Ireadthereforeiam || one ||

Here we are in the 2018 group already! My pic shows me with the waistline I have always dreamed of (thanks to trick photography, and a child in charge of the camera).

Until university starts back up in a month, I hope to be here a lot, but from February if I am here a lot, please tell me to get back to my studies!!! I have a lot of work to do to finish my Masters, and will need to concentrate :)

December saw me read a few doozies, and rounded out my 2017 total (I don't see me finishing my next book in the next few days) to a grand 51 books! Not including university reading, which I quickly abandoned logging for the work/time it would take.

December
47. The Good People by Hannah Kent 380p (tally 8,579)
48. Red Star Over Russia Revolution in Visual Culture 1905-55 NF 96p (tally 8,675)
49. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver 283p (tally 8,958)
50. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway 293p (tally 9,251)
51. Bread Giver by Anzia Yezierska

The last book I found in a second hand shop in Reefton, where I spent Christmas (and the 2 nights either side of it) with my 2 sons, lovely other, and mum. Bread Giver by Anzia Yezierska is a great book! It reminds me a lot of my all time favourite book, My Name is Asher Lev, so I recommend it to anyone who loves that, and who would like a female version of that life.

I managed to read 13/34 books that I acquired in 2017, and am very proud that for once I read more than I purchased (or was given)! I hope to buy as few this as a member of this group, and read maybe as many :)

Here's to a great reading year ahead!

Eta:
2018 BOOKS READ
January
1. On Anarchism by Noam Chomsky (2013) NF 142p
2. The Standing Chandelier by Lionel Shriver (2017) 122p (tally 264p)
3. Lighthouse Family: Coastal New Zealand, 1941-42 by Philippa Werry (date published tba) 240p (tally 504p)
4. The Pearl that Broke its Shell by Nadia Hashimi (2014) 440p (tally 944p)
5. Social Theory by William Outhwaite (2015) NF 129p (1,073p)
6. Hiroshima by John Hersey (1946, reissued with last chapter 1985) NNF 196p (tally 1,269p)

BOOKS ACQUIRED
1. The Pearl that Broke its Shell by Nadia Hashimi $17.50 (brand new!)
2. The Standing Chandelier by Lionel Shriver $17.50 (brand new!)
3. Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve $5 (1st of the Mortal Engines quartet)
4. Predator's Gold by Philip Reeve $5 (2nd of above series)
5. Infernal Devices by Philip Reeve $5 (3rd of above series)
6. A Darkling Plain by Philip Reeve $5 (4th and final of above series)
7. Hiroshima by John Hersey $3

2018 FILMS
1. The Last Jedi (2nd viewing)
2. Ferdinand

Happy reading 2018, Megan. I dropped a .

Happy anticlimax between Big Kid Holiday and Big Grown-up Holiday!

Welcome back!

Hi Megan! Your Christmas sounded lovely on your last thread. I read The Good People over the weekend and loved it, so thank you for that recommendation. I've just started The Women's Room.

Dropping a star!

Dropping a star, Megan!

>4 Ameise1: Hey B!! My lucky first visitor! Welcome, and thanks for the star :)

>5 richardderus: well, I am experiencing a going down of sorts. The Christmas holiday was all fun and beer and bubbles and rivers and gorging on food. Now it is back to the real world where my inner voice tells me "I really mustn't eat chocolates for breakfast". *boring*

>6 drneutron: Thanks Dr. N. My earliest ever new year thread, I think!?

>7 susanj67: Glad you liked it too. And The Women's Room, boy, I hope that one grabs you like it did me. Cushla had that on a list of books she loved, and as it was serendipitously *on sale* at the university book shop where I saw it the very day I saw Cushla's list, I bought it. Dint you love that?

>8 Crazymamie: >9 Crazymamie: So many stars! Thanks :)

Currently reading....

The Wreck of the General Grant by Keith Eunson (written 1974)

I gave this book to my lovely other Christmas 2005, and now I get around to reading it :) We watched a documentary about the Subantarctic Islands the other week, inspired by seeing a film set there called Human Traces. And it reminded me of all the amazing shipwreck/survival stories of that place. And this one is proving fabulous so far. Immaculately researched, beautifully told...it is gripping.

Back for more of your funness!!

>10 LovingLit: The real world doesn't start until January 2nd so chocolate is still okay. : )

Dropped my star off my dear.

>12 Berly: woohooo, the party can start now :)

>13 EBT1002: Hi Ellen, glad you could make it :)

>14 johnsimpson: JS, you too!

Oops, just one more book purchase. Social Theory: Ideas in Profile. With a Christmas book voucher :)



BOOKS PURCHASED/ACQUIRED 2017
1. The Smell of Apples by Mark Behr $6 (2nd hand)
2. Last Orders by Graham Swift $7.25 (new)
3. there is one more, I can't remember it! (what is the world coming to!!??)
4. Old Devils by Kingsley Amis &16.25 (new, an impulse book depo buy)
5. The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena (gift from neighbour)
6. Ravelstein by Saul Bellow (gift from mum)
7. City of Secrets by Stewart O'Nan (gift from Chatterbox/Suz)
8. Hell's Bottom, Colorado by Laura Pritchett (gift from Nittnut/Jenn)
9. A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf $11 (new)
10. The First Touch of Light by Ruth Pettis .50c
11. Le Bal by Irene Nemirovsky .50c (Aka The Ball)
12. If This is a Man, The Truce by Primo Levi .50c
13. A Body Undone by Christina Crosby $32.98 (new)
14. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie $13 (new)
15. Thirteen Ways of Looking by Colum McCann $2
16. Hillbilly Elegy by J D Vance (gift from mum)
17. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson $2
18. The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro $22 (new)
19. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov $22 (new)
20. The Melancholy Hussar: and Other Stories by Thomas Hardy $5
21. No is not Enough by Naomi Klein birthday pressies!!
22. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte- as above
23. Christchurch Ruptures by Katie Pickles- as above
24. Barkskins by Annie Proulx- as above
25. A Three Dog Life by Abigail Thomas $1
26. My New Zealand Story: Lighthouse Family by Philippa Werry $1
27. The Book of Fame Lloyd Jones (free from book swap at uni)
28. Waiting for Sunrise by William Boyd $2.50
29. The Temple of the Golden Pavilion by Yukio Mishima $2.50
30. Beethoven was One-Sixteenth Black by Nadine Gordimer $2.50 (short stories)
31. Human Acts by Han Kang $22
32. The Rangman's Daughter by Alan Sillitoe (free from book swap scheme)
33. Bread Giver by Anzia Yezierska $5
34. The Bay of Noon by Shirley Hazzard $5
35. Social Theory: Ideas in Profile by William Outhwaite $22.99, but I spent $17 on it as had a voucher (brand new!)

*chucks star into the air* Roll on 2018! :)

>10 LovingLit: I am blaming the head cold.

>16 LovingLit: You party animal you. Social Theory: Ideas in Profile is undoubtedly going to be the surprise bestseller of...well, honestly, never. I'm experiencing sleep apnea just reading the title.

Still and all, scintillating reading aside, New Year's Eve will be more fun than an ordinary Sunday night, won't it?

Hope your 2018 is filled with good reads!

Found you! Am sitting on the beach at 9 am...and now I need to go and find your last thread to see what you said about The Bean Trees. I read it years ago and loved it but can’t remember the details!

The Women's Room was one of those books I read while living in Japan, that kind of blew me away and made me realize I probably wasn't crazy; that women were actually being disadvantaged constantly and that at 21/22, I just hadn't really encountered it until then. It was a book that reassured me, however bleak it was. Good, though. And memorable. Very iconic.

Happy new year!

>17 elliepotten: yay, you found me :)

>18 Crazymamie: Ew, not a good time of year for that! W had chicken pox just before Christmas, and he got pretty skinny! He had *so many* spots, and rather cutely he noted proudly that he looked like a teenager (i.e., with acne!!).

>19 richardderus: ha ha! Well, it's a 101 type primer, and I figure that since I never did a 101 level sociology paper I do feel I am missing that meta-level, big picture stuff. It will be good for me and I *fully* intend to read the ting ASAP! (never mind that the academic book I bought in advance of my university career 4 years ago remains half-read on my bedside table...)

>20 thornton37814: I hope so too! I reckon there is a good chance :)

>21 cushlareads: Hi Cushla! Don't go looking too far for a review of The Bean Trees, I didn't write one! But I did love it.

>22 Chatterbox: Hi Suz, did I say up-thread (or on your thread?) that I couldn't believe how relevant it still was? And A Room of One's Own as well for that matter, and that was written a century ago! I definitely liked the feeling that it wasn't *just me* thinking about those things about womanhood.

Thanks for the New Years wishes- we are camping at a friends farm for the evening, and hopefully going to a river sport for a swim on NY day- although currently the regional council website advises a toxic algae bloom...so that plan may change!

