PGMCC explores the Biblioverse in 2024: Third instalment

Books completed in 2024

Title; Author; Status; Start/end date; Number of pages

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett Reading 19/12/2023 - 15/01/2024 445 Pages
If on a Winter's Night a Traveller by Italo Calvino 05/01/2024 - 27/01/2024 272 Pages
Relight my Fire by C. K. McDonnell 27/1/2024 - 01/02/2024 518 Pages
Berlin Game by Len Deighton 01/02/2024 - 07/02/2024 296 Pages
The Chalk Circle Man by Fred Vargas 08/02/2024 - 12/02/2024 247 Pages
The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth 12/02/2024 - 27/02/2024 369 Pages
Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson 27/02/2024 - 05/03/2024 350 Pages
The Accordionist by Fred Vargas 05/03/2024 - 10/03/2024 249 Pages
Poor Things by Alistair Gray 11/03/2024 - 15/03/2024 336 Pages
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka 16/03/2024 - 27/03/2024 408 Pages
Leadership Magic by Grahame Pitts 28/03/2024 - 01/04/2024 129 Pages
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah 02/04/2024 - 06/04/2024 468 Pages
The Leaky Establishment by David Langford 07 /04/2024 - ? Pages
Seeking Whom He May Devour by Fred Vargas and translated by David Bellos12/04/2014 - 18/04/2024 359 Pages
The Fog Horn (Short Story) by Ray Bradbury BB from jillmwo 14/04/2024 - 14/04/2024 6 Pages
Mexico Set by Len Deighton 19/04/2024 - 364 Pages

The Accordionist by Fred Vargas



This is the third story in The Three Evangelists series. It is currently the last book in that series. I do not know if there will be another one.

The first in the series was, The Three Evangelists and the second was Dog Will Have His Day. I enjoyed them both.

jillmwo, if you are still interested, this is my fourth book in translation this year and my eighth read of the year. This one was translated from French by Siân Reynolds.

Happy New Thread!

Happy new thread! May it be as cheesy as the last one.

Happy new thread :)

>3 clamairy: >4 Karlstar: >5 Alexandra_book_life:
Thank you for the new thread good wishes.
>4 Karlstar: I shall try to keep the level of cheese high.

Happy new thread, Peter!

Happy new thread! I need to get back to reading Fred Vargas. That means I will have to buy the book I am missing from the Adamsberg series.

ETA Here is some good book news for you!

>8 Sakerfalcon:
Excellent news. You knew that would be a dead-cert BB.

>7 haydninvienna: Thank you, Richard. I hope all is well with you and Mrs. H.

>2 pgmcc: You're now ahead of me in that particular series as I still have to pick up that instalment. Also still waiting for the 10th book in the Adamsberg series to be translated.

>10 AHS-Wolfy:
I am on page 36 and it is shaping up well.

jillmwo, have you read Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone. I presume you have, but just in case you have not I will put my questions behind the spoiler mask.




You know I like books that are about books, and you will know from my liking of If on a Winter's Night a Traveller that I like books that play with the reader's mind and play with their own structure. I have to include Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone in that category. How did you enjoy the author's talking to the reader and describing how he was structuring the story and commenting on the structure in the context of the story? I really enjoyed it.

I have read several books that do this to one extent or another over the past while. The ones I recall are:

- If on a Winter's Night a Traveller
- Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone
- Emotionally Weird
- The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair

Today started with an early morning Whatsapp message on our book club thread informing everyone that there was a Monster Book Sale at the Zion Church, Rathgar on today, tomorrow and Saturday.

Not one to hang around I got there before lunch and you can see my haul above. The other important point about the sale was that books were being sold at the princely sum of €1. My bill for the day was €16 plus €3 for a raffle ticket to support charity.

As usual, I will provide reasoning for each of my purchases.

>13 pgmcc: very nice selections! they mostly look to be in reasonable condition too. I spy an Elizabeth Gaskell that I haven't read, will be interested to know how you get on with it.

The reasoning, as promised:

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

This was strongly recommended to me by a friend and I have the Kindle edition, but when I say the hard copy there for only €1 I thought I would splurge out and give myself the pleasure of reading it in the flesh, so to speak.

Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens

I have read and enjoy several Charles Dickens books, but this is one I have not read yet, nor do I have a copy. Its purchase was not a difficult decision to make.

The Saga of Grettir the Strong translated by G. H. Hight

The introduction states that the story was probably written in the early fifteenth century. Some information was presented to support this date. As with many stories from ancient annals there is no author credited with the original tale.

I have never had a good look at Icelandic myths and legends and this looked like an opportunity to have a peek.

Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov

This is a book by Asimov that I have not read, so I snatched it up.

Novels and Stories by Anthony Trollope selected by John Hampden

Those of you who have been paying attention to my reading threads will know that I am particularly fond of the Anthony Trollope books I have read. This book gives me a chance to sample some of his shorter stories.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Alexander Dumas

This a book I read and loved decades ago. It would be More than forty-five years since I read it. This hardback copy is in excellent condition and I thought I would pick it up with the intention of rereading the novel in a nice physical format.

Rum Punch and Riding the Rap by Elmore Leonard

I have enjoyed the few Elmore Leonard novels I have read and when I see one I do not have I pick it up with the anticipation of an enjoyable read and a chuckle.

Paddington’s Adventures by Michael Bond

As a grandparent I have been subjected to looped viewings of the films, Paddington and Paddington 2. They are actually very good films, but when you have watched one of them five times in a row, one gets a bit tired.

However, the grandchildren love Paddington and this book is in very good condition, so we can foresee ourselves reading it to the grandchildren an some opportune moment. Either that or give it to one of them to read themselves.

The Honorary Consul and The Comedians by Graham Greene

I have enjoyed the Graham Greene books I have read and when I see one I do not have I pick it up.

I have watched the film of The Comedians. It was not the greatest film of one of Greene’s books, but I want to see if the book is any better.

When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson

I have enjoyed the two Kate Atkinson books I have read and intend to continue reading her books. For me this was an obvious book to pick up.

The Salterton Trilogy by Robertson Davies

Robertson Davies is an author whose books I have enjoyed previously, so this is an opportunity to enjoy some more of his work.

The Periodic Table by Primo Levi

I have always meant to read this book.

Difficult Loves by Italo Calvino

Sakerfalcon will know that I have mixed Italo Calvino and Primo Levi in the past, so it is appropriate I have the two books side by side in this display of my purchases.

Calvino is an author whose work I have come to love, so when I see one of his books I grab it.

Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

Elizabeth Gaskell is one of those authors I have always intended to read. This will be the third Gaskell book I have purchased, so perhaps the increased number of Gaskell books in my library will increase the likelihood of my actually reading one of them. 😊

>14 Darth-Heather:
They are mostly in very good condition. I was quite surprised that the books at the sale were in such good condition.

The sale was in a church and the books were arranged in carry boxes arranged along the pews. It was quite an interesting experience.

>13 pgmcc: >15 pgmcc: The one that leaped out at me was the Davies. I think I have all of Davies’s novels, and have actually read all of them. Not many authors I can say that of. Smart choices overall, I think.

>17 haydninvienna:
Smart choices overall, I think.

Thank you! I have reason behind each choice.

It was interesting going to a book sale in a church.

>13 pgmcc:, >15 pgmcc: & >19 pgmcc: Very nice way to spend a morning!

I spent mine getting a P.E.T. scan, perhaps not quite as fun, but at least relaxing. I only mention this because yes, there was an elephant.

>20 MrsLee:
As long at there was an elephant. I would have no doubt about there being an elephant, because, as you well know, there is always an elephant.

