Paul C's 2017 Reading & Life - 12

A SLOW GOODBYE TO MALAYSIA

Old Town Ipoh

Continuing my theme and the drawings on the last thread topper. This is the wonderfully named Concubine Lane in Ipoh. Ipoh is in North West Malaysia about two hours drive from Kuala Lumpur. It was the centre of the silver mining industry originally. Ipoh is usually voted the cleanest city in Malaysia.

Paul's Poems

Limericks

I have a habit of running off Limericks. Since April is almost upon us and the joys of Spring I thought I would recall some of the limericks I have done in homage to group members; including myself. Here is a selection:

LIMERICKS FOR ROOKIES

I
Michigan Trumpet, blow your horn Marianne!
Posting adeptly as only the best rookies can
A note that resounds across sweet Boston town
Of Tea Party and Harvard Cap and gown
From there into the bosom of the 75'er clan.

II
Barbara, Ameise and oculist;
A name and two words new to my list -
An insect small fry
And to fix a poor eye
But the name's the one not to be missed.

III
Abby is here, daughter of Mamie
Her very own girl and not at all samey
Introducing new blood
Is much to the good
So I hope that mother or daughter won't blame me.

IV
From the Club Read, Connie was sprung
Switched just as proceedings begun
And a good thing indeed
That she put aside the Club Read
And came here to join the fun.

Amber's Limerick

Amber, that classiest classicist,
With Charlie and thread not to be missed:
Given that Tennant and Fry
Seem to have captured her eye;
It's helped give all her posts a delicious twist.

Mein Host!

The sawn-off LT'er called Paul
Is precisely the opposite of tall
His son is much bigger
But please do not snigger
Because it isn't that bad to be small.

75/1
Mark, a Postie from the Windy City;
Veritably a modern day Walter Mitty.
Dreaming as he pounds the street
Of Booktopia, utopia and pretty girl's feet
With a beer or three to wash down this ditty.

75/2
Curmudgeon - Grousemeister - RD
Has been sorely missed from LT.
Now with new thread on track
We can welcome him back
Not with a groan but a yippee!

75/3
On a New Year's day he opened the "Caff"
And welcomed us all the wheat and the chaff.
Joe, the trusty man of food
At a place we venture to intrude
For a bite and a sup and a laugh.

75/4
Darryl is known to follow the Booker;
When he sees a good book he's never mistook her.
The charming Kidz Doc
Now maintains his good stock
By displaying his skills as a cooker.

75/5
What about Administrator, dear Jim;
If you're reading this then it's all thanks to him.
When he started this show
Was it purposely so
Or do we give thanks to a fancy or whim?

75/6
I would like the sobriquet "Smiler" to be apropos
Descriptive and true not as can occasionally be - retro;
On her sleeve wears her heart
Our doyenne still practices her art
Bringing to life the great Montreal Metro.

75/7
Peggy hooked me with her "Daily Dickens"
And from his tomes she found rich pickings.
Now though Chuckles has gone
Our dear lady goes on
Though its not easy to round off with Dickens.

75/8
Sensible Mamie went and labeled herself Crazy
And why she did never ceases to amaze me
From an Indiana bungalow*
To the Pecan Paradisio
Mentally intact is our Mamie and praise be.

75/9
Caro is a lady of international gastronomy
Whose travelling mishaps result in laughing cacophony
Her visits make her a favourite of mine
Stuffed as we are with repasts and with wine
And I still think the camel a dichotomy.

And finally one about our, erm, dear UK Prime Minister.

Limerick/Lament

Grey, grey, grey Theresa May
Generalities was all she could say.
Climbing ladders after Brexit votes
Is the only thing she's done of note
Hopefully it won't be long she'll stay.

ME & MINE

Me?
I was 50 in September 2016 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 (19), Kyran (17) and Belle (12), 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.



I have added 3,000 books to my shelves in four years but late last year I decided to sort my books from the 4,500 books unread into the essentials of 900 fiction and 180 non-fiction books and I will try to make a serious dent in that list this year.

I will also be reading, as usual, plenty of poetry which is another passion and, as you have seen above, a faltering pastime.

BOOKS READ

JANUARY

1. The Magician's Wife by Brian Moore (1997) 229 pp
2. Maus I : My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman (1986) 159 pp
3. Midwinter Sacrifice by Mons Kallentoft (2006) 440 pp
4. Out in the Midday Sun : The British in Malaya 1880-1960 by Margaret Shennan (2000) 471 pp
5. Blood Child and Other Stories by Octavia E. Butler (2003) 214 pp
6. The Assault by Harry Mulisch (1985) 185 pp
7. 100 Prized Poems : Twenty-Five Years of the Forward Books (2016) 176 pp
8. The Broken Shore by Peter Temple (2005) 400 pp
9. Spring Flowers, Spring Frost by Ismail Kadare (2000) 182 pp
10. The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal (2010) 352 pp
11. Varamo by Cesar Aira (2002) 89 pp
12. The House in Paris by Elizabeth Bowen (1935) 250 pp

FEBRUARY

13. The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart (1970) 456 pp
14. A Blaze of Autumn Sunshine : The Last Diaries by Tony Benn (2013) 294 pp
15. City of Secrets by Stewart O'Nan (2016) 190 pp
16. The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett (1983) 210 pp
17. The Poetry of Jaroslav Seifert by Jaroslav Seifert (1998) 246 pp
18. Dogs at the Perimeter by Madeleine Thien (2011) 253 pp

MARCH

19. Up the Junction by Nell Dunn (1963) 133 pp
20. Middle Passages by Kamau Brathwaite (1992) 120 pp
21. Maus II : A Survivor's Tale : And Here My Troubles Began (1991) 136 pp
22. Sapiens : A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari (2011) 466 pp
23. Fences by August Wilson (1985) 101 pp
24. No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod (1999) 262 pp
25. Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand (2001) 399 pp

BOOKS READ

APRIL

British Author Challenge 2017



JANUARY : IRISH BRITONS - ELIZABETH BOWEN (DONE) & BRIAN MOORE (DONE)

FEBRUARY : SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY - MARY STEWART (DONE) & TERRY PRATCHETT DONE

MARCH : A DECADE OF BRITISH NOVELS : The 1960s - 10 Novels by Men; 10 Novels by Women - 1 DONE

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 : D.E. STEVENSON and R.L. STEVENSON

AUGUST : BRITAIN BETWEEN THE WARS (Writers active 1918-1939) WINIFRED HOLTBY & ROBERT GRAVES

SEPTEMBER : THE NEW MILLENNIUM (Great Books Since 2000) A novel chosen from each year of the new century

OCTOBER : WELSH AUTHORS (Born in or associated with Wales) : JO WALTON & ROALD DAHL

NOVEMBER : POET LAUREATES : British laureates, children's laureate, National Poets

DECEMBER : WILDCARD (Chosen via a vote) : ELIZABETH GASKELL & NEIL GAIMAN

American Author Challenge



American Author Challenge 2017

January- Octavia Butler Blood Child and Other Stories
February- Stewart O' Nan City of Secrets : A Novel
March- William Styron
April- Poetry Month
May- Zora Neale Hurston
June- Sherman Alexie
July- James McBride
August- Patricia Highsmith
September- Short Story Month
October- Ann Patchett
November- Russell Banks
December- Ernest Hemingway

Canadian Author Challenge



January : Anne Michaels & Robertson Davies

February : Madeleine Thien DONE & Rohinton Mistry

March : Anne Hebert & Alistair McLeod DONE

April : Magaret Atwood & Guy Vanderhaeghe

May : Louise Penny & Leonard Cohen

June : Heather O'Neill & Dan Vyleta

July : Carol Shields & Wayson Choy

August : Ruth Ozeki & Douglas Coupland

September : Lori Lansens & Steven Galloway

October : Alice Munro & Arthur Slade

November : Gil Adamson & Guy Gavriel Kay

December : Donna Morrisey & Wayne Johnston

ANZ Author Challenge



I will be doing Kerry's ANZAC Bingo Challenge 2x12

ANZAC Bingo 2x12
1: Read a book about conflict or war
2: Read a book with more than 500 pgs
3: Read an Aussie crime novel
4: Read a book using word play in the title
5: Read a book about exploration or a journey
6: Read a book that's been longlisted for the International DUBLIN Literary Award
7: Read a book that's part of a series
8: Read a memoir/biography (can be fiction)
9: Read a book written under a pen name
10: Read a book with a musical plot
11: Read a book with water featured in title/cover : COMPLETED The Broken Shore by Peter Temple
12: Read a book with an immigrant protagonist

Other Challenges & Some Stats

NOBEL WINNERS 60 Laureates read (1 new in 2017)

PULITZER WINNERS 14 fiction winners read at 1/1/17

BOOKER PRIZE WINNERS 24 winners read at 1/1/17

ORANGE/BAILEYS/WOMEN'S PRIZE WINNERS

1001 BOOKS FIRST EDITION - 274 / 1001 (2 in 2017)

GUARDIAN 1000 BOOKS - 319/998 (2 in 2017)

IMPAC WINNERS - 6/21 read (1 in 2017)

TBR Records

MARCH READING PLAN

To finish
Bleak House by Charles Dickens (Karen group read)
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari (Obama Books / Global Challenge : Israel) DONE

And as many as I can from:

Mason & Dixon by Thomas Pynchon (Group read with Dan from Club Read Group)
Middle Passages by Kamau Brathwaite (March Poetry read / Global Challenge : Barbados) DONE
Up the Junction by Nell Dunn (BAC March) DONE
A Kind of Loving by Stan Barstow (BAC March)
Georgy Girl by Margaret Forster (BAC March)
The Green Man by Kingsley Amis (BAC March / 1001 Books)
The Undiscovered Country by Julian Mitchell (BAC March)
The Jewel in the Crown by Paul Scott (BAC March)
Lost Empires by JB Priestley (BAC March)
The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron (AAC March)
Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels (CAC January / 1001 Books)
No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod (CAC March) DONE
Her Privates We by Frederic Manning (ANZAC Bingo)
Maus II by Art Spiegelman DONE
Fences by August Wilson DONE
When I was Old by Georges Simenon
Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand DONE
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini (Global Challenge : Afghanistan)
Underground by Haruki Murakami (Global Challenge : Japan)

CURRENTLY READING

Literary Worlds

Around the World in 80 Books

Next up is yours

Yay! It is finally safe to post here.

