PAUL C WITH A CLEAN SLATE IN '22 - Part 19

PLACES FROM MY PAST

I will sign off from France with Superbagneres which is a Pyrenean climb I raced and "enjoyed" good performances on. On the road to the ski station at Superbagneres-Luchon, I cycled over the highest road I ever managed crossing the famous Col du Tourmalet at 2,115 metres. Wonderful view from the top which you can enjoy if you aren't racing!

The Opening Words

I must read something from my recent non-fiction additions and I am not 100% sure what I will settle upon but it is most likely to be Margaret MacMillan with War : How Conflict Shaped Us



"War. The word alone raises a range of emotions from horror to admiration. Some of us choose to avert our eyes as if the very act of remembering and thinking about war somehow brings it closer. Others of us are fascinated by it and can find in war excitement and glamour. As a historian I firmly believe that we have to include war in our study of human history if we are to make any sense of the past. "

Interested..........................?

Books Read First Quarter

JANUARY

1. American Dream? A Journey on Route 66 by Khor Shing Yin (2019) 160 pp (AAC) - GN
2. The Forward Book of Poetry 2022 by Various Poets (2021) 155 pp - Poetry
3. Absolution by Murder by Peter Tremayne (1994) 274 pp - Thriller/Mystery
4. Somewhere Towards the End by Diana Athill (2008) 183 pp - (NF Challenge) NF
5. My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk (1998) 671 pp - (Asian Book Challenge{ABC}) Fiction; 1001
6. The Thief and the Dogs by Naguib Mahfouz (1962) 158 pp - (World Books/Food) Fiction
7. The Children Who Stayed Behind by Bruce Carter (1958) 216 pp - (BAC) YA Fiction
8. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (2021) 114 pp - Fiction
9. Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar (2020) 343 pp - (ABC) - Fiction (?)
10. Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings (1982) 192 pp - SF/Fantasy
11. Days in the History of Silence by Merethe Lindstrom (2011) 230 pp - Fiction/Holocaust
12. The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty (1972) 208 pp - Fiction; Pulitzer
13. My Two Worlds by Sergio Chejfec (2008) - 103 pp Fiction/Rebecca NYC reads
14. Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine (2002) - 131 pp Non Fiction / Holocaust
15. Last Train to Istanbul by Ayse Kulin (2002) 384 pp Fiction / Asian Book Challenge
16. Up With the Larks by Tessa Hainsworth (2009) 278 pp Non Fiction
17. Cheryl's Destinies by Stephen Sexton (2021) 88 pp - Poetry
18. Hotel Bosphorus by Esmahan Aykol (2001) 246 pp - Thriller/Mystery / Asian Book Challenge
19. The List of Books by Frederic Raphael (1981) 154 pp - Non Fiction / Reference
20. Disquiet by Zulfu Livaneli (2017) 163 pp - Fiction / Asian Book Challenge
21. Turkey : A Short History by Norman Stone (2017) 185 pp - Non-Fiction
22. Black Out by Ragnar Jonasson (2011) 247 pp - Thriller/Scandi
23. The Wild Iris by Louise Gluck (1992) 63 pp - Poetry
24. A Foolish Virgin by Ida Simons (1959) 216 pp - Fiction
25. Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson (1928) 329 pp - Fiction / 1001 Books
26. The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens (1969) 224 pp - Fiction / Booker Winner

5,715 pages

FEBRUARY

27. The Nest by Kenneth Oppel (2015) 244 pp - Fiction
28. Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World by Fareed Zakaria (2021) 156 pp Non-Fiction/ABC
29. Redemption Ground by Lorna Goodison (2018) 164 pp Non-Fiction
30. The Blue Between Sky and Water by Susan Abulhawa (2015) 288 pp Fiction /Asian Book Challenge
31. Door into the Dark by Seamus Heaney (1969) 44 pp Poetry
32. The Yellow Wind by David Grossman (1988) 218 pp Non-Fiction/Asian Book Challenge
33. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (2017) 343 pp Fiction / Booker Winner
34. If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin (1974) 197 pp Fiction
35. The Wrecking Light by Robin Robertson (2010) 90 pp Poetry
36. The Others by Sarah Blau (2018) 239 pp Thriller /ABC
37. Portable Kisses by Tess Gallagher (1992) 80 pp Poetry/ AAC

2,063 pages

MARCH

38. Rise Like Lions : Poetry for the Many edited by Ben Okri (2017) 258 pp Poetry
39. Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin (1958) 179 pp Non-Fiction
40. Intimacies by Katie Kitamura (2021) 225 pp Fiction / Asian Book Challenge
41. Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi (2013) 283 pp Fiction/ Asian Book Challenge
42. Songs of Mihyar the Damascene by Adonis (1961) 116 pp Poetry/Asian Book Challenge
43. Tales of the Tikongs by Epeli Hau'ofa (1983) 93 pp Fiction /Short stories
44. The Twits by Roald Dahl (1980) 87 pp Fiction /YA
45. The Historians : Poems by Eavan Boland (2020) 67 pp Poetry
46. Night Haunts by Sukhdev Sandhu (2007) 144 pp Non-Fiction
47. The Old Boys by William Trevor (1964) 170 pp Fiction
48. Autumn by Karl Ove Knausgaard (2015) 244 pp Non-Fiction/Memoir
49. The Fell by Sarah Moss (2021) 180 pp Fiction
50. Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner (1926) 203 pp Fiction
51. Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi (2018) 243 pp Fiction / Asian Book Challenge
52. Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney (2021) 337 pp Fiction

2,829 pages

Books Read Second Quarter

APRIL

53. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (1979) 180 pp Science Fiction/1001
54. Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy (1874) 389 pp Fiction/Re-read Reassessment
55. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (1961) 128 pp Fiction/Re-read Reassessment
56. Mrs England by Stacey Halls (2021) 425 pp Fiction
57. The Moon and Sixpence by W Somerset Maugham (1919) 215 pp Fiction /Re-Read Reassessment
58. Poems : Giosue Carducci by Giosue Carducci (1907) 175 pp Poetry / Nobel Prize winner
59. White Mughals by William Dalrymple (2002) 501 pp Non Fiction / Shared Read (Stasia)
60. Weaveworld by Clive Barker (1987) 722 pp SF/Fantasy; BAC; Guardian Books
61. The Saddlebag by Bahiyyih Nakhjavani (2000) 253 pp Fiction /Asian Book Challenge
62. Pilgrims Way by Abdulrazak Gurnah (1988) 281 pp Fiction
63. A Village Life by Louise Gluck (2009) 71 pp Poetry/AAC wildcard
64. Brighton Rock by Graham Greene (1938) 269 pp Fiction/Re-Read Reassessment

3,609 pages

MAY

65. Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung (2017) 251 pp Fiction/Asian Book Challenge / Short Stories
66. Peterloo : Witnesses to a Massacre by Polyp (2019) 109 pp BAC / Graphic Book
67. Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid (1985) 148 pp 1001 Books
68. The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allen Poe (1844) 99 pp AAC/1001 Books/ Short Stories
69. Sovietistan by Erika Fatland (2014) 470 pp Non-Fiction/Travel
70. The Kids by Hannah Lowe (2021) 79 pp Poetry
71. Mouthful of Birds by Samanta Schweblin (2010) 228 pp Short Stories

CURRENTLY READING

BOOKERS, PULITZERS, NOBEL WINNERS, 1001 BOOKS FIRST ED. & ETC

I have an ongoing challenge to read all the Booker Winners, all the Pulitzer Fiction Winners, something by each Nobel and all the 1001 Books First Ed Books. I will track my progress here:

BOOKERS READ BY DEC 31 2021 : 34 / 57
BOOKERS IN 2022 : 2 (36 / 57)
The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

PULITZERS READ BY DEC 31 2021 : 19 / 94
PULITZERS IN 2022 : 1 (20 / 94)
The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty

NOBEL LAUREATES READ BY DEC 31 2021 : 74 / 118
NOBEL WINNERS IN 2022 1 (75/118)
Poems by Giosue Carducci

1001 BOOKS FIRST ED READ BY DEC 2021 : 319
1001 BOOKS IN 2022 5 (324)
My Name is Red
Tarka the Otter
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Annie John
The Purloined Letter

GUARDIAN 1000 BOOKS READ BY DEC 2021 : 349
GUARDIAN BOOKS IN 2022 4 (353)
My Name is Red
Lolly Willowes
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Weaveworld

WOMEN'S PRIZE WINNERS READ BY DEC 2021 : 7 / 26
WOMEN'S PRIZE WINNERS IN 2022

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE



January - YA - The Children Who Stayed Behind by Bruce Carter
February - Mo / Renault
March - Between the Wars - Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner
April - Weaveworld by Clive Barker
May - Comics, Graphic Novels & Audiobooks - Peterloo : Witnesses to a Massacre

AMERICAN AUTHOR CHALLENGE



January - Graphic Books - The American Dream? A Journey on Route 66 by Khor Shing Yin
February - Tess Gallagher - Portable Kisses
March - Bernard Malamud
April - Louise Gluck (Wildcard) - A Village Life
May - Nineteenth Century - The Purloined Letter

ASIAN BOOK CHALLENGE 2022

Here is the link to the General Thread
https://www.librarything.com/topic/337731#n7692635

These will be the monthly jaunts for the ABC challenge.

JANUARY - Europe of Asia - Turkish Authors link to thread
https://www.librarything.com/topic/338244
1. My Name is Red
2. Last Train to Istanbul
3. Hotel Bosphorus
4. Disquiet

FEBRUARY - The Holy Land - Israeli & Palestinian Authors
Link to thread : https://www.librarything.com/topic/339017
1. The Blue Between Sky and Water
2. The Yellow Wind
3. The Others

MARCH - The Arab World - Writers from the Arab world
link to thread https://www.librarything.com/topic/340000
1. Frankenstein in Baghdad
2. The Songs of Mihyar the Damascene
3. Celestial Bodies

APRIL - Persia - Iranian writers
link to thread : https://www.librarything.com/topic/340943#n7802013
1. The Saddlebag

MAY - The Stans - There are 7 states all in the same region all ending in "Stan"
link to thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/341521

JUNE - The Indian Sub-Continent - Essentially authors from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
JULY - The Asian Superpower - Chinese Authors
AUGUST - Nippon - Japanese Authors
SEPTEMBER - Kimchi - Korean Authors
1. Cursed Bunny
OCTOBER - INDO CHINA PLUS - Authors from Indo-China and other countries neighbouring China
NOVEMBER - The Malay Archipelago - Malaysian, Singaporean and Indonesian Authors
DECEMBER - The Asian Diaspora - Ethnic Asian writers from elsewhere
1. Homeland Elegies
2. Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World
3. Intimacies
4. Night Haunts

I was able just about to cover the whole of the continent and I didn't include one for Russia as most of the authors are decidedly European in their ethnicity and leaning.

AROUND THE WORLD IN BOOKS SINCE 2021

Around the world in books challenge. I want to see how many countries I can cover without limiting myself to a specific deadline. Continued from last year.


