Join us here in The Bistro for a discussion on the entire Gamache series. Feel free to ask or answer any questions about any of the books or the series as a whole.
Located in the Equitable Building in Manhattan, Minotaur Books publishes bestselling and award-winning crime fiction ranging from thrillers and suspense to traditional mysteries. Minotaur has published Louise Penny since 2007.
3,660 replies on “The Bistro”
Yes I love hearing the variety of insight and opinion that everyone brings.
Yes – we need to figure out how to invite more people over here – Perhaps Louise’s publishers can put a bug in her ear about putting something on the FB page? Or in her next newsletter? What do you say, Paul?
Good ideas, Julie. I didn’t think of that.
I am disappointed that more of the participants in the re-read and the discussion of TLWH last year have not dropped in to comment on TNOTB. We all have different insights and opinions and that makes interesting discussions. We are all Three Piners together.
Barbara….YAY YAY YAY. Can you hear me cheering from over there. I love your bravery. It just isn’t easy to do anything new but every time you do it makes it easier to try something else. We will have you in Word before you know it!
Thank you for answering the call Millie. I know you have your hands full at the moment sorting out the trip with your mum and it is exhausting. You put aside your fatigue and came up with a solution and I am grateful we have you to answer the call. I know that you are often answering such calls and you are ever gracious about it. If you will be smart and talented then of course you will be in demand 🙂
Yes I want to see AA taken down a peg or seventy but I also know that building someone up is much much harder than taking them down. I suspect Gamache is not above the latter but prefers the former where possible.
Julie, you are a total gem and receiving the map made my day. It was a tough couple of days over here so you can imagine how much brighter you made my world, not just because I had a map but because you thought to send it. That deserves a big Three Pines bag of harvest produce and a cafe au lat in the Bistro for you!!
I am sooo craving cooked apples now. I make a mean crumble. If there are any in the kitchen then they are headed for the pot. Particularly as the world has gone cold and dark and rainy this afternoon. Mmmmm.
Sending happy thoughts and hugs to you all!
Julie, I was at work and now with mum but I had to tell you quickly that the map arrived. Thank you so very much. I will thank you properly later when I get home.
Millie, You’re trilingual ! Y’all come to see us, you hear. roflol
Too funny! Thanks, Barbara.
Millie,What wonderful news about you and your Mother. I remember you mentioned helping her get book of poetry published. She is fortunate to have a daughter who can help her with such a thrilling project. I love to hear of Mothers and Daughters doing things together especially when the daughters are adult too and can help the mothers grow as they once helped the daughters.
SPOILER ALERT…………………………….SPOILER ALERT……………………………………
I, too, have wondered if it would be better for Gamache to work within or outside the Surete. I would like to see the next book take him and Reine-Marie out of the country where she can put her knowledge and expertise to work helping him. They would return to Canada for the baby’s arrival.Then he could be a consultant to various Canadian and international agencies while living in Three Pines. Well, there we are… two books.
All the talk about apples was too funny. I don’t eat much fruit but all the apple talk made me crave an apple dumpling with lots of cinnamon and a little Rum Raisin Ice Cream. But I didn’t think of the apple in the good and evil sense. Went right over my head. And me a former Sunday school teacher or as is said now, Bible Study teacher. Tsk, Tsk.
I was reminded of the time my brother-in-law had an even larger than usual bumper crop of Zucchini. His wife took bags to work and so did he. They even took a box to church with a sign “PLEASE, Take Some”. After that, I suggested he call the Food Bank and offer them. They accepted them .
I came home from work once and found a neighbor had left a bag in the carport !
Can’t wait for 8 PM tonight. Big Bang Theory’s new season.The second season of Vicious started a few weeks ago and a new season of Miss Fisher last week.
Barbara – we were thrilled to watch this season’s first episode of Big Bang, too.
BIG BANG THEORY SPOILER ALERT
Seemed like we were waiting so long… I think we’re going to see lots of Sheldon’s shenanigans as he tries to woo Amy back (while simultaneously punishing her for breaking up with him)… Penny and Leonard break my heart sometimes… I know Hollywood writers can’t let love go smoothly for people, but this seems overmuch to me.
