are gorgeous. Thanks for sharing them, Joe.

>2 jnwelch: Adding your 2022 favorites to my list. I have read a couple of them, so I get to dodge those BBs.

>3 jnwelch: I have actually read all of those! That is a genuine surprise to me, lol.

>4 jnwelch: I like your poem, Joe, a rarity for me as I am not a poetry kind of gal.

>5 jnwelch: Looks like your reading year is off to a great start!

>7 jnwelch: Oh, how big they are getting!

Belated Happy New Year and Happy Friday, Joe!

Glad to see you, Joe. I too dilly-dallied in opening my first thread of 2023. I'm encouraged by your endorsement of Lessons in Chemistry. My sister enthusiastically recommended it to me, and my SuperSecret Santa slipped a copy onto the floor where the Christmas tree would have been had I set one up. I was blessed with a spate of wished-for books this year, so it may be a while until I read it.

>36 lauralkeet:. Happy New Year, Laura! Always a pleasure. I hope you and Micky start a de-lurkers club.😀

>37 leperdbunny:. Holy Guacamole! Happy New Year, leperdbunny! Does this mean we’ll see more of you in 2023?

Happy new thread! Several of your favorites from last year are on my TBR -- bumping them up with your endorsement!

Hi Joe, mate, just dropping off my star and i will be visiting here so that i can keep up with your reading and what you and Debbi are doing, also to see what you and Mark get up to. Sending love and hugs to both of you from both of us dear friend.

>38 alcottacre:. Hiya, Stasia. You’re welcome. I’m glad those illustrations light up the gorgeous meter for you. Quondame’s (Susan’s) cousin is a special one. Grandfather Twilight has been a favorite in our house for a long time, and All the Way to Lhasa is a personal favorite.

Which of my favorites have you read? What’d you think? I’m glad you’re adding the others to your list. 5for 5 on the Favorites Ever? I love it! Kafka, Plainsongand Frozen Thames- not many could say that.

Thanks re the poem; I’m glad it worked for you. Arrggh- there’s frustration there with the righteous hypocrites.

The little ones are turning into big ones all right, and their bilingual fluency is boggling their grandparents’ minds. So cool. They mainly speak Spanish to each other.

Happy Friday and Happy New Year!

>39 weird_O:. Hola, mi amigo Bill. Dilly-dalleyers R Us. You’ll have a lot of fun with Lessons in Chemistry, methinks. It probably was my “Funnest” read of the year. Wait until you meet Six-Thirty. 😀

Yeah, I’ve been thumbing through my gift books, too. Two of my first four were gifts from our twisty tales daughter.

>41 foggidawn:. Thanks, foggi! If time permits, please let me know what you think of the ‘22 favorites. I haven’t seen many comments about Made a Fool of Death, and I’d love to see it get some momentum.

>42 johnsimpson:. John, buddy, how are you? Looking forward to keeping up with you in ‘23. In March Mark and I are going to re-read Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian- you’re of course welcome to join us. Hope all is well with you and Karen and the rest of the family, my friend. Love and hugs, mate.

P.S. I know you like big books. Have you read Ken Follett’s pillars of the Earth and World Without End?

Today’s Bargain: World Without End by Ken Follett for $1.99 on e-readers. If you enjoyed his Pillars of the Earth, here’s your bargain chance to get the very good sequel.

>45 jnwelch: Ah, a return to that rapist's paradise that was the Middle Ages! *shudder*

I'm unleashing the kraken on two books tomorrow, Joe.

>46 richardderus:. Ah, what a disturbingly accurate phrase, RD. Fascinating to (safely) visit from the 21st century.

I’ll visit and look for the kraken. Reminds me that China Mieville had a disappointing book called Kraken. I expected better from him.

>47 jnwelch: I actually like Kraken by China Mieville quite a bit I seem to remember. But it's a while since I've read it, so can't remember the details.

Okay, I’m going to try something. Two(?) years ago or so I tried to briefly explain Buddha’s Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. I just finished , through the Buddhist publication Tricycle, a course called, “Re-imagining the Eightfold Path”, which has inspired me to try again.

Buddha’s Four Noble Truths

1. Life is suffering.
2. Suffering derives from craving and desire.
3. Suffering can be made to cease.
4. The way to stop suffering is the Eightfold Path.

This is a translation from the original Pali and consequently isn’t exactly right (e.g. Buddha never said, “Life is suffering”). But for our purposes it’s fine.

The Eightfold Path

Here are the eight folds:

1. Right view
2. Right intention
3. Right action
4. Right livelihood
5. Right speech
6. Right effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration

Here, translation has more importance. To start with, the word “right” suggests there is a “wrong”, and hassome implicit rigidity. Buddhism is more about flow than prescription. In the course the instructors suggested various alternatives to “right”, like “wise”, “appropriate” and my favorite, “Careful and caring”.

Here’s a brief explanation of each fold:

Right View: Seeing life clearly in terms of the four noble truths, and what is wholesome and unwholesome. One way to look at it is Buddhism is designed to help you flourish and be compassionate, and for you to help others do the same. (The Dalai Lama has said, “My religion is kindness”).

This fold also means viewing your experience of life with a clear and open mind, without our usual distractions, assumptions, judgments, desires. Meditation helps us develop that clear and open mind.

From an instructor: We can think of wise view as adopting the perspective of the four noble truths: 1) life involves dukkha, which we can translate as suffering or unsatisfactoriness; 2) the condition for dukkha to arise is craving, tanhā; 3) the truth of the cessation of dukkha; 4) the eightfold path is the way leading to the cessation of dukkha.“

Right Intention: being committed to being free from ill will and to not causing harm. A commitment to having an open and compassionate mind. One instructor thought this prong should be called, Wise Imagination”, emphasizing our creative engagement with the world. Imagining the effect on ourselves and others of our actions and words.

Right Action: behave ethically. It creates a relaxed and friendly attitude toward ourself and others. Do our actions help us flourish, and others flourish? Are they based on kindness and compassion? Do they cause harm. The golden rule - do unto others as you would have them do unto you- is useful here. Does your action have wholesome, positive effects? Am I making the world around me a better place to live?

Right Livelihood: wise, compassionate livelihood. This is a tough one, isn’t it. Everything’s so interconnected. If you work in a restaurant, you may be worried about the treatment of animals and the killing of them for food. Also, the treatment of workers in the food system and even effects on the environment. I managed a vegetarian fast food restaurant in Santa Barbara, and I’m sure if I’d dug deeper ethical issues could be found. Ditto re managing a bookstore, and certainly in practicing law. An instructor pointed out that even Zoom teaching, like this course, involves data centers that use a lot of energy, and can’t be considered completely harmless.

Again, we’re thinking about effects on ourselves and others, is it helping us and others flourish. Also, how much money, wealth, is enough? Can mindfulness make any kind of work okay in this regard?

Right Speech: speaking truthfully in a non-harmful way. This fold and meditation have probably had the largest impact on me. As I mentioned two or so years ago, telling the truth is hard.. Put differently, breaking old untruthful habits is hard. White lies to ease situations, exaggerations to put us in a better light, assertions that match who we think we are, or we think will impress the other person . . . In living, we learn to smooth our experience with small (sometimes large) untruths. Stopping that entirely was an eye-opening experience for me. When telling the truth would hurt someone, it remains a difficult situation. Sometimes I go one way, sometimes another, to remain truthful.

“Caring and careful communication” is another way of stating this prong. The instructors emphasized that it includes listening, i.e. learning to stay still and open and compassionate with another person.

Right Effort: resolve and determination. Not “pushing”, as we Westerners are inclined. Being less reactive is important, as we’re trying to get to that open and compassionate state that is not dependent on our habitual perceptions, assumptions and judgments. Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind: we’re looking to experience the world afresh, as a beginner would. Not driven by desires, fears, conditioning we acquired along the way. A non-reactive perspective, with equanimity. Gentle, mindful.

The instructors saw 4 tasks involved:

1. Embracing (accepting) suffering.
2. Letting go of reactivity (for me, particularly, anger).
3. Clearly seeing without reactivity.
4. Cultivating your eightfold path.

Right Mindfulness: it’s more than just focused attention. Meditation (observing the breath) is the simplest, and is the tool that allows us to bring mindfulness to the rest of our life. The instructors described mindfulness as “saturated with sensitivity and curiosity.” These days, as I’m paying attention (e.g. to my surroundings on a walk), I ask myself what I’m feeling, what the experience is like, trying to make it more than just attention.

Here the instructors saw 4 more elements:

1. Simple awareness - e.g. listening to bird song, tasting your food, noticing colors.
2. Protective awareness - like the gatekeeper for the ancient city. Notice your internal states; if your anxiety is spiraling, notice it is happening and make a different choice, directing your attention elsewhere.
3. Investigation - like a surgeon’s probe, delicately look at what needs to be done. With curiosity - how does this feel right now, what feelings and thoughts arise. If you’re angry, observe that - your tense face, etc.

4. Free yourself from fixed views - e.g., “I’ve done/seen this before, my mind is made up about it.” They gave the example of a mother looking at her DIL and seeing all her faults. Is that being narrow-minded? Maybe her faults can be seen in a fresh positive way, and maybe I’m being blind to, or giving too little weight to, her positive qualities. Drop those fixed views; give the present moment a chance.

The instructors described this fold as “wise mindfulness”, a creative awareness. Dissolve obstacles, old habits to open up space and ease inside, to permit an “informed spontaneity” without obstructing the present moment.

The present moment is a flow, and the goal is to get ourselves into that flow. The eightfold path is a fluid dynamic, a stream. We’re developing the skill to swim with, and enjoy, the current of the stream. Flowing with all the arising and passing.

Being kind is integral to all of this.

Rather than rushing to judgment, stop and think about what to say that is kind and truthful and appropriate.

Right Concentration: this has been the hardest one for me to conceptually understand - why is it a separate prong? It’s subject to many possible meanings, e.g. meditate diligently, so that you experience different meditation states. Stay “empty”, open and desireless. Become absorbed in meditation, in mindfulness and clear comprehension, in clarity, in dissolving reactivity.

This is viewed as a unifying prong. “Concentration untainted by craving.” I asked, but didn’t get an answer on, whether this prong might be called “Wise Integration”. The instructors referred to it as “wise anchoring” and “wise collectedness”. References were also made to our breath being our anchor.

