Charl08 reads even moo-re books (hopefully!)#7

Couldn't resist starting a new thread with this friendly cow who came to check me out on a recent walk.



This is a local artist's interpretation of some cows. Lovely animal. James Bartholomew works from a converted mill on the canal down the road. It's fairly idyllic.


Reading update
I'm a would-be researcher / teacher who is not employed as either right now*, with the distinct side-benefit that I get a lot more time to read outside of 'my' field (although I like to do that too). Although I'm not a big goal-setter, given that just now reading is leisure activity, I'm making progress through the long-listed 'women's prize for fiction' and another list, of 50 books by women from the African continent, that two bloggers that I like and respect (along with the RCS) put together. On both lists I've found books I have loved, so :-) I've slowed my progress with this lately, so I'm going to try and catch up with my targets this month.

*Although hope springs eternal. As do job applications.

Still searching for the code to rotate the image back to where it was to start...

Best books of 2015 (so far)

Five Children on the Western Front; Lila; The Map of Love; An Unnecessary Woman; Dept of Speculation; Can't we talk about something more pleasant; The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing; Bad Blood; Aya of Yop City; History of the Rain; Sights Unseen; The Narrow Road to the Deep North; A Month in the Country; In These Times;The Bone Clocks; In Diamond Square; The Real Jane Austen: A life in small things; Displacement; On the Move, A Spool of blue thread. Crooked Heart, The Book of Aron , How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents, The Shore, A History of Seven Killings, A Place called Winter, Sleeping on Jupiter

Updated to read targets

Gateway for Africa / Bookshy's list of 50 Books by African women everyone should read / 10 Read so far in 2015!
2. The Aya Series Aya of Yop City- Marguerite Abouet (Cote D'Ivoire / France) READ
5. Changes: A Love Story - Ama Ata Aidoo (Ghana)
6. Our Sister Killjoy - READ
8. Our Wife and Other Stories - Karen King-Aribisala (Nigeria)
9. Everything Good Will Come - Sefi Atta (Nigeria)
10. So Long a Letter - Mariama Ba (Senegal) READ
11. Tropical Fish: Stories out of Entebbe - Doreen Baingana (Uganda)
12. Patchwork - Ellen Banda-Aaku (UK/ Zambia / Ghana)
14. We need new names - No Violet Bulawayo (Zimbabwe)
15. Daughters of Africa - Margaret Busby (Ghana / UK)
17. Woman at Point Zero - Nawal El Saadawi (Egypt) READ
18. The Joys of Motherhood - Buchi Emecheta (Nigeria)
20. July’s People - Nadine Gordimer (South Africa) READ
21. The Collector of Treasures - Bessie Head (South Africa)
22. In Dependence - Sarah Ladipo (Nigeria/ UK)
23. Secret Son - Laila Lalami (Morocco)
24. Sundowners - Lesley Lokko (Ghana/Scotland)
25. Black Mamba Boy - Nadifa Mohamed (UK / Somaliland) READ
26. Your Madness, Not Mine - Juliana Makuchi (Short Stories, Cameroon) READ
27. Neighbours: The Story of a Murder - Lilia Momplé (Mozambique)
28. Ripples in the Pool- Rebeka Njau (Kenya)
29. Efuru- Flora Nwapa (Nigeria)
30. I Do Not Come To You By Chance- Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani (Nigeria)
31. The Promised Land - Grace Ogot (Kenya)
32. Bitter Leaf - Chioma Okereke (Nigeria / England)
33. Zahrah the Windseeker - Nnedi Okorafor (US / Nigeria)
34. The Spider King’s Daughter - Chibundu Onuzo (Nigeria)
35. Dust - Yvonne Adhiambor Owuor (Kenya)
37. The Map of Love - Ahdaf Soueif (Egypt) READ
38. This September Sun - Bryony Rheam (Zimbabwe)
39. Distant View of a Minaret and Other Stories -Alifa Rifaat (Egypt) READ
40. As the Crow Flies - Véronique Tadjo (Côte d'Ivoire). READ
41. The Blind Kingdom (also by Véronique Tadjo)
43. Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria - Noo Saro-Wiwa (Nigeria / England)
44. Butterfly Burning - Yvonne Vera (Zimbabwe).
45. Nehanda (also by Yvonne Vera)
46. Teaching my Mother How to Give Birth - Warsan Shire (Kenya / Somalia)
47. The Ghost Le Revenant in French) - Aminata Sow Fall (Senegal)
48. Men of the South - Zukiswa Wanner (South Africa)
49. David’s Story - Zoe Wicomb (South Africa)

Baileys Women's Fiction long list 6 to go
Rachel Cusk: Outline READ
Lissa Evans: Crooked Heart READ
Patricia Ferguson: Aren’t We Sisters? READ
Xiaolu Guo: I Am China READ
Samantha Harvey: Dear Thief READ
Emma Healey: Elizabeth is Missing READ
Emily St. John Mandel: Station Eleven READ
Grace McCleen: The Offering
Sandra Newman: The Country of Ice Cream Star
Heather O’Neil: The Girl Who Was Saturday Night DNF'd
Laline Paull: The Bees
Marie Phillips: The Table of Less Valued Knights READ
Rachel Seiffert: The Walk Home READ
Kamila Shamsie: A God in Every Stone
Ali Smith: How to be Both READ
Sara Taylor: The Shore READ
Anne Tyler: A Spool of Blue Thread READ
Sarah Waters: The Paying Guests READ (DNF'D)
Jemma Wayne: After Before
PP Wong: The Life of a Banana

Booker Longlist 2015 : 5 to go

A Brief History of Seven Killings Marlon James READ
A Little Life Hanya Yanagihara
A Spool of Blue Thread Anne Tyler READ
Did You Ever Have a Family Bill Clegg
Lila Marilynne Robinson READ
Satin Island Tom McCarthy
Sleeping on Jupiter Anuradha Roy READ
The Chimes Anna Smaill READ
The Fishermen Chigozie Obioma READ
The Green RoadAnne Enright READ
The Illuminations Andrew O’Hagan
The Moor's Account Laila Lalami
The Year of the RunawaysSunjeev Sahota READ

Total read in 2015 202

July: 21
Crooked Heart (UK ,F)
Just a Corpse at Twilight (Netherlands, M)
Things to make and break (Hong Kong, F)
The Draining Lake (Iceland, M)
The Misty Harbour (France M)
Dear Thief ( UK, F)
Dark Dawn (UK, M)
Frozen Moment (Sweden, F)
The book of Aron (US, M)
Station Eleven (UK, F)
Death in Devon (UK, M)
Fearless Jones ( US, M )
English Rebel: Orwell (UK, M)
The Unlucky Lottery (Sweden, M)
The Art of Flying (Spain, M)
Their Finest Hour and a Half (UK, F)
On The Run (US, F)
Three Stories (UK, M)
How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents (US/Dominican Republic?, F)
The Fishermen (Nigeria, M)
Jar City (Iceland, M)

August 25
Bee season (US, F)
Louisa Meets Bear (US, F )
H is for Hawk (UK, F)
The Year of the Runaways (UK, M)
The Shore (US, F)
Voices (Iceland, M)
The Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau (UK, M)
When the Thrill is Gone (US, M)
Pereira Maintains (Italy, M)
Maigret's Revolver (France, M )
A Brief history of Seven Killings ( Jamaica, M)
The Novel Habits of Happiness (UK, M)
A Place Called Winter (UK, M)
The Chimes (New Zealand, F )
Love, Nina (UK, F)
Come and Tell Me Some Lies ( UK, F)
Reunion ( Germany, M)
Twilight of the Eastern Gods (Albania, M)
I am China (China / UK , F)
Sleeping on Jupiter (India, F)
The Buried Giant ( UK, M)
The Girl from the Fiction Department (UK, F)
Kismet (Germany,M)
The Beautiful Struggle ( US, M)
Book of Silence (UK,F )

September 3

A Florentine Death ( Italy, M)
The Green Road (Ireland, F)
The Fascination of Evil (France, M)

Stats Sept

Gender F 1 M2
Region: Europe 3

Stats August :
Gender F 11 M 14
Region: US 5, Europe 17 (UK 11), Caribbean 1, Pacific 1 (New Zealand), Asia 1

Stats July
Gender F 8 M 13
Region: Europe 15 (UK 9), Asia 1, US 4, Caribbean 1 (Dominican Republic), Africa 1 (Nigeria)

Nice cows, Charlotte. What a lot of fantastic reading. You're almost done with the Orange longlist. Impressive.

Nice new bovine-themed thread, Charlotte. I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed The Year of the Runaways. Tomorrow is my last work day for the week and month, so I'll get started on the Booker longlist, beginning with A Brief History of Seven Killings, on Friday or Saturday.

Love the cows. Or, in the case of that second one, "coo".

Happy New Thread, Charlotte! You are so organized! Love the cows! As for visiting Iceland, yes indeed, I'd love to do so. However I am flying phobic , so I think that rules it out for me. I don't think I care to go by boat . In my province of BC , we do have B.C. Ferries that ply the waters of the coast. That's about the extent of my desire to travel by boat. My dad used to own a boat, so I am familiar with small boats, but I am not keen on small or very big ships either. So I have to be content with armchair travel.

When my mom and my niece traveled to Iceland, I can only say that they really enjoyed it. They both felt it was very safe, very fascinating and enjoyed a number of aspects of Iceland. The houses themselves seemed to be intriguing - very colourful row-homes and flats. I know they loved the puffin tour, bathing in the thermal pools and the gorgeous and very different scenery. I know my niece, who is just 23 now, would love to go back with her now husband when they can afford to do so. My mom is a keen traveler and while I think she may go back, last fall she went to Berlin and really enjoyed that too. My mom looked up a relative in Iceland as well, and found them to be very friendly people. I'll admit that my mom and my niece each purchased a Icelandic sweater, thought one can get them in Canada as well. Gimli Manitoba has the largest population of Icelanders outside of Iceland itself. http://www.canadacool.com/location/gimli-icelandic/ I have visited Gimli quite a few times and was born not far from Gimli.

Oh, not too far from me is a herd of Belted Galloway Cows. Perhaps that is the same as the cow that visited you? I know I always enjoy my walks when I come upon the cows. Richmond BC is very urban really, but it's cool to walk along the trail where the cows graze.

Happy new thread!

I love the graphic of your favorite reads (so far) of this year. I really must get to History of the Rain which is on my TBR shelves. And have I mentioned that The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing is written by the childhood friend of a friend? My friend gave me a copy and I. Must. Read. It.

I also loved The Shore and Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? and A Month in the Country....

Happy new thread, Charlotte!

I read How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents quite recently too, and have In the Time of the Butterflies to read. I saw a documentary on Latin American immigrants in the US a few months ago and Julia Alvarez appeared on that.

Happy new thread, Charlotte! Love the cows, even the first one that's tilted ;-))

Happy new thread, Charlotte!

Happy New Thread, Charlotte! Love the Bovine Toppers!

>5 BLBera: Thanks Beth. I forgot to add the Milosz which I am still trying to read...

