The Clam After the Storm - Reading in 2016

This is a continuation of the topic The Clam Before the Storm - Reading in 2015

Finally, I have some time to devote to starting this. Only three months late!

So far I've managed to finish reading these:



A Gift Upon the Shore by MK Wren
The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald



On The Beach by Nevil Shute
Kahayatle (Apocalypsis Book 1) by Elle Casey
Key Lime Blues by Mike Jastrzebski
I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb



The Dog Stars by Peter Heller



Hyperion by Dan Simmons
The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons
My Brilliant Friend: Neapolitan Novels, Book One by Elena Ferrante



Nora Webster by Colm Tóibín

And I listened to these:



The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
I Remember Nothing: And Other Reflections by Nora Ephron



When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris

My plan is to only add covers for the books I recommend, and the rest will just be titles.

And I lost ALL of my touchstones. :o(

>2 clamairy: Touchstones have been giving me trouble this evening.

I will be interested in your views on Hyperion. (Oh look! No touchstone.) I really enjoyed it but when I read The Fall of Hyperion I considered the two novels to be parts one and two of a fantastic whole. I did not find the next two novels added much and was castigated by some for saying so.

Good luck with your 2016 reading. I have now put my mark on your thread and will see when you add comments.

Hello! So glad you are joining us. :D

Hi! Nice to see you back in the fray..... Happy Spring.

Nice to see you back! I'll update your thread on the list.

Being a big fan of apocalypses and of Nevil Shute, it was inevitable that I loved On the Beach. I've seen reviews of The Dog Stars, and can't decide whether it's my thing or not. I've also been up in the air about The Sixth Extinction, but if you liked it, it's probably worth trying.

Welcome back!

I read The Dog Stars a few years ago. Didn't like the writing style.

Lovely to see you back here! You've been reading some of the books on my tbr pile (Hyperion and The fall of Hyperion, A gift upon the shore, The princess and the goblin) and I'm glad to see that you liked a couple of them.

Welcome back, good to see you here!

The cover on A Gift Upon the Shore looks interesting, tempting even... Mind you Hyperion and The Sixth Extinction could also tempt me, it doesn't seem to take much does it?

Welcome home! It's good to see you back where you belong!

>3 pgmcc: They still aren't working. I may have to remove them all, save the edit and then paste them back in.

Yes, I really loved the first in the Hyperion series, and enjoyed the second as well. I'm saving the other two for a later date. I seem to remember noticing that the LT ratings weren't quite as high for them.

Hey lady, nice to see you around.

Don't do anything to the touchstones yet. It's the server that handles the function that's being worked on, so they'll appear eventually.

>4 MrsLee:, >5 maggie1944:, >6 SylviaC:, >7 catzteach:, >8 Sakerfalcon:, >9 Peace2: & >10 hfglen: - Thank you!

>6 SylviaC: Give it a shot. I see that >7 catzteach: didn't like The Dog Stars, and I will admit it was initially hard to keep reminding myself that the man was supposed to be suffering from head trauma and that's why the writing was somewhat erratic. Or at least that is what the author wanted us to believe. ;o)

>9 Peace2: A Gift Upon the Shore is just awesome. It it one of my top post-apocalyptic books ever.

The Sixth Extinction is also awesome, but also a bit disheartening.

>12 Bookmarque: Hey lady! Good to see you, too. And yes, I see some of them just popped up. Yay!

ETA: By hitting edit and saving I got the titles to load, but the authors still did not. I'll come back later and try again.

>13 clamairy: I shall definitely add the first to my wishlist in that case - should the second be added too?

>11 clamairy: When I commented that I did not see the point of the second pair of books and that they felt like sequels for the sake of sequels I was castigated and told one would not know what the first two books were all about if the second two did not exist. I found the first two satisfying in themselves. I remember finding the second one very spiritual.

re: the 6th extinction. I've wanted to read it, but haven't yet. I've long thought that our evolutionary purpose, that is of the human species, is as an extinction event. Everything we do is so detrimental that it doesn't make sense we should succeed unless it is to wipe the slate.

>13 clamairy: the disjointed writing is what bugged me and I couldn't just tell myself it was his head injury. I have a friend who read it and didn't mind the style because she could just go with the flow of it being a head injury.

>18 catzteach: It seemed to improve as the book progressed, oddly.

>19 clamairy: it was one that my quilt group was making quilts for. I just couldn't come up with any ideas. But some of the quilts made were pretty good.

Looking forward to following you here!

>21 aviddiva: - Thanks! I'll be checking out your thread as well. I'm going to be making my way through them slowly. :o)

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Really enjoyed this one partly because I'm a geek and partly because I was in my 20 during the 80s. It's set in 2044, but exploding with references to things from the late 70s and 80s. Very geeky things, no less.

(It looks like the author touchstones are working, so I'm going to try to fix that first post!)

I've been meaning to read this--my son said there are even Zork references, which made me smile (loved playing that in the early eighties!)

>24 Marissa_Doyle: I think you'll like it. I mean, what book has references to 80's hair bands AND Kaiju?

I loved Ready Player One despite not being a video game player. It had heart underneath the fun pop culture references and I really cared about the characters.

I Loved Ready Player One and am reading The Sixth Extinction now. Check out Gutenberg's Apprentice, where it all started.
Keep Clam.

>26 Sakerfalcon: Same here. Well, I confess I played a bit of Ms Pac-man back in the early 80s, and I am addicted to Plants vs Zombies 2 right now. But...

>27 Jasper: Good to see you! Hope all is well. Was that a deliberately aimed book bullet? LOL It's been added to my wishlist. :o)

Yes that was a book bullet. It's dry but fascinating. We think our politics now are nasty...

Hi Clam, I see you beat me by a few days in getting started this year. I remember seeing some discussion of Ready Player One last year, but I never got around to it. Maybe this will push me over the edge. My current book, The Three-Body Problem, has a game as a prominent element, so maybe I'm just on a roll. (I was reviewing some designs at work today and referred to one icon as "that little pacman" and the thirty-something designer just said, "The what?")

>30 Jim53: "...just on a roll." Haha :)

>30 Jim53: And how are you enjoying The Three-Body Problem so far?

>32 clamairy: I'm kinda bogged down at the moment. I didn't do any reading last night because of the wonderful, but ultimately heartbreaking, basketball game. The writing (translated from Chinese) is less than superb; I'm sticking with it for the ideas and to see where on earth he's going with some of this stuff. I'll update my thread when I finish it.