>12 pgmcc: Well, I'm a bit behind the curve in finding your newest thread, but for the record, I have read both Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone and Everyone on This Train is a Suspect. Frankly, I thought both were very well done. W/R/T what's behind your spoiler tags, I thought the mechanism of having the narrator breaking the fourth wall is very well handled in Stevenson's work. I think it's a really hard thing to pull off but the humor in both of the books is key to success. I have to think which other authors have done this kind of thing successfully.

A second facet that I am sure you noticed is that both books are essentially plays on Christie's master works -- the first in the series paying homage to And Then There Were None and the second to Murder On the Orient Express. In particular, I enjoyed the re-positioning of the former book's setting in during a blizzard at a ski resort rather than everyone being gathered on an island, That's much more plausible for the modern reader (what with cell phones and all), but the point still centers around individual guilt as it relates to the death of others.

Finally, another thing I recall from Martin Edwards' most recent history of crime fiction was that Ronald Knox had written his Ten Commandments of Detective Fiction as a bit of a satire on the crime fiction of his day in the first place. That is another reason why Ern's commentary in both Book One Family and in Book Two Train is so very well done.

So there you have it -- a really well done job by the author. And I need to think who else might have done something in that vein.

OH, AND CONGRATS ON THE NEW THREAD!!

Edited to add that I read that HBO had picked up the option to make a mini-series of Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone for streaming, but I haven't seen any public announcements that it's gone into production. You want to make money as an author -- you have to think about how it'll play on television.

>22 jillmwo:
Interesting comments on Stevenson's work. In relation to your comments on the Agatha Christie stories, I have never read And Then There Were None, nor seen a screen adaptation, so I had not spotted that. I have yet to read Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect but the title gives away the link with Murder on the Orient Express.

Speaking of murder mysteries, and murder mysteries with a bit of humour, my wife received a recommendation for Death in the Chateau by Ian Moore. When I investigated I discovered it is the third in a series of murder mysteries based in a B&B set up by an English couple in France. The first two books are:
- Death and Croissants
- Death and Fromage

They have now been purchased in Kindle format for reading by my wife when we are in France. It was our imminent travel to France that prompted the friend to suggest Death in the Chateau.

>23 pgmcc: ... a series of murder mysteries based in a B&B ...: all in the same B&B? Why on earth would anyone ever stay there?

>19 pgmcc: Fun pictures; pretty church! Lately the family have been binge-watching Dust Bugs Travel on YouTube, a series made by a couple who spend every fifth week exploring the gravel roads of this country setting out from their home at Strand on False Bay. They are of Afrikaans extraction, and spend time examining the Dutch Reformed churches in every town they come to; many of these look remarkably like the one the sale was at -- which I'm guessing isn't any kind of Calvinist! (One gets a little tired of their chorus of "Wooow! It's so old! Look at the foundation stone -- 1928!"

>24 haydninvienna:
I will let you know when I find out.

>15 pgmcc: What a great haul! I think it is a very good representation of your reading interests.

Wives and daughters is the only book by Gaskell that I've read, but I loved it. There is also an excellent BBC TV adaptation from 1999 which I recommend.

>19 pgmcc: This reminds me of the bookshop in Zwolle that is in a deconsecrated church. It was a very happy discovery for me.

>25 hfglen:
The Zion Parish Church is Church of Ireland.

I will post some photographs of the Holy Trinity Church of Ireland Church in Westport. It is very ornate in the style favoured by John Ruskin; natural objects carved into stonework, etc… Inside there are bible scenes on all the walls with gold leaf used extensively on the walls and ceilings.
The church was built as the estate church for Westport House, the residence of Lord Sligo. The estate funded its construction, hence the no expense spared ornamentation. It was the last Church of Ireland church built before the Church of Ireland was disestablished.

>15 pgmcc: I have a hunch that you might want to make a slight edit to your list.

I'm sure you're aware that the 2 Elmore Leonard books you have acquired have TV/Movie adaptations. Riding the Rap is the 2nd in a series to feature Raylan Givens who you might recognise from the TV show Justified while Rum Punch was used by Quentin Tarantino as the basis for Jackie Brown.

>23 pgmcc: Have you or your better half read Bruno: Chief of Police by Martin Walker? These take place in France in the Perigord countryside. They are as notable for their mentions of food as for the relatable characters and interesting setting. I know I've spoken of them before, but I'm not sure if you were going to France as frequently then. They are one of my favorite mystery series and claim space on my bookshelves for rereading.

>13 pgmcc: >15 pgmcc: Nice haul! I'll be interested to see what you think of Little Dorrit. So much better than David Copperfield, despite them both being somewhat predictable.

>15 pgmcc: An excellent selection! Some of these have been on my radar for a while,The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida for example.

I know I have read Little Dorrit, but I remember nothing :)))
Wives and Daughters is the only Gaskell I've read so far. It's very enjoyable!
Ah, I have fond memories of Hunchback of Notre-Dame! I remember that I thought it was slightly too dramatic, but liked it nonetheless.

The church is beautiful!

>30 MrsLee:
I have not heard of them. I must investigate. Thank you the tip.

Yes, I am aware you slipped in a gently administered BB. It was almost a stealth attack.

>31 Karlstar:
I believe I mentioned before that David Copperfield is the Dickens I enjoyed least, so it is likely I will enjoy Little Dorrit more.

>32 Alexandra_book_life:
We obviously have similar tastes.

>30 MrsLee: and >33 pgmcc:. I can vouch for Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker. I did it with a book group a couple of years back. There were truffles and basset hounds, as I recall.

Mrs. Gaskell is also good. I haven't read any Victorian novels thus far in 2024. So maybe my next read should be North and South.

>34 pgmcc: I do recall now, but I'm concerned that after reading you will then tell us that Little Dorrit is your 2nd least favorite! :)

>37 Karlstar:
Que sera, sera.

>37 Karlstar: and >38 pgmcc: May I just voice the cranky opinion that the works of Charles Dickens are "mixed". There are some ups (A Tale of Two Cities) and then there are some extreme instances of unnecessary wordiness and an extended length of narrative (the downside of serialization).

I swear the man's reputation as an author is overblown. (There. I said it out loud. Take your best shot, guys.)

>39 jillmwo:
David Copperfield is the first of his books that I did not enjoy. As you state, serialisation can lead to wordiness as the author's income depended on the number of episodes their story would run. This would be the reason for many of the classic novels by Dickens and others being hefty tomes.

I find his wordiness good fun, and the style in which his characters speak, designed to ensure wordiness, can be very entertaining. A French friend of mine, whose English is perfect, finds the language in Dickens too much for him. That I can understand, as many of the words and turns of phrase used are archaic to modern day English, and also, he would not have grown up seeing the occasional Dickens story dramatisation.

In previous posts I have stated that the literary magazines of the day were the equivalent of the more recent TV soap operas. Apart from theatre, musical halls and pubs what other entertainment was available other than reading, hence the massive crowds that queued for every issue of the literary magazines. In this context you might compare Dickens to writers of soap operas and situation comedies. It is arguable that this is the slot filled by Dickens stories in their hay day.

While people, in their thousands, still watch soap operas (for reasons beyond my ken), I do not see those people seeking out boxed sets of old soap operas or demanding reruns in the same way people still buy the stories written by Dickens and enjoy dramatisations when they appear. Dickens obviously has some more merit in his works than present day soap operas.

In terms of overblown reputations, I will, as I have done before, say that I believe some of Joyce's works are overblown. The only person I am aware of who has deciphered elements of Finnegans Wake is Umberto Eco. If you have to be of the intellect of Eco to appreciate a book then the book is of limited appeal. I believe Joyce was a genius, but I feel that he wrote to impress people with his genius rather than to entertain them or communicate a message. His stories in Dubliners are wonderful. If he had written his novels more like those stories he would have been much more appealing to me. Writing to show off does not attract me at all.

I believe Flann O'Brien felt the same way about Joyce. In At Swim-Two-Birds he has a character whom I believe is a caricature of Joyce and I feel he was ridiculing Joyce in that book.

