Ireadthereforeiam: Thread VII

Look carefully and you will see that they are all of Suede's record titles! Super cool.

Weekend book haul! (it is so rare these days that I can use that phrase)

The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis ($1)
The Gathering by Anne Enright ($3) (pretty blue cover and page edging!)
Light Years by James Salter ($3) (Penguin Modern Classic series)
The River Between Us by Richard Peck ($3)
The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman ($2)

JULY BOOKS
39. Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada 568p (tally 9,798p)
40. The Kingdom of this World by Alejo Carpentier 180p (tally 9,978p)
41. Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr. 259p (tally 10,237p)

AUGUST BOOKS
42. Awful Auntie by David Walliams (read aloud to W) 416p (tally 10,653p)
43. Free to Learn by Peter Gray NF 237p (tally 10,890p)
44. Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes 167p (tally 11,057p)
45. Plumb by Maurice Gee 272p (tally 11,329p)

SEPTEMBER
46. Fiordland by Andris Apse (intro 14p) (tally 11,343p) NF
47. Love Story by Erich Segal 127p (tally 11,470p)
48. The History of the World in 10.5 Chapters by Julian Barnes 307p (tally 11,777p)
49. Stig of the Dump by Clive King (read aloud to W) 244p (tally 12,021p)
50. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert 327p (tally 12,348p)

OCTOBER
51. Indignation by Phillip Roth 234p (tally 12,582p)
52. The Interrelationship of Leisure and Play by John Stebbins 173p (tally 12,755p) NF
53. Ratburger by David Walliams (read aloud to W) 316p (tally 13,071p)

NOVEMBER
54. Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter 350p (tally 13,421p)
55. The Happiness Industry by William Davies 276p (tally 13,697p) NF
56. The Women's Room by Marilyn French 532p (tally 14,228p)
57. The Wellness Syndrome by Carl Cederstrom NF 135p (tally 14,364)
58. Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler 211p (tally 14,575p)
59. The Boy in the Dress by Davis Walliams (read aloud to W) 232p (tally 14,807p)

DECEMBER
60. A Field Guide to Melancholy by Jacky Bowring 218p (tally 15,025p) NF
61. The Snow Geese by William Feinnes 245p NF
62. The Outsider by Colin Wilson NF 302p
63. M Train by Patti Smith NF 275p

JANUARY BOOKS
1. The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai (Booker Prize 1996) 324p
2. Pincher Martin by William Golding. 230p (tally 554p)
3. The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje (Booker Prize 1992) 302p (tally 856p)
4. A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain by Robert Olen Butler (Pulitzer Prize 1993) 249p (tally 1,105p)
5. Daphne du Maurier: A Daughter's Memoir by Flavia Leng 234p (tally 1,339p)
6. Five go Adventuring Again by Enid Blyton (read aloud to Wilbur) 190p (tally 1,529p)
7. The Maples Stories: Everyman's Pocket Classics by John Updike 255p (1,784p)
8. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner 261p (tally 2,045p) From Bowie's top 100
9. The Circle by Dave Eggers 491p (tally 2,536p)

FEBRUARY BOOKS
10. Plato for Beginners by Robert Cavalier NF 153p (tally 2,589p)
11. The Property by Rutu Modan (GN) 222p (tally 2,811p)
12. Science on Stage by Stephen Hilgartner NF 150p (tally 2,961p)
13. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote 336p (tally 3,297p)
14. So, You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson NF 282p (tally 3,579p)
15. That Eye, the Sky by Tim Winton 150p (tally 3,729p)
16. Wrinkles by Paco Roca (GN) 102p (tally 3,831p)
17. Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge 111p (tally 3,942p)

MARCH BOOKS
18. Chocky by John Wyndham 151p (tally 4,093p)
19. Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding DNF (read 169/386p, tally 4,262p)
20. The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphries 184p (tally 4,446p)
21. Montana, 1948 by Larry Watson 175p (tally 4,621p)
22. Science, non-science and pseudo-science: Bacon, Popper, Lakatos, Kuhn, and Feyerabend on defining science by Max Charlesworth NF 46p (tally 4,667p)
23. Climate Change Denial by Haydn Washington and John Cook NF 163p (tally 4,830p)
24. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters 548p (tally 5,378p)

APRIL BOOKS
25. Small Steps by Louis Sacher 256p (tally 5,634p)
26. The Sailor who Fell From Grace With the Sea by Yukio Mishima 143p (tally 5,777p)
27. Julius Winsome by Gerard Donovan 215p (tally 5,992p)
28. Domestic Manners of the Americans by Frances Trollope NF 299p (tally 6,291p)
29. Science A History by John Gribbin NF DNF (read 347/600+p, tally 6,638p)

MAY BOOKS
30. What is This Thing Called Science by Alan Chalmers NF 170p (tally 6,808p)
31. The Iron Man by Ted Hughes 134p (tally 6,942p)
32. The Bird Artist by Howard Norman 304p (tally 7,246p)
33. The Five people you Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom 196p (tally 7,442p)
34. The Philosophy of Science: An Introduction by Kent Staley NF 297p (tally 7,739p)

JUNE BOOKS
35. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne 536p (tally 8,275p)
36. Not my Father's Son by Alan Cumming 295p (tally 8,570p)
37. The Watch Tower by Elizabeth Harrower 350p (tally 8,920p)
38: White Noise byDon DeLillo 310p (tally 9,230p)

DAVID BOWIE'S TOP 100
Reading one of these a month, I hope! So far me and Berly are going strong.
Struck are the ones that I have read, bold are ones I want to read....soon. Suggestions welcome!

