Paul's Race to 75 Part 13

Onto Putrajaya - the newly created administrative capital - viewed at night from the man-made lake.

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
18 The Troubled Man by Henning Mankell
19 Jack Sheppard by William Ainsworth
20 An Idiot Abroad by Karl Pilkington
21 The Fourth Man by K.O. Dahl
22 Christine Falls by Benjamin Black
23 Troubles by J.G. Farrell
24 My Life in Cricket by Dennis Lillee
25 Voyageurs by Margaret Elphinstone
26 The Affair by Lee Child
27 The Potter's Field by Andrea Camilleri
28 The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
29 The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman
30 Praying Mantis by Andre Brink
31 Parky by Michael Parkinson
32 All Men Are Liars by Alberto Manguel
33 The Detour by Gerbrand Bakker
34 The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursual Le Guin

Currently reading
The Years of Renewal by Henry Kissinger, Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Open Season by C.J. Box

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 Troubled Man
3. The Potter's Field

12 in 12 categories

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

Wow! I can't keep up with thread 12, but I'm right on top of thread 13! Very handsome, Paul.

Another gorgeous photo, Paul!

Spectacular photo Paul!

You always take the best pictures, Paul. I don't know how you do it!

Love the picture up top, Paul! Beautiful!

Peggy - first up; if you missed a thread you jumped straight to the front of the queue!

Roni / Pat/ Eris nice to see you and thanks - I enjoy choosing the photos and trying to remember which places in Malaysia I haven't shown off yet.

Kerri (from last thread) - hahaha and glad to see no permanent damage done!

Thanks Stasia always a pleasure to see your fly-pasts and waves!

Oh- you are reading the Detour too, I have just WL'd it after hearing so much good about it. Look forward to your thoughts. Here's to lucky 13!

Is that the roof of a mosque at left of your photo? They really have a beautiful shape dont they. And look great silhouetted in a skyline.

Is this spot for me? Love the photo up top. Lucky thread 13 - congrats, Paul!!

Megan if I'm not mistaken one of the domes is a mosque and the other is the Palace of Justice - fancy getting sent down in a palace!

Mamie - spot suits you just fine! Thanks and I hope your weekend is going swimmingly.

Very dramatic photo of the new capital. Lovely reflections.

Hi Paul - you're still battling away on The Left Hand of Darkness I see. What part are you up to? I loved the epic journey through the ice. Some great books in your latest haul and another lovely scene to set the mood for your latest thread.

RD - thanks; I trust that you are having a decent weekend and that your pain levels are manageable.

Kerry - should finish it today actually. It is growing on me.

KL was on our news tonight. Rioting over suspect elections? I didn't catch all of it, but it strikes me that election fraud has become an epidemic ... the world over, apparently.

I managed to get caught up on your last thread Paul, not realizing that you had this one started. Lovely pic to start things off and All Men Are Liars is firmly ensconced on my teetering tower. Hmmm that title reminds me a lot of Every Man in this Village is a Liar which I read and loved last year. Apparently men and liar are fairly common themes, not that I'm judging in any way;-)

Nancy - storm in a teacup actually. Far more worried about the road closures spoiling my cinema trip, but we found a way through no problem.

Bonnie - hahaha honesty and masculinity as antonyms?! Good book but to be fair not all the narrators in the book are males.

Hi Paul - just keeping up. Hope you are having a good and restful weekend.

Glad to hear that the riots etc shown on the news are more of a tempest in a teacup, Paul. I was thinking of you and yours. Take care!

Hi Paul- Thread 13! You da Man! Stunning photo at the top. Glad you liked the Avengers. Your kids are still younger, I enjoyed taking mine to these action movies too, but now that they've grown, I find most of these loud & obnoxious. Way to long and way to busy.

I am never prepared enough for the stunning photos... another good one!

Good to know it's a t in a t. News coverage I saw seemed to be trying to make it appear as if it was a Malaysian Spring thing.

Calm - thanks I hope you are having a good un too in wonderful West Wales.

Deb -thanks for your kind thoughts Deb - much more of a worry over here being unable to get freely around the city as the police had closed a lot of roads. Organised as a rally for free elections and was always going to be handbags at 20 paces if truth be known.

Mark - you can tell I'm sure that Marvel movies are unlikely to be my favourite pick but Kyran and Belle were lapping it up and I had a tub of Haagen Dasz ice-cream (coffee flavour) to compensate.

Kath - glad you like the photo. I took a while this time to decide our destination before choosing the modern capital. Wanted firstly an atmospheric night street scene with bustling stalls and hawker foods such as satay, mee goreng mamak and a long pulled tea tarik. Next time!

Charlotte - No fear of a Malaysian spring - we have no seasons here!

Hey Paul! Wow, that must have been one mighty big shovel to dig that lake! Another great pic.

With the abundance of water around me it seems strange that you have to "man-make" your lake. But they did a splendid job of it. I guess men in Malaysia are a lot like men in USA. They all seem to like pushing dirt around, digging and building with their big toys ;-)
Anywho, beautiful photo!

btw, we have lots of rock, too. Need any?

Paul - I have been reading this morning about Saturday's electoral protests in Kuala Lumpur. The NY Times has a very impressive shot of the crowd of protesters. How close were these to you?

Lynda - hahaha all the area was once either agricultural land or tin mines and the transformation is spectacular.

Cee - if it is diamonds or the hard sugar candy I'll take all the rocks you want to give~ rubies, emeralds and several more are welcome too.

Ah, Paul, sorry. Mostly granite and some tourmaline here.
The other rocks you mention are being neglected in my jewelry chest... I should air them out a bit. But I have very little chance to wear them anymore :(

Cee - I'll pass on the tourmaline but the granite would surely be handy for finishing off the counter tops in your bathrooms!

Quite a photo, Paul! "Spectacular transformation" - it sure looks it.

Thanks Joe.

No fear of a Malaysian spring - we have no seasons here!
Are you serious? No seasons at all? I guess I don't know much about the area you live in!

Hit Kinokuniya today and added a mere three books to the few I already have waiting to be read.

Hector and the Search for Happiness by Francois Lelord
Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (finally reached the shops here)
At Bonus Time No One Can Hear You Scream by David Charters

Quite restrained really but I wasn't brave enough to face the Boss with too many more.

Also bought a few music cds - Fiddler on the Roof, Gruff Rhys (formerly leader of The Super Furry Animals if that means anything) and an islamic folk singer Mahir Zain.

>260 Just going back to your last thread, Paul. Thanks for the plug on my author talk write-ups. But it's the NYS (not NYC) Writer's Institute and the events are all held in Albany. We upstaters are sensitive about these things, as we hear all the time that we are just a backwater to NYC, with nothing going on. Not true!

I'm here 'legally', Paul, in that I got caught up with your last thread before popping in to see what's new. I loved the name dropping -- *I'll plop Stephen King in there* as my most famous author meeting. And Chewy in Star Wars... No, I haven't met him, but my son's rescue boxer is named Chewy for his vocal impersonations. Truly uncanny and hilarious. I'll introduce you if Denver is on your U.S. itinerary...and I seem to recall that it is. Looks like I'll have to meet you there as you've completely overlooked Missouri on your agenda. No worries, I'll plan my summer trip to Denver around your schedule.

Oh yeah, you got me with All Men Are Liars. Two questions: Is it a true story? How does one have an "accidental" assisted death? You don't have to answer No. 2 as I think that is the point of the book, but I am curious as to the historical background if any.

Chelle - absolutely correct ~ no seasons whatsoever. Supposed to have a monsoon period but even that is not discernible at all.

Linda - whoops what a klutz I am. Genuine mistake from someone who loves his geography, the Albany novels of Kennedy and who should have known better!

Donna - illicit or not, always happy to see you - saw that your hubby is on a trip so what better than to spend it with me for a little while at least! I am surprised you met Stephen King where does he find time to go anywhere all the writing he does. I don't think the All Men Are Liars is a true story (no pun intended) and you are right as to my being unable to explain what I mean about the death as it would spoil things rather. The historical bakground is the plight of the many disaapeared in Argentina during the 1970's time of the Junta.

A mere three books - you're so restrained and sensible Paul! I have been hearing great things about Song of Achilles - sounds great!

Orlaith - love those adjectives and so rarely see them arrayed in a sentence with my name included! Hope you are having the best of weekends.

Song of Achilles is high on my WL. I just don't know when I can squeeze it in. May is already jam-packed. Group Read in June. Our Book Travails never end, do they?
BTW- Posted another flick pic.

Mark - i am also having trouble planning my reading with far too many options - I think it is some old friends next month for your Murder and Mayhem. Billingham, Silva, Robinson, Russell, Leon, O'Brien, Box, Penney, Booth, Vargas planned with Steinbeck, Dickens and a couple of biographies thrown in.
Will check your thread immediately and hope that Mamie is asleep.

LOL. I would like to book-horn in a Vargas too. I am woefully behind on that author.

Gorgeous photo.

Mark - plenty of choices suggest themselves. Struggling with your western as there are too many of em to choose from and my collection is in UK.

Jenn - thanks and I hope you are having a great weekend.

Beautiful picture again, Paul. Happy 13th thread!

Should I get through the Iliad by half May as planned I'll definitely read Song of Achilles as a direct follow-up. I read the Kindle sample last night and found it hard to stop.
I see you're reading The Detour, another book I have on my WL.

I plan on reading all three of those, Nathalie.

