SusanJ's 75 Books Challenge - Thread 4
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Talk 75 Books Challenge for 2018
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1susanj67
Hello, and welcome to my fourth thread for 2018.
I'm Susan, a Kiwi living in London for the past 23 years. During the working week I'm a lawyer so I love nerdy legal stuff, which crops up in more books than you might expect.
Over the past few years I've started to read a lot more non-fiction, so my reading is now more balanced between F and NF than it typically has been. I think I spend more *time* reading NF than F, but NF books tend to be longer and more complicated than a quick novel.
While I have been reading mostly from the library, I do have a fair few books that I've bought (mostly for the Kindle) and I need to keep my eye on those so that I actually read them instead of just accumulating them. This year I want to focus on reading my own things (famous last words).
Here are my tickers. I'm aiming for 75 books in 2018 as I want to read some NF chunksters and I also want to read more magazines and internetty things. I can feel a bit pressured by a stack of library books, so I'm going to take it easy (and yes, I can hear that laughing from the cheap seats).
I'm Susan, a Kiwi living in London for the past 23 years. During the working week I'm a lawyer so I love nerdy legal stuff, which crops up in more books than you might expect.
Over the past few years I've started to read a lot more non-fiction, so my reading is now more balanced between F and NF than it typically has been. I think I spend more *time* reading NF than F, but NF books tend to be longer and more complicated than a quick novel.
While I have been reading mostly from the library, I do have a fair few books that I've bought (mostly for the Kindle) and I need to keep my eye on those so that I actually read them instead of just accumulating them. This year I want to focus on reading my own things (famous last words).
Here are my tickers. I'm aiming for 75 books in 2018 as I want to read some NF chunksters and I also want to read more magazines and internetty things. I can feel a bit pressured by a stack of library books, so I'm going to take it easy (and yes, I can hear that laughing from the cheap seats).
2susanj67
Books read during 2018
1. The Women's Room by Marilyn French
2. Snow Blind by Ragnar Jonasson
3. Orientalism by Edward Said
4. Roseanna by Maj Sjowall
5. Testosterone Rex by Cordelia Fine
6. Radical Technologies by Adam Greenfield
7. Long Road From Jarrow by Stuart Maconie
8. Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
9. The Spy Who Couldn't Spell by Yudhijit Bhattacharjee
10. Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
11. The Confession by Jo Spain
12. Cure: A Journey Into the Science of Mind Over Body by Jo Marchant
13. In Search of Mary Shelley by Fiona Sampson
14. Pandemic 1918 by Catharine Arnold
15. Artemis by Andy Weir
16. This is How it Ends by Eva Dolan
17. With Our Blessing by Jo Spain
18. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil de Grasse Tyson
19. Black Edge: Inside Information, Dirty Money, and the Quest to Bring Down the Most Wanted Man on Wall Street by Sheelah Kolhatkar
20. The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar
21. The Case Against Sugar by Gary Taube
22. The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers
23. The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner by Daniel Ellsberg
24. The Midnight Line by Lee Child
25. The Twelve-Mile Straight by Eleanor Henderson
26. Close to Home by Cara Hunter
27. Young and Damned and Fair by Gareth Russell
28. Exposure by Helen Dunmore
29. Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor
30. Hearts and Minds: The Untold Story of the Great Pilgrimage and How Women Won the Vote by Jane Robinson
31. Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky by Patrick Hamilton
32. The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths
33. The Power by Naomi Alderman
34. Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton
35. The Clocks in This House All Tell Different Times by Xan Brooks
36. Dark Blood by Stuart MacRae
37. The Almighty Dollar by Darshini David
38. Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance
39. Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain by Julian Glover
40. Common Ground by J Anthony Lukas
41. Flat Broke With Two Goats by Jennifer McGaha
42. The Last of the Greenwoods by Clare Morrall
43. Paradise in Chains by Diana Preston
44. Exceeding My Brief: Memoirs of a Disobedient Civil Servant by Barbara Hosking
45. Reliquary by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
46. World Without Mind by Franklin Foer
47. The Deep Blue Goodbye by John D. MacDonald
48. Trouble in Paradise by Kathy Marks
1. The Women's Room by Marilyn French
2. Snow Blind by Ragnar Jonasson
3. Orientalism by Edward Said
4. Roseanna by Maj Sjowall
5. Testosterone Rex by Cordelia Fine
6. Radical Technologies by Adam Greenfield
7. Long Road From Jarrow by Stuart Maconie
8. Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
9. The Spy Who Couldn't Spell by Yudhijit Bhattacharjee
10. Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
11. The Confession by Jo Spain
12. Cure: A Journey Into the Science of Mind Over Body by Jo Marchant
13. In Search of Mary Shelley by Fiona Sampson
14. Pandemic 1918 by Catharine Arnold
15. Artemis by Andy Weir
16. This is How it Ends by Eva Dolan
17. With Our Blessing by Jo Spain
18. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil de Grasse Tyson