The Wreck of the General Grant is SO good. It was written 1974 about an 1866(??) shipwreck on a Subantarctic island group called the Auckland Islands. It reminds me (of course it would) of Wrecked on a Reef, and Castaway on the Auckland Isles (both of which tell the story of the same shipwreck, written by two different survivors). The difference between this and those, is that this one is researched and written by an enthusiast, and he does a fantastic job of rounding out the facts, and laying down the relevant backstories.
If I finish it tonight, or tomorrow night, I will have read a book a week this year!!!!

Megan--Hoping the algae bloom is a no-show and you get to frolic in the water! If not, I am sure you will come up with an excellent plan B for New Year's Day. : )

Now, get back to reading and make that goal!!

This warmer than usual weather causing a bit more algae bloom than normal ...... Hope you have a good new years break.

>26 Berly: if worst comes to worst we will play in the 1 foot deep paddling pool!!! I am just hoping it wont be as windy tomorrow as it was today. That dastardly wind caused me great suffering on my morning ride to work- a head wind+ me on a bike= a not-happy camper! Thankfully the wind held though, and I got a tail wind home again (yes!).

>27 roundballnz: Ah, is that what it is!
We may head to a different swimming spot, one that I used to go to as a kid. We were spoiled over Christmas with good swimming spots, so wont die without a new years day swim :)

I understand.

^^Nice waistline up there! You must be working out. Big Waves to Megan. Looking forward to following your adventures, with books and family, in '18.

Hello dearest. Stopping in to wish you a snappy book-a-week year.

Happy reading in 2018, Megan!
Looking forward to a chatty January :-)

Hi Megan, just stopping by to wish you and your family a Very Happy New Year my dear and hope that 2018 is a really good year and send love and hugs to you all from both of us dear friend.

Happy new thread Megan. Wishing you another year of great reading and successful studies.

Happy New Year! I wish you to read many good books in 2018.

Happy New Year fabulous people ....

Happy New Year! Starred you.

Happy new year, Megan. I wish I had that waistline too ... but with the end of year holidays, my waistline appears to have taken a journey into a new direction and seems to like it there.

view from Zürich's landmark mountain Üetliberg

Happy New Year
Happy New Group here
This place is full of friends
I hope it never ends
It brew of erudition and good cheer.

By whatever measurement you deem reasonable, of course.

*I hope you and the family have a great, prosperous year, Megan. And Happy Reading!

Happy New Year Megan - wishing health and happiness to you and yours.

Hi Megan!

The Women's Room hit me over the head when I read it in about 1978 or so - soon after it was published, at any rate. It got lost in the mail when 2 boxes of books didn't make it back to CA from CT in 1980.

Enjoy your month of 'free' reading before you continue with your master's.

Dropping off a
And wishing you

Happy 2018, Megan!! Let's read something together again. : )

Good lawsy me! Everyone and his turtle came around!

Happy New Year, Megan!

How cool that you're going for your Masters.



Dropping a star for '18.

We agreed on a group read of Barkskins in the first quarter, Megan. I found some want to join us, is February allright with you?

Woah! I have had a barrage of visitors! Thanks everyone!

>29 Berly: Head winds are eye-moisture-inducing for sure!!

>30 msf59: Hey Mark! Yeah, that waistline is slowly but surely expanding over this holiday season! The Christmas/New Years/summer/holiday combo is deadly for healthy living!

>31 richardderus: I made it to a book a week! Finished The Wreck of the General Grant on New Years eve- yes!

>32 FAMeulstee: Me too! Thanks for coming by. :)

>33 johnsimpson: Hi John, happy new year to you and the family too.

>34 charl08: Hi Charlotte- Happy New year to you too! I look forward to a great reading year and successful study year too!

>35 The_Hibernator: I think good books is on the cards for all of us here. We sure know how to find'em!

>36 roundballnz: Happy New Year to you too Alex!!

>37 SandDune: Happy new year to you too! I was just saying to a friend that I can't wit til 2020 when we will all have perfect vision (ha!!)

>38 cameling: My waistline has taken a hammering this Christmas season :) Chocolates, wine, treats. And now its time to cut back! We are talking serious measures needed for at least *some* of January... ;)

>39 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara.

>40 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul, we have certainly made that leap and are resolutely here in 2018.

>41 nittnut: Reasonable is a sliding scale, after all, isn't it. :) My reading goals will be reasonable....and in line with my packed schedule. I reckon I will be lucky to get to 50!

>42 msf59: Thanks Mark! I hope so too. Little Lenny started off the New Year with a case of Chicken Pox. He was very sad to have his trip to the pool cancelled on account of a torso dotted with *the pox*. W had it just before Christmas, so although we were expecting it, we thought we'd made it home free!

>43 BekkaJo: Thanks! See my comment above to Mark re: the health part ;) But big health is bigger, so I hope that for everyone too.

>44 karenmarie: 2 boxes of lost-in-the-post books!!? What a nightmare :( 1980 is while ago now though, so I suppose you have bought replacements for the best of them?
The 'free reading' of which you speak is for now On Anarchism by Noam Chomsky. A Christmas pressies from the lovely other and not one to enter into lightly! Conceptually it is fairly heavy.

>45 ronincats: Happy new year to you too!

>46 Berly: I hear Barkskins is coming up for Feb, and me and Ellen want to read Waiting for Sunrise some time soon- do either of those grab you?

>47 richardderus: IKR- 20 or so al at once, bombarding me with new years bookish goodness!!

>48 jnwelch: I have done the research part of the masters (last year), and am this year working on analysis and the write up, which terrifies me. Even though writing is usually my favourite part, it is such a process for me....sweat, tears, rewrites....think *blood from stone* and that will give you a clue to how me and writing go together ;)

>49 FAMeulstee: Let's lock it in! Feb, for a start of Barkskins!

This is how your bloodsweat will turn out, as it always does, dear Megan: Gloriously.

A little too ripped for me, but I wont say no :) :) :)

Hey, if you don't want him I'll happily deputize for you. *leer*

Hi Megan. Happy New Year. May 2018 be filled with lots of wonderful books!

Happy new year, Megan! Enjoy your break from school!

>57 richardderus: OK, although I'd normally not treat a person like a chattel, I'll let you have him *just this once* ;)

>58 Whisper1: Thanks!

>58 Whisper1: Thanks Katie, I am so far. And have decided to give up drinking for the rest of this month!! (until my work do on the 26th).

>54 LovingLit: Barkskins in February for me (ColourCAT). Waiting for Sunrise? March? Is that too long to wait? : )

>61 Berly: oooh! Bearskins could turn into ta big GR. Cool. March will be here before you know it. Count me in.
Also, stand by for a hilarious first photo (of me) in 2018....

Yep. This is me. Eating my first food of the year, a grotty hotdog on a stick dipped in runny tomato sauce. The food of fairgrounds nationwide.
Me and the kids left the lovely other to go home and do new years yard work on Jan 1, and we went with friends to a fair. This was when we had *just*arrived and I was really (really) hungry, and ran to the food caravan and got this. Luckily my friend was on hand to snap a pic of me scoffing it :) :) :)

And as an antidote to that image, here is my current (and first) read (for 2018)!

On Anarchism by Noam Chomsky. I know of Noam Chomsky first from my Linguistics 101 course in 1993...and since then have of course collected a few of his books tackling political systems and societal organisation. I have yet to read one completely! So this small 'reader' is just the ticket to kick-starting a year of intelligent and lively debate!

>63 LovingLit: I'm currently eating breakfast. Lovely pic. Couldn't find a copy of On Anarchism. Looking forward to your thoughts.

>65 Ameise1: that was my breakfast too! Never before, and probably never again, but there you go :)
I will be sure to do a proper review of On Anarchism.
Until then, I go to bed, and await Little Len's wake-up call. He is in the midst of a chicken pox invasion. Big bro had it before Christmas and we thought we were home free, but he came out in spots yesterday. Hundreds of them.

Dropping a star, Megan. Great that you read so many of your new books - Good readings in 2018 :)

>67 ctpress: It's not too bad, is it? (>16 LovingLit:)
It's not great, but better than other years, for sure.
Thanks for dropping by!

Oh dear, I hope he feels better soon.

>63 LovingLit: Good morning, Megan, bon appetit!

>66 LovingLit: Aw, poor boy, I hope he gets over it soon.

>69 Ameise1: thanks. I have work tomorrow and I fear that when her hears that I wont be here (the lovely other is still off work), he will be upset. :(

>70 FAMeulstee: It was a delicious hot dog! (yes, that is a hot dog for us, on a stick)
Thanks for the Lenny well-wishes, he is tormented by the itch, where his brother was not at all bothered by itching. Odd, but in keeping with their complete and utter differentness.

Hi, Megan! LOVE the hotdog photo - I think we may be soulmates. Also, I need to get round to reading some of Noam's stuff at some point, too...

Poor Lenny! Hoping that The Pox passes quickly.

The hot dog photo is too funny! Thanks for sharing, Megan.

>63 LovingLit: That sounds like a grand way to spend the first of the year!

Your family came up in conversation with the Monsters recently, as we made the frozen walk to school; they were trying to rationalize weather "on the other side of the year," balancing their celestial knowledge with personal experience.

