Paul's Race to 75 Part 8

Rantau Abang Beach in Terengganu in the East of Malaysia is famous for its nesting giant leatherback turtles.

Books read so far:
1 North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
2 The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff
3 The Guards by Ken Bruen
4 Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
5 Lyrics Alley by Leila Aboulela
6 Shadow by Karin Alvtegen
7 The Road Home by Rose Tremain
8 One Pair of Hands by Monica Dickens
9 Pure by Andrew Miller
10 The Appointment by Herta Muller
11 The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
12 The Battle of Pollocks Crossing by J.L. Carr
13 No Glossing Over It by Gary Edwards
14 Unknown by Mari Jungstedt
15 The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
16 Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald
17 Zoo Station by David Downing

Currently reading
The Years of Renewal by Henry Kissinger, Jack Sheppard by William Ainsworth, Troubles by J.G. Farrell, The Troubled Man by Henning Mankell

Best Books of the Year so far:
Literary Fiction
1. The Road Home
2 Lyrics Alley
3 Wolf Hall
Thrillers
1. Zoo Station
2. The Guards

12 in 12 categories

1: Historical Fiction 2/12
2: 19th Century Fiction 1/12
3: Biography 2/12
4: In translation 1/12
5: Series Starts 2/12
6: Scandicrimesters 2/12
7: Sci-Fi 1/12
8: Noughties 1/12
9: One Word Titles 2/12
10: African Born Writers 2/12
11: Bought and Read in 2012 1/12
12: Off the Shelves 0/12 (IN RESERVE FOR THE END OF THE YEAR)

Part 8! - You are a popular man:) That is a beautiful beach - you definitely live in a lovely part of the world.

Belated happy birthday to SWMBO.

Calm - thanks, isn't the beach at Aberystwyth just as nice if a little cooler?!
Thanks for the birthday wish to my dear wife - she is calling me to bed as I type so I am going to have to sign off.......
Good night all

Wow, another new thread and another beautiful picture!

Roni don't tell anyone as I should be in bed already (she is sprucing herself up in the bathroom as I type - here's me praying she doesn't scare me with one of those mask things - a sure passion killer if there ever was)!

Hi Paul. I'm glad to see you are also reading Troubles, as the group read thread has been silent since mid-February. At least there will be one other person to talk with about it!

I didn't post the cherry cake recipe because, while it was good, it wasn't as good as I had hoped. I only post the recipes that I really *really* love - my LT friends deserve only the best, of course.

Hi Paul!
I waited to visit til I figured the passion was expended...
sleeping soundly now... I hope. ;-)

Just posting to say Hi on this thread before I go and catch up on 100+ posts on your old thread...

HI Paul! Another lovely picture you have there! Hope Hani enjoyed her birthday!

And back to say that I'm so sorry to hear about the further troubles your Dad seems to be causing you and your brother and that I hope Hani had a nice birthday.

Ditto from me, Paul - sorry about your Dad troubles, and best birthday wishes to Hani. That picture up top looks inviting.

Gorgeous beach, Paul! Yikes, I do hope things settle more with your family before too long; the collateral damage will take longer to work through. Thoughts to you.

>10 -Cee-:: *snort*

>16 lauralkeet: me too!

Hi Paul, I couldnt wait to see the latest Malaysia picture. Is the tourism board paying you your worth? Looks very inviting and its somewhere I havent visited (yet?)

Oh wow, I love the book covers you have on this new thread, Paul. Happy belated b'day to Hani... I'm taking my cue from the posts above since last week was such a wash I wasn't able to check in on LT.

Speaking of turtles, have you been to Sea Turtle Research Unit over in Redang? They do really good work with turtle conservation and protecting the eggs and young turtles. If your kids are looking for a fun work school vacation volunteer program, SEATRU, might be something they might want to consider.

Hi Paul- Congrats on #8! I sure hope one of those chairs, in the beautiful photo at the top, has my name on it. Along with a good book, a good ale, hell I'd never leave. Glad to see that The Guards is on your best of the year list. I nearly got teary-eyed.

We visited Cozumel a few years ago and went to a turtle farm. It was fun!

Linda - hahaha I will be there to speak to you don't worry!

Amber - I'm sure it was delicious - when you think it has been perfected I look forward to you posting it up as I have been pushing your cake relentlessly.

Cee - passion sated for now! She did ask the question while we were snuggled up "Whose birthday did we say it was today?"!

Heather - thanksx2.

Chelle, Joe and Nancy - thanks to you guys too. Peter seemed a bit more chipper yesterday and we are actively talking about him starting again with a new venture.

Laura, Megan - snort ditto x2. Good idea Megan I will contact the tourism ministry and try to get recognition for my efforts!

Caro - I hope you are catching up on some rest as your travelling subsides until the next round coming quite soon. I have been to Redang and the sanctuary there - there is an elephant sanctuary also up Ipoh way which we enjoyed visiting.

Mark, thanks mate. I distinctly remember the photo of you sitting in your deck chair on your hols last year so I will certainly reserve one of the chairs for you this time around. The Guards was a treat mate thanks a bundle.

Linda - turtles and tortoises live extremely long lives dont they? Nice to see you here dear lady.

Thanks for the prod about the Troubles group read; I went looking for the thread over the weekend, couldn't find it, and then got distracted by work.

Does anyone have enough sense yet of how the novel takes shape as to devise a way to break it down for discussion??

I think you should get the tourism ministry to cough up airfare for a dozen of your closest LT friends to visit, so that they can spread the word...

Suz - I will be getting into Troubles fully later today so I'll give some preliminary thoughts - a complete rookie to group reads so bear with me please! Hahaha on the further suggestion to the tourism ministry - you would make the cut don't worry!

Suzanne, I think the easiest way to get to the Troubles thread is through the 75ers group wiki listing (last on the list under group reads). Unfortunately, I have no suggestions on how to break it down, as I am reading it on my Kindle and therefore can't really see ahead. But so far it doesn't even seem to have chapters. Maybe Darryl or someone else who has already read it would have a suggestion?

Linda / Suz - quite happy to be guided by you ladies. Darryl is normally a good resource for such matters isn't he?

Ack, busy busy busy. Checking in on your new thread.
xoxo

Ellen - nice to see you as always.

16.

Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald

Slow burning though short novel from a master of the short novel. Set amongst the dilapidated houseboats of Battersea on the Thames it examines the lives of misfortunes of an odd assortment of characters making their lives there.
Not passionate about the book until the final third when I realised that the dialogue was both ironic and scintillating. Quirky dark humour with the ability to frown with its subtle leads and laugh out loud with the dextrous wordplay amongst the characters.
Booker winner in 1979 and I can see why - apparently insubstatial but punching way above its weight if truth be told.

8/10

28: I think that's the most positive reader review of Offshore I've seen- must get round to my own copy before too long.

Interesting! I've only read one of Fitzgerald's books, but I've wondered if the others were worthwhile. Sounds decent enough, and I do like dark British humor...

Quirky dark, that just about captures it!

31: Oh, I like quirky dark!

>29 Soupdragon:: I think that's the most positive reader review of Offshore I've seen.
Me too! I was decidedly "meh" about it. But it's short and worth reading, even if to just compare notes and impressions.

Bah, looks like I'm too late for the Troubles GR..... oh well, it's on my list of books to read some time this year so I'll just have to watch you guys from he sidelines for this one.

Caro, I don't think you are too late at all to join the group read. It only (in theory) started on March 1st and as you can tell, things are still getting organized. I am just shy of being 25% through the book. Join us!

>24 Linda92007:, 25 Unfortunately I don't have my copy of Troubles at hand, as I lent it to my group's practice manager earlier this year.

Linda, ooh that's good to know. Let me dig out my copy and look for the GR thread . I was just trying to decide what my next book to read would be so this is timely indeed.

I'm afraid I was one of the 'meh' readers back in 2008 when it came to Offshore. Just didn't do anything for me, nor did her Blue Flower which I read last year. Apparently she and I just don't sync.

Hi Paul, I'll take one of those beach chairs you have pictured above. Along with an appropriately exotic drink and a nice thick book, that would be pretty close to heaven for me.

I haven't read Troubles but have read both The Singapore Grip and The Siege of Krishnapur and loved both of them. I plan on eventually reading Troubles but probably won't be able to fit it in this year.

Zoo Station is also on my wishlist and I'm interested in what you think of it.

Dee - I spent most of the novel thinking it insignificant and then there is a scene between husband and wife that blew me away and I saw it through rosier spectacles thereafter.

Faith - the investment required in Fitzgerald's novels is not too burdensome as they generally pan out at under 150 pages.

Lucy - I'm not so dark but a wee bit quirky I suppose so that writing of that ilk will always appeal to me!

Laura - As I said I almost ended up with the same view of it as you.

Caro/Linda/Darryl - I am less advanced than Linda but so far I like what I read! Shame about having lent out the book Darryl, I'll rarely fall for that if I haven't read the book yet.

Charlotte - I know what you mean I almost couldn't be bothered either but it was saved for me after half-way. In some ways there is a little bit of Muriel Spark in there but with a nastiness under the surface that cannot be detected in Spark.

Judy - we'll sit you right next to Mark with a frozen margharita and J.G. Farrell. Zoo Station will be finished today - atmospheric!