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Impressive first book from a youngin'. (By my standards, anyway... he's still in his 20s.) I bought it when it was a $1.99 daily deal on Amazon after readafew read it and raved about it. Pretty sure it was an Early Reviewer book here on LT. I didn't realize it was the first of a trilogy when I bought it, and I almost didn't start it because I'm so famous for not finishing series. (Even the ones I like!) But I'm so glad I decided to go ahead with this one. It's awesome. It's as if Hunger Games' dystopia wedded Game of Thrones' intrigue and produced offspring... on Mars. :o) I know that sounds ludicrous, but it isn't.

Sounds like something I would enjoy!

>34 clamairy: Well if it wasn't already on my radar it is now. BB most definitely taken.

Can I just make you go back and talk a little bit about M.K. Wren's book, A Gift Upon The Shore up there at the top? I'm pretty sure I read that umpty-ump years ago. At the end of your edition, was there a list of books that survived at the end of the book?

>35 catzteach: & >36 AHS-Wolfy: - It's got a decent rating here on LT, and parts II and III are even more highly rated.

>37 jillmwo: - I just reloaded it on my Kindle and there was no list. Now I am extremely curious, though. I shall do some snooping online and let you know what turns up. ETA: Looks like a list of some of the surviving books was on the book jacket. I can't find it anywhere. :o(

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

I chose to listen to the audio because the book has been sitting around for years without being read. Sedaris narrated himself and his delivery is so dry it's virtually desiccated. This is my second audio in a row of his, and I just might go for a third. I'm sure my neighbors think I'm insane because I usually listen while I'm doing yard work and I end up laughing intermittently... not too quietly I must add.

I quite liked the Cline's next book armada - it sin't as good as RPO, but still fun in a not taking itself too seriously kind of way.

I'm sure I read and mostly enjoyed three body problem last year, but I don't seem to have saved any details of what I thought about it, unusually for me.

Golden Son by Pierce Brown

This was pretty awesome. I dove right into book III at 1:00 this morning after finishing it. I'm glad I waited until all three books had been published before starting this series, because I might have lost my mind a little waiting for the final volume.

I finished listening to the audio version of Holidays on Ice and it was a mixed bag. I've been on a Sedaris kick with Overdrive audio books, and this was the only one available when I finished the last one. Some of it was hilarious, but some was just odd. I can't think of anyone I would recommend this to, to be honest. Me Talk Pretty One day and When You Are Engulfed in Flames were soooo much better. I still dove right into the audio for Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, though.

I'm sorry I haven't been around much. Things got busy here.



I did manage to finish A Short History of Progress by Ronald Wright and I thought it very well written, but thoroughly depressing. I'd still recommend it though.

Looks like touchstones are all wonky again. :o(

I read that a few years ago, and my assessment was the same as yours. He doesn't offer even a ray of hope. It seemed to be very well researched.

Morning Star by Pierce Brown

Enjoyed the finale almost as much as the first two. I had a few quibbles, but nothing to keep me from recommending the entire series.

I've moved on to Girl Waits with Gun because I needed a bit of a palate cleansing.

>45 clamairy:

I'm with you; overall it was a good series, but I had several "oh, come on!" moments, especially in this third one.

>46 suitable1: Exactly. I also think reading all three in a row caused me to become more critical of the patterns I started to see. I don't mind being manipulated as long as I am not terribly aware of that manipulation.

Hope you enjoy Girl Waits with Gun! It isn't Stewart's usual humor, but since it is based on a real woman and life events, it's kind of amazing.

>48 MrsLee: It was quite good, though I felt like it took me much longer to get through than it should have. Probably all the gardening I've been doing tuckered me out.



I enjoyed this, and I am now I am waiting patiently for the sequel.

I started The City of Mirrors which is the final book in Justin Cronin's The Passage Trilogy. It seems like I've waited much longer than three years for him to finish this. The only other series I'm waiting for the final books for is A Song of Ice and Fire. I think. Don't quote me on that. I'm sure there's something else I've forgotten about. That doesn't mean I don't have other series to finish. I just have those books sitting on my kindle waiting for me to remember they are there...

I need to finish the Mistborn series, The Farseer Trilogy, and Janny Wurts' Wars of Light and Shadow series. (Or, dear dog, I just looked it up and saw she's written nine in that series.) And then there is that Deborah Harkness series. *sigh* I think I need to stop futzing around on Twitter and Facebook. :o/

Janny's nearly finished though, book 10 Destiny's conflict is nearly ready for publication, and I think she only planned another one. I've not seen her around LT recently to ask. If it helps stormed fortress is a natural pause point before the significant shifts in initiate's trial

>39 clamairy: Oh wow. I got to listen to David Sedaris speak in person. He came to a tiny Liberal Arts college here in Southern Maryland. His delivery was just so ... matter of fact. I had quite a few good laughs that evening. Now I feel more compelled to get this book. :)

>51 gilroy: I'm jealous!



This was a very satisfying ending to The Passage trilogy. Well done, Justin Cronin. I have cut him extra slack for some things that seem terribly unlikely just because of his writing style. When one has already bought the whole viral vampirism schtick one really can't get too picky about minor details. I'd like to poke around some of his regular fiction now, though.

Just finished the audio version of The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms by Amy Stewart. The content was amazing, but I wasn't completely thrilled by the narrator. She was a bit dry. I've been gardening a lot while listening to this, and it made for a wonderful combination. I'm paying a lot more attention to the worms in my veggie beds and herb garden. :o)

>53 clamairy: I found that book interesting. We value our earthworms pretty highly on the farm, but I never realized how destructive they can be in a forest. I also didn't realize that they weren't native to North America.

i just loved reading those reviews.

"Amy Stewart is not a professional oligochaetologist"

"of course Australia has a giant earthworm. Australia has all the ridiculous creatures."

(I was a huge fan of the adventures of Bruce the giant Gippsland Earthworm in the local broadsheet of my youth.)

"not very deep, not character driven" (Duh. Earthworms.)

"I'm still creeped out at the thought of touching a worm." No comment.

>54 SylviaC: I knew they weren't native, but I only learned it somewhat recently, probably from Michael Pollan's Second Nature. Yes, they can be terribly destructive when introduced to the wrong area.

>55 MrAndrew: Bwaa haa haa. I hadn't looked very closely at them. "Not character driven" makes me wonder what exactly they were expecting.

*Passing through with an amused smile* Now I want to go in the garden and find out what sort of character traits my earthworms have. And how can they say it wasn't deep? Well, actually, I'm not sure how deep earthworms go in the soil, probably not much more that the topsoil I suppose. Though the "worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, they crawl all over your chin and your snout" suggests perhaps 6' or more. Deep is a relative term.