>6 kidzdoc: Darryl, I look forward to hearing your thoughts. I've got it reserved at the library, but am having a travelling dilemma over what to take. It's only a weekend vs I can't bear to run out...

>7 laytonwoman3rd: I've heard birds have regional accents, so why not cows?

>8 vancouverdeb: >9 vancouverdeb: I love woolly sweaters (jumpers) of all nationalities. I am going to try and be strong and not get myself a woven wool blazer as I will be walking past a shop when I'm in Edinburgh that I just love. They take the usual Scottish patterns and do them in newer colours, purples etc. Fortunately none near me normally otherwise I might splurge...

Happy new thread!

>10 banjo123: Thanks! Hope your camping trip went well.

>11 EBT1002: If you did mention it, I've forgotten it. Feel free to pass on congrats on such a wonderful novel in the family. I really enjoyed it, a delight to read.

>12 elkiedee: I found her website when I was looking for ordering options for the poetry book she most recently published. She comes across as very down to earth and funny. I'd like to go to a reading, although I'm not sure if she comes this way often.

>13 connie53: Yup, I'm tech challenged. I managed to find the code to make an image permanently rotate, but not to just rotate once.

>14 scaifea: Thanks Amber.

>15 msf59: Thanks Mark. I'm not sure I'd have one of these on the wall but they're popular - I've seen them in shops up and down the country on my travels. Cow greeting card, anyone?

>17 lkernagh: Cheers! I'm hoping to get more books read this month, so I keep on track for the year (four behind last month! Not that I'm getting number focused or anything...)

I'm back in the world of crime - read Voices, another Icelandic murder case with the dour Erlendur. I'm not sure if it was just that I'm more attuned to the dry humour after a couple of books, but this one made me laugh a couple of times with Erlendur's comments. It's set at Christmas and I think it would make a brilliant Christmas special made for TV - a good antidote to some of the usual programming, as whis his coleagues are concerned that they are missuing the festivities, Erlendur is unconcerned. I think I've read about half the series now.

Charlotte, I thoroughly enjoy Erlendur, too, and have also laughed at his comments occasionally. Liked the Christmas setting of Voices, and the compromised Santa.

Glad to know I'm not making up my own jokes (!)

Just started David’s Story. Have I mentioned how much I love Zoe Wicomb?

Yay I'm in Edinburgh, the sun is shining and the festival has just started. The only problem is that I have to go home...

Hi Charlotte - I just finished Their Finest Hour and a Half -- awesome! I will comment more fully this evening when I've had time to think about it.

And, I just picked up Crooked Heart and The Illuminations from the library -- the reserves came in at the same time. I don't know that I want to go back to WWII right away, so I guess I'll save that for a week or so.

I'm excited to read The Illuminations, it's just come at the library along with Marlon James' book, A Brief history of Seven Killings, plus The Chimes and Sleeping on Jupiter.

Lots of reading to do!

I've just started Crooked Heart and so far , very enjoyable and interesting. I also have The Illuminations in my soon TBR pile!:) Great mind think alike, Charlotte and Beth! :)

Wow, you have read 180 books this year! Cool. I like your cow themed thread too, they are so charismatic looking. It must be the long wise face :)

>27 vancouverdeb: Didn't the Women's prize pick a good batch this time round? I'm impressed with most of them so far, although The Paying Guests passed me by.

>28 LovingLit: I do like that on LT that's not a weird or an odd thing to do! I'm fond of cows, but mostly so long as they're on the other side of a fence!

Torn this morning between Japanese drumming show, a South African two hander, a comedy musical about Marie Curie, and exploring the delights of the city when the sun is out (you have to make the most of it!).

Some of the flyers last night

Happy new thread, Charlotte! I can hardly believe that it's Festival time again. I'd try the Japanese drumming if I had to pick :-)

Happy new thread!

Charlotte - I'm going to have to move -- The Chimes and Sleeping on Jupiter -- the two I was most excited about -- are not available here. There's not even info about a publication date.

It's exhausting all this kulcha. Went to amazing Soweto set play which made me bawl, then a lovely lunch in converted vet school buildings. Then on to see my friend's choice, a fusion of rap and street dance and all sorts really. Japanese swords and drums set for tomorrow, if we can get tickets. Also managed to fit in some book shopping. Hoping to get to a gallery tomorrow. No WiFi so no pics just now...

>31 susanj67: I tried to book for an event in 2011 yesterday Susan, so you're not the only one wondering where the time has gone...

>32 drneutron: Feeling very honoured you visited!

>33 BLBera: I wish I.could post some things to you! Maybe if I get a proper job I'll buy books again I can send on...

Have a great time in Edinburgh, Charlotte! I definitely want to hear details about your trip, and the Festival. I wonder if Fliss has made it up there yet?

I started reading The Fishermen during the week, so I'll probably finish it before I start A History of Seven Killings.

Well I went back to Wordpower, which was full of people discussing one political author's books. I bought, feeling justified in my purchases (cough, cough) for once as I am supporting Independent Bookshops... Although they didn't have Dust which is frustrating.



Cake and chai from the lovely Kilimanjaro coffee shop.

>36 kidzdoc: It's a mad city at festival time Darryl, but a lovely chance to catch a range of arts events (funds permitting!) from across the world. I was in a comedy show this evening.I'm hoping to get to the modern art gallery tomorrow.

Happy New Thread, Charlotte. I love the cow opening. Gosh, I'm so far behind but next week I should be aregular visitor.

Thanks Barbara. I've not been able to look at your most recent travel pics as my phone can't read them, but looking forward to catching up.

Sunshine over New Town

I liked Word Power,Books although it was far less busy when I went.

Sunshine? In Edinburgh?

I'm certain that Ferris wheel wasn't there in June.

>18 charl08: I will do! (and maybe I should get around to reading it, too, eh?)

Edinburgh. Fun!

>42 EBT1002: It's definitely fun!

I went to Falko for my breakfast, an amazing array of meats and cheeses and brioche that I couldn't quite finish.



Then to Edinburgh books, which true to form had a wonderful array of fiction including South African novels that put me in a dilemma. I then made it to Tollcross second hand books, had a wonderful view of the castle, currently covered with scaffolding for the tattoo seating.

Then headed to the Royal Museum for their Victorian photography exhibition, and a free festival musical performance.

http://www.nms.ac.uk/national-museum-of-scotland/whats-on/photography-a-victoria...

Okay, even more fun is bookstore hopping in Edinburgh! (well, bookstore hopping anywhere is fun, right?)

Some books!



Dust which I can't get the link to work...
The Shouting in the Dark - an SA author's new book
Maigret's Revolver (Penguin original design in green)
Cork on the Water (bought because of the author's surname
Diary of Helena Morley a book I've resisted new...)
Pereira Maintains ( a Portuguese novel in translation from the 1930s rediscovered )

>44 EBT1002: Yes of course it's one of my favourite ways to spend a day (or several) fortunately perhaps I don't get here very often these days!

The staff on the Edinburgh Bookshop dealt with three sets of parents whilst I was browsing, and I was so impressed with their knowledge of children's books. Really lovely to have this in your community.
http://www.edinburghbookshop.com/

>45 charl08: Ooh, book haul! It sounds like you're having lots of fun :-)

It looks like you have a splendid time at Edinburgh.

We were staying just around the corner from Edinburgh books on our recent trip. Looked a great bookshop.

Some great book shopping here!

I heard Julia Alvarez speak a few years ago and she was utterly charming.

Oh, Edinburgh for the Festival. Lovely!

>37 charl08: what is that top book? I love the Penguin Modern Classics.

>47 susanj67: I am enjoying the old haunts and finding some new ones!

>48 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara. Edinburgh for your next trip?

>49 SandDune: That sounds lovely, Bruntsfield us such a beautiful part of town.

>50 banjo123: I do too! It's a translation of Brazilian poetry Multitudinous Heart.

Ha, Scotland is definitely on the TO DO list, Charlotte.

Well, if you need a tour guide..

Charlotte, Edinburgh is fast moving up my list. Great book haul. It sounds like you're having a wonderful time. Thanks for sharing.

Beth, it is a lovely city to visit! I am home after a very easy train journey, back to the grind tomorrow. Hope your course prep.is going well.

Sounds like you had a fab time.

>58 avatiakh: I did, but glad to be back in my own bed again. Recovery time required.

The Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau was one of the books I picked up at WordPower. Really quiet novel about a young bank manager who may or may not have something to do with the disappearance of a waitress at the café whre he regularly eats. This new translation includes a fascinating afterword by the translator reflecting on the biography of the author, which shared parallels with that of the book's protagonist. Fascinating picture of French small town life.



ETA: I wondered why the French author wasn't credited on the cover - it seems because there was no French author!

From the Herald Scotland:
A longtime fan of Georges Simenon, Burnet seems to have preferred to invent his own French novelist to tell the story than take the credit himself.

And this novel does indeed have the feel of a classic tale that's been knocking around for decades. Inspired by a visit to a brasserie in the very real town of Saint-Louis, where he discerned that the regular customers were locked into static daily routines, he came up with the character Manfred Baumann, a bank manager who has never fitted in, not with the boys at school, not even with the other habitués of the Restaurant de la Cloche. "Among those who lunched daily at the Cloche," Burnet writes, "there was, like railyway commuters, a tacit understanding of the boundaries of communication."

>59 charl08: - Oooooohhhh, I want to read that one and.... my library does not have a copy in their collection. Will have to look further afield for that one, me thinks. ;-)

>60 lkernagh: It's really interesting - not least as I didn't realise it wasn't a translation at all!

Oh no! Book related injury from carrying everything home on the train. It's all v. Embarrassing....

MacDonald Hastings is a wonderful name. :-)

Yup. Leaves no doubt re the Scottish ancestry!

The library kindly provided another Walter Mosley book from the Leonid McGill series When the Thrill is Gone, which like the best fiction has acted as temporary painkiller for my back. As usual with Mosley, the wordplay is brilliant, men and women have complex motivation and relationships, and nothing is quite as it seems.



And BB King singing the song 'in Africa' (!!)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dOAQd3JK0sc

Reading far too much at once or joyously surrounded with lots of books?

Vaclav Havel has spent a strangely speedily described five years in prison, nearly dying before hastily being released by the Communist authorities, under international pressure. Seems amazing that he was released in the 1980s. A world away, and yet so recent.

Books turned up by Larry Mcmurty which is a lovely short series of episodes in his life of bookselling. I like the anecdotes about books he sold cheap that have gone on to be worth thousands!

A Brief history of Seven Killings is gripping too, if, s the title suggests, also rather grim. I can't think of anything else that I've read set in Jamaica, which seems a very big hole in my reading if true...

Hi, Charlotte! It looks like you have a couple good books going. A Brief History of Seven Killings is high on my To-Read list.

I'm nearly a third of the way through A Brief History of Seven Killings, Charlotte. It is a grim read, as you said, but it has been a compelling one so far. I'm also hard pressed to think of any other books I've read that have been set in Jamaica. Checking...no, I'm wrong. I've read The Long Song by Andrea Levy, Pao by Kerry Young, and A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes. I enjoyed all three of those books.

