Paul C's 2016 Reading and Life - 23

Hani is in Scotland for a couple of weeks. Mother and daughter reunited! Love you both.

Opening lines



I bought this one a while ago and am about to start it.

I lost an arm on my last trip home.

READ FIRST QUARTER

JANUARY
1. Ru by Kim Thuy (2009) 153 pp
2. A Story I am in : Selected Poems by James Berry (2011) 208 pp
3. The Woman in Black by Susan Hill (1983) 200 pp
4. Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis (2015) 159 pp
5. Clem Attlee by Francis Beckett (2015) 476 pp
6. The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman by Denis Theriault (2005) 117 pp
7. 40 Sonnets by Don Paterson (2015) 44 pp
8. The Quality of Mercy by Barry Unsworth (2011) 294 pp
9. The Library of Unrequited Love by Sophie Divry (2010) 92 pp
10. A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain by Robert Olen Butler (1993) 269 pp
11. Soldier's Heart by Gary Paulsen (1998) 104 pp
12. Coast to Coast by Jan Morris (1956) 238 pp
13. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler (1982) 314 pp
14. A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James (2014) 688 pp
15. The Perfect Stranger by P.J. Kavanagh (1966) 182 pp
16. The Manticore by Robertson Davies (1972) 255 pp

FEBRUARY
17. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (1934) 347 pp
18. The Zimmermann Telegram by Barbara Tuchman (1958) 200 pp
19. Coventry by Helen Humphreys (2008) 169 pp
20. Selected Poems by Cecil Day Lewis (1951) 158 pp
21. Return of a King : The Battle for Afghanistan by William Dalrymple (2013) 487 pp

MARCH
22. Assalamualaikum : Observations on the Islamisation of Malaysia by Zaid Ibrahim (2015) 200 pp
23. That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo (2009) 339 pp
24. How to be Both by Ali Smith (2014) 372 pp
25. Towards Asmara by Thomas Keneally (1989) 320 pp
26. New Selected Poems by Robert Minhinnick (2012) 185 pp
27. The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy (1986) 664 pp
28. Around the World ichael Palin (1989) 241 pp
29. Poems of the Past and the Present by Thomas Hardy (1901) 96 pp
30. The Boat Who Wouldn't Float by Farley Mowat (1969) 243 pp

BOOKS READ IN 2016

Second Quarter

APRIL
31. A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley (1991) 371 pp
32. What Work Is by Philip Levine (1991) 77 pp
33. Eventide by Kent Haruf (2004) 300 pp
34. A New Selected Poems by Galway Kinnell (2001) 179 pp
35. The Black Album by Hanif Kureishi (1995) 276 pp
36. Demelza by Winston Graham (1946) 521 pp
37. Geography III by Elizabethe Bishop (1976) 50 pp
38. The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1855) 142 pp
39. Why I am not a Christian by Bertrand Russell (1957) 259 pp

MAY
40. Belfast Confetti by Ciaran Carson (1989) 108 pp
41. Ruby by Cynthia Bond (2015) 330 pp
42. The Bird Artist by Howard Norman (1994) 289 pp
43. The Sea Runners by Ivan Doig (1982) 275 pp
44. Make Me by Lee Child (2015) 544 pp
45. Old Filth by Jane Gardam (2004) 290 pp
46. The Whitsun Weddings by Philip Larkin (1964) 46 pp
47. Fault Line by Robert Goddard (2012) 509 pp
48. AWOPBOPALOOBOPALOPBAMBOOM by Nik Cohn (1972) 247 pp
49. Risk by C.K. Stead (2012) 267 pp

JUNE
50. Native Guard by Natasha Trethewey (2006) 46 pp
51. The Shadow Line by Joseph Conrad (1917) 145 pp
52. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (2014) 333 pp
53. Crow by Ted Hughes (1970) 89 pp
54. A Zoo in My Luggage by Gerald Durrell (1960) 173 pp
55. The Green Road by Anne Enright (2005) 310 pp
56. Famous Last Words by Timothy Findley (1981) 396 pp
57. Bird Cloud by Annie Proulx (2011) 234 pp
58. Mary Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser (1969) 691 pp

BOOKS READ IN 2016

THIRD QUARTER

July

59. The Pearl by John Steinbeck (1948) 89 pp
60. The Sergeants' Tale by Bernice Rubens (2013) 217 pp
61. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (1895) 106 pp
62. The Orenda by Joseph Boyden (2013) 487 pp
63. The Battle for Scotland by Andrew Marr (1992) 240 pp
64. The Fifth Son by Elie Wiesel (1985) 220 pp
65. Holiday by Stanley Middleton (1974) 222 pp
66. Karl Doenitz and the Last Days of the Third Reich by Barry Turner (2015) 275 pp
67. Jeremy Poldark by Winston Graham (1950) 344 pp
68. The European Union : A Citizen's Guide by Chris Bickerton (2016) 230 pp
69. An Event in Autumn by Henning Mankell (2013) 169 pp
70. Bad History : How We Got the Past Wrong by Emma Marriott (2011) 173 pp

August

71. March by Geraldine Brooks (2005) 273 pp
72. The Sellout by Paul Beatty (2016) 289 pp
73. Rape : A Love Story by Joyce Carol Oates (2003) 154 pp
74. Black Dogs by Ian McEwan (1992) 174 pp
75. Eileen : A Novel by Otessa Moshfegh (2016) 260 pp
76. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (1986) 429 pp
77. My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout (2016) 191 pp
78. Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes (1984) 190 pp
79. Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeline Thien (2016) 466 pp

September
80. The North Water by Ian McGuire (2016) 255 pp
81. Selected Poems by Laurie Lee (1960) 80 pp
82. Blade of Light by Andrea Camilleri (2012) 271 pp
83. The World According to Garp by John Irving (1978) 596 pp
84. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (2015) 409 pp
85. The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing (1988) 133 pp
86. The Many by Wyl Menmuir (2016) 141 pp
87. Grief is the Thing with Feathers (2016) 114 pp
88. His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet (2016) 280 pp

BOOKS READ in 2016

FOURTH QUARTER

October
89. Who Runs Britain? by Robert Peston (2008) 348 pp
90. Hot Milk by Deborah Levy (2016) 218 pp
91. Rites of Passage by William Golding (1980) 278 pp
92. When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson (2008) 480 pp
93. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (1861) 432 pp
94. The Penguin Anthology of Twentieth-Century American Poetry ed. by Rita Dove (2011) 570 pp

November
95. Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1939) 143 pp
96. The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West (1918) 148 pp
97. Confabulations by John Berger (2016) 143 pp
98. Death of a Naturalist by Seamus Heaney (1966) 44 pp
99. The Ipcress File by Len Deighton (1962) 342 pp
100. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler (1979) 295 pp
101. Crime Story by Maurice Gee (1994) 272 pp

Reading Plans and a little about me

Me?
I am 50 this coming September and have enough unread reading material on my shelves to take me safely into my seventies! I have lived in Malaysia since 1994 and have a long suffering (but never quietly) wife, Hani (sometimes referred to as SWMBO), three children Yasmyne (18), Kyran (16) and Belle (12 - well almost), as well as a supporting cast which includes my book smuggling assistants Azim (also my driver and a part time bouncer who, despite his muscles, lives in almost as much fear of my wife as I do) and Erni (my housemaid, almost-little sister and the worlds greatest coffee maker). On this thread you'll probably read as much about the vagaries of life, book buying and group related statistics as you do about the actual books themselves.


clockwise from top left: Kyran, Paul, Hani, Yasmyne & Belle

2016 Reading

American Author Challenge - Mark (msf59) is on the third year of this great challenge where the task is to read a work by a featured US author each month.

Canadian Author Challenge - This is its inaugural year and I will try to read (and find books for!) as many of the 24 authors featured as I can.

ANZAC Challenge - Set up by Kerry this year. I will try to follow this one alternating between Oz/Nz

Pulitzer Challenge - Bill has created a challenge to read a Pulitzer winner each month in 2016

Chunkster Challenge - Also set up by Bill to take care of that small matter of books over 600 pages!

Non-Fiction Challenge - Suz (Chatterbox) has put this up and I will follow this one too

TIOLI Challenge - Surely needs no introduction!

1001 Books First Edition - I am working my way through these. So far at 262.

Booker Prize Winners - Another one I am wending my way through

Nobel Laureates - I am trying to read something by all the Laureates - so far have read 57 of the 112 winners.

Poetry - I will be trying to read a different collection/anthology each week and at the same time promote poetry in the group (tough one that) which will include my own occasion clumsy scribblings.

Series I have so many I follow Montalbano, Reacher, Hole, Banks, Davenport, Sejer, Allon, Lennox .....and I will be trying to read many of those as I can.

History Another favourite of mine

Political Biography - I am of the left in political terms so I prefer to read more from my heroes than my villains but sometimes it pays to check out what the opposition are up to!

I will try to combine challenges as much as I can to do something in each challenge each month.

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE 2016

November Thread : https://www.librarything.com/topic/238461

January : Susan Hill & Barry Unsworth
February : Agatha Christie & William Dalrymple
March : Ali Smith & Thomas Hardy
April : George Eliot & Hanif Kureishi
May : Jane Gardam & Robert Goddard
June : Lady Antonia Fraser & Joseph Conrad
July : Bernice Rubens & H.G. Wells
August : Diana Wynne-Jones & Ian McEwan
September : Doris Lessing & Laurie Lee
October : Kate Atkinson & William Golding
November : Rebecca West & Len Deighton
December : WEST YORKSHIRE writers
Wildcard : Rumer Godden and George Orwell

Round up of Stats

1001 Books First Edition - Read 269 of 1001

Nobel Winners - Read something by 59 of the 112 Laureates

Pulitzer Fiction/Novel Winners - Read 14 of 88 outright winners

Booker Winners - Read 24 of the 51 winners

Bowie 100 Books - 22 read a further 21 owned

1000 Guardian Books - 311 / 998

TBR Records Update : (Revised after giving away 114 books in June)

Year reading record to date:

January 1st frozen TBR : 3,600

Books read : 65

Revised TBR : 3,535

January 1st Pages : 1,254,776

Pages read in completed books : TBA

Revised TBR pages : TBA

Other Books added since 1 January : 252
Pages : TBA
Read : 26
Read Pages : TBA
Books still to read from this year's purchases : 226
Pages to read : TBA

Total Books Read in 2016 - 90
Total Pages Read in 2016 - TBA

Total TBR Physical Books @ 13 July 2016 - 3,762
Total TBR Pages - TBA

BOOKS ADDED SINCE 1 JANUARY 2016

1. Fifteen Dogs Andre Alexis (2015) 159 pp (Added 6 Jan) COMPLETED
2. Rain by Barney Campbell (2015) 362 pp (Added 6 Jan)
3. Coventry by Helen Humphreys (2008) 169 pp (Added 7 Jan -Secret Santa (Katie)) COMPLETED
4. The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro (2015) 362 pp (Added 14 Jan)
5. How Good We Can Be by Will Hutton (2015) 250 pp (Added 14 Jan)
6. Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco (1988) 641 pp (Added 14 Jan)
7. The Chimes by Anna Smaill (2015) 289 pp (Added 14 Jan)
8. Wild Swans by Jung Chang (1991) 669 pp (Added 14 Jan)
9. The Black Moon by Winston Graham (1973) 546 PP (Added 14 Jan)
10. Let Me Be Frank With You by Richard Ford (2014) 238 pp (Added 22 Jan)
11. Possessing the Secret of Joy by Alice Walker (1992) 270 pp (Added 22 Jan)
12. Cat and Mouse by Gunter Grass (1961) 191 pp (Added 22 Jan)
13. The Castle of Crossed Destinies by Italo Calvino (1969) 129 pp (Added 22 Jan)
14. The Enigma of Arrival by VS Naipaul (1987) 387 pp (Added 22 Jan)
15. Mao II by Don DeLillo (1991) 241 pp (Added 22 Jan)
16. A Home at the End of the World by Michael Cunningham (1990) 343 pp (Added 22 Jan)
17. Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids by Kenzaburo Oe (1958) 189 pp (Added 22 Jan)
18. Senor Vivo and the Coca Lord by Louis de Bernieres (1991) 280 pp (Added 22 Jan)
19. Spring Flowers, Spring Frost by Ismail Kadare (2000) 182 pp (Added 22 Jan)
20. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson (1972) 172 pp (Added 22 Jan)
21. Napoleon the Great by Andrew Roberts (2014) (Added 29 Jan)
22. March by Geraldine Brooks (Added 29 Jan) COMPLETED
23. The House in Paris by Elizabeth Bowen (1935) (added 29 Jan)
24. Mary Barton by Mary Gaskell (1848) (added 29 Jan)
25. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien (1990) (added 29 Jan)