1. United Kingdom - The Ways of the World by Robert Goddard EUROPE
2. Ireland - The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde EUROPE
3. Lithuania - Selected and Last Poems by Czeslaw Milosz EUROPE
4. Netherlands - The Ditch by Herman Koch EUROPE
5. Armenia - The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian ASIA PACIFIC
6. Zimbabwe - This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga AFRICA
7. United States - Averno by Louise Gluck AMERICA
8. Australia - Taller When Prone by Les Murray ASIA PACIFIC
9. France - Class Trip by Emmanuel Carrere EUROPE
10. Russia - The Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov EUROPE
11. Denmark - Fear and Trembling by Soren Kierkegaard EUROPE
12. Democratic Republic of Congo - Tram 83 by Fiston Mwanze Mujila AFRICA
13. Canada - I Heard the Owl Call My Name by Margaret Craven AMERICA
14. Italy - The Overnight Kidnapper by Andrea Camilleri EUROPE
15. New Zealand - Dove on the Waters by Maurice Shadbolt ASIA PACIFIC
16. India - A Burning by Megha Majumdar ASIA PACIFIC
17. Libya - The Return by Hisham Matar AFRICA
18. Pakistan - Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid ASIA PACIFIC
19. South Korea - Diary of a Murderer by Kim Young-Ha ASIA PACIFIC
20. Morocco - The Curious Case of Dassoukine's Trousers by Fouad Laroui AFRICA
21. Thailand - Arid Dreams by Duanwad Pimwana ASIA PACIFIC
22. Norway - Echoland by Per Petterson EUROPE
23. Belgium - I Choose to Live by Sabine Dardenne EUROPE
24. Sweden - Still Waters by Viveca Sten EUROPE
25. Trinidad - Half a Life by VS Naipaul AMERICAS
26. Sudan - Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih AFRICA
27. Uruguay - Springtime in a Broken Mirror by Mario Benedetti AMERICAS
28. Syria - My Country : A Syrian Memoir by Kassem Eid ASIA PACIFIC
29. Ghana - The God Child by Nana Oforiatta Ayim AFRICA
30. Austria - Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E Frankl EUROPE
31. Germany - Cat and Mouse by Gunter Grass EUROPE
32. South Africa - No Turning Back by Beverley Naidoo AFRICA
33. Mauritania - Arab Jazz by Karim Miske AFRICA
34. Cuba - The Kingdom of This World by Alejo Carpentier AMERICAS
35. Nigeria - Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie AFRICA
36. Portugal - The Return by Dulce Maria Cardoso EUROPE
37. Japan - Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids by Kenzaburo Oe ASIA PACIFIC
38. Senegal - At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop AFRICA
39. Malta - The Hiding Place by Trezza Azzopardi EUROPE
40. Chile - A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende AMERICAS
41. Lebanon - The First Century After Beatrice by Amin Maalouf ASIA PACIFIC
42. Spain - The Watcher in the Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafon EUROPE
43. Somalia - The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed AFRICA
44. Malaysia - Strangers on a Pier by Tash Aw ASIA PACIFIC
45. Mexico - Sudden Death by Alvaro Enrigue AMERICAS
46. Latvia - The Hedgehog and the Fox by Isaian Berlin EUROPE
47. Malawi - Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver AFRICA
48. Turkey - My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk ASIA PACIFIC
49. Egypt - The Thief and the Dogs by Naguib Mahfouz AFRICA
50. Argentina - My Two Worlds by Sergio Chejfec - AMERICAS
51. Iceland - Black Out by Ragnar Jonasson - EUROPE
52. Jamaica - Redemption Ground by Lorna Goodison - AMERICAS
53. Palestine - The Blue Between Sky and Water by Susan Abulhawa - ASIA PACIFIC
54. Israel - The Yellow Wind by David Grossman - ASIA PACIFIC
55. Iraq - Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi - ASIA PACIFIC
56. Papua New Guinea - Tales of the Tikongs by Epeli Hau'ofa - ASIA PACIFIC
57. Oman - Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi - ASIA PACIFIC
58. Iran - The Saddlebag by Bahiyyih Nakhjavani - ASIA PACIFIC
59. Tanzania - Pilgrims Way by Abdulrazak Gurnah - AFRICA
60. Antigua - Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid - AMERICAS


Create Your Own Visited Countries Map

100 NOVELS 100 AUTHORS

1 Things Fall Apart Achebe, Chinua
2 Watership Down Adams, Richard
3 Half of a Yellow Sun Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi
4 Jack Sheppard Ainsworth, William Harrison
5 Northanger Abbey Austen, Jane
6 The Twin Bakker, Gerbrand
7 Another Country Baldwin, James
8 The Black Sheep Balzac, Honore de
9 Silence of the Girls Barker, Pat
10 The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett
11. Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernieres
12 The Sheltering Sky Bowles, Paul
13 Orenda Boyden, Joseph
14 Rumours of Rain Brink, Andre
15 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
16 Wuthering Heights Bronte, Emily
17 The Good Earth Buck, Pearl
18 The Plague Camus, Albert
19 Jack Maggs Carey, Peter
20 O' Pioneers Cather, Willa
21 The Woman in WhiteCollins, Wilkie
22 To Serve Them All My Days Delderfield, RF
23 David Copperfield Dickens, Charles
24 Crime and Punishment Dostoevsky, Fyodor
25 Justine Durrell, Lawrence
26 Invisible Man Ellison, Ralph
27 The Round house Erdrich, Louise
28 Passage to India Forster, EM
29 The Promise Galgut, Damon
30 Sea of Poppies Ghosh, Amitav
31 I, Claudius Graves, Robert
32 The Quiet American Greene, Graham
33 The Growth of the Soil Hamsun, Knut
34 The Return of the Native Hardy, Thomas
35 The Go-Between Hartley, LP
36 Plainsong Haruf, Kent
37 The Rainbow Troops Hirata, Andrea
38 Les Miserables Hugo, Victor
39 A Prayer for Owen Meany Irving, John
40 The Dig Jones, Cynan
41 Mister Pip Jones, Lloyd
42 The Far Pavilions Kaye, MM
43 Small Things Like These Keegan, Claire
44 The Dictator's Last Night Khadra, Yasmina
45 Darkness at Noon Koestler, Arthur
46 The Unbearable Lightness of Being Kundera, Milan
47 To Kill a Mockingbird Lee, Harper
48 The Grass is Singing Lessing, Doris
49 If Not Now, When? Levi, Primo
50 The Road to Lichfield Lively, Penelope
51 How Green is My Valley Llewellyn, Richard
52 Lovely Green Eyes Lustig, Arnost
53 Palace Walk Mahfouz, Naguib
54 The Fixer Malamud, Bernard
55 A Place of Greater Safety Mantel, Hilary
56 One Hundred Years of Solitude Marquez, Gabriel Garcia
57 The Moon and Sixpence Maugham, W Somerset
58 Bel-Ami Mauppasant, Guy de
59 The North Water McGuire, Ian
60 Docherty McIlvanney, Hugh
61 A Fine Balance Mistry, Rohinton
62 The Redundancy of Courage Mo, Timothy
63 The Colour of Blood Moore, Brian
64 The Bell Murdoch, Iris
65 A House for Mr Biswas Naipaul, VS
66 The Financial Expert Narayan, RK
67 Hamnet O'Farrell, Maggie
68 1984 Orwell, George
69 Jean de Florette Pagnol, Marcel
70 Cry, the Beloved Country Paton, Alan
71 The Sunne in Splendour Penman, Sharon
72 The Memory of the Forest Powers, Charles T
73 The Yellow Birds Powers, Kevin
74 The Shipping News Proulx, Annie
75 The Wedding Queffelec, Yann
76 All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
77 Shame Rushdie, Salman
78 The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark
79 Fame is the Spur Spring, Howard
80 Golden Hill Spufford, Francis
81 The Grapes of Wrath Steinbeck, John
82 This Sporting Life Storey, David
83 Waterland Swift, Graham
84 The Gift of Rain Tan Twan Eng
85 The Heather Blazing Toibin, Colm
86 Lord of the Rings Tolkien, JRR
87 The Road Home Tremain, Rose
88 The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists Tressell, Robert
89 The Children of Dynmouth Trevor, William
90 Breathing Lessons Tyler, Anne
91 Sacred Hunger Unsworth, Barry
92 Rabbit, Run Updike, John
93 The In-Between World of Vikram Lall Vassanji, MG
94 Fingersmith Waters, Sarah
95 Ethan Frome Wharton, Edith
96 The Nickel Boys Whitehead, Colson
97 Night Wiesel, Elie
98 A Picture of Dorian Gray Wilde, Oscar
99 The Shadow of the Wind Zafon, Carlos Ruiz
100 Germinal Zola, Emile

BEST GENRE PICKS
GENRE BOOKS

100 Favourite Non-Fiction books

BOOKS OF THE MONTH

January - Small Things Like These
February - If Beale Street Could Talk
March - Intimacies
April - Mrs England