Comments

Why do I buy into all this? I like that Buddha never set himself up as a deity, instead emphasizing that he was a human being, and all human beings can do what he did to free himself, and here’s how. I believe the “how” works - it’s certainly improved my life, and I can imagine being completely free, even while doubting that will ever happen for me. I think people who travel this path become wiser and more compassionate. That doesn’t mean anger disappears, or difficult situations are suddenly solvable, or anxiety and depression disappear.But I do believe more ease and perspective come into the picture.

Way back when I wrote a paper on the similarities between the Buddhism I describe above and Rogerian (Carl Rogers) psychotherapy. I’m very pleased that in our present time meditation and these techniques are increasingly being used by therapists.

Whoo! That’s a lot, isn’t it. If you’ve hung in through all of this, thank you.

P.S. sorry about all the typos. I hope to come back and fix them.

>44 jnwelch:, Hi Joe, i have read both of the books and want to read the prequel soon, also i have his Century trilogy to go at, three large books to go at. I am reading Troubled Blood at the moment and loving it, when finished it will be my 49th 1,000+ page book i have read, i am wondering whether to go for Les Miserables for my 50th massive tome although i still have a number of 1,000+ page books to choose from.

>48 SandDune:. I wish I’d had your reaction to Kraken, Rhian. I’d looked forward to reading it. I likewise didn’t like his Un Lun Dun, although lots of people did. His The City and the City will always remain a favorite, and I loved rhe ambition of Embassytown.

>50 johnsimpson:. Ha! I thought of you , John, with the Follett books. I know you’re drawn to the doorstoppers, and those two certainly qualify. I may read the prequel some day, but my next one will be the third, Column of Fire.

I LOVED Troubled Blood, and I’m a pushover for all the Cormoran and Robin stories. I hope the TB tv adaptations make it across the pond soon.

I’m not a fan of Les Miserables. The obvious heart-string pulling bothered me (but I love Dickens, so go figure), and I would’ve cut away a third or more of the wordiness. *gets ready for thrown tomatoes*

>51 jnwelch:, Joe, no tomatoes thrown by me mate, i might do Column of Fire first before the prequel, think i need to get back to some normal sized books first though. Karen keeps reading normal sized books that i want to read and they just add to the shelves that have predominantly books for me, it looked tidy when the new bookcases went in and now with added purchases and Karen's reads, it's looking a tad untidy, lol.

>52 johnsimpson:. We have to prune our bookshelves, too, John. We installed a Little Free Library by our house, so prunees can find a new home that way.

I actually enjoy the pruning - removing books whose contents I no longer even vaguely remember, or which have lost that special love that kept them on the shelf.

>53 jnwelch:, Books that have been read by both of us or just me, they go into a box and periodically Amy will go through it and select what she wants and those that are left go to a Charity shop, the local hospice or Cancer research for someone else to enjoy. Some books we want to keep and they go onto another bookcase in the loft.

>47 jnwelch: >48 SandDune: I liked Kraken as well - by that time I'd read enough China Miéville books that I wasn't expecting anything but the strange.

>49 jnwelch: While I agree with most of the directives, I can't entirely go for the basic "life is suffering" starting point. Sure it includes quite a bit of suffering, way too much for so many, but it's full of joys, fulfillment, comforts, and well dogs. Also I go a bit iffy and withdrawn when people use the word "right" and don't mean a direction.

>49 jnwelch: I did a course many years ago at the Buddhist Society in London, and your summary sounds right to me Joe. I have some mind-maps I used to do after the classes, if I can find a relevant one I'll post a picture tomorrow.

>56 quondame: Although I'm not a practicing Buddhist, rather someone with some Buddhist leanings Susan, I tend to think of the idea of suffering in Buddhism to acknowledge that in most days there is some suffering, and holding this suffering is part of what life is, and by striving to attain the eight fold path, one may reduce or process that suffering. I don't believe Buddhism ever suggests you can exclude suffering. I think there is a suggestion that suffering is the work we do in life (I'm not talking jobs or careers, although they might sometimes be the cause of some of our suffering).

Joe might have a different tack on this.

I don't know how I missed your thread! Well I found you now and have you starred. Happy reading in 2023!

>49 jnwelch: Thanks Joe, that is very interesting and I have added it to my favourites as it is one I have to come back to and think about again (and again).

Removed as image not particularly legible. Will try again tomorrow.

>58 Caroline_McElwee: I just have major issues with a philosophy that assumes that it's preferable to disengage from rather than engage with life. Rather than telling those suffering to rise above it, maybe there's a point to doing what can be done to reduce their suffering so that they can have pleasurable engagement.

>51 jnwelch: Ah, I really liked UnLunDun as well. I first read it to Jacob when he was small but I’ve read it again since and enjoyed it equally. In both, UnLunDun and Kraken I enjoyed the way that such familiar parts of London were turned on their heads to be incorporated into the story. I might have particularly enjoyed Kraken for its focus on the giant squid in the back rooms of the Natural History Museum. I’ve spent a lot of time in the Natural History Museum over the years!

Interesting discussion on Buddhism.

I have been exposed to Mongolian, Chinese and Korean varieties in my time in Malaysia and the differences in national temperament make for an interesting contrast in their practices.

>49 jnwelch: I appreciate you taking the time to write this, Joe. I favorited it so I could return and digest it more fully.

>55 quondame:. Interesting, Susan, thanks. I’ve read a lot of Mieville, but unfortunately that’s one I wouldn’t recommend to others.

>56 quondame:. Thanks for reading it through and commenting, Susan. Your comment helps show me I should’ve dug deeper on why “life is suffering” is a bad translation and not a fundamental of Buddhism. It also helps show me a reason why Buddhism is so widely misunderstood. I feel bad that in trying to explain it, I’ve encouraged misunderstanding.

There is no elegant English translation of the first noble truth that I know of. A better translation is that life involves unsatisfactoriness. As you say, it has joys and delights, but they come and go and life has a lot of difficulties and sadness, too. Aren’t you dissatisfied? Don’t you want to see clearly, and love life in all its permutations? Buddha was and did, and I am and do. There’s a better way to experience all this, without the distortions we carry around in our heads.

I don’t react well to the word “right” either. That’s why the instructors and I gave alternatives. Substitute “Careful and Caring” each time instead and you’ll get a better idea.

This is good we’re doing this. I didn’t substitute more accurate translations in part because I’ve seen “life is suffering” and “right” all my years of interest in this, and you will, too, if you read more about Buddhism. They’re the traditional Western expressions, and I’ve come to understand what they really mean. But I should have substituted for this Primer. Apologies.

Morning Joe! Heavy conversation here so I'll just grab a coffee and move along.
Have a wonderful day!

>11 jnwelch: excellent review, by the way!

>57 Caroline_McElwee:. Thanks, Caroline. That’s good to hear. At least Susan was okay with the directives, as she called them. Please feel free to help clear up misunderstandings I’ve created.

>58 Caroline_McElwee:. Thanks, Caroline. I generally like what you say, except that Buddha did say there is a way to make suffering cease via the Eightfold Path. It’s a rare person who accomplishes that- it’s sometimes called nirvana. Pure, unadulterated joy in being on this planet, with all its facets, in my words.

>62 quondame:. Oh my, I’ve misled you, Susan. As T.S.Eliot would say, that is not it, that is not it at all.

Buddhism is about fully, openly, lovingly engaging with life, without all the mumble jumble we carry around in our minds.

People sometimes have the experience of standing on a beach at sunset, or looking into a wildflower, or whatever, and suddenly feeling that all is one, all is beauty, all is right with the world and universe and their place in it. (Poets are prone to this). That’s what got me started on this path, and where I’d love to end up if I’m one of those rare people.

The proof is in the pudding. If you start to meditate and follow these guides (I don’t like the word directives, it reminds me of the word “right”😀) your experience of the world will start changing for the better. That’s all.

>63 SandDune:. Maybe my being an America-head detracted from my reading experience, Rhian, although I have been in that museum. Or maybe I like Mieville for different reasons, because I do like books that have London turned upside down. Neverwhere remains my favorite Gaiman. What I liked about Mieville in Perdido Street Station and Scar and the others was his inventive imagination and ability to sink the reader into his invented world, like Suzanna Clarke’s Piranesi and Jonathan Strange. I didn’t get that with Kraken.

>64 PaulCranswick:. You’re so right, Paul. Like Christianity, the number of Buddhism flavors is mind -boggling. The Western approach almost always is more nuts and bolts, and experience-directed. We’re studying Buddhism here and elsewhere with science, and that’s really what I think it is. The science of freedom. Not worship. As you’ve seen, the Dalai Lama loves the western approach - the more science applied to Buddhism, the better.

>65 lauralkeet:. Thanks, Laura. That’s part of what inspired me. The last time I did this, a lot of people really appreciated getting a Primer like this. It also helped me pull together what I learned in the course I mentioned.

>67 Carmenere:. Good morning, Linda! Yeah, you know me, I can get heavy. My sister once remarked on my liking the “big questions”. I said those are the fun ones!

I hope you have a wonderful day, too. I’m glad you like Adri’s review. What an exciting gig for her - so many readers!

Western science has focused mainly on the effective behavioral change caused by meditation and mindfulness. The success in testing is the main reason you see those two cropping up in so many different contexts, including the legal world. They’re great stress reducers. I’ve recommended meditation to all my family members.

But this neglects the eightfold path and its benefits. The course I took emphasized that they’re all meant to work together toward the goal of full, open, loving, compassionate engagement with the world.

As I mentioned, careful and caring speech (“right speech”) was a game changer for me.

Hi Joe, and happy new year and new thread.

Re Buddhism and your big discussion. Like you and others, I have a problem with the *suffering* thing. Everyone suffers, to various degrees and at various times in life. It's all so subjective. Perhaps it would be better, or at least, easier, to accept that life is *challenging* and how one approaches challenges and navigates them, is what makes the journey. There is also a time and place for *right* (and wrong) but we need to understand the context and the reason for using a loaded word like that, I think. Some things in life are really and truly *right* or *wrong* (I could use some recent politics as examples but I won't go there).

I have never studied Buddhism or any religion in great depth and I have my own reasons for that. I have some personal *problems* with the concept of organized religion that are, admittedly, rather general, but though I was brought up Jewish, in a very secular household, for myself I feel that if you have a basis and foundation of good values toward life and how you treat others as well as yourself, those values will probably hold you in good stead throughout most of life's challenges. Anyhow, that is my largely uninformed opinion. It would probably behoove me to study it more so my opinions could be based on factual knowledge...