Nice new thread, Paul :)

Happy new thread!

>17 alcottacre: Thank you Stasia, dear. xx

>18 amanda4242: Amanda, almost missed you there. Thank you for always stopping by and for supporting the BAC so steadfastly!

Since starting this my 12th thread of the year I have passed 3,000 posts on my threads in 2017. Thank you to everyone who has posted or delurked here. I always want my thread to be a place where people are comfortable to comment without worrying at whatever pace the things is proceeded at.

Happy New Thread, Paul. Thanks for the fun limericks up top!

>22 PaulCranswick: Thanks mate and you are more than welcome.

Happy New Thread, Paul!

HAPPY ALL AROUND! but, now back to CHEESE!

If we're still voting for the Worst, Limburger is a strong contender.

For best U.S. Gouda, Screaming Farmer from Iowa wins in both taste and ingredients >
it's made from Vegetarian Rennet, which might work better for Migraineurs. (sp?)

Happy Twelfth Thread, Paul! I hope your book mojo is coming back, although with everything you have to do before moving, you may simply run out of time to read. I know…Heresy!

From the last thread, yep Paul, that's Humboldt Fog. Good stuff, you should definitely try it if you make it to the west coast! (Not sure it's that well-distributed around the rest of the US but you never know, it might be found in upscale stores in Florida. I think that's where you said you might be going?)

Happy New Thread, Paul!

Happy new thread, Paul. I love the drawing.

>23 thornton37814: Lori, thank you - always a pleasure to see you over in my humble abode.

>24 m.belljackson: Thank you. Screaming Farmer is a great name for a cheese isn't it?
You are also on point with Limburger - it must be close to the world's least popular cheese. It contains something called brevibacterium linens which helps to create that distinctive pong:

>25 Donna828: I am thinking also Donna, which will be my last thread whilst I am permanently based in Malaysia. It could be this one but I doubt it - likely to be the next one.
Thanks for the mojo support - I do need to switch off sometimes.

>26 ursula: I have made a note of that cheese already Ursula and will definitely look for it if I am able. Don't know how easy it is to transport cheese internationally as it could have quite an impact on luggage / hand luggage. I don't want to smell like ripened cheese for several weeks - I have trouble enough making and keeping friends as it is!

>27 ronincats: Thank you Roni, dear.

>28 BLBera: I also really like the series of pictures which celebrate old Malaya or depict scenes which mark the place for the unique melting pot it is. Thanks for always dropping by, Beth. xx

They are stunning, Paul. You'll have to take some back to the UK with you.

Oh your currently reading post implies a lot of books on the go at present. I'm still going on Sacred Games, it's very good but suffers as I own it so doesn't have a library due date to push me to keep picking it up. I'm finding The Green Man a trifle hard to get into so it might not get done till April.

>32 BLBera: I do have a few actually. Maybe they would make good presents some time in the future, Beth.

>33 avatiakh: Kerry, as you know that one is also on my reading list for the next year or two - but at my present reading pace it could actually take me that year or two just to get it done. I don't see me having time for Kingsley Amis this month now to be honest.

Here I am again near the beginning and loving the limericks. Thanks, Paul!
And I see that Kerry has gotten into Sacred Games before me. WHEN am I going to find time to read anything, much less that opus???????
Peace to you, Paul. Oh! And energy!

>36 LizzieD: Haven't cracked the halfway point as yet on SG, but hope to today and finish it by end of March.

>36 LizzieD: There was a little one about you up there if I am not mistaken, Peggy. Shows that they date from a few years ago as I was referring to your then Daily Dickens.

>37 avatiakh: That will be quite a one to cross off. My copy has 947 pages.

Back to the cheese and cheese substitutes. I wasn't thinking PB and spreads of that ilk, more like I just bought some vegan "parmesan" to see how usable it might be. However, I am a big fan of tahini and almond butter. I was really getting into yogurt making and really starting to look into making cheese--had attended a workshop, bought a book, started acquiring the supplies, plus 2+ friends who are steady cheesemakers, but then the IBS and dairy digestion problems. Sigh.

So then I thought, why not try making dairy-free substitutes with the cultures? Would it work? Haven't gotten around to it yet, but interested in trying. Plus, there's a medieval Middle Eastern yogurt-like condiment that I want to try making sometime. It's described as "very sharp, quite salty, semliquid cheese with a hint of rancidity." It's derived from yogurt that is then salt cured with milk added to keep culturing over time as it ages.

Speaking of limburger, you might be entertained by this story, "Limburger's Last Stand" about the last place in the USA producing this cheese:
http://www.wortfm.org/limburgers-last-stand/
It won a state journalism award.

>39 justchris: Hani is something of an expert in that type of foodstuff, Chris, so I shall see what she can tell me about it. Tahini, houmous and all that stuff is something that I like too.

Thanks for the limburger article.

Happy New Thread Paul! Sorry about the lost books, glad you located them. I'm afraid I'm too common to relish cheeses! :) My taste buds are just not adventurous. My sister and one of my sons are keen on trying new soft cheeses, but I pass them by with no remorse.

Very sad to see that Colin Dexter the creator and writer of the Inspector Morse books has just passed away.

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-39342698

>41 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deb. Not even the fairly tried and tested ones; cheddar, mozzarella and so on?

Hi Paul!

I guess it's getting real when you mention that soon your threads will originate in the UK.

>13 PaulCranswick: I read Seabiscuit several years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. While working on my duplicates yesterday found the two copies I have. Visual comparison for quality and/or personal notes and one will end up on my little yellow table for daughter's perusal then thrift store.

Happy new thread, Paul! Love the limericks, of course!

Happy New Thread Paul!

>44 karenmarie: It is starting to sink in with me too Karen!

I am enjoying Seabiscuit and finally managed to get sucked into The Confessions of Nat Turner today. Those are the two books I have made some strides with today whilst I have three others away on their holidays.

>45 scaifea: I recall you doing a rather nifty one or two too my dear.

>46 BBGirl55: Thanks Bryony. Always pleased to see you out and about on the threads.

>30 PaulCranswick: It's not a very portable cheese, enjoy it while you're here if you can find it!

I know you can't transport meat products from Europe to the US - we had to get rid of some salchichon our Spanish friend gave us. :/

Although we did accidentally transport meat products the last time because of the dog, and it was sort of hilarious. We had just picked her up at O'Hare and she was whining and barking in her kennel and we had to go to this desk for some extra paperwork checking. I was of course exhausted and not thinking very clearly. As the airport employee is asking if we have any meat products and Morgan is saying no, I ask, "Where are the duck treats?" He points them out, I feed one to her through the bars of the kennel, the guy stamps our paperwork, and we go on.

Of course, when I get outside I realize that I'm lucky the guy at the desk either didn't hear me or was as tired as we were because it would have led to 1. a whole production about her food probably and 2. her treats being confiscated, and she really needed/deserved them after that long flight!

>48 ursula: My Dutch friend does bring cheese back for us on his trips so I can ask him how he manages it, Ursula.
Food for dogs maybe doesn't count in Chicago! :D

Sacred Games may be fat, but it is a bit of a page-turner. The story zips along.

Happy new thread!

>50 jnwelch: I need to make an impression on some of my chunksters, Joe. I have so many of them and I don't seem to be tackling them!

>51 foggidawn: Thank you Foggy!

>43 PaulCranswick: I don't mind cheddar cheese or mozzarella, but I don't eat them very often. Of course they are very good in a grilled cheese sandwich or in lasagna etc. Okay, Havarti is not bad. But all so high fat I prefer to stay away from most cheeses and just drink my skim milk.

Happy New Thread, Paul. It's cold, wet, and miserable here in the UK but hopefully the weather will have improved by the time you come over!

>53 vancouverdeb: This country always promotes the durian as the king of fruits but it is famous for the pungency of its odour. The experience of sampling it has been described as akin to "eating peaches and cream whilst sitting on the toilet". Hani believes that my ripe camembert is even worse than the evil smelling fruit but the difference is that mine doesn't taste as it smells!

>54 lunacat: It could be high summer there before I am in gear the way I progressed today, Jenny.

A couple of things to comment upon.

ITEM ONE : Haskell Company have bitten the bullet and booked my flights for Florida and have paid for the same - yippee!

I will leave Manchester on 16 April and leave Jacksonville one week later on 23rd April.

I am going to see whether I can extend the ticket when I am set so that I can have a week thereafter in the States. Chicago and possibly NYC would therefore be on the menu for the last week in April.

A Couple of things to comment upon.

The word above is capitalised because tomorrow is our coming of age. Hani and I got married on 23 March 1996 and celebrate 21 years of daily scraps tomorrow.

She is the best!

Happy new thread, Paul!

>57 PaulCranswick: A great photo. Happy anniversary!

I'm not a big fan of most cheese myself. There was some cheddar in my most recent new dish: http://www.librarything.com/topic/252731#5981904

Happy new thread, Paul!

>57 PaulCranswick: You and Hani both look lovely, where did you get married?

Happy anniversary to you and Hani, Paul. Beautiful photograph. I hope you are doing something special to celebrate.

My, your move to the UK is nudging closer. As Darryl will be here for much of April, maybe you will be able to join another LT gathering.

Happy new thread and happy anniversary!

Happy anniversary wishes to you and Hani, Paul! (I smile every time I see your beautiful wedding pic!)

Happy anniversary to you and Hani, Paul. Great photo - you both look so young!

How can you keep making new threads when you have so much to do? Happy new one.

oh all this cheese talk, bleugh. I'm suffering from having mozzarella on a pizza last night - not migraine thankfully, much smellier....