January As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
February In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
March Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
April The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea by Yukio Mishima
May The Bird Artist by Howard Norman
June White Noise by Don DeLillo (reread)
July Last Exit To Brooklyn By Hubert Selby, Jr.
August Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes
September Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
October Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter
November Darkness At Noon by Arthur Koestler
December The Outsider by Colin Wilson, Thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/242031

Interviews With Francis Bacon by David Sylvester
Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse
Room At The Top by John Braine
On Having No Head by Douglass Harding
Kafka Was The Rage by Anatole Broyard
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
City Of Night by John Rechy
The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Iliad by Homer
Tadanori Yokoo by Tadanori Yokoo
Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Döblin
Inside The Whale And Other Essays by George Orwell
Mr. Norris Changes Trains by Christopher Isherwood
Halls Dictionary Of Subjects And Symbols In Art by James A. Hall
David Bomberg by Richard Cork
Blast by Wyndham Lewis
Passing by Nella Larson
Beyond The Brillo Box by Arthur C. Danto
The Origin Of Consciousness In The Breakdown Of The Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes
In Bluebeard’s Castle by George Steiner
Hawksmoor by Peter Ackroyd
The Divided Self by R. D. Laing
The Stranger by Albert Camus
Infants Of The Spring by Wallace Thurman
The Quest For Christa T by Christa Wolf
The Songlines by Bruce Chatwin
The Master And Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Herzog by Saul Bellow
Puckoon by Spike Milligan
Black Boy by Richard Wright
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Waste Land by T.S. Elliot
McTeague by Frank Norris
Money by Martin Amis
Strange People by Frank Edwards
English Journey by J.B. Priestley
A Confederacy Of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
The Day Of The Locust by Nathanael West
1984 by George Orwell
The Life And Times Of Little Richard by Charles White
Awopbopaloobop Alopbamboom: The Golden Age of Rock by Nik Cohn
Mystery Train by Greil Marcus
Beano (comic, ’50s)
Raw (comic, ’80s)
Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm And Blues And The Southern Dream Of Freedom by Peter Guralnick
Silence: Lectures And Writing by John Cage
Writers At Work: The Paris Review Interviews edited by Malcolm Cowley
The Sound Of The City: The Rise Of Rock And Roll by Charlie Gillete
Octobriana And The Russian Underground by Peter Sadecky
The Street by Ann Petry
Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon
A People’s History Of The United States by Howard Zinn
The Age Of American Unreason by Susan Jacoby
Metropolitan Life by Fran Lebowitz
The Coast Of Utopia by Tom Stoppard
The Bridge by Hart Crane
All The Emperor’s Horses by David Kidd
Earthly Powers by Anthony Burgess
The 42nd Parallel by John Dos Passos
Tales Of Beatnik Glory by Ed Saunders
Nowhere To Run The Story Of Soul Music by Gerri Hirshey
Before The Deluge by Otto Friedrich
Sexual Personae: Art And Decadence From Nefertiti To Emily Dickinson by Camille Paglia
The American Way Of Death by Jessica Mitford
Lady Chatterly’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence
Teenage by Jon Savage
Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh
The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
Viz (comic, early ’80s)
Private Eye (satirical magazine, ’60s – ’80s)
Selected Poems by Frank O’Hara
The Trial Of Henry Kissinger by Christopher Hitchens
Maldoror by Comte de Lautréamont
On The Road by Jack Kerouac
Mr. Wilson’s Cabinet of Wonder by Lawrence Weschler
Zanoni by Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Transcendental Magic, Its Doctrine and Ritual by Eliphas Lévi
The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels
The Leopard by Giusseppe Di Lampedusa
Inferno by Dante Alighieri
A Grave For A Dolphin by Alberto Denti di Pirajno
The Insult by Rupert Thomson
In Between The Sheets by Ian McEwan
A People’s Tragedy by Orlando Figes
Journey Into The Whirlwind by Eugenia Ginzburg

CURRENTLY READING

Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler (for Bowie's top 100 group read)
To Save Everything Click Here by Evgeny Morozov (lovely, if tough-to-read gift from Alex/roundballNZ)
A Field Guide to Melancholy by Jacky Bowring
And the usual old stick-arounds....
This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein
Why Social Justice Matters by Brian Barry

Is it safe?

Also, I have just finished three books in quick succession, none of which I have reviewed. Bad Megan.

The Happiness Industry by William Davies
The Women's Room by Marilyn French
The Wellness Syndrome by Carl Cederstrom

William Davies' The Happiness Industry and Carl Cederstrom's The Wellness Syndrome challenge the wellness/ well-being trend, adherents to which tend to hold that personal responsibility is the key to success in health and happiness...and life. I read these books for interest, but also because of researching (generally) the neoliberal imperative for wellbeing, in case my last essay is actually reworked for publication with that theme in mind.


BOOK 56
The Women's Room by Marilyn French (536p)

I purchased and read The Women's Room on a whim, because of Cushla mentioning it on fb as being an influential read. And even though it was sprawling and heavily detailed (or perhaps because of that?!) I gave it 5-stars. It is a lengthy feminist rant and I loved it. I could see so much of why things are like they are now, when this stuff was only happening in apparently civilized society only 40 years ago. I think is someone like my father read it, he might rethink some of his own actions and attitudes over the years (not that he is sexist, just that some of his attitudes are 'of their time').

This book consumed me while I was reading it, and many things that I thought about or encountered during that time were processed in relation to this book and the context it provided on the place of women in recent history. I gather it was shocking to readers and reviewers at the time, which in itself is fascinating. The essay (afterword) gives a good set of reasons for why this was so, and it doesn't report favourably on the (male) reviewers or their disdain. This is a great social history of recent US history. Five big fat stars.

>6 EBT1002: yes, it is safe!
It is always safe, but any earlier and you might have got lost in the introductory posts :)
Glad to have you here in rightful first place!!

Happy new one, Megan.

Happy new thread. Love the topper! Nice book haul. I have always kind of liked The Horse and His Boy. It's sort of an outlier in that series.

>7 LovingLit: Oooo, that sounds like a good one for the tower of TBR.

Happy New Thread, Megan! Hope you had a nice, relaxing weekend. All is well here, in the Midwest.

>9 katiekrug: hi there KK...or, is that sounding too much like an acronym with that other k. I think I'll change that to hi there Katie!

>10 nittnut: the topper was one I found trawling for book pics...as you do. I was going to put oneup of that guy who paints penguin published cover inspired art, but decided on the art-music combo instead.

>11 London_StJ: I think it classifies as a must-read classic for feminist literature.