Now, I sit back and await the onslaught of the Joyceans who genuflect at the mention of his name.

>40 pgmcc: Well, I will align myself with you, insofar as the Joyceans are concerned. I read Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man in high school but have never felt particularly compelled to read any of his other work.

With regard to Dickens -- I do pick up on the humor that Dickens infuses some of his secondary characters with. They helped to flesh out his word count but they were not ONLY there to do that. Some of them are quite lively.

My issue is that he is so venerated that you'd think him personally responsible for every reform movement in England during the nineteenth century. Yes, he did much to make visible the lives of those living in the worst of the London slums. But Gaskell did the same for those laboring in the factories of Manchester and she never gets the same amount of credit for reform. As an editor of multiple periodicals, Dickens did assist the careers of other writers in managing to support themselves and for that I do grant him a certain amount of respect. I just don't find his writing particularly immersive; his characters are good, but I'm not sure he's so far ahead of the game. (I find those of Wilkie Collins to be quite as memorable as any encountered in Dickens. Gabriel Betteridge in The Moonstone is always my prime example. I hold on to the memory of him even when I can't recall who else in that book is supposed to be the hero.)

The analogy with the television soaps is a good one. (I did once know a professional woman who worked for the Department of Education who *faithfully* watched her soaps every night once she had managed to acquire a VCR and could record the daily episodes while she was at work. But I don't recall her storing away every single episode taped.)

>19 pgmcc: I must confess I've never seen a book sale that looked quite like that! Your list looks quite good, except that I have sworn off Asimov completely. The man clearly wrote in quite a hurry and needed desperately an editor who would stand up to him.

>19 pgmcc: Beautiful church!

I didn’t know Paddington was a novel. I thought he was in picture books. I’ll have to put the novel on my TBR list.

>39 jillmwo: Hear, hear! I have long been of the opinion (reinforced, as I'm sure I've said before, by a toxic combination of Edwin Drood as school set-work and an arrogant, unsympathetic, conventional and hidebound teacher) that Dickens is to be avoided like the plague.

>28 pgmcc: I assume it's genuine Victorian, not pastiche like so many of the churches the "Dust Bugs" admire.

>45 hfglen:
Zion Church is a Church of Ireland Church (Anglican) and was built using money donated by John Gold esq. of Cullenswood, Co. Dublin, described as “an eminent stockbroker in this city”. The church was opened in November 1861, and consecrated the following year. The builders were Messrs. Cockburn and Son of Gt. Brunswick St./Erne St. Lwr./Shaw St. & Kingstown, and Architects Joseph Welland & Son of Merrion St. The church was allocated a parochial area from the parent parish of Rathfarnham, and became a separate parish in the 1920s.

>43 catzteach: I used to read the Paddington books aloud to my kids. They loved them. The kids chose one memorable scene from one of them to act out for their grandparents. Paddington is eating a grapefruit for breakfast and it squirts at him. They were very creative in getting a grapefruit to squirt at the right time and our sides were sore from laughter, both when we read it in the first place and when the kids did the show. Fun times.

>47 MrsLee: oh, now I really have to read one! What a fun family you have!

>45 hfglen: Okay, I can't come up with an answer. What or who are the "Dust Bugs"? Are they just poor judges of architecture?

I have finished The Accordionist by Fred Vargas and translated into English from French by Siân Reynolds.

Would I read another book by this author?
Yes.

Would I recommend this book?
Yes.

Who would I recommend it to?
Anyone who likes murder mysteries. It is particularly suitable to those who like cozy murder mysteries.

Did this book inspire me to do anything?
I looked up the location of Nevers on the map.

This is another enjoyable murder mystery from Fred Vargas. Her stories are great at evoking French social norms, informing the reader of the way the French policing structures differ from other countries, and bringing visions of Paris streets and landmarks to the reader's mind. Well, this reader's mind anyway.



I read Alistair Gray's novel Lanark in January 2012, over twelve years ago. Every since that reading I have intended reading more of his stories and have, on the basis of that intention, acquired a number of his books. Shame on me that I have not read any of them during the last twelve years. It has taken the production of a film based on his book Poor Things to prompt me to read this book before watching the movie.

clamairy, you take take credit for prompting me to read the book, but since I bought the book in October 2011 I do not think you can chalk up a full BB score. Maybe a half notch. :-)

>49 jillmwo: From their YouTube channel: "We're a husband and (camera-shy) wife, two normal working city dwellers who happen to love the back roads and dusty tracks where people often forget to go. And this is where we find the coolest people, critters and places which we just have to share with all of you.

We work for a few weeks or months, often Monday to Sunday, and escape the traffic and crowds every so often when we run away to small towns, mountains, plains, rivers and everything else nature has to offer. We sometimes visit a few bigger towns and cities too to broaden our horizons a little. We don't own an off-road vehicle and rent the smallest vehicles with the highest ground clearance we can find."

They live in the Strand, at the north-east corner of False Bay, and I was thinking of their visit to the Free State in the 190s--200s of this playlist, in which new episodes are (frustratingly) added at the top, not the end:
https://www.youtube.com/@DustBugsTravel/playlists

By all means take a look.

>46 pgmcc: Many thanks.

>29 AHS-Wolfy:
I was not aware of the TV/Movie adaptations. I enjoyed Jackie Brown but did not realise it was based on an Elmore Leonard.

Until I watched the film Get Shorty, I was only vaguely aware of Elmore Leonard's writing. By chance I found a copy of the book, bought it and enjoyed it. On that basis I have been picking up Elmore Leonard books when I find them, usually in bookshops with a returns section. Freaky Deaky is another book I enjoyed.

The two books I picked up at the book sale were simply victims of my "pick up any Elmore Leonard book if you see it" philosophy. I was not aware of anything else about those titles. Unlike other authors I have not researched their bibliography and made a list. I have also never come across the TV show, "Justified".

Given the Jackie Brown connection I look forward to reading Rum Punch.

Thank you for that information.

>25 hfglen: here are some pictures of The Holy Trinity Church in Westport, as promised in >28 pgmcc:.









You can see how lavish the use of gold leaf is in the internal walls, and can see the John Ruskin inspired carvings of vines etc... in the stonework.

The stone wall in the altar area is marble.

Here is a small article about the church and its history.

I am six pages into the Introduction of Poor Things and I can already say I am going to enjoy this book. Quotes that have grabbed me so far include:

"He said every lawyer was sworn to keep a client's business private, whether the client lived or died. He said that the only sure way to keep old business private was to destroy proof that it had happened."

and

When the author paid the publisher for them* such books were usually duller than those for which the publisher paid the author."

*Books that an author wished to have published.

>54 pgmcc:. AMAZING photos. Thank you so much for sharing.

And FWIW, I have a sneaking suspicion that I too am remiss in not reading Poor Things so you and clamairy can share the credit of a BB between the two of you.

>51 hfglen: Thank you for the clarification/explanation!

>53 pgmcc: I read Elmore Leonard's Three-Ten to Yuma after watching the remake of 310 to Yuma. I gave his collection 4 stars.

>54 pgmcc: lovely work!

>50 pgmcc: Ha! I'll take that ½ credit/notch! The film is very odd, but I am most curious about the book now myself. BTW, if you don't pay attention to these things Emma Stone won an Oscar for her portrayal in the movie version of Poor Things.

>54 pgmcc: Wonderful photos! Thank you for sharing them.

>54 pgmcc: Wooow! That's beautiful! Many thanks!

>57 fuzzi:
I had no idea Elmore Leonard wrote Three-Ten to Yuma. I must have seen the 1957 film years ago. The 2007 film has not crossed my path yet. Your post has me wanting to read the story and watch both versions of screen adaptation. You are good at these BBs.

>58 fuzzi: Thank you!