>60 LovingLit: ONCE?! ONLY ONCE?! You *radically* underestimate my...oh wait...you meant...ah ha. Ha. *ahem* Moving on.

>63 LovingLit: Hot dogs, the breakfast of champions. Num.

>64 LovingLit: Nothing like a bracing dose of tendentious political essays to set one up for the year.

>71 LovingLit: If he's as miserable as I remember being, he'll react either with apathy or hysterics, nothing in between. Oh that poor kid. Chicken pox was *awful*.

* Throws remaing stars in the air* I finally found you Happy New Year. I love the Hotdog photo.

Oh, dang, I missed the bit about the pox! Yoicks. Poor guy. I didn't get them until high school, and was in bed for two solid weeks. My amazing mom just kept me hopped up on benadryl (puts me out like a light every time) and so I slept through pretty much the whole thing.

>72 scaifea: Its a great photo huh? The photographer's caption when he sent the pic to me on fb was "we weren't even there 60 seconds and you had eaten half a hotdog!" :) :) :)

>73 Crazymamie: Poor Len, very itchy boy :( He will come right though. He tends to bounce back (and bounce off things) very quickly.

>74 London_StJ: The fair was a strange one, some cheap-looking but expensive rides, and lots of cheap-looking but expensive plastic junk for sale. But I can vouch for the junk food!!! It was delicious :)
Hi to your monsters from all the way from the other side of the year!

>75 richardderus: The breakfast of champions! Yes, that is it. I will frame it in those terms from now on :)
Young Lenny is a tad dramatic, so has been in his element with the pox. It really is bothering him, but he is able to pull out a few gems such as (in wilting tone) "I remember when I wasn't sick....that was *soooo* much better".

>76 BBGirl55: yay, I caught some stray stars!

>77 scaifea: *rushes to amazon.com to see if USA benedryl is available for NZ shipping*
;)
The Len-ster is hard to get down. Even though I am at work, I am told he is still well enough to bother his brother!!

>79 LovingLit: Oh u have got a drama queen there haven't you ..... that said in this weather it will be no fun

Megan, I remember those hot dogs - very Easter Show!

Happy new year, and I hope Lenny recovers soon and stops itching. I did love his wilting-tone comment, though :-) At least he can remember the good times, so that's something :-)

Bless! Hope he's less itchy soon - I suspect he'll be no less dramatic though :)

My daughters had the chickenpox in winter, which was good, because in the ski tracks and the low temperatures, this was no problem and hardly itched. I myself had it as a teenager in the summer and I still remember well that with the heat the itching just got worse. I hope Len feels better soon.

Love the hotdog pic (is it plain or covered in batter? I couldn't quite tell from the pic) and my sympathies to Lenny and especially Lenny's caregivers. I hope for all your sakes that he does bounce back quickly, but at least you're getting some good Lenny-isms out of it. :-)

Happy Lenny better day! (At least that's what I'm going to call it.)

>78 LovingLit: Good junk food can often save the day!

>79 LovingLit: Lenny is a trip. I hope he is *soooo* much better soon!

Megan, that’s too bad that your boys came down with chicken pox over the holidays both ending a year and beginning another with miserable itching. At least they didn’t miss much school. Haha. Happy Reading (and studying) in 2018.

Poor Lenny... the mention of chickenpox had me breaking out in goosebumps and my scalp starting to itch. I hope he gets better soon.

Hotdogs are my all time favorite fairground food ... and in the summer, our own backyard dinner food too. I usually put out all sorts of potential toppings for the hotdogs, such as guacamole, mac & cheese (don't knock it until you've tried it on top of a hot dog with a splash of hot sauce on it), crisp crumbled bacon, onions, cheese sauce, and chili con carne.

Mini book haul!



1. The Pearl that Broke its Shell by Nadia Hashimi $17.50 (brand new!)
2. The Standing Chandelier by Lionel Shriver $17.50 (brand new!)

It was buy one get one half price, I could hardly walk on, could I?

>80 roundballnz: We have a phrase in our house, "enough Dee-rama already" which we deploy in the face of a) kids who want to watch Shortland Street, and b) Lenny's high drama outbursts.

>81 susanj67: Yes, he can wistfully recall better times in his current state :)

>82 BekkaJo: He has the energy to run about during the day, so it's just evenings that he's feeling rough now.

>83 Ameise1: Oh dear, it is and has been warm these last few days. But- it is forecast to rain tomorrow, maybe that will cool him off.

>84 rosalita: It is battered, completely battered in yummy goopy calorie-laden batter :) And salt. And sauce. OK, now I want another one!

>85 richardderus: Aw, thanks. No skin skin off my nose, as I was at work again today! But there was skin off his nose as some of his poxes popped!!

>86 London_StJ: It saved the day on NY day, as I was hankering for some fat and salt...for reasons of overindulgence the previous evening.

>87 Donna828: Both on significant days too, W on the first day of the school holidays, and Len on NY day! A Summer to remember, that's for sure. And it is true that at least they didn't miss school, as if they miss school I miss work/study. Now, with the lovely other off work, we can take turns. It is convenient.

>88 cameling: Urgh! I know I had chicken pox, but I don't really remember the itching. Just the being told not to itch....a lot. And the chalky calomine lotion.
But *your* hotdogs mean unbuttered ones in a steamed bun, right? I can imagine those combinations being quite delicious!!!

Megan--That's a great picture!! Love hot dog on a stick, otherwise knows as corndogs, for the batter. Sorry about the dang chicken pox. Good thing they got it as kids though. My hubby didn't get it until after we were married and it was really bad. So, of course, my daughter didn't get it even though I exposed her 3x!! Finally got her vaccinated. Happy 2018. LOL

>92 Berly: Aaaah, that's what a corndog is ;)
I really hope I don't get it, and I am sure that if I was going to, I would have already. That would be all 2018 would need....a sick mum in the house!
I'm itching to read Arthur and George now. Just saying ;)

New Year Book Meme (using titles read in 2017

Describe yourself: Psychogeography

Describe how you feel: This is the Story of a Happy Marriage

Describe where you currently live: The Wreck of the General Grant

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: A Room of One's Own

Your favorite form of transportation: Shooting Stars

Your best friend is: Bread Giver

You and your friends are: A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women

What’s the weather like: The Smell of Apples

You fear: Murder on the Orient Express

What is the best advice you have to give: We Should All be Feminists

Thought for the day: Grief is the Thing with Feathers

How you would like to die: Amongst Women

Your soul’s present condition: Secondhand Time

>94 LovingLit: I like the answers for the meme 😁

>79 LovingLit: I've heard that little ones stay pretty energetic with the chicken pox. Yoicks.

>94 LovingLit: What is the best advice you have to give: We Should All be Feminists

+1

>91 LovingLit: Oh gosh, I do love a good crunchy, greasy corndog! Do y'all have funnel cakes, too? It's basically fried dough covered in powdered/icing sugar. Divine!

>94 LovingLit: Oh, nice meme answers! Your reading last year was very meme-friendly. :-)

>98 rosalita: Oh, sweet cheese and crackers - funnel cakes! The. Best.

>99 scaifea: Right?!

>63 LovingLit: As I see you with a jacket on eating a hot dog, I am smiling. We are having a snow storm and a cold snap.

Not so much catching up as saying hello.

Happy new year and new thread!
Love the hot dog photo. Here they are also known as pogo dogs. Although I've never seen it dipped in tomato sauce. Usually ketchup or mustard here :)

>95 BBGirl55: hi there! Always a fun new years task, and one that I only ever remember when i see it on someone else's thread!

>96 scaifea: my 'little' ones are full of energy all the time, so I guess it's no surprise...(can't you just *hear* the glee in my voice??)

>97 richardderus: yee ha. It could solve a lot of the worlds issues....I really think so.

>98 rosalita: We don't have things called funnel cakes, but we do have a thing called Maori Bread, there is a caravan at fairs that sells it. Deep fried bread dough, and you can have icing sugar dusted on it, or other toppings.
And yes, the book list of 2017 gave up some excellent meme-friendly connections.

>99 scaifea: >100 rosalita: I only had one 'funnel cake' (as you call them), and I was already loaded on the fatty goodness from other sources, so I think its effect was lost on me. Maybe I should try again!?

>101 Whisper1: Our warm snap has just turned to a heavy rain warning! So I am getting a ride to work today, I just don't fancy biking in the persistent rain...thanks for coming by!

>102 EBT1002: Hi Back! Gearing up for a William Boyd read in, Feb, was it?

>103 ChelleBearss: Hi Chelle, great to see you about. I hope your gorgeous-est littlest baby is settling in well at home.
We calle ketchup tomato sauce here, but at fairs they add water to it, I think, to make it go further and to better dip stuff in. :)

Did you say unbuttered hot dog bun?! Did the chicken pox virus infect you as well, Megan? What's a bun without butter? The best hot dog buns are toasted and buttered before the 'dog' goes in and other toppings get piled on. tsk tsk ... you need to come over for one of my hot dog fests, I see.

You're going to enjoy Arthur & George. That's such a fabulous book.

Happy New Year, Megan!