>54 johnsimpson:. I was so intent on answering Buddhism q’s, John, that I lost track of your post. That sounds like agreat book recycling system. I used to love to look for books in thrift stores (sounds similar to charity sbops), but the ones near us stopped carrying them.

We have bookshelves in nearly every room in our house, and it’s still not enough to accommodate all the new arrivals. But I still maintain that there is no such thing as “too many books”.😀

>71 jnwelch:. Thank you for your post, Shelley. Well said. I like your “Life is Challenging” more than “Life is Suffering”, for sure.

I’ve thought more than once that our planet is for people who are ready to do hard work. I have sympathy for the many who commit suicide, although I worry most about those they leave behind. We talked a lot to our kids about suicide, in hopes of it never happening.

I like your secular alternative to religion a lot. I also have an instinctive reaction against organized religion, and think Christ and others would be horrified by misinterpretations and what has evolved. I love the Dalai Lama saying “My religion is kindness”.

>74 jnwelch: - I think the Dalai Lama got it *right*!

>74 jnwelch: >75 jessibud2: Agreed!!

Morning, Joe!

>>75 jessibud2:,>76 scaifea:. 😀😅

Morning, Amber! You’re interested in Buddhism - does my summary seem all right?

>77 jnwelch: It does!

Thanks for the Primer, Joe. Suffering is a loaded word, and probably was more blatant in Buddha's time. But we all have problems to face in our lives, and disappointments, and it's important to have a way of letting go of these as we go on. Solutions to true suffering are always important (I think of all the homeless we have in this country - true suffering, I think). But so many of us are trapped in 'that shouldn't have happened' - a burden that does not need to oppress us.

>59 figsfromthistle:. Jeesh, thanks, Anita. I missed your post, too. My mind is doing sixty, and I missed a couple of turns. Happy Reading in 2023!

>79 ffortsa:. You’re welcome, Judy. You’re right, suffering is a loaded word. It’s been an easy one for me to accept - don’t we all suffer! What started the change from the overprotected prince Siddhartha Gautama to the Buddha (the Awakened One) was an unauthorized trip on which he saw sickness, old age and death. That is, our normal human condition, our normal suffering.

I agree totally with what you say - we need to take care of shelter, food and basic medical care before we think about addressing other kinds of suffering - hence, among other things, Buddhist monasteries. Buddha and his followers were helped by donations from those who came to hear him speak, and other admirers.

That”trapped” feeling seems common. I felt that way before, less so now. Being us is hard work, and this shows a way to make it enjoyable work.

>78 scaifea:. Ah, good! Thanks, Amber!

>44 jnwelch: I haven’t seen much about You Made a Fool of Death… either, but it’s one I’d like to get around to reading. The Firekeeper’s Daughter is one of the ones that I keep meaning to read, as well. I loved The Maid. Alice Hoffman doesn’t tempt me — I feel like I ought to like her books, but they just don’t sing to me. I was a little disappointed by the last Emily St. John Mandel that I read (The Glass Hotel), but I’ve heard good things about The Sea of Tranquility. And I’ll probably get to The Ink Black Heart sometime this year, when I’m ready for a chunkster. I read the last one this past year.

>81 foggidawn:. Hi, foggi. Adriana liked Made a Fool of Death a lot back in Spring ‘22, but the problem with her is she reads and reviews so many. I hope you enjoy it when you get to it. If fairly explicit sex bothers you, you may want to steer clear.

No such problem with Firekeeper’s Daughter or The Maid. I’ve gotten nothing but positive reactions from recommendees for those two. I have to admit I didn’t read The Glass Hotel - it didn’t call to me, and I kept seeing disappointed reactions like yours. But Sea of Tranquility had those qualities I liked so much in Station Eleven. In fact, reading it left me feeling quite happily tranquil.

I could have read Troubled Blood and Ink Black Heart for many times their length and months and months - her storytelling really works for me.

Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrane.. This is a lesbian romance novel and this non-lesbian grump loved it. Elle is a graphic artist who’s been fired from her dream job, and Jack (Jacqueline) is a baker who dreams of having her own bakery. Both were damaged by their upbringing, and both live in expectation of failure. They meet in Powell’s bookstore (yay!) and have a magical day together that somehow doesn’t create a future for them. How they work through that, and the plot twists that they endure, is part of the fun. Lots of warm, likable characters (particularly Jack’s family), and many nuggets of emotional wisdom. If the challenging reads have left you wanting something different, this is a good one.

>66 jnwelch: >68 jnwelch: I'd probably find much in Buddhist philosophy more agreeable than I find in current Christian practice, but since it is at the group and individual level that religion becomes "real" and I've encountered very little Buddhist practice I don't know how that would play out for me. I do like starting with a golden rule type of seesaw of understanding that other people feel as you do and what would hurt or support you would likely hurt or support them. Empathy or lacking that willingness to admit others are as real as I am is deep in the root or ethical behavior.

As to suffering, depression has more than once been fatal to my ancestors and not unknown to me, and yes it can seem that to live is to suffer - except when it's not. Of course that's only one form of suffering and both straightforward and impossible to address. For many other social causes of suffering one can hope that however complex there are possible assists.

>40 jnwelch: I hope so!! >83 jnwelch: Oh it sounds super cute! Adding it!

>83 jnwelch:. Good! I’ll keep my fingers crossed.🤞

Kiss Her Once for Me is super cute. I’m a sap, but I found parts of it quite moving, too.

>82 jnwelch:. I have to admit, Susan, i’ve looked for a Buddhist group that suits me for years without success. Usually some element of “worship” is the problem from my POV. We have a friend who is a Shaolin Priest, and we love her dearly, but even her school has too many religious frills for my comfort. I enjoyed my classmates in this recent Zoom course, but that’s not the same as in-person. Still looking.

Meditation has been found to help both depression and anxiety, but it’s not a universal anodyne for those. I don’t really experience either (I know, it drives my family crazy) so I can’t comment on the effect of the eightfold path on them. My own belief is therapy and medication are normally necessary.

I do wish more people would try meditation. It’s cost-free and there’s nothing to lose in trying. Some patience is needed, but if I can overcome impatience, anyone can.

We definitely need smart political action to help with some of our social issues, and that often seems more possible on a town/city/community level than on a state or national one. ((We of course need to keep pushing and contributing on all levels).

>49 jnwelch: Joe >64 PaulCranswick:- here's my Buddhist Mitzvok (#250 and #251) for 2022

which I'm carrying into 2023 and Beyond:

For every book bought, I send an equal amount to a "charity" -

mostly to Doctors Without Borders, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, and UNICEF...

other ideas welcome...

>88 m.belljackson:. That’s a beautiful one, Marianne. Kudos.

Found you!

Happy new year Joe and happy reading. I’ve had the top three on your list reserved at the library for a couple of months. Hopefully they’ll come in sometime during 2023! (And not all at once.)

>90 NarratorLady:. Hi, Anne! Glad you found us!

Oh, those top 3 make for such good reading. Please let me know what you think of them if you can.

>87 jnwelch: My surviving family, and some of the ones who didn't make it, have all believed in therapy and medication and know that they both work and have limits. I have spent over 20 years keeping my stress levels super low as a form of anxiety/depression treatment, but not everyone has the options for avoidance that I do, especially my siblings who absolutely cannot not be busy doing important stuff. I'm like, sis you're 80, it's like OK to find a comfy recliner and play Minecraft.

Hi Joe, and congrats on a good beginning in your reading year.

I love the topper illustrations by Barbara Helen Berger. Grandfather Twilight was the favorite bedtime story of all six of my grands when we had sleepovers here. I am keeping the book to read to my future great-grandchildren. Such a cute photo of Rafa and Fina. Debbi has some excellent helpers. They are growing up so fast.

Wow, that is quite an in-depth discussion about Buddhism. I may have to come back in the morning and reread it when my mind is fresher. I did like this quote from you. I like to keep things simple. ;-)
"Buddhism is about fully, openly, lovingly engaging with life, without all the mumble jumble we carry around in our minds."

Hi Joe. I'm making no promises about keeping up this year but I am belatedly dropping off my star.

Happiest of New Years to you!

>83 jnwelch: I'll be looking for a copy of that one!

>88 m.belljackson: That is very good, Marianne. My donations to our local schools and orphanages of my used books will continue as much by the necessity of making space as well as for the joy of having others benefit from the reading experiences I have been lucky to have.

Happy 2023, Joe! Hope this year brings you lots of happiness and great books

>92 quondame:. You’re smart to avoid what you can, Susan. I know it can be awfully difficult and life-disrupting.

Ha! I don’t have your problem with my sisters. They’re both well underway with their 70s, and are relocating with their spouses to southern and northern California (from Pittsburgh and Helena, Montana) for a life of greater ease if not Minecraft.

>93 Donna828:. Hi, Donna! As usual, you’ve cut right to the heart of it with Buddhism. Yes!

It’s good to have a fellow appreciator of Grandfather Twilight. Such a great book. I love her art in it. There’s nothing better than reading to attentive little granddiddlo’s, is there? I can’t even imagine great-grand ones right now, but what a feeling that will be for you. My dad got to meet his great-grandson in hospice, and that was moving for all of us. Debbi plans to live forever, and I’m trying to keep up with her, so she’ll get that experience and maybe I will, too.

I love the Buddhism discussion. I know people don’t expect something that in-depth, and I appreciate the reading and questions and comments. As you can tell, I just think it’s the cat’s pajamas, and would like it to be better understood - by me(!) and everyone else.

>94 EBT1002:, >95 EBT1002:. Hi, Ellen. Thanks for stopping in. I hope we can keep up with each other better this year. I also hope you’re in the final stretch before much- deserved retirement. Mark and I miss seeing you!

I think you’ll get a kick out Kiss Her Once for Me. Go Ellie and Jack!

>96 PaulCranswick:. Good one, Paul.😀

>97 ChelleBearss:. Happy 2023! Hope you and the hubby and those cute (not so) wee girls are doing well. Have a Happy and Book-filled Year!

Today’s Bargains: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami for $2.99 on e-readers. His least weird, and the one that put him on the literary map.

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen for $2.99 on Kindle. A family favorite. We all loved this charmer.