>59 clamairy: I did see that Emma Stone won the oscar for her work in the screen adaptation of Poor Things. When the news was coming through a week or so ago about the film being nominated for several oscars I pulled out the book with the intention of getting around to reading it. Your Facebook post pushed me to start it.

I am glad you like the pictures. I was going to reduce their size, but I think the large format gives them more impact.

If I meet anyone who is going to be in Westport I recommend they give this church a visit. It is quite eye-opening. They have a display about the architecture and about the people that influenced it. Very interesting.

>60 hfglen:
I am glad you like it. You will have to come back to Ireland and give it a visit. It is a must for any botanist.

A quote from the main text of the book Poor Things. Two medical students discussing the practitioners of the career they are embarking upon.

"They treat patients' bodies as if the minds, the lives were of no account. The smooth bedside manner we cultivate is seldom more than a cheap anaesthetic to make our patients as passive as the corpses we train upon."

>54 pgmcc: What a beautiful church! Thank you for the photos. The article was interesting as well :)

>54 pgmcc: Great pictures and the size/format is perfect. Thanks for posting them.

>63 Alexandra_book_life: I am glad you liked them. Remember, if you are ever in Wexford drop in to look at the decor of the church.

>61 pgmcc: A lot of Elmore Leonard's works have been adaptaed to either the big or small screen. Some really good westerns to go along with the crime thrillers too. IMDB writer credits.

>61 pgmcc: *sigh!* Only possible if I win the Lotto, I fear! But it would be a very good thing to revisit Ireland-the-beautiful. When I suggested to Better Half that you know all the best bookshops in Dublin I got stomped on with a snort of derision.

>54 pgmcc: That's a beautiful church! The angels remind me of the ones in our church - similar Victorian-era wall painting. I hope to return to Ireland sometime and will certainly visit the church to see it in person.

>67 hfglen: But he also knows the best gardens, restaurants and churches in Dublin! Maybe that will work?

>67 hfglen:
Winning the Lotto is on my career plan too. I suppose that someday I should buy a ticket. Meet Lady Luck half-way.

Sorry about the snort of derision. Tell your better half I know where all the best fashion shops are too. As >69 Karlstar: writes, I know other places too.

Good wishes for an early Lotto win.

>66 AHS-Wolfy: Thanks to you I will be research his novels and screen adaptations.

>68 Sakerfalcon:
Westport is quite a lively town. It is quite prosperous and livelier than many other small Irish towns. If you go that far you should visit Achill Island. There is a bridge to the island so do not be afraid there might be a boat trip involved, although I suspect a boat trip would not be something that would give you any worries.

>69 Karlstar:
Our joint forces should be able to overcome Hugh’s wife’s objections.

>64 Karlstar:
Thank you. I was really taken by this building and was amazed when I discovered it tied in with what I knew of John Ruskin’s views on architecture. That was an unexpected delight.

>73 pgmcc: I agree!

Just been watching some more "Dust Bugs". They had an episode on Kommetjie, on the atlantic coast of the southern Cape Peninsula. There was this old water tank on walls and pillars, about 10-20 feet above the ground, that had been decorated by a local graffiti artist. I couldn't help thinking of Pete -- there is always an elephant, in this case life size, with his trunk on one of the pillars.

>76 hfglen:
There is no getting away from them. As you say, there is always an elephant.

Poor Things is proving to be an exceptional book. I am really curious to see how it was adopted for the screen. There is so much in it that would be difficult to present to a cinema audience without people misinterpreting the content or being repelled by it because they do not see the layers of meaning beneath the story.

I suspect I will have a long post about this book when I am finished. Then I will watch the film.

>78 pgmcc: I really had to force myself to stay with the film because it's a bit jarring and disconcerting at the beginning. I'm so glad I did though because the payoff was definitely worth my discomfort.

The book is now on my TBR.

>79 clamairy: Looonnnng overdrive wait list for that one. I wonder why...? ;)

>80 ScoLgo: Interest has probably taken a jump since the film based on the book was nominated, and won, at the Oscars.

>79 clamairy: and >80 ScoLgo: and >81 pgmcc: Agreed that the Oscar nomination(s) pushed awareness of it. Chit-chat here in the Pub was what made me aware that the movie had been based on a novel. That Peter (up there in #78) could vouch for it as a worthwhile read has also driven interest (for me). OTOH, I never get around to reading big-buzz books like this until 3 years after all the rest of you all have checked it out.

Poor Things by Alasdair Gray (336pp 1992)



Would I read more books by this author?
Most definitely.

Would I recommend this book?
Definitely.

To whom would I recommend this book?
It would have to be people who can stand a little weirdness and who can cut their way through the superficial carnal aspects of the book to see its real purpose and meaning.

Did this book inspire me to do anything?
Yes! I am planning a day in Glasgow to visit the main sites in the story. It will make an interesting excursion and give me a photo-journal opportunity.

I acquired this book in 2011 but have only gotten around to reading it now. I bought it while I was reading and loving Lanark. Poor Things has not disappointed. My reading it now was prompted by a friend who watched the Oscar winning film. This spurred me on to read the book before I watch the film.

Having loved Lanark I was expecting some weirdness. It was not as weird as I expected, but read like an historical novel with one piece of Science Fiction at its heart. There is so much in the book I cannot see how a screen adaptation could possibly present all the content. My suspicion is that the film deals mostly with the sexual aspects of the story rather than with the primary focus of the book which is the presentation of political viewpoints and the promotion of political philosophies focused on improving the lot of the people rather than increasing the wealth of the wealthy. Comments by friends who have seen the film and reviews of the movie appear to support my suspicions. I intend to watch the film, but in my usual approach to screen adaptations I will not be complaining about how the film does not reflect the book, but rather enjoying the movie as something different from the book. I will be interested to see what was cut out of the story and what has been added in. Given the complexity of the main character I am not surprised it was an opportunity for Emma Stone to win an Oscar. I am looking forward to seeing her performance.

There are several themes to the story with a rather steamy thread running through the earlier parts of the book which, while the film may emphasise this, is primarily a means of hooking the reader to read on and then used as a vehicle to facilitate discussion on various political movements, their core tenets, and to present their impact on the population at large. Also presented are critiques of social norms that were, and still are, abhorrent to the sensitivities of the more liberal minded. It is a strongly feminist book so people should push through the misogyny presented in the early chapters to get through to the powerful messages that follow.

If I was to sum the story up in one sentence it would be:
”This is the life story of girl who experienced life in an accelerated fashion and grew into a determined woman who worked tirelessly to improve the lot of the poor through the advancement of medical practice and women’s rights.”

If I were to ignore the true messages of the book and simply describe it based on the superficial elements I could describe it as:
The wife of Frankenstein was a nymphomaniac.

More comments will follow my watching the film.

>82 jillmwo:
It has taken me the guts of thirteen years to get around to reading this book so I suppose you can be allowed a three year delay. As I warn in >83 pgmcc:, do not be put off by the focus of the film.

Further comments on Poor Things.

What I have not discussed so far is Alasdair Gray’s skill and craftsmanship as shown in the structure and framing of this novel. He used a relatively old framing technique* of claiming a bound copy of the book was delivered to him along with a letter from the author’s widow, the widow being the main character in the novel. He also surrounded the main text with supposed proofs of the authenticity of the claims and events within the book. This is a masterful piece of literature with not only the text, but the illustrations, the structure, and the business-like tone of Gray’s notes, proofs and explanations demonstrate Gray’s thoroughness in preparing this book in a fashion that it will play with your mind and could prompt you to believe every element of the story.