Happy new thread mate and congrats for passing 3,000 posts. Karen and I send hearty congratulations for your 21st Wedding Anniversary tomorrow and wish you many more to come mate. Sending love and hugs to you all and special hugs for Hani putting up with you, lol. You know I don't really mean that ha ha.

Happy anniversary!

Happy new thread, and happy anniversary!

>50 jnwelch: Just want to say that I cracked the halfway point in Sacred Games late last night so it's a downhill ride from here on in. I'm enjoying it.

Paul, I just picked up The Green Man to read a few more pages and had to read aloud a description of the cat to my daughter, we both agree that it's a brilliant one.

Aw, happy anniversary to you both!

Happy Anniversary, Paul! Wonderful picture of you both. Thanks for sharing.

>58 harrygbutler: Potato and Bacon Tart does look tasty, Harry. I would have to substitute beef bacon of course in order to enjoy it but it does look worth trying. Thanks for the anniversary wishes.

>59 FAMeulstee: Thank you Anita. We were married in the mosque in Pasir Gudang nearby Johor Bahru, Malaysia. I had to say my vows in Malay at a time when I didn't have much grasp of the language. I must have been quite determined because I got them right first time!

This was the venue:

Happy New Thread and Happy Anniversary, Paul! I LOVE the Limmericks, especially the Postie from the Windy City. Fine job, sir.

>60 Caroline_McElwee: I hope the dates coincide Caroline so that I can participate in a meet-up when he is over. There will of course be plenty of time for us to enable us to do our poetry expedition in the coming weeks and months. xx

>61 drneutron: Thanks Jim.

>62 Storeetllr: It does often raise a smile when people see the photos of our wedding, Mary, largely because one half of the photograph has changed in appearance so dramatically!

>63 Familyhistorian: Thank you, Meg. We were sooo young back then and our three children were but an inkling of our respective loins but despite some difficult days I wouldn't have changed a thing about the lady I have called my better half for 21 years and who was known here as SWMBO for so long as she made herself known to a number of you via FB.

>64 eclecticdodo: Sorry to see that you have such issues with cheese Jo. Perhaps pizza should carry a health warning!

>65 johnsimpson: Thanks to Karen and yourself, mate. You are not far from the truth in wondering how she has allowed 21 years to happen!

>66 amanda4242: Thank you Amanda - BAC Queen.

>67 cbl_tn: Thanks Carrie. It is a happy double whammy, I guess.

>68 avatiakh: Your speed of reading, Kerry, has always been so impressive so if you're going downhill the pace must be terrifying! I have The Green Man down from the shelves in expectation of reading it this month but I fear I am not managing your pace. xx

>69 scaifea: Thanks Amber. xx

>70 karenmarie: Bittersweet for me to look at such pictures, Karen. They were happy time for me and, despite present straightened circumstances, they remain so.

>72 msf59: I should go and collect more together, Mark, as there are quite a few that I have not included above. Thanks Buddy.

Hi Paul! I love that beautiful picture of you and Hani. I carry a picture of my husband and I dancing at our wedding, we are both laughing, holding each other close, very young and happy...I love to look at it often as it reminds me that 31 years later I am still in love and he can bring that smile to my face and that laughter bubbling out of me like nobody else can. I thought I saw a mention of you being in NY at the end of April. Does that mean there is a potential of a get-together for some LTers? I am so much better now that I could actually make it there. Last year there was really no way I could have kept up with the group walking. I was in such bad shape but I was also in major denial. I feel better and I am getting better daily. I do yoga now and it is very helpful in a slow but steady recovery by strengthening my legs and core. I am crafting and reading and believe it or not...getting ready to move again. That will make the third time in a little less than 3 years. It will be for the best to get away from the situation we are in right now living in an apartment in the ex-sister-in-law's house. She is mega controlling and two happy people really don't need to be told how to live their life. I lost both my parents over the past year, but my daughters are all doing quite well. My youngest is going back to school for her Masters in psychology or social work. Shame on me I forget which one, but I just wanted to give you a quick rundown on what has been going on with me. I hope all is well with your family. The picture on the top with all of you is a great shot. Especially of you, you look to be in good health and seem to have lost weight since I saw you last? Am I right? It has been some time, I admit. Drop me a line. I'll be trying to read some threads and get caught up. I'm doing lots of crafting, hoping to sell some needle felting and handmade cards. I'm also drawing every day almost, but not planning on selling those!

>77 mmignano11: That is a lovely surprise for me Mary Beth and also a very touching experience reading your post. Difficult days need to be faced down don't they. I am pleased to see that your positive approach to life is slowly reaping steady benefits. It would be great if we were able to meet-up in April and I will keep you updated on what plans I am able to effect. xx

I'm just getting ready to sign off and it was great to see your post before I did. We have to catch up. I have been looking at all your wonderful pictures of Malaysia as you countdown. What a beautiful paradise, as you say. It has always been a pick me up for me to hear from you and to reconnect with LTers. I can't wait to read threads from all my old friends here.

Speaking of difficult days .........

My thoughts this morning in Kuala Lumpur are with my country men and women in England and specifically London following the lunacy of the terror attack in Westminster. I want to give my own small words of praise to those people who so admirably lent their help bravely including the MP who tried in vain and covered in blood to save the life of the fallen police officer. And of course to the police officer too who stood his ground to protect others when it would have been easier to run away.

Sad day. London will emerge, as always stronger than ever. To all LT Londoners - chin up, I am sure all the group is with you.

>79 mmignano11: I think that this group is a marvel at helping to sustain each other, if that makes any sense at all. So many of us have had tough times and it is always the case that group members are there with kind words, helpful suggestions & advice and often practical help. Take care, sweet lady.

Bravo

>57 PaulCranswick: Happy anniversary, Paul & Hani!

>80 PaulCranswick: Well said, Paul.

This group is one of the most supportive groups I have ever been privileged to be part of. No matter what the circumstance, we are there for each other.

>57 PaulCranswick: - So lovely and sweet. A double *dish* serving.....:-)

>83 alcottacre: Thanks Stasia. I do believe that all these attacks will only make us all stronger and make the likelihood that the terrorist lunatics fail more certain.

This group rocks.

>84 jessibud2: Thank you Shelley. I am not sure what dish I resemble nowadays but if it was part of a buffet dinner it would probably be left at the side with the flies gathering near.

Happy Anniversary, Paul and Hani,! Excellent news on the work front too - I hope all goes well with the Haskell Company in Florida! Back to the UK is creeping closer!

Love the limericks and happy anniversary!

I like Cheddar, Swiss, Parmesan, and Mozzarella. On rare occasions I also like Gorgonzola, Gouda, and Edam. I also plead guilty to buying every year or two, a small container of Velveeta.

>57 PaulCranswick: What a gorgeous couple! And happy anniversary. I am happy for you to still be together and happy and weathered difficulties together, Can't really think of many marriages in my family that have achieved that feat. So in my experience, you're exceptional.

>80 PaulCranswick: So very sorry to hear about those who lost their lives and the others who were injured. I am glad that people were rescued, people intervened, people faced the danger on behalf of others. It gives me hope when the best of humanity is on display right alongside the worst.

>57 PaulCranswick: Congratulations on 21 years of wedded bliss!! Gorgeous photo. You did well, Paul. ; )

Love your limericks up top. Priceless.

Cheese. I love, love, love it! Any kind you could name. Yum!! The kids all invite friends over sometime during the week leading up to Christmas and we buy special cheeses, wrap them and put them under the tree and then we have a tasting, together with the histories and the methods used to make the cheeses. It was just a fun thing to do one year, and it has become a tradition. Now all their friends ask what night we are doing it.

>86 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deb. I am also very hopeful of some meaningful relationship coming of the Haskell discussions - keep your fingers and toes crossed for me!

>87 Morphidae: I will try and do a few more limericks about others of our number, Morphy. Fifteen of the group (including one poking fun at myself) got done and I am sure that there plenty of other traits in our friends to be brought out!
Admission. I have never eaten velveeta.

>88 justchris: Thank you for those lovely words Chris. With such kindnesses you'll fast become one of my absolute favourites! I don't know about exceptional but we are both proud of our battle scars.

In times of crisis and absolute stress then the best qualities in the nature of humankind will undoubtedly surface.

>89 Berly: That is a great idea of a party game, Kimmers - Guess The Cheese?

I did do well by marrying Hani, and I am only too well aware of it.

Hi Paul!

The London attack is shocking. ... Every time I try to think of the next sentence, I am stymied. The world seems so much less stable every single day.

I might have missed it since your threads are so busy, but I do hope that Yasmyne did go to the clinic and that she's fine now.

>92 karenmarie: She did go to the clinic and I think that she is on the mend, Karen.
The world has gone absolutely mad.

I think the British, and Londoners in particular, are among the people who will allow this type of attack to affect them the least. There is a reason our slogan appears to be 'Keep Calm and Carry On'. People rushing to the aid of those in need, standing up and risking their lives to defend our freedom and democracy, and carrying on regardless is a sign those who seek to strike fear at the heart of our country will never win. British people simply turn round and stick two fingers up at them.

The outpouring of love, compassion and humanity must surely always beat the fear, hatred and vitriol that the far right wish to nurture. As well as IS and other such radical incarnations. I think they'll find, as the IRA did, and as WWII proved, we don't scare that easily.

>94 lunacat: Nicely put, Jenny. We do have something of a bulldog spirit that makes it tough for the bastards to grind us down. I love my country despite living away from it in Malaysia for 23 years. I am even more determined to get home as soon as I can in the light of others taking it upon themselves to assault us and all we believe in. An attack on Britain and one of its people for the reasons intended by them is an attack on everyone of us.

Happy new thread, and, more importantly, Happy Anniversary to you and Hani, Paul! One of my best days of 2016 was meeting the two of you, and I look forward to more get togethers now that your move to the UK is imminent.

I've become very fond of Spanish sheep's milk and goat's milk cheeses, due to my recent visits to Spain, and two stand out in particular: Veigadarte, a buttery goat's milk cheese made by Joaquin Villanueva Casado, whose creamery is located in the small town of Ambasmestas in the Castilla-Leon region of Spain, and manchego, a sheep's milk cheese made in La Mancha, just south of Madrid.