Oooh, oooh, can I have a beach chair too? I'll have one in the shade (a beach umbrella would work fine), and I'll bring Mt TBR and order a goodly supply of mocktails. Good luck getting rid of me once I'm settled in. ;)

(If it was evening, swap the mocktails for some cocktails, or maybe some nice bubbly or cider. I can't drink during the day, sunshine and alcohol just make me fall asleep. And I've got a massive Mt TBR to make a dint in!)

ETA: It's taken me several days to catch up here! And then I got completely distracted by a beach chair and a mocktail and a good book. A belated happy birthday to Hani! And many *hugs* for the family issues.

Tania - lovely to see you and so long as it doesn't hurt your feelings I'll gladly put you in the shade! Cider would indeed be nice but make sure you don't get Mt TBR wet!

Thanks for the wishes - miss you around here and I will have to go and find your thread pronto.

OK i have a confession to make .... I've been saying, seeing and doing the silliest things all day and here is another instance of a "duh' moment. I've already read Troubles! I read it last year! I went to my TBR Tower to look for it, was puzzled when I couldn't find it, thought I'd take a quick peek at my re-read shelves and .... ooh boy, guess which cover I recognized? The sight of the cover immediately reminded me what the story's about. *sigh*

I can only put it down to having been hit by the Ditz Fairy today.

Paul, I'm an Australian, we take skin cancer seriously! I'm always searching out the shadiest place to sit. And toting a bulk pack of sun screen and wearing a sensible hat. :)

Love the idea of a Ditz Fairy, Caro!

I can only put it down to having been hit by the Ditz Fairy today.

Very funny Caro! She must really like me, because she hits me pretty often.

Congrats on #8 Paul. You're a giant, nobody can touch you! I yield to your greatness. And so on and so forth with all sorts of crap of the kind to inflate your ego for a while so that you'll be convinced that you MUST have me along with that lucky dozen for that Malaysian vacation extravaganza. ;-)

Funny, because when I read your review of Offshore, the first thought that came to my mind was to tell you that I obtained the audiobook of Muriel Spark: Complete Short Stories tonight. Narrated by Juliet Stevenson, Amelia Fox and Richard E. Grant, no less. And then I keep scrolling down and there you are comparing the book with Spark's work. That's what happens when great minds collide. I mean... come together. Or... what's the expression? Can't think. It's bedtime. Just for the record, you're the only friend I made time to visit here today. Hope that earns me a couple of extra brownie points. Whatever those are. xx

Caro - mmm Ditz Fairy?! I would much rather put it down to the effects of jet lag! SWMBO is quite the girl for reading three chapters of a book and realising that I was right all along and she had read it before. I have mistakenly bought books I already have before but this is generally because of the change of title between Europe and North America.

Tania - woebetide me to expose you to any harmful rays - the sun here is benign relatively I'm told but still a place in the sun is assured!

Ilana - You are in no need of Brownie points with me dear lady! You would be a shoe in for a place on the plane should the tourism ministry come up trumps.
My ego could do with massaging a little after a tough working week so far, SWMBO's continued insistence every year that she is still 27 (now makes me 18 years her senior when the gap was easily in single digits when we tied the knot), and Peter's continued travails. Thanks for the thumbs up but I'm not at all convinced that the ulterior motive of a free overseas trip at the expense of the Malaysian government has not been factored in somewhere!
Spark's short-stories have not been read thus far but I can imagine she would be comfortable in the form. Fitzgerald's writing makes her to me something of a slightly off-kilter sister displaying catholic concerned through a skewed world-vision. Sweet dreams and honoured that you made the time for me at the end of a full day. xx

Apologies for not getting more engaged with the GR of Troubles. I have to mail Lucy a copy and dig out my own duplicate. Can't do either tonight as I'm tired and have a fussy Jasper-cat to attend to.

Speaking of cats, how's limp along doing?

Paul- Shamefully, I have not read Troubles either and it's been high on my TBR forever and to make matters worse, I have no room to squeeze it in, even the book-horn would be useless. Maybe someday! It's one of our mantras.
Sorry to hear, work has been difficult. Hope it settles down.

Catching up - waving hello. A deck chair in the sun sounds lovely - as we just shifted from 70F to 28F including "wintry mix" and I want that 70F back. I'll bring my own sun block.

>47 Chatterbox: Take you time, Suz. You are such a fast reader that I figure it gives the rest of us a chance to get a bit ahead!

Morphy, hahaha Hop Along Cassidy is still hopping along. He gets his very poor back leg massaged by Erni every day - he is getting stronger and the new vet is considering to reset the leg to see whether he can then support himself better.

Mark - love the idea of a book horn! Mine would be heavily used and worn. A much better work day today as the contractor on my aerospace manufacturing facility has started to perform very well. We had a technical review meeting this afternoon that went swimmingly.

Jenn - there are still plenty of chairs to be filled so your welcome to come on in. Bikinis not encouraged in Malaysia with its conservative tendencies. You will not be able to get 70F here as we only start at 90F!

Linda - a bit unnerving doing a group read with Suz isn't it?

>44 wookiebender: Paul, I'm an Australian, we take skin cancer seriously!
That goes for us NZers too Paul, dont forget to bring sunscreen when you visit us soon. Put it on if you're going out as even when it's overcast skies, you'll get a sizzled face.

Offshore grabs me, I like the sound of it, will check it out.

Megan - thanks, SWMBO keeps asking me every day what the weather is like in NZ - she is thinking warm coats so I'll scare her with the sunscreen!

If I was to say what the weather in NZ is like in one word, I would say changeable. You'll need the warm coats and the sunscreen I'd say.

Megan at least that is what I told her too. She cannot travel light at the best of times so we may be in for some fun and games travelling.

But we do have shops here. So if you are travelling light, and get caught out, there is a remedy. It might also be one of the things your wife and elder daughter have on their to do list while on holiday?
My lovely city is blighted by several hideously large malls that might entertain someone who is keen on shopping (I've heard these people exist).

>57 LovingLit: ..... LMAO ......

Hahaha Megan (with obviously impartial support from Alex)! I can see they may get some untoward encouragement!
btw congrats on the Black Caps finally getting their act together yesterday.

Quiet day so far - SWMBO took Bambi to the vets (a new one) and he is quite positive about his future - so much for the last fellow who wanted to put him to sleep!

Spent an hour with Yasmyne as she has to choose her subjects for high school exams (we used to call them O Level subjects) we have settled on 10 - Bahasa Melayu (Malay language), Islamic Studies - both compulsory and both taken a year in advance; English and English Literature (of course she is Daddy's girl after all) History (again Daddy's girl), Geography, IT, Mathematics, Physics and Biology. Drama, Business Studies, Accounting, French, Chemistry and Art all failed to make the cut. I think she'll do great in the next couple of years before removing all my savings for her university!

wow those are some tough subjects! Yasmyne must be smart and beautiful. You seriously better keep an eye out for lurking boys!

Challenging program!

Paul, just skimming through and checking in. I'm glad Ilana took care of all necessary ego-stroking for you (or maybe not? can any of us ever get enough of that?). I'm THRILLED that the new vet is optimistic about Bambi's future. I am also impressed by Yasmyne's program of study. Smart young woman! I, too, would have jettisoned the Accounting. :-P

I think your upcoming travels sound really terrific. I would love to visit NZ; it's on the bucket list (which is almost, but not quite, as long as the TBR list!!).

xoxo

Chelle - I am already suffering with eye strain because of her.

Lucy - Up to me I would have jettisoned physics but she has to choose either that or chemistry.

Ellen - hahaha nice to see you and ego massages are always popular! Looking forward to NZ too and will take some photos so you can at least visit vicariously.

17.

Zoo Station by David Downing

It would be an understatement of epic proportions to state that this is a series which promises much. Atmospheric certainly Downing recreates the flesh creeping horror Nazi Germany in the immediate pre-war period. The story revolves around Russell a journalist with a half-german son, a german ex-wife and a german girlfriend who ends up being approached by elements of the Soviet and british intelligence services and has to manage the expectations of the Gestapo at the same time. The sub=plot features a downtrodden Jewish Doctor and his family and Russell's efforts to help them.
Not filled with Lee Child or Alistair MacLean violence and James Bond Russell is not. If you are looking for a thriller that builds tension and suspense layer upon layer and creates place wonderfully then this is for you. There are elements of Ambler modernised here as an ordinary man goes against extraordinary circumstances, Alan Furst we can also find in the knowledge of the period and Downing is doing for Hitler's Germany what Tom Rob Smith did so specially for Stalin's Russia. Promises to be a great series.

9/10

Enticing review, Paul! 9/10 rocks!

Thanks Nancy I know it is a genre that you too enjoy.

Zoo Station sounds like a book I will really enjoy when I finally get to it. Great review, Paul.

Hi Paul- Good review of Zoo Station. Why have I not read this? This looks like a perfect fit for me too. I better get hustling before I'm the last one to read it.

Judy / Mark - this book was made for both of you. Judy this is my first for the March mysteries. Mark if I could repay the great service you did for me with The Guards. Go and get a copy of Zoo Station asap.

hacienda? sorry but this is a group that loves books and assorted discussions not advertising and self promotion.

Okay, I just came back from ordering a copy. I wasn't sure how much more arm-twisting I could take. Whew, glad that's over!

Great review Paul. Wish I had those blue filter glasses for when I read your thread! ;)

She's right to choose physics over chemistry!

I have had a copy of Zoo Station on my tbr since Cushla started reading the series. Good to hear that Bambi is faring more favourable with the new vet.
Hope we can organise a meetup in Auckland.

Hi Paul!
Only 3 days - and it seems like forever!
Kids, cats, trips and beach chairs -
Shopping, ego stroking and spy novels...
I think I am finally properly up-to-date.