>12 msf59: hi Mark. My weekend ruled. Cricket, choir, book sale (see >1 LovingLit: for haul), listening to cricket on radio while kids and lovely other hydro-slid at the pool, picnic and evening tipple. A great weekend for sure.
Glad to hear you are settled in the mid-west :)

Nearly forgot to add my....MOVIES TOO
1. The Force Awakens (date 3/1)
2. The Chipmunks III: Something about a road 'chip' (5/1)
3. The Force Awakens (again!) (8/1)
4. Zootopia (29/4)
5. Florence Foster Jenkins (8/5)
6. Finding Dory
7. Poi E (28/7) (doco, NZIFF)
8. Neruda (NZIFF)
9. The Secret Lives of Pets (18/9)
10. The Hunting Ground (23/9) (doco)
11. My Scientology Movie (6/11) (doco)
12. Rogue One
13. Rogue One (29/12)

BOOKS ACQUIRED
1. Daphne du Maurier: A Daughter's memoir by Flavia Leng $1
2. The Life of Pi by Yann Martel (second hand, first edition!) $5
3. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (new) $16
4. The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton (thoughtful gift from Nittnut)
5. Infidelities by Kirsty Gunn (new) $2
6. The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears by Dinaw Menfetsu
7. To Save Everything, Click Here by Evgeny Morozov CURRENTLY READING
8. Liberty in the Age of Terror by AC Grayling
9. Freedom Next Time by John Pilger (4 in a row all gifts from roundballnz)
10. Anthills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe $4
11. Jernigan by David Gates $23 (new)
12. The Iron Woman by Ted Hughes $15 (new)
13. The Five People you Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom $3
14. Neuromancer by William Gibson (free from Uni book swap)
15. A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin $6.67 (new)
16. Great Jones Street by Don DeLillo $6.67 (new)
17. The Angel Esmeralda: Nine Stories by Don DeLillo $6.67 (new)
18. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagirhara $15 (new)
19. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys $2
20. The Kingdom of This World by Alejo Carpenter (gift from Jenn/Nittnut)
21. The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles $2
22. The War of the Worlds by H G Wells $2
23. The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by by Ayana Mathis $2
24. Everland by Rebecca Hunt $2
25. The Women's Room by Marilyn French $10

26. A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin ($25 new)
27. The Vegetarian by Han Kang ($23 new, with the above, a $30 discount applied, so really $9 each)
28. The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane ($6 new)
29. A Beautiful Young Wife by Tommy Wieringa ($24 but free for me with birthday voucher!)
30. Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler ($24 but free for me, as above)
31. A Boy's Own Story by Edmund White ($25 but free for me, as above)
32. Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter ($14 new!)
33. The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis ($1)
34. The Gathering by Anne Enright ($3)
35. Light Years by James Salter ($3)
36. The River Between Us by Richard Peck ($3)
37. The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman ($2)

Congratulations on your new thread Megan.

>16 PaulCranswick: thanks Paul. But it didn't take much effort and isn't particularly praiseworthy. As far as I can tell! ;)

>7 LovingLit: Megan, I've added The Women's Room to my library wishlist, after your great review. You may be amused to know that I searched for "French, Marilyn", and The Women's Room came up first, followed by Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Darned weird catalogue. Finding anything feels like a triumph, like I've beaten the system somehow. I hope the aftershocks are settling down.

>18 susanj67: as soon as I told Cushla I was buying it and reading it based on her mention of it, she added the disclaimer that is was old, and she had read it a long time ago, and it might not hold up. My disclaimer would be that it is at times very detailed, but that if you read through it with no long gaps between reading, you really get caught up in it. It reminded me of life: long (hopefully!), and filled with the minutiae that makes it up.

>19 LovingLit: Megan, disclaimer noted :-) My main problem with old books is the state they're usually in at the library rather than their content. I am spoiled by too many new things there.

Happy new thread, Megan!

Happy new thread Megan.

>7 LovingLit: Think it is still an important read, I should get to it. The radio had a serialised version and the bits I caught were good.

Happy new thread Megan and what a great thread topper my dear. I must say that I do like Suede and in fact think I will get the best of CD out and put it on while I do a few things. Sending love and hugs my dear.

Happy New Thread, Megan!

I've been curious about Darkness at Noon, so I'll look forward to your comments on it.

>20 susanj67: my copy was $10, and for 500+ pages, a steal! I am very very lucky here with libraries. We have beautiful books, often new, always in good condition. They have regular clear outs and purchases.

>21 scaifea: why thank you :)

>22 charl08: I thought you had written 'sanitised' there instead of serialised....although, it might also have been sanitised!

>23 johnsimpson: Suede were great! I read a book about them, and the biographer reckoned that Placebo came in and did Suede as well/ better than Suede did, and that was their end. Interesting perspective. And I do like both bands.

>24 jnwelch: I didn't read any last night, was too busy searching funny social science memes in a passive aggressive hypothetical response to my MiL's thinly veiled insult to my course of study.....*sigh*
But I am over 50 pages in and am very much liking it.

>25 LovingLit: Suede & Placebo are great! .... Placebo are often on my goto list at work.

>26 roundballnz: there was a time (not that long ago) when I thought I might actually die if I didn't acquire their album...I can't even remember now, but I think it was a best of, and so I rashly (for me) just went and bought it- not even on special! It was/ is still good :)
And if I hadn't just painted my shelves red, necessitating in all the CDs being floored, I would tell you which Placebo album it was!

Happy new thread, Megan!

>26 roundballnz: It was this one! (so good)


>28 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie- how did you know I was just lurking over on your thread!? I didn't leave a comment I don't think...but I was just there :)

>27 LovingLit: >29 LovingLit: Great taste indeed !!! "Meds" tends to be the most played by virtue of headspace when that came out ....no cannot pick a favourite bit like the "The Smiths" any attempt will end in failure

^ just listening to Suede. Funny the things that trigger a need to hear some old CD. Last night it was sentimental ones...Turin Brakes, REM (automatic for the People- mainly for the last track which i LOVE), Beck (Sea Change) and The Bats (Guilty Office).
It's as if now that I am not studying I have all this headspace to plan active relaxation. Weird.

Today was a stinker of a hot day, so we decamped to the local pool after school. On account of not being home to prep dinner, we winged it with a fish and chip entree, and then a raw broccoli (with red onion, cooked diced bacon, and dried cranberries) salad.
Fantastic! I can recommend the combo :)

>32 LovingLit: Sounds great! Funny to read about your summer as it gets colder and colder here.

>33 charl08: I know, I think so too.
It was unusually warm yesterday. Today was supposed to be my day off and is a lot cooler, but I am working instead to make use of the warmer day forecast for tomorrow. Good thinking huh?!

