Paul C's 2017 Reading & Life - 22

Near to the Market town of Pickering in North Yorkshire is the village of Rosedale Abbey which boasts almost certainly the hardest cycling climb in Yorkshire - the beautifully named Rosedale Chimney. It is one mile of hurt and I have ridden its cruel path many times with the gradients reaching 1:3 in places and averages 12.5% all the way up . The view from the top is fabulous though.

Paul's Poems

I am something of an old fashioned chap. Always was. This poem was written to my first love back in 1984 when we had not yet consummated our relationship. August 12 was her birthday when she will have been 50 years old and I loved her dearly. Nearly broke my heart when we parted towards the end of our university days but I still remember the wonderful times of discovery we shared together and I cherish her memory and will always wish her well.

A Letter My Heart Dictated

I would never wish you to think
I desired only your body -
I desire you lock, stock and barrel.
Neither think I do not desire your body;
I desire it more than I cherish life.
It is from respect of you
That I suppress these desires,
Which remain nonetheless.
I would never wish to hurt you
Either physically or emotionally or in anyway.
I have felt the bitterness of hurt -
It is something not to share with one I love so dear.
I am contented just to sit and gaze
Wholeheartedly upon your loveliness.
The touch of your hand, the scent of your breath,
The light of your smile, the flush of your cheeks,
Are my fulfilment.
I could wait an eternity of lonely nights
Until we both are ready.

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

26. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (2003) 343 pp
27. Strange Shores by Arnaldur Indridason (2010) 296 pp
28. The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron (1967) 415 pp
29. When I Was Old by Georges Simenon (1970) 452 pp
30. On the Black Hill by Bruce Chatwin (1982) 262 pp
31. And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini (2013) 444 pp
32. The Cry by Helen Fitzgerald (2013) 307 pp
33. I Shall Not Hate by Izzeldin Abuelaish (2010) 236 pp
34. Ariel by Sylvia Plath (1965) 81 pp
35. Shout at the Devil by Wilbur Smith (1968) 391 pp
36. A Perfidious Distortion of History : The Versailles Peace Treaty and the Success of the Nazis by Jurgen Tampke (2017) 269 pp
37. Doctor Who and the Web of Fear by Terrance Dicks (1976) 150 pp
38. The Haw Lantern by Seamus Heaney (1987) 51 pp

May

39. Then by Morris Gleitzman (2009) 196 pp
40. March: Book One by John Lewis (2013) 121 pp
41. Selected Poems : 1940-1982 by Norman Nicholson (1982) 78 pp
42. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (1992) 587 pp
43. The Englishman's Boy by Guy Vanderhaeghe (1997) 402 pp
44. Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth (1800) 97 pp
45. Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee (1999) 220 pp
46. And the Weak Suffer What They Must? by Yaris Varoufakis (2016) 246 pp

June

47. Il Postino by Antonio Skarmeta (1985) 112 pp
48. How to Fight Islamist Terror from the Missionary Position by Tabish Khair (2012) 190 pp
49. 1914 by Jean Echenoz (2012) 118 pp
50. Resistance by Carla Jablonski (2010) 121 pp

BOOKS READ

July

51. The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig (1968) 281 pp

August

52. Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson (1936) 299 pp
53. Amok by Stefan Zweig (1922) 121 pp
54. The King's Revenge by Don Jordan (2012) 328 pp

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 (DONE)

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 (DONE) 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

AAC

CAC

ANZAC CHALLENGE

OTHER CHALLENGES

CURRENTLY READING

AUGUST READING PLAN

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 BOOKS

I have not included the UK and USA in this as so much of our reading is from those two places but these are my 80 countries. Authors should have been born there, been a citizen of that country or are clearly associated with it.


visited 24 states (10.6%)
Create your own visited map of The World

1 AFGHANISTAN Khaled Hosseini - And the Mountains Echoed
2 ALBANIA ISMAIL KADARE - Spring Flowers, Spring Frost
3 Algeria
4 Angola
5 Antigua
6 ARGENTINA CESAR AIRA - Varamo
7 AUSTRALIA PETER TEMPLE - The Broken Shore
8 AUSTRIA STEFAN ZWEIG - Amok
9 Bangladesh
10 BARBADOS KAMAU BRATHWAITE - Middle Passages
11 BELGIUM GEORGES SIMENON - When I Was Old
12 Bosnia
13 Brazil
14 CANADA BRIAN MOORE - The Magician's Wife
15 CHILE ANTONIO SKARMETA - Il Postino
16 China
17 Colombia
18 Croatia
19 CZECHIA JAROSLAV SEIFERT - The Poetry of Jaroslav Seifert
20 Denmark
21 Dominica
22 Dominican Republic
23 Egypt
24 Ethiopia
25 Finland
26 FRANCE JEAN ECHENOZ - 14
27 GERMANY JURGEN TAMPKE -A Perfidious Distortion of History
28 Ghana
29 GREECE YANIS VAROUFAKIS - And the Weak Suffer What they Must?
30 Haiti
31 HOLLAND HARRY MULISCH - The Assault
32 Hungary
33 ICELAND ARNALDUR INDRIDASON - Strange Shores
34 INDIA TABISH KHAIR - How to Fight Islamist Terror from the Missionary Position
35 Indonesia
36 IRAN MARJANE SATRAPI - Persepolis
37 IRELAND ELIZABETH BOWEN - The House in Paris
38 ISRAEL YUVAL NOAH HARARI - Sapiens : A Brief History of Humankind
39 Italy
40 Jamaica
41 Japan
42 Kenya
43 Korea
44 Lithuania ESTHER HAUTZIG - The Endless Steppe
45 Malawi
46 Malaysia
47 Mexico
48 Morocco
49 Mozambique
50 New Zealand
51 Nigeria
52 Norway
53 Pakistan
54 PALESTINE IZZELDIN ABUELAISH - I Shall Not Hate
55 Peru
56 Philippines
57 Poland
58 Portugal
59 Romania
60 Russia
61 Saudi Arabia
62 Senegal
63 Serbia
64 Sierra Leone
65 Singapore
66 Somalia
67 SOUTH AFRICA JM COETZEE - Disgrace
68 Spain
69 Sri Lanka
70 St. Kitts
71 Sudan
72 SWEDEN MONS KALLENTOFT - Midwinter Sacrifice
73 Switzerland
74 Syria
75 Tanzania
76 Trinidad
77 Turkey
78 Ukraine
79 ZAMBIA WILBUR SMITH - Shout at the Devil
80 Zimbabwe

NEXT IS YOURS - FORGOT TO PUT 23 ATOP THE THREAD SO I NOW HAVE 2 #22 THREADS. DRAT.

Happy new thread, Paul, even if it is a rerun! :-)

>15 PaulCranswick: Well, Harry I was enjoying the old one anyway so I don't mind it being repeated as I am slowly getting a bit of mojo back!

>17 PaulCranswick: Glad to hear it, Paul! I've gotten a bit behind on reviews — and indeed on reading — myself.

Happy new thread!

>18 harrygbutler: Don't you find that these things tend to go in cycles. I was struggling for the last few months with life and my reading but slowly I am getting the latter moving whilst hoping that the former slows down a little!

>18 harrygbutler: Thanks Amanda - you must have slipped in there whilst I was typing - and you probably managed to finish a book while you were waiting my response!

Happy new thread Paul!

Happy new thread, Paul, whether it's 22.2 or 23. :) I wish LT had an edit feature. I titled one of my 2014 threads 2004. Need. More. Caffeine!

Happy new thread, Paul!

I hope the pain is diminishing.

>1 PaulCranswick: lovely topper.

Happy New Thread, mate!

I'm very familiar with screwing up the titles of new threads. No worries - we all know it's 23.

Paul - since no one except maybe Hitler can explain Donald Trump,

how about for now switching to Tennis?

Since my favorite, Rafa!
lost the last 2 major matches he played in,
how does he end up being ranked # 1?

(not that he doesn't deserve it if only for the "loveliness" of HIS smile)

>22 swynn: Thanks Stephen

>23 Storeetllr: Thank you Mary. Actually I remembered and tried to edit it frantically after I had hit the post button but when it came out it was unedited. Not to worry.

>24 brodiew2: Even better than that, Brodie - it has gone all together! I reckon it will be back though so Sunday is still very much on!

>25 jnwelch: I do remember, Joe, that you have done or not done what I have just done or not done a time or two too. Make sense?

>26 m.belljackson: He got himself marked down for grunting, Marianne!

Howdy Paul! Took notes of your Russian, French & German authors lists. I look forward to more lists. Like, Judy, I'm reading works that are in the 1001 books list so I will see where the recommendations match and start from there.

Hi Paul! Happy new thread, and I almost got heart palpitations looking down the gradient of Rosedale Chimney. Even when I was in the best shape of my life, that would have probably done me in.

>26 m.belljackson: I'm confused, Marianne - ATP World Tour rankings have it Murray, Nadal, Federer. ?

Happy new thread Paul. Glad the books are getting back on track.

Happy new thread Paul, glad that the books are getting back on track and your life is slowing down a bit mate. It is going to be interesting with the first day/night test starting tomorrow afternoon, I feel a bit sorry for Stoneman because if he does really really well there will be some saying it is against a second string test side and how will he cope if selected against the Aussies and if he flounders then he will be marked down as another opening selection failure.