BOUGHT AND READ IN 2022

1. Appaloosa by Robert Parker
2. The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare.
3. Without a Claim by Grace Schulman
4. Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
5. Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller
6. There, There by Tommy Orange
7. Intimacies by Katie Kitamura READ MAR 22
8. Last Train to Istanbul by Ayse Kulin READ JAN 22
9. Another Now by Yanis Varoufakis
10. A Separation by Katie Kitamura
11. Travelling in a Strange Land by David Park
12. Free Food for Millionaires by Lee Min Jee
13. Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller
14. The Lady from Tel Aviv by Rabai Al-Madhoun
15. Run Me to Earth by Paul Yoon
16. Manchester Happened by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
17. The Others by Sarah Blau READ FEB 22
18. The Order of the Day by Eric Vuillard
19. Bessie Smith by Jackie Kay
20. King Cnut by W.B. Bartlett
21. Dear Future Boyfriend by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz
22. Ottoman Odyssey by Alev Scott
23. Has the West Lost It? by Kishore Mahbubani
24. A Kind of Intimacy by Jenn Ashworth
25. A Children's Bible by Lydia Millet
26. Blanche on the Lam by Barbara Neely
27. Days in the History of Silence by Merethe Lindstrom Open Library Loan READ JAN 22
28. My Two Worlds by Sergio Chejfec (Open Library Loan) READ JAN 22
29. Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine (Open Library Loan) READ JAN 22
30. Benjamin's Crossing by Jay Parini
31. Outlawed by Anna North
32. Bestiary by K-Ming Chang
33. The Ruin of Kasch by Roberto Calasso
34. Roundabout of Death by Faysal Khartash
35. The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans
36. Salt : A World History by Mark Kurlansky
37. The Greek Myths : The Complete and Definitive Edition by Robert Graves
38. Liar by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen
39. The Histories by Tacitus
40. Silent House by Orhan Pamuk
41. The Generation Game by Sophie Duffy
42. Wild Grass by Ian Johnson
43. This Living and Immortal Thing by Austin Duffy
44. Until I Find Julian by Patricia Reilly Giff
45. The Boy With the Tiger's Heart by Linda Coggin
46. The Day of Silence and Other Stories by George Gissing
47. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams READ APR 22
48. The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney
49. Beast by Paul Kingsnorth
50. The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe
51. Heading Inland by Nicola Barker
52. Rift by Beverley Birch
53. The Cry of the Go-Away Bird by Andrea Eames
54. Modern Gods by Nick Laird
55. Swing Hammer Swing! by Jeff Torrington
56. The Sands of Mars by Arthur C Clarke
57. Coromandel Sea Change by Rumer Godden
58. A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons by Geoffrey Hindley
59. The Profiteers : Bechtel and the Men Who Built the World by Sally Denton
60. In the Wolf's Mouth by Adam Foulds
61. Daydreams of Angels by Heather O'Neill
62. The Red-Haired Woman by Orhan Pamuk
63. Opium by Salar Abdoh
64. The Nest by Kenneth Oppel READ FEB 22
65. Three Light-Years by Andrea Canobbio
66. Prague : A Novel by Arthur Phillips
67. The Lie of the Land by Amanda Craig
68. The Dark Circle by Linda Grant
69. Portable Kisses by Tess Gallagher READ FEB 22
70. Down Among the Wild Men by John Greenway
71. Fate is the Hunter by Ernest K. Gann
72. The Lover of Horses by Tess Gallagher
73. The End of the Day by Bill Clegg
74. The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan
75. The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
76. Mad Boy by Nick Arvin
77. Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World by Fareed Zakaria READ FEB 22
78. Sleeping on Jupiter Anuradha Roy
79. Son of the Century by Antonio Scurati
80. Political Order and Political Decay by Francis Fukuyama
81. The Manningtree Witches by A.D. Blackemore
82. Vertigo by WG Sebald
83. In Memory of Memory by Maria Stepanova
84. Redemption Ground by Lorna Goodison READ FEB 22
85. The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk
86. A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam
87. Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry
88. The Powerful and the Damned by Lionel Barber
89. The Better Half by Sharon Moalem
90. Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
91. Downsizing by Tom Watson
92. Desert Flower by Waris Dirie
93. Common Ground by Naomi Ishiguro
94. The Blue Between Sky and Water by Susan Abulhawa READ MAR 22
95. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari
96. They by Kay Dick
97. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
98. The Silence of Scheherazade by Defne Suman
99. Light Perpetual by Francis Spufford
100. Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa
101. The Tyranny of Merit by Michael J Sandel
102. Surviving Autocracy by Masha Gessen
103. In the Darkroom by Susan Faludi
104. The Inequality Machine by Paul Tough
105. 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson
106. The Fell by Sarah Moss READ MAR 22
107. Beautiful World, Where Are You? by Sally Rooney READ MAR 22
108. Learwife by JR Thorp
109. Matrix by Lauren Groff
110. Ghosted by Jenn Ashworth
111. The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers
112. The Dark Lake by Sarah Bailey
113. I Will Miss You Tomorrow by Heine Bakkeid
114. The Fine Art of Invisible Detection by Robert Goddard
115. All Our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton
116. The Late Sun by Christopher Reid
117. A Lie Someone Told You About Yourself by Peter Ho Davies
118. The Interpreters by Wole Soyinka
119. Things in Jars by Jess Kidd
120. A Vicious Circle by Amanda Craig
121. How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue
122. The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy
123. The Collapse of Globalism by John Ralston Saul
124. Land : How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World by Simon Winchester
125. Moonglow by Michael Chabon
126. We Are All Birds of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan
127. The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
128. Fault Lines by Emily Itami
129. Tenderness by Alison MacLeod
130. The Cold Millions by Jess Walter
131. The Great Level by Stella Tillyard
132. The Pact We Made by Layla Alammar
133. Spring by Ali Smith
134. Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith
135. The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini
136. The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
137. The Book of Form & Emptiness Ruth Ozeki
138. This One Sky Day by Leone Ross
139. The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton
140. The Push by Audrey Audrain
141. When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo
142. A Very Nice Girl by Imogen Crimp
143. Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia
144. The Familiars by Stacey Halls
145. Ill Feelings by Alice Hattrick
146. How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
147. Burntcoat by Sarah Hall
148. We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
149. Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
150. Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung READ MAY 22
151. Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder
152. Assembly by Natasha Brown
153. The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley
154. Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson
155. The Colony by Audrey Magee
156. For the Good Times by David Keenan
157. The Anarchy by William Dalrymple
158. The Lost Girls of Rome by Donato Carrisi
159. Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
160. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
161. Imperium by Ryszard Kapuscinski
162. Only Killers and Thieves by Paul Howarth
163. Southernmost by Silas House
164. A Man by Keichiro Hirano
165. Signs for Lost Children by Sarah Moss
166. Songbirds by Christy Lefteri
167. Pandemic by A.G. Riddle
168. The Philosopher Kings by Jo Walton
169. Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
170. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
171. My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
172. The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
173. Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
174. Male Tears by Benjamin Myers
175. Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy READ APR 22
176. The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
177. The Moon and Sixpence by W Somerset Maugham READ APR 22
178. The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene
179. The Bell by Iris Murdoch
180. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
181. The Sandcastle by Iris Murdoch
182. Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
183. Call it Sleep by Henry Roth
184. The Clocks in this House All Tell Different Times by Xan Brooks
185. The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka
186. O'Pioneers by Willa Cather
187. The Four Winds by Kristin Hann
188. The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy
189. Nostalgia by Mircea Cărtărescu
190. Mansfield Park by Jane Austin
191. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
192. The Kingdom by Emmanuel Carrere
193. Push by Sapphire
194. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
195. Brighton Rock by Graham Greene READ APR 22
196. Dignity by Alys Conran
197. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark READ APR 22
198. Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene
199. A Burnt Out Case by Graham Greene
200. The Rack by A.E. Ellis
|201. Autumn by Karl Ove Knausgaard READ MAR 22
202. Winter by Karl Ove Knausgaard
203. Spring by Karl Ove Knausgaard
204. Summer by Karl Ove Knausgaard
205. The Magician by Colm Toibin
206. Cakes and Ale by W. Somerset Maugham
207. Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham
208. Careless by Kirsty Capes
209. Pilgrims Way by Abdulrazak Gurnah READ APR 22
210. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
211. The Angel of History by Rabih Alameddine
212. The President's Gardens by Muhsin Al-Ramli
213. In the Country by Mia Alvar
214. Poetry Will Save Your Life by Jill Bialosky
215. Multitudes by Lucy Caldwell
216. Confession of the Lioness by Mia Couto
217. Transit by Rachel Cusk
218. West by Carys Davies
219. In the Name of the Family by Sarah Dunant
220. The Informers by Bret Easton Ellis
221. The Witches of St. Petersburg by Imogen Edwards-Jones
222. Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
223. The Turner House by Angela Fournoy
224. A Tall History of Sugar by Curdella Forbes
225. Old Men in Love by Alasdair Gray
226. The Quiet American by Graham Greene
227. The Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths
228. Delicate Edible Birds by Lauren Groff
229. The Evening Road by Laird Hunt
230. Hitman Anders and the Meaning of it All by Jonas Jonasson
231. The Transition by Luke Kennard
232. A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline
233. Under the Net by Iris Murdoch
234. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
235. The Man Without a Shadow by Joyce Carol Oates
236. Running in the Family by Michael Ondaatje
237. Almost Love by Louise O'Neill
238. The Portrait by Willem Jan Otten
239. First Love by Gwendoline Riley
240. Looking for Mr. Goodbar by Judith Rossner
241. The Humbling by Philip Roth
242. The Butt by Will Self
243. The World to Come by Jim Shepard
244. The Gallery of Vanished Husbands by Natasha Solomons
245. The Dictionary of Animal Languages by Heidi Sopinka
246. In the Days of Rain by Rebecca Stott
247. The Neighborhood by Mario Vargas Llosa
248. Remember Me by Fay Weldon
249. Kipps by HG Wells
250. Resolution by A.N. Wilson
251. Animalia by Jean Baptiste Del Amo
252. The Autumn of the Ace by Louis de Bernieres
253. White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht
254. The Mother by Yvette Edwards
255. The Human Factor by Graham Greene
256. Memory of Departure by Abdulrazak Gurnah
257. Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
258. Pandora's Jar by Natalie Haynes
259. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
260. Writers & Lovers by Lily King
261. Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
262. The Painted Veil by W Somerset Maugham
263. The Razor's Edge by W Somerset Maugham
264. On Politics by Alan Ryan
265. The Exhibitionist by Charlotte Mendelson
266. Batlava Lake by Adam Mars-Jones
267. Dottie by Abdulrazak Gurnah
268. Vilette by Charlotte Bronte
269. Sovietistan by Erika Fatland READ MAY 22
270. Mother Mother : The Sunday Times Bestseller by Annie Macmanus
271. Evelina by Fanny Burney
272. Go Big by Ed Milliband
273. Two Serious Ladies by Jane Bowles
274. A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson
275. 20 Fragment of a Ravenous Youth by Xiaolu Guo
276. Bomber by Len Deighton
277. Mrs England by Stacey Halls READ APR 22
278. The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky
279. Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
280. Elective Affinities by Johann Wolfgang Goethe
281. The Cruel Way by Ella Maillart
282. Travels With Herodotus by Ryszard Kapuscinski
283 The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
284 The Abyss and Other Stories by Leonid Andreyev
285 Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
286 The School for Good Mothers Jessamine Chan
287 Dear Child by Romy Hausmann
288 Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz
289 The Answer to Everything by Luke Kennard
290 Good Neighbours by Sarah Langan
291 The Couple Next Door Shari Lapena
292 Pleasantville by Attica Locke
293 She Lies in Wait Gytha Lodge
294 How to Disappear by Gillian McAllister
295 Little Girl Lost by Brian McGilloway
296 Paradise Lost by John Milton
297 The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid
298 Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
299 On the Eve by Ivan Turgenev
300 Ten Great Works of Philosophy commentaries by Robert Paul Wolff
includes:
301 The Death of Socrates by Plato
302 Poetics by Aristotle
303 Meditations on the First Philosophy by Rene Descartes
304 An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume
305 Prolegomena to any Future Metaphysics by Immanuel Kant
306 Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill
307 The Will to Believe by William James
308. The Waves by Virginia Woolf
309. The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford
310. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
311. The New Oxford Book of War Poetry edited by Jon Stallworthy
312. The Wish Child by Catherine Chidgey
313. Peril at End House by Agatha Christie
314. The Foundling by Stacey Halls
315. Remote Sympathy by Catherine Chidgey
316. Prep by Curtis Sittenfield
317. The Years by Virginia Woolf
318. Darkness Visible by William Golding
319. The Last Family in England by Matt Haig
320. Seasons of Purgatory by Shahriar Mandanipour
321. Painting Time by Maylis de Kerangal
322. Naked Earth by Eileen Chang
323. Child of God by Cormac McCarthy\
324. River by Esther Kinsky
325. Stet by Diana Athill
326. Animal by Lisa Tadeo
327. The Silent Woman by Janet Malcolm
328. Sonnets by William Shakespeare
329. The Italian by Ann Radcliffe
330. Flamingo by Rachel Elliott
331. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (replacement as someone borrowed it and failed to return it)
332. Suttree by Cormac McCarthy (I closed the book and left it on the train station platform)
333 Dark Avenues by Ivan Bunin
334 The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
335 The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen
336 Wild Palms by William Faulkner
337 Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez
338 The Mother by Maxim Gorky
339 Cathedral by Ben Hopkins
340 Lady Chatterley's Lover by DH Lawrence
341 The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy
342 The Wall by Jean-Paul Sartre
343 Desiree by Annemarie Selinko
344 In America by Susan Sontag
345 Smoke by Ivan Turgenev
346 Virgin Soil by Ivan Turgenev
347 The Castle of Otranto by Hugh Walpole
348 The Attack on the Mill by Emile Zola
349. The Cutting Room by Louise Welsh
350. The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer
351. Things I Don't Want to Know by Deborah Levy
352. Real Estate by Deborah Levy
353. Mouthful of Birds by Samanta Schweblin READ MAY 22
354. Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
355. Dark Neighbourhood by Vanessa Onwuemezi
356. Katalin Street by Magda Szabo
357. The Confusions of Young Torless by Robert Musil
358. The Devil's Dance by Hamid Ismailov
359. The Behaviour of Love by Virginia Reeves
360. A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos
361. All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
362. Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy
363. Complete Poems of John Keats by John Keats
364. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
365. Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann
366. Martin Eden by Jack London
367. War and War by Laszlo Krasznahorkai
368. Selected Poetry of Percy Bysshe Shelley by Percy Bysshe Shelley
369. After the Sun by Jonas Eika
370. Selected Poetical Works of Blake by William Blake
371. The Poetry of Lord Byron by George Byron
372. Daughters of the Labyrinth by Ruth Padel
373. Gigi by Colette
374. Zorrie by Laird Hunt
375. Love in Idleness by Amanda Craig
376. Myra Breckinridge by Gore Vidal
377. The Slaughterman's Daughter by Yaniv Iczkovits
378. Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
379. Blaming by Elizabeth Taylor
380. Salt Lick by Lulu Allison
381. Wilhelm Meister by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
382. The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
383. Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah
384. Middle Passage by Charles Johnson
385. The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez
386. First Person Singular by Haruki Murakami
387. Salka Valka by Halldor Laxness
388. My Cleaner by Maggie Gee
389. The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz
390. The Diving Pool by Yoko Ogawa
391. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
392. A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin
393. Enon by Paul Harding
394. Purposes of Love by Mary Renault
395. The Guts by Roddy Doyle
396. Lanterne Rouge by Max Leonard
397. In One Person by John Irving
398. Lucky Breaks by Yevgenia Belorusets
399. Lean Fall Stand by John McGregor
400. The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles
401. The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante
402. Murmur by Will Eaves
403. The Pugilist at Rest by Thom Jones
404. My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson
405. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
406. The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict
407. A Love Story by Emile Zola
408. Madam by Phoebe Wynne
409. Below Deck by Sophie Hardcastle
410. Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
411. Men Who Feed Pigeons by Selima Hill
412. The Kids by Hannah Lowe READ MAY 22
413. Still Life by Sarah Winman
414. Elena Knows by Claudia Pineiro
415. A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
416. Transcription by Kate Atkinson
417. Humboldt's Gift by Saul Bellow
418. Civilisations by Laurent Binet
419. Plain Pleasures by Jane Bowles
420. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
421. I Wanna Be Yours by John Cooper Clarke
422. The Death of Jesus by J.M. Coetzee
423. Second Place by Rachel Cusk
424. Roxana by Daniel Defoe
425. Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman
426. Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
427. A New Name by Jon Fosse
428. The Double Tongue by William Golding
429. Admiring Silence by Abdulrazak Gurnah
430. A Small Revolution in Germany by Philip Hensher
431. The Book of Mother by Violaine Huisman
432. The Golden Bowl by Henry James
433. Telex from Cuba by Rachel Kushner
434. Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri
435. Severance by Ling Ma
436. The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
437. Tangerine by Christine Mangan
438. Greenlights by Mathew McConaughey
439. Shakespearean by Robert McCrum
440. Beastings by Benjamin Myers
441. Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov
442. The Wanderers by Tim Pears
443. Mama Amazonica by Pascale Petit
444. The Colossus by Sylvia Plath
445. Within a Budding Grove by Marcel Proust
446. King Lear: Arden Shakespeare by William Shakespeare
447. Should We Stay or Should We Go by Lionel Shriver
448. Asylum Road by Olivia Sudjic
449. The Aenid by Virgil
450. Fools Crow by James Welch
451. Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty
452. War : How Conflict Shaped Us by Margaret MacMillan
453. The Europeans by Orlando Figes
454. Money and Government by Robert Skidelsky
455. A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman
456. Time and Power by Christopher Clark
457. Dearly by Margaret Atwood
458. Four Soldiers by Hubert Mingarelli
459. East West Street by Phillipe Sands
460. Breakout at Stalingrad by Heinrich Gerlach
461. The Hidden Pleasures of Life by Theodore Zeldin
462. The Road to War by Richard Overy
463. English Pastoral by James Rebanks
464. Stalingrad by Antony Beevor
465. Blood, Tears and Folly by Len Deighton
466. Justine by Lawrence Durrell
467. Balthazar by Lawrence Durrell
468. Mountolive by Lawrence Durrell
469. Clea by Lawrence Durrell
470. Bunny by Mona Awad
471. Fantasyland by Kurt Andersen
472. Britain Alone by Philip Stevens
473. The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones
474. Perfidious Albion by Sam Byers
475. Promised You a Miracle by Andy Beckett.