Hope you're having a great day, even if you didn't get it off. Way to go on having better weather on your REAL day off, though. :)

Hi Megan!! This is your missing Bowie partner. Remember me?! : )

We should choose another Bowie to finish off the year in style. Suggestions? I have to review the list. And congrats on the new thread! I hope the wether is cooperating today. Hugs.

>34 LovingLit: Brilliant thinking. I have been walking along the canal with the leaves falling, ice on the path...

>35 The_Hibernator: good idea in theory....raining today. But it won't dampen my spirits! Only 90 mins left before I have to collect the kids! Better get relaxing ;)

>36 Berly: well hello there! I have half read Darkness at Noon but haven't even started a thread. I guess I'm no good at advertising ;)
December Bowie?! Yes let's!

>37 charl08: I love the leaves falling part of Autumn, I catch one every year straight from the tree. A little tradition I started about 4 years ago, I plan to stick it out til eternity :) If nothing else, it is fun jumping about trying to catch one, but I don't recommend it on icy footing!

Great weekend ahead here- and.....
Happy thanksgiving Amican friends!

Dinner in with friends last night (Indian, I had Palak paneer, my fave), swimming pool today with kids and their cousins, sleepover tonight (me niece and nephew) and lovely other's work social club family Christmas party tomorrow. Currently I am caffeinating myself so as to be able to deal with it all :)

>38 LovingLit: Never thought to catch falling leaves until I read about your tradition. This morning, when I was walking Ari, a leaf fell right on me, thinking of you I caught it ;-)

Hi, Megan. Sounds like you are having a terrific weekend. Enjoy! I am loving An American Childhood. I am so glad I decided to read a second Dillard for the AAC, especially since her novel The Maytrees fell flat.

>40 FAMeulstee: yay! I love that :)
One autumn it took me until near the end of the season to successfully catch one, and then the next autumn I nailed it on the first try.

>41 msf59: hey Mark
I've had trouble loading your thread lately, maybe too many pictures for my old device.... But I have lurked in the upper reaches of your thread!
Just packing for the big day out family Xmas picnic...blankets, pillows, balls to throw, thermos of herbal tea (I'm driving so can't take advantage of the alcohol that is provided).... And deck chair and book of course!

Hi, Megan! I have - somewhere - my copy of The Women's Room in the first mass pb edition. I read it then and liked it and now can't remember a thing about it except the cover. For some reason I believe that I thought it was pretty mild. Was I an angry feminist???? Surely not!
I do recall referring to Betty Friedan as "The Feminine Mistake" after she didn't show up at my college for a scheduled weekend. We had all read the book and were eager to talk with her. The word was that she had missed her plane. Surely not!

Picnic details...? Hope it was fun! I love your idea of The Outsider--I'm in! And next year I will try to catch a leaf. : )

Peggy: I think it was the case that The Women's Room was the first book that publisher published. Go them! Groundbreaking...
Maybe you thought it mild because you were already thinking all that (the injustices that women face/d) and were already talking about it in your social groups? I found the anger in it quite obvious, perhaps this was what the reviewers found distasteful.

Kim: Oooh, we have a starter for Dec then? We might have our work cut out for us in tracking down a copy, but I'll have a look-see tomorrow.
The Outsider by Colin Wilson it is! (might be) ;)
Picnic? Windy but warm, bouncy castles, sack races, heaps of lollies (candy, I guess you'd call it), yummy lunch, and even a visit from Father Christmas! I didn't sit on his knee, in case you were wondering. But me and my lovely other did partake in the three-legged race.

>45 LovingLit: Found it on Amazon, paperback and Kindle available and I already ordered it! I got a paperback edition because I think I may want to mark passages and that always works better for me in a real book.

I am glad you didn't sit on his knee, although Father Christmas may be sad! : )

>46 Berly: he he, I wouldn't put old Santa through that! Plus, he was on a camping chair, I don't honk it was robust enough for the two of us!
Great news about the Dec Bowie read.....I have a copy at a library fairly close by, so will be beelining ASAP!

I finished Darkness at Noon today, thanks to some creative reading moments...a public toilet, in the car at the supermarket car park, and at the picnic (clearly a desperate reader!!!!). It was very good, and a worthwhile read. And I was quite wowed by it, so am wondering now why I rated it 3.5 stars.....I might have to think on that.

LOL Santa on a camping chair you didn't want to break!

I should get my copy beginning of next week and I'll let you know when it arrives. : ) I'll set up a thread, too. I think it is my turn?

Good job finishing the book, no matter the circumstances! You go girl! Was this a re-read for you? How did you already rate it if you just finished? Leaves thoroughly confused....

>48 Berly: This latest Bowie read wasn't a reread, as soon as I finish a book I give it a rating, which sometimes ends up being a preliminary rating.
I think I have just rated a lot of books 4-stars lately, so felt I should differentiate by rating differently. I'm still thinking about it too :)

Got it! I should be so quick on my reviews...horribly behind. I made a new thread for our December Bowie, The Outsider.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/242031

Nice job Kimmers ;)
We have a thread already for the December Bowie read. I can't believe I have stuck to a GR plan for nearly a whole year now. It's not like me at all....hm, maybe I'm finally growing up.

Congratulations on sticking to the GR!! I'd like to take credit for that, but I think Bowie was the key. And your newfound maturity, of course. (Don't grow up too much--I like you just the way you are!)

I should get my copy of The Outsider in the next few days. It will be a nice, intellectual balance to the easy comfort reads I did most of November. Looking forward to it!

^ which reminds me, family trip to the library across town this afternoon to get my copy. Which I will then hold on to until you get your copy :)
In the meantime I will finish A Field Guide to Melancholy and maybe a few others I have on the go too.

Just de-lurking to wave hello. And show you this, courtesy of Utah:




At least one of us is happy. Lol

>54 nittnut: whaaaat? Snow, you say? Wow.
:)
I am sweaty-palmed today with the heat. 25 degC today. But forecast for rain tomorrow- good tomato growing weather!!!

Me and my mum in Wellington recently, for her significanth birthday. ;)
The café is Fidel's, on Cuba Street. Seeing as Fidel Castro is recently no longer with is, it's kind of fitting to have a café named for him showcased today. I love the peeling paint and the colours in this picture.

>56 LovingLit: How charming!