26. White Crocodile by KT Medina (2014) 374 pp (added 8 Feb)
27. A Brief Stop on the Road From Auschwitz by Goran Rosenberg (2012) 331 pp (added 13 Feb)
28. Martin Dressler by Steven Millhauser (1996) 274 pp (added 13 Feb)
29. The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien (1967) 199 pp (added 20 Feb)
30. The End : Germany 1944-45 by Ian Kershaw (2011) 400 pp (added 20 Feb)
31. In the Light of What We Know by Zia Haider Rahman (2014) 555 pp (added 20 Feb)
32. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway (1929) 293 pp (added 20 Feb)
33. Peacemakers : Six Months That Changed the World by Margaret MacMillan (2001) 500 pp (added 20 Feb)
34. My Life as a Foreign Country by Brian Turner (2014) 224 pp (added 20 Feb)
35. Astragal by Albertine Sarrazin (1965) 190 pp (added 20 Feb)
36. If He Hollers Let Him Go by Chester Himes (1945) 259 pp (added 20 Feb)
37. The Seven Madmen by Roberto Arlt (1929) 304 pp (added 20 Feb)
38. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (2012) 331 pp (added 20 Feb)
39. Six Days : How the 1967 War Shaped the Middle East by Jeremy Bowen (2003) 373 pp (added 22 Feb)
40. I, The Jury by Mickey Spillane (1947) 164 pp (added 22 Feb)
41. The Life of Elves by Muriel Barbery (2015) 258 pp (added 22 Feb)
42. Ostland by David Thomas (2013) 430 pp (added 22 Feb)
43. Trigger Mortis by Anthony Horowitz (2015) 310 pp (added 26 Feb)
44. The Pier Falls by Mark Haddon (2016) 321 pp (added 26 Feb)
45. Assalamualaikum, May Peace Be Upon You: Observations on the Islamisation of Malaysia by Zaid Ibrahim (2015) 200 pp (added 27 Feb) COMPLETED
46. The Illuminations by Andrew O'Hagan (2015) 293 pp (added 27 Feb)
47. The Children Who Stayed Behind by Bruce Carter (1958) 216 pp (added 27 Feb)
48. Armada by Ernest Cline (2015) 349 pp (added 28 Feb)
49. The Walk and Other Stories by Robert Walser (1957) 197 pp (added 28 Feb)
50. Fatale by Jean-Patrick Manchette (1977) 98 pp (added 28 Feb)
51. My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout (2016) 191 pp (added 28 Feb) COMPLETED
52. The Civil War : A History by Harry Hansen (1961) 655 pp (added 28 Feb)
53. The Invisible Guardian by Dolores Redondo (2013) 420 pp (added 28 Feb)
54. Lindbergh by A. Scott Berg (1998) 562 pp (added 28 Feb)
55. The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World by Edward Shepherd Creasy (1851) 380 pp (added 28 Feb)
56. Hitler's Spy by James Hayward (2012) 278 pp (added 28 Feb)

57. A Cautious Approach by Stanley Middleton (2010) 220 pp (added 2 March)
58. Incandescence by Craig Nova (1979) 297 pp (added 2 March)
59. Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid (2014) 343 pp (added 2 March)
60. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison (1977) 337 pp (added 2 March)
61. Love in Winter by Storm Jameson (1935) 407 pp (added 2 March)
62. How I Became a Holy Mother by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (1976) 363 pp (added 2 March)
63. On Horseback and Other Stories by Guy de Maupassant (1877) 130 pp (added 2 March)
64. Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski (2007) 349 pp (added 2 March)
65. Anything but the Law by Tommy Thomas (2016) 334 pp (added 4 March)
66. The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker (2011) 841 pp (added 4 March)
67. Why the West Rules by Ian Morris (2010) 645 pp (added 4 March)
68. Out of Africa by Karen Blixen (1937) 330 pp (added 4 March)
69. Make Me by Lee Child (2015) 544 pp (added 4 March) COMPLETED
70. The Wolf Border by Sarah Hall (2015) 432 pp (added 4 March)
71. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (1936) 984 pp (added 4 March)
72. The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy (1986) 664 pp (added 7 March) COMPLETED
73. From Restoration to Reform by Jonathan Clarke (2014) 299 pp (added 7 March)
74. Josephine : Desire, Ambitions, Napoleon by Kate Williams (2013) 303 pp (added 7 March)
75. Britain's Royal Families : The Complete Genealogy by Alison Weir (2008) 331 pp (added 7 March)
76. A Brief History of Indonesia by Tim Hannigan (2015) 277 pp (added 12 March)
77. Max Havelaar by Multatuli (1860) 320 pp (added 12 March)
78. Jernigan by David Gates (1991) 339 pp (added 12 March)
79. Private Life by Jane Smiley (2010) 480 pp (added 12 March)
80. Betrayal : The Crisis in the Catholic Church by Matt Carroll (and others) (2002) 265 pp (added 12 March)
81. The Green Road by Anne Enright (2015) 310 pp (added 12 March) COMPLETED
82. When I was Old by Georges Simenon (1970) 452 pp (added 15 March)
83. The Full Catastrophe : Inside the Greek Crisis by James Angelos (2015) 292 pp (added 15 March)
84. No Highway by Nevil Shute (1948) 325 pp (added 19 March)
85. The Italian Girl by Iris Murdoch (1964) 171 pp (added 19 March)
86. Diary of a Mad Old Man by Junichiro Tanizaki (1961) 177 pp (added 19 March)
87. Most Secret by Nevil Shute (1945) 346 pp (added 19 March)
88. Kathleen and Frank by Christopher Isherwood (1971) 510 pp (added 19 March)
89. The Viceroy of Ouidah by Bruce Chatwin (1980) 101 pp (added 19 March)
90. The Heat of the Day by Elizabeth Bowen (1948) 330 pp (added 19 March)
91. Sarah Thornhill by Kate Grenville (2011) 304 pp (added 19 March)
92. A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn (1980) 688 pp (added 27 March)
93. Home : A Time Traveller's Tales from Britain's Pre-History by Francis Pryor (2014) 290 pp (added 27 March)
94. The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing (1962) 576 pp (added 27 March)
95. Ultimate Questions by Bryan Magee (2016) 127 pp (added 31 March)
96. The Four Books by Yan Lianke (2015) 338 pp (added 31 March)
97. Find Me by Laura Van Den Berg (2015) 278 pp (added 31 March)
98. A Reunion of Ghosts by Judith Claire Mitchell (2015) 371 pp (added 31 March)
99. The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1855) 142 pp (added 31 March) COMPLETED
100. The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1762) 168 pp (added 31 March)

Books bought second quarter

101 The Carpathians by Janet Frame (1988) 196 pp (Added 2 April)
102 Georgy Girl by Margaret Forster (1965) 171 pp (Added 2 April)
103 Great Apes by Will Self (1997) 404 pp (Added 2 April)
104 The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood (Added 14 April)
105 My Son, My Son by Howard Spring (Added 14 April)
106 A Very British Coup by Chris Mullin (Added 14 April)
107 Cogan's Trade by George V. Higgins (Added 14 April)
108 The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma (Added 15 April)
109 Common Ground by Andrew Cowan (Added 15 April)
110 The Book of Aron by Jim Shepard (Added 18 April)
111 AWOPBOPALOOBOPALOPBAMBOOM by Nik Cohn (Added 18 April) COMPLETED
112 Montalbano's First Case by Andrea Camilleri (Added 18 April)
113 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad (Added 18 April)
114 I am Radar by Reif Larsen (2015) (Added 18 April)
115Ruby by Cynthia Bond (2015) (Added 18 April) COMPLETED
116 The Faithful Couple by A.D. Miller (Added 18 April)
117 A Strangeness in my Mind by Orhan Pamuk (Added 18 April)
118 The Trial of Henry Kissinger by Christopher Hitchens (Added 18 April)
119 How Steeple Sinderby Wanderers Won the FA Cup by JL Carr (Added 18 April)
120 The Outsider by Colin Wilson (Added 20 April)
121 Puckoon by Spike Milligan (Added 20 April)
122 Why I Am Not a Christian by Bertrand Russell (Added 20 April) COMPLETED
123 Arcadia by Iain Pears (Added 22 April)
124 The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney (Added 22 April)
125 The Vegetarian by Han Kang (Added 24 April)
126 A Whole Life : A Novel by Robert Seethaler (Added 24 April)
127 The Improbability of Love by Hannah Rothschild (Added 24 April)
128 The Portable Veblen by Elizabeth McKenzie (Added 24 April)
129 The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (Added 24 April)
130 The Bird Artist by Howard Norman (Added 27 April) COMPLETED
131 The Edge of the World : How the North Sea Made Us Who We Are by Michael Pye (Added 27 April)
132 A Heart so White by Javier Marias (Added 14 April)

133 Silas Marner by George Eliot (added 3 May)
134 The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley (added 13 May)
135 Girl at War by Sara Novic (added 13 May)
136 Flood of Fire by Amitav Ghosh (added 13 May)
137 I Saw a Man by Owen Sheers (added 13 May)
138 The Mandarins by Simone de Beauvoir (added 20 May)
139 Unknown Soldiers by Vaino Linna (added 20 May)
140 Stop Time by Frank Conroy (added 20 May)
141 What Is Left the Daughter by Howard Norman (added 25 May)
142 Black Dogs by Ian McEwan (added 25 May) COMPLETED
143 S. : A Novel about the Balkans by Slavenka Drakulic (added 25 May)
144 The Angry Tide by Winston Graham (added 25 May)
145 The Master by Colm Toibin (added 25 May)
146 Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf (added 25 May)
147 The Secret History of Las Vegas by Chris Abani (added 25 May)
148 Love and Obstacles by Aleksandr Hemon (June 16)
149 The Book of Memory by Pettina Gappah (June 16)
150 The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu (June 16)
151 The Four Swans by Winston Graham (June 16)
152 Three Tales by Gustave Flaubert (June 16)
153 The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (June 16) COMPLETED
154 SPQR : A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard (June 16)
155 The Sympathizer by Viet Tanh Nguyen (June 16)
156 Black Earth : The Holocaust as History and Warning by Timothy Snyder (June 16)
157 The Penguin Anthology of Twentieth-Century American Poetry edited by Ruth Dove (June 16) COMPLETED
158 The Hanging Girl by Jussi Adler-Olsen (June 16)
159 The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni (June 16)
160 Laurus by Eugene Vodolazin (June 16)

Books Added Third Quarter
July
161. The European Union : A Citizen's Guide by Chris Bickerton COMPLETED
162. Dust by Elizabeth Bear
163. King John : Treachery, Tyranny and the Road to Magna Carta by Marc Morris
164. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
165. Butcher's Crossing by John Williams
166. Waging Heavy Peace by Neil Young
167. The Foundation Pit by Andrey Platonov
168. One Man Against the World : The Tragedy of Richard Nixon by Tim Weiner
169. The House of Ulloa by Emilio Pardo Bazan
170. Sweet Caress by William Boyd
171. Vermilion Sands by J.G. Ballard
172. The Other Hand by Chris Cleave
173. The Innocence of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton
174. The Orphan Train by Christina Bake Kline
175. The Aerodrome by Rex Warner
176. Karl Doenitz and the Last Days of the Third Reich by Barry Turner COMPLETED
177. The Cossacks by Leo Tolstoy
178. Hadji Murat by Leo Tolstoy
179. Bad History : How We Got the Past Wrong by Emma Marriott COMPLETED
180. One Bloody Thing After Another by Jacob F. Field
181. The Ends of the Earth : The Wide World by Robert Goddard
182. Morning Sea by Margaret Mazzantini
183. London Belongs to Me by Norman Collins
184. Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby
185. Eileen : A Novel by Otessa Moshfegh COMPLETED
186. Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien COMPLETED
187. The Sellout by Paul Beatty COMPLETED
188. All That Man Is by David Szalay
August
189. Almost English by Charlotte Mendelson
190. Oryx & Crake by Margaret Atwood
191. In the Dark by Mai Jia
192. The South by Colm Toibin
193. Extraordinary People a.k.a Dry Bones by Peter May
194. Brodeck's Report by Philippe Claudel
195. A Proper Marriage by Doris Lessing
196. Don't Trust, Don't Fear, Don't Beg by Ben Stewart
197. Questions About Angels by Billy Collins
198. The Dead and the Living by Sharon Olds
199. Mend the Living by Maylis de Kerangal
200. The Caliphate by Hugh Kennedy
201. Wanderlust : A History of Walking by Rebecca Solnit
202. Serious Sweet by A.L. Kennedy
203. Juneteenth by Ralph Ellison
204. Save the Last Dance : Poems by Gerald Stern
205. The Kindness of Enemies by Leila Aboulela
206. How Many Miles to Babylon by Jennifer Johnston
207. Embers by Sandor Marai
208. Walking Away by Simon Armitage
209. In the Land of Giants by Max Adams
210. A Change of World by Adrienne Rich
211. The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu
212. Written Lives by Javier Marias
213. The North Water by Ian McGuire COMPLETED
214. Hystopia by David Means
215. Victim Without a Face by Stefan Ahnhem
216. The History of Modern France by Jonathan Fenby
September
217. Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands by Jorge Amado (1966) 550 pp
218. Unity by Michael Arditti (2005) 369 pp
219. Ted Hughes : The Unauthorised Life by Jonathan Bate (2015) 566 pp
220. Now is the Time by Melvyn Bragg (2015) 357 pp
221. His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet (2015) 280 pp COMPLETED
222. The Tartar Steppe by Dino Buzzati (1939) 265 pp
223. Hard Rain Falling by Don Carpenter (1964) 308 pp
224. Outlaws by Javier Cercas (2012) 367 pp
225. The Death of Grass by John Christopher (1956) 195 pp
226. Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg (2015) 293 pp
227. The Schooldays of Jesus by J.M. Coetzee (2016) 260 pp
228. Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink by Elvis Costello (2015) 670 pp
229. Father and Son by Edmund Gosse (1907) 251 pp
230. Like Dreamers : The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers who Reunited Jerusalem and Divided a Nation by Yossi Klein Halevi (2013) 538 pp
231. Death of a Naturalist by Seamus Heaney (1966) 44 pp
232. Slow Horses by Mick Herron (2010) 328 pp
233. Hot Milk by Deborah Levy (2016) 218 pp COMPLETED
234. The Outrun by Amy Liptrot (2016) 280 pp
235. Black Water Rising by Attica Locke (2009) 427 pp
236. The Assistant by Bernard Malamud (1957) 339 pp
237. The Silent Duchess by Dacia Maraini (1990) 319 pp
238. The Many by Wyl Menmuir (2016) 141 pp COMPLETED
239. Horse Latitudes by Paul Muldoon (2006) 106 pp
240. Homesick by Eshkol Nevo (2004) 374 pp
241. At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O'Brien (1939) 218 pp
242. Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter (2015) 114 pp COMPLETED
243. Work Like Any Other by Virginia Reeves (2016) 260 pp
244. The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens (1969) 224 pp
245. The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (1956) 139 pp
246. Zeno's Conscience by Italo Svevo (1923) 437 pp