I know that some of the openers used since Strauss have been injured but we haven't really given some a decent run in the side to bolster confidence, some of the bad old days of selection lottery are appearing and it is a dangerous game being played. Looking back I wish now they had taken a leap of faith and picked Gillespie as coach, it would have hurt us but I think England would be in a better place as I think confidence is ebbing with Bayliss.

Hope your week has been good mate, things have been quiet for us this week and fingers crossed it will stay that way.

>28 PaulCranswick: "Make sense?" Of course! :-)

Happy new thread, Paul!!

>20 PaulCranswick: Indeed they do seem to run in cycles, Paul. I've had years where I watched movies pretty constantly, but for the last couple years I've not watched so many. They'll return — maybe 2018 will see my movie-viewing climb.

Happy new one!!! I don't think I ever want to do the chimney, up or down. That hill is a brute.

I like your trick with your new thread number. Maybe I should try that with birthdays...

>29 luvamystery65: Nice to see you Ro. I am also slowly working my way through the 1001 Books list but I stick rigidly to the First Edition as otherwise there are 1,242 books to read and it just doesn't have the same kudos!
I will be putting up plenty more lists in the coming days.

>30 karenmarie: Of course, I was almost a professional on the bike in my early twenties (although to look at me now you would never guess) and the Rosedale Chimney was a good place to practice/train on. The National Hill Climbing Time Trial has been held on its slopes a time or two too.

You are right on the ATP rankings, Karen, but Nadal would have gone top had he done better in the Rogers Cup last week. Murray, Djokovic, Nishikori and others are falling down the rankings in part because of injury and inactivity. Then again so did Nadal previously.

>31 charl08: Thanks Charlotte. I am at least reading steadily at the moment. I am not sure whether I shared that my driver Azim has broken his leg and is off work which means that the pages I would have gobbled up whilst he was ferrying me here and there are lost. Hope to announce some books finished soon!

>32 johnsimpson: I agree on Stoneman, John. He has been marked down for selection for a couple of years but it grates a little that he has to move to Surrey to get picked! Going back a few choices ago I do think Adam Lyth got dropped too quickly and I am also not sure why Hales has not come back in. I would prefer someone able to keep the score ticking over with Cook anchoring the other end. I also feel that Darryl Mitchell would not let the team down and is reliable and consistent although long term I would still have Bell-Drummond with Hameed for when Cook hangs up his pads.

>33 jnwelch: Hehehe Joe, it just looked like a bit of a tongue twister when I read it back to myself. :D

>34 scaifea: Thanks Amber. I noticed that you have followed suit with a new thread and I shall be along shortly to see if I am able to answer your bonus question!

Happy New Thread, Paul. I just felt a strange wave of déjà vu, wash over me. I wonder why that is, my friend?

>35 harrygbutler: We went through a spell here Harry where we would visit the cinema on pretty much a weekly basis and sometimes catch more than one film in doing so. I have hardly seen any films this year, although Kyran and I did see Dunkirk a few weeks ago.

>36 Berly: Hahaha Hani kept herself somehow at 27 for a decade or more until I was getting looks from associates to the extent that they thought I was a cradle snatcher!
It is a very tough climb and I reckon one of the hardest in England. I would place it second in terms of absolute difficulty to the Hardknott Pass in Cumbria which I also used to ride regularly.

>42 PaulCranswick: Camaraderie Mark is what is was since we are both on #22 and I didn't really want to leave you!

Once you have reached the top and are going down the other side of the Rosedale (either way) you are greeted by this:

>43 PaulCranswick: See! That's what I meant! I don't want to do it up or DOWN.

>43 PaulCranswick: Having done both more than a time or two, believe me in so many ways the torture of going up is preferable to the terror of coming down! It is exhilarating enough but I shudder to recall that in those days I rarely wore headgear and, if I did, it was usually just a Cellino leather strap thing that was properly neither use nor ornament.

This is the fearsome Hardknott Pass in Eskdale, Cumbria.

As you can see, not everyone is able to ride its slopes!

Happy new thread, Paul. I think walking on 2 feet would be hard enough on those slopes. Don't even want to contemplate wheels.....

>15 PaulCranswick: I don't think it matters much that you forgot to change the number to 23 on this thread, Paul. It's not like they last very long anyway. Happy new thread, btw. >46 PaulCranswick: That looks like a fun climb. How long is it?

>48 jessibud2: I haven't tried to walk it, Shelley, but I have cycled it more than a time or two. There is a longer but (only slightly) easier climb nearby and which leads to it called the Wrynose Pass and to do them together is a bit of a trudge.

>49 Familyhistorian: The Hardknott is 2.25 kms long which in Tour de France is nothing much but it makes up for it by being extremely steep in sections. Some of it is as much as 30% in gradient. I am happy when my threads are zipping along. Nearby Wrynose is 2.52 kms in length so you have almost 5kms of back-breaking climbing on top of each other. Half an hour of toil.

This is the start of the Hardknott climb. Even the sheep don't seem to fancy going any further.

Happy new thread, Paul! Great pictures, nice hills (mountains?) for a walk, I wouldn't even think of cycling there (I'd die!).

Oh, thank goodness. I won't have to keep up with this thread since I've already read it. Happy old thread Paul!

>43 PaulCranswick:, >46 PaulCranswick:, >47 PaulCranswick: Yikes, yikes, and again I say Yikes!

Glad that the antibiotics are doing their job, and your tooth is not paining you anymore. I am impressed by the hills. Not what I look for when bicycling. Lovely poem.

Happy new thread Paul :)

Happy new thread! All this talk of cycling, and I never learned to ride a bike.

Happy new thread!

Hello Paul! I love the pictures of Hardknott Pass. I can see cycling up or down being quite a challenge.

On the reading front, I have bounced around a bit after finishing The Two Towers. I finally landed and thriller called Orphan X which has grabbed me out of the gate with The Equalizer meets Jason Bourne plot. Scott Brick narrates which is always a plus.

>52 Deern: I also wouldn't cycle them these days, Nathalie as I don't think I could get sufficient oxygen into my lungs to get me up and over.

>53 humouress: Nina , I am glad that old friends newly visiting are newly updated and back to old ways. xx

>54 laytonwoman3rd: Thrice Yikes are a lot of yikes, Linda!

>55 justchris: No pain at all at the moment Chris. I am glad that the poem gets a thumbs up as it is one that can still bring a wee tear to my own eye given our eventual relationship and the rawness of its eventual ending. To add to the intensity of my feeling I have a handwritten version of the same poem written in my first love's hand for me to keep and the sight of her writing reminds me of the twice weekly letters of love we used to exchange from our respective universities. Honestly, Hani is the first person that allowed me closure from that relationship.

>56 BekkaJo: Thank you, my favourite Channel Islander. It is lovely to see you back from your jollies and posting again. xx

>57 foggidawn: Misti, you surprise me but only a little! Hani couldn't ride a bike when we met and I taught her riding up and down the East Coast Park in Singapore in 1996.

>58 ChelleBearss: Thank you so much Chelle. Saw your latest FB pictures of the four of you and have to say that they were really something!

>59 brodiew2: It is indeed Brodie. I believe it the hardest road in England to cycle up and over.
I have a few books on the go at the moment and am enjoying the experience immensely.

>62 PaulCranswick: At prime bike-riding age I lived in rural Oklahoma: nothing but gravel roads to ride on, and nothing/nobody within bike-riding distance to go see.

>46 PaulCranswick: Wonderful! Lovely landscape.
No bike riding for me there though, not anymore. But loooooong ago I did biking holidays in the Ardennes. Their trick was a steep descent, where you could pick up a lot of speed, and then traffic lights, so you had to stop suddenly. And lots of traffic:(

Happy new(ish) thread, Paul!
I am gone one day and I am terrible behind because both you and Amber start a new one ;-)

I enjoy all pictures, a bit confused as the road signs are on the wrong side... oh of course there you are on the other side of the road.

Happy new thread, Paul. Or newish. I miss a couple of days, and you're almost ready for the next one!

>30 karenmarie:

Not sure who was responsible for the Nadal # 1 ranking - it came up on one of the online Sports features a few days ago.

The Rosedale Chimney looks even tougher flying down than climbing up!

>64 foggidawn: On my training rides, I used to treasure my solitude but in a group ride I would be usually one of the more voluble members except when the roads went nearly vertical as at those times no-one has the energy to speak.

>65 EllaTim: I have cycled in the Ardennes, Ella. One of the few places in the "Lowlands" that has some contour to go at. Short and pretty sharp and plenty of them. I have spent quite a bit of time in Valkenburg which is renowned for its climb.

>66 FAMeulstee: Of course it would be even more dangerous on those roads for you "continentals" as you would be looking for the road signs elsewhere!

>67 BLBera: About a quarter way through my new thread already and thanks to all my pals for dropping by and keeping me such good company.

>68 m.belljackson: He almost took the number one again, Marianne. With Murray only half-fit, I think it is only a matter of time but I do think Federer will close and pass him especially if he wins the US Open.

A different challenge but it is always safer going up than coming down. The Pyrenees especially, I used to physically fear the descents and, depending on the side you climb, the Col du Tourmalet is extremely hazardous.