"Significanth" birthday. I like that! Cute picture. : )

>56 LovingLit: #goinggrey

Luxx: I spent a bit of time in that cafe that weekend. It's a great spot

Berly: I'll try put up another pic from that weekend, of me at the art gallery.

In other news....I have a new device! And it's got little pictures to drop in....👌

>56 LovingLit: Looks atmospheric. Hope the celebration was as fun as it looks.

>56 LovingLit: What a fabulous photo! You look gorgeously happy. I love it!

>62 scaifea: Great, Megan!

>61 charl08: >62 scaifea: >63 jnwelch:
Thanks you guys!

Turns out my new device had a glitch....it wouldn't power up this morning so I took it back and got a new one, which will ow take another 90 minutes of my life to set up all over again. Gggrrr. Tech huh? Not always making things better.

Got a new tablet today! Spent my one day off running about and resetting everything. But. Yay for a working device!😆📱👍

Cool! What did you get?

Yay!

>66 drneutron: I am low tech at best, Jim. Currently we are rocking an iPad 1.0 which crashed willy nilly (usually for trying to load them moving pitchers we call videos). What we have is Samsung Lite Tablet, brand new but 3 years old and (wait for the magic words) on special!
The old iPad was good in that it limited the kids access to apps that require too much juice to work, and they have gotten very used to blaming the technology over me for their inability to spend too much time online. We will see how it goes from now :P

>67 The_Hibernator: Yes. Yay! I will now be able to read facebook messages. So funny, as before it was the case that I couldn't read a new message, only the second and subsequent ones. So I was always one message behind. My poor friends :)

Latest news, kind of huge.

I didn't get the scholarship that I applied for. I was offered one that is worth half the value of the one I wanted (covering fees only). Felt a bit gutted for a few days. Emailed my supervisors and gave them the farewell speech only to be told to pull myself together and that this was still doable. (So nice!)
So, long story short, hav talked to the scholarship people and have found out that the reason I didn't get awarded the scholarship was due to university cutbacks (people have been being fired left right and centre, so it makes complete sense) meaning that where there were 3 scholarships on offer, now there is only 1. Hence my missing out when I was predicted I'd be a shoe-in.

So. Latest update is I have applied to the scholarship provider - for the fees only one I was awarded- to be able to change the tenure from "strictly one year" to 2 years. Which would allow me to study, work, AND parent. So we will see!

Talk about drama.

>69 LovingLit: Good luck with the studies and the mothering and the work (don't overdo the last one).
Drats to the cutbacks but I am sure that you will do wonderfully nonetheless.

>70 PaulCranswick: It's highly likely that I will turn down the scholarship as it is now, and look for work instead. Without the stipend it's virtually useless to me, sadly.
Maybe I'll retrain as a barista or become a high-functioning alcoholic ;)

>69 LovingLit: I am very sorry for you, Megan, it is sad those cutbacks...
I hope plan B works out...

Sorry about the scholarship drama. :( Between barista and high-functioning alcoholic... erm...

>56 LovingLit: Love the photo with you and your Mum. Has a perfect, vintage Havana look.

Sorry to hear about the scholarship drama. Bummer, my friend.

I did pick up a copy of White Noise today. I hope to bookhorn it in, by the end of the month.

"High functioning alcoholic" gave me the chuckle of the day. All will sort well I am convinced.

>72 FAMeulstee: I am much more at peace with t now that I know some background to how it is/isn't awarded. thanks for your commiserations.

>74 msf59: bummer indeed, Mark. But let's face it, it's a lot easier to NOT do a thesis than it is to DO one, so. I figure I can realise my potential elsewhere. Like through books and beer.
I ope White Noise spins yor wheels!!!

>75 mdoris: I'm convinced of the same :)
The universe has a way of sorting itself out. I feel like I can go on to other things, and not feel so stressed with the pressure of study. It has a tendency to fill up my brain-space rather a lot.

>73 nittnut: oh! I knew I had missed one! I'm working off the old iPad and the header bar sometimes wanders south and obscures some text, lol.
There may be more employment options out there for me than the two I showcased ;) I will get on to that next year, once the kids are back at school. Which means o have the summer off!

Just to add.
My spelling in the above few posts seems to be missing some letters. I fully blame the iPad. :)

>69 LovingLit: Oy, good luck with that.

Bugger about the scholarship, but yes it helps to understand the big picture, helps make the right decision, esp if the ground is moving ( no earthquake pun intended) .....

Not sure about the summer switch being flipped in my absence, only a few days ago was walking in knee deep snow :) well at least we have cricket

>79 London_StJ: the scholarship provider may be amenable to the part time option, I'd expect that they'd at least consider it seeing as they are the graduate women's trust, or something very similarly named...but, we will see.

>80 roundballnz: well, it's summer here! Today anyway ;)
Tomorrow it will be spring again. And then maybe winter for a few days, who knows?

Hoping that you get the scholarship and then your options are wide open and you can decide what you want to do. Crossing my fingers for you.

Sorry to hear that you didn't get the funding you were hoping for. Hoping that it works out.

>82 Berly: decisions are the hardest things for me lately...I feel like I want to do masters mainly cos it scares me. Is that a good enough reason!? Lol. If I get the scholarship extended to allow for me to study part time, I'd really have no excu not to do it, right??

>83 charl08: it will work out, I'm sure. My philosophical take on it is, that- something will happen. And whatever it is, that is whaht I will do.

Oh my, I definitely understand the whole thing about funding and its annoying tendency to disappear out from under people. :/ My husband said "being a high-functioning alcoholic doesn't pay very well, unfortunately. Slightly less than being a barista." I thought he was going to say "slightly less than being a grad student," so... :)

>69 LovingLit: That is disappointing news, even with the reasonable context behind it.
I'm hoping Plan B works out, "Which would allow me to study, work, AND parent." No small ask.

>56 LovingLit: Great shot of you and your mum. Thanks for posting!

>85 ursula: hehehe, love that advice. Clearly your husband is very pragmatic. please pas on my thanks for his career advice ;)

>86 EBT1002: my department escaped cut backs practically unscathed, with no teaching positions going. I had wondered about the scholarships being affected, but quickly fell back to the position that whatever will be will be.

And tomorrow, what will be is me and and friend walking up Mt Richardson. Should take 4 hours at best. Yikes, I hope I'm up to the task!

>87 LovingLit: Have fun ......

Sounds like a great plan. Will there be Views?