BOOKS ADDED Q4

October
247. Submission by Michel Houellebecq (2015) 250 pp
248. 1916 : A Global History by Keith Jeffrey (2015) 377 pp
249. Soldiers of Salamis by Javier Cercas (2001) 213 pp
250. The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart (1971) 543 pp
251. The History of a Town by M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin (1870) 287 pp
252. Mindstar Rising by Peter F. Hamilton (1993) 467 pp
253. Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger (1920) 296 pp
254. Wolf Winter by Cecilia Ekback (2015) 405 pp
255. Don't Look Now by Daphne du Maurier (1971) 305 pp
256. Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1939) 143 pp COMPLETED
257. The Malay Archipelago by Alfred Russel Wallace (1869) 728 pp
258. Maestra by L.S. Hilton (2016) 394 pp
259. Sudden Death by Alvaro Enrigue (2013) 261 pp
260. Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko (1977) 243 pp
261. A Country Road, A Tree by Jo Baker (2016) 289 pp
262. Fellside by M.R. Carey (2016) 486 pp
263. A General Theory of Oblivion by Jose Eduardo Agualusa (2012) 243 pp
264. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler (1979) 295 pp
265. Connectography: Mapping the Global Network Revolution by Parag Khanna (2016) 402 pp

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE

THEME OPTIONS

JANUARY : IRISH BRITONS - ELIZABETH BOWEN & BRIAN MOORE

FEBRUARY : SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY - MARY STEWART & TERRY PRATCHETT

MARCH : A DECADE OF BRITISH NOVELS : The 1960s - 10 Novels by Men; 10 Novels by Women

APRIL: SOUTH YORKSHIRE AUTHORS : AS BYATT & BRUCE CHATWIN

MAY : BEFORE QUEEN VIC : 10 Novels written prior to 1837

JUNE : THE HISTORIANS (Historical Fiction / Historians) GEORGETTE HEYER & SIMON SCHAMA

JULY : SCOTTISH AUTHORS (either born or associated with Scotland)

AUGUST : BRITAIN BETWEEN THE WARS (Writers active in the period 1918-1939)

SEPTEMBER : THE NEW MILLENNIUM (Writers coming to prominence since 2000)

OCTOBER : WELSH AUTHORS (Either born or associated with Wales)

NOVEMBER : POET LAUREATES

DECEMBER : WILDCARD (Chosen via a vote)

Next one is yours

Happy New Thread, Paul! Love the gorgeous topper! I saw on a photo on FB, with Yasmyne holding a very tasty-looking beverage. It appears she knows her ale...

>17 msf59: The rascals have taken me utterly by surprise mate as it seems that they hopped straight over to Prague for three nights! The beer Yasmyne is downing on FB looks like something we should be doing ourselves!

Good place to hop to!
Looking forward to your BAC Feb shortlist.

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE FEBRUARY 2017 SHORTLIST

Ladies

Kate Griffin

JK Rowling

Mary Stewart

Gentlemen

J.G. Ballard

Iain M. Banks

Terry Pratchett

Writers such as Jo Walton and Neil Gaiman may appear in other shortlists for later in the year - I haven't forgotten them necessarily.

>19 avatiakh: I hope it suffices, Kerry. As you know it is not my comfort zone so feel free to critique and guide!

I'm an old fan of Mary Stewart's novels and Iain Banks is one of my favorite science fictions authors - he also writes general fiction - but he had a very dark streak in some of his writing. I have a Ballard book I want to get to as well (I think I read two of his early this year), but none of them are scifi

I could go for either Mary Stewart or J. K. Rowling for the women. Terry Pratchett is my preference for the male author.

>22 RBeffa: I suppose Ron, that I am open to a fair bit of criticism as Banks, Ballard, Rowling and Stewart have also written non genre work and I wanted slightly to give an option. I have a shortlist here whose eventual selection I have presently no idea about!

>21 PaulCranswick:
JK Rowling is out for me, I think most of us have read the Harry Potters and her other books are mystery novels.
The other two are fine, I've only read Griffin as Claire North so plenty to get on with there, same with Mary Stewart, if I read her before it was so long ago I don't remember any.

I'll plump for Ballard as I've been curious about his writing for an age. I tried reading Pratchett this year and have only managed two books, I just can't get so enthused. Iain Banks is also fine, I've read a couple of his scifi books and would love a reason to read more (I've also read several of his straight fiction).

You should have Banks listed as Iain M. Banks - he did this to distinguish between his fiction and his scifi.

>23 cbl_tn: Thanks Carrie - vote logged!

>25 avatiakh: Kerry, I will accept that distinction on Banks and change it. As you know though I am a soft touch so if anyone reads his non sci-fi stuff (if he's selected) I won't quibble!

99.

The Ipcress File by Len Deighton

Date of Publication : 1962
Pages : 342
British Author Challenge November

The first Harry Palmer novel wherein the narrator, our hero, is never mentioned by name.

He is a different kind of hero. One who doesn't use fisticuffs especially well or fire his gun constantly. One who quips and is world wise and confoundingly cerebral. Great dialogue with some confusing plotting. This starts slowly and then almost seizes up before finally coming to life in the last half of the book delivering an eventually satisfied reader.

A book I was revisiting but one I enjoyed again eventually.

7/10

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE SHORTLIST FEBRUARY

Kate Griffin



Catherine Webb wirtes as Kate Griffin and Claire North and all three would be accepted!

Details can be found on her website :

http://www.kategriffin.net/about/

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE FEBRUARY 2017 SHORTLIST

JK Rowling



Does this lady need any introduction?

Just an admission. I haven't read any of her books yet.

Her website:

http://www.jkrowling.com/en_GB/

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE FEBRUARY 2017 SHORTLIST

Mary Stewart



Mary Stewart passed away in 2014 at the ripe old age of 98.

Lady Stewart is famous for her books on the Arthurian legend.

This is details on her work from fantastic fiction:

https://www.fantasticfiction.com/s/mary-stewart/

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE FEBRUARY 2017 SHORTLIST

J.G. Ballard



Born in 1930 and brought up in the Far East (famously depicted in Empire of the Sun), Ballard is most famous for his Sci-Fi work.

This is the website dedicated to all things Ballardian:

http://www.ballardian.com/about

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE FEBRUARY 2017 SHORTLIST

Iain M. Banks



Iain Menzies Banks died of cancer at the sadly young age of 59. Despite this he produced a great array of work in literary fiction - stark and spectral literary fiction and science fiction. His science fiction was published as Iain M Banks the literary fiction without the 'M'.

This is his very informative website:

http://www.iain-banks.net/about/

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE FEBRUARY 2017 SHORTLIST

Terry Pratchett



Born in 1948, Sir Terry Pratchett is famous for the Discworld series of fantasy/sci fi novels. He died last year suffering from the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

This is his website:

https://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/books/

Hey Paul! Beautiful topper!

>34 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda. xx

Happy New Thread, Paul! You must be missing your lovely other half. Perhaps in a few years you can move back to Britain and maybe keep a satellite office in Malaysia? Sad to say, I am not a fan of Sci - Fi or Speculative fiction or fantasy. A shortcoming on my part.

Happy new thread! I'll cast my vote for Pratchett, a very favorite of mine, for the male author and either Griffin or Stewart for the female. I'm not interested in revisiting Rowling; I enjoyed Harry Potter, but don't think they're as great as people think they are and The Casual Vacancy reads like a god-awful TV movie.

>25 avatiakh: May I ask which Pratchett books you read? I love Discworld, but some of his characters/story lines aren't as enjoyable as others.

A vote for Pratchett from me too. I've not come across Kate Griffin so just on that criteria would like to see her included.

Paul--love the themes idea for the BAC. I have no favorites for the Feb shortlist--will trust your judgment.

I do hope when you set up the threads next year, that you include a list of the authors who didn't make the final cut for that theme. Sort of a "for further reading" list.

Happy new thread, Paul, good luck being a single dad for a short time ;-)

>36 vancouverdeb: I am certainly not a Subject Matter expert when it comes to Science Fiction either, Deb. I think that some of my friends must be credited with good advice if I somehow pick two half reasonable February choices.
The idea of a Branch Office in Malaysia with UK being predominantly my home again is starting to loom larger, I feel. Let's see what the future brings - but I will always love and have an affinity for Malaysia.

>37 amanda4242: I can't comment really on Ms. Rowling as I remain one of the last remaining bastions not to have read any of her books - about to change?

>38 charl08: Noted Charlotte, probably the front-runner so far in a good field.

>39 kac522: Thank you for the Vote of Confidence, Kathy, but I am not sure that I deserve it really!
That is a good idea on the for further reading lists. I will try to remember to do that.

>40 FAMeulstee: Anita, Hani had a good old chuckle at me when I spoke to her this morning and she had noted my obvious surprise that instead of the land of Walter Scott she was actually following more the footsteps of Milan Kundera! A bit rich when you don't even know which country your spouse and your eldest daughter are in. She has gone from being a scared traveller to being Paul Theroux inside of 24 hours!

Happy new thread, Paul! Hope Hani is enjoying her trip!

>43 ChelleBearss: I think she is, Chelle. There was talk about museums and castles and pilsner beer. I am here holding the fort and she is busy looking at forts.

Good morning, Paul. Lovely topper. How is Yasmyne enjoying school and being on her own? Is she in a dorm or sharing other accommodations?

Good morning to you Shelley - it is 9 pm on a Saturday evening here but I know exactly what you mean!

Yasmyne stays in a brand new student hall of residence building on campus at Herriot-Watt in Edinburgh. She has her own self contained little room with an ensuite shower and toilet. She shares a kitchen with another four students and is presently loving every minute of it.

Glad she's having a good time (and her mum too: Prague is such a pretty city, even in the winter). Will you see much of your other two or are they gadding about as well?

Good Day, Paul!

Hmmm. Hani-less. I'm glad she and Yasmyne have a chance to spend some time together, and perhaps Kyran and Belle will get some quality time with Dad, too.

>29 PaulCranswick: Anybody not interested in Harry Potter and The Casual Vacancy might want to consider Rowling's Cormoran Strike/Robin Ellacott detective series, written under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. There are three of them so far, and, as a long-time mystery/detective series reader, I found them interesting, intelligent, and cohesive. The characters are particularly well written.

>47 charl08: Sssshhhh Charlotte otherwise Hani might hear you! Kyran has been in until just now and he is off to his friend's house to jam; poor other parents! Belle is spending Friday and Saturday nights at a friend's house so I have much time to myself with the aid of my wonderful coffee maker Erni. So inobtrusive she is too. Appears makes me fried rice and fills me full of coffee then goes off to her room to watch satellite TV. I reckon she is enjoying the break most of all of us!

>48 karenmarie: I have seen good things about Cormoran Strike, Karen. Let's see.

Two hours to wait before I have to decide which two join the selected writers for BAC 2017.

*skids to a despondent halt* looks like I'm too late :0(

>50 humouress: Surely never too late, Nina.

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE FEBRUARY 2017

Sci-Fi and Fantasy

Boy this was a really tough decision - especially on the three guys whom I have pencilled in and pencilled out again on numerous occasions today. Anyway no turning back and here goes.

MARY STEWART



&

TERRY PRATCHETT

Hi Paul! Crazy that it's time to think about 2017 reading already, isn't it?

>52 PaulCranswick: This genre is always a tough sell for me. I used to love Mary Stewart, but if I were to revisit her now, it would probably be her straight suspense novels, rather than her fantasy works. Don't know if I'll read any more Pratchett, either, having already given him a try because of familial urgings to do so. I'll see how my mood is in February. But carry on, you're doing great with 2017 so far!

Hi Paul, Happy new thread mate. Hope you are coping well without Hani and ten days will soon pass, as you are Hani-less are you going to be sneaking in a glut of books while she is absent, ha ha.

Well this first Test has been a pleasant surprise with some good batting in the first knock and then keeping India to below our total even if it was only 49 runs. I was very pleased for young Hameed with his knock of 62no and hopefully he will go on to record his maiden ton, he didn't do too bad with 31 first time round. There can be no result so I think Cook should use it as batting practice with the 2nd Test starting in a few days time. This Test will have restored confidence in the batting for when wickets may be more conducive to the Indians.

I will say this quietly but have we found a permanent partner for Cook in young Hameed? His nickname is Baby Boycott and he has said if he plays as many Tests as Sir Geoffrey and scores at least the same number of runs then he will be happy but he wants more and I really like his attitude and this may help with our problem middle order spot in that Duckett can cement his place there with good players around him to coax him along.

Hope you are having a good weekend mate, love from us both.

>52 PaulCranswick: So happy to see Pratchett made it! And there's a collection of his short stories coming out in January!

Happy New Thread, mate. Great photo up top of Yasmyne and Hani, and of the whole crew in >7 PaulCranswick:.

Good to see Mary Stewart being considered. I read everything of hers I could get my hands on when I was young. If Terry Pratchett makes it, that'll inspire me to try more of his.

>53 banjo123: Fitting though isn't it Rhonda? 2016 has been one heck of a crazy year.

>54 laytonwoman3rd: I have books by both and have read neither so I am looking forward to it. I have her Merlin books and at least one of the more conventional ones - I will try to stay on theme though.

>55 johnsimpson: It is a shame, John, because the Big Bad Wolf annual sale is less than a month away. Had she been absent during that time........
Only problem with Hameed is a danger that we'll score too slowly when he is paired with Cook but that is a pretty petty quibble when we consider how much trouble we have had finding a partner for him. I really like Duckett and I would have thought that Bell-Drummond will be an ideal partner for Hameed when Cook hangs up his pads.

>56 amanda4242: I thought you would be pleased with that one Amanda.

>57 jnwelch: No Joe. They have made the cut already dear fellow.