‘Miss’ Barbara, my pleasure and glad it worked! ‘Bless your heart!”
Still busy so I’ll catch y’all later.
How’s that for southern? lol…
Loved that whole last exchange! I was trying to figure out how to show copying and pasting, but never thought about the “select all” or the email part. One of the funny things, Barbara, is that there are at least 3 ways to do everything, it seems to me, and not one of them makes any sense, hahaha. I think we all have a love/hate relationship with our computers, because they let us do so much, but they seem to have it written into their contracts that they have to frustrate us first!
SPOILER ALERT
I hadn’t thought of AA coming back – you guys are so much more forgiving than I am, I think. I didn’t see any redeeming qualities in him. He reminded me more of Lemieux in The Cruelest Month. Someone past being able to be redeemed. But that’s the kind of thing I should be more tolerant about – thinking it’s too late for someone to redeem themselves, when others still see potential.
I want AA to come back and get his comeuppance. How dare he threaten our Gamache. I’m not that forgiving. My bad I guess.
It worked. Millie, I can’t believe it. Thank you, Thank You.
I started my day with a full body laugh when reading your reaction to my post. When I start laughing wildly Sam. too. has learned to say “Bistro?”.
Anna, I think I heard you call Millie. Thanks for the shout out.
This is a test. Hope it works.
Thanks Millie.
Well done Millie. I knew you could help! It’s just different ways to do things Barbara. Give it a go just to see if you can. Nothing lost if it goes wrong. Every time we learn something knew I think our brains get a little thrill.
Dear Cathryne, I feel for you so much. Practically speaking there is not much I can do but let you know you are being thought of and positive thoughts are being sent. The Bistro has helped me on so many bad nights and difficult days. Especially when Barbara and Millie have me laughing out loud. Do you remember the whole hysterical bourbon and branch episode? That still makes smile. When the world is dark there is always a light on in here. I hope that brings you comfort.
SPOILER ALERT
I forgot about the harvest time baskets. Well done. That made me laugh too.
Yes Adam does seem to have potential, almost a young Gamache in some ways I thought. A carefulness I sense.
Arrogant agent, AA I shall call him, was he named? I am so bad with names. Anyway AA has the sort of attitude I think Gamache would love to eradicate.
A friend of mine is like Gamache in his field. He is sent problem trainees and he uses every skill to teach them compassion and teamwork and the art of caring. He is very very good and he fights many battles because, even if a profession where such things you imagine are mandatory, many see them as unnecessary distractions. It’s odd that making money and being caring often don’t coincide (rant on my part).
I wonder if Gamache can do more from within the system or from without?
Barbara, just had a thought! You may not know how to do ‘documents’ but I may have a way around it. You DO know how to create an email! Open a new email and write to your hearts content. Don’t close it, leave it open and with your curser (aptly named!) on any word of the actual email, right click. A sub menu should pop open, move your mouse over and down to where it (hopefully) says ‘Select All’ and right click on that. It should all be highlighted. Now, right click again and select ‘copy’. Then still without closing your email, open The Bistro page. Or if you were at the Bistro, no need to close it to open your email and do as directed above and return to the Bistro page. Place your mouse on the comment square and left click to place the curser within. Then, instead of typing anything, right click. This time click on ‘paste’ from the submenu. It should magically appear on the comment area. Then click on the red Post Comment. I’ve noticed sometimes I need to do it twice.
Once it safely posts, you can go back to email, click cancel or close it. It may ask you a bazillion questions like are you sure you want to delete draft, tell it to go where the sun don’t shine, I mean click yes and done! 😉
The Bistro comment should still be saved in memory so if your first paste attempt doesn’t go thru just try again. But the reason I don’t want you to close the email before it actually posts is so you can go back to it to start over with copy and paste rather than re typing.
I hope this works for you. NOW I’ll go to bed with one less thing to do tomorrow for y’all! 😉
Barbara, you gave me a shoulder pumping up and down belly laugh with your scream post and that you were so frustrated you reverted to using your native language – y’all! Not so in my case.