...butter...hot dog...ABOMINATION UNCLEAN UNCLEAN

Hot dog on steamed bun. Mayo/ketchup/mustard/relish (dill, please, for me) sauce on. Then onions.

Or else shredded cheese of choice on bun/hot dog/chili and onions on top.

Note the inclusion of onions on all sanctified, traditional, correct, proper, good-for-you hot dog preparations.

>106 cameling: I can see why you think I said unbuttered, it is because that is what I typed. ;)
But what I *meant*, was unbattered. As in with no batter. That is what your hot dogs are...and placed in buns no less! I did know that, but I had no idea they came with such an array of toppings, and I would be more than willing to sample all of them.

>107 humouress: We are already on day 5 here! And here I am into my 3rd day of work for the year

>108 richardderus: Hot dogs, the most traditional of western foods :)

The battered hot dog, aka "corn dog", in its natural setting of a plastic basket:

The batter is a species of cornbread. The dog is stuck on a stick, dipped in cornbread batter (also used to make Cherokee fry bread in some locales, which I suspect bears a resemblance to the Maori sort), deep fried until a lovely golden brown, and then consumed with mustard and ketchup and, on occasion, nacho cheese dips.

>105 LovingLit: Ahh, that makes more sense! Here we call marinara sauce tomato sauce (or spaghetti sauce sometimes)

>104 LovingLit: is it sad that I think about it most of the year, I read You're Never weird on the Internet (almost) by Felicia Day quite early in the year and was like 'that would be a great answer for the meme' I usually start plotting out a ruff list in October. In 2016 I had so many great answer I did the Meme twice.

>94 LovingLit: Interesting meme answers.

>110 richardderus: ok, now I am totally screwed up. That looks nothing like >63 LovingLit: hotdog, which although battered, has more of a doughy batter (which, incidentally is the same batter that out fish'n'chip fish and assorted other items are battered in).
The naming of things is set up for confusion, no?
Regardless, I'd like to try your corn dog and your condiment-heavy hot dog varieties ;)

>111 ChelleBearss: ha ha!! See my comment above to RD about the naming of things. It is so confusing!!!

>112 BBGirl55: I love it! A lot of people think I am weird in RL, for the *huge* number of books I read (lol!!! 52 last year!!!). But clearly, here on LT I am a bookie rookie :0

>113 thornton37814: pretty fun, I love finding appropriate titles for that meme

Happy New Year, Megan! You're starred. I hope you have a wonderful reading year!

>109 LovingLit: I'm still on day 1. Or 2. Although, in reality, I'm not as far behind you as most folks. The boys are still on holiday for another couple of weeks and I'm taking it waaaay too easy.

>115 AMQS: hi Anne! Stand by for my first mini review- I finished one just now!

>116 humouress: My boys are on holiday for another three weeks, which means I am on break from university studies for the same. I am pleasure-reading my guts out :)

BOOK 1
On Anarchism by Noam Chomsky (2013) 142p

This Christmas gift was a thoughtful one from the lovely other. It comprises 5 chapters, each a stand alone essay, excerpt, or transcribed Q&A session/speech. I wonder if it wasn't hastily put together as the "next latest Chomsky best-seller", as two sections had some slight crossover...but, what the hey. It is all grist for the mill, as they say.

Mid-book I found myself deep into the intricacies of the Spanish Civil War, and of various historians' representations of it: all a tad too over my head without the basic knowledge of who-did-what-to-who-and-what-it-all-meant that one should know about any popular uprising and subsequent fascist/communist embroilment (see that? I almost learned something!). Regardless of my lack of context, it was a good look at how it isn't just communist regimes that write histories to suit their own outlook. One other section was particularly heavy (conceptually) which tested my holiday brain, so the conversational sections provided some relief from that. Overall, a good quick read, and one that exposed me to the concept of anarchosyndicalism. (Yes, it's an actual thing....)

And now I read The Standing Chandelier, a short novel by Lionel Shriver. So far, I can report that in typical Lionel Shriver fashion, the words impress!

Megan--I see the hot dog conversation continues. I really think you should try ALL the various presentations and toppings. ; ) I hope you enjoy your winter break and lots of reading and I really appreciate your self control on Aurthur & George. I have no idea what anarchosyndicalism is. Just saying.

Ooohhh, I like y'all's battering a lot! Fish'n'chips is something I'll miss in the fished-out, globally warmed, let's-eat-soylent-green world of tomorrow.

I'm more of a brat covered in sauerkraut kind of girl. My favorite fair food is the fresh lemonade. My son favored the ginormous turkey leg. Big as his face and he always believed he could eat it all, but never ever did.

BOOK 2
The Standing Chandelier by Lionel Shriver (2017) 122p (tally 264p)

Done and dusted in one evening/one morning of reading. This short novel follows the friendship of Jillian and Weston, who have been proper besties since their college days, 20+ years ago. As each other's default person, they spend at least three afternoons a week together for their regular tennis playdate, after which they sit and talk, and sometimes catch up for dinners and to just hang out. Weston's shy, calm demeanour balances out Jillian's chatty, involved and bold personality.
Enter a girlfriend. A girlfriend who questions the close relationship her boyfriend has with a woman. And so the story goes.
Aside from some problems that I had with the girlfriend, and what exactly her appeal was, I liked the book as a whole. And by the end I could understand each characters' motivations more. It was fast, and I reckon if the thing had been fleshed out to twice the volume, it could have been all the more rewarding.

>120 Berly: Anarchosyndicalism is a word I will never use in conversation, although, it was funny to try and get Lenny to say it. Particularly with his massive front teeth gap!!!
Aren't I being good resisting Arthur and George, I mean its only been on my shelf for about 5 years, and *now* I have to read it ;)

>112 BBGirl55: My lovely other doesn't really eat fish, unless it is fish-n-chips fish ;) I.e., covered in fatty salty carbs!

>113 thornton37814: brat as in bratwurst? Mmm, I like that too. With the mustard and the tart sauerkraut. Yass! My dad has promised tomato me some this year. We supplied him with 2 cabbages about the size and weight of medicine balls, so that should do well.

>123 LovingLit: Oh dear. The Jealous Friend trope is a killer for me, I can't get past its tragic consequences to many real-life friendships I've had. Blech.

I read on someone else's thread that your bookclub was a bust. Sadness.

>125 richardderus: There was a fairy, her name was nuff (fairy nuff) ;)

>126 Berly: Yeah. Too little in the way of forward planning and commitment. And just quietly, a lot of why I was in was for the opportunity it gave me for anthropological observation.
Here's to a more likeminded bookclub group for 2018!!!

Book haul! Found this series, brand new, for $5 each at a 2nd hand book and junk store when went to visit my mum this afternoon.

Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve (1st-4th of the Mortal Engines quartet)
Predator's Gold by Philip Reeve
Infernal Devices by Philip Reeve
A Darkling Plain by Philip Reeve

>128 LovingLit: I read the first one in the series a couple of years ago and likes it pretty okay, but just never got round to the rest of them. There's a movie coming out at some point, apparently, too, with Peter Jackson involved in some way (screenplay, I think?).

Hi Megan and Happy New Year! I've just discovered, a I recently read a book I had tagged you as recommending it (at least, I think you're the Megan I referred to). So You've Been Publicly Shamed was, indeed, a great read and I really enjoyed it.

Hi Megan!

If Lenny's still itchy, you might try oatmeal baths - we used Aveeno packaged baths when daughter had chicken pox when she was about 12 or so.

Your 2017 book meme is wonderful.

Hot dogs must be beef only, on a toasted bun (buttered or not), with ketchup and sweet pickle relish only. (runs for the hills)

>>123 LovingLit: I love Lionel Shriver's writing. I've read We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Post-Birthday World, and Big Brother, all excellent reads. I am really surprised at how many novels she's actually written. I've added this one to my wish list and need to keep my eye out for others, too.

>123 LovingLit: Nice review, Megan. Put it on the wish list.

AH. Hot dogs. My Dad loved his with chili and cheese and onions on them, and we eat them in honor of him every September 13th. If I am not eating them that way, then I want them on a bun, with mustard, ketchup, onions and dill relish *looks pointedly at Karen*. Delicious!

Hoping that Lenny is feeling better.

>129 scaifea: I was thinking to have them on the family shelves, and then either of the kids can read them at will. I will also read the first, made aloud to one of the kids, and see how that goes.

>130 Carmenere: I reckon So You've Been Publicly Shamed should be required reading at schools! Young kids just seem to be so blasé about what they put online....I'm glad you liked it!

>131 karenmarie: His itching seems to be not all that bad now, thank goodness. He had one (hot) night where it was a pain, but I had the itch scratchy gel, and the Pinetarsol to bathe him in. Interestingly, both kids claimed that made them worse!
Re: beef hot dogs...I am not convinced that the ones I am thinking of have *that much* beef in them at all!

>132 Ameise1: It isn't too much of a commitment, so you should be able to book horn it in whenever you please. I have been thinking on the plot too, which is a good sign/

>133 Crazymamie: I know, I am going on about this too much, but by chilli, you mean chilli con carne, beef, beans and spice?? On hot dogs.
Oh, the word we live in! It really is a wonder ;)
Lenny is comparatively better. We dropped his brother and the lovely other off up a huge hill this morning so they could do a long walk around the Port Hills. I was a little but jealous! But me and Len are going to go and see Ferdinand at the movies, just us two. So that will be nice.