SIX OF THE BEST - EUROPEAN LITERATURE

There are a number of countries in Europe from where I have read a good amount but not enough to come up with a list for each. Therefore here is a list of six European novels in translation that I can recommend:

1 Netherlands

The Twin by Gerbrand Bakker

2 Spain

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

3 Italy

If Not Now, When? by Primo Levi

4 Czechia

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

5 Portugal

The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis by Joes Saramago

6 Greece

Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis

>61 PaulCranswick: How sweet! And what a large volume of correspondence at twice a week. I am most impressed. I used to write a lot of letters, especially when I was in Peace Corps and a wildland firefighter in the 1990s. But I fell out of the habit in grad school and now barely manage email.

Bike riding! When I got my first serious permanent job (with benefits and everything) that finally edged me into middle class, I went out and got a commuter bicycle. I mostly walk to work these days, but I still use the bike as my preferred alternate when I am in a hurry. I love it, especially with the removable cargo basket and being able to sit upright while peddling.

Happy new thread, Paul. I haven't been saying much lately but you know you always have my attention and support.

>72 justchris: Initially for the first two years it was Monday, Wednesday, Friday writing letters and it dropped off in our final year.

My driving licence is probably the worst thing that happened to my cycling.

>73 ronincats: Thanks Roni. Always lovely to see you in these parts. xx

>50 PaulCranswick: Walkable, then Paul. We have something similar in this area - well, except there are trees and the trail is not paved so no bikes, just walking and climbing. It's called the Grouse Grind. I did it once but never again. The Hardknott Climb looks more doable.

Stopping by to say hi, Paul. I have a tooth that my dentist filled several years ago. She could not see anything wrong with it, at the time, but I told I just felt it was bothering me. So she drilled into and lo and behold, it had a very big cavity. She was worried at the time that it might unexpectedly turn into a root canal, but it didn't . She told me when the filling needs to be replaced, it will a root canal. Today it was bothering me enough to take an Advil. I'm in no hurry to go to the dentist, but I know your pain, a little bit. I was just there in June and she x- rayed the tooth and pronounced it fine at that time, but sometimes I wonder. I've never had a root canal, so that is a pretty scary prospect to me. My dentist says I must have "dental ESP" with regards to the tooth that bothered me , but she could not see a problem until she drilled into it. Teeth. Dentists. Not so fun.

>75 Familyhistorian: It is definitely doable Meg because I did it time after number. The Grouse Grind sounds something too.

Talking of steep inclines....I love that sign post stating very clearly, cyclist dismount! No bones about it :)
I used to cycle more than do now, and would go up Evans Pass (In Christchurch's beach suburb), and then down again. It was a good'un! Walking up steep inclines I can do, but my knees hate it when its the other way.

Hi Paul! I hope you're doing well and looking forward to Monday when all this dental stuff is over.

When my daughter was 9, her entire 4th grade class (4 classrooms of students) went on a 4-day trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I went as a parent chaperone, and in a fit of hubris climbed the 269 steps to the top. I was 49 at the time. That was on a Thursday. I felt it a bit on Friday, but Saturday night at home my legs cramped and twitched uncontrollably and husband and daughter had to massage them. I limped around for the next several days.

>76 vancouverdeb: You are right, Deb the dentist is no fun at all. xx

>78 LovingLit: I will have to go and look for Evans Pass, Megan.

>79 karenmarie: Wow that is a bit of a delayed reaction Karen.

Happiest of new threads to you, Paul! Love looking at and thinking about the steep and winding road of this thread. Frighteningly intriguing!

>81 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda. The long and winding roads always put me in mind of Paul McCartney. Going up and down those slopes though I don't remember singing too harmoniously!

Hi Paul, hope you have a good weekend mate with the family, sending love and hugs to you all.

>83 johnsimpson: Today I have a wedding of a family friend to attend and tomorrow my dental appointment so should be a very up and down one!
Malan made some runs I see but looked very sketchy on occasions. Let's see.

>77 PaulCranswick: I only did the Grouse Grind once, Paul. There are people who go back up time after time the same day - there is a gondola that gets you back down the mountain. Nowadays I prefer the easier walk which has the advantage of being close to my home.



This is called the Coquitlam Crunch. The path on the left is the actual walk and it has proved so popular that the city is twinning it. That's the path they are creating on the right.

Have fun at the wedding. I'm going to a wedding on Saturday too. It should be good - lots of coworkers.

>85 Familyhistorian: Looks good, Meg, but the power lines are a tad disturbing.

I am back from the wedding (I love Malay wedding food) and hoping for a restful weekend.

This morning I added a few:

99. A Voice in the Night by Andrea Camilleri (2012) 278 pp

Why? It is Montalba! Montalba #20 in fact.

100. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (2016) 300 pp

Why? Everybody loved this and it is finally out here in paperback

101. The Road to Lichfield by Penelope Lively (1977) 216 pp

Why? Ms. Lively was my first BAC pick and this was her first major adult novel - Booker shortlisted.

102. Autumn by Ali Smith (2016) 259 pp

Why? Ali Smith made this year's Booker longlist and is always challenging

>86 PaulCranswick: Restful? Aren't you going to the dentist?

Well, they do have to put power lines somewhere and that is why there is the green space and not more houses. At the bottom of the hill is a soccer field where my son played when he was a lot younger. It was raining one day so my umbrella was up and I could feel the power through the metal shaft of the umbrella - after that I took an umbrella with a wood handle to his games.

>88 Familyhistorian: Hahaha it is a few minutes discomfort!

Well they could plan to bury the cables!

I'm just finishing Lively's City of the Mind Paul. Her books can look light, but they have depths. I read The Road to Lichfield many years ago.

Homegoing is sitting on my shelf for a read soon too. We are doing it at my local book group in October. Love the cover of yours.

>89 PaulCranswick: I wouldn't count on that, Paul. I have had some extractions and they all got me down a few days. But life was a lot better after recovering from the extraction!

Just jumping in on #22, I mean #23, to catch up and say hello.

Loving the cycling stuff. I vividly remember the sense of joyful freedom my bike gave me when I was a child. I was an active, skinny (oh, the dear dead days) girl and thought nothing of riding all day. I'm afraid the knees and hips are beyond all that now.

Hope the extraction goes or went smoothly without lingering after effects.

>90 Caroline_McElwee: Caroline, I always enjoy reading her work and she is always engaging even though some of it can seem slight of touch.

>91 FAMeulstee: That is exactly what I am counting on, Anita!!!

>92 Matke: Always happy with your hellos Gail - whichever thread it is.
I miss the feeling that the bike gave me.

>87 PaulCranswick: All good excuses, Paul.

>94 humouress: Especially when I am not in any need of an excuse to add to my books.

Thinking of you Paul, with the extraction. I hope it went smoothly , quick and easy with no lingering after effects. Take care, my friend.

Oh , I thought the extraction was on Saturday, but it is on Sunday. Fingers and toes crossed. I'm confident it will go well.

>96 vancouverdeb: It is nearly 8.00 am here and my appointment is 11.00 am. Thanks Deb, I am hoping that it will go smoothly.

I'll be thinking of you and I'll say a prayer too, Paul . I am such a dentist phobic myself. Truthfully, I have to take a couple of tranquilizers to get myself to the dentist.

>99 vancouverdeb: I am sitting here quaking a little too, Deb, to be quite honest!

Hope it goes well!

Just checking in, Paul. I think of you often even if I'm not a presence here....
Peace for the dentist! Hope it went well. (Last week I gave up on a 21+ year-old filling, which was still solid but was driving me crazy with the amount of food it was packing in. Had it prepped for a crown which should show up next week. That's a bit of a nothing procedure, but I didn't enjoy a moment of it!)
I have both Autumn and Homegoing waiting for me, but I read in Dominion today, and that's suiting me right down to the ground.

>101 drneutron: Well I am back and it was horrendous unfortunately. Apparently the tooth was bent around the root and the extraction process became extremely arduous. My mouth is cut in several places and I am already in quite a bit of pain. I do hope that a few hours will see me more comfortable.

>102 LizzieD: My least favourite of all medical services for sure, but still I have, of course, no need for the services of a gynaecologist!
I really enjoyed Dominion when I read it a couple of years ago on the recommendation of Rhian's (SandDune) husband. I think of you loads too, Peggy!

53.

Amok by Stefan Zweig

Date of Publication : 1922
Pages : 121
Around the World in 80 Books : #24 - Austria
1001 Books First Edition : #178

This lovely little book was given to me by dear Karen. The setting was on a ship returning from the Far East wherein a secretive doctor tells the story to an unnamed narrator of how he comes to be aboard.

Amok as a word originates from the Malay archipelago and Zweig has some Freudian fun with the concept applied to Europeans gone "native". Maugham would cover similar ground more cynically later but all in all this is a very satisfying and deep novella.

8/10

Oh, so sorry to hear the tooth extraction was so bad! What bad luck that the root the tooth was bent around the root. In my 30's I had to get all of my " wisdom " teeth remove ( no room ) and that was quite the experience! Ugh! All of them were sideways , etc and had to be chipped and dug out, drilled out etc. I had all for done at once. You know me, freaked out but wanting to keep an eye on things, I opted for no sedation, and had to keep an eye on the oral surgeon . That took a bit to heal. Here is hoping yours will be much better , and in the coming hours, sort itself it out.