>49 clamairy: I was completely unimpressed by the Deborah Harkness series, clam--the main character was painfully Mary Sue-ish, and the second book devolved into badly-handled romance tropes. I never bothered with the third book.

But The Earth Moved looks right up my street...

>57 MrsLee: Not to be contrary, but I learned it as "the worms play pinochle on your snout" Which suggests to me that they're sitting up as they'd have to be holding their cards up. So maybe 8"?

Question for those of you who have read The Earth Moved: Are earthworms closely related to slugs?

>59 jillmwo: No, they are not. :o)

I first noticed Earth Abides in the member LT recommendations after I rated Alas, Babylon a few months ago. I decided to wait on it a while, but when I started that PA thread several people recommended it, or recalled it fondly from earlier days. I'm glad I read it, but I'd be wary of recommending it to just anyone. It's dated enough to contain what I consider quite a bit of racism with a touch of sexism as garnish. For example, this little gem about the indigenous peoples of the Americas: "If they could no longer go head-hunting or ride out to steal horses and take scalps, they had no desire for anything else either." Yikes...

It's a pivotal piece in the PA genre, of that I have no doubt, and I did enjoy big chunks of it. Supposedly Stephen King says it inspired The Stand. Perhaps if I'd read it when I was younger it might have resonated more with me. I just have a hard time accepting that all of these groups were content to simply survive on the pickings from the rotting carcass of civilization. (Canned good & jarred goods as all of the dried good were consumed during the plague of rats.) And why did Ish sit around so much smoking stale cigarettes while musing on how no one else was doing anything, while also obviously doing nothing? I did have sympathy for him, but I found that I liked him less and less as the book went on.

I moved right on to another A/PA book, The Last Policeman. This shall be my Summer of the Apocalypse! (In reading material only, one hopes.)

I join you in hoping this summer is free of the apocalypse; and this fall, also. No mistakes in the Presidential election results, please. Let's be sane.

I don't disagree with anything you said about Earth Abides, but here's how I perceived things - Ish was too bashful/unassertive/unsure of himself, take your pick, to be an effective leader. I've experienced this myself and I think those kinds of people are "idea guys" and many need a "tactical guy" to get things done. Seldom are they found in one person. A good "idea guy" will surround himself with "doers" so that he can get his ideas into reality. Just my take.

Also, I think that the author was trying to underscore the inherent laziness in human beings. In my review I compared the canned food situation to the fossil fuel situation. We know intellectually and in an abstract way that the oil will run out, but it isn't imminent and so we will milk the present system until the supply runs low enough to force us to find alternatives. A culture that actively supports the status quo is very hard to run against.

>63 Bookmarque: I hear you, but in smaller batches it should have been easier to make changes, and no one really tried. You're right about his persona. I kept forgetting that he described himself as not really enjoying crowds much or being comfortable socializing at all before the big event. None of them were good at schmoozing, except for maybe Ezra. And he used all of his charm to keep his two wives content, apparently. LOL

>63 Bookmarque: >64 clamairy: I agree that the book is dated, but I saw Ish less as lazy and more as desperately clinging to the old ways, almost with the expectation that things would somehow return to normal on their own. That made the ending somewhat poignant for me as both his hold on life and the world's hold on the old civilization slipped away.

The reason I said (postapocalyptic thread > 10) "But one I've always loved - and I think it started me on this road, at least as far as reading goes -- is George Stewart's classic Earth Abides. At least the first two thirds." is that I was much more appreciative of the story of the apocalypse itself, than of the postapocalyptic society he describes. I too found it unsatisfying and hard to accept. Dated passages: not surprised. Hard to read any older (especially male) SF without running into that. I generally give it a pass based on "it's a product of its time and culture".

>66 stellarexplorer: Yes, I completely agreed with your assessment, and I really do wish I'd read it 35 years ago. It wasn't completely racist, either. After all Ish's woman is mixed race and he has no qualms about it at all.

As a gardener though I was horrified that they weren't growing more. And surprised Ish had any teeth left. :o) I do consider it a classic. Like most classics it is not an easy read. (In this case not because of somewhat archaic language or dense ideas but because it was a bit painful.)

I quite enjoyed The Last Policeman. Not too chewy, and not even terribly thought provoking, but rather gritty and gripping. Just what I needed at the time.

>68 clamairy: Many people have put that on my wishlist already but it's always good to see more positive comments for a potential read. Just have to get around to actually picking it up now. Glad it worked out for you.

>68 clamairy: Glad you found the first book to your liking. I enjoyed the entire trilogy.

I had that one as a SantaThing gift. I did enjoy it, but it didn't quite work for me, and I wasn't enthused enough to want the rest of the series. A novel concept, but not quite a better book because of it, but certainly worth reading if you like dystopia/unusual crime

>69 AHS-Wolfy: Happy to add my voice to the chorus of approval. :o)

>70 ScoLgo: There are three people ahead of me on the digital checkout line for the second book. I should get it in the next month or so. Before that The Girl with All the Gifts will probably be ready.

>71 reading_fox: This series has the added plus of being in my back yard, so to speak. Not only is it New England but it's in that part of New Hampshire that I drive through whenever I visit my brother.

That was one of the things I loved about it, clam. When I was in NH I lived 20 minutes from Concord and spent a lot of time there. I could picture everything pretty clearly. Not something I get to do a lot.

Girl with all the Gifts, imo, was a romp, but not particularly substantial. If you read it, be prepared to take it as it is and not as you'd wish it to be.

>74 stellarexplorer: Romping is good... most of the time. What are you reading these days, stellar? I'm not going to try to persuade you to start a thread. :o) They're work, and I know you're busy.

>75 clamairy: I'm not going to try to persuade you to start a thread. :o) They're work, and I know you're busy.

Sure you're not!

Seed sown.

I see what you did there, clamairy.

>76 pgmcc: LOLOL Honestly, I was not trying to lure him in. I'm happy enough he's been posting in the Post-Apocalyptic Appreciation thread. :o)

I stayed up waaay past my usual bedtime finishing off The Chrysalids the other night. I had to find out how it ended! I'll admit I was a bit disappointed in what almost seemed like a Disney-fied resolution, but I still thought it was quite a good read.

I've had some trouble figuring out what to read need next. I started and discarded several things that weren't grabbing me, including Blood Music and We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Right now I'm at around page 25 of the ≈1150 page extended version of The Stand. I grabbed my hard copy off the shelf, because it's illustrated, but I won't be lugging that thing around! I'll stick to the Kindle for most of it. Especially when reading in bed at night...