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE MARCH 2017

A Decade of British Novels - The 1960s

Born in 1966, I am a child of the Sixties.

This month will be slightly different from the normal pattern in the BAC. I/we will pick two books for each year of the Swinging Sixties. One by a lady and one by a gentleman. It will give 20 books in total to choose from for the month which roughly equates to the BAC average for the output of one of the chosen BAC authors.

Some minor sub-rules.

1) I will not select more than one book by a single author.
and

2) Any author who makes this list will not be an individual author in 2017 BAC but may have appeared in earlier editions of the Challenge (i.e. 2015 & 2016)

3) Author must have been British born or have become a British citizen.

Ideas compadres?

>60 PaulCranswick: Great idea! Some thoughts:

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier (I'd love to re-read this one!)
The Spy Who Came In from the Cold by John Le Carre
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian
The Jewel in the Crown by Paul Scott

>61 cbl_tn: Some strong candidates there, Carrie

Here are some British novels of the 1960s that appeared in the 1001 Books First Edition

1961 The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - Muriel Spark
1961 A Severed Head - Iris Murdoch
1962 The Golden Notebook - Doris Lessing
1962 The Drowned World - J.G. Ballard
1962 A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
1963 The Collector - John Fowles
1963 Inside Mr. Enderby - Anthony Burgess
1963 The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark
1963 The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John Le Carre
1964 Albert Angelo - BS Johnson
1966 Wide Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys
1966 The Magus - John Fowles
1966 Trawl- BS Johnson
1966 The Birds Fall Down - Rebecca West
1967 No Laughing Matter - Angus Wilson
1967 Pilgrimage - Dorothy Richardson
1968 Chocky - John Wyndham
1968 A Kestrel for a Knave - Barry Hines
1968 2001 : A Space Odyssey - Arthur C Clarke
1968 The Nice and the Good - Iris Murdoch
1969 The Green Man - Kingsley Amis
1969 The French Lieutenant's Woman -John Fowles

One or two of those might make the final list.

Oh gosh, can't decide whether to suggest one of the great book I've already read or pick something that I want to read. Will have a look at my bookshelves and be back.

Happy new thread!

Don't know if one of my favorites, Barbara Pym, will make your list, but her No Fond Return of Love was published in 1961.

James Clavell might squeak in as British. He wrote some good ones - King Rat, Tai Pan in the 60's.

I'm not terribly familiar with British writers of this decade, but I found a few qualifying titles I'm interested in:

1960: Jeeves in the Offing by P.G. Wodehouse
1961: The Wind from Nowhere by J.G. Ballard
1962: The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
1962: King Rat by James Clavell
1963: On Her Majesty's Secret Service by Ian Fleming
1963: The Unicorn by Iris Murdoch
1964: A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood
1966: Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
1966: The Comedians by Graham Greene
1967: The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter
1968: 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
1969: Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser

ETA: >62 PaulCranswick: I read The Magus earlier this year and was not impressed, so I'd be happy if it didn't make the cut.

I think for the sixties it would be great to have something that encapsulated Britain in the sixties, rather than a historical novel or one set elsewhere, but I'll need to have more of a think about what that could be.

>63 avatiakh: That is one of my own quandaries Kerry. I can't very well put a list of books I have already read as I will want to participate too but to not have at least one or two I am sure to be able to recommend is surely only right too. Look forward to your list.

>64 drneutron: Thanks Jim.

>65 kac522: Barbara Pym would fit nicely I would have thought, Kathy.

>66 RBeffa: Clavell is a funny one, Ron, as he sort of fits all challenges except perhaps the Canadian Author Challenge. He was born Australian (Anzac challenge), British national (so I can claim him) and became a naturalised American so Mark might want a peek at him too.

>67 amanda4242: I have read most of those Amanda and there are some good ones too. OK since you remain one of my favourites I'll knock out The Magus just for you!

>68 SandDune: Would be apropos, you're right Rhian. I think my ladies novel for 1963 will fit that description.

Happy Sunday, Paul. I'm following the choosing for next year's BAC. So far I'm in with one for January and one for February.

>71 Ameise1: Always happy to see my favourite Swiss lady up for the challenge. xx

Kyran and I have had a decent day out. English cooked breakfast, bookstore and then the cinema. We saw the new Ben Affleck movie, The Accountant, which I thought was excellent viewing although as a moral fable on the virtues of vigilantism perhaps slightly of dubious value.

Books Added:

289. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin (1998) 873 pp
290. The Establishment by Owen Jones (2014) 313 pp
291. The Killing of Crazy Horse by Thomas Powers (2010) 467 pp
292. Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson (1936) 299 pp
293. Social Class in the 21st Century by Mike Savage (2016) 411 pp
294. The English & Their History by Robert Tombs (2014) 891 pp

Oh this is hard. Going mostly for books I haven't yet read, some are obscure but look interesting, I also looked through the winners of the James tait Memorial Prize and found a few there -

1960: The Ballad of Peckham Rye by Muriel Spark
1960: The Great Fortune by Olivia Manning
1961: The Ha-Ha by Jennifer Dawson
1961: Covenant With Death by John Harris
1961: The fox in the attic by Richard Hughes
1961: In a Summer Season by Elizabeth Taylor
1963: The Lowlife by Alexander Baron
1963: The Mind Benders by James Kennaway
1963: The Rise of Gerry Logan by Brian Glanville
1963: The Ragman's Daughter by Alan Sillitoe
1964: The Ice Saints by Frank Tuohy
1964: The Jealous God by John Braine
1965 The Mandelbaum Gate by Muriel Spark
1968: The Crying Game by John Braine
1969: In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden
1969: The Poseidon Adventure by Paul Gallico
1969: The Green Man by Kingsley Amis

>74 avatiakh: There are some great titles to conjure with there Kerry.

I haven't managed to come up with a whole decade but I've thought of these:

The Ballad of Peckham Rye Muriel Spark 1960
The Millstone Margaret Drabble 1965
The Wedding Group Elizabeth Taylor 1968
Poor Cow Nell Dunn 1969

I'd second The Spy who came in from the cold, anything suitable by Iris Murdoch or John Fowles or Angela Carter seems appropriate as well.

And if we're doing children's books too I'd absolutely love to see Joan Aiken or Alan Garner, over Roald Dahl. Not that I don't love Roald Dahl, it's just that he's so much better known. The Weirdstone of Brisingamen (1960) was my all time favourite book as a child but Elidor and The Owl Service are very good as well. Joan Aiken's The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (1962) is brilliant too. Or how about Leon Garfield: The Devil in the Fog (1966) or Smith (1967) would both fit.

Edited to add: don't know what is happening for the touchstone for Smith - it is bringing up every famous books under the sun apart from anything that is called (or written by someone called) "Smith".

>76 SandDune: The touchstones do go off at tangents oftentimes don't they, Rhian?

Some good ones suggested and certainly some food for thought.

I will be putting up 1960 in about twenty minutes.

Am I too late to vote for the L Shaped Room for 1960? One of those books I've always meant to read (about a single mum).

Here are the books I considered for 1960

LADIES

Born Free by Joy Adamson

The L-Shaped Room by Lynne Reid Banks

&

The Great Fortune by Olivia Manning

GENTLEMEN

A Kind of Loving by Stan Barstow

This Sporting Life by David Storey

&

Trouble With Lichen by John Wyndham

>78 charl08: Hahaha Great minds and all that! Post crossed. Will she make the final cut?

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE MARCH 2017 - THE 1960S

1960

The L-Shaped Room by Lynne Reid Banks



Lynne Reid Banks's first novel was a huge bestseller and has remained in print since publication. She spent eight years on a kibbutz from 1962 and now lives in London.

&

A Kind of Loving by Stan Barstow



The story of Vic Brown is possibly the most enduring of "kitchen sink" dramas. Stan Barstow hails from the same hometown as John Simpson and myself and was successful both as a novelist and as a scriptwriter for television plays.

>81 PaulCranswick: Both those certainly fit my request for 'spirit of the 60's'!

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE MARCH 2017 - THE SIXTIES

Here are the books I considered for 1961

LADIES

The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett

No Fond Return of Love by Barbara Pym

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

GENTLEMEN

What is History? by E.H.Carr

The Judas Tree by AJ Cronin

The Fox in the Attic by Richard Hughes

Final Selections



The Game of Kings is the first in the series of Francis Lymond novels set in 16th century Scotland.

&



Richard Hughes only wrote four novels spread out across a long career but this is with A High Wind in Jamaica, considered the best of his work.

>82 SandDune: And 1961's selections less so!, Rhian.

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE MARCH 2017 - THE SIXTIES

1962 Selections

Considered

Ladies

An Error of Judgement by Pamela Hansford Johnson

The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing

The Pumpkin Eater by Penelope Mortimer

Gentlemen

The Drowned World by J.G. Ballard

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

King Rat by James Clavell

Final Selections :



The Pumpkin Eater was a semi-autobigraphical novel about failed marriage and a successful film starring Anne Bancroft.



J.G. Ballard came within a whisker of the Sci-Fi selection for Feb 17. This is one of his best by all accounts.

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE MARCH 2017 - THE SIXTIES

1963 Selections

Considered

Ladies

The Secret Passage by Nina Bawden
Up the Junction by Nell Dunn
The American Way of Death by Jessica Mitford

Gentlemen

The Collector by John Fowles
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John Le Carre
The Making of the English Working Class by E.P. Thompson

Final Selections :



Up the Junction could only be British and was a very distinct product of the 1960s



Generally considered Le Carre's best book and a classic of its genre.

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE MARCH 2017 - THE SIXTIES

1964 Selections

Considered

Ladies

Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken
The Garrick Year by Margaret Drabble
The Italian Girl by Iris Murdoch

Gentlemen

Greybeard by Brian Aldiss
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
The Corridors of Power by C.P. Snow

Final Selections :



Margaret Drabble wrote a handful of excellent novels during the 1960s including this one.



The Corridors of Power was very topical of its time concerned about the arms race and political influence.

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE MARCH 2017 - THE SIXTIES

1965 Selections

Considered

Ladies

Georgy Girl by Margaret Forster
Frederica by Georgette Heyer
The Town in Bloom by Dodie Smith

Gentlemen

The Man With The Golden Gun by Ian Fleming
The British Museum is Falling Down by David Lodge
Lost Empires by JB Priestley

Final Selections :



Could you get any more 1960s than that?

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE MARCH 2017 - THE SIXTIES

1966 Selections

Considered

Ladies

The Mask of Apollo by Mary Renault
The Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
The Richleighs of Tantamount by Barbara Willard

Gentlemen

Slowly Down the Ganges by Eric Newby
The Jewel in the Crown by Paul Scott
The Virgin Soldiers by Leslie Thomas

Final Selections :



Rhys's swansong and she never did better.



The start of the Raj Quartet

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE MARCH 2017 - THE SIXTIES

1967 Selections

Considered

Ladies

The World That Was Ours by Hilda Bernstein
The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter
A State of Change by Penelope Gilliatt

Gentlemen

The Owl Service by Alan Garner
The Naked Ape by Desmond Morris
The Mimic Men by VS Naipaul

Final Selections :

????

????

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE MARCH 2017 - THE SIXTIES

1968 Selections

Considered

Ladies

Another Part of the Wood by Beryl Bainbridge
A Compass Error by Sybille Bedford
The Moon in the Cloud by Rosemary Harris

Gentlemen

2001 : A Space Odyssey by Arthur C Clarke
A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines
The Undiscovered Country by Julian Mitchell

Final Selections :

????

????

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE MARCH 2017 - THE SIXTIES

1969 Selections

Considered

Ladies

Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer
A Bouquet of Barbed Wire by Andrea Newman
The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens

Gentlemen

The Green Man by Kingsley Amis
The Hired Man by Melvyn Bragg
Travels with My Aunt by Graham Greene

Final Selections :

Oh boy, Paul! Just when I thought my planned reads for 2017 were complete, you come along with a most tempting BAC.
I was born in March, 1961 and it seems almost impossible, for me, to ignore this challenge. (taps fingers on keyboard, what to do, what to do?)
OK! If I can get it from a library I'm in it.
Looking forward to all your final selections!

>93 Carmenere: Hahaha; A male version of a Temptress I suppose.

Paul- The Male Temptress! Has a certain ring, doesn't it?

Happy Sunday, my friend. Getting ready to wrap up Hero of the Empire. I think you will love this tale about a young, strapping Churchill.

>95 msf59: Churchill isn't my favourite of our Historical figures, Mark. Eloquent war leader but not the man for peacetime. Great writer of prose though.

Honestly, I have not read much about him and I have not read anything by him. What has been your favorite of his works?

>97 msf59: Mark, his History of the Second World War in numerous volumes is simply wonderful as is his History of the English Speaking Peoples

I will have to look into these, Paul. Thanks!

>99 msf59: Sure fire winners if you like history told like a story.

For some reason the page has stopped loading book covers so I will take a wee breather from my March selections.

So far it looks like I'll be reading either The Spy Who Came In from the Cold or The Jewel in the Crown since both are among my TBRs.

Hi Paul! Lots of interesting books and authors, I might dip in periodically.

It sounds like you had a good time with Kyran at the movies.

>102 cbl_tn: I am a bit frustrated Carrie because for some reason my laptop is not loading up the book covers. I will have a little sleep and then finish up the selections.

>103 karenmarie: I hope you are able to join in on occasions next year, Karen. Kyran and I did have a good time and I thought the Accountant a really good film.

Will have to see what I can find, but I do like the idea of reading Up the Junction...

So pleased you went with The game of kings, I loved this series and just finished the last book a couple of months ago. Lots already that I have interest in reading though maybe not all in March.

>70 PaulCranswick: Thank you for being so accommodating of my pickiness!

>105 charl08: I thought that one the archetypical 60s book Charlotte so I had to put it in the list.

