

“When two people meet and fall in love, there's a sudden rush of magic. Magic is just naturally present then. We tend to feed on that gratuitous magic without striving to make any more. One day we wake up and find that the magic is gone. We hustle to get it back, but by then it's usually too late, we've used it up. What we have to do is work like hell at making additional magic right from the start. It's hard work, but if we can remember to do it, we greatly improve our chances of making love stay.”
― Still Life with Woodpecker
― Still Life with Woodpecker

“Now tequila may be the favored beverage of outlaws but that doesn't mean it gives them preferential treatment. In fact, tequila probably has betrayed as many outlaws as has the central nervous system and dissatisfied wives. Tequila, scorpion honey, harsh dew of the doglands, essence of Aztec, crema de cacti; tequila, oily and thermal like the sun in solution; tequila, liquid geometry of passion; Tequila, the buzzard god who copulates in midair with the ascending souls of dying virgins; tequila, firebug in the house of good taste; O tequila, savage water of sorcery, what confusion and mischief your sly, rebellious drops do generate!”
― Still Life with Woodpecker
― Still Life with Woodpecker

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”
―
―

“We are our own dragons as well as our own heroes, and we have to rescue ourselves from ourselves.”
― Still Life with Woodpecker
― Still Life with Woodpecker

Study and discussion of the important questions of ethical and political philosophy from Confucius and Socrates to the present. Rules (see also the ...more

A chance to discuss books covering the Second World War, the battles, campaigns, leaders and weapons. Tantum librorum, tam brevi tempore (So many ...more

Welcome to 'Reading the 20th Century', a friendly and inclusive group that explores and discusses the literature, history, culture and music of the ye ...more

Reading takes you places. Where in the world will your next book take you? If you love world literature, translated works, travel writing, or explorin ...more

"Interested in history - then you have found the right group". The History Book Club is the largest history and nonfiction group on Goodread ...more
JOE’s 2024 Year in Books
Take a look at JOE’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
Favorite Genres
Art, Biography, Classics, Fantasy, Fiction, History, Horror, Non-fiction, Philosophy, Psychology, Science, and Science fiction
Polls voted on by JOE
Lists liked by JOE