I am honored to be asked! Actually, I was thinking of posting in the Cheese group, because I am currently on vacation with my family in Paris. Today I had a fantastic burrata. But the best meal of the trip (oh my! I just realized this has nothing to do with reading, and only to do with how much food has been on my mind for the last week!) was a stop at 5 pm when all the restaurants were closed until dinner at 7, and a small place by a fountain told us the best they could do was a plate of cold cheeses and meats since the kitchen was closed. Magnifique! Needed seconds on bread to scoop up what seemed like 8 varieties of cheese. I have a great picture of the plate, but I'm not so good with posting to a second location and somehow referencing it here, which I understand is the procedure....

I promise to comment on my reading, after I finish dinner! ;)

>79 stellarexplorer: I am so very jealous. Jealous of ALL of it, but especially the piles of cheese. Also, the wine. I will get there some day soonish. Take your time with the pics.

(Just a tip: I often post them to my LibraryThing gallery and just use that link to share.)

>80 clamairy: Great tip, clammy! The cheese plate is now (probably temporarily!) my profile pic, and I've put up a few other food pics from Paris. I leave for the Netherlands tomorrow, and maybe I'll add some more...Hope you enjoy. The wine is great, but I was too busy drinking it to photograph it! By the way, Corsican wine is fantastic!

That cheese was 100x more delicious than it may look. And the escapade was entirely serendipitous

>81 stellarexplorer: Oh, my. You've been eating well. I'm drooling on the keyboard. Enjoy the rest of your trip!

Ahhhhhh! So wonderful and gooey looking. MMMM The rest of the food looks amazing, too. Keep taking pictures! The Netherlands has some awesome cheeses, or so I hear.

Also, I saw you added A Moveable Feast to your library just a few days ago. I do hope you've been reading it while in Paris. (It's my favorite Hemingway.)

Ah, yes, although I have to confess there has been precious little reading time and very much running around/seeing/eating/experiencing time.

Researching Dutch cheeses now!

*whispers* BEEMSTER Aged gouda...
:o)

AGED Gouda! Of course! I love aged Gouda!

(I heard that...)

I wasn't sure what to have for dinner tonight because it is 105°, but for some reason I am thinking it will be cheese!

>88 stellarexplorer: I expect a full report.

>89 MrsLee: I'll be having a bedtime nibble of some variety, for sure. Hmmm... I do have some Italian truffle cheese!

How could we have always lived in the castle not have grabbed you? How weird does an opening have to be?

Eating triple cream brie on panne de casa right now. Not sure exactly what you have to do to triple the cream in brie, but it's working for me.

>91 MrAndrew: It just didn't. I'm intrigued enough to go back at some point, but I just wasn't sucked in. Seems more like a dreary Winter read. Not a 'under the umbrella on the deck with a mango margarita' read.

According to the interwebs: Triple crème cheeses are the result of extra cream being added to the milk in making soft-ripened cheeses. Triple crème cheeses are defined by law to have at least 75% butterfat (double-crèmes must contain between 60-74% butterfat).

New cheese pic added: upon arrival in Den Haag, see what was waiting for us!

>93 stellarexplorer: Ahhhh! What's in the one on the left? It's looks very similar to one I've had from Wales called Red Dragon. (It's full of mustard seeds, and it is delicious.)

>94 clamairy: That one is a delicious goat cheese with Coriander seeds. It's called Geiten Kaas with Koriander.

I'm talking cheese with our host, and they are taking us to a place that serves a whole flambé of Parmesan, mixed with pasta and then at the table shaved truffle is added.

Salivating

>95 stellarexplorer: I hope you take a picture of that one!

I love cheese! Happy Weekend!

>95 stellarexplorer: *groan* I'm drooling out both sides of my mouth here...

But I was lucid long enough to figure out the geiten is goat. :o)

Goat it is, but that was all I could get them to reveal about the name of the cheese. It sounds rather generic once translated.

I tried to find it on igourmet.com but no such luck.

"Goat cheese with Coriander". It is generic.

Exactly. Haven't been able to get a brand name.

It might be something made by many different makers.
I can't find anything even vaguely similar from this side of the pond.

Goat cheese with coriander sounds interesting. I'd look for it around me, but if clam can't find it in her neighborhood, I don't know what hope I might have for finding it in mine.

I'm going to visit one of the olive oil & cheese shops and ask. When I use Google all I get is recipes. (They also sound quite good.)

I'll try to press the issue here

>106 stellarexplorer: Do not worry about it. Just relax and enjoy yourself.
:o)
(And keep taking food pics.)

Ok, I just added a few pictures from tonight's dinner. We sort of splurged to dine at a Michelin-rated restaurant (1 star).

The dishes were works of art, and I have notes on each. However, they had so many ingredients and details, I am afraid I couldn't catch everything the waitress said. None of them could rightly be called by a single name. For example you will see Salmon tartare pictured, but that dish had maybe ten other components.

Feel free to ask for a respite from all this. After all, in the whole meal there was not a morsal of cheese!

Let me know if you have any questions. Here are a few items you could try to identify: balls of lobster with fennel; pineapple with fine strands of sauerkraut; oyster over eggplant; quail egg; corn purée that looks like quail egg; squid inside celery foam; a second type of celery foam

Sweet mother of dog! Celery foam? Was that the green, well... foamy stuff? LOL I'll be honest, I had no clue what I was looking at, except I'd swear I saw one lonely square of cheese in the upper right hand corner of Course 7.

For that one (7), my notes say "Bacon and pineapple special pork, parsnip purée, pineapple with fine strands of toasted sauerkraut quail egg". I think the cheese-resembling item is pineapple.

Yes, the green foam in 4 was celery foam. The mystery celery foam was the white stuff in the "initial tasting treat", far left of picture.

King Arthur: History and Legend was wonderful and I was enthralled for (practically) the entirety of its 24 lectures. (I will admit I zoned in and out a bit during the Chrétien de Troyes portion of the lecture. Which is the same area of knowledge missing from my brain after the Arthur course I took in college, unfortunately.)

I used to occasionally borrow GC audio CDs for free through Connecticut's awesome inter-library loan system, but that service is undergoing a massive overhaul and so I bought this one through Audible when it popped up as a Daily Deal. I think I paid a whopping $4.99. I just went to the Great Courses website and saw they charge $149.95 for the audio download. I guess I got quite the bargain. (I'm not even a paying member at Audible, I just use my Amazon account.)

>112 clamairy: I like to pick up those courses when they go on sale. That one isn't really up my alley, but I've enjoyed most of the ones I've listened to.

>113 SylviaC: Same here. They've all been great. I did borrow the wine video course and never made it past the first section, though. That was when I switched to audio only.

(Ooops, just realized I never added the touchstone to my post.)