  

My favorite cheese shops are Cowgirl Creamery, which has a place in the San Francisco Ferry Terminal, and Formatgeria La Seu, a tiny shop in the Barri Gòtic not far from the Museu Picasso in Barcelona. La Seu is run by a Scottish woman who speaks fluent Castilian and Catalan, along with English of course, and she purchases cheeses from local creameries in Catalunya and sells them in her shop. I had a nice conversation with her in Castilian Spanish when Bianca and I were in Barcelona last June, and I bought two 8 oz packages of cheese, a bottle of wine, and a loaf of artisan bread for 15,50€! Oddly enough, although English was obviously our primary language, I think she was more pleased that I spoke to her in Spanish compared to the English speaking American couple that was in La Seu at the same time.

There is also a food market adjacent to the Monestir de Montserrat, the famous 11th century monastery and pilgrimage site in Catalunya, which features fabulous local cheeses, produce and other items sold by local farmers. They spoke little if any English, unlike merchants and store employees in Barcelona, though.

>96 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl and I must say our meet up with you and Joe and Debbi and Claire and Caroline and Bianca and Luci and Paul Harris and Claire's sister last year was a highlight for us too and one to be repeated.

Manchega is a favourite of mine too. I noticed your limerick from a few years ago already mentions your cooking prowess!

"The times are good and bad, happy and sad..."

So Good that your Happy Anniversary comes to balance out the others!

>98 m.belljackson: It seems funny celebrating being together when others have just been torn asunder.
We have to carry on of course.
Yesterday I would have given much to keep the Scottish Nationalist nuisances off the news but not quite this!

>73 PaulCranswick: Not me, Paul. My smile is because you both are so beautiful and obviously happy and in love. And yeah, young. (SO young. :) The thing is, if we live long enough, we ALL stop being young!

>100 Storeetllr: That logic, Mary, of course defeats me utterly! xx

Paul, I hope your anniversary was not too marred by the craziness in London. How sad for all of us that we are not safe in the world. You and Hani make a lovely couple and I wish you lots more happiness during the Brit Years ahead!

>57 PaulCranswick:. What a wonderful picture of the newly weds. I bet you haven't changed much at all! Happy Anniversary and wishing you great celebrations. 21 years. ......congrats!

>102 Donna828: Thank you for those lovely words, Donna. The Brit Years indeed, it will all start going to my head if I am not careful.

>103 mdoris: Mary, thank you so much. One of the couple has changed in appearance much less than the other. Enough said!

Tough news for London this week, Paul. I aim to get joy from the little things, for example, there will always be cheese, right?

The exodus countdown continues? Pretty exciting stuff. I bet you will feel at home there straight away, and Hani too :)

Hi Paul!

I know that your busy-ness is escalating, but I hope you can find a few minutes to read over the weekend.

(>76 PaulCranswick: I look back on pictures of my wedding and am amazed at how optimistic and in love I was. I moved from California to North Carolina to get married - from the West coast to the East Coast, and am still happy about my decision, even with the ups and downs we've experienced.)

>105 LovingLit: There will always be cheese. That should really be printed up on T-Shirts, Megan!
I have not got long to go to be honest but I have so much to do in terms of settling bills etc.

>106 karenmarie: I hope so too, Karen. I have a number of books I am really enjoying and which are well advanced.

Money stresses and strains have told a little on us this week and Hani is a little bit scared as we have never really struggled in our married life together financially before. I have to be the rock for now and see us over the line. I am as happy with my choice today as I was in the last century.

Am way behind - as usual - but had to skip to the end in order to defend Limburger cheese! It is one of my two favorite cheeses ever!! I love the stench, and how it gets all liquid-y (if I can keep my mitts off it long enough for it to age to that point) and above all I love the magnificent taste of it. I'll even eat the rind. It is divine.

The other cheese I love to pieces is gjetost cheese. And mind you, I am quite lactose intolerant, so I figure it says a lot about the wonderfulness of these two cheeses that I will eat them regardless, whenever and wherever I can, even when I don't have any Lactaid on hand.

>96 kidzdoc: I have a friend in Barcelona right now. I just emailed her your recommendations, Darryl, as she is a big fan of cheese and am sure would love to visit at least one of those places in search of tasty food. When she was discussing her trip, she and her niece were planning on taking a cooking class while they were there as a major highlight of the vacation. So pointers to specific shops are much appreciated by foodies.

Just waving 'Hello, Paul!'

>108 Fourpawz2: If you are lactose intolerant Charlotte you would really be suffering for the cause with limburger and gjetost! Lovely to see you here my dear.

>109 justchris: Cooking classes in Barcelona would be a fabulous experience, I am sure, Chris. It must be one of the culinary capitals of Europe with its tapas and good cheer.

>110 alcottacre: You started the original LT Mexican Wave, Stasia. xx

Hi Paul, hope you are having a relaxing and enjoyable weekend mate and send love and hugs from both of us.

>112 johnsimpson: Just starting, John really on a very early Saturday morning. Last night ruined by a power cut which saw us sweating away for an hour and a half before blessed rescue.

>113 PaulCranswick:, not good mate having a power cut and so no air con mate. Things don't sound good at Headingley or at Belle Vue but at least all the England players will be available for the start of the county season apart from those at the IPL.

Love the cheese talk on your thread. I am a cheese-a-holic! Although not travelling much now, if I do go somewhere new I consult my cheese books for the destination and make sure I get a good sampling. St. Agur. I don't think anyone has mentioned it yet. It is a mild blue from France. Yum!

Just hoping you've seen this clip of Andrew Neil on the terrorist attack:

Andrew Neil on the Terrorist

Happy Weekend, Paul. I hope you get plenty of R & R in.

>108 Fourpawz2: Oh, I love gjetost as well--I can eat it like candy.

I remember your wedding pictures from several years ago when you posted them, Paul--so gorgeous!

>114 johnsimpson: I do think that we will not be as dominating without Gale as captain as he was the bees-knees in that position. We will have too many players called up and on those central contract nonsenses to achieve what we deserve.

>115 mdoris: That would be a wonderful coffee table book to have Mary. France rightly regards itself as the world's centre for cuisine and it does have some of my favourite cheeses. St. Agur is one that I don't recall trying before.

>116 lunacat: I haven't always been a huge fan of Andrew Neil but I must say that that was jolly well said. I ought to transcribe the you-tube and put it up.

>117 msf59: Thanks Mark.

>118 ronincats: Cheese as candy? Does that defame candy or cheese?! I could happily eat a ripe camembert on a daily basis with or without the jelly babies (which I also dangerously adore). xx
We have so many wedding photos as Hani and her mother went somewhat overboard!

Happy weekend, Paul.

>118 ronincats: - It's just the best! And it does taste like a cross between candy and cheese. Utterly unique in my experience. My aunt discovered it at the after-funeral spread of the mother of an acquaintance. A granddaughter of the deceased insisted that my aunt try it and she was reluctant - it looked like old tanned leather to her, but my aunt is a very polite person and steamed ahead. After she introduced me to it I used to buy it online, but the supermarket I get it from now always seems to have plenty in stock. It's not cheap, but it's so good. And I can get it at any time of the year.

>121 Ameise1: Thank you Barbara. xx

>122 Fourpawz2: Speaking of cheese and candy, I do love cooking with mascarpone. My tiramisu is well celebrated at home and is one of the few things Hani prefers to have me do than she doing it herself.
I will have to go and seek out your "candy cheese"!

Very quiet day yesterday - plenty of reading with some recharging of batteries.

Walked with Hani to a local gourmet burger restaurant called Pampas in the evening which is just beside our condo and had a really splendid Jalapeno Beef Burger. It was rounded off by the most wonderful coffee I have had in ages. I have no capsules for the coffee machine at home so it was like the Foreign Legionnaire finally reaching the oasis last night!

Belle is having a sleep over at one of her school friends. As I was stuck in traffic with her sending her to the place I mused aloud to her why was it that all her friends seemed to live where they could only be reached via sitting in traffic gridlock awhile first? She didn't bother to reply to me!

I'm glad to hear that you had a nice , quiet day. I'm glad that you had some time to re-charge your battery. As for the fellow in the UK, from my perspective, the fellow was a career criminal who eventually decided " to radicalize." Sometimes I 'm not sure what we can do about people like that. They'll find trouble one way or another.

>125 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deb. It is stating the obvious I suppose but the fellow was an all round bad egg by all accounts finding an outlet in radicalism.

Hello, Paul - I hope your weekend has been a good one!

Sounds like a great day to me - battery recharging, reading, good food, companionable walk with spouse. Husband and I had hamburgers yesterday too - a new place about 25 minutes up the road. The brioche rolls were fantastic.

I hope your Sunday has been as good.

>127 scaifea: So far so good, Amber, but they are too blasted short.

>128 karenmarie: Great minds and all that, Karen. The only bad thing about Sunday at the moment is that it precedes Monday.

Hooray for quiet days and lots of book reading. I am meeting Joe today, in the city for lunch. It may be a long shot, but beer might be on the menu too. Grins...

>130 msf59: I am hoping to try to extend my upcoming Florida trip by a few days so that I can catch a few days in Chicago. I am in Florida from 16th to 23rd of April. We would possibly have a beer or two then too!

>57 PaulCranswick: Happy Anniversary to you and Hani, and happy not-so-new thread, Paul! I'm skimming through and see that a US visit is on the docket for April. I doubt I'll be able to get to Florida or Chicago but I will look forward to the stories and photos!

Your quiet recharging day, burgers included, sounds lovely.

Hello, Paul, and Happy Sunday (on my OED Thread) to you too!

You asked about previous Thread - it is MEMES,

which I think you might well enjoy
since you were the original inspiration...

Since the gods - the God of gods? - has given the U.S. a reprieve
on our beloved, though still imperfect, Obamacare,
we are no longer "Waiting to Exhale"
and so can with full spirits wish peace to the rest of the world.