ADDED : 475
READ : 25
BALANCE : 450

BOOK STATS

Books read : 64
Books added : 405

Days per book : 1.88
Projected total : 195
LT yearly best : 157

Pages read (completed books) : 14,216
Daily average : 118.47
Projected total : 43,240

Longest Book : 722 pages
Shortest Book : 44 pages
Average Book Length : 222.13

Gender
Male : 36
Female : 26
Various : 2

Genre :
Graphic Books : 1
Poetry : 11
Thriller/Mystery : 4
Non Fiction : 12
Fiction : 33
SF/Fantasy : 3

Origin :
USA : 13
UK : 23
Turkey : 3
Germany : 1
Egypt : 1
Ireland : 4
Norway : 2
Argentina : 1
Canada : 2
Iceland : 1
Netherlands : 1
Jamaica : 1
Israel : 2
Iraq : 1
Syria : 1
Papua New Guinea : 1
Oman : 1
Italy : 1
Tanzania : 1
Iran : 1
Various : 2

Challenges :
British Author Challenge : 3
American Author Challenge : 3
Non-Fiction Challenge : 1
Asian Book Challenge : 15
New Nobel Laureates : 1
1001 Books First Edition : 3
Guardian 1000 Books : 4
Around the World Books : 12
Holocaust Reading : 2
Booker Winners : 2
Pulitzer Winners : 1
Rebecca NYC Reads : 1

Next is yours

Happy New Thread!

Only a minute old, wow how lucky. 😜

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread!

>1 PaulCranswick: That is some view! Is the photo from a higher peak or aerial?

Happy new one!

yup me too....happy 19!

I just posted on your last and saw that I just missed you making a new one!
Happy Sunday! (Monday now for you?)

Great zot! Your 19th thread...that is heavy lifting indeed. Well done for not buckling under the strain.

Happy new one!

>17 PaulCranswick: That is quick, Jeff and you get the virtual bookshelf.

>19 mahsdad: And you managed to get two posts in Jeff before I could fill in anymore posts of my own!

>20 amanda4242: Thank you, Amanda. I am hopeful that this thread will be filled with finished chunksters!

>21 quondame: It is a spectacular part of the world and one that is difficult to enjoy sitting upon a bicycle saddle and struggling to turn pedals with your calf muscles burning and your lungs fit to burst!
The honest answer is I am not sure as to the answer to your question but I would hazard that it is taken aerially - there is a possibility it was taken from Tourmalet but, if my bearings are correct, the approach would be different.

Always a pleasure to see you here, Susan.

>22 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita. xx

>23 mdoris: Thanks Mary. I am surprised that my posting is still chugging along so merrily but I am certainly not complaining! Thank you for all your visits and friendship in tough times.

>24 ChelleBearss: Thank you, Chelle. Three posts in a row from Canadian friends is very welcome!
It is Monday morning here and a Public Holiday as the Buddhists are celebrating Wesak Day.

>25 richardderus: The last time I was posting at this sort of pace, RD, I collapsed completely in 2014 and hardly posted in the last few months of that year. Hopefully it won't happen this time.

Thanks for being constant in your friendship - Hani told me specifically to say a big thank you to you for your warm wishes to her; means a lot to her. One of these fine days we will hand deliver some of your favourite onde onde for the delectation of you and Rob.

>26 drneutron: Thank you, Jim. You are the glue that holds all of us together.

Antony Beevor is a good writer. There is another older book on Stalingrad that is also good. Enemy At the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad by William Craig that is just as good. In my opinion. I have read both books and basically they tell the same story.

>28 PaulCranswick: It was just pure luck. Was out all day and this was the first that I had checked in to LT. I almost posted too early, but I thought, nope I better refresh one more time just to be sure. You were typing at the exact same time, I’d imagine.

A shiny new thread, with a shared read at the top! I'm currently--as in, this minute--reading the MacMillan book for this month's Non-Fiction challenge. So far I'm only on Chapter 1 but it looks like an interesting topic.

>32 benitastrnad: Thanks Benita. Lovely to see you. I will seek out the book by William Craig, thanks for the recommendation.

>33 mahsdad: It was a pleasure anyhow, Jeff. I would have been posting while you were for sure - probably setting out my second post.

>34 AnneDC: I am almost spoiled for choice, Anne but I plumped for MacMillan on balance as it is a general introduction to more specific writing. I will be very interested to see if you enjoy it - I do like the look of it so far. xx

>31 PaulCranswick: *drool* ooohhh onde-onde oooooohhh you sweet-talkin' devil you.

Send Hani my kindest.

>37 richardderus: Will do, dear fellow, will do.

happy new thread!

>39 banjo123: Thank you, dear Rhonda. I am hoping to get around the threads soon.

Happy new thread, Paul!

>41 cbl_tn: Thanks Carrie. It is great to see you so active this year around the threads.

Happy new one, Paul. >1 PaulCranswick: what a view!

Didn't I just wish you a happy new thread? Huh. Well, happy new thread once again! Glad to hear Hani was able to go back to Singapore to care for her mom.

>43 jessibud2: Thanks Shelley. I remember getting to the top at that ski station and the race stopped there. After a bottle of slightly salted orange juice which I used to drink before I had heard of Gatorade, I took stock of my surroundings and thought I will never forget this moment - and I haven't.

>44 bell7: The last thread did zip along quite nicely, Mary, thanks largely to my pals and to non-fiction!
Hani missed a good evening out at one of my favourite restaurants yesterday - Porto Romano. I had my fettucine arrabbiata and I don't have to order it as they get it ready when they see me approaching!

Happy new thread, Paul. Hope all is well with your family. How is MIL?

>47 Kristelh: Thank you, Kristel - it is a pleasure to see you as always.
MIL is not in a good place unfortunately. Hani is on her way back to the hospital and is feeling a bit fraught as her mum is failing. Kyran and his girlfriend Yasmeen will travel down there in the coming week.

Happy new thread Paul

>49 ArlieS: Thank you, Arlie. One of the great things about the year for me has been the closer connection with so many of my friends in the group. It has restored my faith in the group to be honest even as some other members of the group have taken umbrage with my support of free speech and outcry against media bias.

>50 PaulCranswick: Visiting here is like finding a port in the storm re free speech and media bias concerns.
Well done Paul!

Happy new thread Paul

>51 mdoris: Thank you for saying that, Mary. I very much appreciate those of my friends who have supported me when I have come under attack for not adhering to an expected opinion.

I have made a very conscious decision these last couple of months to post more about the books and less about the world outside. Firstly because the world outside is so damned depressing but also because I was acutely aware of how distressing it was becoming to some of my other friends who sensibilities I needed to respect and whose company I so much enjoy. This is also why I have refused to be baited on the few occasions it has been obvious that I have been invited to react to certain posts. We are all entitled to our opinion so long as they don't seek to hurt others or call for harm to others.

>52 WhiteRaven.17: Thank you Kro. I will hop along soon and catch up at your digs. Trying to chill a little bit on my day off and listening to the sixties group The Animals while singing along at the top of my lungs to some of those old favourites. I managed to get all of them up out of bed at least (well excepting for Belle whose sleeping proclivities are beyond my powers!).

Happy new thread Paul!

>55 humouress: Thank you neighbour. xx

>54 PaulCranswick: It's appreciated, though I guarantee not much has happened since the last time you swung by. I am in amazement at your commitment to keep up on everything here and compile lists like your recent nonfiction pulls - which I should note, I always feel history is a subject I'm under-read in, either from willful ignorance or the difficulty in assurance of finding unbiased info, but wish I was better read in.
That sounds like a lovely time though, enjoy the time and having family close.

>54 PaulCranswick: listening to the sixties group The Animals

Oh my, House of the Rising Sun is my fav of theirs. I was looking up the song to see who wrote it * and happened on a youtube video of their performance. Eric Burdon looks like he could'nt be more than 15 then! Amazing sound.

*really a very interesting story of the background and all the different variations,

and btw may I just say publicly how much I appreciate the way you express your views both here and in our message conversations. You are never less than kind, honest and open, There are a few things that potentially divide us, but so much more that we have in common. Im glad you maintain these threads in the same way, where everyone is included, the sharing of views is done with respect and encouragement that makes me come back for more. Don't let the baiters get you down. They are not worth your energy or time.
And yes to more book talk; much more positive and fun!

Happy new thread, Paul!

>1 PaulCranswick: Amazing view, I have enjoyed the pictures and memories of the places in France you have been to.

Is the pasport of Yasmyne sorted now, so she can visit her grandmother?

>57 WhiteRaven.17: Thank you Kro for that. I do think that you'll be hard pressed to find history writing which is totally unbiased but the cogency of argument and the production of sources will always serve to help us be illumined and a clear, flowing writing style will flatter our senses even if we are being a little bit deceived in the process!
I have my favourites in terms of historians from both the left as well as the right of politics even though I am predisposed to favour the former over the latter. Dissenting voices and those views we disagree should be embraced often not only in an attempt to modify our opinions but also to confirm our prejudices.

I have had a rare afternoon "siesta" and was just woken by Yasmyne bearing cinnamon pretzels and fresh coffee - sometimes it is heavenly having daughters!

>58 cindydavid4: Cindy, your lovely words are a real tonic - thank you so much!

I am aware that The House of the Rising Sun is a traditional song emanating possibly from England but amended as part of the American folk tradition. I have several versions of it but the one with Eric Burden, Alan Price, John Steel, Chaz Chandler and Hilton Valentine is the best I have so far come across. It isn't my favourite of their songs but it is right up there.