>112 clamairy:

Speaking of on-line prices, I had a funny experience with Amazon over the last week. When I heard that the film director Michael Cimino died I was reminded that I enjoyed his film "Thunderbold and Lightfoot" but that I had not seen it for years. I looked it up on Amazon and put it in my shopping basket for later purchase. It was only something like £4.49.

A couple of days later I went back to my Amazon account intending to order a couple of other items and finalising my order for Thunderbolt and Lightfoot. A message was waiting for me:

One of the items in your basket has increased in price from £4.49 to £250.

I deleted it from my order.

The following day the price was back down to £4.71 so I ordered it quickly.

I suspect Amazon's software for spotting demand and adjusting price accordingly saw an upsurge in demand for the film and pushed the price up in response. It would appear there is no upward limit on the price adjustments in that software.

Anyway, sanity prevailed at the end of the day.

>115 pgmcc: Maybe a software glitch, or possibly some finagling by one unscrupulous seller. I've had stuff go up buy a few dollars while sitting in my basket, but I've never heard of an increase of more than 50 times the original cost!

I've had similar experiences with things left in my Amazon basket - seems to happen most often if they were items from market place sellers.

I let things moulder on my wishlist on Amazon until they practically pay me to buy it. ;) Not really, but several times I have notices price drops on my wishlist items.

>118 MrsLee: I really need to clean mine out. There are books I added 10 years ago in there that I no longer have any interest it. I created a Luzme account when it was first mentioned in here a few years back, so I get email alerts when prices on books on my LT or Amazon wishlist drop. Half the time I think "Now, what did I want that book for?"

>119 clamairy: Me too. I've begun adding notes when I add a book. Like who recommended it and how much I want it.

Ya know, that's kinda how I manage my mending pile. Things sit on it so long that we have either outgrown them or they are way out of style. Then I can just toss them instead of mending. ;)

>120 MrsLee: Yes, that has happened to me as well! :o)

The youngin's that collect in packs in my house coerced me into playing Pokémon Go and now I worry that my reading time might be impacted. It is thoroughly addicting. The only thing stopping me from playing until the wee hours is that I keep running out of Poké Balls.

The Girl With All the Gifts is on my Kindle as an OverDrive loan, so I am going to take a break from my reread of The Stand and read that instead. Speaking of which, I am almost halfway through that 1150 page monster, and I am mostly enjoying it immensely. I did skim the Trashcan Man chapter, and will probably continue to do so whenever I hit more of those. LOL

I have personally resisted the game, but it has taken over here as well. My 13 year old complains that it's not fair that her 19 y o brother can drive, allowing him to frequent the best spots for Pokemon acquisition. I've tried not to understand the details. But he has taken her with him a number of times, so maybe this will promote further bonding between siblings...

As you probably saw, I dove into the game, but quickly left when I realized how much data it would take. I have the cheapest data plan because as a rule I don't need to use it except at home and work where there are wifi networks available.

LOVE the image on the group's home page, clam. Beautiful.

>123 stellarexplorer: I know you don't have the free time that I do. Well, let me rephrase that. I should be doing more constructive things, but I'm not. This is a very fun way to bond with my kids.

>124 MrsLee: Thank you! I wanted to fade out the corners, but I don't remember how to do that. So far there are no issues with the data. I checked and we've barely used half our data for the billing month. But then we've only been playing for a few days, so when the new billing month starts I'll have to be vigilant.

Finished listening to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight while walking (and sweating) this morning. I think I'll try that Scalzi I snagged from Audible next.

Was it in Middle English?

>127 SylviaC: No way. I left those days behind me in grad school. It was a new translation, though. Very alliterative! I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Just finished New Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer and I found it mostly amusing, but quite dated. This would not have been an issue if I'd actually read it when I bought it, so the fault is entirely mine.

I'm taking a short (hopefully) break from my re-read of The Stand to tackle The Girl With All the Gifts. Now, if only the world would let me read...

clamairy, I think you can pick up your dropped pokeballs by clicking (tapping) on them. Does that help?

>130 reconditereader: Thank you, but I've tried to grab them as they are rolling away and it did not work. I will try again, though. I think there are some features that work for a while and then fail. And some features don't work on all phones yet, either. I am still having fun with it, though. I'm up to level 15. :o)

Over the last month or two I've been riddled with book bullets for The Rook. I managed to resist buying it... until today. It's a Kindle Daily Deal, and only $2.99!!! :o)

>132 clamairy: Same thing happened to me.

I borrowed it from the library a while back and it was fun. Enjoy! I hear there's a sequel... Stiletto I think it's called.

>133 SylviaC: It's much harder to resist snagging them when they are cheaper than a typical greeting card, right? At least that is how I rationalize it.

>134 Bookmarque: Yea, the sequel is $13.99 right now. That's one issue I have with digital copies of books, I have a hard time bringing myself to spend more than a few bucks for something without corporeal form. Plus, I'm frugal. That's the word. Not cheap, frugal. ;o)

Frugal, yes, precisely. That's why I love our library system so much here in the Wisconsin River Valley. It helps me with my frugality. I figure if I borrow a lot of books instead of buying them, I can have fresh flowers in my house all the time. It balances, right? Yeah.

Also wine & cheese!

hear hear!

I order ALL the books from the library (so many books) for precisely that reason. Well, not the flowers, but in the interest of not spending *all* my money.

>139 reconditereader: Right now the inter-library loan program for my state is undergoing a compete overhaul. The website is offline. I was told I can request something at the library, but not to be too hopeful. I love my town library, but it is small. That's why OverDrive has become crucial for me. Especially now that I do most of my reading on my Kindle, because I can adjust the font to adapt when I'm wearing my contact lenses. (Which I do about 90% of the time. My contacts are mono vision, so I can sort of see up close, but regular print books can still cause some issues.) My OverDrive consortium still doesn't have everything, so I do indulge occasionally Amazon's treasure trove.

My library book group would be devastated if they pulled ILL out from under us. That's the only way my library liaison can get the number we need for the group.

>141 jillmwo: I hadn't thought of that. I think they can still get books if they get many months notice. I visited the website today, and you can now search for books. BUT YOU CAN'T REQUEST THEM. *sigh*

>142 clamairy: I think they can still get books if they get many months notice.

Your comment reminded me of a website I visited yesterday. I have been charged with acquiring cup-cake cases of a specific design as part of the preparation for our granddaughter's Christening. I visited the supplier's shop in Dublin but they did not have the specific design required so I visited their website where I saw the message:

"If you order before 1pm your order will be dispatched on the same day and you can expect delivery on the next business day. For urgent orders please place your order four days in advance."

>143 pgmcc: But.... but....???!!! Heh heh.