Paul, I was up late last night and still find that by the time I check in on you I am more than thirty posts behind - incredible!!

That's a gorgeous picture of Putrajaya, Paul. I've not been there at night, just in the day when I had to attend some meetings.

I'm not good at planning reads, so while I am definitely keen to participate in the M&M month, I wonder if it will leave me by the wayside as Mystery March did. I wonder if my inner rebellious self refuses to toe the line with themed months and makes me reach for books of other genres instead, quietly hugging herself gleefully when I do.

Hi Paul, nothing to say today so Ill just add to your total and say nothing :)
*nothing*

Thanks Paul - I'm having a good weekend, flying through Michael Crummey's The Wreckage which is excellent. Highly recommended! I hope yours is going well too.

Nathalie - I suppose The Song of Achilles may be a natural to read after The Iliad. Enjoy

Mamie - I was quite busy with the threads yesterday myself and the pace of my own took me a little by surprise also.

Caro - I thought it was only me who longs to read other books the moment I decide on a reading list! It is a common feeling that Putrajaya closes after dark. It is true that there isn't a great deal to do there but they do keep the lights on at least!

Megan - that leaves me with something to say - thanks for stopping by!

Orlaith - I will look that one up and look forward to your review.

I can't believe it - I had to catch up again!

*staggers away, exhausted*

Dejah - thanks for your staggering effort to catch up.

Hi Paul, I finished my April books and I am going to cracking open Lennox this evening. I think this is going to be a great kick-off to M&M. I saw your list of planned authors and see quite a few old friends of mine!

Is Putrajaya akin to Canberra and Brasilia -- i.e. a whole new planned capital city? Or is it more a conglomeration of administrative offices that doesn't aspire to being a real "city"?

One more query, while I'm at it -- does anyone notice that there appears to be a proliferation of novels set in and around Argentina's dirty war? Is it chronological -- i.e. the writers who are coming of age now were affected by that in their youth? Really, I think it's about the 7th book of this kind that I've run across in the last year. If so, maybe we'll soon be getting a crop of excellent central European novels about the fall of the Berlin wall.

Judy - thanks and I am sure you'll like Lennox. My list is very much a work in progress at the moment.

Suz - Great point on the Dirty War novels - Manguel is an Argentinian emigre so taken together I believe that we may get many novels from displaced or wandering Europeans in their plight to find work in the new Europe.
Putrajaya is intended to be a proper city but (like my reading list) is very much a work in progress.

33.

The Detour by Gerbrand Bakker

First the positives. Like Carsten pointed out more eloquently than I - Bakker writes in beautifully controlled and spare prose that wheedles into one's psyche from a few pages in. Well written certainly and surely one of the most promising writers to come out of Holland for a while.
The storyline however left a lot to be desired with so many loose ends not tied up and superfluous and unexplained characters who do not seem to be given a fair crack of the whip by their creator. My view is that Bakker was startled by the success of The Twin and rushed out its follow-up rather faster than necessary. I wont go into the storyline for fear of laying down too many spoilers but my view is that a poorly realised plot fails to spoil a beautifully written work entirely but it certainly dampened enthusiam.

6/10

34.

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin.

A feminist tract, an anti-communist tract - well I can get that if I really concentrate. Well written.
If you like Science Fiction you'll love this. I don't like science fiction.

6/10

#59 - Oh, poop! I'm sorry you didn't have a better Ursula experience. I suppose it would be a boring world if we all liked the same things. : )

It's been a while since I've read her, but I don't remember ever getting anti-communism. Definitely anti-authoritarianism though.

Greetings Paul! Thanks for reminding me I need to add The Song of Achilles on to my wish list. I've seen many 75er's have read this one and it's got me intrigued. Ya think I should read The Iliad first? Would the information found in that classic be of service to me in TSoA?

Kerri - No complaint with the book per se except that SCI-FI and dystopian stuff is not really my bag. I can recognise the depth of her imagination with something akin to admiration but I am insufficiently other worldly to appreciate problems from another universe. The anti-communism I picked up from the committee presiding over the place that Estraven arrived in after banishment with its gulags and secret police.

Lynda - It is so long since I read the greek classics that I am already patchy (perhaps Amber is better to ask?!) but the Iliad does more or less tell the story of the fall of Troy and the fate of Achilles. I haven't read The Song of Achilles either yet but some knowledge of the subject matter cannot hurt but may spoil the story if you don't know the "history".

I love Le Guin.. I usually think of her as fantasy...
but have not read any of her books in too long. She
always delights me!I enjoy seeing honest reviews, pro or not..
and so also enjoyed The Detour review.

Won't add to my total now in April but I am satisfied with my 13 books this month which is more like my old pace of reading. A grand total of 4,881 pages at over 162 pages per day. Includes 4 books over 400 pages, one over 500 pages and The Woman in White at over 700 pages. Not too shabby for me.

This month -:
Finish Dombey and Son another chunkster
Read The Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck for "Ilana's" Steinbeckathon
Read at least one biography (Maybe Keith Richards)
Throw in at least 10 books for Marks mayhem and murder month.
Stephen Booth, CJ Box, Colin Bateman, Mark Billingham, Linwood Barclay, Jeffrey Deaver, Michael Dibdin, Karin Fossum, Camilla Lackberg, Asa Larsson, Pernille Rygg, Ake Edwardsson, John Sandford, Donna Leon, Stuart MacBride, Josephine Tey, Louise Penney, Gordon Ferris, Gordon Reece, Fred Vargas.....I see I have some trimming to do!

>61 Carmenere: Lynda, I asked the same question before I started The Song of Achilles. Richard and Suz told me that I didn't need to read The Iliad first, and now that I've finished The Song of Achilles, I would agree with them.

Science Fiction doesn't do anything for me either, Paul. I tried Le Guin years and years ago and struggled to much to go back for a second helping.

Good evening, Paul. Hope you had a good day. Love your reading list for May - I have the Keith Richards bio in my stack, as Lucy so enjoyed it and her enthusiasm was contagious. I have not read a lot of those murder and mayhem authors that you have listed and am wondering which ones I need to check out first. Enjoyed reading your reviews of The Detour and the Le Guin book. Like Kath, I like to read honest reviews, be they good, bad, or ugly!

New thread and already 67 posts. Just trying to catch up after my 36 hours in bed with a cold. I'm still in bed with a cold, but at least I have a little bit of energy now.

ETA: I read The Left Hand of Darkness in college and remembering liking it, but Sci Fi as a genre has never stuck with me.

Darryl - Would be my call too. Would the fiction be spoiled by knowing the mythology in detail? I'll find out soon.

Laura - I liked a bit of Sci-Fi as a younger fellow. The Doctor Who books and Tolkein were wolfed down in my teens but I have struggled with it lately to be honest.

Mamie - Being a Brit I would plug Billingham and MacBride set in opposite parts of the Kingdom (London and Aberdeen respectively). I have narrowed down a 16 books hitlist for the month which contribute to my 12 in 12's.
The Grapes of Wrath first off the shelf 12 in 12
Life biography 12 in 12
The Song of Achilles historical 12 in 12
Open Season C.J. Box - series starts 12 in 12
The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths - series starts 12 in 12
The Girl of His Dreams by Donna Leon - noughties 12 in 12
About Face by Donna Leon - noughties 12 in 12
Birdman by Mo Hayder - One Word Titles 12 in 12
Eternal by Craig Russell - One Word Titles 12 in 12
Shatter the Bones by Stuart MacBride - Bought and Read in 12
Divorcing Jack by Colin Bateman - Bought and Read in 12
The Sweetness of Life by Paulus Hochgatterer - In translation 12 in 12
The Chalk Circle Man by Fred Vargas - In translation 12 in 12
The Water's Edge by Karin Fossum - Scandicrimesters 12 in 12
The Butterfly Effect by Pernille Rygg - Scandicrimesters 12 in 12
and finish off
Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens - 19th Century literature 12 in 12

Ellen - Hope you are feeling a little better. It is no fun at all laying in bed all day and not going to work curled up with a good book....HEY WAIT!

I know you liked the first John Russell book, so wanted to let you know that I started and finished Lehrter Station by David Downing this weekend. I didn't intend to read it that fast, but I did. It is not one of the better John Russell books. It is thin on plot, but like the other books in this series long on atmosphere. It is clear that Russell is making the transition from part time spy to full time spy and the author is setting up more stories down the road. Once again, the real power of this book is the way the author writes about the setting. He sure knows how to create an atmosphere. The rubble, the stench, the lack of utilities, the millions of displaced persons, and the millions of people moving here and there across Europe. And most of all the currency, cigarettes? Boy, can we Americans be glad we were spared all of that. The strength of this book is the creation of the immediate aftermath of war in a conquered country. I will be posting a full review later. I will wait to see what you say when you get to this book. My copy was an ARC but the book is being released here in the U.S. in May.

#61 Lynda: I am currently reading The Iliad and I also read the first two chapters of Song of Achilles, the Kindle sample. I am sure that you don't need to read the Iliad first to understand the novel, but there was such a nice moment in the 2nd chapter where I thought it might be worth it.
Very small spoiler coming: The 2nd canto of the Iliad presents all the Greek heroes and some of them turn up early (and much younger) in the book. It was just nice to know who they all were.

#69: What an impressive reading plan, Paul!

Yeah, Paul, you know I usually long for this kind of day, but it's less fun when I feel this lousy. Still, I am planning to spend some time with Gillespie and I (once I catch up on all the threads!).