BTW - I would have chosen chemistry (my first major)...

Whew! If I didn't already have Zoo Station in my obese wish list, your review would have had me rushing to put it on there, Paul.

Just dropping in to tell you that No. 1 daughter gave me two (one for Dh, in case he misses the message) SDWMBO coffee mugs, complete with crowns, as a present. She doesn't know about this group (shhhh.....), so I don't know where she got the idea.

So glad Gimpy the Kitty is doing well; belated happy b'day to Hani, may she be 27 many more times!

And of course, I added another book to the W.L.

Must... resist... new... tempting... book...

I would have done Chemistry, I always preferred that to Physics. But that's a nice group of subjects, looks like she's going to be busy over the next couple of years (in the best possible way). Hm, counting on my fingers, that's an awful lot more subjects than we could cram in back in my day! But that's good, I would have loved to have squeezed some history or something into my maths-and-science-heavy curriculum.

And some days, when I'm feeling nervous about the job prospects, I wonder why I didn't do something sensible like accounting.

Thanks for thinking of my national cricket team. Our attempts to keep the side sober is what Ive heard most about lately ;-|

Tough subjects for your eldest! Although, physics is sort of like philosophy so really should be an arts subject. Or is that quantum physics?

#80> Quantum physics and philosophy certainly have a lot in common. But my memory of high school physics is mostly Newtownian - speed, velocity, acceleration, billiard balls bouncing off walls, gravity, that sort of thing. Heavy on the maths (but not as much fun as maths, IMO).

#52 - Bikinis? LOL. Not me. I'm more of a skirt and t shirt sunbather, for the good of everyone. I'm at least as conservative as a Malaysian. I've also been living at 6000+ feet for the last 8 years. Every year, first time we go to the park in the spring, after 10 minutes we're sunburnt. Then we think, oh, right. Sunblock.

Speaking of physics, has anyone read Mama Makes up Her Mind by Bailey White? There is a short story in there called "The One-Eared Intellectual" that is about physics. Hilarious.

Mark - hahaha you won't regret the order mate.

Thanks for taking time off from your busy moving schedule Chelle - will look into the purchase of spectacles even if I'm not entirely sure what you're gonna use 'em for.

Lucy - I agree but SWMBO reminds me of the cheesy chat up lines I used to regale her with: We were having our first date in a very nice Italian restaurant in Johor Bahru (food was involved from the very beginning!) and in a lull in the conversation and exploded "Hey what was that?" "What?" she replied - "I guess it must have been the chemistry" I offered. She doesn't think that there has been any improvement in my sense of humour in the 17 years since.

Kerry - We will definitely get up to Auckland during the trip and of course I want to meet as many of you guys as I can given my isolation in muggy KL. I will let you know dates as soon as I can.

Cee - Hated both chemistry and physics if I am absolutely honest but she has to do one of them at least. I was something of an egghead at school and did ok even in the subjects I wasn't keen on - Yasmyne is blessed with being good in exams and I didn't interfere too much in her choices except to insist that English Lit was there as I selfishly want to read along with her.
Loved your pithy and quite accurate summary of my week so far!

Caro - I am amazed that you don't have it already - I'll pass it to you when I see you my dear so don't take it off the wish list for a couple of weeks more.

Gail - hahaha and spooky the presents of the mugs! It is great to see Bambi out of danger although there was a panic locating the similarly gravity challenged sister yesterday who was plucked off the lower floor after thankfully only falling one story. She was a cat in the unusual position of being in the doghouse yesterday not helped by her earlier decision to scratch SWMBO's dining chairs. I have persuaded Hani to readjust to 35 for her next birthday as I am starting to worry that the religious police may impound me on the grounds of retrospective paedophilia if she sticks to the 27 story much longer!

Tania - I seem to remember choosing 8 subjects and she has 10 but two will be early (Islamic and Malay) a year in advance because she finds the subjects easy! Accounting may be sensible but Yasmyne hates numbers with a passion unless a currency sign precedes the figure or it is written alongside a favourite dress! She may be a Daddy's girl in large part but traits of the mother are lurking close to the surface too!

Megan - lost me as soon as the physics word got mentioned and I was struggling to prise my eyes open! Notice the cricket team have reverted to type somewhat after a great start!

Tania - now billiard balls I can relate too! If physics had been taught in the pool halls I would have been a first from Oxbridge.

Jenn - I must admit that I am similarly reticent at exposing too much flesh (probably because I have too much flesh!). I also burn easily as my office based bod does not adapt so easily to external conditions. I haven't read "The One-Eared Intellectual" but it sounds fascinating - how would he wear his spectacles?

Downing's is a great series, and I confess to patting myself on the back after prodding Cushla to read it. The only downside after discovering it on the first book, is that I've been impatiently awaiting each of the successive books... Ecstatic that I only have two months to wait before Lehrter Station hits the Kindle!!!!

Physics -- now that and chemistry are two subjects that I might have enjoyed had I had decent teaching at a critical stage. I'm curious enough to be fascinated by the practical parts of it. I would never have taken them to A level, but would have really enjoyed learning more than the little I did. In fact, had they had some kind of "Earth Science" courses when I was in school, I probably would have pursued that. I'm fascinated by oceanography, geology, etc.

Suz - I can see myself devouring this series quickly. I suppose the earth science issues are touched upon in Geography. I also love the subject and thankfully Yasmyne is doing that.

another book recommendation for both you & Yasmyne, then, is Maphead, which I found myself loving.

Too much to comment on. My brain just self-destructed from overheating.

Smart daughter. I just also got a migraine looking at all those exam subjects. Her reject pile includes art, which would have been at the top of my list. I was really good at Chem (got 99/100 for my finals eta: should state that is probably only because I went to a pretty crappy school!), but somehow couldn't grasp physics at all.

So glad you loved Zoo Station. I knew you would. I wasn't quite as blown away by the second book for some reason, but it's also an amazing story and the thlot pickens for sure.

another eta: we cross posted on my thread tWIce tonight. heh.

re-ta: typos galore. I'm outa here. Maybe.

Hahaha you type tonight (over there) exactly how I feel half the time!

Your thread got me thinking about posters (in terms of people) on particular threads:
Checked my thread 7 and this one so far and the results compared to you are:

338 posts to date
119 posts by me - 35% and remarkably similar to your 34%
49 different posters except me
15 posters only one post
Most posts by others 16 Megan, 15 Ellen, 12 Suz, Mark, 10 Ilana

8 subjects? I did 5! Okay, one of those was double maths, so it could have been 6 subjects. 6-and-a-half was the most you could do (my sister did that, and was Dux of the school, and got into Medicine; I was happy with my selection, slacker that I am ;).

No regrets with any of my choices, but I would have liked a bit more variety.

Tania - I did reduce down subjects at A Level (English Lit, Economics, History) I took 4 papers including the General Studies paper.

#88: aaargh - we are all being watched! I'll have to increase my posting frequency! (sorry, I am having a really busy time incl. weekends, not getting much reading done either).

Re. the subjects: I guess one of the signs that you get officially old is when you read posts like your #60 and wish you could go to school once again. It's great that students in your place can select or drop subjects so early and specialize in the interesting ones. In my school that was possible only for the last 2 years. Then there were still 9 or 10 mandatory subjects left, though final exams - A level equivalents - were only held in 4 of them. The marks in the other subjects (average of the 2 years) still formed 1/3 of the A-level result. Very complicated rules...

I enjoyed your review of Zoo Station, Paul. Already on my wishlist to pick up from the library.

Nathalie - Not really checking up on everyone! Maybe I should give a prize for the most frequent poster. Yasmyne is 15 so she has two years before exams we call O Levels she will then have two more years with less subjects to study for Uni - A Levels.

Linda - thanks, it is a good series you will come to agree with me, I'm sure.

Zoo Station sounds good, Paul. Thanks for the review. Teenagers make life interesting, don't they?

They do indeed Joe. I have four teenagers in the house this evening as SWMBO has gone to the theatre with two of her friends and left me holding the fort (I'm actually not doing anything at all!)

Still, managing four teenagers alone is no mean feat! Hope SWMBO enjoys her evening out, and that you survive your evening in!

Thanks Anne - I survived nicely by keeping out of their way!

...with your books, of course!

Will Yasmyne go to uni in the UK, do you think?

You really are a data junkie, you know...

Suz....but of course!

Yasmyne wants to study in Scotland it seems but is still wavering as to course - being entirely impractical I want her to do English or History but let's see.

Guilty as charged on the data as you will see below.

Just to prove Suz's point. Ilana raised the issue yesterday of visiting other peoples threads, so of course I took the opportunity to look at the visitors to my own.

Spread over 8 threads (with two dummy continuations) I have had:

1890 posts
616 posts by myself (33% of posts)
79 different posters including myself
10 of those posters only posted once
17 posters apart from myself have posted on every thread

Most posts other than myself (more than 20):
Megan 83
Ellen 78
Ilana 72
Mark 62
Caro 55
Cee 46
Suz 38
Joe 34
Amber 33
Chelle 32
Nancy 31
Tania 28
Kerri 27
Lucy 27
Judy 26
Alex 25
Roni 24
Laura 21

Thanks to everyone who has posted and/or lurked on my thread thus far!

Nice subjects for your eldest there .... though I would have dropped geography for chemistry - much more fun blowing up labs! ......