Gray thoroughly contradicts every argument put forward in the widow’s letter when she is denying the reality of the book’s contents. Official documents and reference material is quoted to add credence to the story and support the “facts” that demonstrate the truth of the story. The use of real-life factual information skilfully erases any doubt in the reader’s mind that the story might be hogwash. His description of Bella’s later years, her struggles to keep her clinic in action, and her striving to promote women’s rights is all done in a very credible way. Apart from the enjoyment of the story itself, reading this book is a lesson in how to structure a story that conveys political messages, demonstrates the growth of a strong, morally sound woman, and also presents apparently irrefutable proof to the truth of the story within. Alasdair Gray deserves all the praise that is laid at his feet. I look forward to reading all the woks of Alasdair Gray that I have not yet reached.

* The fact that the technique is old does not mean it is not appropriate or worthy. Some commentators may say that this framing approach is dated and out of vogue. I say, if it works, use it. Gray certainly used it to great effect in Poor Things.

>83 pgmcc: and >84 pgmcc: Wow. Quite a write-up! Clearly I need to seriously consider reading something by Alasdair Grey. But one quick question for you. I went back and looked. I was able to find a thread where you mention Lanark as one of your top reads for 2012, but I wasn't able to find a review or a write-up from you. Had you done one?

>86 jillmwo:
It would appear I have not. Lanark is quite surreal with the main character passing between the real world and an apparently parallel world in which things are a bit weird. I cannot remember more detail at this remove, but I do remember really liking it. I think Poor things might be a better first Alasdair Gray book. As you know, my tastes can be quite weird, so Lanark, in my opinion, is a bit weirder that Poor Things. I think they are both brilliant, but as you have identified my failure to document the detail of my glee with Lanark it is hard to show precise data on what I enjoyed so much.

My tags for Lanark are: Autobiographical; Surreal; Social; Revolutionary; Life; Growing up; Glasgow.

What's not to like?

>86 jillmwo:
I have found a few words I wrote on Lanark in post #133 in the first part of my 2019 thread.

I described the book as follows:
To put this book in context I have to include the cover for Lanark, Gray's apparently surreal story of a young artist growing up in Glasgow. This book has two streams, one is quite normal while the parallel stream is quite surreal. It works very well and it is believed to be at least partly autobiographical.

Have a Happy St. patrick's Day!

>89 pgmcc: Happy St. Patrick's Day! Blessings to you and your family!

Ans a happy St. Paddy's day to you, too, sir!

>89 pgmcc: Happy St. Patrick's Day!

>90 MrsLee:, >91 hfglen:, >92 Karlstar:

Thank you all!

Yes, have a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

>61 pgmcc: I don't think I've seen the 1957 film, but about the 2007 remake...my son, who is a big film buff (English major, Film minor) said despite it being violent at times he thought I'd appreciate it, and I did. They took a few liberties with the story but it worked very well.

The murals in the church remind me of the endpapers for the BookHouse books, from the 1930s.


The church art is better, but the simplicity of the drawing is similar.

>95 fuzzi:
I see what you mean; definite lines and solid colours. The gold-leaf is a bit of fancy. :-)

>94 Alexandra_book_life:
Thank you. We did have a good day. We went to the town where my elder daughter lives as she was in the parade with her eldest. We stayed with them for dinner. It was a very pleasant day.

The coming week will be very busy. We are heading to france for an extended stay. I will be parted from the bulk of my library for a prolonged period. It is not doing my blood pressure any good I can tell you.

In preparation for this wrenching from my safe place I am selecting books to take with me. It is an interesting occupation and is giving me a distraction from organising all the things around the trip that some people consider important, such as selecting clothes to bring, ensuring we have all our necessary medications etc..., setting aside the chargers we will need for our phones, our laptops, our MP3 players, our Kindles, our power packs for recharging on the hoof, our... I think you get the idea.

So, the books I have selected so far, and, where appropriate, why.

Leadership Magic by Grahame Pitts.
Graham Pitts is the life coach for the CEO of the company I worked for until my retirement. I met him at several senior management two-day events he organised and ran for us re setting strategy and developing leadership skills, etc... By chance I ended up sitting beside him at dinner each evening and we talked about books. I raised the idea that he had a wealth of knowledge about motivation, leadership and other aspects of management development and that he should write a book. I kept bringing this up every time we met and suggested he use the motivational tools he was using on us to encourage himself to write the book.

Well, he wrote the book and contacted me last week to say he was sending over a copy. It arrived yesterday and I will take it on holiday to give it a read and provide him with feedback.

The Parasites by Daphne Du Maurier.
A BB from Sakerfalcon I believe. I am keen on Du Maurier's work and this will help me in my march through her novels.

This is how it happened by Jo Barrett
This appears to be a little bit of humorous fluff about a lady who wants to kill her Ex, but not kill him, if you know what I mean. She just wants to give him a scare. As the back of the book states, hiring a professional hit-man to kill him is not the best way to not kill him.

The Best Stories of Arsène Lupin by Maurice Leblanc.
We discovered Arsène Lupin last year when in France and since then I have watched the Netflex modernised version of his adventures. There is a small patisserie we like which is named after Arsène Lupin, so I want to try some of the original stories.

Seeking Whom He May Devour by Fred Vargas
This is the second novel in the Commissaire Adamsberg series. I enjoy the French environment Vargas presents in her books. It is very authentic and it gives good detail on how the French police system works and how the civic authorities play a role in the policing processes. Very interesting.

West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman
This was one of the books I received as part of the retirement gift I received from a friend; a book selected by the book store staff each month for twelve months and sent to me. I have been delighted with the selections made. From the cover I understand this is a humorous murder mystery. I am happy to give it a try. It may or not work out, but we will see.

Everyone on this Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson
This is a BB from jillmwo who is responsible for many of my BB wounds. Between herself and Sakerfalcon I am fairly riddled.

Having shot me with this BB I came across the author's previous book, Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone. Of course I had to get that and read it before getting to Everyone on this Train is a Suspect. Now I get to read the main event.

George A. Birmingham
As I am going to be away for a long time, and I have hopes of executing a few little literary projects in my retirement, I am bringing some George A. Birmingham books with me to get to work on one project; reviewing the books of George A. Birmingham and how they relate to the historical context of the time they were written. He wrote novels very quickly and had them published almost immediately. As a result his books reflected the socio-political environment of the time he was writing them and I have found it fascinating how his books reflect life at these times. His books were written from the early 1900s to 1950. He was a Church of Ireland minister and was active politically. There are over sixty novels to his name and they were written in a very active period in Irish history.

The physical Birmingham books I am bringing with me are:
- Pleasant Places by George A. Birmingham. A memoir.
- Benedict Kavanagh by George A. Birmingham. His third novel.

I have picked up some Kindle versions of some of his books.
- The Complete Works of George A. Birmingham which contains only sixteen of his over sixty novels. Grrrrr!
- The George A. Birmingham Collection: Two Golden Age Detective Novels which, as you might have guessed, contains two of his novels, namely: Wild Justice and The Hymn Tune Mystery.

A book about George A. Birmingham is also coming along.
- The Life and Writings of James Owen Hannay (George A.Birmingham), 1865-1950 by Brian Taylor

As you can see from the last title, the author's real name was James Owen Hannay, or to give him his full title, Canon James Owen Hannay.

I am sure there will be one or two more books smuggled into the car before we depart.

>98 pgmcc: Best of luck with your stay in France! (The very idea! Sounds lovely.) This was an interesting book list :)

>99 Alexandra_book_life: Thank you!

I am glad you found the book list interesting. It is quite the mix of new and old books. When reading older books I often find that they are as modern as the latest novels. The same human frailties and vices crop up time and again, whether it is a hundred-and-fifty year old book, or one of the latest Booker Award nominated novels.

>100 pgmcc: Go back to Shakespeare or the Greeks and human beings are still human beings. Best wishes for your latest secret mission holiday.

>101 haydninvienna:
Thank you. Our retraining programmetirement holiday should be very relaxing.