>106 avatiakh: It is one of the books in the list that I have actually read Kerry and I may read the second book instead. You know that I am not so picky as to expect the books necessarily to be finished in the month on March.

>107 amanda4242: You have always been one of the Challenges greatest supporters, Amanda, so it would be both churlish as well as unreasonable not to listen to your opinions. xx

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE MARCH 2017

So whilst I am waiting for the book covers to resume loading properly this is the summary of March's Selections

The L-Shaped Room - Lynne Reid Banks
A Kind of Loving - Stan Barstow
The Game of Kings - Dorothy Dunnett
The Fox in the Attic - Richard Hughes
The Pumpkin Eater - Penelope Mortimer
The Drowned World - J.G. Ballard
Up the Junction - Nell Dunn
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John Le Carre
The Garrick Year - Margaret Drabble
Corridors of Power - CP Snow
Georgy Girl - Margaret Forster
Lost Empires - JB Priestley
Wide Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys
The Jewel in the Crown - Paul Scott
The Magic Toyshop - Angela Carter
The Mimic Men - V.S. Naipaul
A Compass Error - Sybille Bedford
The Undiscovered Country - Julian Mitchell
A Bouquet of Barbed Wire - Andrea Newman
The Green Man - Kingsley Amis

I hope that there is something there to suit all tastes.

Hello Dear Friend. I apologize for being out of touch. Alas, returning to work this time is very draining. It's a good thing I like what I do.

I love the opening photo! What a beautiful wife and daughter!

I should know to keep up with your thread at this time of year. I missed out on the '60s nominations or I would have mentioned Alfie by Bill Naughton. I hope you are enjoying your "freedom", it looks like the ladies are enjoying theirs!

>88 PaulCranswick: Now, I've got that song stuck in my head!

>110 Whisper1: Linda, I have not been the best of thread travellers myself. I understand the pressures of RL believe me, my dear.

>111 Familyhistorian: What's it all about, Meg?! That would have been a good pick for sure. He wrote it originally as a play in 1963 and then "novelised" it in 1966. I would have probably kept Jewel in the Crown though to be honest as, selfishly, I have wanted to read that one for an age.

>112 thornton37814: Michael Caine was great in the original film with Jane Asher and Julia Foster wasn't he?

I love your opening photos, too! Beautiful family, and my goodness, Belle is growing up!

>114 lit_chick: Time flies doesn't it, Nancy?

>108 PaulCranswick: Well, since my opinions can be both churlish and unreasonable...

Hello, Paul!

Lots of good books appear here, and I thank you for your breadth of knowledge and the input of our fellow LTers.

>116 amanda4242: Ah! Now I couldn't possibly comment! xx

>117 karenmarie: You are welcome; more research than breadth of knowledge really in my case, Karen.

I thought I would let you know that the total of posts of the top 140 threads this year has already exceeded last years with a month and a half to go.

I check 140 threads because 140 threads had 200 or more posts in 2012 and I just sort of use that as a benchmark. We have some way to go to equal 2012-2014 when the top 140 threads almost reached 190,000 posts annually. We are presently at 128,000 which beats last year.

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE APRIL 2017



Who are the men and women of South Yorkshire whose writing draws attention to the area of Sheffield steel, Barnsley coal and Doncaster rail.

My home village carries a South Yorkshire postcode despite being in West Yorkshire and paying Wakefield rates. So I grew up straddling two counties which are really one and the same - Yorkshire is Yorkshire and West, South, North and East and constructs by a government aimed a dividing the greta bastions of the North.

Next month I am giving free rein to the writers of my home in West Yorks - the Brontes, Priestley, David Peace, Ted Hughes, David Storey, Simon Armitage of Waterhouse and of Braine.

April next year I will not be as free with their neighbours! We are looking for one lady and one gentleman writer to represent this tough old spot. South Yorkshire boasts less than 1,500,000 people but amongst their number are or have been Joe Cocker, Def Leppard, Sean Bean, Kevin Keegan. Michael Parkinson, Michael Palin, Diana Rigg, Jarvis Cocker. Which writers?

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE APRIL 2007 - SOUTH YORKSHIRE SHORTLIST

Oftentimes I find easier to come across male than female writers. Not really with South Yorkshire.

FEMALE

AS BYATT

Born in Sheffield in 1936. She won the Booker for Possession and has written plenty more besides.

JOANNE HARRIS

Barnsley born and brought up but gave all of us the Gallic flavour of Chocolat as a delight to savour.

or

MARINA LEWYCKA

Born in Kiel of Ukranian origin but emigrated and naturalised in Sheffield. Her experiences of the North are always engaging.

MALE

MALCOLM BRADBURY

His History Man was a huge success in the 1970s and his short stories have always been well received.

BRUCE CHATWIN

Choose whichever continent he was writing of he always held his audience captive. Sadly short-lived.

or

WILLIAM EMPSON

Regarded by many as the greatest literary critic of the 20th Century, he was brought up near Sheffield.

Well Byatt and Chatwin are favourites of mine. But I'm not looking you remember, definitely not...

I'll go for Byatt and Bradbury in this round.

The women are a hard pick, I'd be happy with any of the three. I've read both Byatt and Lewycka and would read them again, haven't read Harris but intend to at some point.

Definitely my vote goes to Chatwin, I've read a couple and have a couple more lined up.

That's a hard one. I have liked the work of all three women. Chatwin's Songlines was a recent pleasure.

Well that was a left field choice and one nobody expected with this mornings announcement that Andrew Gale would be succeeding Jason Gillespie as the hew Yorkshire Coach. I knew that he was considering stepping down from the captaincy but not ending his playing career. Whilst he hasn't much coaching experience he runs a coaching business and has spent the last four years watching, learning and playing under a great coach in Dizzy. I wish him all the luck in the world and it will certainly be a talking point among the other counties and they may think Yorkshire could be slightly weakened and this may take some pressure off his shoulders and I think he will surprise many around the country.

My first choice for female author is Byatt. No preference for the male author. I have no library access to books by William Empson so I would prefer one of the other two male authors. I think Chatwin would be my first choice.

>122 Caroline_McElwee: Caroline, you may not be looking but I am sure that the fingers covering your eyes are widened a little further. xx

>123 amanda4242: I have plenty of their books, Amanda. Then again I have books on the shelves by all of them.

>124 avatiakh: I thought the choice of ladies was pretty easy to get down to three but not really to one. I think that the male one is easy to get down to two and then I have a slight decision.

>125 charl08: I have read Chatwin's travel books but not his fiction and I have both Utz and On the Black Hill in the house somewhere.

>126 johnsimpson: Great fellow is Andrew Gale, John, and I think he will do splendidly. Nobody cares more about the county than he does and I believe had he been personally more selfish he would have been good enough to play for England. Even had it been just as a captain.

>127 cbl_tn: Hahaha, Carrie. No choice for the chap so long as it is Chatwin. xx

Stopping by to say hi. I've done so poorly in following any CAC, BAC, AAC, that I shall not make any suggestions. My mom let me know that my brother and his fairly large family of 4 kids , aged 15 to about 8 years old and his wife have crossed the pond to London for a two week holiday. They had hoped to make a break to Hawaii for the beaches, but upon finding the flights very booked, chose London instead. I think they are very much enjoying themselves. I've had few cute pictures from my 13 year old niece of Big Ben and the Shard, among others.

>129 PaulCranswick: I've read Utz and The Songlines, my tbr includes On the black hill & The Viceroy of Ouidah so would be very happy for a reason to pick them up. Utz is very good and Suzanne commented at the time I read it that it was one of her favourite reads.

I don't have strong preferences on the options either although I do have one or two of Joanne Harris' titles wishlisted.

>129 PaulCranswick: On the Black Hill is wonderful,

>121 PaulCranswick: *blinks in surprise*

I've read one book each by Byatt and Lewycka and three by Harris, so am batting 1.000 there, of your male authors I loved In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin so am batting .333.

I hope you've been having a good day in your corner of the world.

I've learned 2 new politically appropriate words for the US in the last 2 days from a site that sends me A.Word.A.Day.

kakistocracy - PRONUNCIATION:(kak-i-STOK-ruh-see, kah-ki-) MEANING:noun: Government by the least qualified or worst persons.

coulrophobia - PRONUNCIATION:(kool-ruh-FOH-bee-uh) MEANING:noun: The fear of clowns.

>134 karenmarie: - I also subscribe to AWAD, Karen. Great stuff there! And fun :-)

Hi, Paul.

I liked On the Black Hill, but The Songlines remains my favorite of his. I also thought In Patagonia was awfully good.

>130 vancouverdeb: Mmm Hawaii or London in November? And the winner is.........

>131 avatiakh: It is a little book too isn't it so it must pack quite a punch.

>132 thornton37814: Lori, even though I read and quite enjoyed Chocolat, I haven't read anything else of hers and I ought to put that right fairly soon.

>133 SandDune: I want to read some of his fiction Rhian and would probably start there.

>134 karenmarie: Real time reading stats Karen, I'm impressed. Kakistocracy is interesting because the maly word for leg is kaki but I guess you're not pulling mine. It is seriously not coul to fear clowns.

>135 jessibud2: I should go and look it up too, Shelley.

>136 jnwelch: To be honest, Joe, I found In Patagonia interesting but a bit dry.

>138 PaulCranswick: Too bad. It had plenty of juice for me. :-)

>129 PaulCranswick: I've got the Ouidah one to read...

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE APRIL 2007

AS BYATT



BRUCE CHATWIN

>139 jnwelch: Joe, I really like Songlines but I admired In Patagonia more than I liked it.

>140 charl08: I think it will be On a Black Hill for me, Charlotte.

I've read On the Black Hill several times. I might fall into his essays ...ahem... Did I say that, no, must be dreaming, I thought I said something about ... No, imagination.

No excuse not to read these 2 native Sheffield authors. Thanks, Paul. I have several Byatt on the shelf, waiting. Didn't realize the Drabbles were born in Sheffield.

>143 Caroline_McElwee: Those fingers covering your eyes just got a smidgeon wider, Caroline!

>144 kac522: Good old Northern name, Drabble, Kathy. Her sister featured last year.

I would agree that The Songlines and In Patagonia are Chatwin's best. But, really, they are all worht reading!

Presently I am reading a Drabble that I'm having a little trouble getting into, perhaps from having been spoiled by reading too much Iris Murdoch! I think it is a later book. The Witch of Exmoor.

>146 sibylline: Certainly worth reading, Lucy.

I haven't though read The Witch of Exmoor.

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE MAY 2017 - BEFORE QUEEN VIC

NOVELS PUBLISHED BEFORE QUEEN VICTORIA ASCENDED THE THRONE IN 1837

The idea is that every quarter will feature a British Books rather than simply a British Author Challenge

I am looking for ten books published before 1837 -

5 by men and 5 by women.

Women

Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth (1800)
The Mysteries of Udopho by Ann Radcliffe (1794)
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818)
Vindication on the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft (1792)
Lady Susan by Jane Austen (1795)

Men

Waverley by Walter Scott (1814)
Humphrey Clinker by Tobias Smollett (1771)
Reflections on the Revolution in France by Edmund Burke (1790)
Joseph Andrews by Henry Fielding (1742)
Paul Clifford by Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1830)

I will change the Jane Austen selection based on which one people most want to read.

>148 PaulCranswick: For Austen I might suggest either Northanger Abbey or Persuasion, as these will be celebrating the 200 year mark in 2017. And they are a bit shorter than her other novels.

A vote from me for Waverley in the gents division.

How about Lady Susan? It's not one of Austen's major novels so fewer people will have read it.

Paul, the Burke book touchstone goes to an unrelated book. Paul Clifford looks like fun.

>149 kac522: As I said Kathy, I am more than a little open to listening on the Austen because I know her books are so well read in the group and there have been a number of group and tutored reads of her works recently.

>150 amanda4242: That would seem a good idea to me Amanda.

>151 avatiakh: I have amended the touchstone; thanks Kerry. I know there are a couple of editions of Paul Clifford released fairly recently so it shouldn't be so tough to find to read.

>150 amanda4242: I like Amanda's suggestion of Lady Susan too.

Happy Wednesday, Paul! I hope you are having an excellent day and week.

>153 karenmarie: Two votes would normally do Karen.....but should we make it Lady Susan? Technically it wasn't published before Queen Vic; although written in approximately 1795 in was only published in 1871. I don't have that one on the shelves but do have plenty of time to go and seek it out. It is fairly apropos to be fair given the propensity in those days for epistolary novels and I think it is probably right that at least one be included in the ten on offer.

Help?! Thoughts anyone?

>154 PaulCranswick: Excellent! I have Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sanditon on my shelves just waiting to join in.

Personally I'd rather read something by a female other than Austen because hers would be re-reads for me and for many others.

>155 karenmarie: Unless I hear strong arguments on Lady Susan then I will change to it, Karen.

>156 thornton37814: That is one of the reasons I decided to go with books for this month over authors, Lori. Austen and Scott are very widely read but there are four other books by other ladies and four other books by other gentlemen to choose from.

I've read all of Austen's books multiple times, including Lady Susan. Although it's not my favorite I would suggest Northanger Abbey because it would pair well with The Mysteries of Udolpho. It's also one of her shorter novels.

>158 cbl_tn: I will be a little selfish too for a change on Austen, Carrie, as I have, to date only read two of hers and one of them is Northanger Abbey (+ Mansfield Park) and I do want to read one of hers in the relevant month. The pairing of it with The Mysteries of Udolpho is a good spot though.

>157 PaulCranswick: Oh, for some reason, I though you were asking us to select one of them.

>160 thornton37814: Yep, maybe I didn't explain that one overly well, Lori! I did ask for guidance though on Austen as I know there have been so many group reads, etc. of her books and I didn't want to replicate one that had just been "done".

100.

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

Date of Publication : 1979
Pages : 295

Finally our laggardly correspondent gets to 100 books read!