>132 EBT1002: I have been told by Hani very specifically that she wants to visit the American West Coast with me, so it is more than my life is worth to go there first alone!

>133 m.belljackson: I will go and have a look Marianne. trump isn't doing too well before the courts so far is he?!

Managed to get around all the threads this weekend for the first time in ages. I didn't leave a message everywhere but probably on about 120 or so threads and I lurked on near double that number.

>135 PaulCranswick: That is a worthwhile accomplishment!

>136 EBT1002: At least it means that I was left undisturbed long enough to do it!

Hi, Paul! So glad to hear you had a relaxing day yesterday! Hope it helps ameliorate any stresses that may be awaiting you during the week.

I may have missed it, but when are you planning to move?

I am sad that I won't get to see you during your trip to the U.S. in April. I'll be busy packing and moving. :( But I hope you will be able to have a couple of meetups while you're here.

>108 Fourpawz2: My dad loved Limburger cheese too! We kids called it "stinky cheese," and my mom made him go down to the basement to eat it. LOL

>135 PaulCranswick: wow, impressive Paul. Takes me all my time to keep up with about 50 threads, teehee.

Hoping you're having a lovely weekend!

This is my first delurking here, Paul, and I have to say I never realized how uneducated I am about cheeses! I do love them but avoid the really strong ones. I'm sure I would find lots to like if I got more adventurous.

I'm wavering about taking on Sacred Games and it's 950 pages.

What a beautiful wedding picture. Have a great and safe trip to Florida.

You might enjoy a post I added to Scaifea's Thread about Powell's Bookstore in Seattle -
it includes an interview with Michael Powell which might add fire to your proposed trip to
the Western U.S.

Hi Paul, thanks for poking me to resurface on LT again. It's been busy, busy, busy but I hope to get back to LT-business asap.
Re. cheese, I adore all sorts of cheese, but being slightly allergic to some cheese, I prefer goat-cheese. And I loved the smoked cheese I tried in Prague years ago. Never was able to find it over here, so I guess it was a local thing.

>135 PaulCranswick: Thanks for stopping by my thread, Paul. I've been a silent partner over here, so I've kept up with the news. Hope you can make it to Chicago in April; but enjoy your Florida stay if that's as far as you can go. I will probably be in Sheffield the last week of May, as it looks now. Sorry about the mounting business/financial woes, but something about you tells me you'll make it through relatively unscathed. And love the cheese talk--one of my favorite foods. Just about any kind is my kind, although one of my favorites not yet mentioned here is gruyere.

>135 PaulCranswick: Good for you! I wish I could say the same.

>138 Storeetllr: The original plan was to move on 27 March 2017 which is today in Malaysia! My financial circumstances don't allow that Mary at the moment but I am working on it manfully.
The image of your Dad being banished for his guilty cheese pleasure is a comical one.

>139 Caroline_McElwee: I checked Caroline and I actually visited 254 threads, including this one although I didn't place a message on all of them. Some of the threads where mine was already the last message for example, or where there has been no activity for a while or where the thread's prop lurks here just as I do there. 50 threads is also very impressive if you are able to keep up!

Just popping in to wish you a good week.

>140 witchyrichy: Nice to see you again Karen as I noticed your place was pretty quiet at the moment and I always worry when we haven't heard from pals for a while.

>141 Oregonreader: Lovely of you to drop by Jan and what a shame that, when you do, the only culture on offer is from a dairy source!
I have heard it said that Sacred Games is a real page turner. Needs to be, I guess at over 900 pages.

>142 m.belljackson: Powells, The Strand, The Tattered Cover - all ambitions of mine. Aren't we all very specific in our ambitions when our to do list is made up of targeted bookstores?!

>143 Trifolia: My pleasure, Monica, because I miss seeing you around. You are after all our only active Belgian thread! Yasmyne's boyfriend studies in Prague so if you can let me know the name of the cheese I shall have him bring some to coincide with my next visit (well t'would be the first one in 28 years) to Belgium.

>144 kac522: I hope you are right Katie about my abilities to come through. I have a plan of action but it keeps getting derailed and I am a little hamstrung by the fact that I won't sacrifice my staff in order to further my intentions.
Looks like a meet-up could be on if not in April then in May.

>145 alcottacre: I did notice though that you had managed to get around to quite a number too, Stasia. You were probably the pioneer back in 2010 of that form of camaraderie and it is something I have always liked to do. Often as is evidenced above with Monica and Katie posting I am able to get our friends back into the groove.

>147 amanda4242: Almost missed you Amanda which would never do. It is Monday morning here so I am preparing for a crucial and certain to be busy week.

What a gorgeous wedding photo. Happy Anniversary to you two!

I've been enjoying the cheese discussion. I have never been very adventurous with cheese; cheapo-me says, what if I spend the money and then don't like that one? So, I've been taking notes on this thread!

>138 Storeetllr: - So funny! Granny used to give Limburger to my mother at Christmas time and it was the world's worst kept secret as it announced its presence on the premises as soon as the back door was opened. Granny always banished it to the back door entrance until the very last minute before presentation, but everyone knew it was there by the stench in that tiny vestibule. The smell is very off-putting. It's kind of the skunk of the cheese world.

Happy Anniversary to you and Hani. I hope you have a great week!

>146 PaulCranswick: Actually its about 37 threads I check a couple of times a week at least, some a few times a day in order to keep up Paul :-). I'm not overly active on my own thread either, but try to make a couple of entries most weeks.

#124 Ha! So so true. Not that we get grid lock but Cass does seem to enjoy buddies who live on the other side of the island (though again I guess I shouldn't complain as the most it can be is half an hour away!).

Love to you and all the family.

>151 countrylife: I had a little bit of the same experience yesterday Cindy. There were several brands of camembert available in the supermarket and I wanted one as my only luxury item for the moment (cheese is expensive here in Malaysia) and I chose the second cheapest option available. Despite looking forward to it very much I was disappointed to note that it was the most tasteless version of the great cheese that I can remember "enjoying" - false economy.

>152 Fourpawz2: If it was a present put in the Christmas stocking then it would have lead one to believe that that same stocking had been worn all the way through since Easter!

>153 tymfos: Thanks Terri. Hani is not overly happy with me keep saying; "21 years? They give you less than that for armed robbery these days!".

>154 Caroline_McElwee: I must say that I have thoroughly enjoyed your company in the group this year (just as I expected I would). There aren't that many of us scribblers of verse left so we have to keep the Union alive! 37 threads a few times a week is pretty good going than my occasional fits of energy.

>155 BekkaJo: I remember my visit to Jersey, Bekka. I was pining for my girlfriend and didn't really want to be there. I wish I had spent more time enjoying and observing the place. Children seem to be put there to make us parents inconvenienced.

>135 PaulCranswick: Thanks for making mine one of the threads you commented on yesterday. Good luck with the impending USA visit. I hope you see all the people you hope to in Florida and Chicago.

I'm amazed that you checked out 240 or more threads and posted to 120. I have a few I check every day, some when the unread message count gets high, and others when I'm willing to spend half the morning on LT instead of reading, errands, housework, bird watching, and etc.

I hope things go well this week and keep getting smoother for the launch of 'Paul from the UK'.

>158 justchris: Thanks Chris, but it is an honour for me to be able to get around the threads and "meet" and "greet" my friends regularly. I know some people are put off from dropping by here as they think that it pings along too quickly. I don't see what difference it really makes just to stop and say hello. xx I am always happy to get posts and I get as much pleasure from giving as receiving!

>159 karenmarie: Well I am edging towards it Karen. I do so much want to go back without leaving problems behind me here.

I get round 254 threads on a fairly regular basis as I update my books read stats. I comment as much as I can. Occasionally when I haven't posted to a thread for a while I will just say hello if I am stuck for something to say but I do normally try to contribute a little more than that.

Love the artwork of Ipoh! And as always, your thread is making me hungry! Pampas - beef, jalapenos and cheese!!!

Hi, Paul! Hope your week started out happy and productive!

>152 Fourpawz2: Haha, that's funny. I guess every family has its secret admirers of oddball things, like stinky (or skunk) cheese.

Speaking of stinky cheese, when I was growing up in Chicago, there was a noontime TV show that we always watched when we weren't in school: Two Ton Baker. One of his songs was a favorite of ours - "I Like Stinky Cheese." I couldn't find the entire song, but here's a taste of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Obt3opbI0xE

>162 Storeetllr: Storeetlr Holy Smokes - I thought I was the only one left on earth who remembered

"I'm TWO TON BAKER, THE MUSIC MAKER..."

>149 PaulCranswick: - Thanks for wanting to help, but I cannot remember the name and I'm afraid the cheese is too strong to cope with my allergy. But if Yasmyne's boyfriend can find you a sample, you might like it too. I remember you could sort of peel off the cheese and divide it into little threads. Loved it.

>157 PaulCranswick: - Hani is not overly happy with me keep saying; "21 years? They give you less than that for armed robbery these days!". :-) ... men ... :-)

A late anniversary to you and Hani! I love that photo.

>13 PaulCranswick: Wow! I'm impressed with the number of books you have going! Is this your standard to have ten or so going at the same time?

Yum, cheese. No diary products are allowed on my diet, but I do cheat a bit with cheese. If I'm ever at the end of the weight I need to lose, I'll have a large spinach salad with cranberries, walnuts and feta. (All but the spinach are currently verboden).

I'm just glad I ate some cheese right before I visited your thread. Otherwise I'd be craving some.

>161 cammykitty: Thanks Katie. It isn't a bad achievement giving a feast for your eyes as well as your stomach!

>162 Storeetllr: Songs about stinky cheese, Mary, what is the world coming to? I suppose it is far preferable than listening to bad news every day

>163 m.belljackson: *SCURRIES OFF TO GO AND LOOK UP TWO TON BAKER*

>164 Trifolia: I have asked Tobias (for that is he - the beau of Yasmyne) to scout the cheese shops in Prague and find me some of the local produce to sample.
Hani has a problem generally with my jokes because she has heard them all so often!