Afternoon, Joe. I'm moving along in Lessons in Chemistry. I have encountered Six-Thirty, and he could be a pal. Interesting to me is Six-Thirty's conferences with Calvin in the cemetery. Like Ove's chats with his late wife, and those of the protagonist of Anne Tyler's The Beginner's Goodbye talks with his. Those chats still resonate with me.

>101 weird_O:. Cool beans, Bill. I’m glad you’re having a good time with Lessons in Chemistry and Six-thirty. Thanks for reminding me about the cemetery conferences. I’ll probably re-read that book at some point.

P.S. I just arranged to buy a hard copy when the paperback comes out. This one’s a keeper.

Reading A Different Kind of Normal(autism), Legends and Lattes(fantasy) and The Rattle Bag (poetry). Coffee and Spanish lesson at the Bombastic Cafe on Southport.

>43 jnwelch: As someone who is a Christian, believe me that the righteous hypocrites probably bother me more than they do you. I am never going to be perfect and I know it. Righteous hypocrites seem to not grasp that they are not perfect either!

Ah, Spanish! Their own secret language so that their grandparents do not understand their secrets, lol.

>45 jnwelch: Skipping that one for sure. I did not care overmuch for Pillars of the Earth.

>49 jnwelch: It is interesting for me to compare and contract Buddhism and my personal beliefs. Thank you for all that, Joe.

>100 jnwelch: I have Norwegian Wood on tap to read this month (a re-read for me) and I too loved Garden Spells.

Have a terrific Tuesday, Joe!

>104 alcottacre:. Hypocritical Christians are so frustrating, Stasia. We’ve all learned the basics here from an early age. Who do they think they’re fooling? Themselves and each other.

Ha! Yes - next time Rafa and Fina plot to tie their abuelos to chairs, we’re gonna catch ‘em!😀

Ken Follett is a good author for me, starting with his thrillers (I should re-read Eye of the Needle), so I was already leaning his way when I read the church sagas- and I did enjoy them. I love it when an author brings history to life (e.g. Bernard Cornwell, Candice Millard).

You’re welcome re the Buddhism discussion. I like comparing religions and philosophies, too. Thich Nhat Hanh rightly says Buddhism goes just fine with Christianity - do both, no need to choose. As I said, although people sometimes dress up Buddhism as a religion, it’s not. Love and compassion, baby; “my religion is being kind”.

Yay for Garden Spells! I understand that Sarah Addison Allen had a tough struggle with breast cancer. I’m so glad she’s better and able to write again.

I look forward to hearing your reaction to Norwegian Wood. I just read his Novelist as a Vocation. It’s great that after all these years he’s still writing good ones.

Hi Joe, I finally found your 2023 thread. Looks like your reading is off to a good start for the year.

I can't see photos in either >7 jnwelch: or >8 laytonwoman3rd: or >11 jnwelch: so Facebook photos must stay around for less than a week.

>106 Familyhistorian:. Hi. Meg. Happy 2023! Yes, i’m very happy with my new year’s reading, including the three underway right now.

Wow, that Facebook blink out is faster than I thought. I’ll repost, so check back in a day or so. That’ll be the last time. Too bad.

The FB ones are so easy to repost. Any other way for me is an arduous hassle.

Oh no, one of my favorite poets, Charles Simic, died. Rest in peace, sir.

>105 jnwelch:
I have problems with hypocrisy as well even though I consider myself to be a person of faith. I am getting really tired of "prayers of support" for the same reason. I saw a sign at the football game on Saturday that said "We support Damar Hamlin." I wondered what kind of support? Monetary? Physical? Prayer? What I want to see is monetary and medical support from the NFL and the NFL Players Union for the rest of that man's life. Hamlin is going to need medical care that amounts to thousands of dollars. I think that the NFLPU needs to advocate for support for ALL NFL players with lifelong medical care that covers all medical expenses, research about how to make the game safer, player friendly contracts that provide mental therapy as well as physical therapy, financial counseling, etc. etc. This kind of support would make a difference rather than just be a platitude like the prayers of support. And don't get me started on prayers of support for the victims of gun violence. Ten years after Sandy Hook and nothing has changed. I am sure that parents of those victims would rather see substantive "support" in the form of tighter gun laws.

>109 benitastrnad:. Good rant, Benita. You seem to know a lot more about the NFL than I do. I’m very happy that Damar Hamlin survived that cardiac arrest, and now has been released from the hospital.

I’m with you on the gun laws. Illinois is just about to join 8 other states in banning assault weapons. That’s the low hanging fruit - even many of those who otherwise disagree can agree on that one. That this Congress couldn’t even reinstate that ban is pathetic. And of course so much more needs to be done.

A Charles Simic poem:

Partial Explanation

Seems like a long time
Since the waiter took my order.
Grimy little luncheonette,
The snow falling outside.

Seems like it has grown darker
Since I last heard the kitchen door
Behind my back
Since I last noticed
Anyone pass on the street.

A glass of ice-water
Keeps me company
At this table I chose myself
Upon entering.

And a longing,
Incredible longing
To eavesdrop
On the conversation
Of cooks.

>4 jnwelch: Joe, you really are a wonderful poet. I very much enjoyed Jesus What!

Regarding the conversations about Christianity and Buddism . I'll come back to read this more carefully when it isn't 2:00 a.m.

Regarding Christianity, Paul Simon's words

"You know the nearer your destination, the more you're slip sliding away." fit my view of Christianity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7PBjKzaQEw

>112 Whisper1: - Linda, what a great analogy. Paul Simon is my all-time favourite songwriter. He just seems to have such an uncanny talent for expressing the deepest thoughts and feelings with simplicity and clarity.

>71 jnwelch: Hi Joe, been a minute but I wanted to drop my +1 on this "right speech" idea. It feels like the reason so many of us feel "off course" in life with negative, minatory, angry self-talk leading to speech less than kind.

Doing better every time is really the only important goal to hold before you.

Adri wrote a terrific review this Sunday of Rogues! Enjoyed it mightily.

>112 Whisper1:. Thanks, Linda! It’s so ggod to hear that you enjoyed Jesus What that much! I’m not part of a writing group these days, so I don’t hear back a lot.

As Shelley says, what a great analogy. Paul Simon is an under-appreciated lyricist.

>113 jessibud2: Estoy de acuerdo, cien de ciento, Shelley. Agreed. (Trying out my Spanish😀).

>114 richardderus:. Well said, Richard. Rightly spoken?

Oh, thanks. I’ll have to find Adri’s review of Rogues. Thanks for the heads up. I loved his Say Nothing.

Here’s a great article on meditation by my original teacher, Daniel Goleman. You have to scroll down the linked page and find the article titled “Cars Blaring? Boss nagging? Take a deep breath”:

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/

He taught me a lot of years ago. He taught a bunch of us a meditation and journaling college class when the concept was a little known outlier. He’s had several successful books since, and for a while was a leader in thinking about “emotional intelligence”. This mentions his new book, Why We Meditate, which I’ll have to track down. I need to somehow write him to let him know the impact he had on my life.

>115 jnwelch: - Not under-appreciated by me, Joe, that's for sure!

>116 jnwelch: - Joe, so interesting what you say about Goleman. I have Emotional Intelligence somewhere in this house, I believe. And DO try to contact him. Funny you should say that. Bill just posted a very similar story on the American Challenge thread:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/347275#n8033516 (go to the bottom to find his post)

>117 jessibud2:. 😂. Thanks for the comments on Goleman and his book, Shelley, and for the link. I do plan on following up with him.

>105 jnwelch: I did not realize that Sarah Addison Allen had been dealing with breast cancer. Like you, I am gld she is better and able to write again.

Love and compassion, baby; “my religion is being kind”.

Mine too. At least I try to be. Like I said above, I am definitely not perfect and know it to be so.

I want to get to Novelist as a Vocation at some point. I have read a couple of Murakami's nonfiction books and enjoyed them both.

Happy reading in 2023, Joe!

>119 alcottacre:. Yeah, poor Sarah addison Allen. She had a mastectomy and 3+ months of chemo and went bald, and it all sounded very hard. No new books for a long while.

I’m far from perfect, too, as my wife will assure you. All we can do is keep trying and keep learning, right?

I thought Novelist as a Vocation was very good - honest, conversational and fascinating. He gives good advice, but I suspect that he’s so unusual an author that few will be able to follow his path.

>120 FAMeulstee:. Thanks, Anita! Happy 2023!

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree. I kept seeing this on Best of ‘22 lists. “An orc and a succubus open a cafe”. Sounds like the start of a joke, right? I’m not going to say much more than that in this spoiler-free review, except that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I liked the unhurried pace and the interesting characters. Liking coffee or cafes will enhance your reading experience.

I’m currently reading Rogues by Patrick Radden Keefe, the author of the most excellent Say Nothing, and The Maid of Ballymacool by jenifer Deibel, a historical fiction ARC. Los dos son buenos.

>123 jnwelch: It's popped up repeatedly on various F&SF FB groups I follow. I need more unhurried low stress reads. Not sure why, it's just what appeals just now.

Well, it'll be a while. 2 libraries have e-copies, but on long wait lists.

>125 quondame:. It’s a good book for relaxing, Susan. I’m glad you’re interested. I’ll keep an eye out for discounts. He’s got a new one coming out this November, and I’m looking forward to it.

Happy Friday, Joe. I had a good time with Rogues. I hope you are enjoying it. I am doing a shared read next month of Empire of Pain, with Kim. Terrific writer. I really like the Simic poem up there. Is this what you are currently reading?

Joe - Finally, corbettvsdempsey.com, has the Announcement for Roscoe Mitchell's Painting Exhibit starting next week in Chicago !!!

When you go to website, be sure to scroll across to see ALL the featured Paintings.

There is also a related Book Release on Saturday, the 21st, at the U.C. Seminary bookstore.

(Sure wish this wasn't scheduled in the middle of a Chicago Winter.)

And a concert, but I don't have date or time.

I'll let Paul and his Creative New Music Loving Friend visit here for information.

>128 m.belljackson:. Very cool, Marianne. You should let everyone know the Roscoe Mitchell story, e.g. how you know him.😀

I just got a nice email from your daughter - thanks.

>129 jnwelch: Joe - so good the technology is actually finally working for both Art and Meditation.

Marianne, I'll be sure to check out Roscoe's information. Thanks for posting about this.

>130 m.belljackson:👍😀

>131 Whisper1:. 😀

>128 m.belljackson: Duly noted, Marianne! xx

Happy weekend to you Joe (and to Marianne too).