Yes Blackcaps have been tempting us again - Megan please don't get me on the Ryder saga - I doubt any of the jocks can live upto the pristine puritan living they seem to expect of him.

Alex....hahaha I remember singeing my own eyebrows at least twice during my own school days ...the Bunsen's really did burn in those days.

I almost went to Edinburgh to read History but was only 17 when I finished high school and the Intl'l Bacc program (equivalent to A levels). I would have had to defer a year, which meant staying home (in Brussels...) which would have driven me bananas. One could argue that happened anyway, of course!

Yes they did ..... it sounds like they don't anymore ???? more madness if that's the the case

Having missed most of the cricket today have discovered they have found some form again ...... was not meant to be Though there were french pastries involved so not all bad

Suz - you really have had a wonderfully cosmopolitan life - I would love to see (statistician that I am) a list of all the countries/cities you have spent time in. I don't associate you with any type of fruit unless we can identify one which can read more than a book a day!

Alex - I come from an accident prone bunch - Kyran, my boy, looks like an updated version of Mr. Bean and Yasmyne is also not averse to teenage clumsiness. Chemistry is a wise drop for her if you ask me.

Paul, how about tutti frutti?? Anyway, if you want a list, think all of W. Europe except Norway, the Baltic states, Russia, Hungary and the Czech Republic. In the Balkans, only Greece. Most of Asia, except (obviously) N. Korea and Burma, but also not the Philippines, Brunei or Java. In the Middle East: Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Turkey, and then over in N. Africa, Morocco. Most of the mini-states, like Andorra and Liechtenstein. North America. Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands. That's pretty much it. Lived in six countries: Canada, US, England, Belgium, France, Japan. Need to see: West Africa (Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Niger); Australia/NZ, Burma, Norway, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Croatia. Now, aren't you sorry you asked???

Zoo Station is now on the TBR list. Your review is excellent!

What a gorgeous sweetie you are, Paul! Thanks so very much for the offer, but talk about coincidence ... our friend Jim just finished reading Zoo Station and offered his copy to me so he wouldn't have to take it back to Seattle with him tomorrow. :-)

Suz - wow your passport has more stamps than the post office! Cornwall of course I knew about.

Linda - nice to see you my dear and thanks so much.

Caro - dash I'll just have to go back to the drawing board to plan what book(s) to give you when we meet up.

Had a very good brunch meeting with a large prospective new client from Korea and hopefully we have secured a reasonably sized new job. Unfortunately the meeting was held in KLCC in viewing distance of Kinokuniya my favourite KL bookstore. Needless to say in celebration:

Ten Little Indians by Sherman Alexie
She's Never Coming Back by Hans Koppel (always on the lookout for new Scandi)
Stettin Station by David Downing
Potsdam Station by David Downing (books 3 and 4 of the series so I can have a clear run at them!)
The Accident by Linwood Barclay (consistently enjoyable thrillers)
Torn by Amanda Hocking
Far to Go by Alison Pick

Need to update the Read More than you Buy challenge but am ashamed at what is clearly a lost cause!

Good job!

;)

100: Guilty of lurking more than posting! Some of us are just more chatty than others. ;-)

Oo, I look forward to hearing about that Sherman Alexie collection, Paul. I've really liked others I've read by him.

Paul, I cannot keep up with your thread . . .

Glad to see the post that the new vet is optimistic about Bambi.

I'm still laughing at Caroline's comment in 43 about the "Ditz Fairy." Given all my "duh!" moments, I think the ditz fairy has taken up permanent residence at my place. . .

Ditto what Donna said! :)

>88 PaulCranswick:, 100 oooh! Im a most-poster! Finally first in something :)

>93 PaulCranswick: Maybe I should give a prize for the most frequent poster.
Is that still happening? ;) I know I have 35 posts to catch up on today, maybe I've been disqualified for missing a day?

>106 Chatterbox: W-o-w! You've been in all those places? That is amazing. I'm in awe.

>110 PaulCranswick: good buys Paul, you earned them (that's what you wanted to hear right?)

>110 PaulCranswick: Now that is the way to celebrate .......

Hello Paul! I feel like every time I try to track you down these days, you have a new thread! Popular man!

I'm so glad you're back to your old book-buying days Paul, I've been missing those. He he. ;-)

I wouldn't have believed I'm in the top three posters on your thread considering I'm always struggling to keep up with you.

I gave to admit that I'm glad to see you occasionally break your resolve and head for the bookstore. Looks like you just picked up a great haul.

Working my way through the bazillion posts - and over to this new thread - to get caught up with you Paul. Good for you on the book purchases. My gran was an fountain of wisdom and advice when she was alive and I rely on a lot of her advice still today, my favorite being 'Everything in moderation for a balanced life'. IMO, your book buying fits that advise perfectly!

Fifty-seven posts behind. It feels more like a bazillion (see 121 above). I love that I'm the second most frequent poster on your thread, Paul. I may fall behind a bit at this conference but I'll try to stay in the top ten. :-)

After I add post this message, I will be going immediately to the library website and putting Zoo Station on hold. Irresistible review.

xo

Hi Paul - You are an enigma. So many flimsy excuses for buying new books... I'm just plain jealous.

Hope you are having a great weekend :)

I don't know why he even bothers with excuses, flimsy or otherwise!

Right, Ellen! I agree.

Katie - if I tried to get a table together for the buying of books I know very well which position you would occupy. Could do with sending passage for your hubster to come over and put some bookcases together for me too as the books piled up on the floor are starting to encircle me like Apaches around the wagons.

Donna - actually you are now the 18th to post on all my threads this year, so you obviously de-lurk more than you credit. It is always a pleasure to see you here in any event.

Hi Joe I need to head over to the cafe shortly for some liquid refreshment. Sherman Alexie is someone I have had my eye on for a while following Darryl's advocacy of him. Was thinking of Mark actually yesterday and the discussion on short stories.

Terri - I have a feeling Bambi will eventually get on his feet and walk almost normally. He has never liked me particularly nor has his sister but it would certainly occasion celebrations in the Cranswick household if he were to go from bedroom to kitchen without dragging himself patiently along.

Pat - You are a top 20 poster on my thread which is splendid if you consider that we only got acquainted by my third thread. This year has been wonderful, busy, testing (on occasions), and rewarding - amongst the most rewarding has been the number of new friends I have made in this fabulous group - you included certainly.

Megan - I think I need you in my business development department - amazingly quickly in with the reminder on the reward posted! I will see you no doubt in Christchurch and a prize will no doubt be in the offing. Must admit when I set out to calculate the posts I had no idea who had posted the most.
My own countries visited is nowhere near as impressive as Suz (or Caro to be sure) but I am looking forward to add NZ to that growing list shortly.

Alex....thanks and sorry to have been a kiss of death to the Black Caps...still when you can mobiiise the weather as a 12th man it sure helps.

Brit - I notice that you have had your hands very full recently - hope Will is fully recovered and that I am always happy to get a post from you my dear.

Ilana - I did post prior warning that I never keep resolutions beyond February. I don't know how on earth Darryl has only managed to buy 2 books thus far. I am certainly not surprised that you are on the podium in terms of my thread posters. By the way I top your thread's respective league fairly comfortably but I think if I was to start posting all that information on the respective threads I don't think anyone would believe that I ever do any work!

Judy - As I said above there has to be a little balance in life and besides which I knew that SWMBO was out with one of her clique so I would be able to bring them into my lair unobserved.

Lori - I always preferred English and History - is bazillion a real number! Thanks so much for the pearl of wisdom from your Gran. You may have noticed somewhere my own attachment to my dear departed Gran (I came to Malaysia in 1994 a month after she passed away whilst holding my hand) so one of the few things to melt my iron heart and bring a tear to my jaundiced eye is a reference to dear old gran!

Ellen - I also noticed that you are steadily climbing the main league of posters and are now in the top 20 if I am not mistaken. Your visits here invariably make me smile or blush or gush. I enjoyed Zoo Station so much that I quickly grabbed books 3 and 4 to go with Silesian Station already on the shelves so that I can whip through them. Disappointed to note that Potsdam Station is already in 1945 so I don't think there will be many more, although a 5th has recently hit the stores I understand.

Cee - no need to be jealous you haven't seen the muscles on SWMBO or the Gorgon like stare she can bestow when displeased!

Ellen / Cee - Answered above - I am preparing excuses in advance for my darling wife, who is calling actually as she wants me to take her for breakfast. Ciao!

>127 PaulCranswick: Ive already lined you up for a packet of pineapple lumps Paul! Depending on how many times you visit my thread between now and your visit, will decide on if you are offered a large format or a small format book I have lined up as well :)
*rubs hands in anticipation of shooting to number one in the charts*

Almost done the maths Megan but I think I am number one on your thread already! Pineapple lumps are sure something to look forward to when you have a sweet tooth as voracious as mine.

Hooray!

Hahaha - Megan whilst checking threads and showering SWMBO has changed clothes six times already and is still adamant that she has nothing to wear!

We've all been there Paul, well, half of us have :)

I can sympathise Megan as I met a lady in the mall the other day who seemed convinced by the transfixed look in her eyes that I was Malaysia's first pregnant man.

> 128 - Well, according to the Urban Dictionary (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bazillion) it is a real term ... my preference is for definition 3:

A hell of a lot of said thing, but still a slight over exaggeration as to the actual amount.

> 132 - ..... Ah, the undecided wardrobe change. that too is normal. Answer: Shopping! ;-)

Lori - hahaha - I should employ that tactic in expanding my billing hours to Clients.
You ladies are so devious and understand each other so implicitly and here was me thinking that she was genuinely in a quandary.