>98 pgmcc: Well, it must be an extended stay if you're taking all those titles with you, particularly all the volumes dealing with Hannay/Birmingham! Take a deep breath. Allow the pleasant weather in the French countryside to clear the cobwebs; living in the chateau may foster your productivity with any writing you've got in mind!

>98 pgmcc: Impressive, you talked your boss into writing a book! I am not surprised.

>104 Karlstar:
He wasn’t my boss. He was my boss’s life-coach who my boss asked to organise and run the away days.

>103 jillmwo:

Yes. An extended stay. Measured in months.

>98 pgmcc: Are we allowed to hope for a report on the local wines?

>107 hfglen:
Unfortunately my recent dietary adjustments require a reduction in my consumption of both wine and cheese, so while there will be limited exploration and reporting it will not be extensive. :-( I have a sense that visiting France under a dietary regime that limits wine, cheese and paté consumption is a bit like spending time in Purgatory, if not worse.

By coincidence, the book I am currently reading is about a ghost in Purgatory. Very interesting. It is set in Sri Lanka and the soul in question was "disappeared" during the trouble. He has seven days (The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida) to progress to The Light, or remain in the Inbetween Place. We are following the spirit as he hunts down his murderers and interacts with other ghosts and the authorities administering the Inbetween Place.

>108 pgmcc: I could skip wine on a trip to France, but cheese would be a hardship.

I have heard that the bread is wonderful.

>98 pgmcc: I hope your mission holiday to France is successful.

>105 pgmcc: You did say that in your original post, sorry about that.

>111 Karlstar:
No worries. I just hope it is a good book so I can say nice things to him about it without biting my tongue.

>98 pgmcc: *Pssst* I don't think that is quite enough, although well thought out. You should probably make sure you have Bruno: Chief of Police on your Kindle or reading device. Your wife might like it too.

>113 MrsLee:
I see you prefer to walk right up to someone and aim right between their eyes rather that sniping from a hidden position on the forested hillside.

:-)

Also, co-opting my wife as part of your hit-team is very clever.

>113 MrsLee:
I suspect you and Amazon are in cahoots. When I went to investigate the buying options for Bruno: Chief of Police the first thing I was presented with was a four-book offer for just under £20. These were paperbacks and were the first four books of the Death in the Dordogne Mysteries. I tried to find individual books on the Kindle and initially just found the first one. That was £3.59. I went looking for the other three in the paperback offer and had tracked them down when I say the first six Death in the Dordogne Mysteries on Kindle for £2.53.

Guess which option I went for.

I am still baffled at the logic behind the pricing of these books. I see the recently published ones are priced at over £20.

I think that gives you a credit of 6 notches on your BB gun stock.

>113 MrsLee:, >115 pgmcc: Nice work Lee! Your skill with Book Bullets is unsurpassed!

>116 Sakerfalcon: While you and jillmwo have been hitting me consistently with single pot-shots, MrsLee has used a blunderbuss and strafed me and left me with six wounds. Given that the six wounds are from a series with many more books, if the infection catches it could spread. With this single attack MrsLee may have triggered a process that just accumulates BB-hit notches time after time without her having to take aim for another shot. That is true BB-markspersonship.

>117 pgmcc: I was raised in the Wild Wild West after all. :D I very much hope you enjoy them, but at that price at least I won't have too much guilt if you don't.

>118 MrsLee:
Thank you for the recommendation. I will be interested in seeing how they go. I have ensured they have downloaded to both my kindle and my wife's.

>117 pgmcc: Consider that payback in kind for The Stranger Times and that Dublin series by the same author. You riddled ½ of the denizens of our pub with that buckshot.

>120 clamairy:
Revenge is often regarded as a nasty motivation.

>98 pgmcc:
Since I first listed the books I am taking with me to France I have selected a few more:

Nemesis Gates by James S. A. Corey.

This is the fifth novel in The Expanse and is the next one I am due to read. I find these books engrossing and entertaining. They are also quite relaxing as the political intrigue is laid out for the reader to see without too much effort.

Mexico Set by Len Deighton. Mexico Set is the second book in the Game, Set, Match trilogy, Berlin Game and London Match being the other to books. I have read the first and look forward to reading the next one.

Portable Magic by Emma Smith. To give the book its full title I should call it, Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers. Several people here have waxed lyrical about this book so I am looking forward to a good read.

Eat to Beat Type 2 Diabetes by The Hairy Bikers has proved an invaluable source of delicious, diabetes-friendly dishes, so I am bringing this with me to keep my mind of the wines, cheeses, patés and croissants that I will have to be avoiding or only taking in moderation.

>121 pgmcc: I do not consider payback and revenge to be the same thing at all.

>122 clamairy:
You mean Karma.

:-)

Yes. Because 'revenge' implies that the bullets are not appreciated.

>121 pgmcc: I watched some of the Hairy Bikers episodes on YouTube. Those revolving around cutting the calories and not the taste were great, so I'm sure you will not be lacking in good food. They even went to a wine specialist (I'm not sure what his title was, but he sold wines, so maybe merchant, but a knowledgeable one) and found that not all wines have to be off the menu. Have fun exploring and learning!

>124 clamairy:
Well, I can hardly say I did not appreciate the BBs that have hit home. The fact that they hit the target carries an underlying reality that they met criteria conducive to the victim's wellbeing and interests.

>125 MrsLee:
The Hairy Bikers come across as two lovely characters; people you would be happy to have in your circle of friends.

How Novels Work by John Mullan is another book I have decided to bring with me. I had decided on bringing Portable Magic instead of this book, but on mature reflection I decided to bring both. I started How Novels Work last year but got distracted by wild adventurous fiction when I had only read 50 pages. I did learn from those fifty pages, so I hope to learn more from the remaining pages. There are also parts early in the book that I want to revisit, especially in the not insignificant Introduction which is a fascinating read in itself.

There was on part in the Introduction that sat very well with my view of the world; the book world that is. It concerned book awards and such like events, and made the point that book awards are primarily about promoting new books and that existing books do not have strong commercial enterprises promoting them. Promotion of such books is left to secondhand bookshops, individuals, people in book clubs and to academics.

Your care and attention to choosing the perfect books for your mission holiday shows that you have the correct priorities.

>127 pgmcc: Yes, this bit is very true: book awards are primarily about promoting new books and that existing books do not have strong commercial enterprises promoting them. Promotion of such books is left to secondhand bookshops, individuals, people in book clubs and to academics.

Marketing is an expense that, all too frequently, publishers have shoved over onto third parties.

>127 pgmcc: Very wise, you have chosen well, as always.

>128 Sakerfalcon: >130 Karlstar:
Thank you for your approval of my selections. Books not listed are the 150 or so books on my Kindle, which is also coming with me, so I will have no significant limit on choice.

>129 jillmwo: Publishers have been doing more and more of this in recent decades. The authors are now expected to do more in store promotion and social media activity to drive the sales of their books. I remember a 2003 conference where authors were complaining that marketing budgets had been cut and that publishers had let go staff who used to liaise with bookshops & bookshop chains to get books piled high or to get displays in key positions. The authors were expected to drive some of that bookshop liaison.

I have no problem with publishers only marketing their current books as they are in business to make money, not spend it on their back-list. PoD is an opportunity for them to sell back-list books without incurring up-front costs of printing a large run and the ongoing cost of warehousing. I am just interested in how people get to know the wealth of knowledge and entertainment that is available in older books that are not receiving any direct marketing effort. For example, I am finding excellent books through my reading of George A. Birmingham's fiction, but very few people have ever heard of him. In his day he was very popular both on this side of the Atlantic and in the US. Some of the books I acquired are from the fifteenth and later impressions.

I shall step off my soapbox before I send you all off to see what that noise in the kitchen is.

Sounds like you are taking a great haul with you! Do you have a nice balcony in which to sit and read while enjoying some nice tea?