>165 streamsong: Thanks Janet. I can't really say it is a standard to read ten at once as I think it is equal the most I have had going before. I rarely have just one on the go though. Unfortunately it isn't going that well as I haven't finished anything for a goodly while!

>166 thornton37814: I am going to go and have a bit more of my camembert, Lori, since you have just reminded me!

Hi Paul. Have a great week. I will not let another week pass without starting a new thread.

>169 BLBera: Hahaha Beth, I thought you were trying to set a record. xx

>163 m.belljackson:, >167 PaulCranswick: Here you go, Paul. I found the full song, with a photo of Two Ton. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXnSGqvQGr4

>163 m.belljackson: Holy Smokes! You must be from Chicago, or you're channeling my dad whose favorite exclamation that was.

>171 Storeetllr: That is great fun, Mary. "rub it on a crater/moment later/they'll send a fumigator." Not high poetry but really good fun.

> 171 Storeetlr Yes, born in Chicago in 1944 where my Mom was charged about 85 cents for my birth because my Dad was in the South Pacific Ocean with the Marines.

"Holy Smokes" now covers the ground for a bunch of more colorful 60s expressions.

My little brother and I watched Two Ton Baker every Saturday - I seem to recall that his second line was something like "Hey Squawky, do you see Bubbles?!?" and he was on a boat.

We lived in Oak Park (Grandpa painted FLW interiors and Grandma's doctor was Hemingway's
Father) and I went to The University of Chicago (famed for both Carl Sagan and President Obama!)
so have many memories, from the original Powell's (recently posted a Link to a Michael Powell interview on Scaifea's Thread) to marching with Dick Gregory during the Democratic Convention...

>165 streamsong: Holy smokes. What diet would forbid cranberries and walnuts?

Hi Paul! I am also very fond of cheese... not sure I can pick favorites, but I do love blue cheese.

Happy Anniversary! And we certainly want Hani with you when you come to the West Coast!

Loving all this cheese talk . Not much cheese I don't like or at very least try, but do like a strong palate ...

Happy belated anniversary ...

>173 m.belljackson: Fascinating, Marianne. Thank you for sharing that little slice of family history with us.

>174 Morphidae: All but the spinach forbidden, Morphy, and we'll all become an army of Popeyes!

>175 banjo123: I am much better company apparently with my wife in tow, Rhonda! One of my favourite cheeses to have mixed on a cheese platter was Sage Derby. Cannot take too much of it on its own but mixed with other cheeses it is grand.

>176 roundballnz: Stilton and cambazola; provolone and camembert; all are strong tasters in their own way but delicious too, Alex.

Hi Paul! I hope your week has started off productively and that you've had a chance to do some reading.

>171 Storeetllr: "Holy smokes" was a common phrase when I was growing up in California, but it may be because there were so many people from the Midwest who moved there after WWII - my Mom and Dad in 1952. Mom was from Cedar Rapids IA and Dad from Omaha NE. Except for a couple of neighbors who, in hindsight, must have been from the South, everybody else was from 'back east' somewhere.

Hi Paul. Good to see that you like Sage Derby - that is a hard one to find around here but when I see it I will always get some.

I love cheese and always have a mature cheddar and some parmesan in the house. Then I add whatever looks good when I go shopping, nearly anything except blue cheese which I really don't like. Recently I bought Perl Wen (a welsh brie style cheese) and Tintern (cheddar with chives and shallots).

>179 karenmarie: Karen, in the UK it is a more common expression to say "Holy Smoke" rather than "Holy Smokes" but is anyway quite outdated these days. First two days of the week were hellishly busy but halfway productive.

>180 calm: I think I have had Perl Wen cheese and I am quite sure that I enjoyed it. You probably shop a bit like me then Calm. A list of essentials and then you'll pick up whatever catches your eye or tickles your fancy when you are out at the shops.

Finally finished a book:

23.

Fences by August Wilson

Date of Publication : 1985
Pages : 101
Winner of Pulitzer Prize

I haven't seen the movie.

I don't often get blown away by reading plays but this one just about managed it.

Rose wants Troy to build a fence around their home in Pittsburgh. The builder is not convinced whether it is being built to keep people from getting in or from stopping those on the inside from getting out.

Troy is a hard-working opinionated son of a gun who has had a tough upbringing, ran away from an abusive father, got himself incarcerated, fought to make good and build a family with his wife Rose and his son Cory. He has his son from an earlier liaison, Lyons, who regularly needs his support, his friend and acolyte from the old days Bono as his acolyte and sounding board and his mentally unstable war veteran of a brother Gabe to be looked after.

Wilson dissects the various relationships and he does so marvellously but he keeps bringing us back to the flawed force of nature, Troy.

I now look forward to seeing the film armed in the knowledge that this is a great play.

9/10

>182 PaulCranswick: The film is directed like a play and all the actors are terrific.!

>182 PaulCranswick: Hi, Paul! You got me with Fences-- I've got it requested at my library. Nice review!

Karen O.

>183 torontoc: Cyrel, the quality of the actors alone would tend me towards wanting to watch it, but based on the play - and I tend to read plays by declaiming much of it aloud anyway - I am confident it would work on the silver screen.

>184 klobrien2: Lovely to see you here Karen! I am sure that you will enjoy it.

Sort of on a roll now:

24.

No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod

Date of Publication : 1999
Pages : 262
Canadian Author Challenge March
IMPAC Dublin Literary Award Winner

I often browse the work-page of a book and see what my peers and contemporaries had to say about the book before I try to formulate my own responses to it. Some of my best pals in the group and whose opinions I esteem greatly gave this novel absolute and unreserved praise. Now there is plenty to admire here and when the author sticks to his story properly as he does on a number of occasions in the telling, it reaches quite a height. Unfortunately I wasn't blown away with it as some of us have been and how I wanted and expected to be.

Why? Well I guess that there were a few problems for me. Firstly the narrative kept jumping causing me to lose thread and impetus often. Plain told tales are my preference and this was like trying to catch a wet bar of soap at times. Secondly there were too many characters with the same name which became mightily confusing when added to his constant flitting. Thirdly there was an over concentration with Culloden the April 1746 battle that the Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie lost to the English. I think it stretched to credulity and beyond that one family clan through the generations and having moved continents would still hold in their hearts with some primacy a single if cathartic event in Scottish history. In little over an hour 2,000 of the Jacobite forces were killed with an estimated 140 English forces killed and the Scots were completely routed. Incidentally under the Duke of Perthshire regiment the clan MacDonald were lead by Alexander MacDonald which is the recurring name mentioned in the novel. He was killed in the battle.

Very good writer was Alistair MacLeod. No doubting that and he demonstrates that often in this novel. He was a renowned master of the short story and I believe that is the medium to best appreciate him. His writing is flawless; his novel construction flawed.

7/10

>179 karenmarie: >181 PaulCranswick: I'm outdated! *snivels* I'm gonna get tossed in the trash! Wah!!!

Jumpin' Jehosaphat!

>187 Morphidae: Hahaha NEVER, Morphy, NEVER!

>182 PaulCranswick: I am going to have to read that one!

>182 PaulCranswick: I would Stasia. You sort of grow into it like a comfortable old coat.

> 186 PaulCranswick - Diana Gabaldon renewed tremendous interest in Culloden!

>182 PaulCranswick: Great review Paul. I need to watch that movie and will have to add the play to the list.

Great review of No Great Mischief . Post it and I'd be glad to thumb , and I think a number of others would be willing to do the same. I know what you mean about " The 100 Canadian Books That Make You Proud To Be Canadian" - of which No Great Mischief is one. Sometimes you wonder why did they choose that one among others! :)

http://www.cbc.ca/books/books100.html

>191 m.belljackson: The Outlandish Outlander!

>192 Oberon: Thank you Erik. I will look to put the review on the work page.

>193 vancouverdeb: I have to be less lazy when it comes to putting my reviews on the work pages, Deb. Alistair MacLeod was a wonderful writer but I found the novel's structure rather than its mode of expression or subject matter off putting. If he was truly a novelist rather than a short story writer he would have embellished the effectiveness of his work still further.
I love that list, Deb, and had saved in in Dec/ Jan when you first made mention of it. xx

>186 PaulCranswick: - I have this one, Paul and have it in the rotation, intended to read it this month for the CAC, but real life got in the way and I just didn't have the energy for it, to be honest. I am about to head back to Montreal to be with my mum tomorrow, and to be honest, I have decided to just put it on hold. I am taking 5 books with me - this isn't one of them.

Howdy, Paul! just a short visit to catch up a bit. Still in Malaysia, I see so I haven't missed the big move! :0)

Hi Paul! Somewhat productive is certainly better than not productive.

I'm glad you've gotten your reading mojo back and have finished two books. Unusually for me, I've got 4, possibly 5 if I actually get into My Brilliant Friend. It's due for book club Sunday, so I'll give it a serious go today to see if I can muster the appropriate interest.

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

>135 PaulCranswick:: Wow. 120 threads that you posted on. Thanks for posting on mine. It's always nice when someone posts, it makes me feel like I'm not all by myself :)

I saw a play based on No Great Mischief at the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto a few years ago- it was terrific.

>200 torontoc: Just butting in to say Tarragon is a brilliant name for a theatre!

Hi Paul! I am hopelessly behind here, there and everywhere. Still feeling crummy. Sigh.

If you promise to bring Hani with you on your West Coast visit, then I shall be patient. : )

Paul I thought of you whilst reading the first story in Kafka in Bronteland - the narrator is a disillusioned Emily fan who had been drawn to Bradford. She says the hills around the city are known as 'the white highlands'. Wow.

>195 jessibud2: I wouldn't want to put anyone off reading it, Shelley, because it certainly is a worthy read and many of our peers seemed to adore it so. It is only that I thought it meandered in structured such that if you were not really concentrating properly you will easily lose its thread.

>196 Carmenere: No, I am still here Lynda! There is a little movement forward positively but it is likely that I will make a foray to the UK next week late on with Kyran but it will involve me returning to sign bank documents, etc and before I am genuinely solvent!