Hi Paul. Just stopping by to add one to my posts count!

Last night I tried to claim SWMBO and my husband told me that since he doesn't always O and that sometimes he is HWMBO, I can't claim that status.

He said something about a book by Haggard and that SWMBO was ALWAYS obeyed.

I pouted.

Heather - hahaha you are one of my consistent performers this year (your 16th post btw!) - pleased to see you my dear whatever your motivation for stopping by.

Morphy - I am sure that your feminine wiles will eventually conquer all! Your hubby could be right as it does sound like something Haggard might write a la She, but my inspiration comes from John Mortimer and his Rumpole books. Horace Rumpole was never bettered by any case or trial Judge but he lost every single battle in the living room to She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed.

Greetings Paul! I'm ashamed to say I haven't even lurked for quite some time. However, I am completely caught up with your thread as of 2 seconds ago yet now I'll be far behind in, ohhhh about 2 hours.

nice to see you are keeping the economy strong with your book purchases. As for me, I had no choice but to put my self on a BBB. Dreadful, I know but after purchasing two new bookcases and barely having enough room for what was laying around the house I realized it's just got to stop. I'm trying for a six month halt to book buying and if that works I'll try for another six months. Oh, the withdrawel creates so much anxiety and jitters galore.

Pleased to hear the good news about Bambi.

Interesting book haul. Actually seems very restrained for you though:)

No way I'll ever get into that top posters list - I'm very much a splurker. Just pleased that other people post so that I can read:)

Hi Paul- More books, huh? You be careful, sir. We could lose you in an avalanche. Hope you enjoyed your weekend.

I have a niece at St. Andrews just LOVING IT. This is re a post about 50 ago about yr. dau.'s college ideas........

Lynda - I know because I have a job too keeping up with all of you. My self imposed book abstinence didn't last as long as I was expecting it to so let's see how well you do.

Calm I am trying to behave myself believe it or not. I had a spell in Times Bookstore this afternoon planning but not actually commiting any purchases and I counted out 100 books I want to buy. Thank God SWMBO was shopping for clothes one level below and Belle was keeping watch on my "progress".

Mark - hahaha - if I was in snowy Chicago I would have been under an avalanche of sorts already I'm sure. Weekend still got a bit longer to go for me - about to enjoy a mid evening coffee thanks to the intrepid Erni ....in fact here she comes now.

Good evening/morning/afternoon all -
Strange day actually.
Belle got to choose food so it was Tony Roma's and buffalo wings (when the hell could buffalos fly?), loaded potato skins and, of course ribs ribs ribs. Actually 10 ribs with two sidelines (Caro would have been proud of my prowess.

Whilst I walked agitatedly up and down the aisles in the bookstore mentally arranging 100 book purchases when Belle is not there keeping score for her mother, the lady herself (as Megan correctly predicted) was enhancing her emaciated wardrobe (her assessment certainly not mine).

Got back without mishap and then for some reason a massive fight flared between Hani and her sis, Fitria, which I literally had to step into the firing line and separate them before claws did damage. Fifi is sleeping over at a friends as a result and I have told her I want to have a heart to heart with her tomorrow lunch time. Seems it was a misunderstanding about facebook messages - begads what the heck would happen to me if some of my LT messages were fully scrutinised?!
Everybody calm now and separately laughing about the incident which enlivened a quiet Sunday.

Have enjoyed my Sunday in any event catching up with all the threads and even noticed my long suffering soccer team managed to win for a change.

Paul. You really should open your heart to ebooks. They're much easier to hide, and their weight won't damage the structure of your home. I know one of these days I'm going to see you on one of those "horder" programs on television, with poor SWMBO crying in the background.
: )

Heartily endorsing Kerri's suggestion re e-books. The joy is that that little device hides so much sinful over-indulgence... It will still show up on credit card receipts, but you don't need to smuggle 'em in to the household, and you can download without supervision at work...

#126 Wow, I had no idea I was a top 20 poster on your thread. I'm doing better than I thought and you've made my day!

I'm sorry to say it but it's a relief that you're buying books again. It makes me somewhat nervous when people report their progress with not buying books. As soon as I think I should be limiting what I buy, I immediately want what I'm denying myself.

Way-To-Go, Paul's Soccer Team! Rah!

Paul, I know you don't really believe buffaloes can fly but *just in case* you are unaware of its origins, Buffalo wings refer to a regional specialty in Buffalo, New York, which has spread like wild fire, apparently all the way across the planet.

wow Paul, what an exciting day you had!! Hope everyone makes up and is all happy

Did you actually buy anything in that book store?? I like your list of books from your previous visit to the book store!

Indeed, I am eating buffalo wings right now. And if they are indeed buffalo, then my mind boggles at the kind of inter-species breeding that produced buffalos and chicken, respectively.

Kerri - hahaha, actually SWMBO loves watching those hoarder programmes on the TV. There is no chance of it happening to me as she is a compulsive cleaner and, with Erni, always manages to sort them into neat piles / three abreast on my shelves. I do ocassionally relent and give books away to the school library and/or a local orphanage which does help to boost space.

Pat - I also had no idea who were the regular posters especially as I do tend to go on my own travels around the threads and sometimes get confused as to what was discussed where.
I am also relieved that I have got this enforced abstinence over and done with even though it is going to prove expensive in the Read More than You Buy Challenge. There is not much fun in reading about not buying books is there?

Suz - Audio books are fascinating me at the moment but I am a bit put off by the price here (about 1 audio book = 3 paperbacks). I am going to try one anyway soon. E-books will then be next but I am not so sure that my Luddite tendencies will put up with it.

Ren - These days when Leeds United do actually win it is a major cause for celebration and it rounded off a good weekend nicely.

Laura - you caught me out with another failed attempt at hilarity! I didn't realise that the name originated from Buffalo NY, although it does make sense now.

Chelle thanks. I did manage to avoid any buys as I was being chaparoned by a nosey 8 year old! There were 7 rows of fiction and I planned 10 from each. 5 classics, 10 thrillers and Sci-Fi, 5 travel and 10 from the 10 rows of Biog, History, Economics, Politics, Philosophy sections. 100 books in all. On Wed or Thus I will prune this to 20 and pick them up in a lunch time raid. Reconnaissance as Nate will tell you is extremely important in any long term campaign!

Suz - I guess they would produce a Chuffalo! I'm sure the taste would be interesting. Enjoy your meal and what is left of your Sunday there....I am about to shower and start my Monday.

Oh, believe me, I'm an arch Luddite (dumb phones only, and I can count the # of texts I've sent on fingers of one hand -- well, mebbe two hands) but I lurve my Kindle.

Suz - I have a mobile phone that looks at a distance to be a Blackberry but is actually an inexpensive Nokia. I noticed that prior to installing all numbers in its capacious memory I myself memorised all the numbers there and, having handed over the responsibility I no longer remember the newer numbers. I have started removing numbers from the memory in order to exercise my own but it becomes a nuisance when someone wants me to forward a number to them.

Since we are well into March an update on the Posting League for those interested. Richard has had his travails with the internet and it has brought him closer to the pack but he has reasserted himself in style over the last three days.
25 posters now have more than 500 post
18 more than 600
15 more than 700
13 more than 800
8 more than 1000

Top 25 overall: March posts only in brackets

Richard 1977 (143)
Paul 1947 (258)
Kath 1623 (173)
Joe 1525 (174)
Mark 1513 (210)
Stephen 1369 (120)
Ilana 1264 (186)
Claudia 1027 (141)
Caro 871 (102)
Amber 855 (95)
Donna 841 (63)
Chelle 837 (103)
Darryl 828 (110)
Lucy 748 (101)
Suz 711 (104)
Stasia 698 (45)
Jude 638 (54)
Megan 622 (98)
Roni 594 (118)
Ellen 581 (122)
Linda 578 (99)
Micky 569 (78)
Sara 554 (55)
Peggy 546 (79)
Bonnie 528 (35)

One interesting fact is that Stasia stays in the top 20 despite not posting herself for over a month!

Paul, you are never gonna convince me you keep up with threads, gather statistics, read, keep your lively family happy(incl furkids) , AND work. You have a team working on these things, right? or-
Do you have longer days on your side of the world?
Hopefully not on Monday, at least ...
Have a good one!

#158 My thoughts exactly! Hi, Paul : ).

Paul - I'm delurking to advise you to look online for your audiobooks. Downloading them from either a subscription site like audible.com or try out the free ones from librovox, which has loads of public domain books narrated by volunteers (the quality varies but I've enjoyed Elizabeth Klett's narrations from there).

Oops, Paul is doing statistics--I'd better go update my tickers!

Sounds like a well-plotted book raid coming up , Paul!

I love the writings of Sherman Alexie. I highly recommend The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

Cee - Thought you would have commented on reaching a 1000 posts! Must be the time zones that gives me extra time or chronic insomnia. Do have a great team at work of course and I concentrate largely on strategy and directing the traffic.

Nancy - hello to you too my dear!

Kerry thanks for that! I will check out audible as I seem to recall Ilana also mentioned it as a resource too.

Roni - you have made a significant move up the charts in March and would place top ten on posts in March alone.
Planning books raids (and where to hide them subsequently is becoming an art form)

Linda - thanks for the recommendation - already on the hitlist I noted in my catalogue it was previously recommended by Judy (but which Judy I am at a loss to tell you!). Nice to see you here as always.