>66 msf59: Fascinating so far Mark, look forward to hearing your take - will it be by audio or paper?

>67 kidzdoc: Oh thanks Darryl, I'd forgotten Andrea Levy. I think I've also read a book about Erroll Flynn that was set on the island The Pirate's Daughter and Wide Sargasso Sea of course.

Pao's on the wishlist!

One of the books I picked up in Edinburgh was Pereira Maintains, translated from the Italian but set in pre WW2 Portugal. Pereira is a journalist editing a cultural page, and mourning his wife as this short novel begins, but he is increasingly forced to address his attitude to the Portuguese dictatorship in the face of censorship and two young people who need his help. There are lovely descriptions of Lisbon café life, Pereira's gradual realisation (along with the reader) that this apparent perfection is accompanied by a corrupt state, but also humour in his attempts to battle his weight problem.

Another book bought in Edinburgh, his time a second hand copy of Maigret's Revolver in green penguin paperback. I enjoy Simenon's understated detective, although some of the meals described are not to my taste! In this story, Maigret's battles with his English as he chases a fugitive to London.

Just stopping by to say hi and wish you a happy new thread! Also, 184 books so far this year! You are a reading machine!

I will be interested in your overall thoughts about A Brief History of Seven Killings, Charlotte. I started it and was already pretty pulled in, but the library copy was (as I think you may have said on Darryl's thread) not portable and it was hard to read while propped up in bed! So -- I returned it to the library and will wait for it to come out in soft cover.

>71 Storeetllr: Thanks! I'm having a good year of reading.

>72 EBT1002: I'm almost tempted to buy the kindle version - particularly as at the moment I am having back issues. I have discovered through my library collection the pleasures of a lovely hardback book, but this one is crazy!

This post is brought to you by the magic of ibuprofen gel and a pad thingy you can heat up in the microwave and stick on sore back muscles. Although this is all rather put into perspective by the news that my uncle died last night, pretty much on the money from the doctor's prognosis of four months when he was diagnosed with cancer. So we're all really sad of course. I am thinking about the things I didn't get to ask him about his life, carpe diem and so on.

Charlotte - I am so sorry to hear about your uncle. I hope the back feels better soon, too.

Yes, A Brief History of Seven Killings is a tome. I think paperback or ebook is the way to go with this one.

And, what Mary said -- you are a reading machine.

I'm sorry to hear about your uncle, too, Charlotte. Hope your back is feeling better.

Charlotte, I'm sorry about your uncle, and also that you're still suffering with your back. Thank goodness for ibuprofen, though.

Hmmm, the tiny library nearish to work seems to have A Brief History of Seven Killings in paperback. Maybe a trip for Friday, as tomorrow I have to do a presentation.

Condolences to your family, Charlotte. Aren't those heat packs wonderful? I start most days with one on my back for 20 minutes or so...."enforced" reading time. A medical necessity!

>73 charl08: I'm sorry to hear about your uncle, Charlotte. I hope you are feeling better soon.

Stopping by and joining the others in offering condolences and get well wishes.

So sorry to hear about your uncle, Charlotte. And joining others in wishing you a pain-free remainder of the week.

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. Thinking of you and yours. Hugs xx

Condolences to you and your family on your uncle's passing, Charlotte. So sorry for your loss.

I hope your back is better!

>74 BLBera: Maybe even old school triple binding I think would be good - the way 19c books were published, maybe? Thanks for the sympathy. It really doesn't feel real: Mum is doing the funeral ring round of our section of the family (that we only see at funerals, sadly).

>75 lit_chick: Thank you. It's much better this morning, although the heat pad is still a MARVEL.

>76 susanj67: Yes, at times like this I always think of pre painkiller lady 'malingerers', and wonder how I would have coped (I certainly wouldn't have been a Cousin Helen!).

>77 laytonwoman3rd: I am very grateful this only happens rarely to me. I think I need to do some more core training, perhaps signing up for Pilates or yoga again.

>78 rosylibrarian: Thank you. I do appreciate everyone taking the time to offer condolences, and hope that the restart of the academic year is not too crazy for you (or perhaps there is a different starting point?).

>79 lkernagh: Thanks. Maybe I should take a leaf from your book and do a walking challenge to get everything moving again (but I might wait until next week!).

>80 EBT1002: With the power of the ibuprofen, it is possible!

>81 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara. Hope you're feeling fully recovered too.

>82 Storeetllr: Thanks Mary. I've still not got to The Buried Giant. Must Do Better!

I am really enjoying The History of Seven Killings. Wow, what a powerful book.

Also I think my arm muscles are showing remarkable tone and definition after holding the book for most of yesterday.

My copy looks like this (but if you take off the dust jacket, there is something fancy underneath. Mine is stuck down, however...)

The publisher, One World, includes a reading guide to the book. This feels a bit like school, no?

https://www.oneworld-publications.com/reading-guide/a-brief-history-of-seven-kil...

A Brief History of Seven Killings Reading Guide

On December 3, 1976, just before the Jamaican general election and two days before Bob Marley was to play the Smile Jamaica Concert, seven gunmen stormed his house with machine guns blazing. The attack nearly killed the Reggae superstar, his wife and his manager. Marley would go on to perform at the free concert on December 5, but he left the country the next day, not to return for two years.

Deftly spanning decades and continents and peopled with a wide range of characters – killers, gang members, politicians, FBI and CIA agents, journalists, conmen and even Keith Richards’ drug dealer – A Brief History of Seven Killings is the fictional exploration of that dangerous and unstable time and its bloody aftermath.

Discussion Points:

1. The novel’s structure invites the reader to play detective/journalist. In this sense, did you feel akin to Rolling Stone journalist Alex Pierce when reading A Brief History of Seven Killings? Is there one character that you feel ties the novel together?

2. The majority of the characters in the novel are male, but it’s often Nina and her shape-shifting ways that readers are keen to discuss. Can her constant reinventing of herself, and her journey from Jamaica to America, be seen as belonging to any narrative tradition(s)?

3. The latter parts of the novel are set in America but even before this America (and Americana generally) has a pull on the characters, whether politically or culturally. Discuss the place of America in the novel and its influence on the characters.

4. The novel has a great title, but in addition to its ironic overtones do you think there is a serious message about the difficulties of writing a single, all-encompassing history? The novel’s structure, with its multitude of voices and first-person narratives, seems to resist this idea, even point to its futility?

5. Marlon James has said in Jamaica there’s a saying: “If it no go so, it go near so”, meaning that if the story is not the whole truth, then it’s so close that it’s a form of truth anyway. Do you think a novelist has a duty to be factually accurate?

6. In A Brief History of Seven Killings, Bob Marley is referred to as just “the Singer” – he is a peripheral figure. Why do you think this is?

7. Some characters have proper names, while others have nicknames. Consider the significance of this.

8. A Brief History of Seven Killings, for the most part, progresses chronologically, but would you describe the narrative as linear?

9. The “Novel” has been described by many as being the most democratic of literary forms – its length and assimilation of multiple voices allowing it to represent a variety of different ideological viewpoints. To what extent can A Brief History of Seven Killings be said to be democratic in this sense?

10. Do specific details and cultural references (e.g., names of real people, bands and television shows) add authenticity to James’ fictional creations?

11. Politicians, gang enforcers, C.I.A. operatives, Cuban Bay of Pigs alumni, corrupt police officers and musical hangers-on all inhabit the same world in A Brief History of Seven Killings. It is a period of Jamaican history where the melding of politics and culture is particularly pronounced. To what extent does this blurring exist in today’s society and culture?

12. Did you find the Jamaican patois alienating or immersive?

13. In an interview in the New York Times Marlon James has said that “history is always shaping everything”. How did your understanding of the assassination attempt and its aftermath alter as the novel progressed?

14. Did you find the ending satisfying?

Oh dear. I'm sucked in by the One World website.

This sounds like a gripping read:

A Perfect Crime
A Yi

Transl: Anna Holmwood

On a normal day in provincial China, a teenager goes about his regular business, but he’s also planning the brutal murder of his only friend. He lures her over, strangles her, stuffs her body into the washing machine and flees town, whereupon a perilous game of cat-and-mouse begins.

A shocking investigation into the despair that traps the rural poor as well as a technically brilliant excursion into the claustrophobic realm of classic horror and suspense, A Perfect Crime is a thrilling and stylish novel about a motiveless murder that echoes Kafka’s absurdism, Camus’ nihilism and Dostoyevsky’s depravity. With exceptional tonal control, A Yi steadily reveals the psychological backstory that enables us to make sense of the story’s dramatic violence and provides chillingly apt insights into a country on the cusp of enormous social, political and economic change.


'A Perfect Crime... shows A Yi to be one of the most important voices to emerge from the People's Republic in years'. - International Express

'an unlikely page-turner and provides a chilling insight into the mind of a psychopath' - Irish News

‘shimmering sentences and jolts of original thinking... break through the taut, descriptive prose like shafts of sunshine in a strip-lit room.’ - Big Issue

‘Startling… sheds light on a country undergoing huge social, political and economic change… one of the most important voices to emerge from the People’s Republic in years’ Five stars. - Daily Express

‘Disturbingly convincing.’ - The Complete Review

https://www.oneworld-publications.com/books/a-yi-anna-holmwood/a-perfect-crime#....

Hmmm, that one does sound like a good read!

Darn you, Charlotte. Just what I need -- more books on my wishlist and another bookie website.

>84 charl08: Ewww....Reading Guides! Hated those questions in the back of our literature books in school....hate them now!

Marlon James! I thought his name looked familiar. He also wrote the historical novel Book of Night Women which I read a few years ago. It too was intense and brutal and strongly impressed me. I gave it 5/5 stars.

>86 drneutron: No idea how easy it will be to get hold of, so there may be a delay in me finding out if the book is as good as it sounds...

>87 BLBera: My pleasure (ha!)

>88 laytonwoman3rd: I just wanted to read in English class, not answer the questions. I think I'm keener now there's no one looking over my shoulder telling me not to read on, we'll do that next week...

>89 Storeetllr: I'm keen to read that one too, as I thought 7 Killings was pretty amazing.

I'm completely torn over whether to move my allegiance from Tyler. To use a rare sporting analogy, I feel like I did when watching Murray vs Federer.

Hi Charlotte - I still think I'll wait until it's available in paperback.

>73 charl08: Also sorry to hear the news about your uncle, Charlotte.

>85 charl08: Charlotte, oh, that website! There are three copies of A Perfect Crime down here (all in Havering, oddly), so I've reserved it. And I'm very tempted to get the Marlon James at lunchtime if it's still at Cubitt Town. Also that Eula Biss book about innoculation showed up in the library's new ebooks yesterday evening, so I got that too. aaaaaaargh. Somebody stop me. Oh wait, this is the wrong place for that :-)

I hope your back is getting better. A wheelie suitcase for you next time!

Discussion Points:

1. The novel’s structure invites the reader to play detective/journalist. In this sense, did you feel akin to Rolling Stone journalist Alex Pierce when reading A Brief History of Seven Killings? Is there one character that you feel ties the novel together?