Happy walking. :)

When my advisor ran out of funding he simply made me graduate a year early. I guess that was a good thing. But I totally get your funding woes. Good luck with your attempt at upgrading your scholarship!

>88 roundballnz: oh my knees! Downhill is the killer. I'd much rather an uphill grunt than a downhill grind! Worth it though 😀

>89 charl08: there were views.And there was wind, a LOT of wind. And the second part of the walk was called Blowhard! Apt.

>90 nittnut: Thank you! It was 4.5 hours in the end because we took the slightly longer loop track. And thanks to the wind, we weren't subject to the 28 deg C heat until we got far enough down to have shade from the beech trees.

>91 The_Hibernator: you must have been further along than me....I will graduate now with a post-graduate diploma. If I do one more full time year (to an ok standard) I will graduate with a mastres degree. I.e. the diploma gets subsumed into the masters if I carry on.

Hope your knees and feet and ankles and everything else manage to cope with Mt. Richardson.

According to my brother, who is an alcoholic, it is not a profession but an affliction and there was me thinking that was marriage.

Have a great weekend. xx

>92 LovingLit: 2 words walking poles - your knees will thank me ... Saw the FB pics looks like you had fun!

The top two shelves of the left hand side of my newest bookshelves. This section houses the best of the best of my yet-to-be-read books (alongside a few that I have actually read). I hope the image is big enough for you to see some titles. I love looking at them!!

>93 PaulCranswick: still have the old achey knees, Paul. They were even both a little swollen yesterday! My lovely other laughed at such evidence of our advancing age ;)

>94 roundballnz: I had a stick, but yes. Two proper poles would have been much better on all my joints! I have a tendency to lean on my stick to favour my hip, and this creates problems elsewhere!

Ooh, a shelfie. Very nice. I am still hoping to come across a copy of Five Days at Memorial second hand. I read it, but I want to have it on the shelf too.

>97 charl08: shelfie!!! brilliant :)
My dad had my copy of Five Days at Memorial for ages, and found it too depressing/hard going, so gave it back unread. I had powered through it and ended up giving it 5-stars!! People huh? You just never know about what they are going to love.

>95 LovingLit: Oooh, lovely!

I found Five Days rough going and, honestly, a little slow in parts, but in general I thought it was a good read.

Sorry about the scholarship. Hope now you find time for all those delicious books!

Five Days at Memorial was unputdownable and a 5 star read for me as well.

>99 scaifea: I found it fascinating that I was so easily swayed by the narrative. In parts, it was only afterwards that I realised that the decisions made in that hospital were abhorrent. To me it was the mark of a master story-teller that I was so drawn in.

>100 ffortsa: There is still hope for the scholarship- I was meant to hear back yesterday if they will let me have it part time. So any time now...

>101 kidzdoc: I remember you saying that at the time, Darryl. And I felt the same. I read it in January and it remained my only 5-star read for months that year!!

>95 LovingLit: One of my favorite images: shelves of books. *happy sigh*

I also loved Five Days at Memorial. And I see Hhhh on the shelves, also on mine, yet to be read.

I love hiking and am hoping we can do more of it after P gets her new hip. We met with the surgeon today and it will likely be June or July. She will need 3-5 weeks off from work, I will need at least one. Oh boy. Can you say "read while your sweetie rests after surgery"? Anyway, what I meant to say is that I'm hoping we can start hiking again. And yes, it's always the downhill that is the killer, especially on the knees!

I thought FD@M was a truly amazing read of a huge shocking tragedy. Still a top book for me!

>103 EBT1002: well, you can report to P that my new hip (it's just over ten years old now) is in fine working order. I do limit my hours-per-day for tramps (hikes) to 5- but would recommend that as a general rule to anyone ;) I hope her replacement will change her life like mine did mine, if you catch my drift....I'm guessing if she needs a new one, there is pain already? (So. Not. Fun.) Good luck to her.
Meanwhile my knees have reduced in swelling. It was mainly the left one which I'm sure is related to the hip anyway- I have muscle wastage in that leg for the lack of mobility the still messed-up joint has caused, so the flow on effect will be that other joints carry some strain. The knee bone's connected to the thigh bone, etc etc...

>104 mdoris: yes, me too! I still think about certain 'scenes'...such as when staff pets were being airlifted to safety over patients and people. Wow. And that there was a staff room that had power to it somewhere in the hospital, and a few select staff had the privilege of using it!!!. Was it ever mentioned who had access to that?? Incredible.

*wave*

/\ hi back!

***News***
Scholarship provider said yes to my request for an extended timeframe on the thing, so I am now (almost) officially a masters student!
I am going to try and graduate with my post- graduate diploma (with distinction), seeing as i completed all the course work for that over the last three years, and enrol next year in a masters (thesis only) in applied science. Instead of taking a year full time to research and write a thesis, I will take two. With fees covered by the scholarship, and an extra $3,000 (approx US$1,500) for expenses thanks to the scholarship, and a university find for masters costs.
Uh oh, now I have to actually do this!
*one day at a time, one day at a time*

Oh, and school's out for summer!
Holidays started with a bang with an early finish, I meet with a friend at the cafe/pub, while the kids played in the trees, a wander over the fields for W's touch rugby game, then a walk to the chip shop for a burger on the way home! All in all, a 4-hour neighbourhood wallking/scooting adventure! A lovely day for it too, at 26degC.

A huge congratulations on your student Masters news. That is very exciting. I had a gut feeling it would all work out.

>108 LovingLit: Oh that's great.

According to your figures, the exchange rate is shocking. Really, the New Zealand currency exchange to US is 2 for 1? Hm. Maybe it wouldn't be so expensive to visit. Plane ride is still the same length, of course!

Brilliant news on the scholarship - you'll be great! Look forward to hearing how your research goes.

Well do you Masters student you.
I think it is lovely that as the northern hemisphere prepares in hope for a white Christmas - "school's out for summer"!

Have a lovely weekend, Megan.

Congratulations on getting a very nice scholarship/extension of time so you can do all your adulting things. I think you will enjoy it. :) Such a great example to your kiddos too.

>108 LovingLit: Huzzah!

>110 mdoris: even if I didn't get the scolarship it would have worked out. ..I was ok with giving it away to do something else but am glad to be challenging myself in this way too.