Paul .. Why do my pictures insist on becoming smaller when I try to post them on my thread?
Yours are nice and big :) baffled.....

Okay, Paul, I think you were one of the readers of Troubles, yes? Well, in any case, I recently saw "Michael Collins," which coincidentally made the top of our Netflix list. It was very interesting viewing so soon after reading Troubles. Good combo.

Hi Paul -
Flying through on my broom - trying to save on fuel.
You're looking to read 16 books in May?
Another vacation coming up?

Benita - I did indeed enjoy the first installment of the John Russell series and I quickly snapped up all the others save the one you've just read. Looking at the backcover Downing seems to move time along quickly in the series making sure that there won't be that many episodes.

Nathalie - Still think the book first may be the best way to go followed by a more in depth read if it grabs you. My reading plan is a target and such targets are ne'er fulfilled.

Ellen - public holiday here but going in for an hour or two to catch up but hopefully I can curl up with one of my books today and hide from the world at large.

Kath - you could try to play with the properties of the photo but mainly it is due to the initial size of the shot.

Ellen - I think that's the one with Liam Neeson as MC? Not a bad film as I recall but Julia Roberts as love interest is too much of a sop to Hollywood. De Valera is not portrayed too sympthetically by Alan Rickman as I recall.

Cee - Must get me one of those - sounds environmentally friendly!

Aha! I made it back with only 70+ posts to read - a bagatelle!
I like science fiction/fantasy, but I've never warmed to Ursula LG. I want to like her, but I loved *Left Hand* only at the very end.
I need to get back to Dombey and Son.... Where are you? Maybe you can encourage me to put down other stuff and read my beloved.
Congratulations on your great restraint in the book-buying department!

Ok, 2 days and 77 posts behind... I postponed getting my dinner to catch up with you and DONE! Congrats on lucky 13!

Impressive reading list indeed. I always come up with ambitious plans too, and you've reminded me I really should try choosing with the 12/12 in mind if I want to have a shot at completing the challenge.

Ellen, I looked up Michael Collins and can I say I HATE NETFLIX! Here in Canada, EVERY SINGLE TIME I search for a movie, it's not available. Just incredible!

#69: Interesting reading list, Paul! Good luck with getting them all read.

Since it is May here already - update on the posting league at end April. All scores above 150. Big movers this month are Darryl who breaks into the top 10 and scored 6th for the month, Deb who climbed into the top 25 and Mamie who climbed thirty spots up to 42nd with the largest percentage increase overall.

1 PAUL 3167
2 RICHARD 2943
3 JOE 2674
4 KATHLEEN 2607
5 MARK 2356
6 STEPHEN APE 1864
7 ILANA 1857
8 CLAUDIA 1676
9 DARRYL 1479
10 DONNA 1288
11 CARO 1255
12 AMBER 1205
13 CHELLE 1188
14 Lucy (Sibyx) 1175
15 SUZ 1123
16 Megan 1066
17 Bonnie 983
18 STASIA 981
19 Ellen 936
20 Roni 864
21 Deb 860
22 LINDA (Whisper) 858
23 JUDE 811
24 Peggy 806
25 Sara (Saraslibrary) 759
26 Terri (tymfos) 737
27 Judy (Delta Queen) 735
28 MICKY 723
29 Lynda (Carmenere) 673
30 Joanne 659
31 LUXX 646
32 Calm 609
33 Heather 574
34 Katie 558
35 Pat (phebj) 551
36 Nora 525
37 Linda (Lindapanzo) 510
38 Gail 484
39 Dee 482
40 Morphy 480
41 Faith (Dk_Phoenix) 471
42 Mamie 461
43 Genny 457
44 Nathalie 450
45 Kerry 432
46 Nancy 418
47 Kim (Berly 415
48 Kara 412
49 Jim (drneutron) 410
50 Brit 399
51 Cushla 399
52 Laura 398
53 Anita (FAMeulstee) 397
54 Lori (Thornton) 393
55 Anne (AMQS) 381
56 Madeline 381
57 Leah 376
58 Anne (AnneDC) 370
59 Kerri (DorsVenabili) 367
60 Ellie 359
61 Dejah 343
62 Liz (Lyzard) 335
63 Amy (PorchReader) 318
64 Tina (tututhefirst) 317
65 Tui (Tiffin) 317
66 Kathy (archerygirl) 309
67 Zoe 305
68 Becky (labwriter) 302
69 Eris 298
70 Katherine (qebo) 298
71 Leonie 291
72 Beth 287
73 Mary (storeettlr) 271
74 Sarah (beserene) 271
75 Karenmarie 265
76 Carsten 257
77 Marie (mbellerose) 254
78 Judy (ffortsa) 250
79 Jenn (Nittnut) 248
80 Cheli (cyderry) 230
81 Foggidawn 230
82 Brenda (brenpike) 222
83 Rachel 222
84 Carrie (cbl_tn) 220
85 Mary (bell7) 216
86 Rebecca 216
87 Rhian (SandDune) 216
88 sandykaypax 213
89 Linda (Layton) 202
90 Terri (tloeffler) 199
91 Ellen (kittenfish) 198
92 Blue 194
93 LauraBrook 184
94 Karen (maggie1944)182
95 Carrie (cal8769) 174
96 Jenny (Lunacat) 173
97 Unrulysun 171
98 Lori (Ikernagh) 170
99 Kriti 167
100 Ren (jadebird) 167
101 Fuzzi 166
102 Susan J 165
103 Janet (Streamsong) 158
104 Rosalita 155
105 Valerie 154
106 Angela (bookangel) 153
107 Cindy (Countrylife) 151

I see you have Chalk Circle Man in your list of reads for this month. Waayhey... you're in for a treat, Paul. I'm depressed every time I think of Fred Vargas because I think I've read all her works todate. She needs to write another...and soon!Grrrr.....

To your earlier comment about them leaving the lights on at night at Putrajaya ... aren't they concerned about wasting electricity?

Peggy - UleG had her moments but it isn't my scene really. Dickens on the other hand is but progress marred by leaving the book in the office! Very early stages yet.

Ilana - nice to see you breaking off from Haiku to catch up. Don't expect to make a huge dent into the list but one lives and hopes. PS You consolidated your eternal 7th position and have been jostling Stephen (Ape) for 6th for the last week.

Stasia -thanks - how is your reading going at the moment as your ticker has disappeared?

Caro - It will be my first. On my translations 12 in 12 - I want to do 12 different language translations. So far I have managed German The Appointment, Italian The Potter's Field (remember that one!?), Spanish All Men Are Liars and Dutch The Detour. Vargas will do for French and your Murakami will come up for Japanese. Makes me realise I need to change The Sweetness of Life as I already have a german one. May just starting and plans already messed up!

Hi Paul- I like your May list of books! Looks like you have your work cut out for you. Good luck. I loved the Richards memoir. First rate all the way. Grapes is my favorite book of all time. I hope it resonates with you too!
I am really enjoying Zoo Station.
BTW- Go Mamie! Our Film Goddess is an LT mover & shaker.

Haha.. how could I forget The Potters Field?

Err..my Murakami? I don't see any Murakami on your list. I do see 2 Donna Leon though. Double dipping in Venice?

Mark - Agree I will have my work cut out. Glad Zoo Station has grabbed you. Couldn't agree more about Mamie!

Caro - Audition you passed me at our meet-up - not this month but coming soon. Have four Donna Leon's to catch up. Thought she was getting a bit stale so I took a break - let's see whether it does any good or not.

Ahhh... I was looking at my copy of 1Q84 so I had Haruki on the brain and forgot about Ryu

I'll be curious to see what you think of About Face because that was one that I was unimpressed by. I've stopped reading Leon for almost a year because I thought she was getting a little stale too, despite my loving Commissario Brunetti and his family. But that could also have been because I was ODing on the series since I was reading them almost back to back.

Caro- I've had "Haruki on the brain" lately too! I still need to get to 1Q84 but I'm saving it for Fall. Maybe do a G.R. I was thinking of a story collection, Blind Willow? Have you read that one.

I'm melting ..... or fading, as the case may be. Still in the top 20 unless that's the "other" Ellen...... :-)

I'm generally a fan of Julia Roberts, but she was the one disappointment in "Michael Collins". Her southern accent kept coming through when she was trying to do Irish......

Haiku are so fun (is so fun?)
My friend and me had a period where every text we sent each other was in haiku form, we cracked ourselves up anyway :)

Great reading plans for this month Paul, and a great amount read so far, personal best?

I think Darryl was onto something with posting a poem a day...... I check out his thread most days, anyway, but this was a deal-breaker. xo

Caro - Leon has been bringing out a book a year for 20 years and I think has got to the stage where she is writing on auto-pilot. Bas sign that you didn't like About Face.

Mark - make sure IQ84 doesn't fall it could hurt your foot.

Ellen - not as if there aren't enough good irish actresses to take on the role. No it is you in the top 20.

Haiku - Deceptively easy, but difficult to polish one perfectly.

Ellen - I also enjoyed Darryl's contribution to Poetry Month. It certainly didn't do his figures any harm and dispells the idea that poetry is boring.

Going to update the books read list but so many not up to date. Luci, Morphy in particular.

difficult to polish one perfectly
Not if your only aim is to get the right amount of syllables! :)

Thanks Paul... That isn't it iin this case. The original photo is much bigger than what shows up.
I was wondering if it was a setting on LT that I unintentionally ticked or unticked... :P

Another great list, I see!