Commiserations. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Sorry to read it was horrendous at the dentist, Paul. I hope it is bearable now and wish you feel better soon.

>106 humouress: Well I am feeling a little sorry for myself but getting a bit better than it was at lunchtime (not that I was eating).

>107 FAMeulstee: The fact that it feels like a yawning chasm is not making me smile too much, Anita. I will be ok tomorrow I dare say.

Hi Paul. So sorry to hear of the dental experience. I may have a root canal in my future but have been in denial for the past month or so. So far, I am managing without too much pain and will continue to do so until I can no longer. I am another who is deathly afraid of dental work even though I love my dentist and have always had healthy teeth The most work I've ever needed is fillings so who knows where this fear comes from. I actually don't even have ANY wisdom teeth in my mouth, thus never had the need for extractions (you can imagine the field day my brother had teasing me when we were kids, when xrays revealed the absence of the *wisdom in my head*...!)

Drugs, ice and sleep - and quick recovery to you!! And I think you should buy yourself a book, as a consolation prize..... ;-)

Sorry to read about the dentist Paul.

Reading a fascinating novel Guapa, set during the Arab Spring in Egypt. Lots of stuff about being a Muslim after 9/11, but compelling characters too I think. Have you read it?

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 BOOKS

Country 24 of 80 - AUSTRIA



Austria Factfile

Area : 32,386 sq miles
Population : 8,794,267
President/Chancellor :
Capital City : Vienna
Largest City : Vienna
Currency : Euro
GDP Nominal : $415.936 billion
GDP Per Capita : $44,561
National Languages : Austrian German
Median Age : 43.8
Life Expectancy : 81.5
Percentage Using Internet : 83.9%

Its a Fact : The Austrian flag is said to derive from 1191 when Duke Leopold got blood splattered on his tunic in battle which left a white sash.

Sources : Various but mainly wikipedia and CIA world fact book

>109 jessibud2: I envy you those teeth, Shelley! I am similar to you however in not having wisdom teeth either.

>110 charl08: I haven't seen that one around Charlotte - I will go an look for it.

I have lost some teeth, but ironically have all my wisdom teeth. Hope the extraction goes smoothly today Paul.

>104 PaulCranswick: I'll look out for that one. It's a while since I read Zweig. I liked his memoir.

>111 PaulCranswick: - Where are the Austrian dishes? Curious minds want to know.....

>103 PaulCranswick:

If x-rays show a bent tooth in the future,
you may want to deal with the nominal side effects of dental general anesthesia.

Good that it is over and you are recovering -
from one who has had many extractions,
stay alert for signs of infection.

>113 Caroline_McElwee: It didn't go great and, Caroline and i found eating supper (Thai food) a little bit of a challenge.

>114 jessibud2: Went to sleep with painkillers, Shelley and then for supper. The dishes are imminent!

>115 m.belljackson: They have already given me a big bag of anti-biotics, Marianne, so I hope I'll be fine.

An Austrian Dish

Kaiserschmarrn

Well Vienna is coffee and sweets isn't it?

Another Austrian Dish

Mirjam Weichselbraun

Austrian TV presenter is all round cutie.

And Another Austrian Dish

Marcel Hirscher

Alpine skier Hirscher is my pick.

Hi Paul!

I'm sorry that the extraction didn't go so well and hope that rest and painkillers effect a quick recovery.

Dental stories are like labor stories - best kept to oneself - so I'll just say I empathize.

I'm happy that you liked Amok. It's one of those books that was a physical as well as mental/emotional joy to read.

>120 karenmarie: Thanks Karen. I did indeed enjoy Amok and the manner of its coming into my possession certainly added lustre to the experience! xx

The worst is over!! Hope you heal quickly with no complications. : )

>122 Berly: Thank you Kimmers!

Yes... hope the healing goes well. Milkshakes!

>124 banjo123: Nobody has called me that before, Rhonda, I quite like it! hehehe.

Good idea, actually.

SIX OF THE BEST - SCANDI SERIES DETECTIVES

I found this one tough because there are probably a dozen or so that I follow. Mari Jungstedt and her Inspector Anders Knutas series set on Gotland is, in particular unlucky to miss out:

1 Inspector Wallender - Henning Mankell - Sweden - first book in series Faceless Killers - Books in series 10 plus a set of short stories.

2 Hammarby Detectives - Carin Gerhardsen - Sweden - first book in series The Gingerbread House - Books in series 3 translated and 8 in total

3 Harry Hole - Jo Nesbo - Norway - first book in series The Bat - Books in series 11.

4 Inspector Sejer - Karin Fossum - Norway - first book in series (publication order) - Don't Look Back - Books in series 12.

5 Carl Mork - Jussi Adler-Olsen - Denmark - first book in series The Keeper of Lost Causes aka Mercy - Books in series 7.

6 Inspector Erlendur - Arnaldur Indridason - Iceland - first book in series (publication order) Jar City - Books in series 11.

Sorry to hear that the extraction was a difficult one, Paul. I hope all goes well in the healing department.

>127 Familyhistorian: Today a little better, Meg. I am grinning and bearing it although I cannot give too big a smile!

You poor thing .. sorry to hear you're still in pain from an excruciating dental event. I hate going to the dentist even for a cleaning, and your episode made me cringe. I hope they gave you some good pain meds though, enough so you are floating on a pain-free cloud today.

Hmm.. your male Austrian dish does nothing for me. How about rising Austrian tennis player, Dominic Thiem?

Hej Paul, just popping up to say hello.

I wouldn't consider Franz Kafka and Joseph Roth as German authors, they were Austrian (Austro-Hungarian to be exact). :)

Hi Paul, another dentist phobic here. I hope your pain clears up now!

>117 PaulCranswick: >118 PaulCranswick: >119 PaulCranswick: Three good dishes. I spent exactly 2 hours in Austria, traveling through to Hungary, one of them in a restaurant, I still remember the apfelstrudel with warm vanilla sauce... hmm.

>131 EllaTim: Hi Paul, so why Austro-Hungarian? I'm doing this 80 countries reading as well, and now caught up in what nationality to count certain authors... and why.

Hope the mouth is easing off :/ I really need to go to the dentist, but this is not helping me book it ;)

>130 paulstalder: I assumed he meant German language authors, but maybe I'm assuming things I shouldn't.

>131 EllaTim: Because they lived during the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Kafka was born in what is now Austria, Roth in what is today the Ukraine.

Hi Paul!

I hope the healing is continuing apace.

>129 cameling: Yum to the Austrian tennis player.

>129 cameling: I figured I should go sports, Caro and I think I should have left you to choose. I almost fancy him myself!

>130 paulstalder: No Paul, I am referring to German as language not nationality which is why Austrian and German language Swiss and even writers like Herta Muller from Romania would be eligible.

>131 EllaTim: Ella, I considered apfelstrudel too as I have eaten it a time or a 102 and always enjoy it.

I think the way I square it is to look at what city they were born in and where that city is today.

>132 BekkaJo: Do let me put you off, Bekka, it was horrible. The nurse kept saying "just relax, Sir" but I didn't think she would have been too keen to swap places especially given her fu$%ing perfect teeth!

>133 PawsforThought: On the money with the assumption, Paws.

Again that is precisely the way I do decide which country they belong to.

>134 karenmarie: I feel ok today Karen although my mouth is slightly raw still.

>126 PaulCranswick: Nice list, Paul, I have completed one (Erlendur, loved them all) and I am working on two others (Kurt Wallander and Konrad Sejer). I will check the others for future reads, I am not ready to start a new series at the moment, too many still in progress ;-)

>138 FAMeulstee: I know what you mean about too many series. I have so many that I am part way through but I don't seem to read them as I used to. I have read all the Wallender. All bar two of the Harry Hole, All the Erlendur except the prequels, all the Hammarby books and five of the Adler-Olsens and most of the Konrad Sejer books.

>133 PawsforThought: >137 PaulCranswick: So Kafka would count for Austria, which doesn't surprise me, and Roth for the Ukraine?

This whole nationality thing can get pretty confusing, what with shifting borders, and changing countries. I had Esther Hautzig noted as Polish, but as Vilna, Poland, is now Vilnius, Lithuania you count her for Lithuania.

>140 EllaTim: I don't think we should be too strict with it Ella, but yes I took Hautzig as Lithuanian because Vilnius is now the capital of Lithuania but if you reckon it differently another approach is just as valid as mine. xx

>133 PawsforThought: I thought Kafka was born in Prague, so what is now the Czech Republic. Of course, you are quite correct that this was then in the Austro-Hungarian empire (and previously had been in the Habsburg Austrian Empire), but it was technically the capital city of the Kingdom of Bohemia, a formal status of a kingdom in the empire that existed until 1918.

Bohemia is towards the upper left (North West) of this map:

http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/Chervonograd/austriahungarymap1897.JPG

>142 sirfurboy: Yes in Kafka's case I would say Czechia as he was indeed born in Prague.

>135 PaulCranswick: I understand, like Seamus Heaney, Nelson Mandela, James Joyce are all English authors :)

>144 paulstalder: If we are talking about language then yes, Paul. I am not sure that any of the three would have particularly liked to be termed as English though!