>111 ffortsa: Actually a quick fact check reveals that the rate is more like 2/3. 3000NZD = 2000 USD. I am assuming the plane ride is still the same ;)

>112 charl08: I'll tell you now, it'll be going slowly! And hopefully giving me the time to think carefully about it as I go.

>113 PaulCranswick: and getting a scholarship that I didn't even apply for!?!? Even better! ;) Thanks to uni cutbacks the scholarship I applied for was canned ( well, they went from awardingg one per dept., to one for the whole uni, which wasn't awarded to me) so... All applicants were automatically forwarded for other scholarships, and I was awarded one of those.

>114 nittnut: adulting things :)
Yes, I want to do all the adulting things! Fortunately for me know well enough that full time study plus work plus kids equals not an ok lifestyle for me. So part time all that is much , much better.

>115 London_StJ: yes, hooray! Apart from when I have to do all the hard work, at which point I will be thinking, *what have I let myself in for*???!!

>108 LovingLit: Congratulations!
Happy summer holliday :-)

Congratulations, Megan!

Summer?!

Congratulations Megan. I'm also looking forward to our few weeks of golden weather.

>119 kidzdoc: thanks Darryl. I don't know if you were around these parts for all of my umming and aaahing, but now I am signed on (almost), it feels good.

>120 avatiakh: if today is anything to go by....it's lovely here this evening. Nor'Wester. Warm and not too gusty! Had a BBQ to celebrate :)

Congrats on the supplemented financial aide!

Just bookhorning in a quickie before the new year.... The Snow Geese is really good. Then back to the Bowie December read...for my fill of existential musings.

>122 The_Hibernator: Thanks! It'll all hti the fan in Feb next year when I have to start 😃

>123 LovingLit: Oh, I love that book. He writes so beautifully about homesickness.

>125 charl08: I finished it this morning. It was lovely. I think I'm going to give it 4.5 stars :)
It was a book that I wanted to get back to ASAP, all the time, so it's definitely close to 5!!!

I took my book to the river today, wishful thinking on my part. It was hot hot hot, and I swam some, and made sure the kiddos were safe in the shallow water that was deep-ish and swift-ish in parts. We had picnic lunch, cold water, snacks...It was lovely! My mum came along too, which was nice.

Hi Megan. Congratulations on the scholarship!! Sounds like you're having a lovely holiday. So are we - we're up in Paihia till Friday and it is gorgeous. I'm already thinking about coming back next year.

If I don't get back here before Sunday, have a lovely Christmas!

>127 cushlareads: never too early for cheery greetings.
Especially today when the fun from yesterday's day trip to the river has worn off and left me with 2x grouchy children who are at each others throats....#givemestrength

Great congratulations on the scholarship on your terms!!! Well done and WHOO HOOO!
I also surmise that your mother is a couple of years younger than I am. Congratulations to her too.........
First day of winter here and temps in the mid-60s. Very nice but not winter.
Our neighbor with 3 fine boys (ages 10, 8, and 4) visited this evening with the gingerbread men they had made. Lots of fun for Mama and me, but they weren't cranky after a river day. Hope tomorrow is better!

>128 LovingLit: Ugh. I hate it when the kids fight. Which is often and over the dumbest little things...Hope tomorrow's better.

>108 LovingLit: HOORAY!

And I think a maximum of five hours for a hike is absolutely reasonable.

>130 cushlareads: tomorrow (which is today) was (is) better ;)
Plans you see, we had some. To the container mall to see the Ballantynes Christmas window display, then to the Margaret Many playground, then to a friends place. I have known her forever. She has roudy kids. And a messy house. I love her 😉

>131 EBT1002: pretty cool huh?!
I'm still fascinated about my decision making process though. I was shall I / shant I, will I / won't I, I'm definitely doing this/ I'm definitely not. Ha ha! My poor lovely other.
After an ascerbic comment from my MiL about me not doing masters and being able to spend more time with the kids....it sealed my resolve to do this!! Motivation comes in strange forms sometimes.

"Motivation comes in strange forms sometimes." Indeed it does. And it sounds like, after all that ambivalence, the current state of the decision is feeling good. Trust that.

Hi Megan, Karen and I would like to wish you and the family a very merry Christmas and whilst we celebrate take a moment to think of those less fortunate than ourselves due to war, starvation and natural disasters. Sending love and hugs.

Merry warm summer Christmas to you and yours! Wish I was there. :) Thank you for your time, your kind words and the books we enjoy together. However you celebrate, I wish for it to be full of joy.

Merry Christmas, Megan! I hope you have a wonderful holiday with the family.

BTW- I ended up really liking White Noise. It caught me by surprise, knowing DeLillo can be a difficult read.

Wouldn't it be nice if 2017 was a year of peace and goodwill.
A year where people set aside their religious and racial differences.
A year where intolerance is given short shrift.
A year where hatred is replaced by, at the very least, respect.
A year where those in need are not looked upon as a burden but as a blessing.
A year where the commonality of man and woman rises up against those who would seek to subvert and divide.
A year without bombs, or shootings, or beheadings, or rape, or abuse, or spite.

2017.

Festive Greetings and a few wishes from Malaysia!

Merry Christmas, Megan, to you and yours ...

Happy Christmas, Megan! Have a great 2017.

Merry Christmas, Megan!

This is the Christmas tree at the end of the Pacific Beach Pier here in San Diego, a Christmas tradition.

To all my friends here at Library Thing, I want you to know how much I value you and how much I wish you a very happy holiday, whatever one you celebrate, and the very best of New Years!

Hope you & yours have had a great day ...

Merry Christmas, Megan.

Aaaaw! Lovely Christmas messages! Thanks everyone.
We had a lovely day in the end. Mucho visiting, and kids playing, and, ultimately a game of baseball in the paddock at a friends place. The horse jumps were still in the field, we just played around them ;)

A looong day for the kids, but that was matched today with another long day. We went to a cricket one-dayer. NZ vs Bangladesh. We were there from 10:30 am til 7:30pm! We had a group of us, and cleverly that included some kids...so they were taken care of in that regard. And nice to know that the kids can handle a big day our at the cricket :)

Merry Christmas, Megan, from the other hemisphere ;0) Enjoy your holiday week!

>144 LovingLit: We were watching the cricket, but we didn't see you. Was hoping you'd find a camera and jump up and down and wave. *grin*

Nothing like watching cricket on boxing day ......