Morning, Joe. You missed your best buddy up there! Just sayin'...^^

>127 msf59:, >134 msf59:. Oops! Sorry about that, best buddy. Good morning!

Rogues is very good so far. As I suspected, I read some of them before in the New Yorker, like the counterfeit wine one. No matter; re-reading him is a pleasure.

Have you read his Say Nothing, set in Northern Ireland? Outstanding.

The Simic poem is a tribute to the guy on his recent passing. I’ve read a lot of him over the years, but I’m currently reading that big anthology I mentioned to you, The Rattle Bag.

>135 jnwelch: I have had The Rattle bag with me for over 30 years, Joe, and I dip into it often.

I have something by Charles Simic on my shelves; I should go and delve into it.

Joe - for another good online spiritual adventure, today is the first of the Forty Days for "Feast of the Soul."

>123 jnwelch: Legends & Lattes has been on my list for a while now -- I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy it; just need to get my hands on a copy.

>133 PaulCranswick:, >136 PaulCranswick:. Happy Weekend, Paul. Yeah, I let Mark know that you and Caroline recommended The Rattle Bag. I’m thoroughly enjoying it so far. Among other things, it exposes me to poets I haven’t read or heard before.

Simic is excellent, although I suspect he won’t be what you normally gravitate toward. He has a keen sense of humor, which may not be immediately apparent.

>137 m.belljackson:. Thank, Marianne.

>138 foggidawn:. I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy Legends and Lattes, too, foggi. Please let me know when the time comes. I’m glad it’s on your reading agenda.

Today’s Bargain: Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick for $1.99 on e-readers. The freshly cast history of the Pilgrims and Plymouth Colony by a top NF author. Nominated for the Pulitzer. I thought it was excellent.

Inexplicable one click double post.

Just your twitchy index finger, Joe. :-)

>142 weird_O: 😂. You just call me Quick Twitch McJoe, Bill.

Hi Joe, mate, looks like there could be another large tome coming along, Ken Follett is going back to Kingsbridge with book four (five), The Armour of Light out in hardback at the end of September. Maybe another to add to my 1,000+ page tomes, lol.

>144 johnsimpson:. Hmm. That sounds good, John. I may have to join you in digging through that tome. I assume he’s taking on the next time period?

Today’s Bargain: Storm Front by Jim Butcher for $1.99 on e-readers. The first in the Harry Desden supernatural mystery series, which I’ve been enjoying for years.

The Maid of Ballymacool by Jennifer Deibel. Set at an Irish boarding school 1935-1939, this ARC probably will be categorized as historical romance. It’s not an Agatha Christie, so the clues to its resolution are in plain sight, with none of her famous red herrings. Orphan scullery maid Brianna is treated worse than Cinderella, but humbly battles on and is indefatigable. Michael Wray, the kind son of a local nobleman, arrives to keep an eye on his rambunctious niece, and quickly sees Brianna’s inner qualities - and outer. You’ll be rooting for both of them. There are secrets and skulduggery, but you sense it will sort out. A quite pleasant read. I may try another of hers when the mood strikes.

>123 jnwelch: FYI: Travis Baldree, in addition to being an author, is a well known audio book narrator with 275 (!) titles at Audible.

>148 NarratorLady:. Yes! I saw that in his bio, Anne. You’re an audio book narrator - do you have a book of your own coming out, or are you now inspired to write one?😀

>147 jnwelch: Very kind of you not to type something dismissive, Joe, but it sounds like something forgettable and I already forget very good stuff.

Cheerio, old son.

>150 richardderus:. Ha! Yeah, not for you, buddy.

If it had the wit of Georgette Heyer, that would be different. A pleasant hetero romance you can do without.

Today’s Bargain: The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki for $1.99 on e-readers. Another good one from the author of A Tale for the Time Being.

>145 jnwelch:, Hi Joe, the blurb i saw said " It is 1792 and revolution is in the air" so yes i would say he is moving the time period forward a bit. From what i have managed to glean, Mr Follett has a lot of writing lined up so i wonder how far he will bring Kingsbridge and anything else he decides to write.

>153 johnsimpson:. Thanks, John. That sounds intriguing, doesn’t it? Maybe one set in revolution times will call on his thriller chops.😀

Dropping in to say hello.

Your comments on >147 jnwelch: made me smile. I always loved "boarding school stories" when I was a pre-teen.

>155 thornton37814:. Hi, Lori. Thanks for dropping by. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but the boarding school is a major element in the story. Feel free to revisit your childhood.😀

Today’s Bargain: The Magus by John Fowles for $2.99 on Kindle. . Spellbinding - sucked me all the way in.

Buddhism revisited: “Life involves distress, distress comes from our cravings, and there’s a way to make distress cease” via the eightfold path seems better than Life is suffering and so on, from our previous discussions.

Loveless by Alice Oseman. This well done YA novel is by the author of the charming gay graphic novel series Heartstopper. As she did there, she demonstrates insight and affection for her young characters who are striving to understand themselves and their sexuality. in this one Georgia and her friends Pip and Jason are in their first year at university. Georgia is a wonderful, sensible friend who is inexperienced in romantic relationships and sex and hopes to get on with it now that she's away from home. She eventually learns that love comes in many forms that do not necessarily involve sex or romance. Around her Pip (an out lesbian) and Jason (a pleasant undefined young man) and Georgia's vibrant roommate Rooney (heterosexual, but maybe not) are exploring and sorting out their own lives. The author has a keen ear for how young people talk, and a talent for creating believable, endearing characters. Besides enjoying the story, I learned a lot. The book has been selling well, and it makes me happy to think that a lot of young people are reading it.

P.S. The author is only 28 and already has established quite a track record.



I liked this cover.

West Texas storm chaser Laura Rowe captured the picture of a lifetime, fantastic shot of a mature supercell thunderstorm, illuminated at varying heights from the setting sun.

>160 jnwelch: Wow! I thought that was a painting at first.

>160 jnwelch: Wow! That's so beautiful!

>161 foggidawn:. Right, foggi? Mother Nature sure knows how to paint.

>162 ChelleBearss:. Agreed, Chelle!

>160 jnwelch: Wow! That is stunning and scary at the same time.

Happy mid week!

>164 figsfromthistle:. Happy Mid-week, Anita. I know, it’s hard to believe that something that beautiful could also be so dangerous.

Wow! That's amazing!

Living out in Kansas and having that great big huge sky to look at is one of the reasons to live out on the Plains. Pictures like >160 jnwelch: are commonplace.

When I get up in the mornings and sit at our dining room table looking out the deck doors to the east I have an unobstructed view for a mile. I plan on enjoying it now, because in 6 months there will be a 280 foot windymill about 1/2 mile from the house and 219 more scattered throughout the eastern half of Republic County. They are necessary, (so much better than coal) but they will change the landscape to a degree.

>166 drneutron:. Isn’t it, Jim?

>167 benitastrnad:. I hope “commonplace” doesn’t supplant “jaw-dropping”, Benita. It’d be a shame to get so used to it that it doesn’t move you any more.

We’re probably going to be seeing a lot of windmills and solar farms going forward, aren’t we? We can’t afford to wait for fusion technology to develop. A lot of USA-ians need fresh water solutions sooner rather than later, too.

What’s the Furthest Place from Here by Matt Rosenberg. First volume of a post-apocalyptic graphic series that showed some potential. All that’s left is small young tribes of chosen families that live in abandoned buildings in fear of the enigmatic, faceless “Strangers”. There’s an anarchic punk rock sensibility to the story.it’s creative and interesting enough that if future volumes are worthwhile it may draw a big audience. Bit of a Station Eleven vibe.

Any Chronicles of Amber (Roger Zelazny) fans here? I’m one. Stephen Colbert is heading up a group adapting it for tv. Fingers crossed that it’s good.

>170 jnwelch: I thought the first book of the series was brilliant and everything that followed increasingly same-same.

>171 quondame:. Yeah, I loved that first one, Susan, and I was hooked enough to read all the ones after. The plot punch did dwindle some.

Hi Joe and Mark -

My daughter is in downtown Chicago (!!!)

getting ready to go to her Dad's Painting Exhibit and Concert.

>173 m.belljackson:. Great! We have some lovely gray weather for her. Renaissance man Roscoe Mitchell: his paintings plus playing music. She must be proud.

I was listening to a BBC (I think) radio documentary that included the Army-McCarthy hearings, and they quoted your grandfather, but described him as a Senator. They usually do a good job of research, so I was prompted to look him up, as I didn't remember he ran for office. Nope, I was right. Odd.

>175 ffortsa: Everybody is getting sloppy these days. NPR made some mistakes in their report on David Crosby's death, attributing songs to him that he didn't write, etc.

>175 ffortsa:. Thanks, Judy. Ha! McCarthy was the Senator. Pop was a lawyer representing the Army against bogus accusations of Communist infiltration. McCarthy had tried to get VIP treatment for private David Schine, who was Roy Cohn’s paramour. (Cohn was McCarthy’s right hand man). When the Army accused McCarthy of just that, he counter-accused them of going after him because he was aggressively trying to expose communists in the Army. That resulted in the well-known Congressional hearing and ultimately the downfall of McCarthy, after McCarthy in the hearing accused a young lawyer (Fred Fisher) in Welch’s office of being a Communist. As reported:

As an amazed television audience looked on, Welch responded with the immortal lines that ultimately ended McCarthy's career: "Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness." When McCarthy tried to continue his attack, Welch angrily interrupted, "Let us not assassinate this lad further, senator. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?"

Pop was never an elected official, although he later played a judge in the movie “Anatomy of a Murder” and hosted some tv shows Alastair Cooke-style.

IMHO, it was a microcosm of how McCarthy had been destroying lives all over the country to further his political career. Everybody finally “got it” after seeing him go after Fred Fisher on live tv.

>176 laytonwoman3rd:. Oops. NPR should do better, shouldn’t they, Linda. So many of us think highly of them and view them as credible.

Besides everything else, way back when I owned a solo David Crosby album that I loved. He was so talented.

Today’s Bargain: The Glass castle by Jeanette Walls for $1.99 on e-readers. I’ve not read this, but legions of readers have loved it.