My list was very clear actually it is @ post #249 of my previous thread and unambiguously states 'German language novels" - I never termed Kafka or Roth as German but they did write and publish in the German language so I do believe my list to be valid.

>142 sirfurboy: Absolutely right, I was a bit too quick! Born in Prague, died in Kierling, which is now in Austria. I knew something felt off about that when I wrote it.

>141 PaulCranswick: No certainly not, no strictness, it just goes to show how something that seems so clear, black and white, in reality is fluid and with lots of grey areas. To my surprise, I confess, I wasn't aware of the history of the area and how much borders have shifted, and people have moved.

Hello Paul. Heal up soon, Pal! I'm sorry to hear of the lingering pain.

>71 PaulCranswick: I have had The Shadow of the Wind on my TBR pile for a while now. It just got an express ticket to 2017. How did you like it?

>146 PawsforThought: It is funny Paws because instinctively I thought he was Austrian too!

>147 EllaTim: Ella, it is interesting to navigate the globe in this way though isn't it?!

>148 brodiew2: I thought Shadow of the Wind an absolutely tremendous read, Brodie.

>149 PaulCranswick: it certainly is Paul!

Paul, I am loving the lists going back to your prior thread and continuing here. I'm currently reading The Master and Margarita so I was pleased to see it getting some love when you were focusing on Russian novels. I agree with the comment that it's weird as hell but really good.

>148 brodiew2: and >149 PaulCranswick: I also loved The Shadow of the Wind.

I'm also loving the photos of strenuous trails. Remind me a bit of days 6 and 7 of the 8-day West Highland Way trek we did back in 2015. Or 2014. Whenever that was.

Hope the healing process is swift, Paul. I haven't had a tooth extracted since I was wee, and had to have some of my baby teeth pulled to make room for the new set coming in. That's nothing compared to an impacted tooth such as yours. I hate to even contemplate it for someone else!

Best wishes for a quick healing process for your extraction site, Paul.

>150 EllaTim: I picked up the idea from Rachel and have helped one or two other friends latch onto to it. Great way to broaden one's reading methinks.

>151 EBT1002: If you abhor lists my place is probably not the place to hang out, Ellen! I think though that if you enjoy cataloguing books, reading series or award winners and have some sort of completist forethought then lists will always appeal!

I must read Bulgakov soon.

>152 laytonwoman3rd: First I have had removed since I was knee high too, Linda (not that I am so tall these days). I wouldn't wish the experience on even someone I had only enmity for!

>153 vancouverdeb: Thank you Deb. I am a tough old bird so I will get on with things.

Hi, Paul. I hope life has been treating you well. You could use a break or two.

I also started The Master and Margarita. It really dazzles, in the early going. This might end up being my favorite Russian novel.

>156 msf59: I am ok buddy - all the better for your visit!

That one is getting bumped up I have already taken it off the shelves a time or two recently.

Ah, I've had the same experience, Paul. In my case it was a dead tooth that had been crowned long ago but finally broke below the gumline. Not only curved in to prevent a straight extraction, but crumbling. My dentist almost called in a specialty surgeon. He still talks about it! But I'm working to forget.

Yep, I've been there, too, with a nasty tooth extraction. I was in grad school and couldn't really afford dental work, so I went to the dental college at OSU and *gulp* let a student do it, because then it was free. Oh, but I paid for it, anyway... YOICKS. At one point, the poor sod walked over to another student cubicle and asked, "Is this the right tool?" !!!!

Greeting Paul! I got a dose of border frenzy when I went to Hungary equipped with my paternal grandfathers info. Birthdate, place of etc etc.
We took it to the Hunargarian National Archives in Buda and was informed that since his place of birth is no longer part of Hungary but Slovakia, I'd need to go the the archives in Slovakia to find more information. Apparently, the records stay with the local church. I was told that though the borders may be static the church is not. Hmmm a profound thought there.

>160 Carmenere: I am glad that I haven't come across any European research to do for just that reason. Shift borders and repositories would be a challenge. English county borders are bad enough.

Sounds like you are on the mend, Paul. Keep up the good work.

How's the recovery coming along, Paul? Are you less in pain now without meds? You know this does, however, give you the perfect excuse to chow down on ice cream and ice kacang all day, right?

>158 ffortsa: We share a few things in common Judy but that is one thing I am not too keen to have us share!

>154 PaulCranswick: "I must read Bulgakov soon." I would love to hear your take on Master and Margarita, Paul!

>159 scaifea: I can imagine such an experience would not enamour you to the art of dentistry, Amber!

>160 Carmenere: Not sure what a non-static church is - must be a new sect altogether! Yes in the UK also traditionally records of births, marriages and deaths were kept by the church but now can be gleaned, if I am not mistaken from the town halls.

>161 Familyhistorian: I am off to Singapore tomorrow for a brief business trip. So I must be sort of on the mend!

>162 cameling: The ice cream certainly appeals Caro - never did much like ice kacang although I recently had durian cendol in KL, not liking particularly either cendol or durian but enjoying the combination quite a bit.

>164 EBT1002: OK, Ellen, then I will definitely read it before this quarter is out!

My sister works in a dental office, Paul, and she used to tell me that occasionally the dentist would get into trouble with an extraction - could not pull it out , so she'd send one of her assistants out to round up another dentist or oral surgeon from elsewhere in the building! Eeek! The dentist she currently works for is more cautious and sends people out to specialist if it looks like the tooth might be a problem.

Glad you are recovering. Edited to add - I once watched my sister get a big filling done over the lunch hour at her office. It was interesting but very scary at the same time. My sister is truly a tough old bird and certainly not afraid of dental work.

>168 vancouverdeb: I got the feeling it was all done on the hoof on Sunday so to speak, Deb. I am recovering but my mouth still doesn't feel any great shakes.

>169 PaulCranswick: Hoping your poor mouth continues to heal. And adding peer pressure--I just got my copy of The Master and the Margarita! Just saying. ; )

I'm sorry that the tooth turned out to be an ordeal. I do hope that the pain is fading.
I do remember having my wisdom teeth removed in the mid-60s..... When he came at me with a little hammer and chisel to break the upper right one up, I wanted very badly to faint and couldn't. Yuck.

Hi, Paul. Sink your teeth into this. I found a photo of the parlor of the first dentist to abuse my teeth and my psyche. I especially remember the thrill of being treated to that foot-pedal powered drill. Plus, everything clean and sterile.



Get better, man. Never easy, is it.

>71 PaulCranswick: Oh, I loved The Twin! I bought a copy after reading it from the library.

>87 PaulCranswick: Those covers are great. I have Homegoing waiting to be read and I'm several books behind on my Insp Montalbano reading. I do have that edition of Autumn and it was a very good read (not only is the cover pretty but the print in it was exceptionally large which I kind of appreciated). :)

Tooth pain is terribly all-encompassing- I hope you're feeling better today, Paul!

Sorry peeps (as Richard would have said) I have been MIA and in Singapore yesterday tying up loose ends with Haskell on our intended partnership. Now we just need to win some work!!

Finished another book in The King's Revenge too which was pretty good history and which I will review when I don't have to prop my eyes open.

>170 Berly: Mouth slowly a little better although still not at pre-extraction fettle. None too subtle prompting of Bulgakov duly noted!

>171 LizzieD: Dentistry and butchery are near cousins in my pretty skewed opinion. See Peggy almost 50 years on and you can remember a particular visit with less than fond vividness.

>172 weird_O: You are a brick, Bill. That's all I can say!

>173 Copperskye: I remember The Twin being quite a hit in the group a few years ago and rightly so.

Don't judge a book by it's cover is a well known saying but the guy who coined it never saw those particular covers.

Very sorry for your dental woes. You have both my sympathy and empathy.

Just adding love for The Shadow of the Wind and agreeing that I've got to get to that Master and Margarita this year.

>177 Matke: Lovely to see you Gail. Dental issues less woeful to be fair and am coping a little.

Bulgakov is beckoning!

54.

The King's Revenge by Don Jordan

Date of Publication : 2012
Pages : 328

Charles II has gone down in history as the Merrie Monarch in many ways for his supposedly frivolous nature and the fact that his penis was clealry his most important tool of state.

Oliver Cromwell, despite my Irish antecedents would be one of my heroes in history - especially being profoundly republican myself.

Charless I was a pompous conniving ass whose double dealing and believe in divine right left the creators of the Commonwealth feeling that they were left with little choice but to put him to death.

This book is largely about the fates of the "regicides" - those who signed the death warrant for Charles I execution and those complicit in the trial or merely a bar to the success of the 1660 restoration.

Great history and further solidifies my belief that the UK should have remained free from a venal and duplicitous monarchy.

8/10

SIX OF THE BEST : AMERICAN NOVELS

I reckon this one will probably divide opinions. I have read far more British Literature than American but there are a number of books that stand out for me:

1 The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Love the descriptive sections of the journey across America. I may prefer reading Of Mice and Men but this is his epic.

2 Plainsong by Kent Haruf

Beautifully written novel

3 The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers

Prose from a poet

4 The Fixer by Bernard Malamud

One of my absolute favourites

5 Ragtime by EL Doctorow

Brilliant evocation of an age.