Currently reading:

Lighthouse Family: Coastal New Zealand , 1941-42 by Philippa Werry.

Sweet relish is only forgivable as a mix for egg salad. That is all.

All this hot dog talk ..... still prefer a good kiwi style hot dog

>137 roundballnz: What's a kiwi dog?

*waves* HI Megan!

>134 LovingLit: Yes, exactly. Some people will leave the beans out of the chili when making it to go on top of hot dogs - either way is good.

Mmmmm, that looks gooooooooood!

>136 richardderus: I remember a long time ago when you said something about lettuce only being good for crunch, and I think about it every time I crunch into it in my sandwich :)

>137 roundballnz: *whispers* me too Alex!!

>138 ChelleBearss: Kiwi dog is as in >63 LovingLit:. Battered fake meat on a stick (with some meat, I guess), dipped in ketchup, usually at a fair or from a fish and chip shop.

>139 Crazymamie: Ok, that is confusing. My palate is on overload.
Thank goodness for our differences, or these conversations would never go on for as long as they do!!!

>140 drneutron: Many of those elements do indeed look good ;)

Currently reading:

The Pearl that Broke its Shell by Nadia Sashimi

Seeing as I finished >135 LovingLit: last night I started a new one straight of the bedside table pile! I have been having some *very* early nights lately as have been feeling like I am fending off some lurgy...this has been good for my reading habits!

>128 LovingLit: I have read all but the 4th. I keep putting it off as the book is huge.

>143 BBGirl55: Im not sure it is my genre, but I got them all, since they were only $5 each and looked brand new. I thought the kids might read them! I will edit later with the covers so you get a feel for how irresistible they were :)

All of the lovely covers :)

>141 LovingLit: Crunch is essential.

>145 LovingLit: Book porn ......

>144 LovingLit: Books!! They look fun.

And chili dogs are good. Just sayin'. : )

>139 Crazymamie: I'm one of those persons who leaves beans out if it goes atop hot dogs. Of course, I really prefer Cincinnati style chili on my hot dogs to regular chili.

>146 humouress: cucumber provides a good crunch element too :)

>147 roundballnz: That they were new was a drawcard, that's for sure. I'm not sure the kids will read them, but I might encourage over time.

>148 Berly: They do ay! colourful and *matching* ;)

>149 thornton37814: I had no idea the can of worms I was opening when I started talking about hot dogs! And now there's a Cincinnati-style chill as well? Yikes!

>145 LovingLit: OOO AAAH

I can't help but ask...is "chilli" a misspelling of "chilly" or of "chili"?

>144 LovingLit: I read the first in one sitting. It was that good.

Just to let you know there is avote going on over on my thread.

>151 richardderus: Chilli is how I spell what you would (and do) spell 'chili', which to me looks like it is spelled incorrectly I have no idea if my spelling is a NZ variation, or simply a quirk of my very own.

>152 BBGirl55: That is a good sign! I was nearly put off on the first page when it talked about London eating things.....I will press on :)

Hi, Megan. I hope the week is off to a good start for you and you are keeping cool.

Glad to see you are spending time with the books. I am reading a stellar story collection, What it Means When a Man Falls From the Sky, that you might like.

hmmmm methinks we have another NZ vs USA thing - appears NZ spells "Chilli" & USA "Chili" why they can't spell I do not know 😂

"The usual spelling in American English is “chili,” but “chile” is an acceptable variant. The usual spelling in British English is “chilli.” (The plurals are “chilies” or “chiles” in the US, and “chillies” in the UK.)"

>154 msf59: Hi Mark! Yes, keeping cool in spite of warm temps. I was art work for 6 hours (air con) and then spent some time in the hottest part of the day putting up a vintage tent (orange and brown canvas, direct from the early 1980s). It was given to me by a friend, was her old family tent growing up! It is for the kids to play in over the next week or two on our lawn :)

>155 roundballnz: I *thought* chilli liked right (to me). Chile I read as the country, and chili auto corrects to child on my laptop, so....
:)
PS get your book yet? It's posted.

>156 LovingLit: Sorry completely forgot to message you, it arrived on Saturday - thanks again!

Its too warm, am wearing shorts at work till someone tries to tell me not to - anyway they are pants, just short pants 😂

>157 roundballnz: oh good!
I only asked as my dad sent some biscuits for the boys (to make them feel better for getting chicken pox), but they haven't arrived yet. I was thinking there might be a summer holiday mail lag.

I think there is a summer mail issue some mail seems to be shortcutting thru the wormhole mail seems to be taking the scenic route via cruise ship travelling anti-clockwise round the planet. .....

Patti Smith has posted her top 40 books of all time (see here). And, what are the odds, the *only* three off her list that I have read- linked to touchstone- I actually hated (and I hardly ever hate a book). Well, two out of three I hated, and Heart of Darkness I merely was not enamoured with.
What does this mean? How can I love her writing and her poetry and her music so much and not share her taste in literature!?
I am just going to have to read more from her list and make the three that didn't grab me in the shadows of the ones I am sure to find that I do. Yes, that's what this calls for.

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Journey to the East by Hermann Hesse
The Glass Bead Game by Hermann Hesse
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Billy Budd by Herman Melville
Songs of Innocence by William Blake
The Wild Boys by William Burroughs
Howl by Allen Ginsberg
A Season in Hell by Arthur Rimbaud
Illuminations by Arthur Rimbaud
Wittgenstein’s Poker by David Edmonds and John Eidinow
Villette by Charlotte Bronte
The Process by Brion Gysin
Cain’s Book by Alexander Trocchi
Coriolanus by William Shakespeare
The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde
The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles
Against Interpretation by Susan Sontag
The Oblivion Seekers by Isabelle Everhardt
The Women of Cairo by Gérard de Nerval
Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry
Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol
The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa
The Death of Virgil by Hermann Broch
Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters by J.D. Salinger
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
A Night of Serious Drinking by René Daumal
Swann in Love by Marcel Proust
A Happy Death by Albert Camus
The First Manby Albert Camus
The Waves by Virginia Woolf
Big Sur by Jack Kerouac
Anything by H.P. Lovecraft
Anything by W.G. Sebald
The Thief’s Journal or anything by Jean Genet
The Arcades Project or anything by Walter Benjamin
Poet in New York by Federico García Lorca
The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum by Heinrich Böll
The Palm-Wine Drinkard by Amos Tutuola
Ice or anything by Anna Kavan
The Divine Proportion by H.E. Huntley
Nadja by André Breton

Gotta love a list - and read that as Bekka cannot resist a list!

I've only read 6 of these - well, 7 if you count a Lovecraft. Whilst I loved Master and the Margarita I was NOT a fan of Heart of Darkness or The Scarlet Letter, so I'm with you on those!

I do have The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum on my bedside table and started the first few pages last night. It's reassuringly short...

Hi Megan!

I've read 4 of Patti Smith's books. If she likes J.D. Salinger, she's okay in my book.

>160 LovingLit: Hmmm. Apparently Patti Smith and I should not join the same book club! I've only read a couple of those —
some Lovecraft and The Scarlet Letter — and nothing else on her list jumps out as something I've been dying to read. Ah, well.

>160 LovingLit: My gawd, I'm Patti Smith!

Cain's Book is the best argument against prohibition I've ever read.

I've read 7. Some I liked, others not so much. Hmmmm.

>161 BekkaJo: yes on the list, on all lists actually. Lists of books are to be admired, imo.

>162 karenmarie: I must read some more of JG Salinger, having only read the one. The most obvious one :)I actually didn't know there were so many others!

>163 rosalita: From her own books, it sounds like she likes the heavy, existentialist, old stuff. Which does sound appealing to me actually, which makes me seriously consider picking 3 at random from the list and giving them a go!

>164 richardderus: OMG, can I get your autograph? ;)
So if I were to pick three to read, you would suggest i) Cain's Book, ii) ?, and iii)?

>165 Berly: I guess we can't all be Patti Smith. Funnily enough there was a link at the bottom of the list to Bowie's top 100. Man, that list just keeps on giving!

Love Susan Sontag! No idea on the others though. Great list of new (to me) books. Very tempting!

>166 LovingLit: *autograph*

Three from that list. Well:
Franny and Zooey
The Thief's Journal
The Rings of Saturn

Or:
Cain's Book
The Book of Disquiet
The Glass Bead Game

Or....

>167 charl08: I have enjoyed On Photography by her, and really want to read Regarding the Pain of Others

>168 richardderus: Oooooh, aaaah. I like the look of Franny and Zooey, and I believe I have had The Rings of Saturn on the radar before, although it may have dropped off lately...(does the list I quote refer to that as Anything by W.G. Sebald?) also, Cain's Book which you already mentioned and I had a wee look at before...thanks for the food for thought! And now, I will go and get actual food (for stomachs) as I am hungry.