I do think that tone and civility are important, especially in responding to those whose views we might not fully share and in the main most posts that put forward a different view from mine a put forward in exactly that vein but occasionally have slipped below the belt. I don't think that I am entirely free of criticism either sometimes in that I do tend to be forthright in my opinions but I always try to avoid hurting the feelings of others and will quickly apologise if I do so unintentionally. It is important that debate is conducted in a good and open spirit but debate is also vital to come to consensual positions and the stifling of debate by both the left and right is one of the great dangers of our age.

>59 FAMeulstee: Almost missed you there, Anita!

France is important to me in that it form a lot about my personality that clings on until today - a certain doggedness, self-reliance, awareness of the importance of the group, the need to prepare yourself properly and rest properly when you can. The beauty of nature and an appreciation of good food, good drink and the fairer sex.

It is also a point of crossroads for me as I could have taken on a professional cycling career at a time when British involvement in the sport in continental Europe was in its infancy and in respect of which my future chances of success were dubious and uncertain. I weighed up my options carefully and the two job offers available to me and I decided on an alternative path that lead me eventually to places anew and we will "visit" there next if I am favoured enough to get to another thread. xx

Yasmyne has to wait a month to get a new passport which actually suits me selfishly but saddens me that she has to wait whilst he beloved "Nana" deteriorates on a daily basis. There is a good chance that she (my MIL) will be back to Malaysia for at least a short while - whether in Johor Bahru or Kuala Lumpur and Yasmyne will see her then of course.

Happy New Thread, Paul. Love the mountain topper. I hope you had a good weekend.

>60 PaulCranswick: Agreed. There is always an underlying of bias in near every work of non-fiction, it's just about finding the ones that do so eloquently as you describe it and being able to temper them out.
I think the argumentative nature around politics has always left a sourness to my senses that ended up in blatant disregard to growing my knowledge anywhere in historical literature, something I wish to amend going forward. The day when I have nothing left to learn is the same day I've lost a critical understanding of what it means to be knowledgeful. I agree with your final sentiments there, one does not have to agree with another to try and understand them or have meaningful discourse.

Sounds like a great way to wake up and I hope you have a nice evening.

>63 msf59: Nice to see you, Mark. The weekend seems to have flown by as does my day off today.

>64 WhiteRaven.17: I think it is the nature of humankind to bring your prejudices to bear upon facts that are presented to you and we are all guilty of that to a lesser or greater degree. I am a staunch advocate of civility in social discourse and despair of certain forms of social media and mainstream media in this regard as civility is most often glaringly absent.

>65 PaulCranswick: I can second that. This is actually the closest to any form of social media that I have and was (still is) intimidating to enter into. Thanks for the little conversation Paul.

>66 WhiteRaven.17: I don't really do other forms of social media, Kro. Hani keeps a facebook account and I check on it sometimes to see photos and to know what some of our other friends are up to, but I don't really care for the atmosphere there. I don't do twitter or instagram either.

You have no need to be intimidated here Kro, you are amongst friends and like minded individuals in the main and your views and comments will always be treated with respect.

Wordle 332 4/6

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Steady Eddy.

Hola Paul - the "And" in your last thread referred to the exchange we agreed on long ago -

maybe when Pangaea and Gondwanaland were considering their distancing?

anyway, you were to acquire and read The 1619 PROJECT and I was to join

The Asian Challenge, which I have done faithfully each month.

At least I didn't ask you to read BUTLER TO THE WORLD!

Cinnamon anything and coffee! Does Yasmyne need an extra grandfather?

>69 m.belljackson: I'm not sure I made such an agreement Marianne but if you say so, I will read it, but I will not vouch for the likely ire of my review as the idea that Britain somehow birthed the USA into a uniquely evil society that rose on the backs of its slaves is selective history of a pernicious kind. I am interesting in building up rather than tearing down and with equality over equity which is chimeric and really means revenge. Out of friendship to you I will read it, but I won't spare it my criticism as I consider this white hatred fundamentally separatist and racist. I consider the black man and the brown man and the red man and the yellow man and all shades in between to be my brothers and not my enemy. We don't owe people apologies for something somebody who looked a little like us did to someone who looked a little like someone else hundreds of years ago. My ancestors worked in the fields and factories and mines belonging to landowners who conferred no rights or representation whatsoever; they were transported across the oceans in chains for stealing a loaf of bread or strung up from a garret for taking fish from the Lord's streams. I don't need lectures on oppression - my ancestors saw plenty of it.

>70 richardderus: Cinnamon can result in near religious experiences for even an anti-cleric like me!

Checking in on the new thread, Paul.

Happy whatever!

>71 PaulCranswick: Geez, The 1619 Project is a lot more than what you wrote - unlike BUTLER TO THE WORLD which attacks recent Britain -

...which I won't read, being in the depths of The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas,
contained within My Soul Has Grown Deep. I'm still mystified by Equiano eventually buying his own slaves,
as well as why the first two soberingly Chrisitan treatises were entirely included.

^^^^^^^^^^^

Re: "agreement," see #'s 59 and 60 on The ASIAN BOOK CHALLENGE GENERAL THREAD.

Hi Paul mate, Happy New Thread dear friend.

I finished up The Brothers Karamazov today, Paul. Looking forward to your thoughts on it.

The 1619 Project is much more than just Brit baiting. It is an alternative view of the world. History through the eyes and lives of the other. I think you will have trouble getting a copy of it as I have been trying to order one for the library and our wholesalers are consistently "sold out." It may be a case of, all those who hate the book are buying copies just to keep the rest of us from getting copies, but I really doubt that is the case. I do think that the reason it is so popular is because people are curious about what it really is and need to read it to figure that out. I think that is a good sign. People should read and study for themselves to see what some of this stuff is about before they make decisions about them. My library can wait for a copy.

Just here to drop a star on your new thread.

So sorry to hear about your MIL, but I'm glad Hani is able to be with her now at the end. It's never easy to lose one's mom, as I know having lost mine unexpectedly (though it shouldn't have been) and without saying goodbye. It still haunts me fifty years later. Please let Hani know I'm holding her and her mom and the whole family in my thoughts.

>72 alcottacre: Thank you, Stasia. xx

>73 m.belljackson: Ok let's see Marianne, as I said I will read it. It is slightly stretching a point to say there was an agreement but I certainly did not refuse to read it and should act on your recommendation or say clearly!

>74 johnsimpson: Thank you, John. Do you think Brook and Compton will make the test squad?

>75 alcottacre: I am way behind you but will get there before the month end, Stasia.

>76 benitastrnad: As I reported Benita, a copy is available - book censorship is not alive and well in Malaysia - and I will read it and make up my own mind.

>77 Storeetllr: Thank you dear Mary.
Apparently Hani told me my MIL is in a bit of a crotchety mood and scolds them roundly if they are a minute or too late to the hospital and she is climbing the walls to get out. That should be a good sign as it indicates to me that she hasn't given up.

>78 PaulCranswick: You said you would look for a copy, so when you mentioned that K. had one, I figured you were saying that
you had finally found it.

Perhaps if you’re going to read something that is devisive, you should also read the alternate view, Debunking the 1619 Project.

>81 m.belljackson: I saw the messages, Marianne and my response was not clear, I'll acknowledge that and so I am honour bound to read it. I have to say that the copy is $40 which cheeses me off somewhat since it is a premise I am wholly against.

>82 Kristelh: Thanks Kristel - I will also look for that one. I don't think I will have much trouble debunking it myself though as I have plenty of related reading already. The USA really should stop trying to destroy itself from within.

>83 PaulCranswick:. I so much agree with you Paul. It's become the new religion.

>84 Kristelh: It is not to deny that racism is still very much in existence, Kristel but I don't think it is helpful or accurate - and is in fact counterproductive - to see everything through a prism of race. I accept that we are in part determined by our race just as we are determined by our social class, our religion, our age, our gender & our sexuality but I do not accept we are determined by any single one of those to the exclusion of others. All white males need not be conservative bigots just as all Asian American trans people need not be liberals. That is the point and beauty of a free and open society which America still is more so than almost everywhere else on this planet - we can celebrate our diversity whilst embracing the core things that bring us together as a community and as peoples. I am neither gay, female or black but she, wherever she is, is my sister and I - white' middle aged and heterosexual will defend her rights just as if they were my own as we are the same (or should be) under the law. When we can get away from speaking of black communities or latino communities or LGBTQ communities and just talk about communities we will be taking a step forward not backwards.

I must say a huge thank you to everyone who has visited and posted here this year and everyone of your posts have been appreciated. >85 PaulCranswick: above was the 5,000 th post on my threads this year. It is the 43rd time in 11 years that a thread has reached that milestone.

Mark 10 times
Paul 9 times
Joe 8 times
Richard 5 times
Amber 5 times
Mamie 3 times
Katie 2 times
Kath 1 time

It is the second fastest time that this milestone has been reached.

Congratulations Paul. It really speaks to you're personality that so many love to visit you're thread.

>85 PaulCranswick:, I also agree that we still have issues with racism. It just feels to me like instead of working positively we are making the divides even greater. I appreciate your kind words that you say about the US.

>87 Kristelh: *Blushing*

Thank you, Kristel.

I am more pro-American than many Americans nowadays which is a sad state of affairs.
The divisions across the political spectrum is frankly disheartening and polarisation is getting worse daily not better.

>86 PaulCranswick: Congratulations, Paul, getting to 5,000 posts in May!
And who was faster to this milestone then you are now?

>89 FAMeulstee: Well that was me, Anita. In 2014.

Thanks for all your visits and the constancy of your friendship.

>86 PaulCranswick: Congratulations, brother!

>88 PaulCranswick: America's never-ending "polarization" is based on the George Floyd to Buffalo Master/Slave heritage.

>86 PaulCranswick: Bravo!

>86 PaulCranswick: Wow! Well, your threads are interesting, and usually a pleasure to read. So it's not accidental.

>79 PaulCranswick:, Hi Paul, i think Brook has a very good chance of being selected and i think Compton should be given a go, it looks like Matty Potts from Durham could get selected seeing as Saqib Mahmood has been written off for the rest of the season due to back issues. Potts is the leading wicket taker so far regardless of what division he is playing in.

I am a little concerned about all the injuries our bowlers are getting, i am wondering if their action is being tinkered with once they get on Test radar and that this is not doing them any good. For one thing we should not have a generic bowling action and i am sure bowlers of the past would have told the coaches where to go if they suggested such a thing.

>91 alcottacre: Thanks sister!

>92 m.belljackson: No. It is caused by terrible politicians and an irresponsible media.

>93 richardderus: Thank you, RD. You are on track for your best numbers for quite a few years too and I am really happy to have you so active in the group.

>94 EllaTim: Thank you, Ella. My visitors make the thread not the host so much. xx

>95 johnsimpson: Good points John. I haven't seen Matty Potts bowl but his numbers are certainly good. We have Mahmood, Stone, Archer and Wood - possibly our four fastest bowlers all out injured. Jamie Overton (and not his brother) is worth a go because he is genuinely quick and ideally George Garton could come to the fore and he would be useful being a left arm quick.
I'm not sure whether the bowling actions are being coached into changes and I don't quite support that, John. Bowlers need to have the courage of their convictions.

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A short think and then I figured it.

I got a call from Kinokuniya bookstore yesterday afternoon that the book I had had on order with them had arrived (I had forgotten about it to be honest) so I popped in to collect it:
The book was The Alexandria Quartet by Durrell (I have read and loved the first part already years ago)

466. Justine by Lawrence Durrell
467. Balthazar by Lawrence Durrell
468. Mountolive by Lawrence Durrell
469. Clea by Lawrence Durrell
470. Bunny by Mona Awad
471. Fantasyland by Kurt Andersen
472. Britain Alone by Philip Stevens
and
for a ridiculous $40 in hardback to fulfil a half promise

473. The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones

Happy 5,000!!! And many more!!

>101 Berly: Thank you my dear Kimmers!