Desert Star by Michael Connelly.. I first read this author lots of years ago, and wasn’t impressed enough to pursue more. But the I loved the tv adaptation of his Bosch novels, with Titus Welliver playing Bosch. So when this new one came out featuring Harry Bosch and his partner Renee Ballard, i decided to give it a go.

Ballard has been given a cold case unit for the LAPD, and she enlists retired Harry’s help, which allows him to pursue the unsolved murder of a family that has bothered him for years, after first solving a hot one involving a political figure’s murdered sister. This is very much a police procedural, and a good one. I enjoyed spending more time with a great character and his daughter Maddie, and I like Ballard, too. But once again I was left with the feeling that I don’t need to read more by this author. It lacked the”oomph” that lifts the Ruth Galloway and in Death mysteries into the “must-read-more” category.

I’m currently still reading the essays in Patrick Radden Keefe’s Rogues, which is excellent, and I may pick up next The Family Izquierdo by Ruben Degollado, which our Spanish teacher recommended. I’m still working my way through the long poetry anthology, The Rattle Bag while alternating with Paige Lewis’s collection, Space Struck. My GN is The Eightfold
Path by Steven Barnes, a collection of graphic stories.

Arthur Who Wrote Sherlock by Linda Bailey. This children’s book ARC is well-executed and well-illustrated by Isabelle Follath. It tells the story of Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories. It tells of his impoverished origins, the importance of his mother and her storytelling, his love of books and stories, how he tried to make money selling other kinds of stories, his uncles paying for his schooling, his unsuccessful efforts at being a medical doctor that provided the model for Holmes: the detail-observing Dr. Joseph Bell, the financial breakthrough when the Strand magazine began publishing his SH short stories, the sensation they caused, his need to kill off SH for his own mental health, the resurrection of SH eight years later in The Hound of the Baskervilles, and more. I enjoyed it very much for free, but I do wonder who the paying audience is for this. It’s a bit much for very young kids, and I’m not sure about what older age group it fits. It’s a fun one to check out of the library for Sherlock Holmes fans.

Fina turned 3 yesterday

>157 jnwelch: Many years ago I visited the island of Spetses where Fowles taught, and that inspired the book.

>183 jnwelch: Happy Birthday Fina. Lovely photos Joe. Where dies time go?

>184 Caroline_McElwee:. Right, Caroline? In some ways it seems like Fina just made her planet debut yesterday. But in others she’s acted like a 3 or more year old for quite a while. She’s getting ready to run the world.

How cool to see the island that inspired Fowles. I hope you didn’t come across the waiting room.😧

Today’s Bargain: World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatahil for $1.99 on e-readers. I loved this collection of nature essays.

>183 jnwelch: Oh my gosh, just look at that big, beautiful girl! She's growing up so fast.

Ah, 3-year-olds! One day a princess, the next day climbing a tree. May Fina never lose her sense of wonder and adventure.

Back to a Meditation Link for You and Friends:

https://www.youtube.com/@meditationvisualizationbalance

>183 jnwelch: Family star today, world star tomorrow!

>183 jnwelch: Happy Birthday, Dear Fina... My goodness, those three years just flew by! Love the pictures.

>183 jnwelch: Happy birthday to Fina. She looks lovely and so happy!

>183 jnwelch: So adorable!! Three already?!

>177 jnwelch: Joe, if ever the nation needed your grandfather, it is now. You wrote:

As an amazed television audience looked on, Welch responded with the immortal lines that ultimately ended McCarthy's career: "Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness." When McCarthy tried to continue his attack, Welch angrily interrupted, "Let us not assassinate this lad further, senator. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?"

Now he could say:
• "Until this moment, Mister Speaker, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness. Let us not condone these anarchists further. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?"
Or...
• "Until this moment, Governor [fill in the blank] DeSantos, Abbott, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness. Let us not torment and persecute these asylum-seekers further. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?"

>187 bell7:. Don’t you love it, Mary? Her mother is a great model of a strong woman, and Fina has all the ingredients. We’re having such a fun ride with her and her bro.

>188 laytonwoman3rd:. That’s her in a nutshell, Linda. She loves being a princess, but she’s a Pigpen ( the Charlie Brown comics) whenever she gets outside. Climbing trees and everything else in sight, roughhousing, and chattering the whole time.

>189 m.belljackson:. Thank you, Marianne. I will swing back for the meditation link.

>190 quondame:. I could sure see that happening, Susan. She is filled with pizzazz.

>191 Donna828:. Right, Donna? She’s book-loving sweetie. You’d love her. She’d fit right in with your grandgirls.

>192 FAMeulstee:. Thanks, Anita. Her parents are raising her well, and happy is her natural default. She can get end-of-the -world upset when tired or hungry, or when her brother tries to hog the toys. They’re both learning, and her brother recently called her “his best friend”.

>193 ChelleBearss:. Thanks, Chelle. You’ve got a couple of cutie-birds growing up fast yourownself.

>194 weird_O:. Thanks for thinking of it, Bill, and I agree. I’ve read and heard that a lot: We need a Joe Welch for our times. I do wonder whether there’d be a platform today like there was back then, when he was in a high profile Congressional hearing (the first televised one) and everyone in the country was tuned in.

Plenty of people have eloquently denounced Trump and his cult, and governors like DeSantis and Abbott (Pete Buttgieg is particularly good at it), but whatever breaks through the clutter seems to quickly get lost in more clutter, doesn’t it?

Belated birthday wishes to Fina, Joe, and agreeing with what everyone said. She sure looks both sugar and spice as well as (I am blanking on the full rhyme) ...snails and puppy dog tails! ;-)

>😂. Thanks, Shelley. Yes, she is!

>197 jessibud2: "Sugar and spice, and everything nice", contrasted with boys who are supposedly made of "snakes and snails and puppy-dog tails"

>196 jnwelch: Clutter. You know there's a thread for that. Heh heh.

Rogues by Patrick Radden Keefe.. This is a collection of essays by the New Yorker staff writer who wrote the terrific Say Nothing, set in northern Ireland. It covers a variety of topics, including a wealthy man misrepresenting counterfeit wines as history-laden treasures, a black market arms dealer, the hunt for El Chapo, a whistleblower on international banking tactics to hide wealth and avoid taxes, a death penalty specialist defense lawyer who defended the Boston Marathon bomber, and food critic/travel jounalist Anthony Bourdain, among others. The author is a master journalist, particularly known for difficult “write-arounds”, where the central figure can’t be interviewed. His nonfiction is exciting and page-turning. I particularly enjoyed the ones about El Chapo and Bourdain. Five stars from me, as was Say Nothing. He’s part of our Golden Age of Nonfiction that Mark and others have talked about.

>200 weird_O: 😅

>199 laytonwoman3rd:. Thanks, Linda. I’d say, “all of the above” for Ms. Fina.

Love the Fina flicks, Joe.

Thought you might be interested in this show about Lincoln Square:

https://www.pbs.org/video/lincoln-square-chicago-x3675c/?fbclid=IwAR00HMqRINJsqu...

Old Town School, BookCellar, Gene's, Merz's, Timeless Toys, Welles Park all make it into the show.
John McGivern is from Milwaukee and has done a show for some years visiting lots of towns in Wisconsin.

Hey, Joe. We are back from our Grand Rapids brewery hopping extravaganza. It looks like all is well here. I completely agree with you on "Rogues" and the pieces on El Chapo and Bourdain were also my favorites. I plan on reading his Empire of Pain later next month.

>183 jnwelch: This sure put a smile on my face! Happy Birthday, Fina!

>183 jnwelch: Gorgeous, Joe.

>196 jnwelch: Too fast! I think Chloe is having another growth spurt!

>203 kac522:. Thanks, Kathy! Yes, we hang out there a lot. We live near Damen and Addison and often walk to Lincoln Square. We love Garcia’s for Mexican food and the Davis for movies - and the Book Cellar for books. We often vote at Welles Park. Sulzer Library is across the street - does he mention Sulzer? Great local library. I watched a little of the show and will return to it - fun!

>205 PaulCranswick:. Thanks, Paul. Looking forward to the arrival some day (no hurry!) of Cranswick grandkids.

>206 ChelleBearss:. They are both really sprouting, but Chloe is looking tall and athletic. What fun!

>204 msf59:. Hiya, Mark! I’m not surprised that we enjoyed Rogues in similar ways.😀. I unfortunately am not drawn to the subject matter of Empire of Pain, although I’m sure (and have read that) he does an amazing job with it.

Thanks re the smile-making Ms. Fina. We get her back in about 3 weeks.

>207 jnwelch: doesn't mention Sulzer, but does go to Luella's Southern Kitchen. Looks like a fun series--last night I watched the show about Dubuque. I think there's a show about Grand Rapids...I'm sure he'll get to Ann Arbor eventually!

>210 kac522:. Thanks, Kathy. I’m sorry he doesn’t mention Sulzer - it’s a nice-looking and well-run one. Hmm. Ann Arbor. That could be fun. If they do it, i hope Gallup Park and the Arboretum get mentioned.

>211 jnwelch: Made a mistake in >210 kac522:--he did South Haven and Kalamazoo in Season 1, not Grand Rapids.

I like Sulzer, too, but I remember when it was located where the Old Town School is now. It did have a spectacular feeling with the stacks on the balcony, overlooking the first floor. OTS has done a magnificent job of rehabbing the building, though, and it's a great space for music.

I like the little branch closer to me--Budlong Woods on Lincoln and Bryn Mawr. It feels homey and like a library and the manager of the branch, Tom, is friendly and welcoming. Love being on a first name basis with my big-city librarian :)

>212 kac522:. Thanks, kathy. I’ll have to visit the Budlong Woods branch. Right - I love those kinds of connections here like yours with Tom. I’m sure it improves his day, too. Free books - what a concept. One of the very best things we collectively do.

Joe - thank you for the photos and would love to see Fina and Rafa climbing those trees.

Which brings up a question - do you and Mark recall that I live in Token Creek, Wisconsin?

>214 m.belljackson:. You’re welcome, Marianne. Me, too. Maybe we can find them some good climbing trees on one of their/our visits.

I don’t know about Mark, but I didn’t remember that you lived in Token Creek (great name) but I did remember the Wisconsin part. What brings it to mind?

I’m reading My Stroke of Insight by neurologist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, and it’s facscinating. Her unusual type of stroke illuminated the different functions of the left and right hemispheres of our brains, and allowed her to experience nirvana. I wasn’t expecting that angle on it, which of course is a treat for your resident Buddhist.