Megan - English rules on Haiku are not particularly strict and there are several fascinating variations including one-line haiku - but the traditionalists usually go for three lines, up to 17 syllables and should include both kigo and kiru.

Kath - Did you upload it to your profile photos first or put it straight onto your thread by copying image location - if you put to a different location it will sometime re-format the size.

Paul - you just started this thread three days ago, and already you have almost one hundred posts!! Incredible!

I never read Troubles so can't address that. However, if you are looking for an alternative to the Farrell books, you can try Thomas Flanagan or Leon Uris. End of the Hunt by Thomas Flanagan had lots in it about Michael Collins. In that book Michael Collins was a prominent figure. That book is the third in Flanagan's trilogy about Ireland and its troubles - starting out in 1798 with Year of the French and then the 1860's through 80's with Tenants of Time. All are excellent books. The third, End of the Hunt, was all about the rise of the IRA and the Revolutionary councils. Collins was more sympathetic in that book. DeValera was also in the book, and at times was portrayed as a good guy and at times a bad guy. This trilogy is less romanticized fiction than is are the two books by Leon Uris - Trinity and Redemption. In fact the tangled history of the IRA was done very well in End of the Hunt, but then I am not an expert in the various threads of Irish history.

kigo and kiru
That would be the idea and then the juxtaposition? I dont worry about all that, mine must be subversive haiku :)

Paul- I pre-ordered the softcover version of 1Q84. It comes in 3 volumes, with a trippy slipcase. It looks very cool. At least this will minimize the damage, if dropped. Have you read it?

Mamie - I'm every bit as shell-shocked as you are!

Benita - Thanks for the prod regarding Thomas Flanagan - I will certainly look up his books. I would also add Morgan Llywelyn her 1916 and others take us through the "Irish Century"

Megan - not quite - kigo is a reference to the seasons and kiru means a cut or a punctuation in the text that allows the juxtaposition. You subversive?!

Mark - I don't have it yet as I too am waiting for the paperback to hit the shops.

>100 PaulCranswick: Oh dear, I dont really get it.
Which is why in my haiku, the only rule is 17 syllables. Wannabe subversive maybe!

Stopping by to say hi! I agree with you, The Twin was the better read of Gerbrand Bakker's. I enjoyed - but some of the side stories did not make a lot of sense, like the gay? policeman travelling with the husband to search for the wife. What was Bakker thinking?

Hi Paul!

#99 the softcover version of 1Q84. It comes in 3 volumes, with a trippy slipcase.

What a great idea! They should do that for some of Stephen King's books!

Megan - I dont think it matters it is a haiku if you say it is a haiku. What are they going to do get the Shogun to send his Samurai to sort you out?!

Hi Deb - agree on the Bakker well written but parts of it didn't make much sense. I think he had a lot of half formed ideas that didn't get fully developed.

Joanne - It is a great idea isn't it? Would have been nice with some of the chunksters Victoriana that I have read recently.

Evening, Paul! I like the idea of the multiple volume softcovers for chunksters, too. I checked out Mark's find on Amazon to see what it looked liked, and it is really sleek looking. I want it, and I haven't even read any Murakami!

The only novel I have ever read in multiple volume paperback was Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell - I really liked being able to slip a volume into my handbag on the go! I must keep an eye out for a similar copy of IQ84, although Kafka on the Shore has been staring out at me from my bookshelf for about a year, and I can't seem to find the incentive to pick it up.

I wish there were more books published in multi-volume..... or somehow you could choose to buy-on-demand in that format or something!!!

#106
Don't waste any more time looking at Kafka. Get it off the shelf and read it!

Mamie - The only problem is going to be that they will be a tad pricey, although I did notice that IQ84 is at 47% discount for the multi volume for the moment.

Orlaith - I read Norwegian Wood last year and enjoyed it. I also have Kafka on the Shore and have planned to read it a half a dozen times already and not done so yet.

Lucy - Of course the other issue would be space - if I replaced all my 19th century chunksters with multi volumes then I probably would run out of space.

Benita - Your practicality is refreshing!

Multi-volume books seem to me to be a great idea. The ultimate result is more books. (That's different to the likes of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy isnt it? Where they are all books in their on right)

>108 benitastrnad: excellent advice, lol

Megan - not really sure about that - The CS Lewis books and JRR Tolkeins are often put together also. The three LOTR books were released around the same time in the 1950's. Murakami calls his books 1, 2 & 3 and although I haven't read it I noticed that Alex already counts it as three books read!

#82: My reading is virtually nonexistent these days. I took the ticker off my thread because it depresses me :(

Stasia - If I'm not mistaken you have broken the 500 books a year barrier before but your impressive performance in your legal studies surely more than compensates - I am one of many following your progress with vicarious pride.

I got IQ84 in two volumes hardback (UK edition) from the bookdepository. Still looks to be a hefty read, I'll get to it by year's end I hope.

Kerry - I am waiting for a more chewable edition coming to my shores. Will get to it sometime but he is not the easiest although one of the most ultimately rewarding.

#113: Yeah, I have read 500+ books a year for as long as I can remember, which is why sub-75 this year is going to be so hard to swallow. I appreciate the vicarious pride though!

Stasia you were one of my heroines before when you were reading 4 times as many books a years than I could conceivably manage and you are still with your brave decision to take up again the cudgel of higher education in lieu of the books. If you counted the text books would be over 500 still?

Stasia, that was a different way of life....someday, you will be there again. If you still want to. You are doing something important....something for you, too. Just different

Kath - well said.

Indeed.

Paul, hi.

I was going to comment on the haiku thing, to say I count 17 syllables, even though I know the Japanese count in a specific way (looked it up on Wikipedia) and that really, I'm just happy when I come up something that fills that one criteria—then I don't have to worry about it being any good! :-)

1Q84, multi volumes or 1 book: I solved the problem by getting the audiobook. I'll get through it much faster that way.

Ilana, I used to be a stickler for observing the rules until I got married and decided it was fun to bend as many rules as possible whilst absolutely breaking none of them.

Amen.

Hahaha Mamie sounds like you are every bit as married as I am. Cherish every moment with SWMBO actually especially whilst she's sleeping. She is picking me up today as she has the use of my car given that Azmi is off sick. Wife and chauffeur both! She is better at the former than the latter if truth be known.

1Q84 is just not in my future. I was in line for the ebook from the library. They said I didn't respond to the email saying that my turn had come. So.... some glitch somewhere kept me from getting it. So..
I have decided that the universe decided for me.

Very fatalistic Kath - I don't have the chance to rely on libraries - it's either buy or not.

To buy or not to buy, that is the question...

Mamie - I am quite sure that I will buy it all right.

I'm here for you.

Wow, ONLY 7 messages to keep up with and not, like, a BAZILLION?? So where's the party at, is what I want to know?

No. Don't tell me. I'm too tired anyway. :-|

Oh, hi Paul! xx :-)

Far more worried about the road closures spoiling my cinema trip jocuri

Feeling just a smidgen of ennui today. I think it is because I am terribly overworked. Azmi not turned up for work for two days throwing me further into turmoil and chaos. Also feel a little thread fatigue for the first time in all my time in the group I think I cannot keep up.
Down in the dumps a little which is not my normal worldview - thank God it's Friday (hey wouldn't that be a good name for a restaurant!)

Oh dear. Sorry to hear that Paul . Thread fatigue is no fun, but I think we all go there. Inevitable with this type-happy group. Hope Azmi returns to the front soon. You need your calm reading time as he glides you around from one wild bunch to another.

(((((hugs)))))

Must be the time of year or something, I've got a case of the groundhog day lately as well.
Dont desert us now Paul! Maybe cut down on visits and just keep us all posted on your own thread. Hope things pick up soon, maybe you need a new holiday (or is that what is causing you to be overworked now?)

Mamie - think we cross posted somehow - anyway you are a breath of fresh air blowing delicately through the threads in the last few months with increasing force!

Ilana - just stopping for my second wind - doesn't it make a nice change not having so many posts to keep up with.

Cocolino ????

Cocolino looks like...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITeuaqcpckc

Thanks Ilana for the hugs as Friday is coming to a close here work wise and I can breathe a little. Will be back to something approaching my normal self soon I'm sure. Definitely missed my crossing off chapters on the way to work the last few days. Azmi is someone who malay say is "hati kechil" (literally small livered!) meaning overly sensitive. I had a bust up with SWMBO on Wednesday as I was marooned at a meeting at the old airport with the skies teeming and the children awaiting Azmi's collection. Azmi overheard Hani say kenapa dia bodoh macam gitu (why is he so stupid) meaning her beloved husband - Azmi the prince of misunderstanding thought it was he she was referring to and seems to have taken umbrage. C'est la vie - tired of massaging egos that are for some reason bigger than my own.

Megan - Hahaha would love another holiday as I didn't get to the North Island at all. Nah I'll be fine after a good night's sleep and a morning swim with Belle.

Hello Paul - I am tentatively returning to LT - feeling much more myself and back at work after taking 5 weeks off. Please don't tell me I have been contagious! You seem a bit down...Hope you pick up before 29 August when I stop over in KL on my way to Cambodia.....I'm counting on seeing you, my friend!!

Not into sic-fi ??? .... Hmmm guess we all have our little quirks ... meanwhile I am hanging out for China Mieville latest outing due in the next few days .....