This is a story with an extremely interesting premise and a storyline that has a very compelling impetus. Dana is a Black American married to a white husband in the relatively liberal Carter era USA. Without being able to explain why she is called back through time to the slave era of Maryland both sampling slavery at first hand but also being torn by her relationship with the slave owner's son who has a curious familial link with herself and whose survival she is charged with almost despite herself.

Far-fetched maybe but isn't that one of the charms of literature of this sort and this was indeed charming.

8/10

Congrats on 100! I would hardly call that laggardly. Most of the people I know in real life who are not on LT cannot say the same.

Glad to see you enjoyed Kindred. It's been on my radar for awhile but I haven't gotten to it... yet. Which I can say for many books, obviously.

Though I will probably continue my non-reading of the various author challenges, it's really fun to see you all setting up 2017 as this year winds down. Hope you're enjoying it too!

Congratulations on 100, Paul! There is fair amount of slavery related material on board of late. With Kindred, there is also Underground Railroad and Underground Airlines. For me, my tbr list holds Song Yet Sung by James McBride. I think I am going to try and get in under the wire for 2016. Did you ever read McBride's Miracle at St. Anna?

Congrats on 100 books Paul. I want to read Kindred too.

>167 jnwelch: may have hit me with a book bullet Paul.

Yay 100 books, congratulations. Does that mean you get to buy 100 more :-)

>162 PaulCranswick: Kudos to you for your open mind re the Octavia Butler sci-fi book, Paul, and congratulations on hitting 100 in your busy year.

Congratulations, Paul!

>162 PaulCranswick: Yipes! Another book bullet.

Congratulations on hitting 100! I've just started reading Butler myself and have been very impressed by her work.

Congrats mate on reaching your century, you have just pipped me mate.

>162 PaulCranswick: I remember enjoying Kindred a lot when I read it years ago.

Congratulations on hitting the 100 book mark, Paul, and with a science fiction selection as well!

>163 bell7: Thank you Mary. I have never failed to make 100 books as far as I can remember and certainly ever since I starting keeping any note of my reading progress - since my mid teens anyway.

>164 brodiew2: I have noted, Brodie, that Underground Railroad seems to be the flavour of the month on the threads and I believe that it has moved all who have read it.

>165 charl08: Pales of course in comparison with your 300 plus books but I am happy in my own little way. xx Kindred is a great story well told.

>166 Caroline_McElwee: Hahaha Caroline, I rarely need quite so much excuse. At the beginning of December the Big Bad Wolf sale arrives in Kuala Lumpur and I would be surprised if I don't buy a few score books at the time for less than $2 a book.

>167 jnwelch: Well Joe I am trying to broaden my reading horizons with more Sci-fi. If I continue to choose titles like that one I will be soon reading along with the genres most convinced adherents.

>168 karenmarie: I got the book bullet from one of the threads but, quite unlike me, I cannot remember which one it was! Unavoidable hazard of trawling the threads isn't it. Karen?

>169 amanda4242: Ah! now I remember where I got the idea to read Octavia E Butler! Thanks, Amanda.

>170 johnsimpson: Wasn't racing you buddy honestly! Anyway you have probably read 10,000 pages more than I have.

>171 SandDune: I imagine I will read a book by Sheri S Tepper next month, Rhian, as I continue to slowly ease my way into the genre more.

>172 ronincats: There are so many Sci-Fi and fantasy aficionados in the group, Roni, but the first to really push me to join you all was a certain Roni from the Golden State.

I've been considering the May list and have decided that while I have a slight preference for Scott and Edgeworth, I wouldn't mind any of the titles you've listed.

>162 PaulCranswick: I have been toying with adding Octavia E. Butler to the AAC, Paul. I have never read her.

>176 amanda4242: Amanda, I will read as many of the ten as I can but I will probably finish up doing no more than two men and two women - Edgeworth, Scott, Smollett and Shelley are the most probables for me to read.

>177 msf59: I reckon that would be a solid choice Mark. How is progress with next year's choices coming by the way?

>178 PaulCranswick: Considering the length of some of them, I doubt I'll get to all of them either. If I was a suspicious sort, I'd think this was some plot to keep me from reading all of next year's BAC titles ;)

>179 amanda4242: i wouldn't bet against you at all Amanda! I did keep some of the longer ones like Tom Jones and Tristram Shandy off the list as I recognised the completists amongst us would be unduly disadvantaged. To be honest I am also a wannabe completist not that you would get that from my actual track-record.xx

Hi Paul!

>174 PaulCranswick: I rarely remember who recommended a book, just add it to the currently-at-326-book wishlist if I don't immediately satisfy by spending $4 -$10 with Amazon for a used copy.

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE JUNE 2017 - THE HISTORIANS

Not everyone likes reading history. One of my oldest jokes is about the Irish father who went to school and complained that his daughter's history lessons were unfair because they were asking her about things that happened before she was even born!

For this month we aim to find one lady and one gentleman. They could be straight historians or they could be writers of historical fiction.

Some obvious options:

LADIES

Barbara Erskine
Alison Weir
C.V. Wedgwood
Elizabeth Chadwick
Pat Barker
Lindsey Davis
Sarah Dunant
Kate Furnivall
Philippa Gregory
Georgette Heyer
MM Kaye
Norah Lofts
Edith Pargeter or Ellis Peters
Jean Plaidy
Mary Renault

GENTLEMEN

Isaiah Berlin
Asa Briggs
Niall Ferguson
Max Hastings
Christopher Hibbert
Eric Hobsbawm
Tom Holland
Tony Judt
Ian Kershaw
Robert Lane-Fox
Thomas Babington Macaulay
Andrew Roberts
Simon Schama
AJP Taylor
GM Trevelyan
Hugh Trevor-Roper
Bernard Cornwell
Alfred Duggan
CS Forrester
Winston Graham
Robert Graves
Conn Iggulden
Allan Massie
James McGee
Frederick Rolfe
EV Thompson

>181 karenmarie: It is always nice to remember who recommended which books, Karen and I know some of our number use tags to keep such records. Sometimes I suppose if we remember the recommender but then hate the book it could be counter productive! xx

>183 PaulCranswick: I never hold it against a book recommender if I don't like a book!

>182 PaulCranswick: For women my vote is Georgette Heyer. She is one of my favorite authors. People might be put off by her classification as a romance writer, but she did also write mysteries and "contemporary" fiction. Of her 56 unique works I have 52 in my catalog. I haven't read 10 of them - 8 mysteries, 1 historical fiction, and 1 short stories. This might be the impetus for me to read one of the mysteries.

Of the men I've read the first two Poldarks by Winston Graham and started Simon Sharma's volume 1 of 3 of his A History of Britain series. Any of the others would be new territory.

>184 karenmarie: I was joking of course Karen. xx

I think Ms. Heyer gets a pretty good press in the group generally and I really must give her a try at some stage. We are spoilt rotten on the male side with brilliant Historians as well as some fantastic historical fiction writers. It is going to be a very hard decision to be honest.

I can definitely vote against Philippa Gregory as being rather too far from the truth a lot of the time, although I suppose that's why it is called historical fiction!

Simon Schama is always excellent, and Bernard Cornwell is delightfully readable (although he tends to write in trilogies or series so might be difficult to do a one book attack on him). Neil Oliver is another Scottish historian who writes wonderful books.

Other options (forgive me if they've been picked in past years, as you can tell I've been off the radar!):

Edward Rutherfurd
Mary Beard
Alice Roberts
Peter Ackroyd
Margaret George
Simon Sebag Montefiore
Dorothy Dunnett

>174 PaulCranswick: If you want to branch out into the sf/horror/apocalyptic genre while still keeping to the literary side, take a look at Zone One, Colson Whitehead's take on zombies. I'm about 25% of the way in and it's pretty good!

I love both Georgette Heyer and Ellis Peters, and have unread books by both authors in my library. I've been wanting to try Lindsay Davis, too. I loved M.M. Kaye's books as a young adult, but her books haven't aged as well as Mary Stewart's, IMO.

For the male authors, I have unread books by Simon Schama and Christopher Hibbert, and I've been hoping to start the Poldark series soonish.

>182 PaulCranswick: I'd add Lucy Worsley (who writes about the Georgians, and royals), Jenny Uglow (who writes social hiatories, biography), Claire Tomlin (or have you done her recently? I have a vague memory of a discussion, but perhaps not?), Sheila Rowbotham whose work includes histories of feminism and activism in the US and the UK.

Good morning, Paul! I hope all is well with you.

>187 drneutron: I would be interested to know what you find so compelling about Zone One. I got about as far as you are now and though intrigued by the zombie story, I found the literary style hard to engage. There seem to be an overly pretentious air in the writing. I know that sounds harsh but I don't know how else to describe it.

>190 brodiew2: Yeah, I can see how the writing can be seen as overly pretentious. But I'm intrigued by Mark Spitz and his history and his thought process. I like some of the imagery Whitehead's using - it's creating an atmosphere of 'while this terrible thing has happened and the world is radically different, how people react to it hasn't changed". I got hooked by this little hint of despair and giving in to the attack in the HR office.

I hope that makes sense...

>186 lunacat: JENNY!!! Lovely to see one of my absolute favourites back in the bosom of the group.
I really ought to have included Ackroyd (no relation to Dan, of course). Margaret George is out because she is an American. My SIL counts Philippa Gregory as her favourite author which I am not sure is sufficient endorsement to foist her on the group in truth. I would probably get lynched if I picked Edward Rutherfurd and his 1000 page monsters. I didn't include Dorothy Dunnett as I included one of her books in the 1960s selection.

>187 drneutron: I have spent too much time looking at the listless array in my office on a Monday morning to take up the cudgel and read books about zombies, Jim. Zombies and Vampire romances are still a genre that is not calling to me so loudly.

>188 cbl_tn: I have read Ellis Peters writing as Edith Pargeter and I enjoyed the experience. I am really going to have to sleep on this one, Carrie, as I really haven't the foggiest idea who to choose just now.

>189 charl08: I have books by all three, Charlotte, and all would be quite good. Historical biography - literary biography anyway - is a sub-genre that Claire Tomalin has few equals in.

>190 brodiew2: Pretentious zombies? They'll only snatch the better class of bodies, I guess. Overblown language is something that I find a little hard to square with the subject matter, Brodie.

>191 drneutron: Well if anyone could get me to give it a go it is probably you Jim. I mean, I was an infrequent user of the internet and stumbled onto a group page on a website that seemed mildly interesting to my stat-a-holic self and, my threads have racked up 40,000 posts since.

>193 PaulCranswick: :D Someday...

>194 drneutron: Let's see if the bookstore has it in the likely event that I will venture there tomorrow.

I'm happy with your list, the suggestions by others and will be ok with whatever choice is made though I would vote against Philippa Gregory for same reason as stated by Jenny above and while I love Georgette Heyer, she is already so popular in the group...

>192 PaulCranswick:

Huh, I never knew Margaret George was American. Learn something new every day! And I agree with Kerry about Georgette Heyer being so popular, perhaps she doesn't need the encouragement to read her. I've also found her a bit hit and miss, and she's rather.........not formulaic as such, but the books all tend towards a similar theme. I have a strong favourite of hers but the others I found rather 'samey'. While quantity, and indeed quality, wouldn't be an issue, she might not have the scope and the chance to expand the horizons in the same way some of the other possibilities do.

>182 PaulCranswick: ACK! With so many good writers how am I supposed to decide on just two?!

I guess I'll vote for Renault, because I have a stack of unread books by her, and Cornwell, because my dad has a ton of his books from which I can choose.

Hi Paul! I'm emerging from my shattered little post-election world to get back on LT for a bit. I like the Feb shortlist. I'd vote for Iain Banks and Mary Stewart.

Heyer's historicals are not considered to be nearly as good reads as her romances. They were her particular favorites, but she tended to get really heavy on the detail at the cost of the story. So if we are looking at her as someone who writes in a historical setting, which includes her Regencies and Georgian books, fine, but if we are looking only at her histories, no.

Allison Weir and Robin Lane-Fox.

Forgot to vote on the longlist :)

>196 avatiakh: Kerry, I woke up no further forward in deciding who to pick for the June BAC. I would like one to be a historian and one to be a writer of histories but that doesn't settle anything for me yet! I do see the point about Heyer but I remain as perverse as ever as - as with Rowling - I still haven't read anything of hers.

I am reading Crime Story at the moment by Maurice Gee for your ANZAC challenge and loving it.

>197 lunacat: I remember coming across that when I read her book on Henry V111, Jenny.

>198 amanda4242: It is a tough genre for me because it is one very dear to me, Amanda. I hope I'll be able to make up my mind soon!

>199 The_Hibernator: The world is changing so much isn't it Rachel? What next for so called populism? Marine Le Pen in France, perhaps? Trump in certain respects will antagonise the Republicans with his ideas on fiscal stimulus and that fact that in some respects he is not actually republican at all, but this targeting of certain communities the latinos and muslims in particular is reprehensible and does not bode at all well.

At least you were half satisfied then with the selection of Stewart.

>200 ronincats: No Roni. When the author is selected there is no restriction on what you read by him or her.

>201 The_Hibernator: Solid suggestions both, Rachel. I have something by both on the shelves.

>202 PaulCranswick: I really enjoyed Crime Story and also liked the film version, I think it's called Fracture.

Well, I can still rustle up one or two unread Heyers or go for a reread. I'd suggest for you to read her An infamous army which is loosely part of a trilogy or The Spanish Bride, mainly because both are set around warfare.

>204 avatiakh: I also have his Going West on the shelves, Kerry and I reckon it won't stay unread too long. I haven't plumped for Heyer yet though!

Re ANZAC reading - I haven't read Going West as yet though do have it. I'm currently in the early stages of a book of essays by Clive James and this morning also started one of his poetry books, Sentenced to Life.

>207 PaulCranswick: Very erudite fellow, Clive James. Must read some of his poetry at some stage.