>169 LovingLit: Yes on The Rings of Saturn and yum on the foods. I don't think Austerlitz would appeal to you...a 9-page sentence isn't novelty for an academic...and Vertigo is, in my frank assessment, just not all that good. There endeth my knowledge of Sebald.

>170 richardderus: the food of which I spoke ended up being crispy chicken sushi stick. And then some banana/choc chip gluten free home made loaf and coffee at a friends place. Not a bad deal really!
Thanks for the Sebald assessments!

eta: Oh my gawd, I have read The Rings of Saturn and didn't even remember! I only gave it 2.5 stars- this does not bode well for my love of Patti Smith's reading list.....althoooooough *brain churns*....I reckon that I read that so long ago that my new found interest in psychogeography may mean that if I read it now, I would like it more! There, that problem is at least solved minimised.

Thanks for voting. There has been a hiccup, tied vote. Please would you mind voting again.

I have only read three of the books on Smith's list. One of them I loved (Heart of Darkness), one of them I liked (The Master and Margarita), and one of them I hated (The Scarlet Letter). Interesting.

>160 LovingLit: I really enjoyed The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum by Heinrich Böll and out of the two Hesse novels listed, I preferred The glass bead game.

>171 LovingLit: I suspect time will have ramped up your interest in The Rings of Saturn for exactly that reason. I hope you'll give it a whirl, but only if you promise yourself to quit at p80 if you're hatin' it.

Heya Megan, and merry new reading year. And I just dropped by the leave a star, but now have the inexplicable urge to eat hotdogs and buy books. Not sure how that happened.

Oh, and based on the few things I've read from Patti Smith's list, my theory is that she likes uncomfortable, spiky things. I have absolutely nothing to back this up with however.

>172 BBGirl55: Hi Bryony. A tie huh? Sounds divided!

>173 Crazymamie: I think I read the same three and liked them in similar proportions to you.

>174 figsfromthistle: I have read a couple of Hesse novels, but neither were listed by Smith as a fave. Lucky for me the list provides a lot to work from!

>175 richardderus: I do recall not knowing why someone would walk and then write of their musings-while-walking so in so painstakingly a detailed way. I have loved a few works which do just that since then. ...time huh? It certainly changes us!

>176 evilmoose: Well hey there you evil moose you! Glad to hear the books and hot dogs have been transmuted across the broadband network all the way to you.
I think you might be right re: Patti Smith's interest in uncomfortable literature. It sits well with the idea that art is to challenge you, make you think etc.

Hi, Megan. Can't catch up, but I'm glad that you and I are both here again this year, and I look forward to seeing what goes on with you!

That is a strange thing - to love an artist that loves books you don't love :)

I've read seven on that list - I really liked Moby Dick and The Happy Prince but several others I was not so fond of. Like Billy Budd and Heart of Darkness (meh..), Villette (I would recommend Jane Eyre and Shirley in stead), Dead Souls (oh, no how dull).

But I sense that she's drawn to the tragic, dark and conflicted stories that inspires her art. Also of some of the more well known authors she picks a lesser known novel and not the obvious choice (not Jane Eyre, but Villette), not The Stranger or The Fall, but The First Man (not heard of it), not Hamlet but Coriolanus.

>145 LovingLit: I loved the Mortal Engines series. One of the last series that I read to J before he started reading everything for himself ... sob! And Mortal Engines itself has such a great first line:

'It was a dark, blustery afternoon in spring, and the city of London was chasing a small mining town across the dried-out bed of the old North Sea'

Hi Megan, just starting to do the rounds of all the threads as I have been remiss in visiting so far this year. I hope this finds you and the family well dear friend and send love and hugs from both of us.

>178 LizzieD: catching up is an outdated concept around here! I used to try to read all the comments on someone's thread before commenting myself, but have not done that for a while now :)
Glad to see you here!

>179 ctpress: Yes, your analysis sounds sound :) Partly that is why I am perplexed, as I like dark stories too, but then again, I don't sit well with magic, fantasy or the fantastical.

>180 SandDune: I read out that very first sentence to the kids once I got the books back to my mum's house, and W happened to be recording me on his Nana's phone. It was funny to watch it back, as I paused after the the city of London was chasing a small mining town part, with a What? London is chasing a town?? Huh? ;)

>181 johnsimpson: Hi JS. You have already paid me at least two visits! (>14 johnsimpson: >33 johnsimpson:). But I am happy to host you any time :) Today you find me house bound with three boys inside on a rainy day. Currently they engage in a nerf war ;)

Went book shopping on the line. A text recommended by my supervisor, and then utterly unavailable to me through libraries, e-libraries, or in PDF form (apart from the first chapter). SO I went to the good ole Book Depo, and purchased. I love the title font, which will make it easy to want to pick up and read :)

Discursive Psychology by Sally Wiggins.

BOOK 3
Lighthouse Family: Coastal New Zealand , 1941-42 by Philippa Werry.

Mid-book funk, I grabbed this one it a fit of peak- partially, I'll admit, as it seemed achievable :)
It turned out to be more than achievable, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's written in diary format, but is a fictional account of a girl's life on an isolated NZ island which hosts a lighthouse. Three houses are situated on the island for the families whose work supports the running of the lighthouse, and the diary entries include bits and pieces about all the island inhabitants.
There were a narrow few months during WWII when the fear was very real that the war would reach our shores, and this fear plays out for our protagonists daily routine. She has her adolescent concerns, her war concerns, and on top of that, a family drama puts her in charge of the household for a period, which involves a lot of hard work. The story is neatly bookended by the period in which war was anticipated to 'arrive', and it gives a nice snapshot of life in the 1940s in a rural, isolated spot.

Eta: I changed what were my random thoughts about a book I had nearly finished, to a review, of sorts :)


BOOK 4
The Pearl that Broke its Shell by Nadia Hashimi (2014) 440p

The following are thoughts, rather than a review, per se.
A gripping read and a wonderful story. There as so many parallels with one of my last reads of last year, Bread Giver which too was about the all-female children of a (need I say it? male) religious zealot. Bread Giver was written in the 1920s about a Jewish immigrant family in the US, and The Pearl that Broke its Shell is about early turn of the century Afghanistan, and 1990s Afghanistan. The parallels are incredible: an all-female household brings shame to the father/husband, and the man of the household has feelings for the women and girls around him that sit on the spectrum from mere disdain to physical abuse. Women are a chattel, to be traded, used, and worked.

Novels really do enable you to get into the lives of these women whose stories are not often told. The Pearl that Broke its Shell so clearly fleshes out the idea that religions can and have acted as sanctioned frameworks in which certain segments of society are able to wield incredible power over others. In this, and in many cases, it means that men dominate and control women in the name of religion and custom. The complex and personal ways this is played out within a household clearly demonstrate how these social practices are maintained. Why would the heads of the household want to change things? They have the power, the control, and the freedom. It makes for sad reading, and makes me want to rant and rage against the injustice of it all.

This book is a 5-star story, and although I want more than a fantastic story, the story's arc is amazing. The pace really picks up through the book, and the characters come to life. I wont rush to read her other books just yet, but this one definitely carries you along.

>184 LovingLit: That one sounds like something I'd enjoy.

ETA: Not available at Amazon or Book Depository though.

>123 LovingLit: I've added this one to the tbr pile. Your review is great!

>186 thornton37814: it was a rare find, something that piqued my interest at a second hand sale. It is published by Scholastic, which provides books for schools here.

>187 Whisper1: I hadn't realised how new it was til I added it to LT! I must read some of her longer, and more involved works soon. I have found that when she delves into a topic you get a really good feel for it.

And now....my last book purchase of last year, I currently read:


Social Theory: Ideas in Profile by William Outhwaite, a social theory 101-styler reader to get my brain back into the thinking.

>185 LovingLit: Nice thoughts (review)! I just finished The Power by Naomi Alderman which deals with the inequality of men and women, so I am not up for another book of similar bent right now, but maybe later. It sounds like a powerful read.

>189 LovingLit: That will either recover the brain or have it screaming from the room 😂 .... seriously reminds of stuff i read at Uni.

Happy Sunday, Megan.

Hope you had a good weekend Megan. Did you manage to read during the Nerf battle?

>189 LovingLit:, >191 roundballnz: Alex spoke my thoughts before I could.

>190 Berly: I feel a bit mean by only giving it 4 stars, as the story is powerful and well told. There was just something *slightly* gratuitous about the hardships the women faced, and that a little subtlety would have made the book somehow more special. I'm not sure I can explain it very well, but you know how I resent page-turners....it has something to do with that. :)

>191 roundballnz: My brain is coming back!! It could be the two weeks off the booze, or the return to cerebral reading (of sorts). But I am drawn to the social theory reader, and can't wait to return to it after each reading session. So all good on that front :)

>192 Ameise1: Thanks B. I worked the afternoon, and it was mega-hot, so the bike ride there was cooling (in a perverse kind of way).

>193 charl08: I did! Haha, any opportunity will do :)

>194 richardderus: I did not run screaming, nor did my brain (now there's a thought!)

Ha! Priceless image.

>196 richardderus: and it so exactly captures what I do not look like!