No, and not in the conventional sense, no.

2. The majority of the characters in the novel are male, but it’s often Nina and her shape-shifting ways that readers are keen to discuss. Can her constant reinventing of herself, and her journey from Jamaica to America, be seen as belonging to any narrative tradition(s)?

Probably. Not by me though.

3. The latter parts of the novel are set in America but even before this America (and Americana generally) has a pull on the characters, whether politically or culturally. Discuss the place of America in the novel and its influence on the characters.

Ha! This really demands an essay. I think rather than 'America' it's the idea of America that is so interesting in this book (but I'm not quoting examples to support my point. Sorry Mr Kenny).

4. The novel has a great title, but in addition to its ironic overtones do you think there is a serious message about the difficulties of writing a single, all-encompassing history? The novel’s structure, with its multitude of voices and first-person narratives, seems to resist this idea, even point to its futility?

Well, I love this point about the failure of a single narrative, as someone who is pretty keen on social and micro-histories. But I'm not sure that this isn't what every novel tells us (I have a story to tell that is worth your time...)

5. Marlon James has said in Jamaica there’s a saying: “If it no go so, it go near so”, meaning that if the story is not the whole truth, then it’s so close that it’s a form of truth anyway. Do you think a novelist has a duty to be factually accurate?

And then discuss the notion of "truth" with reference to postmodernist thinkers...

6. In A Brief History of Seven Killings, Bob Marley is referred to as just “the Singer” – he is a peripheral figure. Why do you think this is?

Copyright reasons?

7. Some characters have proper names, while others have nicknames. Consider the significance of this.

Pass.

8. A Brief History of Seven Killings, for the most part, progresses chronologically, but would you describe the narrative as linear?

No, it does go back and forth across time and memory.

9. The “Novel” has been described by many as being the most democratic of literary forms – its length and assimilation of multiple voices allowing it to represent a variety of different ideological viewpoints. To what extent can A Brief History of Seven Killings be said to be democratic in this sense?

It's not particularly good on gender. Marley's wife, the gangster's partners, the market trading lady, would all have had interesting things to say.

10. Do specific details and cultural references (e.g., names of real people, bands and television shows) add authenticity to James’ fictional creations?

I think because I know so little about this period and place it could have been invented (and may have been in places) where I thought it was 'real' and vice versa.

11. Politicians, gang enforcers, C.I.A. operatives, Cuban Bay of Pigs alumni, corrupt police officers and musical hangers-on all inhabit the same world in A Brief History of Seven Killings. It is a period of Jamaican history where the melding of politics and culture is particularly pronounced. To what extent does this blurring exist in today’s society and culture?

Ha! Discuss with reference to literature on diaspora and cosmopolitanism (!)

12. Did you find the Jamaican patois alienating or immersive?

I'm not sure it was either - fascinating. Trying to think of a way to get 'bloodcloth' into my everyday speech.

13. In an interview in the New York Times Marlon James has said that “history is always shaping everything”. How did your understanding of the assassination attempt and its aftermath alter as the novel progressed?

I think it's still changing!

14. Did you find the ending satisfying?

Despite thinking that it was a super-long chunkster, I did want to find out 'what happened next' to several of the characters. Which is probably a sign of a good book right there.

>92 souloftherose: Thanks. We have a date for the funeral, so it's all seeming a bit more real now. He was a big sailor all his life, and his sailing club are going to take some of his ashes out to sea as part of a flotilla of boats. Everyone very touched I think.

>93 susanj67: Ha Susan. Look forward to your comments. It's nice to be surrounded by people with the same bookish problems as you (me!). I do like the way the Booker and other prize longlists have made me read books I wouldn't otherwise read - but nice too to discover some for myself :-)

Some reviews (Guardian)*



Everything is Teeth by Evie Wyld
"uses her signature oblique style to excellent effect in conjuring up a child’s world of everyday nightmares. What makes this book a radical departure, though, is that her words are accompanied by ribbons of graphic illustration. Joe Sumner has rendered Wyld’s staccato narrative into a strip cartoon, complete with horror-story sharks that cruise menacingly across the pages"
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/14/everything-is-teeth-evie-wyld-joe-s...

A Woman Loved by Andreï Makine
Oleg’s film portraying Catherine as a nymphomaniac in a powdered wig is plausible.
More problematic is the way in which the world of cinema and TV is boiled down to the cliches of endless takes and suited men in the censorship authority.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/14/a-woman-loved-by-andrei-makine-revi...

Barbarian Days by William Finnegan reviewed by Ed Ceasar
"Barbarian Days is a more or less chronological account of Finnegan’s relationship with the Ocean God. The story is also a road trip: a memoir that spans his first encounter with waves off the California coast, his adolescence in Hawaii, a seemingly endless round-the-world wave-hunt in his 20s, transformative surf trips in Fiji and Madeira as an adult, and finally the cold winter breaks near his Manhattan home, where he still surfs in his 60s. It is also, slyly, a memoir about Finnegan’s writing life, from his early years as the author of rambling and unpublished novels to his distinguished career reporting on conflict, politics and much else for the New Yorker."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/14/barbarian-days-surfing-life-william...

The Emperor Far Away: Travels at the Edge of China by David Eimer reviewed by P D Smith
Eimer is an entertaining guide to those parts of China that most travel writers never reach.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/14/the-emperor-far-away-david-eimer-re...

Discontent and Its Civilizations by Mohsin Hamid reviewed by PDSmith
Hamid, a “Lahore-born nomad” who admits to always being “a half-outsider”, views his homeland as “a test bed for pluralism on a globalising planet that desperately needs morepluralism”.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/mohsin-hamid

Kauthar by Meike Ziervogel reviewed by Claire Hazelton the story of a British woman’s conversion and intensifying devotion to Islam, and her eventual extremism. Kauthar, as much an exploration of breakdown and collapse as of the lines between devotion and delusion...
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/13/kauthar-meike-ziervogel-review

Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J Ryan Stradal reviewed by Jane Smiley
a terrific reminder of what can be wrested from suffering and struggle – not only success, but also considerable irony, a fair amount of wisdom and a decent meal.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/12/kitchens-great-midwest-j-ryan-strad...

New American Stories edited by Ben Marcus reviewed by James Lasdum
A book to wrestle with as well as enjoy; one that forces you to assess and reassess your own sense of what makes a story any good – even of what makes a story a story. It is, indeed, far too quirkily alive to be a “museum piece”...
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/12/new-american-stories-ben-marcus-rev...

A Regicide by Alain Robbe-Grillet reviewed by Nicholas Lezard
In France.... Robbe-Grillet is considered one of the key authors and cultural figures of the century. So this book is a big deal. An Event. You could say it is France’s Go Set a Watchman, in that it, too, was a first novel initially rejected by the publishers, which appears now decades after its creation.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/11/a-regicide-by-alain-robbe-grillet-r...

Life After Dark: A History of British Nightclubs and Music Venues by Dave Haslam reviewed by Jude Rogers
We meet the heckler at London’s Wilton’s Music Hall who gets killed by the performer he heckles; the killer gets only 14 days’ imprisonment, “on the grounds of gross provocation”. This anecdote lingers in the mind .... 12 chapters later, when police are sitting outside Liverpool’s Cream superclub, with guns, threatened by gangs. There was blood before punk and rave. Who knew?
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/10/life-after-dark-history-british-nig...

Perhaps surprisingly the most wanted book this week is about surfing.

*Predictably!

Just dipped into Barbarian Days via a kindle sample last night. Wow, really gripping reading (but I think I'll have to wait for a library copy!)

I somehow selected "Ignore this thread" here just before I left San Francisco, making it the only one in my circle with both a yellow star and a red "x". So, I have a bit of catching up to do!

>69 charl08: I loved Pereira Declares, but I've been far less fond of the other books by Tabucchi that I've read.

>73 charl08: I'm sorry to hear about your uncle. The loss of a dear relative or close family friend is always a shock, even when we know that it is imminent. My parents are still coming to grips with the death of a long time co-worker of my father's, which we found out about suddenly in May.

>83 charl08: The cover jacket of the US edition of A Brief History of Seven Killings is, of course, different from the UK edition:



The front cover is black, with a series of concentric red circles underneath that looks somewhat like an LP. Not very fancy.

I hardly read anything yesterday, as I was chatting with my parents. Hopefully I can finish it by Sunday.

>85 charl08: A Perfect Crime does sound good!

>94 charl08: Trying to think of a way to get 'bloodcloth' into my everyday speech.

LOL! Be careful who you say that around, though! That word, and several others from the book, would get me in big trouble if I used them in the barbershop I go to in London, on Balls Pond Road in Islington, close to its border with Hackney. The barber is from Jamaica, as are most of the customers. When they start speaking in patois they may as well be speaking Russian, as I understand about every 10th word.

>96 charl08: Thanks as always for posting the books highlighted in the Guardian Review. I'll look at them in detail later today.

Well, if you'd been absent, you've more than made up for it there. I'm joking about the b word of course, as you noted. One of the things I liked about the novel (as well as the binding, which was, from the bits I could see that weren't taped down, a brightly coloured collage of Marley gig tickets and posters) the evocation of the Jamaican community in New York, like the barber's you mention.

I'm so sorry to hear of your parents' loss. As you say, there is no preparing for how it will be, and it doesn't seem to become any simpler to accept.

I've been tempted, this week, to label reviews 'I think x would like this'. Maybe when I've been in the group a but longer I'll get sufficient courage!

I was wondering what to read next after Marlon James, as nothing seemed to be grabbing my attention. I finally got to the library this afternoon and there was the latest in the Isobel Dalhousie novel, The Novel Habits of Happiness. I love this series, I think the set up (academic considers philosophical aspects of friends and acquaintances problems in Edinburgh) both comforting and intellectually engaging, as I know little about philosophy but like the way that AMS relates theoretical discussion to realistic everyday concerns. How should a person be? I think some of the comfort is that I agree with much of the positions Isobel takes. However this one did niggle a bit on the comments about how little boys are (dirty, playing wit particular toys etc). I don't truck with this kind of nature is all responsible, gender stereotyping, and I wonder if a real 40 something academic (as opposed to a 70 something one writing the novel) would embrace this either. However, this theme in the book was insufficiently front and centre to make me discard the book, given the reflection elsewhere in her wondering and conversations.

She had not read Yin Yutang for some time, but she knew where he was on her bookshelf. That, she felt, meant he had not been forgotten. 'He said: What is patriotism but love of the food one ate as a child?'

>99 charl08: Right, Charlotte! I initially grew up in the New York area, as I was born in Jersey City, which is immediately west of the Hudson River from Lower Manhattan, and my maternal grandparents lived in the Bronx, one of the five boroughs of NYC. We moved to suburban Philadelphia, about 70 miles to the south and west, when I was 13. Both JC and NYC have rich Jamaican populations, and two of the families that were our closest friends emigrated from there. It's quite surprising how much that tiny island has influenced American, British and world culture.

If you ever get a chance to see the dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson speak or perform I would highly recommend it!