6 O'Pioneers by Willa Cather

Simply beautiful writing

>180 PaulCranswick: I wouldn't place The Grapes of Wrath, or any Steinbeck book, on my list of best American novels; it would go on my list of hated American novels, right below The Great Gatsby.

>181 amanda4242: Well we can't agree on everything, Amanda, although I would agree on The Great Gatsby.

Both of those awful books are eclipsed by To Kill a Mockingbird among many, MANY others.

>183 m.belljackson: Yikes you are right, Marianne, how on earth did I overlook To Kill a Mockingbird - OK I really ought to substitute it for Kevin Powers' book.

I really liked what I have read of James Baldwin and Ralph Ellison too.

>180 PaulCranswick: I must read The Yellow Birds, which is here somewhere. I have read the other five, and while they wouldn't all be in my top 10, I agree they are all list-worthy. Ragtime was so good, and I need to make time for a re-read soon. My top five, although not in any particular order, are

To Kill a Mockingbird
Absalom, Absalom!
All the King's Men
Sometimes a Great Notion
The Dollmaker

No. 5 changes from time to time. Ragtime often holds that spot. I'm usuallly tempted to put another Faulkner in there. East of Eden is sometimes a contender, too.

MOBY-DICK!!!!!

Charlotte's Web!!!

>186 m.belljackson: My husband would love you! He's a great fan of Moby Dick. I also love love love Charlotte's Web. It's one of the so-called children's books I read over and over even without the presence of a listening little person.

To Kill a Mockingbird is another one I find vastly overrated. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is a similar but far superior book.

>182 PaulCranswick: How very dull it would be if we did! Especially since the only thing I like more than being right is being contrary. ;)

>185 laytonwoman3rd: Linda, how could I have guessed that Wm Faulkner would make an appearance on your list!

>186 m.belljackson: I haven't read them Marianne so I can't list 'em!

>187 laytonwoman3rd: It's one of the so-called children's books I read over and over even without the presence of a listening little person.
Love that. Makes it seem a near guilty pleasure!

>188 amanda4242: That goes onto my to do list then!

>189 amanda4242: Amanda you have an innate ability to make me guffaw!

#188
I agree with you. On both counts in that post. Everybody should read Roll of Thunder. Mildred Taylor is a much much better author than that literary wannabe from Alabama.

And Truman Capote is a much better author than she was. She only had one mediocre book in her, and he was a person with writing skills to tell many a story.

>180 PaulCranswick: I like your list, Paul. I know it is hard to narrow down just 6. I also think The Grapes of Wrath is a great American novel and deserves to be at the top. I also like your inclusion of Plainsong. Not familiar with The Fixer, so I should look into that one. I would include Lonesome Dove. It is easily in my top 5.

I do not understand the dislike of To Kill a Mockingbird. I am not sure it would crack my top ten, but I think it is an important American novel.

>193 msf59: Important isn't the same as good.

#193
Bernard Malamud is an excellent author. I read his book The Assistant years ago and it is a title that stayed with me. It is a very bleak novel but so evocative of the hopelessness and helplessness of being poor and struggling to "make it" and not doing so.

He is the author of The Natural. This is a title that I have wanted to read and just not done so.

>166 PaulCranswick: >174 PaulCranswick: Oh, hey! *reproachfully*

#193
I think that the reason I dislike that particular novel is that I find it pretentious in the same way I did The Help. Both novels give Southerners a crutch that allows them to say '"we weren't all bad." Also to say "you self-righteous Yankees are the real bad guys here. You were the ones who agreed with the Plessy v. Ferguson decision and helped us create Jim Crow." I also find the novel very one sided. Written by a rich white girl about another rich white girl.

Contrast that with Mildred Taylor who was a black woman writing about the experience of black people from the black point-of-view. Her writing is richer and fuller than is Lee's because her experience is richer in both good and bad ways. Taylor writes from a perspective that we need to hear and aside from her Newbery medal win she is an author who didn't get much attention and still doesn't. I think that is because of the fact that she tells white people exactly how Jim Crow, not only held blacks back, but actively pushed people back down who would have succeeded without those ugly laws in place. Taylor writes from inside the active oppression while Lee writes from the outside as a priviledged observer. Lee lived in a fairy tale world while Taylor wrote about the experience from experience, and she did it with skill, passion, and a sense of outraged justice.

Also, she wasn't a one hit wonder. She wrote a string of outstanding novels and novellas that put flesh, bone, and blood on the Jim Crow experience. If you haven't read her work, you should. Even though she is considered a YA author her work is simply outstanding and so very powerful.

Mark - the recorded versions of Taylors work are good. The narrators are good. The versions I listened to are old, and so aren't as slickly produced as some of the newer YA stuff, but they would be a wonderful way to pass a week on your route - if you can do it without crying or getting so angry you throw the mail across a lawn somewhere.

>180 PaulCranswick: Well, you've certainly provoked discussion here, Paul.

I hated Moby Dick although there are lovely parts in it.
Mine might be:
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Scarlet Letter
Something by Faulkner - The Sound and the Fury maybe?
The Age of Innocence
Beloved

And they might change...

Interesting debate on To Kill a Mockingbird, especially the difference between whether it's important and whether it's good. Fact vs. opinion, I think, yeah? It's fairly well established that it has been an influential novel (important), but that doesn't mean one has to like it, I suppose. I'm firmly in the camp that adores it. Wonderful story and excellent writing. But I'm also in the camp that loves Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (or at least I was when I read it as a 3rd grader...), although I wouldn't at all say that the writing is better.

>180 PaulCranswick: Six of the best American novels

Well taking into account I’ve read a lot of American novels, but a lot of great American classics I have yet not read, here are my six of the best:

The Great Gatsby with Tender is the Night close on its heels (F Scott Fitzgerald)
Go Tell it on the Mountain (James Baldwin), although my favourite Baldwin is Giovanni’s Room
Sophie’s Choice (William Styron)
Beloved (Toni Morrison) close run with Song of Solomon
Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck (still to read The Grapes of Wrath
The Color Purple (Alice Walker)

I’m sure as soon as I hit send, I will think of any number of other wonderful American novels, but this will do for now.

>172 weird_O: Was that before or after the discovery of penicillin?

Our museum has a dentists chair in it from the early 20th century... just a touch more modern than that one.

Hi Paul, I have finally mananged to make my way over to your current thread. Hills so steep that cyclists are asked to dismount their bikes - Wow, that is something!

>47 PaulCranswick: - Those slopes are so steep I can see some vehicles have a hard time gut up the hills!

Sorry to learn over on your previous thread about your dental woes and that the tooth extraction was a horrendous ordeal. I hope the pain has subsided and that you are well on the way to recovery.

#199
Your point about important or good is a point well taken. I think that I see the hypocrisy behind the novel To Kill a Mockingbird and I just can't get past that. I also have to confess I read the novel in high school and can't remember large parts of it. (Contrast that with Gone With the Wind which I remember quite well. Go figure.)

It is probably an important novel. It is one of the few times that the white South has been able to creep above its tendencies and give voice to the fact that something wasn't quite right in their society.

I think her second novel is probably closer to being realistic than the first. But then novels don't have to be realistic to be good or important.

>192 benitastrnad: Benita, it is some time since I read To Kill a Mocking Bird but I have to say that I thought it excellent. I am, of course, not from the deep South nor I am imbued by the consciousness of that area from any perspective but the novel was effective in giving voice to obvious concerns and I didn't pick up hypocrisy in its pages.
I do need to read Mildred Taylor by the sound of it.

>193 msf59: I knew that Lonesome Dove would be on your list Mark but I have only read the other two in the series thus far. I like them but not enough to displace any of the others. I also really liked Snow Falling on Cedars, The Shipping News and Sophie's Choice and the latter would be in the list if the last third was as good as the rest of it.

>194 amanda4242: No you are right Amanda. It is not the same, but I happen to think that To Kill a Mocking Bird was both.

>195 benitastrnad: He was a very good author, Benita. I also read The Natural but I thought The Fixer more substantial.

>196 humouress: *Caught shamefaced*

Actually Nina I went down for one meeting with Haskell and finished up staying over at their VPs house. I will be down with a little more regularity and when I know I am staying over we'll arrange a long, long overdue meet-up.

>197 benitastrnad: Not really Harper Lee's fault that she had money and white skin, Benita. She can only write from her own perspective after all. Was she a more worthy author than Mildred Taylor? Well I can't say not having read anything of the latter but you have made me determined to go and find something of hers.

As a criticism of Lee, her inability to follow up her famous novel, has credence but doesn't surely amount to a value judgement on that particular work itself. If I had only one novel in me then I would have been inordinately proud to have it be that one.

>198 BLBera: Interesting list. I cannot weigh in on Moby Dick as I haven't read it and am a little intimidated by its whale proportions, The Sound and the Fury would probably make my Six Classics to Avoid list.

You are also right, Beth, in that these lists are wont to change!

>199 scaifea: I don't think that Harper Lee deserves demerit points for writing about race as a white woman. Indeed when one considers the time she was writing I think that makes the novel more important. You are right, Amber, it is excellently written. Will be looking for Mildred Taylor this weekend.

>200 Caroline_McElwee: That is an obviously strong list, Caroline. We don't agree on The Great Gatsby of course but then again you have read it 34 times more than I have! I think that Of Mice and Men is the more enjoyable novel but I do recognise the importance of The Grapes of Wrath.