>197 karenmarie: I have read quite a bit in the last couple of days and should finish another couple before the month end at least. I am usually a glass-half-full kind of guy, Karen, but I have had cause to question that over the last couple of years. Luckily I have just about retained my positivity.

Hi Paul. I so far behind with threads so I thought I would start fresh with this one. Happy new thread and belated happy anniversary wishes to you and Hani!

>182 PaulCranswick: - Fences is a fabulous play! So glad to see you enjoyed reading it.

>198 brodiew2: Nice to see you Brodie. I am fair to middleton as they say in Northern England, which is where I want to be (Northern England) as soon as I am able.

>199 figsfromthistle: Anita, I always get a buzz when I see someone has taken the time to post to my thread so it is only right that I try and spread that buzz around! Nice to see that you are settling into the group nicely and finding your feet so. xx

>200 torontoc: I can imagine it as a play, Cyrel. The construction via a series of short scenes would suit that medium, I think.

>201 lunacat: Isn't it about thyme that a theatre got such a name? (ouch, sorry!)

>202 Berly: She is far more interesting than I am Kimmers in truth, so I wouldn't want to leave her behind!

I do hope that you start to feel yourself again soon. xx

>203 charl08: Interesting Charlotte. The White Highlands is a name unfamiliar to me but I dare say she is right. It is not easy to be a fan of the Bronte's and not be disillusioned - all that talent cut down before they had even reached maturity.

>205 lkernagh: Lori, I almost missed you there so you get a post all of your own!

I am a firm believer that if you fall behind (which I have done more times than I care to remember) just jump in where you are able. We don't have to read every word of each others threads to remain friends. xx

I think that I enjoyed reading Fences as much if not more than I have enjoyed reading any play bar maybe Richard II.

>3 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, that's a beautiful family picture!

love the cheese talk, the more variety the better, for me.

Congrats on finishing those books, Fences looks interesting.

>209 EllaTim: Nice to see you! My crowd does have the habit of making me look better. xx

Happy belated anniversary, Paul!

>211 Copperskye: Thank you, Joanne. It is nice to see you here. xx

>206 PaulCranswick: I wonder if that is where "fair to middlin'" comes from.

>213 Morphidae: It is now more used in the US than in the UK but I would assert that it is of English or Scots origin. Middlin' is from the old Scots and this phrase was used in 1707 in John Mortimer's farming handbook The Whole Art of Husbandry :

As you gather your Fruit, separate the fairest and biggest from the middling.

The phrase "fair to midland" probably comes from the english East Midlands and in Yorkshire and Lancashire this is perverted to fair to Middleton. Middleton is an area of Manchester.

I always thought it was fair to middling. But that wouldn't make sense whereas the others might. I love sayings and their etymologies.

I am way way way behind here, in fact I just read half you last thread thinking it was the current one. So I am up with the play for a period of recent history (has your mojo returned, Paul?), so can only add my greetings today, and promises of cheese if we ever meet up again!!

Happy Thursday, Paul!

I'm a big fan of the phrase 'fair to middlin'' myself, but (shame on me) I've never given its provenance a (first or) second thought.

>215 LovingLit: Fair to middling is the most traditional form and the saying's obvious starting point, Megan. I can assure you that one fine day I will hold you to that cheese promise. xx

>216 scaifea: Amber, my dear friend, it is funny isn't it how we don't give sayings and expressions a moments consideration but all the famous ones were coined by some smart Aleck or are derived from some historical context.

25.

Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand

Date of Publication : 2001
Pages : 399

As a boy I fancied myself as a student of the turf. I used to look through the racing pages and keep voluminous records about the form of the horses and I knew the names of all the great horses, jockeys and trainers in the UK. I bought my first serious training bike for my hoped for career in professional cycling (I didn't make it) from the proceeds of Long Engagement winning at 14/1 at Stratford races beating an odds-on favourite by 20 lengths.

I was always likely to be a sucker for this one then. Hillenbrand brings both the era and the racing world magnificently to life in this excellent specialised history of "the true story of 3 men and 1 racehorse". Howard (the owner), Smith (the trainer) and Pollard (the jockey) were all in their own ways tragic figures, flawed and complicated geniuses in their own way. Laura Hillenbrand does all of them justice amply here.

The real star of the show though is an equine one. I found myself watching You Tube whereon you can see Seabiscuit's lauded triumph on the seemingly unbeatable War Admiral and felt the thrill and tingle anew of racing flesh and sinew stretching and straining towards the finishing line.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVT2MPNCqgM

9/10

Hi Paul!

I am usually a glass-half-full kind of guy, Karen, but I have had cause to question that over the last couple of years. Luckily I have just about retained my positivity.

It is hard to be positive when so many potentially crushing things happen, but I'm glad you've eeked by on the positivity. I've found that time does heal, even though if I poke some of the old wounds there's occasionally residual but not debilitating pain. But, onward and upward!

I loved Seabiscuit. And isn't it marvelous that YouTube can give us some of the visceral thrill that goes along with the intellectual thrill of a book. I like reading in the Sunroom now almost exclusively for non-fiction so I can turn the chair 'round and look up something on Wikipedia or YouTube to enhance the reading experience.

>218 PaulCranswick: What a race! Thanks for sharing the link to YouTube, Paul.

>219 karenmarie: Isn't that the way though Karen? I don't see the point of going through life full of negativity. It is probably why I have been able to pick myself up when things haven't sometimes turned out OK.
Seabiscuit a visceral and intellectual thrill - I like that.

>218 PaulCranswick: Your welcome buddy and I have to say that she described it spot on in the book

>222 PaulCranswick: If my current course of reading/rereading Walter Farley's Black Stallion books gets me fired up, I may give Seabiscuit a look. I've drifted away from even the casual interest I used to have in horse racing, but I do like watching races when opportunity arises — and I had to work to resist getting lost for hours among all the related race videos that YouTube suggested after that one.

Bizarrely, I've never been particularly interested in Seabiscuit, either to read it or watch the film. I wonder if it's because I live less than 5 miles from Newmarket, the home of horse racing, so it doesn't seem a special or wondrous thing to me.

One of TheBF's best friends is a rider for Godolphin (the stud/training yard owned by the Al Maktoum family who rule Dubai), we've got another work rider who keeps her personal horses where I keep Connie, and........in a slightly darker look at the racing world........the pet crematorium, that is on the farm where I keep Connie, receives a fair number of horses from the Jockey Club when they suffer catastrophic injuries when training and have to be put down on the gallops.

Perhaps it is when you get to see the bare bones of the industry, good and bad, that your interest wanes a little in watching films or reading books about it.

Just racing to keep up...glad to see we're still talking about cheese. (I posted at the end of your last thread, where I was only 40 or 50 posts behind.)

"Fair to middlin'" is a bit better than "piss poor to unbelievable". "Middling" simply means average, or "so-so". I never heard of "Fair to midlands"....that would have no meaning for me at all.

mid·dling
ˈmidliNG/
adjective
adjective: middling

1.
moderate or average in size, amount, or rank.
"the village contained no poor households but a lot of middling ones"
synonyms: average, standard, normal, middle-of-the-road; More
moderate, ordinary, commonplace, everyday, workaday, tolerable, passable;
run-of-the-mill, fair, mediocre, undistinguished, unexceptional, unremarkable;
informalOK, so-so, ‘comme ci, comme ça’, fair-to-middling, plain-vanilla
"a town of the middling kind, neither rich nor poor"
neither very good nor very bad.
"he had had a fair to middling season"
informal
(of a person) in reasonably good but not perfect health.

noun
plural noun: middlings; noun: middling

1.
bulk goods of medium grade, especially flour of medium fineness.

adverbinformaldated
adverb: middling

1.
fairly or moderately.
"middling rich"

The middling discussion is interesting - we had a an international fair at work today and there were games to match the French expression to the meaning in English. It turned out 'to lie around in good sheets' apparently means to be in a muddle.
No idea, said the (French) member if staff when asked what that was getting at... (and a quick Google has not helped!)

>223 harrygbutler: I have not read any of the Black Stallion books, Harry. It was far from the usual dull and pedestrian sports biography and brought out the characters involved splendidly.

>224 lunacat: When I did a project at the Aldermaston nuclear facility I lived in Newbury which is very much a horse racing town. I went to the races there often and went over to the Downs at Wantage to watch the horses ride a number of times. There is, of course, a murky world in the business of the sport, Jenny, but without the sport and in the interest in horseflesh that it generates I do think that the equestrian world would be in some difficulty.

>224 lunacat: You are right, Linda, that it is only "fair to middling", or "fair to middlin'" that has any obvious meaning and the others are clearly perversions of that. I would suggest that the traditional "fairs" that used to be travelling affairs may have something to do with the adoption of "fair to midland" or "fair to middleton" in the sense of the "to" meaning going towards. The fair or feast or carnival would visit places on rota.

>225 laytonwoman3rd: That is not an expression that I am overly familiar with Charlotte. Hani is something of an expert at lying around in a any sort of sheets at all!

>225 laytonwoman3rd: marvellous!

>218 PaulCranswick: I loved Seabiscuit and I especially like that cover you posted. And like you, I went straight to YouTube to watch the old footage.

I loved the Black Stallion series as a kid. Well, truth be told, anything horse related...but anyway, I'd still rec it, even for adults.

>229 LovingLit: It is rather, Megan, isn't it?

>230 Copperskye: The cover is part of a series called "Stranger than Fiction". Ten modern non-fiction classics. I bought them as a job lot at last year's Big Bad Wolf book sale.

>218 PaulCranswick: Horseracing :-)
I lived some years near Duindigt, the only racetrack left, all others are only for trotting horses. I worked there at the stables a few mornings every week. I loved the horses, not the betting and all other non-horse related things on the track. Thoroughbreds are magnificent horses :-)

>232 FAMeulstee: They are magnificent animals, Anita, but I - quite dangerously - loved the gambling and the trying to "calculate" which horse would win. Glad I managed to stop my juvenile craze.

>230 Copperskye: What coppers said. We have a race track here in Portland and I have never even been! We also have a car race track and I haven't been to that one either. I enjoy the books more.