I, too, have had to change my diet. It’s actually been fun finding new meals to try. I have purchased about five new cookbooks in the last month and a half. :)

>131 pgmcc: Even PoD isn't totally cost-fee, of course — even now, digital storage costs something. Still cheaper than warehouses full of printed copies, which have to be stored, tracked and accounted for, and represent a significant cost in capital. But some publishers are aware of the "long tail" phenomenon.

>131 pgmcc: But now we have the internet. Just join a group that reads what you like, ask about a topic or style of book and you'll get recommendations in minutes, for old and new books. Most of the recommendations will be for new books or the hot book of the moment, but people to recommend older books.

>134 Karlstar:
That is in line with what I am saying. The Internet is basically individuals asking questions and what is in essence an online book club providing answers. That is a reader pulling information and recommendations. The Internet provides a channel for pushing forgotten books, but again, we are probably looking at individuals doing some pushing.

LibraryThing's recommendation functionality is heading in the right direction.

I have finished The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. It brings out the horror of civil unrest and the abuse of civilians by the powers that be, whomever that happens to be at the time.

The author framed it as the after-death experience of a photographer who has taken photographs of atrocities committed by all sides of the conflict in Sri Lanka. It is really a murder mystery come exposé of how things operated during the civil unrest in Sri Lanka and how the people in charge manipulated the various parts of the population to maintain their own power and wealth.

>131 pgmcc: Well, discovery of books is still quite the challenge -- what people used to call the "Napoleon Dynamite" problem. What is the magic ingredient that makes some books, films, television shows, successful in the market? Readers want help in finding the right book but the channels available for finding them aren't the same channels as worked for us before. I don't know about you all, but I rely far more heavily on what I learn about here on LT than on any other outlet. I still read the NY Times book review and I still pay attention to what floats by me on Twitter (X) but those are not primarily for my leisure reading.

And I am of the school of thought that says that Stephen King doesn't need anyone's marketing budget to get people to buy his books. I understand the so-called rationale for why publishers pour money into the big names, but I think it's money wasted.

Personally, I am interested in learning more about your Birmingham project.

>137 jillmwo:
Personally, I am interested in learning more about your Birmingham project.

I will report progress as it is made. Watch this space.

>137 jillmwo: You folks and the folks over in the scifi group recommend so many good books! I still haven't learned my lesson not to buy what Amazon recommends, but I'm getting there.

I nominated five novels for this year’s Hugo Awards. I am glad to see one of them made the short-list.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty.

I hope she wins this year. She is up against Scalzi and Leckie, so it will be a tough one.

>137 jillmwo:
I gave up on newspaper book recommendations when I read several books listed by The Sunday Business Post, a very reputable newspaper in Ireland, as being Summer must-reads. That experience helped me identify a few authors I will avoid like the plague.

One source of new books that I consider reliably good is the short-list for The Dublin Literary Award. This award is the highest valued prize in The World for a work of fiction in the English language. (A book translated into English is also eligible.) The prize for the winning author is €100,000. What makes this short-list so valuable as a source of good books is that the books are nominated by librarians across the whole world. The winners from 1996 to 2023 can be viewed here.

This year's nominated novels can be found here.

On the ferry trip to France I read most of Leadership Magic by Grahame Pitts. This is the book I mentioned as being written by my CEO's business coach.

It is a book of fables that Grahame has written to prompt discussion in his one-to-one coaching sessions with CEOs, and also as prompts for individuals to consider in their own working lives. The fables are simple stories that show people in challenging leadership positions albeit in surreal worlds and contrived circumstances. I believe this is perfect for what it is intended for. It is a book for people to use in pondering their roles within an organisation, even if the are not in a CEO position.

Grahame did me the honour of saying my constant prompting him to write a book got him to start the process and that is why he sent me a copy.

>142 pgmcc: Is there a fable for constantly overwhelmed minions led by pretentious fools?

>143 Karlstar:
There is one for leaders who are unwittingly brutal and arrogant in their management of people. In my work life I have found people like that. In one case the person does not have the wherewithal to change her behaviour. In the other case, the person will not change her behaviour because she uses it as a management tool and can turn on the charm when she wants to. Neither of them are pleasant people to work with or for.

There is a book that might fit your purpose. When Smart People Work for Dumb Bosses.

My next read will be The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. This is a book that was recommended to my last year by friends in France. I will be seeing them in the next day or two, so have to have made some progress on this book that they raved about last year. The imminent meeting of our friends made my "next book" decision very easy. Thankfully it is one of the many books that resides on my Kindle.

This was the view from the back of the ferry on Saturday evening.

>146 pgmcc: So lovely and peaceful. I will keep that in mind tonight as I fall asleep to the noise machine of ocean waves. Leaving out the probable real sound effects of ferry engines and fast moving water.

>146 pgmcc: Fantastic picture!

>146 pgmcc: What a wonderful image to capture the moment!

>146 pgmcc: That's glorious!

I enjoyed The Nightingale when I read it a few years ago. I don't think her writing style is anything special, but the story itself was engrossing and very well executed. I hope you enjoy it and have a fruitful discussion with your friend.

>146 pgmcc: Beautiful!

I wonder if your travels in France might take you to Nantes?
Or is that classified information?

>151 Sakerfalcon:
Other agents My in-laws are going to visit Nantes on our recommendation. We have the dog with us this time so our missions trip options are limited. France is very dog friendly but there are limits.

>146 pgmcc: Oh, so beautiful!

>146 pgmcc: That is beautiful!

WOW!

That was a tour de force. I am glad I read it.

Would I read another book by this author?
Yes.

Would I recommend this book?
Yes

Who would I recommend it to?
People interested in what happened in France during WWII in relation to how the war affected the lives of ordinary citizens and how they had to make difficult decisions in the face of Nazis occupation, aggression and violence.

Did this book inspire me to do anything?
Not that I can think of, but then that is probably because I was familiar with the history surrounding the story.

This is a story about the lives of two sisters, what they did during the occupation of their country by the Nazis, and the difficult decisions they made in an effort to be true to themselves and to survive.

>155 pgmcc: I'm glad you enjoyed it. Let us know about your discussion with your friends when it happens.

The Noh Mask Murder by Akimitsu Takagi is the twelfth and final book in the year of books gift I received from my friend. I consider it a great pick as it is by the same author of The Tattoo Murder that is a murder mystery that I really enjoyed.

>156 clamairy:

It was a great book. As you can imagine from the subject matter it can be quite tough in places, so probably to be avoided by people who cannot take much of the horror of Nazis brutality in WWII. The characterisation is good, and the story is interesting. The only things I would criticize the book for was some of the reality of some of the tie-ups at the end, but those are mere trivia when compared to the strength of the main story.

Now the big problem of picking my next book to read.

>159 pgmcc: One of the best problems to have!

>158 pgmcc: I had some quibbles as well, but I would definitely recommend this one to those who can stomach it.

>155 pgmcc: Theoretically, there is either a movie or television mini-series in the process of being made of this title. I am not sure whether pre-production actually survived the strike.

How well do you think the story might migrate to onscreen?

>161 jillmwo:
It would be perfect for the screen. Apart from Paris, much of the story takes place in the part of France I am currently in and know quite well. Many of the towns and villages mentioned are ones that I know. The only fictitious town is the one at the centre of the story and that is necessary to protect the descendents of the guilty. It could be any of the small towns in the area.

The Loire Valley is very picturesque and the vivid descriptions in the book are very accurate. It could be an amazing series. It would be akin to the 1970s/80s TV series "Secret Army" and "The Holocaust".

One thing I forgot to mention, the book portrays the major role played by women in the French resistance. It also shows the need for secrecy amongst those involved in the fight against the German occupation.

Apart from being grabbed by the story it was interesting to see the towns and villages I know used extensively throughout the book.