The Difficult We Do Immediately. The Impossible Takes a Little Longer.

clam, I think you'll like The Rook--it's a great deal of fun!

I agree - The Rook was great, and the sequel, Stiletto, is fun, too!

Oooh I can't wait to read Stiletto. I'd go in with pitchforks and shouting if they took our library "holds" webpage away, even temporarily.... well, my list is pretty full. *sheepish*

>148 reconditereader: Oh, the one for the town library works fine. I just can't find what's available in the rest of the state and request it myself anymore/yet.



I finished The Girl With All the Gifts yesterday. The story was engaging enough, but there were a few giant plot holes and the writing style was meh. In fact I didn't realize how meh it was until I dove back into The Stand and by contrast King's writing seemed spectacular.

We seem to feel the same way, clammy: >74 stellarexplorer:

>147 tardis: >148 reconditereader: I'm a little envious - when I asked at the local library about Stiletto, I was told there were no plans to get a copy :(

>149 clamairy: I received an email advertising upcoming films at the local cinema the other day - one of which was The Girl with All the Gifts and was wondering whether I should try and track down a copy to read before it comes out.

>150 stellarexplorer: Yes, you can say "I told you so." I did get sucked in, and that's probably why I was somewhat disappointed.

>151 Peace2: Interesting. Now I must run off to IMDB to see who is in this film!

>152 clamairy: I told you so would be unkind. More precise would be that while I am sorry for your disappointment, I am nonetheless pleased that we see it similarly. I think I would have found it jarring if you had found it utterly charming and highly recommended.

>153 stellarexplorer: I wouldn't take it poorly if you did say it, though. You did warn me, and I took it under advisement. I went ahead and read it anyway because it had such a high rating here on LT. (I'll be honest - anything less than a 3.8 from more than a dozen people and I will usually pass books by, unless someone I trust completely has really pushed a book on me. My tastes seem to line up more with the reviewers here than they do with the Amazon crowd.) The bottom line is that I didn't hate it, it just wasn't as wonderful as I was hoping it would be. :o)

So, when are you starting your own thread, stellar? And how have you adjusted to being back home after all of that traveling and fabulous food?

Well, it helped that we brought back a wide variety of goudas. On the down side, a light bulb suddenly went off a few days after I got home. I'd had unexplained fatigue, uncharacteristic low energy and weird leg restlessness and muscle pain in France and Holland. The moment came when the veil lifted: I had Lyme Disease. I wish I'd realized before the trip. Oh well -- it's gone now, succumbing to a few days of doxycycline.

My own thread? I have never given it real consideration. I mix so much nonfiction with my fiction. I wonder whether my thread would be Green Dragon-y enough. Are there any guidelines about this?

Dragonish? Dragonery? Dragonesque?

I barely read any fantasy and almost no sci fi and I have a thread. Come on, you know you want to. Where else can you post Gouda pics of cheese?

And we love non fiction. Where else would books about worms and octopuses be so popular?

>155 stellarexplorer: Many of our reading threads are a mishmash of everything, and as Bookmarque indicated, some of them rarely have fantasy or sf. Some of us assiduously report every book we read, while others just do occasional updates or only hit the high points. I would be very interested to see what nonfiction you are reading, since I know we share some interests.

Too bad you had to cope with Lyme disease while you were on vacation, but I'm glad you're recovering now.

>155 stellarexplorer: The guidelines are, it's your thread to do most anything you want in, except ranting or going on about religion or politics. If we read a book which is specifically religion or politics, we might tell what it was about, but refrain from analysing the contents deeply here. Also, others refrain from posting their opinions about it, etc. Sometimes members who are interested in discussing such a book in more depth continue their conversation through private messages if both are agreeable to it.

Some of us use our threads to only discuss books we read, some simply list the books read, some share episodes and photos from their lives. I also am not a huge scifi/fantasy reader, though I dip my toes in a lot more than I used to. Everyone has the choice to read your thread or not. :) I suspect if there are regular photos of cheeses, yours would be a very popular one. :)

>155 stellarexplorer: Go on! Tell us what you're reading! Take a look at my thread, which is biased somewhere between 4:1 and 9:1 in favour of non-fiction.

>155 stellarexplorer: - I keep thinking I should read more non-fiction. so any prompts will be appreciated.

>156 MrAndrew: quite right!

Thanks for the encouragement guys. I will create a book thread. Maybe this weekend. Very much appreciate the responses!

>160 hfglen: wonderful thread, and loved the pictures! And your point is well taken.

>162 stellarexplorer: :o)

Just a few words of advice: Don't let it become a chore, or then you'll end up resenting it. Just burble on a bit when you have time and share what you're reading or what you've just finished... Or what cheese you've just eaten.

Sorry about the Lyme flare-up. I hope it didn't negatively impact your travels too much. I've been on antibiotics myself for 10 days because of an unidentifiable bug bite that swelled up, got hot and turned the surrounding tissue dark blue like a bruise.

>163 clamairy: Yikes! Scary bugs.

I finished 'The Complete and Uncut Edition' of The Stand yesterday. Overall it was a positive experience, I'd say. I did find myself bothered by Mother Abigail's religiosity, but since it all turned out to be legit (as my daughter would say) in this particular universe I put up with it. The writing was mostly better than I remembered it being. It just felt like it took me forever to plow through. When I first opened the file my kindle estimated that it would take 30+ hours to get through the 1348 pages of the ebook. I suspect it took longer. Felt longer anyway!

I tried to start In the After and it wasn't going down well at all. I think I have to reset my mental calibration to Young Adult before I try that one again. So I've started the non-fiction Field Notes from a Catastrophe by the author of The Sixth Extinction instead.

>165 clamairy: 1348 pages of the book? Well, of course, it took longer than 30 hours.

>116 clamairy: I think I might have been able to knock it off in less time waaay back in the days of yore.



Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change is well written and methodically researched, but like Kolbert's The Sixth Extinction it's a very distressing subject. In general I don't like upsetting other people intentionally, and this is a topic many run away from... screaming. My kids and I talk about it all the time, but I am sure several of my siblings still insist it's a non-issue. Time will tell, unfortunately.

Edited to add: If you have to choose between Kolbert's books I'd go with The Sixth Extinction, mainly because it's more current, but also because it covers more varied biomes.

I liked The Sixth Extinction a lot. (Somehow that doesn't sound right.) I'll probably read this one if I come across it.

Finished Fangirl. It was supposed to be a palate cleanser, but left a slightly funky taste of its own. I got a bit bogged down towards the end. There's a great book in there, but it wasn't wrapped up as smoothly as I would have liked. The premise is a lot of fun featuring a protagonist who writes very popular fanfiction for a Harry Potter-type series. I really enjoyed the first ⅔ of it.