Way behind here - re: The One Eared Intellectual - you'll have to read it to find out how he keeps his glasses on. :P If you like humor and the deep south, you will find a copy of Mama Makes Up Her Mind to be worth it. There are many LOL moments throughout.

Paul, I also recommend The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven.

I'm amazed that guys hold five of the top six spots on this list.

Jenn - I will certainly look that one up - I am known to enjoy a chuckle from time to time!

Linda - I was pleased to note that Kinokuniya seemed to have most of the Sherman Alexie books there. Would you go for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian first?

Darryl - It is amazing isn't it that the guys, outnumbered delightfully as we are, can gossip along nicely with the ladies. When it comes to the list of books read it is a different story and ladies occupy the top six spots....I guess the guys are too busy talking about reading rather than actually reading!

Whilst we're singing the praises of Sherman Alexie, I'll add my kudos for the two already mentioned, and add that Indian Killer is also a worthwhile read.

I chuckled a bit at the fight being caused by a FB misunderstanding. Those are, I believe, rampant.

*heading over to Stasia's thread to keep her firmly in the top 20*

Ellen - I do like the look of Indian Killer which was definitely in Kinokuniya. Assuming I get along with Ten Little Indians I will probably swoop for the lot!
Yep the FB catfight was a little bizarre - noticed that SIL has changed her FB password (why both Hani and myself had it heaven only knows) and started a new FB page. The sisters will mend their differences in the blinking of an eye so I will stay safely on the sidelines enjoying the view!

The vantage point of cheerleader - sometimes the best place to be.

I got confused and told Ilana I was glad she had survived the Dengue fever. It's YOU who survived it! And still I am glad. :-)

I was pretty chuffed about it too Ellen! Not a pleasant experience to be honest - it is a bit like the flu but affects your blood count - no real treatment except fluid intake, rest and the bodies ability or otherwise to defeat it. I have actually been graced by two versions of the disease one of which is severe one of which is merely unpleasant. The most unpleasant one (spots of blood appear on the surface of the skin) had me hospitalised for almost a week - the other one I was dealt with at the clinic.

As I am in no way as capable as Darryl in explaining such things please see the following link.... http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002349/

Yikes. It sounds ghastly.

Double yikes!

re: St. Andrews, my brother went there for his masters and Ph.D. What a wonderful experience. I really regret that we never made it out to see him when he was there.

Dengue is deeply deeply nasty... lucky you to have gotten through it. Hmm, just a thought -- can you blame your book addiction on dengue's side effects -- i.e. permanent deformation of the brain inducing bibliomania -- when defending your mass book purchases to SWMBO?

Ellen - I'm a tough old boot so no real harm done.

Anne - Yasmyne seems enamoured of Scotland and loved our few trips there. I have a fondness for the Scots (surprising in a Sassenach) probably because of the fact that my soccer team has always been peopled with Scots when we have been any good. Any all time Leeds XI would definitely include at least three Scots. St. Andrews is of course more famous for it's services towards the claret jug but it a lovely place nonetheless - she is eyeing Stirling, presently.

Suz - hahaha - SWMBO would not be impressed by a small thing such as Dengue fever, although that said she does seem mightily relieved that my trip to Langkawi has been cancelled as she has an aversion to sleeping alone and the poor kids were about to be called into joint and several service.

"Belle was keeping watch on my "progress" ....... - just mention that 10 books = 1 shoe ( not a pair even)

Disclaimer I take no responsibility for any shoes thrown in your direction should you vocalise that comment

Having serious case of insomnia, so thought I'd come catch up with my favourite Malaysian Brit. ;-)

I've decided the only way to deal with this hyperactive group is to seriously slow things down and just visit a handful or less threads per day. No fun when it starts feeling like work, and this way I can actually enjoy the conversations instead of scanning for relevant stuff to comment on. All this to say that you are my one and only stop today (i.e. yesterday as I consider this to be Sunday night. Monday is a different story.)

Alex - Belle is too much of a clone of the other parent to cut such a deal!

Ilana - I have a very similar strategy in so far as I tend to have certain threads I will visit as soon as I see an unread message - some that I will try to get to most days and some I will try to catch up with every week or so at least. Then there are a further group of threads I have starred mainly to help track my stats and these I will only visit twice monthly. I am seriously honoured to be your favourite Malaysian Brit but then I figure the shortlist is also pretty short~!

A little late to the party, but I feel compelled to add my distaste for ereaders to the discussion. Gah. When I read a book I need to *have* the book, to hold it in my hands, turn the pages with my fingers, hear the lovely sound of them turning, and then be able to shelve it in its proper place once it had been lovingly handled and read. Nope, no ereader for me, ever. Ptooey!

I'm a Sean Connery type of guy and try to never say never but I do agree with you Amber that one of the best thing about reading is having hold of the book and the succession of turning the pages. I will get to audio reading before e-reading for sure!

...but what about books that are ONLY available digitally? There's a world of wonderful stories that simply aren't available on paper. That's the reason I got my eReader. If it's in paper, that's how I read it, but if it's only a digital file from a small press, the eReader is the only way to get it!

So - got through 87 messages I missed during the weekend.

Re. e-readers: for me it was mainly a question of space when I decided to go for an e-reader. All my new shelves were filled within a couple of months when I moved here and there was simply no space left, not even in the basement. Now I got used to my e-reader and love it. And all the classics are free. Problem now: I have an additional list of books I read on the Kindle but also want to see on my shelf. Maybe I just need a new and bigger appartment.

I have my problems with the audio books, because I can't simply bookmark and return to my favorite sections and because they make me fall asleep. I keep trying though - just bought a 33hrs audio book on an audible sale.

Faith - one of my joys is trying to hunt down difficult to find books - I just about managed it with writers like Howard Spring, J.B. Priestley, E.F. Benson and others but I do accept it is getting much more difficult to track things down, especially over here in Malaysia!

Nathalie - That's my kind of girl - upgrade the apartment to accommodate an influx of more books! I suppose though that once one got used to it the kindle would not intrude on your reading pleasure.

I'm always scheming, somewhere in the back of my mind, to make more room for books.

I'm a contradiction, I suppose, because I do listen to audiobooks. But somehow that's different for me, although I can't articulate why exactly.

Faith: If those books aren't worthy of paper, then I guess I'll just have to pass on them. :) Plus, there are so so many print books that I'll never get to that I can't be bothered to worry about e-only-books.

Hi Paul!
To jump in on the ereader discussion (Hi Amber & Faith!) I have a kobo but I still prefer to hold a regular book. I've found that I can read a regular book without pause but when I read on my ereader I tend to get distracted (case in point last night I ended up playing angry birds for a few hours instead of reading ;)

But I do like the ereader for those hard to find books, novellas that are only produced as ebooks and spending less money on a book that I don't know if I will like. Plus it's very convenient to buy a new book on a whim and start reading it right away without leaving the house!

Man, sorry to hear about the dengue fever (twice!), but glad you're on the other side of it.

I'm thinking about an iPad for the reading and lightness benefits, particularly for travel. Our daughter is a staunch traditionalist - paper only, please - so I'll have to deal with her wrath when I do it.

Lucy - we are birds of a feather then my dear.

Amber- If your are going on holiday - how do you carry your 16 books that you have ongoing plus replacements? Must admit that I would find that problematical but until i have to face such issues I am firmly in your camp and don't see me holding a device to read that is not made of paper.

Chelle - Yep I think concentration would escape me too but I don't foresee Angry Birds being necessarily the cause of my distraction!

Joe - You don't realise the danger of Dengue until it has been and gone - sometimes I suppose in the fleeting looks of relatives and loved ones wondering where the hell you put the insurance papers....!
Your daughter would get along fine with Uncle Paul in our blissful paper world.

Hah! loved ones wondering where the hell you put the insurance papers. I hear you, Paul!

Ha! Don't be ridiculous: Not all 16 go with me on holiday - only 5-8 of them...

I resisted an ereader for quite a while, but then got a Kindle. I find I read more, since it's always with me.

But still not enough. why, oh why, do I have to work 5 days a week when i could be home reading?????

I've got a lKindle, an iPad2 for borrowing ebooks from the library, and an iPod for audio books, but it is paper books I love and that hugely outnumber the rest in my library. The best perfume in the world is that almost overwhelming scent of paper hitting me in the face whenever I walk into a bookstore. I like my gadgets, but I love a book for the only real book is something where I can feel the pages, turn them and hear the sound they make when I do. You can't riffle through a Kindle.

Hi Paul, glad to hear you had the sense to step away from the feuding sisters. I know my sister and I can bicker back and forth but heaven help anyone who tries to interfere!

I prefer real books, but I do love my Kindle. It's easy to use, I can lightly carry hundreds of books, and, I have often found books for the Kindle that are out of print as a "real" book. Like Deern above, I have to be careful with audio books as some just put me to sleep, but I keep trying as the hands-free mode is great for housecleaning, driving etc.

Paul- I fell a little behind over here too! It sure doesn't take much. I landed my copy of Zoo Station today. Hooray! But I probably won't crack it until May: M & M. Brace yourself for an onslaught of raves for The Orphan Master's Son. This is great stuff.

Joe - It is one of the banes of being the breadwinner!

Amber - hahaha only 8 well that's no problem at all is it?

Judy - before I slept last night I shuddered at all the work piling up - I have to be in several places at once but then realised I was even more concerned at getting to the end of my Inspector Wallender than anything else!

Charlotte - books make me sneeze, old books especially, it just wouldn't be the same with a clinically clean e-reader!