>100 PaulCranswick: Oo, I am slated to read Justine next month. Nice haul!

>103 alcottacre: I may join you in re-reading it as I have always wanted to read the Quartet, Stasia.

I'll be reading Durrell a bit later in the year since he's one of the October selections for the BAC.

>105 amanda4242: Ah, yes Amanda - I now remember why I ordered it!

Re :

>86 PaulCranswick:

I went back this morning and studied the time before I joined the group and revealed that in 2010 & 2011 there were a further 7 times that 5,000 posts was achieved.

Which means that yesterday was the 50th time the landmark has been attained.

2010
Stasia 9,206 posts
Darryl 5,625 posts
Kath 5,310 posts

2011
Kath 6,996 posts
Stephen 6,770 posts
Mark 6,616 posts
Richard 5,554 posts

(Stasia 4,964 posts just missed out)

The twenty highest year end scores:

10,057 Paul (2017)
9,817 Mark (2017)
9,759 Amber (2014)
9,477 Paul (2012)
9,206 Stasia (2010)
9,171 Paul (2013)
8,852 Richard (2012)
8,772 Paul (2014)
8,768 Mark (2016)
8,747 Richard (2014)
8,647 Richard (2013)
8,182 Amber (2021)
7,792 Joe (2012)
7,691 Mark (2014)
7,669 Mark (2018)
7,655 Amber (2016)
7,548 Paul (2021)
7,500 Amber (2015)
7,459 Kath (2012)
7,434 Paul (2016)

6 appearances in the top twenty by Paul
4 appearances by Mark
4 appearances by Amber
3 appearances by Richard
1 appearance each by Stasia, Kath and Joe

BOOK #69



Sovietistan by Erika Fatland
Date of Publication : 2014
Origin of Author : Norway
Pages : 470 pp

One of the joys of reading good travel writing is that places that we are unfamiliar with but which we have an interest in are showcased. Since we are "visiting" the "STANS" this month in the Asia Book Challenge then I thought it was a timely read.

This only becomes good travel writing if the writer has excellent descriptive skills allied to sufficient perception to understand the people she is coming into contact with. I think that Fatland succeeds in both respects here and signally so. Some of her insights and the incidents she describes of her personal observations and interactions are informative and thought provoking. We have kidnapped brides for example in Kyrgyzstan and virtually lost cultures in Tajikistan which are treated considerately and with obvious understanding.

I thought that one Stan would be pretty much the same as another and there was a little bit of overlap obviously and unavoidably due to the shred Russian heritage of overlordship but she was able to tease out the differences too which helped make this an extremely vital read.

Recommended.

Hi Paul and a belated happy new thread.

Sheesh. I was reading along in your last thread and didn’t realize there was a new one.

I’ve read the following books from your list of top nonfiction:
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
A Short History of Nearly Everything
In Cold Blood
In Patagonia
84 Charing Cross Road
Sapiens. I got bogged down and have temporarily abandoned Homo Deus. I think I started it too soon after finishing Sapiens.
If Only They Could Talk – I read the All Creatures Great and Small series so will count this
Hiroshima
Angela’s Ashes
The Naked Ape
I won’t count Theodore Rex, but I have read the first in the trilogy, just haven’t gotten around to the 2nd and 3rd
All the President’s Men
…
I have 742 nonfiction books on my shelves in a ‘to-be-read’ status, some of which are on your list. I also have 265 nonfiction books on my shelves tagged ‘read’. My numbers are only since joining LT, since to my eternal regret I didn’t keep a reading journal since I started reading in earnest when I was 8.

>53 PaulCranswick: Hear, hear! No oblique attacks disguised as book recommendations, no direct attacks period. The world outside is rather bleak right now. I’m trying to keep it in perspective with what’s happened in the world since woman and man first walked the planet. Pain, loss, war, plague, and true evil are all part of our human heritage and although we have the additional specter of the nuclear threat hanging over us with the crazy man in Russia, we are simply on a continuum. I am trying to live with a sense of reality and gratitude to life and to do occasional good things if I can.

>71 PaulCranswick: Yup.

>86 PaulCranswick: Congrats to you and everybody else for attaining 5000 posts in a year.

>88 PaulCranswick: Interesting about being more pro-American than most Americans nowadays. My 28-year old daughter is very upset about what’s happening here in the US, mostly in terms of being able to afford an apartment and find a job that will cover that expense and all other living expenses. She doesn’t want to be rich. She just wants to have a cat in an apartment and occasionally eat or or travel, but feels that it’s almost impossible to do that right now. Her rent went up $100/month on an already $1069/month apartment in Asheville NC. Even at $18/hour she’s living paycheck to paycheck just to cover her expenses, so is giving up on the job and the apartment and Asheville and will be coming home in July to lick her wounds, regroup, and see where life takes her. I’m just glad that we have a good, safe, nourishing place for her at home.

>100 PaulCranswick: Another series I have on my shelves and want to get to one of these days – The Alexandria Quartet.

I was on my phone following your 100 top nonfiction books on your last thread and decided I just had to wait until I got home so I could look at the list properly. So many of the history books looked interesting and you've inspired me to pull Foundation off my shelves. Did you read any of Simon Schama's History of Britain series?

>109 PaulCranswick: This only becomes good travel writing if the writer has excellent descriptive skills allied to sufficient perception to understand the people she is coming into contact with. I think that Fatland succeeds in both respects here and signally so. Some of her insights and the incidents she describes of her personal observations and interactions are informative and thought provoking.

I so totally agree with you. This is the kind of travel writing I love, as she combines geography history and and cultures with compassion and curiosity. I learned much by following the author on her amazing journey. The writing was a combination of journalism and travel narrative which made it such a good read. Im aslo finding as I read novels about the countries, I have some background to relate to.

I am ordering The border : a journey around Russia through North Korea, China, Mongolia,… I think it will be helpful as our asian challenge continues.

>110 karenmarie: Thanks as always Karen for spending the time to go through my thread and respond in such a considered and wise manner.

I thought Homo Deus was a little bit of a disappointment after Sapiens but still not too bad a read.

Sorry to read of your daughter's travails and the cost of living crisis is becoming a universal issue and not a peculiarly American one although its economy sets a lead oftentimes that many others follow for good or ill.

>111 MiaSpyer: I like the name Mia and say hello to all my visitors even the not so well intentioned ones.

>112 Familyhistorian: Do you know, Meg, that Simon Schama is someone I have kept meaning to read and never yet gotten round to. I have his book on American history on my shelves and always wanted to read his epic Citizens on the French revolution.

>113 cindydavid4: Thanks Cindy. I saw that one in the bookstore too and will almost certainly add it very soon to my collection. Maybe a share read later in the year?

>100 PaulCranswick: And some see a promise as "Half-Full" - while others...

>109 PaulCranswick: I'm almost halfway through with Postcards from Stanland...enjoying the read.

>107 PaulCranswick: WOw! I had no memory of being that busy in 2012-2014. Not surprising, I suppose.

>116 m.belljackson: A promise clearly made is a promise. I don't think I promised anything but since you believe I did, I sought out the book and will read it against my better instincts. Why that seems to be a cause for further criticism, Marianne, I don't know.

>117 richardderus: I will also look for that one, RD. It is an interesting part of the world and one I knew so little about.

Your figures were stupendous through those years and the two of us fell away a little for a few years after that in relative terms. Yours, I am guessing dear fellow, not helped by your health struggles and mine by business and RL travails.

>104 PaulCranswick: I would like to read the entire quartet at some point too, Paul, but I am just starting with the one book. I have never read any Lawrence Durrell before.

>109 PaulCranswick: Already in the BlackHole or I would be adding it again.

Happy whatever, Paul!

>119 alcottacre: I tried to read his The Black Book and couldn't get in tune with it at all. I have read some of his poetry and travel writing and really liked it and I remember adoring Justine, a long time ago.

Happy hump day (for you) I am already on the downward stretch to the weekend.

Hani is back this morning and Yasmyne will take me to work before collecting her from the airport. My MIL will arrive here tomorrow at some stage as she will be travelling here by ambulance from Singapore (a pricy undertaking I might add). I have my reservations about whether Hani will be able to cope and whether the medical care she is getting in Singapore will be matched here in Malaysia but my MIL seems pretty desperate to be with us and so let's do it.

I may not be able to afford as many book hauls for a while though.

I am sure your MIL will appreciate being close to family and you get kudos for making it happen. Best wishes to you all. And hugs!

>122 Berly: Thanks Kimmers! Yasmyne and Kyran are looking forward to seeing her very much. I am only worried about the logistics of everything and whether we can properly fulfil our duties to her.

>115 PaulCranswick: youre on!

>115 PaulCranswick: I have only read two works by Schama, ‘Citizens’ about the French Revolution and ‘An embarrassment of riches’ about the Dutch in the 17th century. Both were excellent and I would recommend either

>124 cindydavid4: You have afforded me an excuse (like I needed one) to visit the bookstore tomorrow (Friday). xx

>125 DMulvee: I will definitely get to Citizens sometime soon, although it is a mightily sizeable tome!

>115 PaulCranswick: >125 DMulvee: I was just about to say the same about Simon Schama's The Embarrassment of Riches.

>127 FAMeulstee: What does surprise me with his is the breadth of his writing - from the UK to the USA to France and then onto the Dutch. In an age of historical specialisation it is refreshing to see a historian with such a general sweep in his interests.

>118 PaulCranswick: Can I just say that I think my response to Marianne was a bit churlish and a result of no sleep and being frazzled a bit about Hani and my MIL et al. I will read the book without further complaining!

>128 PaulCranswick:
Schama is primarily an art historian. He is a tenured professor at Columbia University in New York City. His work all stems from the intersection of art and culture, which becomes a chicken and egg argument. Which comes first? Which leads the other? What produces what? Is art and outgrowth of excess capital or does art stimulate the production of capital? He has always specialized in the 17th and 18th century with other areas being an outgrowth. He is very good in front of audiences and that has lead to his invitation to host programs on the BBC. Neil Ferguson is another Brit who has the same talents. They are both in the same genre as Alister Cook - genial hosts with a wide range of knowledge about a wide range of subjects.

>121 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, I will be thinking of you and family over the next while and know that you and family will do your best. I'm sure MIL knows that too. Take care!

>130 benitastrnad: Thanks Benita, I have seen that said about Schama too, but there wasn't a great deal of art in the French Revolution! Niall Ferguson is a little to the right of Schama as I understand it but, you are right he does speak well - although I think he would be peeved at your spelling of his name as I saw him chirping about that somewhere online once! - but he does come across as a little bit bombastic.

>131 mdoris: Thank you Mary. My friends here are a constant source of comfort for all of us. xx

I think you and your family are doing the right thing in bringing MIL home to be with family. End of life should be spent with family. Medical care takes a back seat to good quality time spent with loved ones. It's the best medicine.

>120 PaulCranswick: Well, I hope I adore Justine too!

>121 PaulCranswick: Doing what the MIL wants seems to me to be a wise course of action, Paul. The books will wait :)

>133 Kristelh: You are right but we are still going into it with a fair amount of trepidation, Kristel.

>134 alcottacre: I'm confident that my memory of it is reliable, Stasia.

Please don't quote me on this but sometimes even I will admit that the books are not that important.

Wordle 334 5/6

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Not a single yellow letter!

And again I do not make it under 100...
Happy new thread and congratulations for more than 5,000 posts.
All the best for you and your family, Paul.

>121 PaulCranswick: Having the family together will be something you won't regret Paul. What a gift you are making your MiL to fulfil a last wish. My thoughts continue with you all.

>137 SirThomas: Thank you Thomas. Always a pleasure to see you here.

>138 Caroline_McElwee: Everything is about ready, bought a hospital type electrically operated bed and organised the supply of oxygen.
I am reading Hannah Lowe's The Kids, Caroline. Have you read her?

I read Citizens - it was very good but yes , a big chunkster to read!

Dropping in to comment before you reach your next thread! I'm woefully behind everywhere.

>140 torontoc: I will get to it one of these fine days, Cyrel, but not just yet.