>155 pgmcc: Sounds like one I would enjoy.

>159 pgmcc: It's a very pleasant problem!

>161 jillmwo: & >162 pgmcc: I had heard about this. Apparently it stalled because of the strike while it was still in pre-production. It was meant to be a film, not a series.

Problem solved; I have started reading David Langford’s The Leaky Establishment, a satirical novel about Britain’s nuclear arms industry.

This is slightly amusing, but I am not finding it gripping. I am exactly quarter way through and feel the need to grab something that will grab me more. For that I have found Fred Vargas' Seeking Whom He May Devour. That is a book I am picking up at every opportunity.

jillmwo asked a question about the books I have brought to France on our missionholiday.



From the top to the bottom:

Seeking Whom He May Devour by Fred Vargas (Translated by David Bellos) (READING)
This is How it Happened by Jo Barrett
Mexico Set by Len Deighton
The Parasites by Daphne Du Maurier
Nemesis Games by James S. A. Corey
Pleasant Places by George A. Birmingham (An autobiography)
How Novels Work by John Mullan
Benedict Kavanagh by George A. Birmingham
Leadership Magic by Grahame Pitts (READ)
Portable Magic by Emma Smith
Everyone on this Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson
West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman
The Best Stories of Arsène Lupin by Maurice Leblanc (no information on translator provided)
The Leaky Establishment by David Langford (READING)
Eat to Beat Type 2 Diabetes by The Hairy Bikers (HERE FOR RECIPE IDEAS)
The Life and Writings of James Owen Hannay by Brian Taylor (READ BEFORE: HERE FOR STUDY PUROSES)

That's one impressive stack!

>169 clamairy:
I was triggered to post this image as I came across the same post for last year's stack. I was embarrassed to see how few of those books I got around to.

2023 holiday book stack.

The books I completed were:
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, Leviathan Wakes, and The Ability to Kill.

I started The Artful Dickens and studied a few chapters of French in Three Months.

Shameful performance.

>171 pgmcc: There's no shame in bringing a bunch of books with you and then reading a bunch of different ones instead! Or just admiring them from afar.

>171 pgmcc: I was going to say that not getting through the reading stack could be evidence that the vacation yielded other benefits like rest, adventure, companionship and interesting events. But I also agree with >172 clamairy:.

To be fair, I did read some Kindle books when away last year and this year I have also been reading on the Kindle. In the interests of full disclosure I am posting pictures of the stacks of Kindle books I brought away in 2023 and 2024.

2023


2024

>171 pgmcc: Reading should not be viewed as a performance, whether shameful or not. It's not about the numbers... (Also, I agree what >172 clamairy: and >173 MrsLee: said.) Clearly there are still some good reads for you to experience across the two piles shown.

But if I may make an observation, the photos in >174 pgmcc: are above an average "Dad" joke but hardly the evidence of the Irish charm and wittiness that Pub denizens hope for from the fine intellectual brain we all know. However, since you are now on an extended holiday following a brutal six months of retirement, we will assume that you are exhausted and in need of recuperative coddling by the local French populace. ;>)

BTW, Michael Dirda reviews a new and evidently thorough biography of Ian Fleming in today's Washington Post (gift article at: https://wapo.st/3xAhsVh) It seems to me to be right up your alley.

>175 jillmwo:
I apologise that my “Dad” joke humour disappointed you, but I must remind you that I am a “Dad” and therefore have a particular image to be maintained.

Now that I have woken up from my mid-afternoon snooze, I will get back to my being coddled by Fred Vargas as I sit on the veranda in the shade at 28C.

At the launch of MI6: The History of the Secret Intelligence Service 1909-1949, Keith Jeffery, author of this official history of MI6, had a thing or two to say about James Bond. His main point was that James Bond was not an agent; he was an officer. Agents were the ordinary people that officers recruited through bribery, coercion or ideological conviction to do the spying for them. Agents were not on the staff payroll of MI6; officers were, and probably still are. I am sure I would not know either way.

Jeffery was a very affable man and inscribed a copy of his book for me.

>175 jillmwo: I wasn't concerned by the dad humor, I was concerned because the leather cover on his Kindle is in desperate need of TLC.

>178 clamairy:
If you saw a worn, scuffed and stained copy of a paperback you would comment, “There’s a well loved and often read book.” A couple of stains on an old Kindle and you’re calling for the TLC Team to come with sirens blaring and armed to the teeth ready for action.

>178 clamairy: I'm crying foul because the crumb on the table is the same for both years.

>180 MrsLee:
When you have a vintage crumb you have to preserve it.

In addition, all the 2023 Kindle books are also in the 2024 picture.

>179 pgmcc: A tattered paperback book is very difficult to salvage. With a soft cloth, some leather cleaner and a bit of TLC your Kindle case could look as good as new. :oP~

>182 clamairy:
But then it would look unused, soleless, unloved, and friendless. :-~

:-)

>183 pgmcc: Bwahaha...

>168 pgmcc: That's a great stack. What's that saying - 'It's a marathon, not a sprint'. Something like that! I hope the trip/mission is going well.

I am enjoying Seeking Whom He May Devour by Fred Vargas. I took a break from the book to read a short story recommended by jillmwo, The Fog Horn by Ray Bradbury. It is a lovely little tale based around a lighthouse. Well worth the few minutes to read it. Thank you Jill.

>186 pgmcc: Hopefully the description supplied here on LT won't be too great a disservice to the actual thematic substance of the tale. Bradbury's writing is *way* better than the blurb might suggest.

>168 pgmcc: I am a strong believer in bringing more books on holiday than I can hope to read. I try to ensure that I have something for every possible mood I may find myself in. I bring my kindle as well, but I have to have sufficient print books in case of a malfunction on the device. You are clearly prepared for any eventually that may befall. I would expect no less from a seasoned agent traveller such as yourself.

>185 Karlstar:
All mission objectives holiday plans going well, thank you. :-)

>187 jillmwo:
I thought was a very good story. Well packaged and delivered. My thoughts while reading it were of the loneliness of the immortal; a topic I have pondered many times. It is akin to the loneliness of the leader, but lasts longer.

>188 Sakerfalcon:
I like to be prepared.

A colleague once paid me what I thought was a compliment. I was preparing a training programme and was assembling my materials and the exercises I was going to put people through. Out of the blue she said, "You are the most organised person I know."

That was very nice to hear, but at the time I was in a total panic and felt myself to be totally disorganised. I suppose perception from different points of view plays a part.

Apart from that I would be terrified of ending up with nothing to read.

>190 pgmcc: Like you, I felt the short story had to do with the passage of time and that experience of loss and misunderstanding. Not quite as lyrical as Bradbury sometimes offers, but certainly a meaningful and memorable read. Of course (and quite sadly) the movie that drew its inspiration from Bradbury did not convey as much of the intended experience.

I was reminded of the difference between the original story of Bambi and the subsequent Disney animated version. (What were some of those Hollywood folks drinking at the time?)

I have finished Seeking Whom He May Devour by Fred Vargas. It is a very good murder mystery with good character development and more information regarding the operation of the French police service.

There is one issue I would have with the translation. One character kept referring to Commissaire Adamsberg as "old chap". This is a very English phrase and is very out of place in the mouth of a Frenchman. It grated every time I read it. Apart from that the translation was great.

Would I read more novels by this author?
Yes!

Would I recommend this book?
Yes.

To whom would I recommend it?
To anyone interested in murder mysteries. It contains no gore or extreme violence so if very accessible to all.

Did this book inspire me to do anything?
Yes. To continue reading books by Fred Vargas.

>193 pgmcc: I'm seeing a lot of Fred Vargas at the pub. Is this a sign of some kind?

>194 Alexandra_book_life: A sign of good reading material.

As I finish one book and start another with almost 200 posts in this thread I believe it is time to move onto a new thread.