Click here for some in-depth analysis of Hillbilly Elegy. It is a long but incredibly interesting view of the widely-accepted work, and of the way the author focuses on feelings rather than say, policy, or other broader contextual frameworks that may impact on the lives of those he writes about.

I haven't read the book yet, was put off it by a few reviews I had glanced at recently, and also by a friend's take on it (which was a general unease that the author was one of those "I got out so you should all just work hard like I did and get out too" types.) Still, if I do get around to reading it, I will be reading between the lines I should think!

>198 LovingLit: I've heard similar things from several quarters, and that's completely put me off wanting to read this one.

>198 LovingLit: "It is precisely his refusal to speak directly about 'issues' that makes J. D. Vance the new pundit for white people, and that makes Hillbilly Elegy so widely appealing."

Which is why I won't be reading it.

>199 scaifea: It is funny, as the book was initially received so well. Do you think it was because people wanted to know who it was who was voting for trump? Or wanted a window into the loves of those they assumed were voting for him? And they assumed that *this* was the book to tell them?

>200 richardderus: I read that too (the part you quoted). I particularly liked the analysis in the article I linked to, as it explained how the book orients itself and frames the issues. I am kind of irked that I didn't read it and come up with some of that myself!!! Another good quote follows:

The emphasis on feelings distracts us, makes it seem like who Vance is — a hillbilly — is more important than what he became — an educated, wealthy, and very familiar version of a political conservative who advances policies that promote class inequity. This, ultimately, is Hillbilly Elegy’s achievement after a year-and-a-half in print: to reinforce a right-wing political agenda by making it sound like a left-liberal feeling about identity.

Good reviews of both Lighthouse Family & The Pearl that Broke its Shell. I had never heard of either one, but I have now. Glad they were both such memorable reads.

I highly recommend Hillbilly elegy.

>201 LovingLit: Yikes, thats quite a sharply pointed review.

>202 msf59: I love January reading, as for me its the month I read the most. When I know I cam reading more, I can afford to take some chances, means I get some hits and some misses, but overall- just more books! As usual, my cup overfloweth with reading possibilities :)

>203 charl08: I can recommend you read the whole article, as the authors make their case compellingly! It will be hard for me to read the book now that I have read such in-depth analysis of it. But I still intend to.

Book haul!
My Century by Bunter Grass $1.50
The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney $1.50

An online auction came good, as I was the only bidder :)

Oh dear, so many BBs hitting me here! :)))
Especially from that list in >160 LovingLit: of which I read only 6. Now I'll follow that Hillbilly link...

>205 LovingLit: Yay! Good haul, though I confess I blinked fast at "Bunter Grass" as I didn't realize he was an upper-class public school boy from the interwar fictional universe.

>206 Deern: Excellent. Nothing pleases me more than a load of BBs flying hither and yon :)
The link ....It's a long read, but a worthwhile one!!

>207 richardderus: You myst be thinking of Gunter Grass. The one I am thinking of may be a distant cousin? ;)
(lol- oops re spelling)

Heh. Gave me a good chuckle, so thanks for that.

>209 richardderus: Aaaah, the rare but delightful curmudgeon-chuckle.
Now I chuckle too!

>207 richardderus: & >208 LovingLit: & >209 richardderus: & >210 LovingLit: Chuckling along with both of you :-)

>198 LovingLit: I had seen that LA Times article about Hillbilly Elegy earlier, and it really captured the uneasiness I felt that led me to not finish reading it last year. Something about his tone or the way he wrote about the people in his hometown seemed unduly harsh. The article helped me understand what I was picking up on and confirm my decision to not finish it.

>205 LovingLit: I just picked up The Nest in an ebook sale late last year, but I haven't read it yet. I hope it's good!

>211 FAMeulstee: the chucklier the better! Unless (for some) it if is Chuckles the Dick....

>212 rosalita: I knew there were some dissenters out there, I thought maybe it was Chatterbox who I first saw that raised these issues with the book....but it might have been you, or you too. I was just thrilled that my mum found it for me for only $1 at a garage sale (hardcover and all!!).

>212 rosalita: I know Suzanne has been talking about it. I'm not sure I ever posted much about it since I only got about two chapters in before I bailed. I will be very interested in your reaction when you read it!

>214 rosalita: only problem being that when I read it, my impression will be affected by the review!! Sheesh.
:)

>184 LovingLit: I really enjoyed The Pearl that Broke Its Shell. Great review! She's written a couple of other books , one I of which I've read and enjoyed . When the Moon Is Low was also very good and timely .

Nice book haul!

>216 vancouverdeb: I saw you had one of the books when I went looking for conversations about it. LitChick and you had chatted about it on her thread, I think? I was trying to figure out if I had heard of it :)
This one is her first, and I hear there are at least two more!

Megan, regarding Hillbilly Elegy… I read it last summer and enjoyed it pretty well, but, for the life of me, I don't see how it figured into the election of Trump. We have cycles of poverty in our country and we have people who are able to break with the trend and achieve the American Dream. Vance was lucky enough to have grandparents who cared about him and influenced him to stay in school and succeed. The military had a similar effect on him, teaching him that strong people who work hard for something can often achieve it. It's not rocket science, but it made for an interesting read.

>218 Donna828: Do you mean he is the exception, then? That he was able to get out of his situation when others were not?
I wonder if his tone is a little condescending- not having read it, I can't possibly comment, but that is the impression I got from others' comments.

I'd say he left condescending on the Interstate and exited at "contemptuous."

>220 richardderus: ha! A righteous hero huh? And an aspiring Republican, I hear....just what the world needs *sigh*

Conservatism is a blight on the cultural landscape.

>222 richardderus: conversationalism, however, is Ok in my book.

Heh. +1

Today I had such a great day!

Long lunch at Little High- a covered food market style eatery (we had a pizza and some pork dumplings and a milkshake for the kids and a long black for me). I got there early to secure a table (no bookings) and the kids played in the courtyard adjacent to the complex....and then when my friends arrived (the female half of the couple I have known since I was 11, and the male since we were 18)

Then we all went to the skate park, sat and chatted while the kids skated...

Then we went to the mega-playground/water play park (free) where the kids had a ball playing while we sat and caught up even more :)

I hardly ever get to see these out-of-towners, so it was a fab chance to have some long and fun talks. A good friendship = regular laughter and hilarity. Yay to good friends with a shared sense of humour!

William Boyd. February. I'm in (and thanks for the reminder!).

>225 LovingLit: Sounds like a great day indeed!

Regarding Hillbilly Elegy, I do think there is some condescension in the author's tone. I also think he did some of that to circumvent the condescension he may have expected many readers to feel toward the subjects of his book. That is, I felt like he periodically inserted bits about how one can break out of poverty and how choices individuals make contribute to the cycle of poverty, in order to avoid sounding too much like an apologist for the people in his community about which he was writing. I didn't love the book as much as the hype suggested I should, but I did appreciate that he tried to capture the complexity of the issue rather than taking either a "poor people stay poor because they won't pull themselves up by the bootstraps" or a "it's all the system and poor people can't possibly break out of poverty because the cards are stacked against them." Our country is so divided at present (let's face it, that's less new than we seem to realize) and our understanding of issues is so oversimplified. Still, it's not the best book ever by a long shot.

>226 EBT1002: Hi Ellen!
Bad news re: me giving you a nudge on William Boyd. I have not only a mega book Barkskins, lined up for Feb, but also Arthur and George, and I don't think I could commit to yet another. March!? Maybe?

Interesting comments on Hillbilly Elegy- It takes a full and proper reading of a book to get that kind of feeling. I do actually hope to read it (soon- dare I say it??) as my friend who read it is the same one that I want to make a breakaway book club with. I think it would make a great first book to discuss!!!

Hi Megan!

I just saw a news blurb that your PM Jacinda Ardern is pregnant and expecting their first child in June. ""I'll be Prime Minister AND a mum, and Clarke will be 'first man of fishing' and stay-at-home dad."

>227 LovingLit: I saw the TV mini-series of Arthur and George, have the book on my shelves, and would really like to read it this year.

>228 karenmarie: I know! I was very excited for her to read that yesterday :) :) :)
Our Prime Minister is having a baby in June.
One excellent comment made the point that "old men's minds are exploding all over NZ"- presumably at the thought of an *unmarried*, relatively new leader of the country, taking *time off* and then *abandoning* the child to the care of a *man*.
I hope she is prepared for the amount of crap people will metaphorically throw at her.

March or whatever month we land on is fine with me. My February is getting overbooked too!

>230 EBT1002: Phew!
Let's go for March :)

Book haul! Well, more or a single cheap book purchase......
Started it in my lunch-half-hour today (at work), and it is as depressing as one would assume from the title. But great.

Hiroshima by John Hersey.

>232 LovingLit: Less than uplifting reading. Amazing that it first appeared in a *magazine*!

Megan--Glad you got to connect with your friends!! Trying to get all my Jan reading done so I am good for Feb. Are we starting with Barkskins or Arthur & George? : )

>233 richardderus: oh really? Serialised?