You're right about the deaths of people close to us. For them, as is undoubtedly true for other elderly people, it's also discouraging and depressing when their family members, closest friends and neighbors, and childhood and adult icons progressively die off, seemingly in large numbers. It must make you reflect on your own mortality that much more, and possibly make you feel as though the world you knew is crumbling around you.

Ha! I know that at least one LTer uses the tag "recommended by Darryl", or something like that. I may do something similar!

>101 kidzdoc: I'll look out for Johnson. A friend has suggested a spoken word poetry event in Liverpool next month, although I don't know who is performing. I've had mixed experiences at poetry readings - from wonderful performers like Roger Gough to some folk who I found opaque and tricky to listen to, but have avoided battles and other more 'gig' type events for no good reason really.

A Place called Winter has distracted me from my reading plans today, as I thought I'd just read a chapter or two and then cracking on with some of the other ongoing reading projects, but instead read the whole thing in a gulp. It opens with Harry's affluent but rather boring life in England, and the discovery that he prefers a man to his wife. In a parallel narrative, Harry is in an asylum for the mentally ill, horribly lost and unsure of how he became incarcerated.

Forced to leave his family by the threat of scandal, he emigrates to Canada, unwittingly meeting a man on the boat who promises help in becoming a farmer, and finding a good plot to farm, but who will have his own reasons for the farm he finds, near a new railway town: Winter.

Such a great read, gripping and heart breaking. Unafraid to challenge the idea of a straight historic past, or one where men and women accepted Victorian ideas of gender roles, as well as the diverse gender roles some other 'inferior' cultures embraced. It also is humane in addressing those who couldn't cope with frontier life, and acknowledges the myth of empty spaces via the presence of a 'non-treaty' group of Cree living near Harry's land. But this is not.Dr Quinn medicine woman either: prejudice and cruelty aren't solvable via a worthy speech.

As winter progressed, he came to understand the hunger with which Goody had eyed his meagre library when she first saw it. He had soon read everything he had with him, rereading much of it, and fell to trading books with the Jørgensens. With so little choice of entertainment and such long nights amid the stupefying silence and snow, far from any neighbours, the usual demarcations of books for women and books for men, books for children and books for their elders became irrelevant before the imperative of diversion. He read Jane Austen, which he had never thought to do before, and Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare and Black Beauty as well as Jack London, Fennimore Cooper and Hans Christian Anderson. He even found himself, just like his employers, slowly turning the pages of the latest Eaton's catalogue....

Can't recommend it highly enough. Please read it!

A Place Called Winter sounds excellent, Charlotte. It won't be released in the US until March of next year (says Amazon) but I will add it to my Book Depository wish list for when I next place an order...

>103 charl08: Can't recommend it highly enough. Please read it!

Well, if you insist...There's a copy at the library near work. I'll pick it up tomorrow :-)

Hi Charlotte, You have a fast growing thread! I will try to keep up, but I can't promise anything.

Hi Charlotte the McCall Smith sounds good - I've read some by him but nothing in this series. I'll have to check it out.

Like Katie, I'll put A Place Called Winter on my wishlist.

>99 charl08:, >101 kidzdoc: It was quite a shock to me and my sister when, a few years ago, Aunt Eleanor, the last of our deceased parents' siblings, died, that now we are the "older generation."

>103 charl08: Good review, Charlotte. I'm putting it on my wish list.

>100 charl08: I'm currently listening Friends Lover Chocolate. Sounds good so far.

>103 charl08: wonderful review, Charlotte. Unfortunately our library hasn't got a copy.

Great review of A Place Called Winter, Charlotte! I'll add it to my wish list as well.

>104 katiekrug: I'm surprised, as it seems like one with obvious appeal in North America, given how many people will be familiar with the story of migrating through family experience.

>105 susanj67: Glad the library had a copy. I'd been waiting for mine so long I was beginning to think someone ahead in the queue had lost it!

>106 connie53: Nice to see you - No pressure to keep up

>107 BLBera: I hope you like the Dalhousie books. It's quite a different angle from the Botswana ones, but similarly gentle.

>108 Storeetllr: That must be a shock. I hope you are enjoying the benefits of senior family member status though?!

>109 Ameise1: Maybe it will come later on? Mine had only just got a large order delivered (about eight copies I think), and it is newly published this year.

>110 kidzdoc: I have Luci (Elkiedee) to thank for the recommendation (my tagging system tells me). Credit where credit's due :-)

Great review of A Place Called Winter! You are correct that I am interested in it! I requested A Place Called Winterto be purchased at my local library since it it caught my interest in the bookstore. The library did get it in , and I took it out, but alas, I was too busy with my son's wedding stuff. So, I'll put in a hold request at my library again. Thanks Charlotte! Thumb!

>112 vancouverdeb: I thought you would probably have been aware of it, Deb. I think your son's wedding is a permissible excuse for not reading a reservation (!!)

Ongoing reading: well, I started The Chimes, after being a bit horror-struck at how few books by women authors I've read this month (Stats are fun!). It took me a while to get into it, but I'm about half way through now and v keen to find out how it all ends - good sign. I think I've read more dystopian fantasy (is this the right terminology for a book set in a recognizable place where something has Gone Very Wrong?) this year than ever before. I spent a lot of time (without much noticeable benefit) playing piano as a teenager, so the Italian is there in the back of my mind, as is the sofah scale and some of the other references, but I wonder what this is like to read if you've never studied a classical instrument?

I've also stuck I am China in my bag from the Women's Prize Longlist, and am still keen to finish Zoe Wicomb's first book David's Story for the books from African women authors' list. I think I need to finish a few chunksters though to get back on track for finishing 75 books this quarter, as I got quite behind in July. I've also got to finish Books: a memoir one of the memoirs by Larry McMurty. I'm reading inspired by the AAC challenge. I've got horribly behind on my planned reading for the Fiction written by authors who won the Nobel not in English though: two books by Czeslaw Milosz in my library book bag that need to be read :-)

>111 charl08: I've just picked up a copy, which was sitting in the general fiction - not even "new" or on display. And yet I see it's a Radio 2 book club choice. Maybe Radio 2 isn't that popular in the Hamlets :-) I even managed to get out without getting The Literary Churchill *proud*. And yet now I sort of wish I had.

>115 susanj67: Yes, mine had a sticker on as well. I think the radio show caught my library on the hop as they had only one copy in the entire Lancs system until very recently!

Charlotte! How do you keep them all straight? I'm just closing in on 75 for the year... It will be Crooked Heart, which is a great book -- I think it's better than Their Finest Hour and a Half -- at least I am finding the characters more compelling -- I love Noel and Vee.

>114 charl08: I am keen now to read The Chimes... The Author being a NZer and all. Am into dystopian fiction, but the fantasy aspect has me a little nervous! I have not had much success at all with the fantastical.

Lovely book to complete 75 on!

Thanks to LT it's a lot easier to remember what I hoped I'd read as well as what I actually did read. This is sometimes demoralising, so I try not to calculate too much (as something I'm really enjoying, I have a sneaky suspicion, I'm better at skimming for the plot, for example. I can't see how else I'd be reading so much faster. Unless I start measuring page spacing and fonts I suppose, which would also explain why....).

I'm moving like treacle through the Havel bio, as so much of it is theatrical approaches and ethics of anti-communist protest, neither of which mean much to me. I suspect I'd have to read it a couple of times to be able to say anything more complex than he put some of his life story into his plays, even when they appeared to be almost abstract (not the right word - plays that don't focus on specific places or characters? Like Pinter I think.). The things that interest me always seem to be off the page: I'd like an interview with the non-politicals, who were kept in the same prison, or those who read the samizdat of Havel's plays....

I finished The Chimes tonight. I mentioned above about the use of musical terminology, but didn't say about the role of the Thames. It's a world after print and tech have all but disappeared in favour of music, but the river is still running, along with fragments of old names and meeting places. I was sceptical to start but soon swept up - the idea of a world without memory is a powerful one.

The Chimes sounds great, Charlotte. I've read a few books that had the question of the value of memory at their center recently. This sounds like one I would like, too.

First year in the group has been more than a little successful, Charlotte.

Thanks for keeping my little spot in the group in view whilst I have been struggling to do so recently. xx

Hi Charlotte - I just finished Crooked Heart and LOVED it -- thanks for the recommendations. I will definitely be looking for more Evans. She has a couple of young reader books that sound fun. I'll check those out, too: Horten's Incredible Illusions and Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms.

Also, now I won't feel so bad if I don't love My Dirty Little Book of Stolen Time; I put it down for a while. I'm going to give it another try later this week.

>120 BLBera: >122 BLBera: Hey Beth. No obligation to like a book (although I must admit I feel the same way with those books recommended to me!). I am glad to hear the Evans was a hit.
In terms of memory: I hadn't linked memory in this book with the books more broadly about memory such as those about dementia. Rather short sighted of me :-)

>121 PaulCranswick: Hey Paul. Do hope the second half of the year is more relaxed for you than the first.

Started Dead Man's Land by Robert Ryan last night - and was most reluctant to put it down, and rather miffed that as a hardback I couldn't take it in for my lunchtime reading (heaviness issues with my overstuffed bike bag). So have also started I am China which is fascinating in its early chapters. I'm feeling quite sad about the prospect of getting to the end of the Women's Prize longlist - some lovely books.

>124 charl08: Wow at approaching end of list already.

>125 elkiedee: I think I was being a bit optimistic - still a third to go. I've just put an order in at the library for Jemma Wayne 's book, which oddly doesn't appear on the catalogue. Hopefully they'll get hold of a copy for me.

Finished Dead Man's Land. Wow! What a great read. I think I enjoyed this almost as much as the first Bernie Gunther novels. I was a bit sceptical at the idea of an elderly Watson working behind the trenches as a medic in WW1, but this book had had great reviews on LT, so I picked it up.

I had no idea whodunnit for almost all the book, and found Watson as a smart but haunted man credible and the hospital setting full of fascinating historical detail. Looking out for book two!

Charlotte, you quite enjoyed The Year of the Runaways? I know it is on the Booker Long list and it appears to be interesting,but it is not available in Canada until Spring of 2016! That is so aggravating!I read 8 pages via amazon uk and I could order from the Book Depository. I see it is about 500 pages long. Do you think it is worth it? ( I won't hold you responsible in a BIG way if I don't like it! :) I did enjoy the first 8 pages online.

I'm still impressed, as well as rather surprised to realise that I've already read 7 of the longlisted books, own another 6 and have one from the library. 4 of the ones I've read were review copies (inc one Netgalley) and I read the hard copy books last year, plus the Sarah Waters which I bought.

>127 vancouverdeb: It's one of my books of the year, so definitely if you like the sample. Would warn you that the hardback weighs a ton! Good holiday read except for that. Darryl and Susan are also reading it so other vps are available.... :-)

>128 elkiedee: I just can't get over how many good books they picked. I'm glad I didn't have to pick a winner, I'd have been completely torn.