Prue - lovely surprise to see your post. Hope everything is settled and that your much more positive than I appeared to be earlier. I will be in KL throughout August and my diary has a firm pencil mark on that date now for sure.

Alex- Sci-fi as it is a 12 in 12 I will keep plugging away. Philip Dick and or Clive Barker will be next up for me in sci-fi along with Robert Heinlein.

"What's the opposite of ennui?" "Offui?"

Ha! One of my favorite Gilmore Girls moments. Hope you're feeling better!

Paul- Sorry to hear that you are feeling down. Hope a relaxing weekend helps a little. I'll send a man-hug to you.

Mega- "I've got a case of the groundhog day" Interesting phrase!

Sorry to hear you are feeling down. Hopefully you have a good weekend!
I also had a case of the thread dumps just after I moved. Too much to do and not enough time to actually catch up on LT. A couple weeks later and I'm all caught up and back to normal.

{{{{hugs}}}} Stress can do that to you. I am confident you will bounce back.

What Heinlein are you considering?

Paul, I like that expression small-livered, meaning overly sensitive. It's descriptive and makes it seem like a dietary supplement or a change in diet could alter the condition. It also conveys the idea that the condition is not the choice of the person who has it - I mean, no one gets to choose their liver size, right. (Meaning the one in your body, not one you might be eating) My oldest daughter has Aspergers Syndrome and is often described as overly sensitive - to light, to sound, to crowds, but not in the way that you mean when you describe your driver. My daughter takes everything literally, and so if she overheard the conversation you are talking about, she would attempt to explain why you might "think" that she is so stupid. Because she knows that she is smart, so if you think she is stupid, then it must be YOUR misperception.

Just trying to add some gentle humor to a situation that sounds like it could use it. Visualize your driver explaining to your wife why she might think that he is stupid - okay STOP because this was not supposed to get violent!

Hope you get my quirky sense of humor and that you smiled for a small moment because I have found that humor will take you places, my friend! So sorry you are feeling tired and blue. Just for you I would play Hoagy Carmichael's "Am I Blue?" - my favorite version is the one where he sings it himself in the movie To Have and Have Not.

I'm feeling a bit down myself, Paul. Too bad we can't gather around a beverage somewhere. Anyway, my sympathy. R & R to the extent you can.

I read 1Q84 in a one volume hardback and hauled it on the train and back with me for about a week and a half. Three paperback volumes sounds much better!

>131 PaulCranswick:, etc. I can relate to the ennui and the feeling overworked, Paul. I'm sorry it's happening to you, too. I'm reading what I think will be a five-star read and it's going slowly just because work and home life are being very demanding right now. The weekend may bring me a little relief, but not much because of traveling to FIL's 90th birthday party. A great thing to celebrate, but the truth is that I'd rather stay home with Gillespie and I.

I hope you get a breather. xo

What a great gang- feeling a bit down and get a a hatful of resusciative messages.

Amber - didn't think the Gilmore girls would make me smile so. Nice to see you!

Mark - thanks mate not worried about a hug from a pal well intended - men don't hug or show their feelings anywhere near enough.

Chelle - it is funny sometimes unless we say so people never notice we have a smile on our face and a tear in our heart. Wouldn't be the same around here without you chipper and all caught up!

Roni - don't worry my dear I'm a bouncing already! Stranger in a strange Land will be the Heinlein.

Mamie - Your posts and sense of humour are always a pleasure. My own sense of humour sometimes gets me into trouble and the best medicine is laughter. Azmi is a very literal chap but his lack of english and his inability to read between the lines can be mind numbingly comical on occasions. You would love bahasa (malay language) as it is a lovely language and full of quirky phrases and descriptions that translate superbly. Sounds like your eldest would be hard pressed in my employment as massaging the truth has become an art form with my lot. 'will send you again' means generally "I havent finished it yet and will send it as soon as I can" ; "My boss wants to review/sign it first" means "you have bad news coming and I'm not brave enough to tell you myself".

Joe - sure your natural positivity will reassert itself quickly.

Ellen - Gillespie & I doesn't suffer for a lack of admirers! When work intrudes some of us use humour, some of us sulk, some of us run 3 miles to relax! 90th birthday - wow, I hope he has a lovely day.

Paul - I am sure that I would love Bahasa, as I have a great love of anything "full of quirky phrases and descriptions". In fact that sounds a bit like a definition of myself! You are right on the money when you say, "Sounds like your eldest would be hard pressed in my employment as massaging the truth has become an art form with my lot." She cannot massage the truth which at times can be downright refreshing - if you ask her for her opinion on something, be sure to take a deep breath first and brace yourself because you will get the unvarnished truth. I have learned much more from her, I am sure, than she has learned from me. I see how hard she works to navigate each conversation, each social situation, and each rite of passage, and it humbles me. When I am feeling burdened, I can look at her for one brief moment and reflect on the journey she takes each and every day, and then I suck it up and go on because if she can do that, then I can manage what is on my plate, too.

This morning she asked about the day's schedule, and Craig said that we were "going to play it by ear" - he is still trying to explain that idiom to her. At ten tonight we will probably still be talking about it because she does not like to let go of something until she "gets" it. Every day is an adventure, isn't it?! Wishing you lightness of heart, easing of tension, and an abundance of alcoholic beverages (which I find can aid in achieving the first two things!).

Seriously, wishing you peace and contentment.

Oh, I'm always here, just usually lurking...

Another thread, another stunning photo. Sorry about your thread fatigue (while noting that I'm personally 149 posts behind not to mention that last thread) and hope the weekend improves your overall frame of mind.

Oh, Paul, are you sure? You don't strike me as a child of the 60s, and that was a special book for a special time and has not aged well. Most people now simply do not grok it. Why not one of his more adventuresome early sf books? Star Beast or Between Planets or many others.

Paul - Roni may have a point. I'm a big Heinlein fan and have read Stranger in a Strange Land many times, but I tend to think of it as best only for his devotees. Roni's right; most people do not grok it!

What about Citizen of the Galaxy?

Hang in there, Buck-a-roo!

>141 msf59: a case of the groundhog day
I was referencing the film, you know where Bill Murray wakes up each day to the same exact day....

>137 PrueGallagher: Hooray! Prue is back!

Hi Paul, I have to say a morning swim does sound good, clear the cobwebs etc. Now that's given me a good idea for todays outing with the kiddos. To the pool!

Could try Job: A Comedy of Justice a more readable Heinlein for those stepping toes in ...... you might want to try Iain M Banks The player of games

#148 : Mamie, your daughter sounds like me. I take a lot of things literally, especially when it comes to answering questions automatically. I've learned over the years, yes, it's taken me years and years before I twigged on, that it's best if I stop for a few seconds to think about the question posed before I answer. Occasionally, I'll forget to do this and just blurt out whatever comes to my head. Case in point, a few months ago, I was in Tokyo and someone I was with pointed to a really tall building and asked what it was .... meaning, what is the name of that building .... but I just looked at the direction she was pointing, looked at the building and replied 'it's a building'. DUH!

Paul, take a page out of Prue's "book" -- sometimes a break is necessary. Now don't you go and take 5 weeks off, though. Maybe a couple of days would rejuvenate you. We would miss our Paul Talk around here. ;-)

Caro - Too funny!

Paul - What Donna said.

Mamie - lovely story about your daughter who sounds a perfect gem. Kyran when small was a little like that in that he was resolutely polite and deeply inquistive with undeveloped social skills. He used to go to a kindergarten at the top floor of a mall. One day we were in the lift and he spied a heavily pregnant women. "Excuse me?"he said, "Whats's wrong with your tummy?" - The lady smiled and replied "I'm pregnant dear" - he retorted "My mum was pregnant and she didn't look like that!" If there was ever someone with a distinguishing feature - buck teeth, pronounced limp etc he would enquire for sure in the most direct of terms.

Amber - my normal state on everyone's threads too!

Anne - I normally recover from knocks and poor health etc with a good night's sleep. Done already and I'm back to normal already.

Roni - Just about - born in 66. Have that one on the shelves but your reservations are noted with concern! I did enjoy Bradbury's Martian Chronicles which was clearly of its time so let's see.

Dejah - It is well known that I am not a devotee of Heinlein or Sci-fi generally and certainly will need to lean on those such as yourself whose knowledge of it is humbling. Grok is an interesting word btw.

Kerri - Thanks my dear yesterday hanging on involved bloodied nails but today is plain sailing if I am allowed to mix metaphors with such impunity!

Megan - I remember the movie very well - yesterday my features looked as worn as Murray's in his recent films - today I resemble more his ghostbusters visage.
Prue's very timely reappearance heralded a return to form. Lovely to see her back obviously.

Thanks Alex - I now have a list of potential Heinlein's and I know I have a couple of boxes in storage full of old sci-fi titles and some of em will definitely be his - I'll have to go and look (reminder to self - miles behind with cataloguing)

Caro - hahaha you struck me as being so diplomatic! Hopefully your british colleague won't ask you a direct question about his eating habits!

Donna - I don't think - unless I was on holiday that I could go a full day without my dose of you all! Definitely 5 weeks cold turkey is not a consideration - 5 hours is acceptable.

Mamie - Caro is a princess of globe-trotting culinary drollery - my first LT meet-up and a dear dear pal.
Donna is too kind - I would miss you guys more.