>234 Berly: I reckon Arthur & George...only because I am itching :) I will probably Hiroshima today on the bus (with Len) to my friends house, and then I will read some other gap-filler and then I am all good to go!

>235 LovingLit: Noop. From Wikipedia:

It was originally published in The New Yorker. Although the story was originally scheduled to be published over four issues, the entire edition of August 31, 1946, was dedicated to the article. The article and subsequent book are regarded as one of the earliest examples of the New Journalism, in which the story-telling techniques of fiction are adapted to non-fiction reporting.

>236 richardderus: oh, cool. I was grinning that my plan today involved me reading on the bus (with Lenny) for 2 x 35 minute trips. Consequently, I am minutes away from finishing Hiroshima, and have also lined up a recipient for it! (the person we were on the bus to go see... see following post)

Saw the strangest thing today.

A gorilla (strange enough already, right!?)
A gorilla pooed into its hand (OK, that's odd).
A gorilla pooed into its hand, brought hand to face for a sniff (Hm, OK, whatever works).
A gorilla pooed into its hand, brought hand to face for a sniff, proceeded to eat said poo. Like one would eat an apple. (OOOOOO-KAY, I'm a little grossed out now)

We quickly googled it and found out that it is a thing. They do actually do that, and its about the recycling of vitamins. But it was hard to watch! Lenny stated that he was "never going to see that again" (which I took as a statement of intent, rather than a statement of fact).

>238 LovingLit:, Hi Megan just over twenty years ago we took Rob and Amy to Chester Zoo and we saw something similar but it was Chimpanzee's that did the same as your Gorilla, Rob was fascinated. As we wandered around we also saw a Snake having a poo and then whilst looking at the Orangutan's we had to move the kids away as a particularly large male decided he wanted sex and the female was not receptive, but undeterred the male had his wicked way. Amy wanted to know what was going on and Karen quickly told her that they were having a cuddle, I don't think Amy believed her. The following week at School the children were asked what they had done over the holidays and quick as a flash Rob put his hand up and told with glee about the pooing Chimps and Snake and the randy Orangutan. It has stuck in our mind ever since then and we chuckle about it.

>239 johnsimpson: ha! Animals huh- they do the strangest things.
The orang-utans were amazing too, we ended up watching the gorillas and orang-utans for nearly an hour. They had a male with amazingly long fur, and flanges on his face and chin, and two smaller females. The lions and tigers only got a few minutes of our time!

>238 LovingLit: Ew.

OK! Arthur & George it is. But I won't start until February.

Thanks for sharing the gorilla eating habits--NOT! : P

Book 5
Social Theory: Ideas in Profile by William Outhwaite

A short reader-style wrap up of social theory. It covers chapters entitled Capitalism, Society, Origins of capitalism and theories of social action, How is society possible?, Discovering the unconscious, Social theory and politics, and Unfinished business. I happened to be reading a cover-all research paper who mentioned a lot of the key thinkers/authors covered in this book, and it was reassuring to see their stories "matched"- although, one could argue (if one was so inclined) that this merely means that the same things are trotted out in a very uncritical way...



Book 6
Hiroshima by John Hersey
Originally published in 1946 in the New Yorker as a long narrative non fiction piece, this edition has a final chapter added in which allows the reader to see what became of the people the book focusses on (props to RD for giving me the heads up on the first part of that little factoid).
The author spent time in Hiroshima talking to 6 survivors of the atomic bomb that put a stop not only to WWII, but to the lives of 100,000 Japanese (mostly) civilians. He wrote their stories in a narrative form which was relatively unheard of then, and it succeeds in pulling you into the lives of these unfortunates. We hear a lot of each persons experience of the actual explosion, and the days and weeks afterwards. And with the final long chapter, we get a picture of how they lived out their days to the 40th anniversary of the bombing.
The indiscriminate nature of injuries and death in the bombing is mirrored in the telling of the tales of these peoples' lives, they are a varied bunch and their lives play out accordingly. The cultural peculiarities of the Japanese interested me (what we Westerners would possibly term excessive thought for others, epic levels of survivor guilt, etc), as did the horrific nature of the injuries and the post-disaster suffering of so many. The book does a great job of conveying the magnitude of the event, and the long-term consequences.

>241 richardderus: yep.

>242 Berly: OK Kimmers :) But I might do a false start on ya, and get cracking a few wee days early on it. I just might not be able to help it. In which case, shall I set up a thread!??

This is the cover of the 31 Aug 1946 New Yorker

A more chilling, unsettling juxtaposition I cannot imagine.

>245 richardderus: Central Park presumably. Looks like a swell afternoon there, at least....
One other weird thing in the book, was that a Japanese survivor who spent a lot of time in the States campaigning for peace and fundraising for groups who needed financial assistance after the bomb, was featured in a This is Your Life programme (maybe ten years after the bomb?). And he was faced with a pilot of the Enola Gay as a special guest!!! I ask myself- why on earth would someone want to meet the person who flew the plane that dropped the bomb??

From http://mentalfloss.com/article/24269/crew-enola-gay-dropping-atomic-bomb

Air Force flier Robert Lewis was a pilot first and foremost. He was upset that commander Paul Tibbets had named his plane the Enola Gay. But he was also dedicated to the mission, and earned Tibbets' respect despite the animosity between the two. Lewis wrote a diary of the mission in a notebook during the flight to Hiroshima, against orders. He later sold it for $37,000. It was resold in 2002 for almost ten times that much. He is often quoted:
"As the bomb fell over Hiroshima and exploded, we saw an entire city disappear. I wrote in my log the words: 'My God, what have we done?'"
Some sources say that quote was a revision after the fact. Later in life, Lewis defended the mission.

"although, one could argue (if one was so inclined) that this merely means that the same things are trotted out in a very uncritical way..." surely not, that doesn't sound like any academic book I ever read :) .....

>247 roundballnz: People often reject science based on the old consensus argument....just because everyone says it is, then it is. I would agree, *but* I would see why they all agree (e.g. read their research papers, arguments, discussion on it) and then decide myself.
Climate change deniers take that line all the time, but fail to see why it is that science agrees. And mostly science agrees cos there is a basis for it.
So, so long as academics continue to question each other, and existing accepted thought, then I'm cool with it.
Hence, it could be argued that I was just being facetious when questioning the social theory book :)

Megan, I think I'm with Lenny on the whole gorilla thing :-) But how cool that you can google and find out the answers. A friend's little boy asked us once, back in the 90s, where electric eels got their electricity from. We said that his Dad would tell him when he got home from work :-)

I really enjoyed Barkskins when I read it, quite apart from the novelty of reading about New Zealand in a book by someone who is not *from* New Zealand. (Does that ever go away? I don't think so).

Hi Megan!

All the way from pregnant PMs, through nuclear bombs, to poo-eating gorillas. And zoo animal sex. Never a dull moment here!

>229 LovingLit: "old men's minds are exploding all over NZ" LOL

>232 LovingLit: Excellent, stunning, devastating book. What prompted you to read it?

>238 LovingLit: I'm going to assume that you were at a zoo?!
Animals do the grossest things with poop. My sister's dog loves my dog's food so much that she will eat Jackson's poop because it tastes like his food. Gross!!

>249 susanj67: I did not know that Barkskins has a New Zealand angle! I can't believe my dad didn't tell me that, as he raved about the book (and bought my copy for me as a birthday present last year).

>250 karenmarie: It does sound all go when you summarise it like that!
I am drawn to Penguin classics books (green spine), and saw it at a second hand shop. Grabbed it to look further, and realised I had never seen or heard of this book before. As soon as I read the back I knew I wanted to read it. Plus, it was only $3.

>251 ChelleBearss: I know of a few dogs which eat poo. SO it didn't floor me seeing the gorilla eating his own...it was just the way he ate it like an apple- it seemed so human (which of course is so incongruous with the act itself!!)

>246 LovingLit: There will always be some ambivalence in the winning side's soldiers, at least I hope there will be...but Lewis, well, being at the epicenter of the world's most terrifying event, I'd've expected him to have a firm stance one way or the other.

>253 richardderus: *Interesting fact*
apparently the co-pilot on This is Your Life also expected payment for his attendance there, and turned up incredibly hung over, which accounts for his head holding which people mistook for sadness.

>248 LovingLit: Seems i need to signal my sarcasm more loudly as well :) - but yes we should all critically challenge

Tag! You're it! Yes, please set up the thread when you are ready. Arthur & George in February. : )

>255 roundballnz: I thought I *got* the sarcasm angle, and directed my response directly to it? Maybe I am double guessing you and myself too much...

>256 Berly: Oooh, OK. I will do that. Right after I set up my own new thread! *stand by for new threads aplenty*

Catching up...

>239 johnsimpson: We watched the new 'Jumanji' film over the weekend, which we all enjoyed. The parts my husband found hilarious (I've never known him to giggle quite so much in the cinema) were where the teenage girl transposed into a man's body tries to work out ... um ... how to pee and is fascinated by the differences. My teenage son, on the other hand, had his head in his hands, while my nine year old was thoroughly puzzled by the character's reactions and wanted to know why.