Joe and Mark - on page 128 of Richard Powers' Pulitzer Prize The Overstory,

there's this nearly game-changing entry:

"One bright blue crisp Sunday morning in high summer,

Patricia finds several unexpanded caps of Amanita bisporigera under a stand of oak

in the bottomlands of Token Creek."

Today’s Bargain: Devotions by Mary Oliver for $1.99 on e-readers. A selection of excellent poems by one of our best poets, someone whose poems many find continually inspiring. I’m being a bit hypocritical because I don’t like reading poetry (or graphic works) on e-readers. But if you’re fine with it, this is quite a bargain.

>217 m.belljackson:. How cool, Marianne. I loved The Overstory, but didn’t make that Token Creek connection. Is your area known for its trees?

Sweet Thursday, Joe. I loved Devotions and have a copy on shelf. Have you read Revenge of the Librarians? I just picked up a copy from the library, after a 2 month wait. Bree and Sean are leaving town for warmer climes, so we are watching Jackson for a long weekend. Yes, we are excited but also expect to be exhausted by the end of it.

>219 jnwelch: Yes Joe and Mark, there is one 150 year old Oak which may have many of those poisonous mushrooms (?) beneath it.

(Wish Richard Powers had asked to examine those plants!)

As well, there is still one standing Elm, a Birch, many Maples and Black Walnuts and giant, medium, and small evergreens over the 3.3 acres.

^^^^^^

On that page of The Overstory, I had to look up "Doctrine of Signatures,"
just as a Search for "Flying Childress" was needed for WALDEN.

Super late to the party, Joe, but I've had Legends and Lattes on my list for a few weeks now. It looks amazing!

Today’s Bargain: Why Read the Classics by Italo Calvino for $1.99 on e-readers. I didn’t know about this one by this talented author, and I’m intrigued.

>218 jnwelch:. Devotions is a great collection, isn’t it, Mark. She probably gets quoted these days as much as any other American poet.

Sweet Thursday/Happy Friday, compadre. This is our day of Spanish lesson, then workout, basically back to back. Mental, then physical. Pretty good combo.

I didn’t read the new Tom Gauld. Thanks for the reminder! I now requested it, and I’m first in line.

You’ll have great fun with Jackson over the weekend, I’m sure. But I know what you mean. Amazing how the little tykes can tire you out. I love it when ours come, but I always need some recovery time after.

I read Revenge of the Librarians just before Christmas. Bought it for son the elder and read it quickly before wrapping it. Heh.

>>221 m.belljackson:. You live in a small community, Marianne. It must’ve been quite a change after Chicago. I’m glad you have some regal trees there. How great to get mentioned in The Overstory.

The Doctrine of Signatures seems so . . . archaic, doesn’t it? Plant features indicate what the plant is useful for. Superstition and nonsense? I suppose it works for some plants, and it probably helped in memorizing what a plant could be used for.

>222 scaifea:. You’ll enjoy Legends and Lattes, Amber. For me it was like taking a vacation. Interesting and somehow soothing.

I’d been meaning to stop by to ask you whether you’d read the YA book Loveless? We got it for Becca for the holidays, and she in turn recommended that we read it. Among other things, it illuminates another sex- and romance-related issue that some teens go through that I’d not read about elsewhere. The author, Alice Oseman, wrote those charming Heartbreakers GNs, and this has that quality of warmth, with supportive friends.

>226 jnwelch: Yes, Joe - over 50 years ago, we left Chicago for Bath, Michigan, then, with our 2 year old daughter howling along the long trip,

moved on to Cambridge, then to our beloved Paradise of Hollandale, Wisconsin, where I added a Master's in Teaching to

my Burnt Earth Pottery and now-what History of Art degree, followed by a divorce...

while eventually finding an old, shaky Token Creek country house that a corporation was willing to unload

to a single woman who had just interviewed for her first "real" job in 10 years.

>228 m.belljackson:. Sounds like quite a journey, Marianne. One well worth writing about, if you’re so inclined. I’m sure your daughter enjoys hearing the stories.

Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon for $1.99 on e-readers. I thought this was a very good read, but many fans had a more impassioned response. It’s getting close to being one of those where you’re being a negligent reader if you don’t give it a go.

>225 weird_O:. Sorry I somehow missed your post before this, Bill. Good job making sure Revenge of the Librarians got maximum and most efficient use. Tom Gauld should be a 75er.

Joe - we just got the Art Book from the book signing at corbettvsdempsey.com and it is really impressive!
Art, Literature, and Music fans will be quite happy.

>230 jnwelch: Got it.

>232 m.belljackson:. Congrats, Marianne. I’ll look for it.

>233 quondame:. Oh good, Susan. Thanks for letting me know.

Today’s Bargain: Blonde Faith by Walter Mosley for $1.99 on e-readers. A good entry in the Easy Rawlins mystery series, from 2007.

>234 jnwelch: If your niece is still at the University of Chicago,
she can likely see it at the Seminary bookstore, if the winds will allow crossing the Midway!

The title is: Roscoe Mitchell Keeper of the Code: Paintings 1963-2022.

Good morning, Joe--am venturing out today after these couple days of snow. And, amazingly, my little side street got plowed overnight!

But then my husband reminded me--there's an election coming up 😏

>236 m.belljackson:. Thanks, Marianne. Goddaughter Caitlyn has moved on from the U of Chicago to the James Michener Center in Austin, TX, a very cool place for fledgling writers.

It helps to have the book particulars for your renaissance man ex-hubby, Roscoe Mitchell. I just emailed back to your daughter, cc to you.

>237 kac522:. I’m a little late in responding, so Good Afternoon, Kathy.

There’s been a lot of snow here, too. People near us have been good about shoveling, and the City has the streets in good shape. We plan to venture out a bit later , hoping for warmer than this morning’s 19F and whatever the heck the wind chill number was.

Yes, i’m sure our mayor didn’t want poor snow clean-up messing up her re-election chances.

I think she may squeak through, even though she hasn’t been that great, and hasn’t delivered on her campaign promises. No other candidate is compelling enough, I don’t think, although I favor the the schoolteacher Brandon Johnson, who has received some significant endorsements. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who I admire, endorsed Lightfoot, which by itself may be enough to get her re-elected.

Photo by Sachin Sharma

Hi Joe.

I have a copy of Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver on my bedside table and am very, very slowly savoring my way through it.

Our tiny town mayor (the town is tiny, not the mayor), whom I despise, has said he is not running for re-election next November. I don't yet know who we'll get instead but for him it will be good riddance. He has been a barrier to absolutely anything that might make someone want to actually spend time or live in Pullman.

Referencing conversation up there a bit on your thread, we need your grandfather now!!!

xoxo

>239 jnwelch: Wow.

>241 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen. Yes!

>240 EBT1002:. Aren’t her poems so worthy of that savoring, Ellen? Makes me want to experience life her way.

Ha! I love the idea of your tiny-minded mayor being physically tiny - only in books does that happen, I guess. I’m glad change is on the way. I’m sure a college town like Pullman has a lot of potential.

We just went through a box of newspaper articles about my grandfather this morning. (It came to us after my dad died). What a life for that Iowa farm boy, what a moment in history! I’d love to have someone like him here today, too. But I questioned whether anyone could have that kind of impact today. There are so many loud voices out there! And so much is forgotten or diminished after a little time passes. I’m not sure we’re all ready to be fundamentally moved and enlightened like that again. Nonetheless, I’d love to have that kind of strong, perceptive person in the spotlight. Michelle Obama comes to mind.

>243 jnwelch: There are too many things competing for our attention to give a moment like your grandfather's that kind of undivided attention, Joe. We've moved on from that and in many ways that's a shame. So good that he showed McCarthy for what he was.

Joe, you are listening to a lot of great ebooks.

What a blessing to be able to go through newspaper articles about your grandfather. I had two grandmothers, but by the time I was born, both grandfathers had died. Alas, my maternal grandfather died of heart issues. They did not have open heart surgery back then. He was given approximately six months to live. And, the prognosis was spot on. Sadly, he died Christmas day when he was only forty.

My grandmother found work in a blouse factory that was located a few blocks from her house. There were no day care centers back then. There was an hour's time between when she got out of work and my mother and her brother came home from school. She was consumed with worry every day for that hour before she got home.

We were very close and I enjoyed hearing her stories, even if some of them were sad. I admired her tremendously. She was the person who impacted me the most, and I believe I am who I am because of her strength, supreme kindness, and the ability to move forward in difficult times.

I very much enjoyed your writing about your grandfather. You are an incredible writer!

>239 jnwelch: Pretty!!

Hope you have a good week, Joe!

Has Adriana ever considered writing your grandfather's bio? Just a thought.

>244 Familyhistorian:. Yup, that’s the way I see it, too, Meg.

There are too many things competing for our attention to give a moment like your grandfather's that kind of undivided attention, Joe. We've moved on from that and in many ways that's a shame.

It is a shame. Life was simpler back then, and that had its advantages. I love that what he said and did is still remembered for what is good inside us. We need to hold onto that ideal in these turbulent times.

>245 Whisper1:. How nice to have you stop by, Linda. I need to visit you and see how things are going. How’s your post-op health?

You’re right, it was a blessing to have all those news articles referencing Pop. We got to relive an important part of his life - including the headline-making death threats (of course, some things never change) which he just shrugged off and joked about. The hearings hit hard, I think, but he had a blast in the last part of his life - Hollywood, tv. He admittedly was a ham. We found a couple of gems - a post-hearing speech he gave, and reference to an out-of-print book he wrote (Afterwords) that I’d never heard of. (No touchstone).

He died when I was young. The only other grandparent I knew was my mother’s mother, who was a character and wonderful. Sorry to hear that your grandfathers weren’t around for you. Dying at 40 of heart issues - that’s one they’d do much better with these days, isn’t it.

Your grandmother sounds like a remarkable woman, and I can imagine how that hour of the kids alone without her tore at her. Thank goodness there are more options theses days.

She’s probably up there smiling about what a wonderful woman you’ve turned out to be, and appreciating that you attribute much of that to her.

Thank you about my writing. I was just thinking about how much writing I do thanks to Librarything. How lucky we all are.

>247 laytonwoman3rd:. Hi, Linda. Madame MBH laughed when she read your post (ruefully, I guess). She thought of doing a Pop bio many years ago, and offered to work with my dad on it. He said no. Too many emotions involved? We don’t know his reasons.