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE JUNE 2017 - THE HISTORIANS

GEORGETTE HEYER



&

SIMON SCHAMA

Hani and Yasmyne have landed at my Mum's place having driven down from Edinburgh.

My Mum seems in great form to be fair - here she is telling the ladies about my sister's son and, off camera, you will be treated to Hani's trademark laugh.

https://www.facebook.com/paul.cranswick.9/videos/pcb.10155041121855769/101550411...

That was too quick. I didn't get to chime in. Most of the time by the time I manage to see the list, the selection has been made.

Good morning, Paul. I hope all is well with you. Happy Friday!

I do not accept this result! I'm taking you to the high court before anyone declares article 50.

(Sorry, couldn't resist)

>210 thornton37814: Sorry Lori. I will try to take the next few selections a bit slower.

>211 brodiew2: Thanks Brodie. Actually, I am good but got myself a bit exhausted after a pretty full working week and a fair bit of stress so I curled up on my bed with a (very) good book at 9 pm and woke just over 6 hours later.

>212 charl08: And I am positive that the Supreme Court will allow you to intervene! Seriously I am not at all sure that it is good precedent to have the courts used to decide and deliberate upon what are essentially matters of public policy (non Brits, I am not now talking about the British Author Challenge).

Oh dear! Trump's first team picks are truly scary aren't they?

A racist bigot like Jeff Sessions for Attorney-General and Mike Flynn, who termed islam "a cancer" as National Security Adviser. Donald J Trump is certainly working overtime not to put the minds of the fearful at rest.

101.

Crime Storyby Maurice Gee

Date of Publication : 1994
Pages : 272
Kerry's Anzac Challenge

Brent is a petty thief and a housebreaker. When he is surprised in one of his escapades things go badly wrong with multifarious implications for perpetrator and victim.

New Zealander, Maurice Gee, examines the event and the aftermath as it impinges on the family of the criminal and that of the house owner he was breaking into. He examines it with great skill and compassion and, in the process, creates an extremely affecting and effective piece of fiction.

I have long wanted to read work by Maurice Gee and two things gave my reading impetus. Firstly of course, my friend Kerry's ANZAC challenge which I have supported in my usual well intentioned but hit and miss manner and, secondly, because I remembered that I bought this book in a second hand store on my visit to Kaikoura. Kaikoura is much in the news this last week and is a place I remember fondly and with hope of its return to beautiful normalcy as soon as possible.

Highly recommended.

9/10

>214 PaulCranswick: I'm simply aghast.

#214
The good thing about these recent appointments are the following:

1. Jeff Sessions will no longer be senator from Alabama. He will have to resign, so there is hope that the governor of Alabama will appoint a more moderate Republican to fill the remaining term.

2. Mike Pompeo will no longer be a pain in the neck in Kansas. He can move on to Washington D. C. and be a pain there.

3. Kris Kobach - I can only hope that he will be moving to Washington and take his pain in the neck attitude out of the state. But it doesn't look like Kansas will get to be that lucky.

>214 PaulCranswick: - Sadly, I don't think that was ever his intention. And as for those people who voted for him, believing him at his word when he said he'd be their voice, do what it took to help them and help make America great again, well, their eyes are going to be opened sooner rather than later as they realize what an evil force he is and how little he cares about anyone but himself and his own power, *because he can*....

:-(

Since the cat is away Paul Mouse is in play at the bookstore

295. Confessions : An Innocent Life in Communist China by Kang Zhegguo (2004) 443 pp
296. Hiding in Plain Sight by Nuruddin Farah (2014) 339 pp
297. Northern Lights by Tim O'Brien (1975) 363 pp
298. The Lotus and the Storm by Lan Cao (2014) 386 pp
299. Mood Indigo by Boris Vian (1947) 214 pp
300. Hell and Good Company by Richard Rhodes (2015) 239 pp
301. The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey (2014) 460 pp
302. Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant (2009) 461 pp
303. The Jaguar Smile by Salman Rushdie (1987) 137 pp
304. A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft (1792) 296 pp
305. Last in the Tin Bath by David Lloyd (2015) 291 pp
306. The Odessans by Irina Ratushinskaya (1996) 408 pp
307. The Lost by Jonathan Aycliffe (1996) 248 pp
308. Travels in the Interior of Africa by Mungo Park (1805) 388 pp
309. The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence (1964) 301 pp

Mixed bag here with 6 non-fiction and 9 works of fiction.

Non-Fiction
We go back to the 18th century for Wollstonecraft's early exposition of feminism (BAC novel pick for 2017), we have Pulitzer winner, Richard Rhodes, analysing the Spanish Civil War, a cricket autobiography, a memoir of life under Mao, Rushdie on Nicaragua and the classic account of Mungo Park exploring West Africa.

Fiction
African novelist and resumed Nobel nominee Nuruddin Farah and US-Vietnamese writer Can Lao were bought in discounted hardback. O'Brien gives us one of his early takes on coping after 'Nam and the classic French novel on jazz by Vian. A couple of creepy thriller with the acclaimed first book by M.R. Carey and the epistolary effort by Aycliffe. I am looking forward to reading the novel by Russian poet and dissident Irina Ratushinskaya and the CAC chosen Margaret Laurence is one I was happy to stumble upon. Finally whilst I was prevaricating on who should be my historical novelist for BAC June 2017, I added Sarah Dunant's tale of nunneries and songstresses set in 16th century Ferrara.

>216 karenmarie: Same here Karen.

>217 benitastrnad: So the people of Alabama and Kansas have slight reason to smile whilst the rest of the country winces and growls. Yikes.

>218 jessibud2: I did actually say "working overtime NOT (capitalisation added) to put the minds of the fearful at rest", Shelley. Me being glib as usual.
"Evil force" may be a tad strong (I hope) but he doesn't appear to be much of a force for good either at the moment.

>208 PaulCranswick: Well, I'm happy with Heyer and Schama. I have lots of Heyers on the shelves. Have never actually read Schama, only watched him.

>214 PaulCranswick: Scary, indeed. I live in a blue state (Illinois) in a blue city (Chicago) in a blue ward in a blue precint. Maybe we can secede.

>217 benitastrnad: Hey, maybe Mr. T. will take our dopey governor, Mr. Rauner--that'd be a great way to get him out of Illinois.

>221 kac522: Kathy, it was the toughest set of selections I have made so far.

The adjustments needed to be made to get through the next few years are manifold, I guess and I wish all of us well.

Congrats on reading 100 books, Paul. I agree with Lori, you are too fast. I thought I would be able to chime in on the historians, at least but I always seem to hit your thread at the wrong time. Now I am in a quandary as Schama's books tend to be long and I have a few unread volumes on the shelf but if I read one of his books will I have time to fit in a Heyer?

BAC 2017 already .... time does fly

Interesting reads up there already .....

>223 Familyhistorian: Ok then Meg. Criticism well and duly accepted. July to December 2017 we'll take our time a bit more. One month is however pretty much pre-selected.

I will put up July suggestions today.
Monday we'll make the decision

Tuesday we'll put up August suggestions
Friday we'll make the decision

26/11 for September suggestions
28/11 for decision

29/11 for October suggestions
2/12 for Decisions

November is UK Poet Laureates

December one week of voting for Member choices
Decision 10 December

Fair?

>224 roundballnz: Yep time does indeed whizz by, Alex, doesn't it?

>225 PaulCranswick: Thanks for posting the time schedule, Paul. Now all I have to do is remember!

>226 Familyhistorian: Me too, Meg!

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE JULY 2017 - SCOTTISH AUTHORS

We are looking for a female and a male writer either born in or generally considered Scottish

Some options

Female

Jackie Kay
A.L. Kennedy
Deborah Moggach
Val McDermid
Shena MacKay
Denise Mina
Janice Galloway
Zoe Strachan
Anne Donovan
Margaret Oliphant
Jessie Kesson
Alex Gray
Theresa Breslin
Nan Shepherd
DE Stevenson

Male

Ian Rankin
Compton MacKenzie
Robert Louis Stevenson
Eric Linklater
James Kelman
Irvine Welsh
Arthur Conan-Doyle
JM Barrie
Alasdair Gray
Alexander McCall Smith
William McIlvanney
John Buchan
James Hogg
Alan Warner
AJ Cronin

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE JULY 2017 - SCOTTISH AUTHORS

This may also be of help:

http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/book-lists/50-best-scottish-books-of-th...

I am quite open to accepting Michel Faber as a Scottish author as would Leila Aboulela as both emigrated to Scotland.

Ali Smith, Muriel Spark, Iain Banks, Dorothy Dunnett, William Boyd,Walter Scott, Tobias Smollett have either appeared before in BAC or have been shortlisted already for 2017 elsewhere or have a book appearing in a different 2017 month.

I'd like the excuse to read more Jackie Kay. Her book Trumpet about a jazz musician is fascinating, and I love her poetry (the bits that I've read). Plus she fits in the reading more diverse lit, that I know some of us are keen to try next year.

>230 charl08: I do like Jackie Kay's poetry very much, Charlotte. I have Trumpet on the shelves somewhere too.

Happy Saturday, Paul! Looks like you are going to be quite ambitious on your BAC. I salute you. I will probably throw some authors in the mix and see what I cook up. I will start working on mine, in the next 2 weeks.

Meeting Mr. Joe tomorrow for eats and brews. We are long over due.

I have TBRs for Val McDermid and D. E. Stevenson, and I'd love an excuse to try Denise Mina or Deborah Moggach.

I have TBRs for J.M. Barrie, Alexander McCall Smith and Arthur Conan Doyle, and I'd love an excuse to read more Stevenson or Buchan. I've also been meaning to try Ian Rankin.

Women: I've heard good things about Oliphant and Stevenson. I'd probably like Moggach since she writes historical fiction (or at least the first thing I clicked was that genre). Gray seems to feature a detective, but the reviews don't make her stand out. Breslin appears to write for a YA audience, but a lot seem to be historical fiction which I'd like.

Men: Top ones here are Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, J. M. Barrie, A. J. Cronin, and John Buchan. (I tried one by Alexander McCall Smith and did not like it.)

>209 PaulCranswick: Your mom and daughter and Hani all sound/ look great! Hani does have a wonderful laugh. How is the bachelor doing? Hanging in there, Paul?

>233 cbl_tn: I am pretty much fine with any of the picks for men and women although I have read most of Conan Doyle and Buchan over the years. Another few good ones in terms of Scottish thriller writers would be Philip Kerr, Craig Russell, Stuart MacBride and Christopher Brookmyre

>234 thornton37814: Yes I had the same experience with McCall Smith, Lori.

>235 vancouverdeb: Her laugh has become more pronounced over the years, Deb. The bachelor has books all over the bedroom and reading room at present as I am culling my 4,000 books unread down to about a quarter of that for the next five years reading (I can dream that I'll suddenly start doing 200 a year and not buy any!!). I have two days to get cleared away.

Aminatta Forna is another Scottish author you might want to consider. i've loved both of her books that I've read.

I vote for DE Stevenson, because I really enjoyed Miss Buncle's Book, and Robert Louis Stevenson, because I need an excuse to finally read something of his other than Jeckyll and Hyde.

>238 amanda4242: Two Stevensons would be easy to remember, too!

I'm a fan of D.E. Stevenson, too. She has a bunch of good ones.

>230 charl08: I'll second Jackie Kay as well, she's got a couple of books that I keep meaning to get atound to.

I have only one book by one of the female authors on the shelves and I would love to use this as an excuse to get to it. That is Shena MacKay.

John Buchan would be my vote for the male author. I picked up one of his books when I was on Islay so that would be a doubly Scottish read. I get a kick out of the fact that he was once our Governor General.

>237 cbl_tn: Great suggestion, Carrie. Scottish born Forna has to be a strong contender.

>238 amanda4242: Two Stevensons and both related to the Lighthouse Stevensons. If I am not mistaken DE Stevenson was the niece of RL Stevenson.

>239 cbl_tn: I think even I would be able to remember that one!

couple of additional ideas : Robin Jenkins & Alan warner

>240 jnwelch: I do recall, Joe, you stating before that she was an author whose books you enjoyed.

>241 SandDune: It is shaping up to be a hard decision for me. I have unread books on the shelves by 9 of the 15 ladies I suggested and by 11 of the 15 men.

>242 Familyhistorian: John Buchan's Richard Hannay books are creatures of their time perhaps but still rollicking good fun to read. I have read The 39 Steps three times.

>244 roundballnz: Alan Warner was on my list to be fair, Alex, but Robin Jenkins would be a great left-field choice. His The Cone-Gatherers is considered a classic of the immediate post war period.

>246 PaulCranswick: so he was ....apologies .... The changeling is one that sticks with me ( most likely as read it in the last couple of years)

>247 roundballnz: I haven't got that one Alex but it does look pretty good.

I have to mention James Robertson. Naomi Mitchison also comes to mind, just to mention her here.

Please remember that some of us don't do great with reading dialect, Irvine Welsh comes to mind, though I loved the audio of his Trainspotting.

Well, won't bother me too much who you choose as I haven't read many on the list. My favourite is Ian Rankin but have read all but his latest and will read that as soon as the library queue allows me to.

>249 avatiakh: I am mindful of James Kelman and Irvine Walsh exactly for the reasons you give, Kerry, and so they are unlikely to feature in the down-select, although I want to read both of them soon. Trainspotting is a perfect example of the advantages of audio books surely?

I am having a difficult weekend of my own devising as I have decided that my 4000+ TBR is utterly unmanageable and that I need to focus more. Therefore I have decided to cull my reading to just 750 books. This represents what I hope is 5 years of reading. I have gone through all my books and culled down 150 essential non-fiction reads and 600 works of fiction. I am then organising the fiction and non fiction books in my bookcases and the rest will be put on my reading stand, above our wardrobes and boxed.