I love this book: Love Nina

Great book from letters Nina wrote home to her sister when she went to work for 'MK' the editor of the LRB as nanny for her two sons. Her accounts of conversations as she navigates between MK who is kind but also rather direct (and of course very literary) and the two boys who are hilariously unimpressed by it all. Then funny about her shift from nanny to English lit student and lodger. All accompanied by stories of encounters with Alan Bennett, family friend, and other writers and so on. I was laughing out loud.

This is the new Stella. No more mornings in bed with the Goblin Teasmade making cups of Mellow Bird's. Instead she's filling in inter-library loan forms and going to extra seminars.

Another success from my raid on Edinburgh Come and Tell Me Some Lies is a charming novel set in rural Norfolk. Gabrielle, or Va Va, recounts her childhood alongside chapters recording her life after she left home. A poet father, a much younger mother and five siblings makes for a busy narrative with plenty of incident and accident. Kind of I Capture the Castle-lite. Some observations of family life on felt very real. The comment about funerals being like planning a party with a knife at your back struck home for me.

I'd not heard of Raffaella Barker before but this was a reissue of her first novel alongside the other novels published since, in a rather lovely matching set of covers.

>130 charl08:: Her novel Man at the Helm is apparently somewhat autobiographical and reading it made me go back to Love Nina and notice things I hadn't originally realised. Since their parents divorced, two girls realise that they are socially isolated by their mother's lack of a husband and attempt to find her a new one. There are bits that made me cringe but it's very funny.

I did wonder how much of it was autobiographical, as her bio said that she's from Norfolk and her dad was a poet. I'll have a look out for Man at the Helm, thank you!

Forgive the politics - I read yesterday about the death of the head of antiquities at Palmyra, Khaled Asaad

'It is thought that he was executed after refusing to reveal the location of antiquities that had been removed from the site for safekeeping.'

I'm wondering if I can find a book that might trickle some money back to his family, or support the archaeologists somehow. Of course, assuming that this exists in English.

ETA: well, I should have just googled before posting, as this obit says I should try Palmyra: History, Monuments and Museum which he co-authored.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/19/khaled-al-asaads-enthusiasm-palmyra...

Hi, Charlotte! The Year of the Runaways is definitely on my To Read list. Are you currently reading the Known World? If so, what do you think?
I loved that book.

I got distracted Mark, by shiny new library books, and when I went back to it I struggled to pick up the thread again. I'm about half way through, so I don't want to abandon it, and will keep trying.

Congratulations on nearly completing the Women's Prize longlist, Charlotte. Which books did you like best?

Oh crumbs Darryl. Don't make me choose! They're all so amazing.with the exception of those I DNF'd of course.

>138 charl08: I was originally going to ask you to rank the longlist from most to least favorite...

>139 kidzdoc: Wow. I'll go away and think about that one. I'll be back in... er... a couple of weeks?!

"I got distracted Mark, by shiny new library books." This happens, Charlotte. It is part of our biblio-life. I still hope you can get back into The Known World.

>140 charl08: Ha! Don't feel obligated to do this, Charlotte. I didn't pay attention to the Women's Prize this year as I have in previous ones, and since it seems that this year's longlist was a good one I'll have to go through it and choose the books that interest me the most.

Charlotte - I haven't read as many books from this year's Women's Prize, but I agree with you. The ones I have read are amazing. Very rarely do selections from this list disappoint.

You got me with both the Barker and the Stibbe. Off to check to see if they are available here.

Guardian Reviews Another work in progress!

The Man Who Closed the Asylums: Franco Basaglia and the Revolution in Mental Health Care by John Foot reviewed by Tobias Jones
Foot shows very clearly that Basaglia was part of a nationwide movement, rather than a lone idealist. There were many other psychiatrists and politicians struggling to do similar things in other parts of the country – in Parma, Reggio Emilia, Perugia and Arezzo – and the interaction between the politicians and medics, between the outside and the inside of the asylums, is always intriguing.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/19/man-who-closed-asylums-franco-basag...

Georgian Menagerie by Christopher Plumb reviewed by John Mullan
There were also private menageries, the means by which a person of fashion displayed his or her taste. The waspish Elizabeth Montagu told a friend that the Duchess of Portland was “as eager in collecting animals, as if she foresaw another deluge”. We know that the great aristocratic houses of England had their landscape gardens; it is a revelation to find that many, such as Goodwood, Stowe and Woburn, had their menageries too. The Earl of Shelburne, later to be prime minister, kept an orangutan and a supposedly tame leopard in his orangery at Bowood House. The utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham liked to stroke the leopard when he visited. Sir Robert Walpole’s pet flamingo warmed itself by the kitchen fire.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/20/georgian-menagerie-christopher-plum...

Amazing Grace: The Man Who Was WG by Richard Tomlinson
Athletics, tennis, rugby, boxing and football all separated amateurs and professionals in one way or another. Cricket didn’t, but developed rigid, offensive and hypocritical practices to maintain the social hierarchy. Grace, the biggest popular hero of the Victorian age, could have challenged all that; many, inside and outside cricket, would have supported him. He chose not to do so.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/21/amazing-grace-man-who-was-wg-richar...

The Old Straight Track by Alfred Watkins reviewed by Billy Mills
You have to think that if Watkins were to come back today, he would be horrified by what has happened to his vision of a system of trade routes. Nevertheless, the story of his book is a salutary one, reminding us that the best journeys never go to plan and that the most interesting destinations are provisional.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/aug/20/the-old-straight-track-by...

Doing Good Better by Wiliam MacAskill reviewed by David Shariatmadari
The money that sits in our bank accounts, sloshes around our pockets or even hides down the back of our sofas has the potential to transform the lives of the very poor.To bring the reality of this home, MacAskill uses the example of Oskar Schindler, who bribed officials in order to save the lives of Jewish people working in his factory. “You might think,” he writes, “that war is a particularly unusual time, and that altruism like Schindler’s isn’t really that relevant to our lives ... this isn’t true. Every one of us has the power to save dozens or hundreds of lives, or to significantly improve the welfare of thousands of people.”So, here we are, in a world with unimaginable extremes of inequality – extremes that nevertheless give the lucky ones among us enormous power to effect change. It’s a responsibility and a challenge that can seem overwhelming. Thankfully, Doing Good Better is structured as a toolkit for meeting it.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/20/doing-good-better-william-macaskill...

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
there is something satisfyingly unsettling about the novel – the awfulness of Eileen’s life crackles throughout the air of X-Ville like static electricity
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/20/eileen-by-ottessa-moshfegh-review-b...

Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg reviewed by Clare Clark
From his small-town milieu, Clegg has conjured a novel that reveals the depths of the human heart. Himself a recovering addict and the author of two acclaimed memoirs about addiction, he understands better than most the emotional damage we wreak on one another, the crushing burden we are condemned to carry when we make mistakes with catastrophic consequences that can never be undone.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/21/did-you-ever-have-family-bill-clegg...

The Moor’s Account by Laila Lalami reviewed by Sarah Crown
This ability of language to shape reality is The Moor’s Account’s leitmotif, and it’s through Lalami’s investigation of it that her novel breaks out of the historical fiction ghetto and establishes its broader enterprise. “How utterly strange were the ways of the Castilians,” muses Mustafa as, fresh off the boat in La Florida, he listens to the expedition’s notary claim the ground they stand on for God, St Peter and the King. “Just by saying that something was so, they believed that it was. I know now that these conquerors ... gave speeches not to voice the truth, but to create it.” Yet for all his professed bemusement, it becomes clear as the novel unfolds that it is precisely Mustafa’s own gift for storytelling, for using words to remodel the world around him, that permits him to survive.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/20/the-moors-account-laila-lalami-revi...

Devotion by Ros Barker reviewed by Suzi Feay
Richard Dawkins is 10 years dead and his hostility to religious thought is the new dogma. Fanatical faith is close to being diagnosed as a form of mental illness. The protagonist, Finlay Logan, is a criminal psychologist brought in on a mass murder case: an unrepentant teenage girl has killed her college classmates, members of an atheist society, citing her Christianity as cause and mitigation.
http://www

>141 msf59: I was hoping for empathy there. Thanks for the reassurance!

>142 kidzdoc: The solution is to read the Tyler, who appears on the Booker list too, no?

>143 BLBera: A lot lighter than some of the other readings Beth (and welcomed for that!).

Thanks again for posting the book reviews from the Saturday Guardian, Charlotte! I'll look at them more closely later today, particularly the ones of the two books that made the Booker Prize longlist.

>145 charl08: True. I'll almost certainly read A Spool of Blue Thread next week, after I finish The Green Road.

Uh oh, book injury! I sort the books that come in as 'gifts' to the library and have learned to be very careful about how many I put in a box at a time. They get stored upstairs, the only place, just stupid, but we have nowhere else.

Amazing first year in the 75, I'd say!

I heard Rachel Seiffert talking about Reunion by Fred Uhlman on one of Radio 4s book shows, and along with the three people after me in the reservation queue at the library, ordered it. It's a slight book, more a long short story than even a novella, but beautifully pitched. Jewish Hans meets aristocratic Konradin at school in the dying days of Weimar, and they form a close friendship until Nazism rears it's head, and Konradin's parents' prejudices become clear. Seiffert describes the book as 'perfect', made more poignant by Uhlman's statement that 'the boy in the story is, of course, me'.

>146 kidzdoc: I am even more keen Darryl after the review of the Moor's Account to get my hands on that. Sadly still not out yet... (over here)

>147 sibylline: I did feel stupid: I don't walk as much as I used to, and was wearing impractical shoes as well as carrying books all over Edinburgh. Plus sleeping on a guest bed, rather predictable consequences for my back!

Happy Weekend, Charlotte.

Thanks Barbara it looks rather peaceful in that spot!

I had to go boring shopping, but a trip to Oxfam shopping rather made up for it.

Got a copy of Almost English, The Beautiful Struggle , The Pure Gold Baby , and The Lone Ranger and Tonto fistfight in Heaven . Also picked up a crime novel by a Liverpool author, but the link isn't working for some reason (Book of Silence ). All for less than a tenner.

Nice haul, Charlotte. I love The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven.

I was so pleased to see it on the shelf Beth! I do love the shop, and am always rather amazed to see people come out without buying anything when it's for charity and they have such a range.

>151 charl08: What a great book haul!

And thanks for the Guardian reviews - The Georgian Menagerie will definitely make its way onto my list when the library actually lists it for reserving.

I was going to ask the library to buy a copy, but the catalogue tells me they already have a copy. So now I just have to wait until my reservations get down to a more reasonable number.

Twilight of the Eastern Gods was fairly disappointing given the enthusiasm I've read for the book. Translated from the French, which was itself translated from the Albanian, there are more than the usual questions about what the translation process loses. The blurb describes the book as being about the fall out for writers after Boris Pasternak was awarded the Nobel prize, but to me it was much more an overblown story about a young foreign student making a mess of his relationships. Which is fine, but not as advertised!

The introduction by the translator explains some of the themes and how Kundera's autobiography related to the story, including his own stay at the Gorky Institute in Moscow.