Judy - "hands free Kindle for driving?!!" surely not. The feuding sisters are already reconciled and I played peacemaker between the pair of them by keeping the heck out of the way.

Mark - The Orphan Master's Son was hitlisted by me after Bonnie had raved about it's virtues. Looks like I am going to have to prioritise its purchase.

Just a note for those interested in that Richard is the first to pass 2000 posts on his threads this year. When it is considered that only 8 in total (including RD) have made it to 1000 yet it is pretty good going especially considering his recent lack of internet.

On the book reading front we already have several who have already passed the 75 book watershed as early as mid March. Susan, Suz and Morphy I am sure about, Luci almost certainly although she hasn't updated since 3 March 2012 and for some reason the TIOLI will not load February or March 2012 for me (which is why I have not participated in it for a while).

Richard is one popular (and wonderful) person!

I'm so sorry you were ill...Take care!

RD is a lovely chap hiding behind a curmudgeon like facade which slips too often and enables complementary comments like your own - you are not half bad yourself Linda!

My dengue cases were years ago Linda - I am fighting fit at present (I think!)

opps, sorry Paul. I'll attribute my error to a body filled with coretisone from last week's injections. That plus neurotin make me very spacey.

Over... 100... messages... to... read...

Life moves pretty fast over here. :) All caught up now, but will I stay caught up for long??

frankly, I'm amazed that you didn't end up as a quantitative investment analyst...

Hahhah! I have to laugh at Claudia's comment that you have flimsy reason's for purchasing books! :) Go ahead! Boy, I'm way behind. I'm sorry - I find that as I go through the alphabet to comment on threads , yours is towards the end.... not as far as mine is though. I think I liked how the 75 operated last year, when I could go and comment on people's threads and they would show up out of order ,but I could see who I'd gotten too!

Had I known how this years 75's would work I would have called myself - Deb aka Vancouverdeb!Sigh!

As for the ereader discussion, I still prefer a real book in my hand, but sometimes no bookstore has what I want - or I want the book ASAP and bingo - the book is one my kindle in seconds! That is fabulous! I quite like my kindle!

Linda - Hahaha I have no excuse for my own spaciness; I have no cortisone to explain my forgetfulness.

Tania - The answer is probably not! I don't know how you manage actually tripping over as often as you do from your other group.

Suz - Is that a compliment?! I have always loved statistics (SWMBO says my favourite is 36-30-34 but I have no idea what she is talking about) and my favourite sport for many years was cricket as it lends itself so magnificently to pointless record keeping.

Deb - Nice to see you whether you are under D or V! My LT group on posts doesn't organise as you describe - I merely get prompted by the next post to land and they is no sorting by alphabet just newest post to oldest post. Be quite interested to play around after this and see whether I can make such a sorting of info.
I remember you getting your kindle last year but I will stick to my mountainous stockpile of real books for now.

Paul and Deb

If you click on the headers - topic sorts the threads alphabetically; unread/messages means that you get them sorted by number of unread messages and last message sorts by the time of the last message.

For my browser the one you have selected is black and the others are blue.

Hope this helps:)

Hah! Calm I wonder how many years I need to be a member before I understand how to use the site properly! Thanks for that.

Jeez, I keep learning new things about LT, too, Paul. Hope you're having a good one today.

I accidentally hit one of them when I was a new member and some helpful person explained why things weren't sorting the way I expected. There are lots of different ways of doing things on LT and I'm sure I don't know most of them:)

Joe - I'm relieved that I'm not the only one who didn't know that.

Calm - I relieved that you only found it out by accident!

Wow--111 posts behind. I see things are busy here as usual.

Anne - nice to see you, I think the time zone difference and my absence of any reasonable sleeping pattern helps me keep up with everyone.

nearly 200 behind, no way I manage to read them all, sorry Paul...
Hope to do better with your next thread ;-)

No problem Anita - I hope everything is well with you and Frank. See you on the next thread!

Seems like I lost all my friends overnight! Had pleasant slumbers of almost 6 hours and awoke to find that only Anita had dropped by my gaff. - Only kidding; actually I am always pleasantly surprised when I see unread messages against my name and rush to open like a boy rushes for the door upon hearing the bell for the last day at school.

Enjoying very much playing around with sorting the order of the threads alphabetically as per Deb (with Calm's helpful prompting) - makes much easier my statistics; except that: Cee, Bonnie, Sara, Kerry and others have not always started their threads with the same letter (Sara for example starts A thread, B thread etc) so cannot follow them like that but nevertheless it is a great feature that I didn't know existed until yesterday!

Of my current reading:
Kissinger is proceeding slowly through 1100 pages and I don't see me polishing it off this month.
Henning Mankell has me hooked as usual and I will finish it soon.
Loving the William Ainsworth and it's dastardly Jonathan Wild also well over half way despite having left it in the office over the weekend on one of the rare occasions I didn't work Saturday.
Having no trouble with Troubles either which is also at the halfway point ready for group discussion.
All three will be finished off by the weekend.

Hi Paul- Looks like you're reading some fine books. I need to get back to Mankell. I think I'm on book 5. I would really like to get to Troubles in the very near future.

Thanks Mark - Faceless Killers - the first Inspector Wallender got me hooked onto Scandi several years ago and I still think Mankell is the master of the form.
Troubles is an ironic hoot.

I'll be reading The Siege of Krishnapur at some point this year, but probably not the whole trilogy. I didn't get in on the Troubles group read. In fact, I don't think I've ever done a group read. Something for the future, I suppose.

Hi Paul - I'm also enjoying to see you adding new books once again. I just noticed the latest Jo Nesbo in the bookshop today but will probably get it from my library when I catch up on the series, only read two so far.

Kerri - I have also never done a group read and am merely reading it at my own slothful pace and will contribute to the group discussion as and when I am able to. I don't think that there are any rules on the group discussions except that obviously it is not much fun if you are reading it months before or after everyone else.
The Siege of Krishnapur is also on my shelves and I hope to get to it in 2013 (phew already planning next years reading).

Kerry - I like the Harry Hole books very much but he is an infuriating character to be sure. Nesbo's latest Headhunters is not part of the series and I haven't got it yet ~ reviews for it are also quite mixed to say the least.

It was Phantom, book #9 in the Harry Hole series. Yes I wasn't totally sold on Harry the first one I read but then I read the first two out of order. My current focus will be the Bruce Medway books, I really loved Wilson's Javiar Falcon series and his Portugal books, so hoping that Africa goes down well too. Also must try The boy in the Suitcase to keep my Scandicrime on the boil.

Kerry - I found the first Javier Falcon good but a tad heavy going.
Hooray there is a new Harry Hole! I didn't realise another was in the offing, that's really great news. I haven't got The Boy in the Suitcase either so that is two for the hitlist in one post!

The boy in the suitcase has been getting some positive reviews around the threads. I've read a couple of Kaaberbøl's YAs and really liked her characters.
The Falcon books are a bit violent and he always drags the past into the story but I grew quite attached to Falcon and especially liked the story thread in the last two books.

Must, must pack Troubles. I'm off to Boston on Thursday morning. Twixt now and then I have to finish an ARC so I don't bump up against a mandatory review threshold, and read a library book that is due back (it's not long). When I started looking at my book piles, I ended up setting aside 13 to take with me on a 3-day trip. That is simply absurd, I acknowledge... Especially as I will be staying in a hotel with a fireplace butler, a bath butler, a technology butler, etc. etc. Oh, and working, following the hotel's GM around for a day. Which actually should be v. fun

Re the quant analogy -- just that your mind seems to like to order the world around you in a quant fashion!! Merely a comment... not compliment or insult.

OK, off to bed so tomorrow isn't as exhausting as today was.

>213 PaulCranswick: there are probably a thousand things that would make LT easier for me to use, but (my?) human nature dictates that I do something one way and then keep on doing it that way for ever after!

>218 PaulCranswick: I hope to get to it in 2013 (phew already planning next years reading).
Wash your mouth out! I can barely deal with this months reading let alone this year and then next years. eeek

Ah, no GR? What about North and South? You were in for that one weren't you?

I enjoyed The Boy in the Suitcase - and I will look for more books from this author. That said -and I don't make this judgement often - I felt that it was aimed more at a female audience than a male one. Just a bit of a caveat - and of course, the fellows like Paul on LT are very open minded with their reading. But that was my take.

Kerry - Already convinced I will hunt down The Boy in the Suitcase post haste.

Suz - You become the Girl With The Suitcase! Envious of the role you need to play for the next little while slumming it with all manner of butlers to attend you - I have my driver and my maid but they are there more for entertainment value rather than the actual service. On Quants I'm not sure - on the one hand my profession is strictly speaking Quantity Surveying so that would fit; I do love statistics and have had a love for words and numbers from learning to crawl; on the other hand I am a scatter brain who friends tell me does not calculate. SWMBO often asks me how much was spent for this and for that and I have closed off (a painful) part of my brain and prove honestly unable to respond. Have a great trip to Boston which is one of the American cities I have most wanted to visit.

Megan - I agree with that also being very much a creature of habit. Wake up, switch on LT, receive coffee from Erni, drink said coffee, catch up a few threads, shower, dress, kiss wife, shoes on, into the car, morning to Azmi (grunt in reply), read a choice of three books whilst in the traffic, arrive at office (pray lift to 6th floor is operational), enter and remove shoes, "morning" to team, request to secretary for urgent coffee, switch on the desktop, switch on LT..........
I am always planning my reading but it never comes off with way way over a thousand books unread on my shelves I have 9 years reading ahead of me without purchases or re-reads - one purchase and it throws all my plans out!
You caught me out again - Nancy did indeed rope me into North and South GR but to be fair I don't recall posting on the group thread.