I have exempted my several hundred poetry anthologies from this as I dip in and out of the ones I have read anyway and would be lost if I put them out of sight.

An admirable endeavour. Good Luck. You know they're still writing books. It's a no win scenario. :)

>251 PaulCranswick: Congrats on actually achieving this. I'm trying to cull my collection down to a manageable size and finding it difficult, I still want to read 95% of what's there, I need to stop using the library.

>251 PaulCranswick: That is a mighty challenge for you ......

>252 mahsdad: Culling books or at least putting them out of arms way (not harms way) for a while and dedicating myself to a task to really make inroads in my reading piles is something I have been thinking about for a while, Jeff. To be honest with the UK becoming more and more a possibility and having a library there I can use may help me address what is clearly my compulsive book buying. I have bought 2,500 books in four years during a time that I have read 480 books. It is a madness that I really do need to check, especially in these straightened days.

>253 avatiakh: I reckon I will be sorted out by Monday, Kerry. I am sure that I am going to curse myself for putting in certain book in a box or atop the wardrobes. I dare say certain titles will be recalled from book purgatory before too long!

>254 roundballnz: Kyran and Belle both helped bringing books to their place of rest. Kyran was especially useful as his extra five inches of height enabled him to reach certain nooks and crannies beyond my own scope.

>252 mahsdad: You know they're still writing books. It's a no win scenario. Sad to say, but true.

I'm impressed, Paul. It is good exercise, plus a great excuse to touch and feel all those lovely books.

>255 PaulCranswick: Book purgatory. I like that.

I wish you a happy Sunday evening and all good things for the coming week.

>255 PaulCranswick:, Wait until you get back to these shores mate, Davids' secondhand books stall with quality books at 50p for paperback and £1 for hardbacks, all the charity shops, all your favourite book haunts, Nostell Priory have Book and craft fairs three or four times a year with books three for £1 and then Hay-on-Wye is only a few hours drive away and you think your TBR pile will reduce. Ha, ha, ha ,ha ,ha, ha.

We have fought back in the test and Cook and Hameed ground the Indians down a bit to get us off to a sound start, tomorrow could throw up a surprise or two hopefully in our favour.

>256 karenmarie: It is good exercise both spiritually and physically Karen as those books take a bit of lugging around. One problem is that all the dust being disturbed makes my eyes sore and aggravates my asthma.

>257 johnsimpson: I know, John. Impossible isn't it?

Good show from Cook and Hameed but it will be a long, long day tomorrow.

Since I started noting my purchases on my thread in 2013 up to today I have added 1090 books in that period and still time to add to this figure, ha ha.

That's quite a challenge, Paul!

Howdy Paul. Happy Sunday. I am impressed with the all the book sorting. I keep promising myself to do the same. *sigh*

I have heard Val MacDermid speak and the way she rolls her r's indicates to me that she is Scottish, but I am not an expert in the dialects of the British Isles. II am interested in her as an author because I have not read anything by her. I am also interested in reading D.E. Stevenson and Deborah Moggach. The men - I don't really care has I know little about them. Therefore, exposing me to any of them would be OK.

I like the idea of giving us a few extra days to respond. I need it.

Hi there, Paul. As promised, as only a sometime player, I am not weighing in on the BAC nominations but I am thoroughly enjoying the nominations and the final selections. Maybe I will finally, finally read The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.

>251 PaulCranswick: That sounds like a horrid weekend, indeed.

Take good care, Paul!

Ve-e-e-ry interesting about the book--culling isn't quite the right word yet, is it? The book sorting, then. It will be interesting seeing if you can stick to it. XOX

>259 johnsimpson: Am getting there, John. It is probably going to be 780 fiction and 156 non-fiction. I have culled down to around 800 on the fiction so with a little trimming and some reading I should start next year with those numbers. It will represent 6 years of reading 156 books a year off my TBR to dispose of them all. Difficult but manageable.

>260 DianaNL: It is indeed Diana. Putting a book away that you bought to read.......I can almost hear the pages sighing.

>261 luvamystery65: I am racing to get it done and the room in some sort of shape for Madam's return tomorrow.

>262 benitastrnad: Yes, Benita, she is most definitely Scottish. All three that you mentioned are calling to me to be honest.

>263 benitastrnad: I probably need it too Benita in order to catch up with myself.

>264 EBT1002: I still think it is by far and a way the best thing Le Carre has written. Book strewn was my weekend, Ellen, book strewn!

>265 ronincats: Well you are right because I have reserved decision on what to do with some of the books. I think when I do have the time I will probably look at them again and do another sort and take out the books that it is really unlikely I will ever read.

Hi Paul! I am sorry also that the June vote went so fast, because I wanted to vote for Pat Barker. I think she would be great for the challenge.

I don't have a Scottish pick for the ladies, but I will put in a plug for RLS. I think he was a bigger character than any of the other authors,

>268 banjo123: Rhonda, noted. I do get carried away sometimes so I am sorry to the BAC followers for my precipitate actions.

>269 PaulCranswick: Oh, that's fine. I am sure there will be room for Pat Barker another time.

>270 banjo123: There is a chance for December 2017 of course as that will be decided by a vote amongst the BAC "participants". This is unlike previous years and I thought it time that it was handed over at least once. x

Have to say Val MacDermid being on the list will give me the excuse I need to finally pick up her books .... love listening to her speak she is sharp & hilarious

Lucky for me I can't stand clutter, no that's not the word, its being surrounded by 'stuff' ( books or other) so my book collection has never got too big - but do need to actually read the books I have .... last couple of years have been rather lacking in the actual reading some thing that will be changing in the new year.

Congratulations on reaching 100 books read.

Hi, Paul! What a project! Cutting down the list of 4,000 to get to around 900! And organizing it all. Good luck with keeping your resolution. As someone above said, they keep writing books...

I haven't participated in the BAC before, so I won't vote, but I will say that Val McDermid's Tony Hill/Carol Jordan thrillers are fantastic. Dark and violent but very compelling.

Congrats on hitting 100!

>272 roundballnz: You are correct Alex. I haven't read any of her books yet either and it would be the push I also need.

>273 sirfurboy: Thank you Sir F.

>274 Storeetllr: It has been a challenge indeed, Mary, but I think that I have managed it. I had a few books extra but of course realised that I intended reading some of them anyway in December!
Your voice will always be heard here, my dear, on BAC or any other topic.

Hi Paul!

I hope Hani's homecoming was happy and that things are settling down a bit for you after your book organization project. I just recently moved 1550 books from two downstairs rooms to one upstairs room, updating the location tag for each, so can definitely appreciate the effort!

Well done on the cull! I'm very impressed. How are you going to manage the acquisition of new books and those essential books that simply have to be purchased, those by favourite authors etc, and incorporate them in to your 156 book a year reading challenge? I can't imagine how one would even go about doing such a thing!

>276 karenmarie: Yes, Karen, La Grande Dame is back in town and thankfully I managed to get the books stowed in time! It was an effort indeed.

>277 lunacat: It will involve reading more than the 156 if I am to take in new books, Jenny. Now that is a challenge for me to get about my reading more.
Lovely to see you back again my dear. xx

Hope all is tidy for the return of the traveller. Sounds like a fun time with the books - I always like having a reorganisation. Finishing rather than just picking up and reading a forgotten book is challenging though...

>279 charl08: The general tidiness I have to thank Erni, the world's best housemaid, for that. Must admit that I am pleased with myself a little for having my books a little more organised.

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE JULY 2017 - SCOTTISH AUTHORS

DE STEVENSON


&

RL STEVENSON



First time I have paired relatives in the BAC.

Strongly considered Val McDermid but I was fairly sure in the choice of Robert Louis and so the novelty of pairing relatives intrigued.

>281 PaulCranswick: Cool picks! Now maybe I can find audiobooks of the Stevensons being read by Juliet Stevenson....

...and I'm quite impressed with your book re-organization and reading plans. I was thinking of just buying more shelves, but that doesn't really solve the problem, does it? I've taken in twice as many books as I've read this year, and a lot of the books I read were library books anyway. So I'm hoping to be inspired by you.

>282 kac522: Now maybe I can find audiobooks of the Stevensons being read by Juliet Stevenson.... LOL!

>283 jnwelch: Do you think she's related? I may have to put on my genealogy hat and find out.

>284 kac522: You got me, Kathy. I'll look forward to the results of your research. It did occur to me that, if I ever write a novel and want to get it published, I may use the pseudonym J.N. Stevenson.

I can't remember if I have congratulated you on reading 100 books yet, but congratulations, Paul! Happy Days! I see that Hani has returned home to her prince :)

>282 kac522: That would be a splendid thing, Kathy.

>283 jnwelch: It certainly made me smile too, Joe.

>284 kac522: Not as far as I am aware Kathy. She was born in Essex of an army family and they travelled a lot from posting to posting.

>285 jnwelch: J.N. Stevenson does have a ring to it Joe but I reckon your own family name would have so too.

>286 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deb. These are happy days in some respects but testing ones too professionally.

>288 PaulCranswick: Testing ones professionally? Yikes, I hope all is OK. Or at the very least, OKish.

>289 lunacat: Times are a bit tough, Jenny. Able to get projects for the company but collection/payments are a constant struggle and the country here is feeling the pinch with the worst Prime Minister and government on record. He makes Trump look appealing.

>290 PaulCranswick: Gulp. I hope you've got enough of a buffer that it isn't devastating, and I also hope things improve.

>291 lunacat: Thanks Jenny. I am something of a street-fighter so the companies will get through somehow. I am becoming disillusioned with life here though to be perfectly honest and strongly considering reverting back to sunny Yorkshire at an early juncture. It is certainly on next year's to do list.

>292 PaulCranswick: Blimey. Not that I'd be opposed to you being in the UK, as it would make meetups much easier! How does Hani feel about the prospect? (Sorry, I'm being awfully personal but I suppose that suggests how much I consider your family friends, even though I don't know you well.) Plus, there goes my stopover in KL when the boyfriend and I were plotting an adventure in that neck of the woods. Not that we'd have dared impose, but we'd certainly have requested a lunchtime meet up. However, trying to get the pair of us (the bf and I) organised is probably a 5 year task so you'll be long back in Yorkshire by then.

I hope the disillusionment doesn't cause you too much strife, and you can find your way through to a satisfactory conclusion. It's amazing what a change of scene can do. I'm currently going through relocating my mother who has a somewhat difficult mental health past, had a full on breakdown in May (that I thought we were going to have to have her sectioned with at one point) and is now moving 70+ miles away from her home and is more enthused by life than I've seen her for a long time. I have my concerns and trepidations, but I'm hopeful we'll make it through the stress and she'll find a new lease of life, however it comes about (though my anxiety and stress levels don't agree with my assessment that all will turn out ok in the end). So sometimes a change, although 70 miles is hardly half a world, can be a positive thing.

>290 PaulCranswick: - Yikes!
>292 PaulCranswick: - Sometimes, a change is the best thing that you can do. And that it won't be jumping into the unknown, can only be a plus. Good luck, Paul, in whatever you decide, and whenever. I am sure you will weigh all your options and make the best decision, overall.

>293 lunacat: Malaysia won't be abandoned Jenny! We will maintain our presence here and I will not sell up the shares in my business unless I was to get an extremely tempting offer. We would be able to coincide trips to the place as I will probably be on a schedule of six weeks UK and two weeks Malaysia.
Hani is fine with the prospect actually, but having Yasmyne in Edinburgh is a magnet for her already.

>294 jessibud2: Thanks for those wise words Shelley. XX

>293 lunacat:, >295 PaulCranswick: Haha, I wondered about that (if Hani would want to move to England to be closer to Yasmine). It's a big decision, though - to leave paradise for the harsher climes of Yorkshire would be hard for me, if I were you. I regret having left SoCal for Colorado in large part because of the climate, though I also miss my friends back there.

>281 PaulCranswick: RLS has a tie to the town where I live. http://vallejomuseum.blogspot.com/2009/01/robert-louis-stevenson-in-vallejo.html

We also have a fairly large state park named for him nearby http://napavalleystateparks.org/robert-louis-stevenson-state-park/

Hi Paul, hope you had a good weekend mate, not sure whether to mention the cricket as it goes from bad to worse. I think your tourist suggestions for the India trip are beginning to look the better option, I cannot believe some of the stupid ways of getting out and allowing 7,8 and 9 to get fifty plus scores for India is appalling. I think Bayliss will have some serious thinking to do when they get back to Blighty. Sending love and hugs to you all.

>296 Storeetllr: Mary the climate here can be a little unremitting in all honesty and, while I don't really prosper in exceptionally cold weather, I do miss four seasons. Yasmyne is missed by Hani to an almost alarming degree!

>297 RBeffa: Very interesting, Ron. In my home area I suppose the most celebrated writers are the Brontes and their home is open to the public.

>298 johnsimpson: Yes John, I think so. Why is Hameed down the order? It is now down to him and Root, I suppose.

>300 PaulCranswick:, He has a finger injury and I'm not sure whether it is broken or not so he may not bat at all depending on the state of the game. The one plus out of the game is that Bairstow has broken the record for the most wicket keeper dismissals in a calendar year and still got two possibly two and a half games to go.

>301 johnsimpson: Oh I see. What are they going to do for Mumbai if Hameed cannot play and Duckett & Ballance shot for form. Batty doesn't look likely to get anyone out either.
I think they should bring Gubbins, Billings and Bell-Drummond from the Lions and bolster the batting. Leach and Rayner should travel. We should send Ballance home with young Hameed if he can't play again and keep Duckett along to watch and learn. Batty whose inclusion was as nonsensical as Ansari's was should join his fellow Surrey man on the plane home.
Cook should be sacked as captain because he is absolutely clueless and Root given the job. My team for Mumbai:

Cook, Bell-Drummond, Root (Captain), Gubbins, Bairstow, Buttler, Stokes, Rashid, Broad Leach, Anderson