I am China was another from the women's prize for fiction longlist. It was a mixed bag for me. The story was a fascinating idea: a young woman is given the papers of a Chinese couple to translate. Diaries and letters unfold a complex narrative of protest, as well as the developing relationship between the couple, he a punk, she a poet, who meet at university. Meanwhile the holes in the translator's life, particularly her difficulties with relationships, are explored in a parallel narrative as she translates and imposes an order on the story of Jian and Mu.

I think this book on the face of it would have been perfect for me: the themes of translation, of solving an archival puzzle, and of protest are all topics I enjoy reading about. And I did enjoy reading the book for the most part, and was gripped to find out what would happen to the Chinese characters. Their ecperiences in China and overseas, from the beginning, were intriguing and not something I had read about before.

However, Iona the translator was not so convincing a character. For someone who was supposedly a native speaker, her English phrasing was odd in places and I thought the device used to demonstrate her emotional problems was clichéd and all too neatly resolved. So a mixed bag. I'm afraid one I would blame in the editor too, who surely should be able to point to issues with language.

I'm so glad I read this after I am China because it reassured me I wasn't just being a grumpy reviewer. Loved Sleeping on Jupiter, which despite dealing with some horrendous topics manages to be at heart a sweet story about a disparate group of people brought together because they are visiting or working at a temple. Three older women are travelling together as a short holiday, whilst a young woman from Sweden is apparently scouting for film (but has more personal reasons visiting this particular location). Beautifully written, and mostly set on a beach, so evocative I could almost smell the salt. If it's not shortlisted, I'll be cross!

Hi Charlotte - I've heard mixed reviews of I Am China; I think I'll pass on it. Great to hear your favorable comments on Sleeping on Jupiter; it just arrived in the mail yesterday, and I am anxious to read it although with school starting and a couple of library books that need to go back, it might be a couple of weeks. I look forward to it.

Interesting thoughts on a novel about a translator, I can imagine that translation, particularly on a long piece of work, you might start importing quirks of language from one language to another. For my French A-level, I only really loved one of the 4 texts, but I really disliked the English translation, as the translator's style of sentences was so different from the French.

Thanks for the Guardian reviews. I looked into Did You Ever Have a Family but of course it is not available til sometime in September. It sounds dark but redeeming. I finished The Illuminations by Andrew O"Hagan and very much enjoyed it. Very readable. Sad, but lovely. I have not gathered my thoughts as yet, but I'm sure that you'll enjoy it. I'm not sure what is next - maybe Lila since I have it on my kindle. I wonder if I should read Gilead before I read Lila. Now I have to look into Sleeping on Jupiter. I have a very difficult time reading dystopia or fantasy.

Drat! Looked into Sleeping on Jupiter and it's not available in my country. sighs to self.

>158 BLBera: I did wonder if she was told that to make the book accessible to a wider western audience she should add a western character. For me the rest of the book was much more interesting: could have done with more, even. Some bits of Iona's sections felt like they were purely there for Basil Exposition rather than as what someone who had studied Chinese (and studied Chinese at SOAS, no less, one of the most well regarded school for studying Asia and Africa over here) would be wondering or questioning abut Chinese politics or cultural references. One of my friends works as a translator for international agencies, so I feel like the author is rather willfully underestimating them based on my knowledge of how smart and well versed they are as a profession.

>159 elkiedee: I thought that some of the sections of Iona's text were written as a non-native speaker might phrase them. The book has gone back to the library, so I can't quote chapter and verse, but just jarring sentence structure, or attempts at colloquialisms in the midst of otherwise formal writing. The character was supposed to have grown up in rural Scotland, and that never came across to me either. It didn't occur to me that this might be a way of showing that she was being influenced by the material she was translating. Interesting!

The bits that were really interesting in the translator's sections, as she thought about what it was she was writing and how it could be differently expressed, eg discussions of tenses (so saying that Chinese has no past or future, leaving great swathes of interpretation possible for those translating into English to determine whether someone is describing a plan or a reflection on experience, for example, when dealing with just a letter fragment. Also interesting comparing the discussion of handwriting / script with my own experience of working with historical texts (and yes, some people did write beautifully in the past, but others wrote as if they wanted never to be read!).

>160 vancouverdeb: I'm keen to get my hands on The Illuminations Deb. Even more so after your comments.

I read Lila a long time after reading Gilead and Home and I suspect I would have got more out of all of them had I read them together. I did think Lila was the best of the bunch though. Just an all absorbing character.

It's funny that you should mention fantasy, because I did look at the title of Sleeping on Jupiter and think oh no, and then tell myself off, as I really enjoyed Station Eleven and I never would have read that had it not been for all the encouragement on LT in the form of rave reviews. So it was funny to start reading and realise that it is not either genre, but just a reference to looking up at the night sky. If I had surplus cash I'd send all my LT friends a copy of this book, it's such a well done story. I gave this book to my mum last night, thinking that she would not be keen (she mostly reads crime as her relaxation reading) but that it might interest her as she has read an awful lot of travel narratives set in Asia. She told me this morning that she had stayed up to finish it in one go. So that's another endorsement!

I plan on rereading the Gilead books too. I might try them on audio, for that experience. She is such a wonderful writer.

That sounds like a good listen. For some reason Gilead is showing up as not available in my area on audiobook. Odd.

I am enjoying The Buried Giant sat with the doors open to the garden. I gave in my notice at work, as we are off down south to help my aunt (hopefully help and not just be more relatives to cater for) before my uncle's funeral. I spent some time this morning scanning in some lovely old pictures of my mum and my uncle when they were little for my cousins' planned photo presentation.

I'll keep Sleeping on Jupiter in mind. The God of Small Things fell flat for me, but Roy seems like an important enough author to read another book by her.

I liked both but to reassure you that it's not the same author (although their names are similar Anuradha vs Arundhati). I think the author of Sleeping on Jupiter is younger, and that Arundhati spends more time involved in politics these days than fiction.

I feel like I have just demonstrated how western-centric I am.

Ha.

Given that I was convinced Toibin was writing the Benjamin Black novels, and that Ishiguro had written a book about running, I like to think the only thing this kind of mix up demonstrates is a willingness to learn (!).

I hesitated over reading The Buried Giant, because of all the spin about his shift in genre. However I loved the gentle tone of this book, set in a mythical English past after the death of Arthur, where dragons, ogres and pixies threaten, as well as a disturbing failure to remember. Interesting to read this after Beth's comments on memory as a theme above. Axl and his wife Beatrice leave their home village to reunite with their son, but an encounter in a Saxon village with a travelling warrior alters their plans. I'm not sure I understand the allegory fully (I assume that this is one) but I liked it nonetheless.

I really liked The Buried Giant. I agree it has a slow, quiet pace to it but I was definitely pulled along. Hope you continue to enjoy it.

I listened to Gilead and really enjoyed it as an audiobook. Come to think of it, I listened to Sleeping Giant too.

>172 msf59: I did enjoy it Mark. I had a lovely quiet day reading with the doors open to what threatens to be the last of our summer. As I say, I'm not sure I understood the deeper meanings, apart from the obvious theme of mortality, but the story itself was so beautifully written. I continue to be a big fan of his.

>173 Storeetllr: I love the sound of both of those to listen to. I'm tempted to get the Ishiguro on audible, it has such a fairy tale quality.

Guilty as charged, Charlotte!:) Yes indeed, I looked at the title of Sleeping on Jupiter and I assumed it was some sort of sci - fi / dystopian / fantasy sort of book. After I looked into some of the reviews I could see I was quite wrong. I stopped into the library earlier today - okay, yesterday, it's the middle of the night here, and I picked up The Folded Earth by Anuradha Roy. I'm not sure if I'll read it next - I feel in need of some light entertainment, reading wise. Not sure as yet. If you enjoy books about India, may I suggest Anita Rau Badami a Canadian author. I think I have read all of her books - some are Canadian based, but she is a wonderful author, originally from India. She has written Tamarind Mem and The Hero's Walk among others. Her other two take place in Canada, but they are excellent too. Love to push my " CanLit". :)

Thanks for the recommendations Deb. Those all sound good. I don't read as much Asian literature as I could do perhaps, never mind Canadian Asian fiction. I'll add those to he wishlist though. Do you read Jhumpa Lahiri? I love her books.

Yes indeed, Charlotte, I have read a couple of books by Jhumpa Lahiri, The Lowland and Interpreter of Maladies.

Thought so! Love her books.

I'm enjoying The Girl from the Fiction Department, which written by a friend of Sonia Orwell's, makes sense of many of the absences in the Orwell bio I read earlier in the year (as well as making a long list of books and paintings in which she appeared, including 1984).

What a lot of good reading, Charlotte! I can't wait to get to Sleeping on Jupiter.

Oh, it's such a good read. I've added her backlist to my wishlist :-)

I finished Hilary Spurling's short biography of Sonia Orwell. Left with an overwhelming sense of the waste of intelligent women's lives during her lifetime. Spurling shows that despite these obstacles she was a respected editor in her own right, if not good at spotting the avaricious nature of their financial advisor. It is a personal perspective - the writer was a friend for years- but there is evidence of extensive research in letters and interviews with Sonia's friends.

I'll second the recommendation of Badami's work. She was given to me by a Canadian LT'er, @tiffin, and I enjoyed both Tamarind Mem and The Hero's Walk very much.

Thanks! Love to get a recommendation!

I heard Don Paterson reading from his new book of poetry, Forty Sonnets last night (on the radio) and am sorely tempted to pre-order a copy. I love his poetry, have a couple of his books.

You're on a roll with reading some really good books there, Charlotte.

I second Linda's recommendation of The Hero's Walk by Badami. I thoroughly enjoyed that read.

Thanks! Hope to get my hands on one or both soon...

Nice review of Sleeping on Jupiter, Charlotte. I'll pick it up after I return to London next month.

>183 charl08: Don Paterson is one who still keeps the flame flickering for poetry in the British Isles. I bought his recent collection Rain last week and will probably read it next month.

I'd happily buy his whole back catalogue. Have you heard him give a reading Paul? He used to come to events at the Scottish Poetry Library all the time and I could kick myself for not going to hear him speak more often.

>188 charl08: No I haven't had the pleasure of that Charlotte but I would hazard that he is pretty good.

He gave one about Shakespeare's sonnets and it was fascinating. Highly recommended.

>178 charl08: that one looks good! You are a reading machine :)

The contents were, but the cover was super special for me as an orange penguin fan, complete with faux edging. Reading and enjoying Almost English, rather intermittently as I've been at a family funeral. Rather surreal experience with bright sunlight and lots of memories.

Oof. I thought that Almost English was tair-ible...

>193 kidzdoc: All views are welcome!

Finally finished Kismet, which had an unexpected sting on the tail. I think I'll wait to read the fifth and final book in this series about a Turkish-German private detective.

Happy Sunday, Charlotte.

Thanks Barbara, they are beautiful.

Sad news that Oliver Sacks has died.http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/30/oliver-sacks-dies-aged-82-eminent-neurologist-author-awakenings

The Beautiful Struggle, a book I picked up in a second hand shop in Liverpool was a fascinating memoir of coming of age as a young black man in Baltimore. Coates describes his parents' struggle to bring up himself and his siblings to pass school and get to college, avoiding drug dealers and expulsion. His father is a key figure in the narrative, a former Black Panther who prints lost black classics in his basement, whilst working full time at Howard university to access their free schooling for the children of employees.