Paul, my dear, being born in '66 is not the same as being an adolescent at that time, and if you were not in the middle of the mind-expanding consciousness, free love culture (which I suspect you were not ;-)), you will not find Heinlein's exploration of his own repressed sexuality set within that culture all that entertaining. Most of later Heinlein, including this very early example of it, is very soft science fiction, with a lot revolving around sex and gender roles, and not in the rational and exploratory scientific manner of Le Guin but in rather self-indulgent ways. But most of all, it is simply not representative of either Heinlein's science fiction or the science fiction of the time. I would much rather see you read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress or Starship Troopers that that, even though I was totally into SiaSL when I was 16.

Roni - Thanks for that. I think I better give Heinlein a re-think for now - I know I have The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Starship Troopers somewhere so I'll go and find them out first.
Not unfortunately a beneficiary of "free-love" although I hasten to add I have never paid for it either!

Hi Paul!
We all get thread fatigue and way behind at times. It takes a lot of time and energy to keep up with all you do!
Work, family, LT stats, reading, writng, traveling, etc.
Always giving.
You need a break... take it ;-) srsly
Why do I feel like you are not listening?

Anyway, I'm hoping you have a sweet weekend.

Paul, I have to say I have no humbling knowledge! Stranger in a Strange Land is just, well, strange. As for grok it's a Heinlein coined word - here's a link to the Wikipedia entry. I had no idea it was in the OED.

Starship Troopers is an old favorite of mine while The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a great novel actually written after SinaSL. You can't go wrong with either of those two.

I hope it's not annoying to have everyone chiming in with their take on your future reading....

Cee - what was that my dear I didn't quite catch it?! There are too many dear people on here (present correspondent included) that I couldn't in good conscience stay away for very long.

Dejah - not at all. I know nuts about Sci-fi and to have those more knowledgeable give me the benefit of their experience is appreciated. BTW how do you square knowing grok with purporting to have no humbling knowledge?!

Believe me, Paul, everybody who's read SinaSL knows the word grok - it's a major element of the book! Beyond having read the book, no special knowledge required. When you run across somebody who knows the term, you can figure they're a Heinlein fan, though.

I tried to catch up Paul but I have no idea what's going on here. Maybe because I don't read much any sci-fi; not sure. But I hope you have a great weekend and emerge from the doldrums.

Paul, not a Heinlein fan myself, know plenty of those that are all older than myself so .......there is much more readable (by virgin scifi readers) out there .....

Dejah - Ok I'll take your word for it - I cetainly am clueless anyway - confirmed.

Bonnie - emerged from the clouds into the sunshine already! Thanks for stopping by. We are sci-fi numbskulls together.

Alex - Give me a few tips mate as readable is what I find most sci-fi not to be.

I would give Richard K Morgan or Iain M Banks a read - in fact I reckon you just might like them, try Thirteen (published under different title in UK) or The player of games

Hi Paul - chiming in on the Heinlein - Stranger debate - this was one of my favourite books when I was a teen, but it hasn't dated that well (I read it again a few years ago) and if you're not a scifi fan then why bother to read such a chunky book. I want to second Alex's recommendation of The Player of Games, Iain M Banks is a more contemporary writer of scifi and I think you'd love this one.

Will also add Peter F Hamilton but start with his Greg Mandel trilogy or Alastair Reynold's Chasm City.

Alex / Kerry - thanks a lot. I have some Reynolds and Banks so I'll look to those. Don't have any Hamilton or Morgan if I'm not mistaken. Why do sci-fi writers like to insert their middle initials so frequently?

Iain Banks adds the M when he publishes scifi, his normal fiction books are without the M.

Kerry - I noticed that - have a few of both incarnations of Banks - it proves my point somewhat doesn't it?

Take a wee break, Paul. I think we all get thread ennui - and even - heaven forbid - a book funk! Have bit of chocolate, and it will all be better in the morning. Hugs!

or maybe not - as Sci-fi is a different publisher .......either way enjoy

I have a little a little thread fatigue myownself.
Stranger in a strange Land is one of my all time favorite books.

Hope your weekend is going smoothly and happily.

Hi Paul- I hope you get some relaxing in this weekend and can re-charge those flagging batteries. Sorry to hear about those stress levels.

Have a relaxing weekend, Paul!

Deb - thanks; chocolate is a great idea whatever the excuse. Spent a nice lazy day - swimming with Belle and taking Kyran for haircutting (we managed to fit in an old style coffee shop with Ipoh Hor Fun noodles and fried prawn dumplings together with frozen hazelnut coffees - a place SWMBO always vetoes if she is along). I am back to normal already.

Alex - Whatever the reason; the sci-fi one has the initial. Will get to Mr. Banks with and without his initial very soon.

Kath - thanks I have everyone scaring me of Stranger in a Strange Land - I figured someone must like it!

Mark - relaxation was prescribed and undertaken already mate thanks.

Darryl - cross posted - thanks mate and the very same to you too.

Paul - sounds like a good day; I love old-style coffee shops. And new ones, if they're not too crowded. We have a place that is in Muncie, the closest bigger city called the MT Cup. It's a hole in the wall that attracts the campus crowd, but I find the place quite charming. They make a great cafe au lait and the pumpkin chocolate chip muffins with slivered almonds nestled into the tops of them are to die for. I NEED to figure out how to make those muffins!

Mamie - Malaysian coffee shops are not quite the same as the ones in North America and Europe / Australasia. You would get a muffin or a cake normally. The ones I am referring to look a little like this one.

Charming - and what do they serve?

While I adore Stranger in a Strange Land, I would also recommend The Moon is a Harsh Mistress as a better "entry level" Heinlein. Starship Troopers is also good but might come across as too political.

I was born in 1965 and SiaSL was one of the first SF books I read in my teens. Might be why it has such a firm place in my heart.

The coffee is normally a bit more trad - kopi 0 (literally black coffee but extremely thick) kopi susu (literally milk coffee - which is coffee poured over condensed milk which is stirred up and is unbelievably sweet) - teh tarik (literally pulled tea - tea and milk mixed together in two large cups and mixed together by throwing it between the cups) - food curry or assam noodles (dry or with soup), thick toast with either eggs or kaya (a sweet local jam like substance made from pandan), nasi lemak (literally creamy rice - rice cooked in coconut milk and served with spicy condiments). Not exactly Starbucks!

Morphy - I would always bow to your knowledge on this subject. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress will be first.

#187: Ohmygosh, that all sounds unbelievably delicious!

It sounds delicious! Starbucks, for me, is for drive thru when traveling on the highway. If I am going into a coffee house, I want atmosphere and locals. I think the kopi susu would be too sweet for me, although I would like to order it just to say kopi susu. I would like to try everything else!

>188 PaulCranswick: Let me know when you start it up. I may do a reread with you.

#184 When we had a holiday to The Netherlands when my son was about 8 he was reading the guidebook and commented that the Dutch must really like coffee as there was a whole section on 'coffeeshops'. We had to disillusion him and explain that it wasn't necessarily the coffee that was the attraction.

Hi, Paul. Thanks for the good wishes. Same back atcha. Hope everything is sorting out, and you're having a relaxing weekend.

#187 : Paul - I love Malaysian breakfasts .. so much more interesting and tasty than bland cereal and oatmeal ...both of which I detest. I made kaya the other day and had that with toast this morning. mmmmm..... good start to the weekend.

Amber - Malaysian coffee shops are places for breakfast, places to discuss deals, places to plan your day and to meet potential clients. The food is certainly not incidental - the chinese/nyonya based ones are largely as discussed above - the indian/mamak ones would have roti canai and tosai served with a dhall (lentil), chicken or fish curry.

Mamie - the condensed milk is not as I recall it in England - it is a sweetened heavy variety and when you see it separated from the coffee in a big gloop at the bottom of the glass (normally served in a glass cup with a handle) you know that it should not really be a part of your diet.

Morphy - Will do - I think it will be June.

Rhian - Ha those "coffee shops" - I've seen those too. "Coffee" you can smoke!

Joe - Having a good one so far mate. Sure you will too.

Caro - I love Malaysian breakfasts - Like that is the biggest surprise of my evening! When I posted the coffee shop picture I was actually thinking about you - next time it has to be hor fun noodles, teh tarik and roti kaya.

Sounds like a good plan, Paul. I had one of the most productive meetings last year in KL over roti kaya and Ipoh white coffee at a coffee shop along Jln Alor.

Hi Paul. I'm skimming through on my iPhone. Your thread is a happenin' place right now. I hope your blues are easing.

Paul & Mamie
I think that the Kopi susu would be much much too sweet for me. I like cream in my coffee and adore cafe au lait, but the thought of a lump of condensed milk sitting in the bottom of my cup just doesn't even sound good. The tea and milk drink sounds much better. Like it might be something that would taste good and not be so sweet. However, do they also use the same condensed milk in this drink?

Mamie - like you I tend to use Starbucks when traveling as they are usually convenient. My local coffee shops are independents.

>187 PaulCranswick: 195 oh my watering mouth. Roti canai, pulled tea, my taste buds are remembering it all. Those tea houses are so bustling (or is that Malaysia is so bustling!), you really do live in another world to mine. Its hard to remember sometimes in this screen-world. Glad you are on top of things again!

(ps, Not unfortunately a beneficiary of "free-love" although I hasten to add I have never paid for it either!
LOL)

Caro - Jalan Alor has a stall with my favourite barbequed ikan ayam - or Monkey Fish as they call it in Johor - damn ugly fish but delicious.