Deb - Not worried about books aimed at a feminine audience as I like to attune my own feminine side from time to time!

A nine year stockpile! Am very envious. At my current rate, mine will only last for a little over four years. You've given me a new book-buying goal, Paul.

Now, if you could only build an extra room on my house.

Hi Paul!

You didn't lose all your friends. You wore them out!
Revived for another go-round...

OK - someone will need to run that thread sorting thing by me again. Where is it?
And what? There's supposed to be some order to naming threads? :P

OY - this LT stuff is getting to be work.
Going back to reading ;-)
Sweet dreams...

I love your morning routine, Paul. I confess that once I arrive in the office, LT is very much a part of my startup and ... truth be told ... a part of my day. Like right now. OK, back to my conference call :)

Charlotte - I don't think mine is an example necessarily to aim for - living in Malaysia we have the benefit of space and I continue to buy more than I read (contrary to the challenge) so I am adding a year at least every year!

Cee - hahaha as delightfully pithy as usual!
On the group page where the threads are all listed you go to the headings "topic" or "last message" etc and click on it and it will sort the threads in the order of the heading you click. Therefore if you click of "topics" it will sort them out alphabetically.

Laura - I couldn't encourage my staff to join LT (for one they would know I talk about them) as we would never keep up with the workload. Work over so I am free to eat...read...and LT.

>215 PaulCranswick:: I can't help but share my nerdy thought process when I read: "Troubles is an ironic hoot.":
"Huh. Is the book ironic and therefore a hoot, or is it a hoot only in an ironic sense, or is Paul hooting ironically about this book?"

Personally, I'd like to see/hear you hooting ironically about it, or anything, really.

Wish I was there!

It's very silly isn't it? I get so excited when I see someone has sent a message - and when, on a rare occasion, someone has JUST sent me a message so that I am at the top, well, that makes my DAY. Which I shouldn't admit, should I????

231 - Amber hahaha now you have me ironically confused! Troubles takes a very serious subject, personalises it and turns the whole thing ludicrous.

232 - Thanks for visiting - notice from your profile page that you are from Thatcham - that is near Reading isn't it? I had a friend from Thatcham stayed with me at Uni at Warwick many many moons ago.

233 - Lucy I will join you in the childishness because I agree with you wholseheartedly - it is a great kick to see a number next to unread messages next to your name. That is one of the reasons I try to visit as many of my pals as often as possible!

I admit to feeling the same "kick" about unread messages on my thread. I have a feeling it's universal :)

Hey you tough old boot. Sorry I got everyone all worried about your health..... lol.

I'm also pleased to learn from Calm about some more nuanced ways to efficiently use the site. I swear, I was probably just born too early to be any good an intuiting these things.

Laura - that makes at least three of us doesn't it? I would hazard though that universal just about has it covered.

Ellen - I feel a lot happier that I was not on my own not knowing about efficient use of the site. Hope you have plenty of time at your Phoenix conference to check this out.

I'm jealous that you get to read on the drive over to the office, Paul. I'd have thrown up all over the pages before I was even out of the driveway. I cannot read anything in a moving car or bus. Train, ok. Plane ok. But no to motorbikes and cars.

Caro - I have a fairly iron constitiution actually but I don't see me skipping through the chapters on a Harley Davidson either!

Oh! I see, Paul. Thanks. I hardly ever go to the "groups" page - unless I am looking for something new. I use the "talk" screen and hit my starred friends.

I LOVE unread messages online & mail/packages in my PO Box.
Not crazy about talking on the phone (or Skype) though... don't know why not??? Early childhood training to not touch phone? It used to be so expensive to make a toll call - and almost everywhere was a toll! Love the new anytime/anywhere "free" calls.

Have a great day! :)

I'm like Caro, can't read in cars or, I assume, on motorbikes, but planes and trains okay, or I get motion sick. Not fair!

Phew, it is ever more difficult to catch up over here, Paul. As to group reads, I'm glad you were able to be roped in to North and South, even if you didn't post on the group thread. Chuckled at your morning routine of LT, coffee, maid, shower, driver, work, coffee, LT; ahhh ...

Cee - I am an inverterate gossip and love to chit chat although not normally by telephone as my ears get too warm after a while. I have too many starred messages not to make the group page my first port of call. xx

Roni - One of my pleasures in life is reading in the car and I would be devastated if I was afflicted by a similar problem as you and Caro - I assume that her motor bike idea was thrown in for fun as surely the visor would keep you from reading properly.

Nancy - Always pleased to entertain - especially when it happens to be accurate; unfortunately so busy this morning with the nuisance of work that I wasn't able to follow my usual routine and left home sans LT and coffee and turned up at the office a grumpy bunny.

Hi Paul- I hope your day wasn't to stressful. I am enjoying my day off today but have several things to do on the To-Do list. Hey, it beats work.

Mark hope that you are still basking in unseasonal weather. Actually had a tough day...I have a client from Singapore screaming for us to assist them in making a claim against a casino owner for increased costs of accelerating their work programme and we are trying to work with lousy information, I have an arbitration dispute on a bungalow in Johor Bahru which we are trying to quantify with incomplete drawings, my Langkawi project is going for presentation to the state development authority and I am doing the business model but my client is away on Umrah (a visit to Mecca not during Haj time) and is unavailable to confirm my assumptions, we are struggling to get fire approval for our helicopter centre because the client wants to avoid the statutory foam protection requirements, the same project is three months behind and we have a contractor that needs us to do everything bar lay the concrete for him, I have a korean client tendering a job in Pinang and his tender team have no experience so my guys are struggling with the language barrier to help them......etc...etc..etc.....just a normal day really mate - it is almost 8.00 pm here and my 12 hours are up and I am going to sit in traffic, collect Yasmyne from her friends house and all the while polish off the Henning Mankell!

btw I do have SWMBO's dinner to look forward to!

Yesterday's scallop dinner courtesy of SWMBO

>215 PaulCranswick: Troubles is an ironic hoot.

Sounds like you're ready to start the group read, Paul. I finished the book last night (don't worry, I will pretend I didn't and thus avoid any spoilers) and am now very much looking forward to the other two books in the trilogy.

That dinner looks great!

I'm of the Caro camp, can't read in a car or a city bus, although I can sometimes manage the more stable intercity buses. Prefer my iPod, however, in those cases.

What is 'Quantity Surveying'?

Linda - I have read Singapore Grip and to be fair I don't think it matters in which order you read them as they are not a trilogy in any sort of continuing sense.

Judy - Thanks it was! Today Shephard's Pie.
With my constitution there is no problem with reading and travelling but my wife often cringes as she cannot even look at me reading in the car.
Quantity Surveying? ok since I can't explain what I do properly please see http://www.prospects.ac.uk/quantity_surveyor_job_description.htm - to be fair that was my first profession we now do all the management of construction projects.

My tolerance of work stress seems to be so low at the moment that I started feeling mildly anxious reading about your day, Paul. The picture of your dinner calmed me down though which is probably even more strange!

Oooh that dinner looks delicious, and Shephard's Pie is one of my favorites!

I, too, tragically, can't read in the car, or, like SWMBO, cna't even look at someone else reading or even think too hard about it or I'll turn green. Sigh.

Paul - SWMBO's dinner looks yummy and a lot more healthy than anything I've eaten all week! And today's not going to be any better either. We're planning to do a Mexican lunch, then have a anniversary celebration party at the office cafeteria for a colleague who's been with the company 30 years today, then drinks/dinner with a friend who's going back to Canada tomorrow. *sigh* When I meet you next week, I'll be the waddling blimp carrying a book or two.

Dee - I am safely ensconsed at home now and reflecting on a hard day without any feelings of regret or frustration and looking forward again to tomorrow. After a good old whinge I know that deep down I love my work and it fills my day nicely.

Amber - Just scoffed the Shephard's Pie and it was scrummy. Green when reading in traffic, red when filled with embarrasment and Amber the rest of the time - you could well end up being a traffic light!

Caro - hahaha why did I guess the food pics would draw you in! Looking forward to next week waddling or not.

Paul, your scallop dinner looks delicious! Shepherd's Pie sounds pretty good, too, mind you.....

I hate to ask, but how's Bambi doing? (I don't know why, exactly, I hate to ask...... nervous about kitty health, I guess. Our Abby started limping last night and we have no idea what's up. Perhaps she pulled a muscle jumping down from the bed.....)

Hi Ellen - your rationing seems to be working! (selfishly glad it is not by the way). Bambi is doing great. Everyday with Erni's magic fingers massaging his rear legs he gets a little better. Hope Abby is walking properly shortly - she was probably missing her mistress.

I make a mean vegan shepard's pie. It's a show-stopper. Also, glad to hear Bambi's doing well!

Kerri I didn't realise you were a veggie! My sister is and has some great recipes.

>257 DorsVenabili:: yum. Veggie here too. I make a vegetarian curry shepherd's pie that uses vegetarian "meat crumbles," along with parsnips, carrots, corn and a sweet potato topping. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

#259 - That sounds great! Mine is lentils, tempeh, carrots, onions, etc, with vegan mashed potatoes. It's from the Chicago Diner Cookbook. One of these days, I'll get all of my cookbooks cataloged.