I have a copy of The Beautiful Struggle, but I haven't read it yet. My father graduated from Howard University in the late 1950s, so I'll probably give him my copy of this book to read once I'm finished with it.

The writing is lovely Darryl. His description of learning to play the Djembe is almost enough to make me forget my lack of patience and aptitude for percussion and head to a music shop!

I woke up to the sad news of Oliver Sacks this morning too. :-(

I've not read the Kayankaya series. What other detective series would you compare this to?

To be honest Caroline, Kayanaka is unlike anything else I've read. Like Walter Mosley's characters that the protagonist is from a minority that experiences discrimination, and the books document their ability to use intelligence against 'the man'. They are set in 90s Germany though, so no California sunshine or New York glamour. It's not quite cosy, but there's plenty of dark humour. The author was one of the first break out writers from the Turkish community in Germany, and I sought out the books after they were mentioned in a radio series about international crime fiction.

Not sure that helps!

I've added the Kayanaka to my list. It is sad about Sacks.

Best of luck finding a copy of The Hero's Walk or Tamarind Mem. It might be difficult since you live ' across the pond." I read my first Anita Rau Badami because my son was assigned one of her books for a Can Lit class in first year university, Can You Hear the Nightbird Call? and of course I had to read the book too. That book is bit more Vancouver -centric , but still a great read. Sounds like the funeral that you attended hit you kind of hard. Hugs to you, Charlotte.

I'm also taking note of the Kayanaka series.

>202 BLBera: Hope you like the Jacob Arjouni Beth. I have been enjoying the international crime fiction this year.

>203 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deb. It is so sad but it was wonderful to see how many people came to mark his death at the funeral.

>204 avatiakh: Hope that they are easy to find! I was pleased when they made them available on kindle. Secretly I would rather like to try and read them in German (lots of work would be required for this!).

Struggling to keep going with anything (again!).

Finally got to start Home Remedies, which is set in a vaguely familiar small town on the Cape coast. But also trying to force myself through a crime fiction book set in Northern Cyprus. The case is interesting, but I think it must have been self-published as there are all sorts of typos and other distracting clunkers to the writing... Shame.

>201 charl08: You've managed to intrigue me even more now with Kayanakaya. :-) Should I start from the first in the series or does it not matter and they're standalones?

They do stand alone but there are some recurring characters whose presence makes more sense when read in order I think.

Thank you. I've just put a hold on Happy Birthday, Turk at my library. :-)

Did finish Book of Silence, but it did feel like Hard Work.

I don't know, but I would guess that the book was self published based on the editing. I'd be intrigued though if she has written others in the series about Os, a Turkish Cypriot in northern Cyprus, as there are some interesting plot and character developments. I know very little about this area, but Christine Andain has so much to draw upon from a mother desperate for grandchildren to the slightly eccentric British and German settlers on the island. So a partial recommendation, but avoid if the odd typo drives you crazy!

Hi Charlotte.

Hi Connie!

I get to pick up all the library books that are (hopefully) still waiting for me on the reservation shelf tomorrow.

This includes the Booker longlisted Did you ever have a family? and Anne Enright's The Green Road. I've also got The Offering from the Women's prize longlist waiting.

More randomly, Mark mentioned William Boyd, and I found the library had most of his backlist, so I'm hoping I'll enjoy The New Confessions.

I've also had a dig around in their fiction in translation collections, and am hoping that they are as intriguing as their titles. The fat woman next door is pregnant and fascination of evil.

Under the Frangipani Tree and The Sea Detective were all recommended by LT comments. No pressure!

I had The Sea Detective out for several weeks but never got to it. I finally took back all my library books because I was feeling so guilty about not reading them. It's still on my WL, though!

You're much better than me! I usually hold onto them for as long as possible.

Have splurged in the charity shops, mostly to get my mum lots to read (on the distraction principle) but picked up The Prague Cemetary and A Florentine Death which look good.

Dang, you got me with the Giuttari book. My library has two books of him.

Enjoying it so far Barbara. I'd love to go to Florence, but will have to settle for fictional visits just now!

>217 charl08: Charlotte, Florence is gorgeous. I was there a couple of years ago and enjoyed it very much. Would go again any time.

I think the Florence of A Florentine Death is probably not the one the tourist board would appreciate, despite the dwcriptions of lovely restaurants and beautiful museums filled with art. A killer is on the loose, killing young gay men, but Michele Ferrera can't find the evidence he needs, and there is pressure from above. Alongside this the story of a young woman who meets an American journalist, to the jealousy of her girlfriend in Bologna.

Although on places the prose was a bit wooden, what makes this book really interesting is that he author was himself the head of the murder squad, so there is a definite air of authenticity.

Whee! And that's 200 books folks.

200! WOW!

that last book sounds interesting... I loved Florence when I visited in 2010.

Congrats on the 200 books, that's an achievement.

Yay for 200 books! Impressive! Here's hoping the next 200 are just as good.

The Green Road caught me rather by surprise, as I've not been overwhelmed by Enright's books in the past, instead feeling like I was missing something vital in my reading.

This book is the story of a fairly dysfunctional family, told in snippets of significant moments in individual family members ' lives. This ranges from Emmett's aid work in Senegal to Constance's visit to a breast cancer clinic. What I loved about this book was the way that Enright has captured the cadences of Irish speech, the humour interlaced with tragedy, and the sense that the family she depicted felt real.

>221 katiekrug: I rather liked the gritty sound of the Florence he describes here - bit less picture postcard than I had imagined from tourist ads.

>222 avatiakh: >223 susanj67: I really hope there's no quiz at the end of the year, as some of those were more memorable than others...

I'd have to add all the books I've read in the last three years to achieve 200. Even at that, I'm not sure I'd be at 200. Yeah, I would. So good on you. I am impressed.

200! Wow!!

Did you like The Green Road? I adored it, but I just keep hearing from people who thought it was either "meh" or too rude to approve of.

200! Wow, that's impressive! Congrats, Charlotte. Like the happy dance.

Well done, Charlotte!

I'm glad that you also liked The Green Road.

>226 weird_O: I've only got a very limited record of what I read in previous years. So I'm hoping keeping a record is a good thing (and not, say, encouraging a bad habit!)

>227 drneutron: Ha! But no history of NASA yet. Or that Pinker looking accusingly at me from the shelf...

>228 RidgewayGirl: I loved it! I wanted to quote some of the bits that made me chuckle but I didn't want to spoil the read for everyone. I still think the Tyler is my favourite, but really hope the Enright at least makes the shortlist.

>229 Ameise1: I'm hoping that the is a minions gif for every major occasion. I love the despicable films.So funny.

>230 kidzdoc: Thanks! I'm no closer to a ranked list though - I might just leave that to you....

The Fascination of Evil I picked up from the library, part of an aspiration to read more fiction in translation. I'm not having much luck with French fiction in translation though (with the exception of Maigret). The back cover includes wonderful praise for the book, Zeller is a young successful academic and novelist who is apparently feted in his home country. I pretty much hated it though,and had it been longer I would have DNF'D it. The basic premise is about an author going to Cairo on a state funded junket, shortly after the passing of the French law on public veil wearing. The author is accompanied by another male writer who, it quickly emerges, has bought into the idea of sex tourism and Orientalist myths of the other and spends most of their trip pushing their assistant from the French embassy to take them to ever seedier dives where he is repeatedly repudiated by the women he assumes are sex workers.

Our narrator conveys his superiority to this behaviour, whilst commenting on the evils of Islam for women alongside sexist and offensive comments about women characters' conversations, interests, and attractiveness. On return to Paris, there is a 'twist' which enables the author to write a couple of pages about the incompatibility of fiction and the moral absolutes of religion, holding up French history as an example of literary freedom that needs to be preserved.

I found the overall experience rather like listening to a moralising sermon from a pastor who has recently been exposed by hidden camera in a dodgy motel. I can appreciate that perhaps this is the point, that freedom of speech doesn't mean tastefulness or that agreeing with what is written. But I think this can be done much more powerfully via fiction, rather than a novel with large chunks of diatribe.

If you want to read something more interesting on this topic, I'd recommend How to fight Islamist terror from the missionary position. It also has the advantage of being funny.

I'd be interested to hear if any other readers have a more positive view!

I put Happy Birthday, Turk! on hold at the library and checked to make sure that I already have The Green Road on hold. I do. :-)

Congrats on reaching 200 already!

Hope you enjoy them! I have been looking with envy at the lovely pictures of your holiday destination, especially those long sunny beaches. Hope you are feeling relaxed.

>232 charl08: The title The fascination of evil is interest provoking but I'll give it a miss judging by your comments. I've just taken note of Divorce Islamic Style, a Europa Editions book which might appeal to you, I think it might be translated from Italian.
And to others, I'll also recommend How to fight Islamist terror from the missionary position, the title is a bit off putting but is actually a good read.

Regarding reading French novels, have you tried Daniel Pennac? His Saga Malaussène series is quite fun.

The Year of the Runaways arrived today from the Book Depository. I'm not sure when I will get to reading it , since I seem to be reading rather slowly these days. I've got The Green Road on a hold at the library, but I think I'm number 26 on 5 copies, so that will be awhile. Do you think The Green Road is worth reading? I'm still pondering ordering Sleeping on Jupiter but I'm trying to be good! As far as Almost English goes, I read that shortly after it came out. I did not love it, is was a bit lightweight and darlink! for my tastes, but I don't think I disliked as much a as Darryl - gave it 3 stars. Congratulations on 200 books. Amazing!

>235 avatiakh: I was hoping for some recommendations - thanks! The library has School Blues so I'm going to try that. They don't have Divorce Islamic Style so I've asked them to get it.

>236 vancouverdeb: I really enjoyed The Green Road and would recommend it highly. She makes you feel that you're in the kitchen with the people in the novel. I hope it gets shortlisted.

Oh, I enjoyed School Blues, it's nonfiction and interesting as French schools have such a different approach. You might have seen the The Rights of the Reader poster made from his book.

I love that poster. But then, I love Quentin Blake!

Little bit worried. Got about thirty very convoluted pages into the Eco and realised that I must have read it before, or at least the beginning: it's all rather familiar... Argh

Ok, so dnf'd The Prague Cemetary on the basis that I don't like it, and clearly didn't like it last time either!

Then skimmed to the end of Charlotte Mendelson's Almost English I'm not counting it as I really did skim whole chunks. Just didn't feel it went anywhere, and I just wanted to shake Laura and Marina and tell them to get on with it.

Congratulations on the 200!

I've been through that as well, reading about about an eight into a book and then realizing I've already read the book. Happened recently actually when I picked up The Old Wine Shades and then thinking it seemed really familiar after I'd gone about 20 pages into it. I checked my library list and yup, I read it a few years ago. Yeesh.

What was really odd was that I remember the book being titled differently: probably just a different cover, now I think about it though!

Hi Charlotte - You got me with A Florentine Death and The Green Road.