If Adriana ever takes an interest, that would be swell. Actually, our son JNW3 (Jesse) is an excellent writer, so that’s another possibility at some point. They’re both so busy now they’re lucky if they remember how to tell up from down.

>246 ChelleBearss:. Thanks, Chelle! Isn’t that pretty? So composed and still it looks like it could be a painting.

I hope you also have a most excellent week.

>227 jnwelch: I haven't read Loveless yet but I'm caught up on Heartbreakers and I've just recently read Radio Silence, all of which were excellent, of course. Loveless is next on the list, I think. I intend to read All The Things because I love her.

>252 scaifea:. Thanks, Amber. She’s so good - and so frickin’ young. Should I read Radio Silence? I’m glad you’re going to read Loveless. Debbi and I both give it high marks.

>253 jnwelch: YesyesYES you should read Radio Silence! It's wonderful, and features one of the background characters in the Heartstopper books (although he isn't in the show).

>254 scaifea:. 👍❣️. All right then, thanks, Amber. Radio Silence it is, soonish, probably after The Family Izquierdo.

P.S. Did you ever read the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas? I’m caught in her page-turning storytelling right now.

>255 jnwelch: I recently finished that Maas series and I loved it so much I bought a boxed set! I'll definitely be reading more of her stuff, too.

>256 scaifea:. Good to hear. I can see why! They’re trying to work their way through the battle to get to the Cauldron right now.

>257 jnwelch: Oh boy, that's an intense bit! I love how well drawn all the characters are, too.

>258 scaifea:. Agreed. Woo, I’m glad that the King of Hybern and Ialanthe got what they deserved, and that Feyre, Rhys(!), Cassian and the others made it through okay. . I’ve already started the next one, A Court of Frost and Starlight.

>259 jnwelch:
I also liked that series. I have the last one in the series to read. Court of Silver Flames. I hope it isn't the last one in this series as I really like these books.

>259 jnwelch: Yes!

>260 benitastrnad:. Right, Benita? I hope she leaves yours open-ended so she can continue their stories some day. I don’t know how far along in it I am, but I’m in for the duration. What fun.

>261 scaifea:. 👍❣️

Happy February, Joe. Just a few more weeks and then it will slowly begin to warm up. I did hit the trails this morning. Still very cold but I just had to get out. Looking forward to hanging with you tomorrow. Way overdue, my friend.

>263 msf59:. Hiya, Mark. We’ve been getting out in this Arctic weather, too, to get educated and take care of stuff. We found wearing the covid mask helps. Can’t wait for that warm-up. 30F sounds like a summer day right now.

Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow! Read any good books lately?

My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor.

“Stroke is the number one disabler in our society and four times more strokes occur in the left hemisphere, impairing language.”

This neuroscientist had a massive stroke in her left hemisphere, wiping out much of her ability to speak and understand language and math, or think in our normal linear fashion. Reading this profound and insightful book, it’s apparent she managed to make an impressive recovery. Because of her brain scientist background, she is able to colorfully take us through the experience of that stroke (including post-stroke surgery to remove a large blood clot) and her patient, difficult recovery that took eight years. It’s like having a trail guide with knowledge of the local terrain and flora and fauna so extensive that she can comfortably and entertainingly give you highlights you can understand.

Her stroke shutting down her left hemisphere had a huge silver lining. Our left hemisphere is the one that chatters all the time, making observations and judgments and telling us stories - not all of them true. It’s the one that in meditation we try to calm, quiet and eventually silence. In her case, it left her right hemisphere for the first time (in adulthood) unfettered and free.

“My consciousness no longer retained the discriminatory functions of my dominant analytical left brain. Without those inhibiting thoughts, I had stepped beyond my perception of myself as an individual. Wihout my left brain . . . My consciousness ventured unfettered into the peaceful bliss of my divine right mind.”

The right brain gives us gestalt, “big picture” thinking, and normally the two halves work together to create and understand our experience. The stroke left her with an oceanic feeling of tranquil connection with everything in the universe - a tempting place to stay and live. She felt “fluid” rather than solid and separate in the normal way.

“Although I rejoiced in my perception of connection to all that is, I shuddered at the awareness that I was no longer a normal human being. How on earth would I exist as a member of the human race with this heightened perception that we are each a part of it all, and that the life force energy within each of us contains the power of the universe? How could I fit into our society when I walk the earth with no fear? I was, by anyone’s standard, no longer normal. In my own unique way, I had become severely mentally ill.”

This desire to connect with others in a normal, human way motivated her to take on the arduous, humbling work of recovery. At the beginning, she could barely speak, barely (and not often) understand others, and could engage in linear thinking only briefly, after which she’d need a lot of sleep. Speaking loudly to her didn’t help - she wasn’t deaf! She humorously identifies some of her pet peeves with doctors, nurses and visitors. She credits her mother with incredible, patient care (the author had actually been somewhat neglected as a young child with older siblings). Her mother realized she needed slow, step by step learning, akin to a toddler. The ultimate result was this book (she’s also a frequent speaker, urging people to donate their post-death brains to Harvard for study).

How she learns to balance the two sides of her brain, and change the negative left side loops that had impeded her enjoyment of life is a fascinating story.

“My stroke of insight would be: Peace is only a thought away, and all we have to do to access it is to silence the voice of our dominating left mind.”

Her ordeal left her with the enviable ability to experience “Nirvana” (which she describes as filled with “compassion and joy”) whenever she likes, and adeptly bring balance and joy to her experience of life. The abrupt smashing of her life and her arduous journey back to “normal” make for an exhilarating journey for the reader, full of life lessons to think about. All this in a slim, 180+ page volume. We just started February, but this may well end up my favorite book of the year.

P.S. My stroke happened in my right hemisphere, so none of this cool stuff for me, just re-educating the left side of my body in particular to move in a normal way. Actually, there were (somehow) some left side effects. Linear thinking left me in need of sleep; my typing was sloppy and exhausting; but my ability to read never left me.

My father's stroke was also right-brain, which let to a noticeable loss of a sort of self-censoring. During recovery, he said awful things to my mother, who took it very badly, and had to be reminded that his thoughts were not his normal balanced and loving expressions.

>266 ffortsa:. Hi, Judy. Eesh, that’s an unfortunate stroke effect. Some sort of gatekeeper on intemperate speech must have been affected. I was grumpy but grateful.

Harvard just did a study showing MBSR, a meditation and mindfulness process, is as effective as a leading pharmaceutical, escitalopram, in helping anxiety disorders.

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/02/can-mindfulness-help-anxiety-tria...

They’re hoping it will convince insurance companies to pay for MBSR. Anxiety disorders have significantly increased across the U.S. since the pandemic.

Out at Billy Goat Tavern with Mr. Freeburg, Bulls game to follow.

>269 jnwelch: That is a great name for a drinking den.......wish I was with you guys.

>270 PaulCranswick:. You’d love it, Paul!

We had a great Meet Up. Good food, beer & quality game. We chatted quite a bit too! 😁

Thanks, Joe for inviting me.

>265 jnwelch: Great review of My Stroke of Insight. We had a good discussion about it too, in the car.

>272 msf59: Nice!

>272 msf59:. Yah! Great time, buddy. Glad you could do it. Cool photo at the Billy Goat. Wide-ranging chatting, per usual, and a lot of good book tips. And a nice Bulls win! Beers, books and birds Bulls is just the ticket.😅

>273 msf59:. Thanks, man. As you could tell, I’m excited about that My Stroke of Insight book.

>275 drneutron:. We need to fly you in for one of these, Jim.

>272 msf59: One of these days I am going to horn in on one of these meet ups!

Have a fantastic Friday, Joe!

>277 alcottacre:. Please do, Stasia! We’d love to have you join us.

I hope you have a fantastic Friday, too!

>278 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe - on both counts!

A photo of us at the game:

Yay for the night out! Good thing it was indoors!!

>272 msf59: >280 jnwelch: Good to see you two got together again.

>281 jessibud2:. Thanks, Shelly. It was frickin’ freezing outside! Way better inside.

>282 FAMeulstee:. It was good to get together again, Anita. The pandemic really screwed that up. But in some ways it was like we’d just seen each other the day before. We’ve stayed in touch by texts and such.

Creature by Shaun Tan.. If you’re a fan of this author’s work, get this book out of the library. It’s a huge (undoubtedly expensive) thoughtfully designed compilation of his graphic art 1995-2021, with commentary by Tan. Some you’ll recognize and many, I expect, you won’t. His work is fantastic and often surreal; I enjoyed seeing his titles for the works, e.g. “Industrial Estate on the Back of a Sparrow”. I just wish they’d included his whimsical sculptures, but you can see those in his The Singing Bones.

Today’s E-Book Bargains:

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander for $1.99. As a lad I loved this classic series. A pig-keeper and his friends fight evil.

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway for $1.99. A cellist calmly performs in the rubble of a siege. One of my favorites of that year.

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes for $1.99. One of his best by the maestro.

>284 jnwelch: I love The Singing Bones Joe.

Glad you had a wonderful meet up!

>286 Caroline_McElwee:❤️❣️. Great to hear, Caroline. It’s so cool!

>287 figsfromthistle:. We did, Anita. We even managed to get a lot of book talk in amid the distractions!

Thanks for the Shaun Tan bbs, Joe. I enjoyed The Arrival a few years back. Nice to see you and The Bird Dude sitting at the same table. I have happy memories of chatting with Mark at Gettysburg.

You’re welcome, Bill. The Bird Dude is always a pleasure, isn’t he.

If you ever make it out to the wilds of Chicago, you have a place to stay.

I loved The Sense of an Ending when I read it a few years ago. It also made me look up the academic book of the same title by Frank Kermode, which shed even more light on the novel. Why I never read this when I was studying literature is a mystery to me.

>291 ffortsa: Wow, bonus points to you, Judy. (They can be used as credit at our next book sale). I lacked your je ne sais quoi - wise pursuit? - and didn't, and likely won't, read the Frank Kermode book. Can you remember anything about how it shed light on The Sense of an Ending?

In case you're a latecomer to the news, like me (thank you, Mark), our 75er friend Richard Derus suffered a serious stroke, and is working hard in rehab on getting himself back as close to his pre-stroke normal as he can. There's lots of discussion on his thread, and updates from Kath (mckait), as well as an address to send cards and such.

The new cafe is open. See you there!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/348300