Onward to more 'end of the world' type stuff! Fictional, this time. (So I'm not depressed like I was reading the Kolbert book.)

I think I'll pass, thank you.

>170 stellarexplorer: Ha! As if you would ever...

But I like to think of myself as having an open mind... :)

There's having an open mind and knowing your own. I'm not tempted by that book at all and after more than 40 years of reading I'm pretty sure that's the right decision.

>172 stellarexplorer: You do. No worries.

>173 Bookmarque: And I'm sure you're making the right choice. I was tempted partly because I loved Eleanor & Park so much and partly because I have a daughter who used read and write a lot of fanfiction. I did enjoy it, but it wasn't all that it could have been.

We're all so quirkily different. I loved Where'd You Go Bernadette even though a lot of people hated it. And just today I downloaded a big, sweeping, 16th century book about royal intrigue and French politics by Alexandre Dumas who is definitely not everyone's cup of tea.

>175 Bookmarque: But I remember how much you loved The Count of Monte Cristo so your desire to read another Dumas tome should come as a surprise to no one!

>175 Bookmarque: -- OOoh, which one? The Three Musketeers? Or is that trilogy old hat for you and you are actually reading Queen Margot?

>167 clamairy: -- I have to ask. What drivers of crisis do you think might contribute to the collapse of this world? I have a real reason for asking, as it pertains to post-apocalyptic fiction. Is climate change your biggest fear?

Ding! Jill is the winner. Queen Margot it is! Just as soon as I finish this silly Brad Meltzer book. And I actually read all 5 of the d'Artagnan books a while back, not just the big 3. The end of The Man in the Iron Mask made me cry...Porthos...OMG. Then I read The Black Tulip. I'm now reading a biography of Dumas's father the General and ex-slave.

>178 Bookmarque: I think I read that biography, it was very good.

>178 Bookmarque: I loved the Count of Monte Cristo! I haven't read any others by him. Maybe I should.

>177 jillmwo: Is climate change your biggest fear?

Sorry for butting in, but the water shortage is not insignificant.

This article may prove interesting to you. Climate change will obviously contribute the water problem but the core water problem may be upon us before the full ravages of climate change sever the food supply chain.

*lurking*

>181 pgmcc: Forgive the painful pun but climate change is going to precipitate an alarming array of droughts and flooding, not to mention the contamination of drinking water resulting from the flooding. Here in New England we all still flush our toilets with our drinking water. That is going to have to change. The wheels of progress are virtually rusted into place.

>181 pgmcc: While I indulge many fears about future catastrophes, climate change is serious but not at the top of the list. It may harm billions but alone will not wipe out the human species. My biggest concern is the deliberate effort of non-state actors, who act with few constraints and theoretically have tremendous weapons of damage at their disposal. If I were a member of such a group, I'd be working at hard at such a plan, at least to strike at enemies. This is an excellent paper on the topic by polymath and all-around genius, Nathan Myhrvold:

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2290382&download=yes

>181 pgmcc: The issue of getting palatable water to those locations that need it most isn't an easily resolved issue. Between California in a drought and Michigan's issue with aging infrastructure leaching lead into the water supply, we don't have easy answers.

>184 stellarexplorer: Well, isn't that one happy little piece of beach reading.

I don't say he's wrong. But it does put me in mind of the anthrax scares that kept coming up in DC in the wake of 9/11. I will never forget an a relatively high-ranking deputy from a government agency telling me that another suspicious envelope had just been received elsewhere in the city and did we have a plan for evacuating the meeting that day.

...Um...

In the words of my son, this is why I drink. As well as being why I don't read a whole lot of PA fiction. I cope by warbling phrases from that old Tom Lehrer song (We Will All Go Together When We Go).

>184 stellarexplorer: "Well, isn't that one happy little piece of beach reading." Yes -- laugh - I just spilled my drink on my shirt!

Indeed:

But don't you worry.
No more ashes, no more sackcloth.
And an armband made of black cloth
Will some day never more adorn a sleeve.
For if the bomb that drops on you
Gets your friends and neighbors too,
There'll be nobody left behind to grieve.

>186 stellarexplorer: We're here all week, folks!

Stop - this glass is hard enough to balance already!
:)

>185 jillmwo:, >186 stellarexplorer: It's pretty scary how many of Tom Lehrer's songs are still relevant, after all these years.

My brother and I used to have so much fun listening to Tom Lehrer on our record player as kids. And we were so innocent back then. *sigh*

Stop having fun without me! ;o)

My favorite Lehrer song is "Wernher von Braun." Whatever, Saturn V rocket is still GOAT. But I love Lehrer's entire oeuvre. As >189 tardis: notes: still relevant and eerily prescient.

Lots of interesting book choices, clamairy. The Kolbert books have been on my TBR for ages. And I like Amy Stewart's writing. >55 MrAndrew: those are priceless!

What a cheery place this is this morning! And after all that, what are you reading today, Ms. Clam?

>193 maggie1944: Hey there! :o)
I was waiting until I had a uninterrupted block of time to post about my last read.



Well, now... it might have been my state of mind but I just did not enjoy Countdown City as much as I did the first in the series. At this point I don't plan to continue on to the third one. It seemed much more disjointed than The Last Policeman. I lost interest about two thirds of the way through and had to force myself to persevere. It might have been me, though.

Sadly we had to say goodbye to our beautiful Rosie last Friday. She was becoming increasingly debilitated by Canine Degenerative Myelopathy, which is basically canine MS. Thankfully my kids traveled home so I wouldn't have to face it alone. I'm grateful for the years she graced us with her presence. Here's a photo of her in younger healthier days.



She was only 6 months old when I joined LibraryThing, and used to sleep under my desk while I was adding my books. :o)

I decided to take a break from the end of days for a bit. I started Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things and so far it is living up to its title.

>194 clamairy: I think you are wise to seek for something lighthearted. Dear Rosie.

Poor Rosie. I know you'll miss her terribly. I've always enjoyed your pictures of Rosie and Sam.

>194 clamairy: - such a nice picture of Rosie - lovely face! Hugs - I'm sure you will miss her a lot. Sounds like you have many good memories.

Aw she was a cutie. I'm so sorry for your pain.

>194 clamairy: Rosie is a beautiful girl. I hope the good memories help carry you through the difficult times.

So sorry you had to say goodbye to Rosie. She sounds like a wonderful dog.

My sympathies, clammy. She looks like a very sweet girl.

I'm sorry for your loss, clamairy.

Loads of sympathy on your loss.