Ellen - thanks - I gave my iphone to SWMBO as I'm not smart enough for a smart phone. Blues nowhere in sight today.

Benita - I don't like kopi susu Imust admit -I don't even take sugar in tea. Starbucks is not my favourite either and I will catch a coffee there if I'm in a hurry. Teh tarik is also too sweet for me but not as sweet as the kopi susu.

Megan - my world is a little different from yours but they both have a fair amount going for them. Free love? No such thing really is there? Married for 16 years and I have been paying the price ever since! Money well spent I hasten to add.

Condensed milk in the UK used to be like that, I think...

I'm with you on smart phones. Mine is a very, very dumb phone. Capable of making basic domestic phone calls only when it is in the very best of moods. I strongly suspect that it was designed by Terry Pratchett, and that if I opened it up, inside I would find a bad-tempered little gnome frying bacon.

Is it weird that I almost never drink coffee? Sometimes tea, but not that often any more. Not since Twinings discontinued one of my faves.

Now, question: is Malay Bahasa similar to that of Indonesia; are they two distinct languages? regional dialects of the same language? I'm curious, as I've read of references to Malay as a lingua franca of swathes of SE Asia.

hmmm The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, not a favorite Heinlein.. I guess I have unusual taste?
It must extend to food, as well because I am not sure about the food from Malaysia.. I might
have to bring MRIs were I ever to come .. lol

It might sound strange from someone who moved into coffee country Italy, but I miss my American style coffee shops. I don't miss those big flavored lattes, I see those more as meals than as drinks, but once in a while I'd love a nice cup of brewed (not pressed) black coffee, something sweet, preferably with cinnamon, and the possibility to sit down in a comfy chair with a book.

The bars here will all give you a quick fix of the very best espresso any time of the day, but usually you don't even sit down for it. No donuts/muffins/scones, instead extremely sweet and sticky croissant style cakes filled with jam or cream which dissolve into crumbs when you take a bite.

The Malaysian variety sounds wonderful to me. Kopi 0 might be my drink and I'd try all the foods you've listed there.

I might jump in and read The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress with you and Morphy next month if I may? I too have a sci-fi category in 12 in 12 that needs bolstering. Love that title - and I know from reading "Stranger" that Heinlein is an accomplished author.

Love the Maylasian coffee shop virtual experience, Paul, though I'll pass on the noodles and curry for breakfast. ;-)

Just stopping by to say hi, Paul. Not that you are lonely over here or anything, but despite your thread fatigue, I didn't want you to think that I have been ignoring you.

The US has sweetened condensed milk: very sweet, thick and gloopy - and v. delicious.

Too much here for me to catch up with, but I wanted to thank you, Paul, for convincing me to try the Inspector Montalbano novels. I just read The Shape of Water, the first in the series, and have already ordered more!

I have used the sweetened condensed milk, but only in making desserts such as seven layer bars or the Crazymamie version - eight is enough bars. But I have not thought about adding it to a beverage! Although, now that you mention it, Paul, I think my husband would love the kopi susu, as he adds a dash of coffee to his cream and sugar!

Suz - I must admit I don't remember the UK condensed milk being so sweet but I guess earlier still it must have been as the product is clearly a result of the colonial period. Bahasa Melayu and Bahasa Indon are from the same language base - Malay being the source language - I can make myself heard just as easily in Lombok as in Kelantan in Northern Malaysia which has the most indecipherable dialect.
I like tea and coffee almost equally. Yorkshire tea for me but I do like some of the Twinings varieties.

I think you'd be surprised with the food here Kath - there is something for all tastes. My own view is that this melting pot is the culinary hub where indian, chinese and thai cuisines meld wonderfully.

Nathalie - a coffee shop where you don't sit down to the coffee is one I would not make a habit of visiting. You would be welcome here anytime - certain you would love the food and we could chew the fat regarding our respective businesses over Kopi-O.

Donna - more than welcome to join Morphy and myself - the noodles need not be spicy, although the thought of such heavy things for breakfast did take some getting used to.

Linda - always nice to see you here; love your own thread and the tales of Albany author visitations.

Amber - thats the stuff!

Rebecca - I have been the grateful recipient of several of your recommendations from reading your reviews so it is nice to be able to return the compliment occasionally. Hope you're having a good weekend.

Mamie - hahaha well I thought it sounded unhealthy but if it is what the doctor ordered?!

Went to the Pavilion mall and added Even Silence Has an End by Ingrid Betancourt.

Received a text message from the uncommunicative Azmi informing me of his decision to quit. Was expecting it actually but still not overly happy as he of couse has no intention of serving out his notice. Still c'est la vie and good luck to him ~ life is too short to grumble and hold grudges I should remember the sterling service he gave me most of the time. Fitting end in a way that he did it with no words!
Quite comical really as he laid the blame on SWMBO being difficult to work for - tell me about it - I've been struggling with the same problem for 16 years already! No reading happily in the back of the car in the mornings back to snatching paragraphs at traffic lights!

Err...how are you doing with the challenge, Paul? *snigger*

Then again, you need something to soothe the loss of Azmi. Does that mean you're going to need to *gasp* drive yourself (preparing a notice to The Star warning motorists to keep off the streets for the foreseeable future until you hire a new driver) around town? I see car dealers gleefully rubbing their hands at the thought of another new car to sell you.

Caro - Challenge = donation to charity! = failed miserably! Thanks for the vote of confidence with the driving stakes!

Well Caro it will be a four figure pay out for sure.

*Waving hello*

Lost driver? Have you looked where you left him last? Is he under the nightstand?

You DO need to be more careful, Paul. *tsk*

Did you make it to work today, Paul?
Create a traffic jam?
Find a parking space?
Looking for a new driver?
I might be interested...

Jenn - straight back at yer!

RD - hahaha - funny when he wanted the job he came to my house personally to discuss it - when he wants to leave he sends a text message. I know how Phil Collins' wife felt now.

Cee - Please forward your resume for my immediate attention. No mishaps on the roads this morning.

Love Malay food. Ultimate fusion cuisine. There's actually a twitter feed for Malay food in NYC that I follow...

OK - but if you read in the back seat, will you read out loud to me?

Sorry to learn you are now without a chauffeur. By the way, your thread isn't supposed to make me hungry..... and I just ate dinner! Here is hoping you have a better week than last week!

Sorry to hear of the news about Azmi. Hiring someone you can trust and who is competent is no joke, no matter what the position is, so good luck with that. Was just dropping by to wish you a good day. I'm off to finish off mine in bed shortly. xx

Hey Paul,
There should be no shortage of drivers out there, surely? I guess its the time and uncertainty of hiring someone new. Hope you get a good person...someone who doesnt like conversation might be good for your reading? :)

The loss of Azmi sounds mixed..... I hope you're able to find someone who can work more, um, smoothly with SWMBO?

Suz - What's not to love - I have almost doubled in weight during my 18 years in Malaysia and enjoyed almost every guilty calorie.

Cee - no sweat looks like we would crash together but only at chapter endings.

Lori - thanks; no lunch yet funnily enough at 15:30 so I am fairly hungry typing this. Expect the week to be a little less fraught than the last one.

Ilana - want to remember the positives - he was hugely reliable and didn't gas away while I was trying to read. Won't replace him so quickly as I have a little driver fatigue for now, at least until the grind of traffic dictates a change.

Megan - you realised his strong suit was to provide a quiet platform for my reading. Not easy to replace him if truth be known as I had several drivers before him who made me old before my time.

Ellen - mixed probably sums it up - my wife is actually extremely kind hearted but can be a tad abrasive when stirred. I think Azmi wanted to change direction and wanted an excuse to do so. He has a small fish farm near his house that could provide him with enough income to survive and I think he wants to concentrate on that. I won't be a stickler on things like notice etc etc etc as it would spoil my remembrance of his service. Basically we are talking about $600 - it is not worth making an issue of.

I think I'd go the same route, Paul: Wish him well in his fish farm endeavors, try to remember all the good aspects of his service, and move forward.

And, "extremely kind hearted but can be a tad abrasive when stirred" --> yes, well, depending on by what and how often one is "stirred," I see this as better than acting like a doormat. :-)

Ellen - SWMBO is certainly nobodies doormat.

Sorry to hear about the loss of your driver, Paul. And texting his intentions is cheeky (and cowardly). Why do people think that texting is an acceptable replacement for written correspondence or face to face conversation, or a phone call even? My sister actually texted me to tell me that my Dad had died, if you can imagine. Devastating news, but I was also devastated by how it was delivered - so impersonal and cold. I hope that when you are ready to pursue it you will find the perfect driver - one who can navigate smoothly both in traffic and in conversation. Someone who knows how to smooth ruffled feathers without getting his own ruffled.

Mamie - horrific message about what your sister did in "communicating" about the passing of your dad. I don't think I can place my travails with Azmi in quite the same category but you are right essentially he would have got my respect more by speaking to me face to face. Someone who knows how to smooth ruffled feathers without getting his own ruffled. lovely phrase!

#228: Mamie, this is unbelievable! How absolutely horrible!

It was horrible, and it really hurt my feelings, but I think she just didn't want to deal with it. I was leaving that morning to come see him again, and she knew I would be devastated that I had missed him. I think she was probably also exhausted from dealing with the drama that is my mother.

Sorry Paul, I read Mamie's post before I caught up on all the older ones. Yes, texting sounds cowardly (and I'd hate it), but I don't know if it fits with his usual communication style. Now at least you know. I hope you'll soon find a new driver who can be trusted. Having to drive yourself might add another dose of stress to your already very busy life.