>201 sirfurboy: Just let us say that I am not looking to Bill for medical referrals!

>202 lkernagh: I used to relish those climbs, Lori, but I do not feel that I could get over them now even with a three month training program.

>203 benitastrnad: I think it is great that you managed to stir up debate on the merits of certain novels and how they change depending upon one's background and perspective.

Well!!!

Add those two to the top of your P.H.Y.R. (Paul Hasn't Yet Read) List, right under Harry Potter!

>210 m.belljackson: Oh, Marianne, there are a fair few more to be listed! I have 4,000 plus unread books in my house which I am slowly (very slowly at the moment) working my way through!

>193 msf59:
>194 amanda4242:

To Kill a Mockingbird is both.

Many of us care deeply about the characters, a crucial trait missing in many novels.
The plot contains two well developed mysteries.

Capote wrote well about holidays, then fell in love with a convicted murderer
to strengthen the authenticity of IN COLD BLOOD.

Good that Harper Lee didn't follow in his footsteps,
nor did she write a novel trashing all her friends as Capote did in NYC.

>212 m.belljackson: Well Capote is not a favourite of mine to be honest and I have read both Breakfast at Tiffanys which seemed a very slight fuss over nothing very much and In Cold Blood which was journalism posing as literature. Not bad but greatness didn't sign to me from its pages.

I find To Kill a Mockingbird naive, and more than a little patronizing. The book itself never inspired more than indifference in me and I have no desire to try to argue others out of their belief that it is a good book. I gladly concede it is a very important American novel. What I really hate about it is the cult which has sprung up around it; too often I've found people refuse to apply any sort of critical analysis to it because they think it's just the best-est book ever written.

>214 amanda4242: I am firmly of the view, Amanda, that you call as you see it. It is part of what makes the group valuable - if we all liked The Great Gatsby or The Grapes of Wrath or, yes, To Kill a Mockingbird without question then there would be little point in us all discussing them. The really great thing here is that no-one is right or wrong!

You have always called it as you see it in your reviews and I like the fact that you don't shirk from taking a contrary view if you do or don't like something. That's why I am such a regular over at your thread. xx

>213 PaulCranswick:

Breakfast at Tiffanys was as boring as rich angst Gatsby.

I know you don't need more on your PHYR list, but thinking about Moby-Dick

(which is loved despite cringing over the whale butchery - a challenge for any Vegetarian)

and Charlotte's Web

has made me look over those others on my upstairs shelves that would never make
anyone's "Greatest" list, but which I have kept and keep returning to over and over for different reasons.

Yet another List to look forward to ...

>216 m.belljackson: They are certainly on the bucket list, Marianne. Why is it called a bucket list by the way?

I am not a vegetarian and I shall promise to try not to blubber over the whale (sorry).

>217 PaulCranswick:

After you read the Classic Moby (for sure, with the Rockwell Kent Illustrations!)

be sure to have someone send you the Sam Ita Pop-up version =
another kind of Classic.

Yes, we save blubbering for the dentist office...

Bucket List falls into that List of All The Things We Know, but can't remember,
but would get 100% if it was Multiple Choice.

Interesting top 10 lists. I'm not able to produce one as I'd miss off too many good books. I noticed that you included Primo Levi in one list, but wasn't he only writing nonfiction?

Anyway I haven't read anything by Mildred Taylor as yet though I have Roll of Thunder, hear my cry around here somewhere. Just yesterday I was reading an old childlit email and followed through the link to a talk that Julius Lester gave back in 2007 about growing up in the south, books and reading. He's talking about the 40s & 50s. It's a rewarding read - here's an extract:

In the early fifties my family moved from Kansas to Tennessee and there I discovered that blacks were permitted in only one library - the "colored" branch, as it was referred to then. It was on the other side of town from where I lived, an hour or more one way by public transportation. So my primary access to books was the bookmobile which came to my neighborhood every Friday evening. Its stock of books was not only limited in number but consisted primarily of westerns and mystery novels discarded from the white libraries. So, through much of my adolescence I read almost nothing but westerns and Perry Mason mysteries, and would read two to six every weekend...
...The power of reading does not reside in the information conveyed. All too often we think of children as little beings who must constantly be taught and to the extent that we do, we remain Puritans. How many times have I been asked, "What do you want children to learn from your books?" My response is two-fold: nothing, and whatever they need to know.

http://acommonplacejblolio.blogspot.co.nz/2007/10/place-of-books-in-our-lives.ht...

>218 m.belljackson: Good comeback on the blubber being down there with the dentistry tools!

>219 avatiakh: If Not Now, When? is fiction from Levi and very good fiction, Kerry. Good article.

Did my post not post? I don't see it. I must have screwed up somehow.

I love your list, Paul. Lots of candidates for addition, like To Kill a Mockingbird, and then there's which Steinbeck to pick, and My Antonia versus O Pioneers! and so on, but it's a great list. Very happy to see Plainsong, Yellow Birds and O Pioneers! on there.

>221 jnwelch: We ought to have similar likes Joe so I am also to see that my little list meets with general approval.

Hi Paul! I hope you're mostly if not completely recovered from your Dental Ordeal.

Now that you've past the worst of it, I absolutely can't resist telling about the time when I was 8 or so when a dentist had to pull a tooth. He wasn't having much luck, so eventually put his knee in my chest to get leverage.

Fascinating discussion of Six of the Best American Novels.

Here are mine not in any particular order. I've read any number of 'classics' that left me cold, and probably haven't read enough late 20th century literature, but still.

Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger - short story and novella respectively, but published together and that's how I read them
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Source by James Michener
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

>223 karenmarie: Interesting list Karen and noticeably the only one that I have read I also rated highly.

Dental story brings back memories of nearly a week ago he was moving my head from side to side until I was dizzy.

>215 PaulCranswick: When our preferences are confirmed through agreement with others, this is emotionally satisfying, but we don't learn much new. In contrast disagreement can be a bit emotionally disruptive. Yet if substantiating reasons for the disagreement are cited, we gain the opportunity to see the world in a new way, through the eyes of someone else. The disruptive aspect of disagreement can mean that we don't initially accept a new point of view, but it can be gradually and even stealthily accepted over time. So agreement gives us satisfying confirmation, whereas disagreement gives us at least mild immediate dissatisfaction, but with longer-term potential of an expanded perspective. Minimizing the disruptive elements through tact is clearly important.

I'm hoping everyone will disagree with this so I can expand my point of view!

>225 bkinetic: The discussion is the thing - agree to agree or agree to disagree - if opinions are shared with tact then it is always valid whether the other party agrees with it or not.

Gilead
Slaughterhouse Five
Beloved
Lonesome Dove
A River Runs Through It
Grapes of Wrath

(for today. Tomorrow will be different.)

I am following the Great Book discussion with interest. I would have a horrible time narrowing down my American list to 6 (not because we are that much better writers, but because I have read so many more of them!). I think there should be more Sci-Fi mentions though: Ray Bradbury, Kurt Vonnegut (go Rhonda!) and what about Dune by Herbert Franks?

>227 banjo123: Another strong list, Rhonda. Interestingly the touchstone you put up for A River Runs Through it was for the film not the book which is on point since I have seen the film without reading the book.

>229 Berly: As you know Kimmers, I don't do well with Sci-fi although both Bradbury and Vonnegut (if Vonnegut is sci-fi) are writers I do like.

>230 PaulCranswick: Oh no! The book is way better.

>230 PaulCranswick: That is what I figured, Rhonda, because I didn't really love the film!

Oh my.

Beloved conveys so much, so clearly. Truly a great book
Moby Dick is a beast to read, but a great American novel.
The Natural is a story that could only take place here.
Invisible Man opened my eyes to things I was only dimly aware of. Not only a good book, it's an important book.
The Grapes of Wrath explains the Great Depression in a way no other book has.
For the last one, either The Scarlet Letter or Ethan Frome to round out the list geographically (sort of).

These aren't my favorite books, although I loved them all--even Melville. But I think these 6 represent the best in American literature, and can give some idea of what this enormous and unwieldy country is like.

>233 Matke: There are a couple on there that could have made a top ten for me if I had expanded it - Invisible Man made an impression on me too and Ethan Frome is a novel I thoroughly enjoyed and I do like it more than The Age of Innocence.

I liked your last paragraph Gail. I guess that is why Grapes of Wrath makes the list for me instead of Of Mice and Men.

SIX OF THE BEST - NOVELS AUTHORS FROM THE INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT OR OF THE INDIAN DIASPORA

Indian writers are great storytellers. In the long years before and since independence many have spread their wings to other countries whilst some elected to stay in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka. There is a great body of work to choose from but here are six novels to ponder:

1. Shame by Salman Rushdie

Many prefer his Booker winner but I love this novel of Pakistan

2. A Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh

First part of a trilogy about the Opium Wars and the impact of that on India and China

3 A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

Canadian Mistry has written what I would guardedly place as the finest novel of the last 50 years

4 The In-Between World of Vikram Lall by MG Vassanji

Another Canadian with roots in East Africa and these are explored effortlessly.

