Is that 'Adam Bede'?
That's one of my favorite books!

Yes, I know.
That's where the idea of reading it came from.
It's a library copy

I remember the first time I read it.
I was in college.
I absolutely loved that book.
Still do.
How far along are you?

Oh, halfway.
I've been reading it since Thursday.
Her writing isn't like anyone's,
At least, anyone, I've ever read

So you never had to read 'Silas Marner'?

We had an option to read that in High School.
I went with 'Lord of the Flies'. 
Big mistake

Did you want to walk?
I assume that's why you wanted me to meet you here

Yeah, but there's no hurry, 
Unless you have somewhere to be.
I appreciate you not
Spoiling the book for me, by the way.

We can talk about it fully when you're done.
I mean, it's been decades since I first read it,
I can avoid talking about it a few more days

Now that I think about it,
You've never said why you like this book so much.

I'll happily tell you after you're done

You know how fascinated I am with history.
I hate the modern, often unspoken, view
That people before us were all just evil.
Everybody in this book feels really relatable.
At least, so far.
Let's go ahead and start walking

Okay

You've been reading comics recently, haven't you?

Yes.

Batgirl, I assume?

No, Adam Strange.
It's a series called "Strange Adventures".

You stumped the band with that one.
I have never heard of Adam Strange

He's an old kind of sci-fi character.
From the late 1950's.
But this is kind of like 
The 'Citizen Kane' of comics.
You see layers and 
Different people's viewpoints,
And there's a mystery.

How far along are you with it?

Halfway, exactly at this point. 
6 of 12 issues published.

Who is the author?

Tom King. 
I've loved everything of his I've read.
It's also got a cool idea 
Where they use two artists
Each one reflecting 
A different perspective on events.
The artwork has been incredible

I need to check that out, then.
Do you ever think it's weird that
We live in the same space, and have
Both been working from home 
For months, yet
If we didn't stop and talk,
We wouldn't know 
What the other one has been up to?

It is ironic, now that you mention it.
And true.
I would have noticed Adam Bede,
But we can go whole days and have maybe
Ten sentences.
Plus there's the whole 
Night-owl/early bird thing.

Yes, you larks make little sense to us owls
How far do you want to walk?

Not quite as far as Hayslope, I think

Nice callback