Three books added yesterday at the pay less store (2 new hardbacks and 1 new paperback for about $11).

This must be the first month in a number of years that I have read more than I have bought.

41. Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights by Salman Rushide (2015) 286 pp

Why? Because it is Salman Rushdie

42. Chicago by Alaa Al Aswany (2007) 342 pp

Why? Because the writer is from Egypt, a country I have a great affection for.

43. The General by C.S. Forester (1936) 288 pp

Why? Many have told me that this is a "great" World War One book.

>235 PaulCranswick: And Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights by Salman Rushdie also happens to be part of the April Obama read...just saying. : )

>234 Berly: I like the experience of going to the dog track or the horse racing. It has charm, it has passion, it has glamour, it is seedy and it is prone to all the vicissitudes that humankind is heir to.

>236 Berly: Hoping to finish Gilead this month for Obama March and then I shall look at April, Kimmers!

>223 harrygbutler: I loved The Black Stallion series as a kid. I still have some of them and can't quite give them up: The Black Stallion and Flame, The Black Stallion Challenged!, The Black Stallion's Ghost, and a completely unrelated story by Walter Farley: The Horse-Tamer). I also loved other horse stories, like National Velvet. And various animal stories, like the Jim Kjelgaard dog books (Irish Red etc), and random odd stories like Fifteen Rabbits, The Plague Dogs, Bubo the Great Horned Owl.

>233 PaulCranswick: I just read a fantasy novel based around gambling on the chariot races! Part of the Thraxas series if you ever feel the need. My father part owned a few racehorses and we also had others that came to recuperate at our farm. I never got into the gambling side apart from a few fun punts on racing days.

>235 PaulCranswick: Three interesting books especially the Rushdie and the Forester ones. I've already got a few Egyptian novels on my tbr pile and prefer the ones set in or around Egypt.

>238 justchris: The books starring Flame, The Island Stallion, were my favorites back then. I'll be interested to see whether that remains true as I go through the series now.

>238 justchris: Interesting Chris because that is a whole world of books that I am not familiar with at all

>239 avatiakh: I don't gamble anymore Kerry either but I was extremely interested in the racing form of the horses. You will see by my addiction to statistics and that cricket and horse racing lend themselves so eagerly to stats exactly why these sports would call to me so.

I also like my Egyptian writers. Palace Walk by Mahfouz is a favourite and I do think that generally they write better about their own locale.

>240 harrygbutler: If I see them in a book sale or in Florida next month, I could just be tempted, Harry.

>237 PaulCranswick: Well, apparently I should go to the race track! At least once.

Read fast (and I know you can!), Paul! March is almost over. LOL

>238 justchris: I read all of those books as a kid, save Fifteen Rabbits. Loved them!!

>242 Berly: It is a good day out if you don't take the winning and losing dosh too seriously.

A mere bagatelle I have only seven books to finish off in a little over 15 hours (LT time) to get up to speed for March!

Hi Paul!

I hope you will get some R&R&R time in - rest & relaxation & reading. Triple R time.

>244 karenmarie: Thrice yeh, thrice yeh, thrice yeh, Karen.

>240 harrygbutler: I am realizing now that my enthusiasm was pretty passive. I guess I am not natural obsessed fan material. I got excited and loved the books that I encountered at the library/bookstore, but I didn't therefore go out and seek all the other related books by the same author. So I wasn't even aware of The Island Stallion strand. Looking at LT stats, looks like Walter Farley has 24 books, and I read probably around 10 of them as they were available in my area, including Man-o-War.

>241 PaulCranswick: I loved all things animals as a kid, so I read any books that featured animals as protagonists, whether naturalist type books featuring companion animals like the Kjelgaard books and classic literature like Call of the Wild, or wild animals like the books by Jean Craighead George, or anthropomorphic stories like Odyssey from River Bend, The Owl Hoots Twice at Catfish Bend, or Charlotte's Web, or The Wind in the Willows, or the Narnia books, or historical fiction from an animal's perspective, like one featuring George Washington's horse.

In fact, I knew about Watership Down for years before I managed to find it at the library and read it because it didn't occur to me that it would be adult fiction. That was a revelation. Despite all that, I didn't actually read Animal Farm until last year. You'd think a title like that would be a natural for my younger self, though of course the political allegory would have gone completely over my head.

>245 PaulCranswick: Good luck thricing. Is that a word?

Rushing through here to say howdy Paul.

>218 PaulCranswick: I have owned that book for years but still not read it. Maybe because I am not a horse fan??

>246 justchris: Chris, I was never a huge fan of animals either as a youngster or as a grown man save that we always had dogs at home. Two Alsatians, a Springer Spaniel and a Labrador all at different times.

Watership Down was a favourite book of mine as a child and I was sad recently when I heard of Richard Adams' passing.

"Thricing"? - Well it is now!

>247 luvamystery65: Lovely to see you Roberta. Am looking forward to getting around the threads and starting a new one myself to celebrate the start of a new Quarter.

>248 alcottacre: I don't think that the love of the sport would make an absolute difference, Stasia, as the characters involved are brought to life - including the horse!

>235 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul--Hope things are progressing, even if they are going more slowly than you'd like. Do you have a target date for the move?

I like Egyptian writers too, but I hope you won't be as disappointed in Chicago as I was when I read it shortly after I joined LT. Unfortunately, I think it was one of, if not the, worst book I read that year.

Lovely picture at the top--Ipoh was another of the places I visited during my sojourn in Singapore/Malaysia in 1969/70. I think the Cameron Highlands and Penang were my favorites.

Weighing in on the Black Stallion and Flame books, my 5th grade self adored them all, but especially the Flame ones!

>251 arubabookwoman: Unfortunately the target date was 27 March, Deborah! I have to finalise meetings with the bank and that might be Wednesday. Means that I could be travelling 5th or 6th, but possibly as late as 11th. I am then travelling onto Florida on 16th.

Not such a good sign that you remember Chicago in such unpromising terms!

Cameron Highlands has changed beyond recognition in the last 20 years and not for the better. I think that I will feature the place on my next thread.

>252 ronincats: I will look for those books Roni to see what I missed in my childhood!

>246 justchris: I guess I fell into the same category. I read and reread the ones that we owned, which my father had as a youth, and I remember getting a few from the library, but I definitely didn't finish the series, perhaps because the library holdings were incomplete.

>255 PaulCranswick: Harry, I am a completist so, if I start a series, I will rarely rest until I have tracked all the books down.

>255 PaulCranswick: Oh, I'm pretty much that way with series now, Paul — unless I abandon them entirely. :-) It is why I can't really consider collecting pulp magazines, though I very much enjoy reading the various reprints that come out. (And even there I must be careful, as the ease of modern small-press publishing means that the volume, as well as the number of series, outstrips what I can reasonably accommodate.)

>256 harrygbutler: I am almost scared to start another series because I know full well that I will get myself hooked to buy all of them and read all of them. The good/bad thing is also that I tend to only buy them in order as well as read them in order!

>257 PaulCranswick: But imagine if the series were, say, Sexton Blake!

>258 harrygbutler: Or Maigret!

Hi, Paul. Just checking in. Hope you had a good week and have a nice weekend planned. I am so glad you loved Seabiscuit. Good review too. It is quite a book. She is a master at NNF, despite only authoring 2 books. Did you ever read Unbroken? If not, it is as good, if not better.

Reading Plan for April

My fairly hopeless reading efforts in February and March have left me not only playing catch-up but with 7 unfinished books to complete. I want to finish all of these and thirteen more in the 30 days of April a month that will see me travel by aeroplane several times - Malaysia to UK; UK to USA; USA to UK and possibly UK to Malaysia again. Traditionally I read a lot on my travels so I am optimistic that I'll get plenty done.

To finish

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (Obama Books)
Bleak House by Charles Dickens (Karen's Group Read / 1001 Books)
Lost Empires by J.B. Priestley (BAC March)
The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron (AAC March)
Going West by Maurice Gee (ANZAC Bingo Challenge / Around the World in 80 Books)
When I was Old by Georges Simenon (Around the World in 80 Books)
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini (Around the World in 80 Books)

To Start and Finish

On the Black Hill by Bruce Chatwin (BAC April / 1001 Books)
The Children's Book by AS Byatt (BAC April)
Ariel by Sylvia Plath (AAC April)
The Englishman's Boy by Guy Vanderhaeghe (CAC April)
Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami (1001 Books / Around the World in 80 Books)
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba (Around the World in 80 Books)
I Shall Not Hate by Izzeldin Abuelaish (Around the World in 80 Books)
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (Around the World in 80 Books)
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese ( Around the World in 80 Books/Obama Books)
Her Privates We by Frederic Manning ANZAC Bingo Challenge / 1001 Books)
Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels (CAC Challenge/ 1001 Books)
Strange Shores by Arnaldur Indridason ( Around the World in 80 Books)
Night School by Lee Child

If I can manage these I will add 5 1001 books
I will add 10 countries to my around the world in 80 books

>260 msf59: She is also some writer Mark in that both her books have become seriously hit movies. Must be rolling in it.

>261 PaulCranswick: That's an ambitious plan you have there!

>263 amanda4242: Amanda, I reckon for once Amanda that I will get close to it with all my travelling and the fact that seven of them have been started already.

Paul, if you get a chance read up about the huge health challenges that Hillenbrand has experienced and endured and how it has shaped her writing experience. I found it very interesting and insightful. There is a reason she has written few books but what gems they are.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2003/07/07/a-sudden-illness
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/21/magazine/the-unbreakable-laura-hillenbrand.ht...

>265 mdoris: Fascinating, Mary. I am pleased to read on Wikipedia that she has a new love in her life and last year made a road trip outside Washington DC for the first time in many years.

>266 PaulCranswick: Thanks for letting me know about that. I have just read up on current info about Hillenbrand a bit! I do like to know about authors in their RL and what gets the writing experience going and the why/how!

>267 mdoris: My pleasure, Mary. It was your articles that got me to looking up for still more information about her.