5 A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul

He is not everyone's cuppa but his earlier writing had a joie de vivre that his later stuff lacks

6 The Financial Expert by RK Narayan

Anyone who hasn't had the pleasure of reading the wonderfully sly and understated Narayan, should.

Hi Paul! I hope your weekend was restful and happy.

>227 banjo123: I adore Slaughterhouse Five, Rhonda, but have been less than impressed with most of the rest of Vonnegut's work - I'm trying to read Timequake and keep putting it down in favor of anything else.

I have The Man-eater of Malgudi by Narayan on my shelves waiting to be read, was happily stunned with Sea of Poppies and have the rest of the trilogy on my shelves, and have never read Rushdie although I have several of his books on my shelves, too. Time to get crackin', I think!

>236 karenmarie: Tooth still playing up Karen. Went to my regular physician this morning for another course of antibiotics and she gave me a careful once over. I feel a bit better already.

Hani and I continue to have our problems. She seems to blow between hot and cold very unpredictably at the moment. One time she is telling me that she has stopped caring and wants to live alone and in the next breath is checking up on my every step and move. It is really messing with my brain to be honest. I want my wife to be happy but I don't seem to be very good at helping her achieve that at the moment.

I do love Indian writers.

Happy Sunday, Paul.

It is very hard to watch a spouse suffer, as I have recently experienced. I'm sure it's much worse watching what Hani is going through, as her unhappiness is rooted in the foundation of your marriage. I'm sorry you feel helpless to help her. Sending hugs and wishes for a calming and happy resolution.

Sorry you are still suffering Paul, you were unlucky. I was back at work twenty minutes after my last extraction, and eating soft food by the evening.

Hope things with Hani improve soon. Sounds like she doesn't know what she wants herself yet. Time, time.

>238 Ameise1: Thank you Barbara.

>239 karenmarie: It is indeed, Karen. I am really struggling with being beckoned and then rejected, beckoned and then rejected. My reactions to it certainly initially have not helped things in the least but I am quite a kinetic sort of person and to be pretty much shunned for much of the time is not an easy thing to cope with for me.

>240 Caroline_McElwee: In a single word, Caroline, slowly.

Hi Paul, sending sympathy to you both. You've been through so much recently.

That Mistry book broke my heart. One of those bricks of a book that I couldn't put down. Due a reread I think.

>227 banjo123: Nice!

That sure fits me, Rhonda. Loved all of those.

You probably could put together a compiled list, Paul, and have a great reading course that could run for a long time.

The discussion of American books has shown me that I have read so few of them and the few that I have were assigned in school. I was not drawn to them but I am trying to broaden my horizons.

Your home situation sounds difficult, Paul. I hope there is a livable resolution soon.

Gee whiz, Paul! Sorry to hear that your extraction site is still bothering you! That's is rotten. I got one " dry socket " after the extraction of my wisdom teeth and gosh that was painful. But I met the oral surgeon the night th the pain came on and had to go in every other day and they eeek- rinsed out the dry socket ( means that the bone and nerves are exposed ) and then they'd put antibiotics, some sort of pain killer on it, as well as pack it with gauze. It healed up okay after a week or so. Very good that you got in to see your regular physician.

Sorry for all of the sadness you are going through regarding your marriage. Big hugs .

Sending lots of hugs, Paul. {{{{{P}}}}}}

Paul.. I am thinking of you and sending all good wishes.

>242 charl08: Thank you Charlotte. The dam burst last night and Hani opened her heart more than a little. We spent a good night but I don't like to see her so upset.

Incremental steps but she really wants to go to the UK to be honest.

>243 jnwelch: I think I will look at a consolidated list when I have finished, Joe, of these Six of the Bests. So far we have had - Russian, French, German language, Other European, Scandi, American and Indian Diaspora. 42 books so far.

>244 Familyhistorian: Things will resolve themselves one way or another, Meg.

My lists and more particularly the response to them shows me how my reading has only scratched the surface of genres to date!

>245 vancouverdeb: I don't have any faith in that dentist, Deb. My regular Doc already has me feeling better and I can sort of feel the infection being drawn out.
It is now much less painful and I didn't take any pain killers yesterday.

>246 Berly: All gratefully received, Kimmers.

>247 Whisper1: I always feel more happy and comforted when I get a visit from you dear, dear Linda. xx

>237 PaulCranswick:

Go to Good Therapist to help YOU deal with the hot and cold!

X-rays can show if there are any tooth pieces still trying to surface.

The TRAVEL section of today's paper had an AP story:

"Ancient, tiny church a keeper of history"
(Kempley, England) that is both fun to read and inspiring.

>251 m.belljackson: Good advice as always Marianne. xx

Hi Paul! Sorry to see you and Hani are still struggling! Hope things improve for you both!

>253 ChelleBearss: Thanks Chelle. xx

Just sending a lot of love and most sincere hopes for healing in your marriage, Paul.

>255 Matke: Thanks Gail. I guess the importance of wanting to grow old together is still with the two of us.

Sounds like Hani's a bit confused with life, Paul, and maybe taking it out on you? There have been/ are about to be a lot of changes in your lives.

My boys are as thick as thieves, but my youngest usually fights with his brother when he's upset and comes to me for comfort - even on the occasions when it's me he's angry with in the first place :0)

Hey Paul,
Just checking in! Glad to see the books are still a priority in your busy and stressful life. Time will hopefully resolve things.

>257 humouress: No, Nina, life has been tough to both of us and put strains on our relationship which will probably never fully heal. She is a difficult woman but I am hardly the easiest fellow to live with either. We love each other but the amount of water under the bridge makes swimming or sinking not a foregone conclusion either way.

>258 LovingLit: Books will always be up there somewhere, Megan!

Hi, Paul! Glad to see the favorite American novels continue. Sorry, to hear about the continuing marital issues. Hope things improve for you, my friend.

>260 msf59: Thanks Buddy. I have to now turn my thoughts to the Irish and the Brits.

Good morning, Paul. I hope all is well. Given that you said you like Jack Reacher, I thought I'd drop a recommendation for you. Check out Orphan X when you feel like a break from all all the high literature. ;-)

Hi Paul, sorry to read that the extraction is still troubling you mate especially with everything that is going on in your life. It was probably very hard to see Hani so upset when she opened up more but hopefully it is good that she was able to do this and will help to try and get things sorted out between the pair of you.

From what you have said recently matches up what Rob is going through with Louise albeit in different circumstances and as he is confused I can see that you are confused. Small steps along the way will probably be the best and as long as you want to grow old together then that is something to aim for. I spoke to Karen and she sends her love and if you need a shoulder we are here mate and she wondered if it was the fact of Yasmyne being over here and all the tribulations you have gone through that have led to this angst and upset. Hani loves the kids but Yazzy is her first and she is miles away even with all the technology but it is not the same as being able to talk and hug. If Hani wants to come to the UK then that must be the aim which I know you wanted and the fact that your plans have been disrupted may also have led to all this. If and pardon my French I am talking bollocks just tell me mate, at the end of the day I am a bloke trying to be Marje Proops, lol.

Hope you all have a good week mate.

>262 brodiew2: I will certainly look out for that one Brodie. Looks interesting. I am racing through the latest Montalbano mystery at the moment in a break from High Lit!

>263 johnsimpson: Thanks for that John. You are right that it is a combination of events but Yazzy being away doesn't help. When I came home yesterday they were on the phone together. Hani has repeated a desire for me to buy a little place in the UK so that she can be closer to her kids.
Give my love to Karen, mate.

>264 PaulCranswick:

UK for kids, for sure, but maybe you were/are both looking forward to making a New and Fresh Start Together?

As always, I'm pulling for things to work out well for you, Paul, in business and in life. (And I'll throw in no more dental agonies, just for a bonus!)

Just adding some love and positive energy to the pile. You obviously love each other very much - just hold on to that. Fingers crossed things get easier soon.

Also it is D day (aka Dentist day). I'm just hoping its not as bad as your visit... :( Though that sounds meaner than I intended - you know what I mean!

Big hugs to you both, Paul; I'm keeping you in my thoughts.

>264 PaulCranswick: So the planned relocation to the UK this year has slipped off the shelf Paul (sorry if I've missed some vital declaration)? You seemed to be looking forward to the prospect, so it must be disappointing if that's the case. You've certainly had a lot on your plate this year, business-wise and emotionally. I hope the rest of the year is an improvement.

>265 m.belljackson: Both have to want a fresh start, Marianne. I am working on the both part!

>266 laytonwoman3rd: That would be a welcome troika, Linda!

>267 BekkaJo: Hahaha, I certainly also wish you better times than I had at the dentist, Bekka!
I don't think loving each other is the problem - it is love's nature that is the thing.

>268 scaifea: Thank you Amber. xx

>269 Caroline_McElwee: It sort of keeps creeping back and then receding Caroline - a little like my gums at the moment. I am not sure at all whether our future is in the UK or even together at times!

Hello Paul!

Oh Paul, I am sorry things are rough for you at the moment.

>272 brodiew2: Hi Brodie

>273 banjo123: Partly of my own making Rhonda but light is at the end of the tunnel.

Is moving to the UK still a possibility, Paul, or have those plans gone by the wayside with the latest business woes?

>275 Familyhistorian: Yes, Meg, it is still a possibility but it is not as imminent as I had expected earlier in the year.