>141 thornton37814: Lori, whenever you are able to drop by, I am happy! xx

Prayers across the Oceans, Paul!

I hope your MIL has a comfortable journey back to KL, Paul.

>143 m.belljackson: Thank you Marianne

>144 humouress: Neighbour my MIL is about to quit the place of her birth for possibly the last time.

>139 PaulCranswick: It will pay such giant dividends to you all for her to be home for this passage. It won't be easy and some of it's not much fun, but it is important.

I'm pulling for y'all to get this logistical problem solved comfortably so settling in will be as painless as possible.

Paul, I agree with Richard. It will be hard but so very important. My thoughts and prayers will be with you and your family.

>135 PaulCranswick: Please don't quote me on this but sometimes even I will admit that the books are not that important.

My lips are sealed.

((Hugs)), brother.

>146 richardderus: Hani has feelings of trepidation for sure, RD, but we'll be fine.

>147 Kristelh: Thanks Kristel.

>148 alcottacre: I'm not that sure that I meant it either!

>150 PaulCranswick: Lol

>151 alcottacre: I had a look back at my earlier posts and thought - "Did I really say that?!"

>152 PaulCranswick: Yes, it was really you - unless someone has hacked your LT account. . .

>86 PaulCranswick: Congratulations on 5,000 posts!

>153 alcottacre: Not a bad idea. I could do with someone to hold the fort while I go and get some shuteye.

>154 ocgreg34: Thank you, Greg.

>155 PaulCranswick: Choose a worthy hacker before you sleep!

>139 PaulCranswick: Glad you are ready for your MiL's arrival Paul.

I have that volume near the top of the pile. May squeeze it in at the weekend. I've not been reading poetry in the morning the past month, need to get back to that.

>121 PaulCranswick: *hugs* for all of you.

>158 ArlieS: I second that. Hugs to all of you.

Paul, does Hani have a relative, family member, to give her some extra support? Not that you’re no support of course!

>156 Berly: Good thinking, Kimmers!

>157 Caroline_McElwee: It is a very focused collection thematically, Caroline. It doesn't all work for me but some of the poems do strike a chord.

>158 ArlieS: Thank you, Arlie, they are gratefully received.

>159 EllaTim: Her sister, my SIL, Yabo will be arriving in the ambulance together with her mum and she is a Godsend most of the time.

Wordle 335 5/6

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That is one of the words which has so many alternatives. It should be with such a start that I got it in three but I could just as easily not got it at all.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/341864

>163 SilverWolf28: Thanks Silver!

>161 PaulCranswick: Good to read your SIL is coming to help in this difficult time, Paul.
When will your MIL arrive?
(((hugs))) to all.

>165 FAMeulstee: She is here already, Anita! Magically all the issues with bed, ambulance and oxygen resolved in time. My MIL, her sister (Hani's Auntie) and my SIL all arrived early afternoon. Just spent fifteen minutes with her and she was in tears happy that she is here. To be honest it upsets me terribly to see her cry and I had to come away. Yasmyne was always her favourite and her being here is the icing on the cake as far as she is concerned.

This is the three of them. My MIL, my SIL and my wife's Auntie Maksu Kalsom in the ambulance on the way to Kuala Lumpur:

I managed to get to KLCC at lunchtime as I wanted desperately to buy coffee and to visit my bookstore but I was a little bit more reserved than is my recent wont.

474. Perfidious Albion by Sam Byers
475. Promised You a Miracle by Andy Beckett.

The last copy of The Border : A Journey Around Russia by Erika Fatland was snaffled an hour before I got there but more are on order.

>167 PaulCranswick: Glad they made it safely and all the issues resolved themselves! We'll be praying for you and your family.

>169 drneutron: Thank you Jim.

It will be difficult but it's the right decision, Paul. {{hugs and strength}} to all.

>171 jessibud2: Thanks Shelley. Hani is relieved that we are able to do this for her mum.

>168 PaulCranswick: Perfidious Albion? "{A} woke Martin Amis"?! AAARRRGH!!! runawayrunaway

I'm so glad the clan's there, settled, and happy. I'm sure it will feel so much more like home to you MiL. Spend your weekend reveling in the goodness of the assembly.

Glad to hear she is home Paul. It means a lot to have family around at this time.
Payers and good thoughts for you all.

>168 PaulCranswick: I need to come to KL and take your temperature. You are obviously sick, buying only 2 books.

>169 drneutron: What Jim said!

so glad everything went smoothing. Bless you all for your love and care for her!

>167 PaulCranswick: Despite her fragility, what a beautiful woman your MiL is Paul. I hope she has the strength to enjoy a little more time with you, before her new journey begins.

Blessed At Home!

>167 PaulCranswick: >177 Caroline_McElwee: I have to agree with Caroline. It's plain to see where Hani gets her great bones from.

I hope things settle for a while into a straight forward if not simple way so that you and the family can have peace and some good times in your MIL's final times. It can never be easy but as long as she wants to be alive and with you I hope there are good experiences to be had.

Dear Friend. Please tell Hani I am thinking of her, and her mother!

>173 richardderus: RD, I bought Byers' book as a hardback in a sale section and if it is akin to Martin Amis then I'll be disappointed as he is less than my favourite author for sure.

We are going to get a goodly number of visitors over the weekend as Hani's mum's friends and members of the extended family will all want to come and pay their respects.

>174 hredwards: Thank you, Harold.

>175 alcottacre: I know and I felt OK about doing it also, Stasia, which chilled me a little!

>176 cindydavid4: That is so nice to say, Cindy. I have a very big hearted wife for sure. xx

>177 Caroline_McElwee: She was quite the looker back in the day, Caroline, I can tell you. The old adage that you look at the mother to see what the daughter will become always filled me with positivity! Nowadays knowing what a tough cookie and how brave she is (and how much more mature I am) I retain the sense of pride in both mother and daughter.

>178 m.belljackson: Thank you Marianne.

>179 quondame: That is a lovely thing to say, Susan.

We had a bit of a panic last night because they realised that they had arranged insufficient amounts of oxygen and we had to organise some more on an urgent basis but it went smoothly enough after all. As I type (it is 4.43 am) Hani has just gone to sleep (I have had a sleep of about 4 hours) and the house is at peace.

>180 Whisper1: Thank you dear Linda. x

After a winning streak of 130 games, my first fail. I got down to the last guess with two seemingly possible answers and I chose the wrong one. :{

All good things come to an end due mainly to a careless middle section and due to playing at 4.45 am with little or no sleep.

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Hugs to the family .......

I see your threads have returned to bullet train speeds again ...😎

>186 roundballnz: They are moving at a bit of a clip at the moment, Alex.

Really stoked to see you posting this morning/afternoon.

BOOK #70



The Kids by Hannah Lowe
Date of Publication : 2021
Origin of Author : UK
Pages : 79 pp

Hannah Lowe spent ten years teaching sixth form English in inner-city London and there are vignettes both of her experiences as a teacher as well as her own time as a student. Most of the poems here are in sonnet form and she succeeds triumphantly to realise the beauty and potential of the form but in a modernised manner much more than did Terrance Hayes in his fairly recent sonnet collection.

The remainder of the poems deal with her relationship with her parents, the break-up of her long standing relationship and its impact upon the child they "shared". Very effective and very affecting; this collection is recommended.

This is quite representative :

The Only English Kid


When the debate got going on ‘Englishness’,
I’d pity the only English kid – poor Johnny
in his spotless Reeboks and blue Fred Perry.
He had a voice from history: Dunno-miss,
Yes-miss, No-miss – all treacly-cockney,
rag-and-bone – and while the others claimed Poland,
Ghana, Bulgaria, and shook off England
like the wrong team’s shirt, John brewed his tea

exclusively on Holloway Road. So when Aasif
mourned the George Cross banner swinging freely
like a warning from his neighbour’s roof —
the subway tunnel sprayed with ‘Muslim Scum’ —
poor John would sit there quietly, looking guilty
for all the awful things he hadn’t done.

Paul, you and family must be exhausted after so much activity. I hope that all can find some much needed time to rest and settle in. Glad that you are altogether now. You and family continue in my thoughts and prayers.

>189 Kristelh: Thank you, Kristel. Hani is particularly tired and it does make her a tad short tempered. Kyran is bearing the brunt of her displeasure today for reasons I cannot quite fathom.

Your MIL is looking good, all things considered. It couldn't have been a very comfortable journey up for the other ladies.

Hi, Paul. Sorry, I missed the events with your MIL. Glad she has returned home. Give Hani my best.

>191 humouress: She has some sort of call button that blares out Beethoven throughout the house when she wants attention. Fur Elise.

She has a sense of humour at least because that is the music the kids used to practice interminably when they were kids.

>192 msf59: Thank you Mark. Hani says thanks both to you my friend and to all our lovely pals in the group who have extended their love and best wishes.

>185 PaulCranswick: Vale young streak. You are missed.

Postcards from Stanland is wearing on my nerve. A little verbose. And the Buffalo massacre worries me more than I thought it would, so I'm catching up on the political books I've never reviewed. Time to make others aware of them.

The story of your MIL's passage to be with you all has me in tears. I'm so happy for her and you all. It may not be easy, but it is a wonderful thing you're doing. And I agree with the others who've commented on her beauty, even now. That pic of her reminds me of the bust of Nefertiti. Much love to her, Hani, the kids, your SIL and Auntie, and you.

>184 PaulCranswick: Things like that keep us humble, no? My own streak ended at #98.

Have a lovely weekend!

>185 PaulCranswick: Yep, my third guess was me not at the concentration club, RD. Serves me right for playing it at the wrong time.

I'm going off to become aware of your political reviews.

>186 roundballnz: That brought a tear to my own eye, Mary. xx

One of the most startling things I ever saw in my life was the bust of Nefertiti in the Cairo Museum many years ago and I have never forgotten it. I can actually see what you mean by your lovely comment.

I was bound to lose one of these fine days but it did seem to be an anti-climax to lose to one I definitely should not really have struggled with.

Wordle 337 5/6

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Back to winning ways after a fairly dodgy beginning.

I'm really glad your MIL was able to make the trip. Awesomeness.

I've looked at the hundred or so NF books that I've rated 4.5 or 5 stars since I joined LT. It's interesting because I know if I read some of them today, instead of 15 years ago, I probably would have rated them lower.

My very favorite NF of the year so far is Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon by Malcolm Gladwell. I'm guessing you might not be able to access it since it only seems to have been released as an audiobook through Amazon.

>198 streamsong: That does look interesting Janet. I am a huge Paul Simon fan, and Malcolm Gladwell too can even make maths interesting!

>198 streamsong: ok looks Im gonna have to buy an audio tape to hear thisl Love simon, have to hear this. (I get way too distracted listening, is my problem, lets see how I do!)

>200 cindydavid4: I'm not an audiobook kinda guy, Cindy, but I do need to go and see what I can do about this one!

and I need to figure out how to use it. I take it downlowding it on my mp3 player is not an option....:)

>197 PaulCranswick: Yay for back on the streak!

I'm two reviews in to my political nonfiction binge. So far no one on Twitter has threatened my life so I'm pretty sure the bot problem is exaggerated.

>202 cindydavid4: I'm not the chap to ask unfortunately, Cindy, as I have never "read" an audio book so another of our buddies needs to step in here.

>203 richardderus: Hahaha RD. I saw the one on Nazi support in the USA and there are obvious parallels afflicting the world today caused by the failure of the social democratic consensus to agree upon its programme, pull itself to the extremes and leave open ground for intolerance to move into.

>198 streamsong:, >199 PaulCranswick: - I purchased it through Gladwell's website as I am not an amazon person. And I agree, it was wonderful. I listened to it twice straight through. Simon is probably one of, if not THE, favourite of mine and I am also a huge Gladwell fan so it was a no-brainer for me. I did review it on my thread at the time and raved about it incessantly! I think you even commented on that, Paul.