Technically, Spanish is my native language. But we (parents and brother) moved to the States when I was almost three. I was already speaking, but my parents moved in with mom’s mom. I liked watching her cook. But she would hurt herself many times while cooking and would let out a bad word in Spanish then spin around look at me straight in the eyes and say, “Don’t say that!” To this day, I can’t bring myself to curse in Spanish. I’m ever so grateful to Louise for introducing me to ‘merde’! 😉
But then as I read your next post referring to my saying my mom was technology savvy and asking ‘Guess who else isn’t,’ had me spurt the sip of tea all over my iPad screen! “Oh, shit, merde, merde!” Poor Hubby came running thinking I had hurt myself. But when he saw me trying to swallow while giggling he just said, “The Bistro,” and as my head bobbed up and down, he handed me a towel and turned around and went back to packing for his next trip. Im not sure how much help I’d be since my PC is so old it still uses, barely, Windows XP and I’m trying to learn Mac, but I’ll give it a go tomorrow. Hubby won’t be home, so I’ll sneak in his office and see if I can figure it out.
Two Christmasses ago hubby got both me and my mom identical iPads so I could walk her through stuff. I still can’t get her to understand that telling me ‘it’s on the Pad’ isn’t very helpful. She doesn’t get it that every app is like a different older in a file drawer. Her response is usually, “Well I’m not good at organizing papers either!” Sad, but true. Merde!
Till tomorrow.
I hope.
I still have to make airline and hotel reservations, find out the address where the books are shipped, order the books, find my credit card reader, set it up for her bank account… There is no way she could have done all this prep work by herself. She’s still in a bit of overwhelm from being dad’s caregiver for so long. So if if I don’t respond quickly with what I’ve promised, it not for lack of caring. I’ve been so busy!
Yes, Julie, she’s taking me along then she’ll stay here for almost two weeks, and finally meet her other two great granddaughters plus see a rocket launch from our back yard, if they don’t delay it for technical or weather reasons.
That should read my mom isn’t and folder, not older! Yes I better go to bed. Big hug Barbara!
Yes, apples, apples, apples! It was a fun recurring theme and reminded me of the zucchini, tomatoes, and monarda in Still Life. People locking their doors to keep neighbors from dropping off baskets at harvest time.
SPOILER ALERT
I have wondered if the arrogant agent will become the new Jean Guy, someone for either Gamache or Jean Guy to train and save from himself.
I am counting on Adam Cohen’s continued presence and importance. I think (hope!) that Louise has plans for him and for revealing more about him and his character. She seemed to be hinting at that. He seems to have the potential for greatness.
Thanks for the good wishes. They have been a help as I navigate difficult waters.
I made use of the Bistro and the support there even before my last post, knowing it was filled with peace and calm and positive thoughts.
Millie, I was so happy to hear your news! Congratulations to your mother and to you for your important part in it all. I hope you both have a wonderful time.
Hear hear Barbara. I think we all want snotty arrogant agents to see the tight end of Gamache discipline. He would not be harsh but he would demand standards
I don’t remember all that I had written but here goes another try.
SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT
Julie, I felt the same about Adam Cohen.
I hated that agent treating Gamache as he did at the crime scene. Of course, there were cadets being trained while the corruption was running rampant in the Surete. I want Gamache, through influence or position, to complete the job of repairing the Surete.
By the way Barbara, last time I looked Jason Day was playing well. Nice for him to be on a bit of a roll. Speaking of which its back to my book….it’s getting exciting and I honestly, and I mean that, have no real idea what is happening next. That’s why writing the first draft can be so much fun!
He has had a good year. I hope he continues to play well.
Sam’s Lions Club has its annual golf tournament/fundraiser next month. Sam doesn’t play often so he doesn’t want to play in the Tournament. He and some of the other members are assigned to work certain holes. They have a good time and raise an amazing amount of money.
Miss Fisher’s Murder mysteries started a new season. I do enjoy that show. Those clothes are a dream.