Megan--Merry Day-After Christmas!!! And congrats on the scholarship--whoohoo!!! And happy summer vacation. Life is good, huh? Hoping reading happens again for me in the near future. ; )

>145 Carmenere: lovely. So cool looking. ...here it is 29 deg c and I'm feeling the pull if gravity weighing me down!

>146 nittnut: I can't believe you were actually watching the cricket! Cool! It was a great day. Plenty of 4s and 6s, all action.

>147 roundballnz: it was great. There were 11 of us all up. A proper crew!

>148 Berly: yeah yeah me too next year I'll fit in reading too!

I finished my last book of the year! (I'm pretty sure I won't fit in another entire book in the next few days, but you never know)

Book 62
The Outsider by Colin Wilson NF (the December Bowie read) 302p
This one was written in 1956 and became a rapid best seller. According to the foreword and post script, the accolades that were heaped on it upon publication were quickly recanted once the masses started buying it, and the authors' subsequent books were not well accepted by the critics.

It deals with the human condition.... Yes- that can of worms. The author was self trained through reading, and basically wrote his thoughts. Because of this it is non academic, ie doesnt stay on safe ground with the inclusion of a lot of opinion and subjective comments, and for this reason is quite refreshing. The 'Outsider' of the title is someone ill at ease with the world around them, someone who needs more and who can't accept the dreariness of everyday life....aren't we all a bit like this?! Or is it just the company around here ;) The author terms his collected thinking on this as NEW EXISTENTIALISM (he'd prefer the term phenomonological existentialism, but acknowledges that this is a little off-putting to the lay person).

Anyway, it's impossible to recap the heavy heady stuff in this book, other than to say that it was deeply thought provoking, and epiphanous! I loved it, particularly thinking about the time it was published into, and how philosophy and society has changed since. 4.5 stars.

Megan--Okay, I'll compliment you twice...great job finishing this!!! Another Bowie winner! I am only about 50 pages in and RL got in the way, but your assessment of it seems spot on. Well done. : )

Stoked! I finished!
And started M Train just cos I can. :)

Happy Holidays, Megan!

Oh, I just picked up M Train. I know Caroline liked it. Hope it's good!

>153 jnwelch: I am LOVING M Train. It looks like I may even complete it this year. I will read it again as well, I'm sure. It's like Just Kids all over again, which l loved.
It is fitting in completely well with my last few reads, too. Do you find that? That similar themes come up in reading? All of my December reads feature exposes of personal landscapes. I can recommend them all, especially in a group!

BOOK 63
M Train by Patti Smith NF 275p
Well, I squeezed a last book in for the year. It was one of those that I couldn't stop reading, so in less than two days, it was done. Coincidentally, I finished it on Patti Smith's birthday, which is today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY PATTI SMITH! (my gift to you is to rave about your book)

As I mentioned above, all of my December books have been introspective and this one tied all that existentialism and self exploration together with art (ie music, poetry, literature, photography). Patti Smith appears to have an exceedingly rich inner life, and it made me think about all the thoughts that I have that I just let go. What might happen if I held on to them and captured them? Could I make more of them by just doing that? And what about if I wrote them down, and agonised over getting the perfect wording for them like she is able to? Scary thought! But the reminder to pay more attention to my thoughts about the details will stick with me. I got a lot of comfort knowing that other people think so deeply about things, and that not only is this ok, but that it is what makes people who they are. Also, being pensive isn't always a bad thing. I think of it as a by-product of being a thinker.

This book may turn people off because of its wanderings from the past to the present to the dreamscapes of the author's mind, but I got on the treadmill and let it take me wherever it went. And it went to very cool places, so please read it.

How great to end your year with a book you couldn't stop reading!

>156 EBT1002: So good. Still reeling.
When I started my next book, The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton, for the first 5 pages all I was thinking about was Patti Smith! But I came right ;)

>155 LovingLit: Nice review of M-train, Megan, a 5* read!
I see there is a Dutch translation, so I added it to mount TBR.

Hi, Megan! Hooray for M-Train. I LOVED Just Kids. Smith narrated the audiobook herself. Sweet. So, I really want to get my mitts on her follow-up.

Looking forward to your thoughts about The Rehearsal. I have been curious about that one.

>158 FAMeulstee: I thoroughly endorse that :)
I hear that the audio vision is fairly monotone. But that would suit the mood of the book, so I think would work.

>159 msf59: hi Mark!
Re: the Rehearsal, I love the cover and the physical book, so am enjoying reading/holding it ;) (I know, that is weird, but it is the case!)
I predict you will love Patti Smiths latest. I would probably count myself as a fan girl now.

Happy new year everyone!
We are off to a friends place for a stay over BBQ new year party. I haven't even LOOKED at the 2017 group page yet!! But will join tomorrow, in the new year :)

Looking forward to yet another year in this amazing group.

Hi Megan, Karen and I would like to wish you and your family a very Happy New Year and a prosperous and healthy 2017 my dear, sending love and hugs.

Hugs and Happy New year!!!

Have you read The Luminaries? I have it but haven't tackled it yet.

Looking forward to your continued company in 2017.
Happy New Year, Megan.

I wish you from my heart health, happiness, satisfaction and much exciting read in 2017. May all your wishes come true.


from my hometown Zürich, Switzerland

Happy New Year, Megan!

>162 johnsimpson: thanks! You'll be having the cold days and long nights, I guess? Cosy surroundings for reading.

>163 Berly: yeses! Thanks :)

>164 EBT1002: I read The Luminaries when it was published, and I finished it the day before it was announced winner of the Booker! Great timing on my part :)
I thoroughly enjoyed it, and have it 4.5 stars.

>165 PaulCranswick: marvellous Paul. I look forward to it too. Happy new year to you too.

>166 Ameise1: thanks, happy NY to you and yours too.

>167 jnwelch: thanks Joe. Same to you!

It is hot hot hot here today, 30degC + and I am a tired girl :(
Late night last night, of course, it being new year and all!!! Much merriment and delicious food (my haloumi/ courgette/red onion/ mushroom kebabs were a hit), the kids were allowed up 'till midnight' - which we told Lenny was 10pm ;) So they are tired this morning too, but had great fun staying up past dark- which never happens in summer as it gets dark only at 10pm.

I left my book at the party venue, so now have an excuse to go back and collect it and visit them.