>194 clamairy: So sad to hear of your loss. Always difficult to say goodbye to a friend and I'm glad your family was there for you.

I just love the way our LT buddies gather around and spread the love when we lose our furry kids. So many of us have pets with whom we sit when we read, we do share your grief, and sorrow, and we cherish the pets who are still with us while we think of those to whom we've said good-bye, or see ya later, alligator.

Hugs to you and the whole famn damily. (I had to type that three times to get the auto correct to leave me alone)

Thank you all for your sympathy and support. It truly is appreciated. I'm trying to regain my equilibrium and bond with my remaining dog, who is also healing from the loss. She's adjusting to being an only dog, and from suddenly being thrust into the alpha dog role. We're a pack of three now, counting Belle who is a disgruntled owl inhabiting a feline body.

I already set aside the Lawson book for the latest in the Tracy Crosswhite series. I don't usually read mysteries but I need something light to suck me and take me out of my surroundings right now. (And the first two were decent enough.)

I'm enjoying some much needed family time on Fire Island. Managed to squeeze in a bit of reading, as well. I just started The Lions of Al-Rassan.

>207 clamairy: I would like to be envious of you, but really, I'm just glad you are there enjoying yourself. Your photos on FB and here all look so relaxing.

>207 clamairy: glad you're getting some relaxation. Lions is one of my favorites.

>207 clamairy: I love the footprints in the sand.

I hope you are having a lovely time.

Sounds lovely - have a wonderful time!

Vacation! The Beach! (fresh air) Reading! Pretty much my definition of Ideal! Have a great time. Read a lot!

Thanks for sharing with us.

Thanks, everyone. It was sorely needed. :o) As you might have guessed I did not get much reading done. There were waves to play in, and rocks & shells to collect. (And much wine & cheese to consume.)

Reading outside always distracts me too much as well. Even on the deck. On the dock it's just as bad as you at the beach. Good times though.

>213 clamairy: I am glad to learn that you were focusing on the important things.

It's hard, because it's so diverting to look at the sea, and it makes me philosophical. If I'm going to get much read at the beach I need good conditions: an insanely large and comfortable chair, cushions over wood is best, with a dedicated drink holder, and an oversized and sturdy umbrella. And bar service.

I got distracted by a couple of my siblings and quite a few other family members. (Also the wine and the cheese!)

Speaking of cheese, here's a little cheese porn to brighten your day.



Starting from the top and going clockwise and ending with the chunk in the center:

Molto Vivace (from Cato's Corner Farm in CT)
Baked Brie with almonds
Midnight Moon Gouda (a goat milk gouda from Cypress Grove Chevre in CA)
Black Truffle Gouda (my niece got this one at Whole Foods)
Butterkäse (German cheese that I found at Costco)

All of them were amazing, but I think the Vivace and the Butterkäse were my favorites.

In the Clearing was exactly what I needed when I needed it. It did not involve much thought or demand any emotional investment.

I've moved on to The Lions of Al-Rassan, as mentioned above. My next audio is The Soul of an Octopus.

I loved The Soul of an Octopus though it was in a way as much a meditation on death and loss as it was an exploration of non-human and non-vertebrate neurology and consciousness. I've picked up a couple more of her books but haven't started them yet.

Mmmm, cheese .....

>217 clamairy: Black Truffle Gouda sounds amazing! I got a Butterkase from the grocery store recently; it is incredibly rich.

>221 Darth-Heather: Yes, it is rich and should be amazing when melted. I think I am going to experiment with shaving it onto hot pasta. (And grilled cauliflower!)

You guys are making me very hungry!

*Looks at bowl of instant noodles*

*Sighs*

*Eating stilton with crackers and apple slices, and sipping red wine, while waiting for the next literary episode. Hoping that it involves cuttlefish.*

>224 SylviaC: Sorry. Some nights all I have for dinner is fruit with cheese & crackers, if that's any solace.

225 :o)

>219 Marissa_Doyle: My mom loves The Good Good Pig, but I think Spell of the Tiger is my favorite.

>225 MrAndrew: Are cuttlefish edible?

>224 SylviaC: and >226 clamairy:: I regularly consume lunches of cheese, Triscuits and salami. Finger food. Biggest issue is the fat content of the meat and cheese, but it still tastes great. (And yes, one could happily add fruit to that lunch.)

Oh, I'm sorry. Just a minor distraction. Which book was it we were talking about?

*Munching sound, with mouth full*

>228 Darth-Heather: yes. Generally just the tentacles like squid. They're even more intelligent though.

>228 Darth-Heather: & >230 reading_fox: Octopus & squid are, sadly for them, quite delicious. (I completely forgot that the genus Nautilus is also considered a cuttlefish.) I am not finished with The Soul of an Octopus yet, but I seriously doubt I'll ever be able to eat octopus again. On the plus side, they have no trouble eating squid, so I may still savor the occasional plate of calamari without a massive heaping of guilt on the side.

Anyone see the NOVA episode on cuttlefish? Remarkably intelligent, with astonishing skin that can transform into remarkable patterns to conceal the creature by blending with the background. Inventive problem-solvers. I don't know about eating them....

>232 stellarexplorer: I have not, but I did find it on YouTube. (Now I just have to remember to actually sit and watch it.)

Of course, we can't forget the cuttlefish erotica*. (I really would like to forget, but it just won't go away!)

*Amazon link

>231 clamairy: I fortunately wasn't a calamari fan before reading it, so no hardship for me. I wonder if anyone has written any science fiction from a cephalopod's point of view?

>234 SylviaC: I'd forgotten about that...snork!

>235 Marissa_Doyle: Glad I could bring it back for you!

>234 SylviaC: It's just as well you are in Canada. You might be chastised for that post in some other places.

:-)

>234 SylviaC: That looks like quite an unexpected book. I wonder why there are no customer reviews? :)

>234 SylviaC: Well, what do you know? I'm not too old or jaded to be surprised after all! Maybe my narrow little world needs a 12 page dose of cuttlefish shifter gangbanging... :o)

Just passing along what someone kindly posted in one of my previous threads. I have so far managed to refrain from adding that title to my collection. You never know when the mood might hit, though...

>234 SylviaC: Seriously!? That's just too much.

>240 SylviaC: Admit it, you have two copies, don't you?

>235 Marissa_Doyle: mother of demons features cuttlefish. It is somewhat bizarre but apparently better than I expected at the time. I suspect Julie czerneda will have some somewhere. An ER title the rosetta man had some according to the tag page but it was rubbish so I wouldn't bother. Don't they also appear in sphere?

>240 SylviaC: waves.

It's the gift that keeps on giving.