>200 cindydavid4: -I think if you purchase it through Gladwell's site, you can listen to it in chapters, at your own pace. Hmm, not unlike any audio, I guess. Well worth the effort, though, and I'm willing to bet you won't get distracted. You will start listening and wonder where the time went!

oh I thought you had to get it through amazon (they have a trial period for audible but not sure how that works on what device)

ok Id never heard of Gladwell but I did just spend an hour listening to this interview with him about the writing of the book, talks about the role of memory in genius 'the art of self reinvention' And now I want to learn more. Anyway highly recommend this interview as a background of listening to Miracle and Wonder I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3piJF_zlEfo&t=1527s

>207 cindydavid4: - Oh, thank you for this! What a terrific interview!

>205 jessibud2: I thought I remembered it from somewhere, Shelley!

>206 cindydavid4: I needed to keep reading too, Cindy, as I wouldn't know that either!

>207 cindydavid4: I have just got up, Cindy, after four hours sleep so I will have a coffee (thank you Erni) and then go and watch this, thank you. xx

>208 jessibud2: Now I am looking forward to it, too, Shelley.

>208 jessibud2:,>209 PaulCranswick:

you are welcomed! I only happened upon it by looking for Gladwells podcast so it was a happy accident :)

>211 cindydavid4: I watched it and enjoyed it, Cindy, thank you.

My MILs alarm music has set me onto a weekend of classical music listening:

Swan Lake - Tchaikovsky
Violin Concerto in D Minor - Sibelius
New World Symphony - Dvorak
Concierto de Aranjuez - Rodrigo
The Lark Ascending / Greensleeves - Vaughan Williams
Die Zauberharfe - Schubert
Daphnis et Chloe / Bolero - Ravel
The Four Seasons - Vivaldi

Soothing, stirring, uplifting and inspiring by turns.

>196 PaulCranswick: It is a beautiful sculpture Paul.i was surprised how many Egyptians resembled the sculptures of their ancestors still. I certainly saw a few Rameses'. I know the sculptures are rarely of individuals per se, and I guess can see why. One day I'll get back to Egypt and see the new museum. I loved the old Cairo museum.

>213 PaulCranswick: I've no great knowledge of classical music, but I have heard and like three of those - Swan Lake, The Four Seasons, and The Lark Ascending.

I hope this time with your MIL is special for your family, though I know it must be bittersweet.

>214 Caroline_McElwee: Me too, Caroline - it was a shambles but a magnificent shambles. I think it is one of the few times that an exhibit at a museum has actually stopped my breath. It is utterly magnificent.

>215 bell7: I am a little bit of a populist, Mary, in classical music mainly because there is just so much material out there and my knowledge of it is slightly scant! I do think that pieces are generally well known because they are good and listenable.

>211 cindydavid4: - Gladwell has many podcasts and I haven't listened to many but his first series, Revisionist History, is excellent.

>217 jessibud2: Clever chap, Mr. Gladwell.

>213 PaulCranswick: You Tube shows Toscanini conducting which you may also enjoy.

Hi Paul!

>121 PaulCranswick: My, oh my. Big news. >161 PaulCranswick: I’m glad your SiL will be there to take on some of the burden and a lot of the support for/with Hani, you, and your children. Sending best wishes and prayers for all of you.

>185 PaulCranswick: Sorry about getting skunked, especially after such an impressive winning streak.

>213 PaulCranswick: Some of my favorite music is in that list.

>213 PaulCranswick: On sundays our music is from Sunday Baroque, 4 hours of classical gems produced by WSHU Public Radio . Well worth trying out.

>219 m.belljackson: I will go and look for some of the classical performances shortly, Marianne x.

>220 karenmarie: We had a bit of a panic this afternoon as we had to change the oxygen and none of us could get it off. I managed to get the security guards to bring me a wrench with which I was able to remove it and panic over.

>221 cindydavid4: That does sound tempting today, Cindy. x

Not enough oxygen, then problems getting it changed. I'm sorry for the stressful learning curve. Deep breaths, calming thoughts.

>224 karenmarie: And my soccer team is fighting for their lives at the bottom of the EPL today unless they better the team above them's result they will be relegated - I am an emotional wreck!!

Alan is very relieved as of 1 minute ago!

MY TEAM ARE SAFE!

We went to London and beat Brentford 2-1 whilst Burnley lost 2-1 at home to Newcastle so we stay in the EPL for another year. Interestingly for American fans of what I call here soccer so you can identify with it, we have an American Head Coach who has lead us bravely to safety.

Well done Leeds. Well done Jesse Marsch and Marching on Together!

>226 SandDune: I was thinking of him actually as I was typing my last post, Rhian! We will definitely catch a game next season in the EPL as my relocation has been delayed by my MIL's condition.

>213 PaulCranswick: some wonderful music there. The lark is among my very favorite pieces by anyone. I am way behind in threads but I will add some belated good wishes and thoughts for the homecoming of Hani's mother. Take care of yourself too, Paul.

>213 PaulCranswick:
"Soothing, stirring, uplifting and inspiring by turns." This sounds like a good way to center yourself during a difficult time. I agree with others that Hani and her mother are both classical beauties. I'm glad they are able to be together with your whole family. (That is how I would like to leave this world.) I'm also glad you got the oxygen changed. I imagine these things will get easier in time. Praying for you and your family, Paul.

>229 RBeffa: Thanks Ron. It has been a great day for me all told. Vaughan Williams was especially tuneful wasn't he?

>230 Donna828: I did enjoy soaking up the music, Donna.

I am also sure that changing the oxygen will get less stressful with repetition.

I am of course a little bit biased about Hani's looks. xx

Hi Paul! Thanks for the review of Sovietistan. I have it out of the library, so hopefully I will get to it.

Just received the border a journey around Russia Wow it looks bigger than her last one. Wondering if this will be as good, as that one was focused on 5 countires. This one covers all of northern and eastern Europe and northern Asia. Will she lose focus? Will it be slog? only one way to find out. The sections of Korea, Mongolia and China I'll read first since that will give me background on our future Asian selections. Ill start after I finish my current read

>232 banjo123: I am sure you will appreciate it, Rhonda. I found it a fascinating read.

>233 cindydavid4: I am kicking myself a little, Cindy, because I saw it in the bookstore last week but it was sold out this week and I now have it on order.

BOOK #71



Mouthful of Birds by Samanta Schweblin
Date of Publication : 2010
Origin of Author : Argentina
Pages : 228 pp

Some of these stories were macabre if not borderline disturbed.

I have to admit to not being on the same wavelength on some of the short tales but there are a few that I think I will remember for quite a long time. There was one about an artist painting people whose heads he had struck against concrete, there was another about initiation into an organisation via beating a dog to death and a third about a group of people marooned at a train station because they were unable to provide the correct change to purchase a ticket. Off-kilter but very impactful.

She is definitely an author that I will read again.

>235 PaulCranswick: - The title of this book, and the first sentence of your review, are enough to tell me this is definitely not for me. Besides, I rarely read or enjoy short stories. So, thanks for the warning. ;-p

>235 PaulCranswick: that blur in the distance is me running away from this book as fast as I can.

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Made it home again after a struggle.

>236 jessibud2: Some of them were seriously off kilter, Shelley. Some people will love this type of writing. Not me really although some of the stories were almost guiltily fascinating!

>237 RBeffa: Hahaha Ron. It was a strange book to read to the accompaniment of Vivaldi!

>236 jessibud2: I like short stories but have trouble with horror and scenes that my very active imagination will not be able to erase once read.

>240 cindydavid4: Some of those stories will remain in my psyche for a good while to come, Cindy!

Some additions after work:

476. Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa
477. Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami
478. Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura
479. The Waiting Years by Fumiko Enchi
480. Dominion by Tom Holland
481. Silverview by John Le Carre
482. China Room by Sunjeev Sahota
483. KL : A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps by Nikolaus Wachsmann
484. Seasons in the Sun by Dominic Sandbrook
485. Who Dares Wins by Dominic Sandbrook

Four books of Japanese Literature as I have been watching quite a few book tubes looking for recommendations for my Asian reading month which is creeping closer.

Two books of modern British history with the very respected Dominic Sandbrook covering the years 1974 to 1982.

The reliable breadth of Tom Holland's history and an award winning book on the Nazi camps by one of Kyran's lecturers.

I have had Sahota's book on order (that's why I went to the bookstore) plus John Le Carre's last novel.

I've read Fever Dream by Samanta Schwebin. A part of my review; This books is disconcerting. Starting it was a bit confusing. What is real and what is the fever dream is not easy to discern. It feels hallucinatory.
I rated it high using my criteria so I guess I think she is a talented writer. Tough to read tho

>243 Kristelh: She is definitely talented, Kristel, but I do think that her imagination is on the warped side!

Hi, Paul. So sorry to hear about the health situation of Hani’s mother. I’m glad your MIL is with you now. Please give Hani hugs from us.

Reading about your being awoken from a rare siesta with cinnamon pretzels and fresh coffee sounded like a little bit of heaven!

Thanks for tipping me off on some poets to be sure to try. I’m enjoying the new collections by Billy Collins and Ada Limon right now. Is there a Malaysian poet you favor?

>244 PaulCranswick: Absolutely agree, Paul. I would not rush out to get her book. I read it for the Rooster challenge which I haven't been doing as of late.

>245 jnwelch: Will do, Joe, thank you.
I love being spoilt by having my girls here with me - every day is a treat in one way or another.
There are no Malaysian poets I would go out of my way to read to be honest although they have one or two exponents of prose to be treasured.

>246 Kristelh: I'd do the rooster challenge, Kristel but I'm chicken!

Wordle 339 4/6

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Slightly more comfortable this morning

I am turning my attention in this last week of May in making sure I reach 75 books this week. I have so many books on the go that I am going to have to refocus and make sure that I pick and choose them to achieve my goals.

I have four books to go and the minimum are:

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
The Bell by Iris Murdoch
The Devil's Dance by Hamid Ismailov
The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles

In addition I want to focus on one of the two real chunksters I was reading and I want to spend Sundsy polishing off The Brothers Karamazov

Margaret MacMillan, Anthony Thwaite, Michael Chabon will be bonuses and/or moved to June.

>249 PaulCranswick: I'm glad to see that you've prioritized The Devil's Dance. I read it so it could be a shared read for your challenge. It wasn't as heavy going as the subject matter might well have made it, though it was overall grim.

>250 quondame: The tone is interestingly light considering the subject matter, Susan, I completely agree with you!

>235 PaulCranswick: You've made me very curious, Paul. My library has another book by the author Seven Empty Houses and I checked it out.
I am looking forward to reading it.

>235 PaulCranswick: It is a book that will definitely appeal to just as many who may be repelled by it, Thomas.

I don't know which side I would expect you to fall into!

>249 PaulCranswick: When you are done reading, you might enjoy my Reviews of both A Tale of Two Cities
and The Paris Library.

So good that life has calmed for your Family.

>249 PaulCranswick: Oh, The Bell! I think La Murdoch was at her wickedest, sharpest best in that one.

>228 PaulCranswick: Mr SandDune will certainly enjoy the Elland Road trip whenever it happens!

Hi Paul, thank you for visiting my thread and for the kind words you left about the passing of my Mom. I will miss her but at the same time I am glad that her suffering is over. Take care of yourself and your family.

>255 richardderus:, >249 PaulCranswick:. The Bell was one of my favorites by Murdoch

>254 m.belljackson: I will, I will, Marianne. I do like reading the reviews after I make my own thoughts to see who is on the same page as me and who isn't.

>255 richardderus: It is her best for me, RD. Read it originally many moons ago and it is just as good as I remembered.

>256 SandDune: It will definitely happen, Rhian. I obviously cannot leave Malaysia in the present situation but I sadly anticipate that I will be back in the UK before the start of the new season.

>257 DeltaQueen50: So nice to see you my dear Guru. You have been very much in my thoughts and prayers. xx

>258 Kristelh: Definitely agree with that, Kristel.

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Not too bad after a pretty shaky start.

>262 PaulCranswick: Mine started off badly as well. I also got it in five tries.

>263 figsfromthistle: After failing for the first time in a 130 games I have found the last four games a chore to grind out the game. I can't seem to beat four these days.