Wow, vast difference between telling someone of a loved one's death and quitting!! In person is always better, but if someone hates conflict and fears that conflict will result from doing something in person, well, texting gives them an "out". But absolutely no excuse, mamie... If you can find the words to text, you can find the words to utter, and then say "I'm sorry, I can't talk any more right now."

Mamie... so sad.. so many ways we have to communicate these days.. more ways to make bad choices,
or simply choose not to at times.

After 2 years of a nightmare at my last job.. and seriously trying to get help from the
"powers that be", I quit by email, effective immediately. I agree with Suz....no excuse for your sister.

Good luck with a new driver, Paul .......

Thought I'd check in to see if you're in one piece today, Paul ....and if the car has stopped shivering in shock yet. ;-p

Nathalie / Mamie - It is always difficult to put ourselves in the position of others and apply what under normal circumstances we would do. Think the Azmi situation is straightforward - he should have told me as we always got along well - he didn't and I'm not going to let it bother me unduly. Your sisters one is obviously on the surface and as it played out to you reprehensible but the situation as you generously concede is one of extreme stress and we sometimes screw up in those situations. Good on you Mamie for your understanding reaction to it. Yesterday I called my mum as I always do on the birthday anniversary of my Gran and she told me that two weeks earlier she had broken her arm. She was a bit miffed I hadn't called her as Peter (my brother) had told her that he had informed me (of course he hadn't).

Nathalie - he may have been worried that I would talk him out of it. I think the other drivers here will get more stress with me driving myself around.

Suz - exactly right.

Kath - I agree if the job was a nightmare. Azmi was with me for more than four years and we had no real issues. Was a case of his time to move on I think.

Caro - hahaha - you won't be laughing so much if I have to drive you myself the next time!

my dear Paul ... I'll take a taxi and meet you. Alternatively, Le Meridien has excellent car services too.

Mamie that is awful. What was she thinking?

Hi Paul.
I thought I'd send you a late-night (here) message instead of my usual early-morning (here) message.
xo

Bonnie - I think that is just the point; she wasn't thinking. I don't think she hurt me intentionally, I think she was just doing what was easiest for her. She didn't want to put off telling me because she knew I was going to be leaving to come and see him, but she couldn't deal with telling me and hearing me respond. I'm not angry about it, and I didn't mean to hijack Paul's thread (so sorry, Paul), I was just trying to say that sometimes people take the easy way out - easy for them. They don't stop to consider how their actions affect the person on the other end. Texting is cold and impersonal and should not replace interpersonal communication. It may be easier or less stressful, but some things should not be easy - ending relationships or delivering bad news should be slightly messy as that is what it means to be human.

#she told me that two weeks earlier she had broken her arm

A few years ago we had a similar situation with my Mum. She broke her arm quite badly in a fall and was in hospital for 4 days before either me or my sister found out. She refused to phone us or let the hospital phone us on the grounds that 'she didn't want to make a fuss'. She only relented when the hospital wouldn't discharge her unless she had some care at home (she was about 86 at the time).But rather than not making a fuss everything became much more difficult by her approach as rather than having a few days to make arrangements for her care we had to pretty much drop everything there and then so that we could sort things ou, as the hospital were keen to discharge her. I think she'd already been there a couple of days more than she really needed. This was about three weeks before Chrismas and I think left to her own devices she'd have just turned up with her arm in plaster if she could.

Back in the seventies.. there was a man who was killing people in our community.
It was winter of '77. He would walk into a home ( it is still pretty much a doors unlocked
sort of place) and killing.

(http://www4.vindy.com/content/local_regional/309822047094043.php)

Just after my 4th child was born, and my sister's first.. my mother called me and said
"your sister is in the hospital with gunshot wounds" I almost had a heart attack..

And she wanted me to walk ( one block) to my sister's house to make formula. I had 4 kids at home, under 5 years old, one only a month or so, as he and my niece were born 12 hours apart. . no husband there at the time.. and I told her to bring Kim to me. She of, course refused.. I had to get a neighbor for my kids and run over to get the baby...

My sister didn't take to mothering straight off.. was always trying to go out, get away.. I often had her baby, too. Turns out that she had shot herself in the foot in the car. See, she had pulled out the handgun to shoot at someone else, actually.. a friend they had visited while my mom babysat.. and he supposedly made a pass at my sister.. (lots of booze) BIL started a fight.. they were leaving.. friend hit car with pipe..and deb pulled out the gun. Not a shining moment in family history. ( I was a grave disappointment in one way to my grandmother.. I was not a believer in hunting, guns or other such things... so I assure you, I never did anything like that myownself)

ahhh family.

Caro - no problem - I won't drive us off the road either.

Bonnie - Isn't it difficult sometimes when you have to inform somebody something that will cause consternation so it is easier tosend a message? I have done that myself I think but not over an issue with my siblings.

Mamie - Your comments are always welcome here - especially when they are so thought provoking and sensitive as your analysis of your sister's message is. You are probably right - she didn't know how to handle the situation and the fact that you can look beyond your own pain to realise and accept this says a lot about your personality.

Ellen- you are welcome here morning, noon or night. Always a pleasure to see your moniker on my thread.

Rhian - your mum wanted to avoid you all worrying - my mum wanted us to show how much we cared but I knew nothing about it. My brother has a life chock full of problems at the moment so I'll have to forgive his self-absorption at the moment.

Kath - wow your family is exciting for sure but would appear hard work in the extreme. She shot herself aiming for someone else?! It hardly bears thinking about and it beggars belief that you are so grounded having such a lively family.

Digital life seems to be changing personal communications - what's polite, what's acceptable, what's easy. I suspect some of us will never texts an acceptable way to communicate important or sensitive information, either personally or professionally. I can understand, though, why someone in distress might choose the easy way.

#244 your mum wanted to avoid you all worrying

The trouble is - it has exactly the opposite effect on both me and my sister. We both worry more because we can't depend on her telling us things that we really do need to know. It's not particularly an age thing either - 25 years ago I remember that I only found out by Dad was in hospital when I phoned home and a visiting aunt answered and spilled the beans.

You are a wordsmith extraordinaire, my friend! Lively family is a wonderful phrase :)
I may have to steal it, when I am trying to keep things positive. There are more stories...
but only one other one involving a gun. No harm done that time either. Some are even
less sharable ...

I do think kids should now what is happening in the family ( adult kids, I mean).
Although, I am a firm believer in not calling someone in the dead of night to tell them
about a death or a hospitalization, that will work out fine in the end. Morning is fine.
Nothing will have changed then.

Hi Paul, here I am adding to your thread-stress! I have finally caught up and you are probably about to start a new thread. My weekend away was excellent and I've come back with batteries re-charged. Of course the news that my husband's family is having a reunion in August didn't exactly overjoy me. (Kath's not the only one with a "lively" family - and Alberta in August isn't my idea of holiday heaven).

Sorry about your driver leaving. Didn't he almost quit last year? Maybe he was afraid that if he told you in person you would talk him into staying again.

I'm afraid I tilt toward Rhian's parents when it comes to non-disclosure. Part of it stems from the response I got to something that was devastating to me but that my parents responded to in unhelpful ways -- essentially, denial on my father's part, and my mother making it all about her. So now it's don't ask, don't tell. But then, I'm not in my 80s with children worrying about me.

Wow this is quite the dramatic thread right now! Sorry to hear that you are driver-less right now. Hopefully you find someone that will work out well for you!

holy moly Kath, that is a scary gun story. At first I thought you were going to say your sister shot herself in the foot so she would get to go and have a lie down in hospital for a rest from her baby!
*thinks about that seriously as an option and decides against*

Paul- Very sorry to hear about your driver! I hope you find someone soon!

Mamie- How inconsiderate. I confess to text quite a lot, but I am shocked by that. So sorry about your father!

Dejah - we are certainly living in an ever evolving world - some of the changes I'm sure we feel are for the better; some we could probably do without. I am not going to knock the digital age too much as this site is a bi-product of that but there is more coldness in communication nowadays just because it is possible.

Rhian - not the way to find out about family illness - I know that in my case my siblings keep things from me about my mum's health to avoid worry and too many long haul flights.

Kath - so nice of you to say so my dear! You can borrow any phrases on here with pleasure - my magpie gene probably bestowed them unknowingly upon me anyway.

Judy - family get togethers can be such forced affairs sometimes can't they? Well spotted on the Azmi front - he did indeed threaten to leave last year.

Suz - Yeah for me my dislocation from the family obviously causes concerns if problems intrude as I simply can't get there very quickly. When my mother had pneumonia for the second time a couple of years ago my sister kept the fact from me despite my mum being touch-and-go for a while.

Chelle - I am not in a hurry - have a trade-off; obviously I can read less in the car but at least I get to indulge my musical tastes whilst driving nowadays unlike the funereal atmosphere earlier.

Megan - I was also slack-mouthed at Kath's little anecdote! You want a rest from the kids - better call the father rather than shoot yourself!

Callia - lovely to see you here and posting for the first time. I think Azmi was ready for a change and I was also a little bit on ego-fatigue - having to assuage his over-sensitive self all the time. Azmi does not speak english at all so if a conversation included his name within it he would be immediately on guard and ready to mis-construe.

Paul- I can definitely see how that would be difficult. Although, if I heard my name in a language I didn't speak, I would probably get defensive as well.