Daddydavek

This present was just as good as the first!

Thanks for the Christmas presents! It was perfect. I'm so glad that JJ got laid good and proper by Carullo and that they both really enjoyed it! Now on to my other present back a few centuries....

A very Happy Holiday Season back at you and it's great to hear that your health is better, but we still miss your stories! Hopefully 2018 will find you with some spare time for JP & Co. and Granger et al as well!

Elvis and Christina McBride: Blue Christmas

Nine Vintage Christmas Songs from the 1900's & 1910's recorded from wax cylinders. Enjoy the Christmas music from the time of Downton Abbey and the Titanic. Full song playlist: Joy to the World The Edison Concert Band 1906 The First Noël Carol Singers 1914 Silent Night Elizabeth Spencer & Anthony Harrison 1912 Adeste Fideles Carol Singers 1914 Hail, Hail, Day of Days! The Edison Mixed Quartet 1913 God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen! Carol Singers 1917 Oh, Tannenbaum Nebe Quartett 1907 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing! The Edison Mixed Quartet 1912 The Night Before Christmas Harry E. Humphrey 1914

Sounds like poor Liam is having some survivor guilt...(feeling like he isn't really entitled to feel good because it isn't fair for his brother).

Judy Garland singing "Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas" from the movie "Meet me in St. Louis"

Confronting your own mortality and of those you love is a lot to process emotionally. Having lost his brother, the prospect of losing a parent was devastating and draining. The spoiler above mentioned only two more chapters...

Most lives do not work out perfectly. Most everyone develops a few regrets over a lifetime, some small, some not. Will is the son who comes to realize his father's life was not perfect or even very fulfilling and he works to understand and maybe bring some last measure of joy to alleviate the travails of progressive dementia in his dad. The story is cleverly told without being maudlin. However, if you are a sympathetic old softie like me, you may want to have a tissue handy. As I said in my chapter comment: Stories that convey important truths in a warm and loving way are the best and this was a gem! I highly recommend this story.

Stories that convey important truths in a warm and loving way are the best and this was a gem. And yes you did make this old man cry.

Happy December Birthday LitLover!

The singing dogs...

From 1948 "I'm getting nuttin' for Christmas"

CJ is a smart and complex young man that believes in the two party system . In this book which details his first semester at Georgetown and the final couple of months of the presidential campaign, we are treated to an insider's view of the preparation and work that goes into a campaign at the granular level of a college freshman thrust into the spotlight and how he responds. The ending on election night has no surprises as the story faithfully follows the catastrophe that was the Trump election. It does not delve into the unfairness of the Comey briefings about the Clinton investigation or the lack of notice about the Trump investigation. It does not go into the Access Hollywood tape disclosure or the highly orchestrated release of the WikiLeaks tapes that same day... In 20/20 hindsight Carlos has kept the focus on this being CJ's story and for that we can be glad. As others have mentioned, it would probably be a good idea to start with the earlier books in CJ's saga to truly get a complete idea of how and why he acts and reacts the way he does. I heartily recommend this book and the whole series!

I put off reading this final chapter until this afternoon. It didn't help. The bitterness and frustration I felt on election night was back in full force, despite your great depiction of the pre-election night rally in Philly with Springsteen. You kept enough of the facts to lend it full credence and I can only imagine how much you identified with César... CJ is your creation and like a proud papa you have taken good care of him and made him into a character that seems to be a GA favorite. I too can't wait to see how he immerses himself in the college experience and maybe we will hear more from the crew too! KUDOS! (and yes I'm glad this part of the story is over!)

Not the end of chapter i expected...

I think a good story will always be looked on as favorably as possible within the guidelines. Cia is the lead of the writer support team and if you have a story that may be considered controversial, you can always ask her team to take a look at it before it is posted for their input and suggestions. That's what I did before I published Abel III's Awakening and they were very helpful.

Toby was upfront with Liam and answered his questions honestly and also reassured Liam about "expectations". All in all I think the two are much better off having decided to communicate and be truthful instead of worrying about being embarrassed. Look forward to more!

@comicfan Happy Birthday Wayne!

Politics in 2016 did dominate the national conversation and the World Series was a nice diversion, especially for the Chicago branch of the family. Carson and Gina could be additional members of the squad, but I don't see them going up on the picture wall just yet... As a Cards fan it did pain me to see the Cubs in the World Series, but as a baseball fan I could appreciate the fact that it was 'bout time! The poor Dodgers though, all the talent in the world and to get beaten in the divisional playoffs in '16 and then to lose the World Series to a very worthy Houston team in '17 made me feel really sorry for their fans. Baseball reflects life; it takes skill, patience, persistence and a bit of luck. It seems that CJ gets that...

Glenn should have replied, "Well my room number is ### if on your own time you want to come by for a friendly visit....."

So Toby checks all Liam's boxes...maybe Toby is the tiger and Liam really is the lucky one!

My favorite Anne Murray carol is : Christmas Wishes

My Favorite Temptations Christmas song: With a bit of an introduction and interludes, Silent Night...It's a bit slow and mellow so might be best late at night after a hectic day!

Liam's dad was spot on about Liam needing to talk to Toby.... LIam is much more uptight about his sexuality than Toby and is still processing what that all means. He may be a late bloomer, but I think he maybe a surprise tiger.