19. Black Edge: Inside Information, Dirty Money, and the Quest to Bring Down the Most Wanted Man on Wall Street by Sheelah Kolhatkar
20. The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar
21. The Case Against Sugar by Gary Taube
22. The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers
23. The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner by Daniel Ellsberg
24. The Midnight Line by Lee Child
25. The Twelve-Mile Straight by Eleanor Henderson
26. Close to Home by Cara Hunter
27. Young and Damned and Fair by Gareth Russell
28. Exposure by Helen Dunmore
29. Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor
30. Hearts and Minds: The Untold Story of the Great Pilgrimage and How Women Won the Vote by Jane Robinson
31. Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky by Patrick Hamilton
32. The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths
33. The Power by Naomi Alderman
34. Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton
35. The Clocks in This House All Tell Different Times by Xan Brooks
36. Dark Blood by Stuart MacRae
37. The Almighty Dollar by Darshini David
38. Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance
39. Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain by Julian Glover
40. Common Ground by J Anthony Lukas
41. Flat Broke With Two Goats by Jennifer McGaha
42. The Last of the Greenwoods by Clare Morrall
43. Paradise in Chains by Diana Preston
44. Exceeding My Brief: Memoirs of a Disobedient Civil Servant by Barbara Hosking
45. Reliquary by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
46. World Without Mind by Franklin Foer
47. The Deep Blue Goodbye by John D. MacDonald
48. Trouble in Paradise by Kathy Marks
3susanj67
A couple of years ago I started a new NF challenge, which is to read the non-fiction winners of the Pulitzer prize. I stole this idea from Reba, who was doing a fiction challenge (and has now finished it. Hi Reba!) This is a long-term project, rather than something to be completed in a year or two. If I can't find the relevant non-fiction winner easily in the UK, I propose to substitute the winner of the history category.
Last year I didn't make great progess, so I'd like to read at least five this year.
Here's the full list:
2018 Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America by James Forman
2014 Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation by Dan Fagin
2010 The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and Its Dangerous Legacy by David E. Hoffman
2009 Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II by Douglas A Blackmon
2008 The Years of Extermination: Nazi Germany and the Jews, 1939-1945 by Saul Friedländer
2006 Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya by Caroline Elkins
2005 Ghost Wars by Steve Coll
2004 Gulag: A History by Anne Applebaum
2003 A Problem From Hell: America and the Age of Genocide by Samantha Power
2002 Carry Me Home: Birmingham, Alabama, the Climactic Battle of the Civil Rights Revolution by Diane McWhorter
2001 Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan by Herbert P Bix
2000 Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II by John W. Dower
1999 Annals of the Former World by John McPhee
1996 The Haunted Land: Facing Europe's Ghosts After Communism by Tina Rosenberg
1995 The Beak Of The Finch: A Story Of Evolution In Our Time by Jonathan Weiner
1994 Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days Of The Soviet Empire by David Remnick
1993 Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America by Garry Wills
1992 The Prize: The Epic Quest For Oil, Money & Power by Daniel Yergin
1991 The Ants by Bert Holldobler and Edward O Wilson
1990 And Their Children After Them by Dale Maharidge and Michael Williamson
1989 A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam by Neil Sheehan
1987 Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land by David K Shipler
1986 Move Your Shadow: South Africa, Black and White by Joseph Lelyveld
1985 The Good War: An Oral History of World War Two by Studs Terkel
1984 The Social Transformation Of American Medicine by Paul Starr
1983 Is There No Place On Earth For Me? by Susan Sheehan
1981 Fin-De Siecle Vienna: Politics And Culture by Carl E Schorske
1980 Godel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R Hofstadter
1979 On Human Nature by Edward O Wilson
1978 The Dragons of Eden by Carl Sagan
1976 Why Survive? Being Old In America by Robert N Butler
1974 The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker
1973 Fire in the Lake: The Vietnamese and the Americans in Vietnam by Frances Fitzgerald
1973 Children of Crisis, Vols. II and III by Robert Coles
1972 Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911-1945 by Barbara W Tuchman
1971 The Rising Sun by John Toland
1970 Gandhi's Truth by Erik H Erikson
1969 The Armies Of The Night by Norman Mailer
1969 So Human An Animal by Rene Jules Dubos
1968 Rousseau And Revolution, The Tenth And Concluding Volume Of The Story Of Civilization by Will and Ariel Durant
1967 The Problem of Slavery in Western Culture by David Brion Davis
1966 Wandering Through Winter by Edwin Way Teale
1965 O Strange New World by Howard Mumford Jones
1964 Anti-Intellectualism in American Life by Richard Hofstadter
1963 The Guns of August by Barbara W Tuchman
4susanj67
Last year I did the Better World Books reading challenge, which was mostly fun. This year I'm doing the Popsugar challenge https://www.popsugar.co.uk/smart-living/Reading-Challenge-2018-44211686 and I've started sketching out my choices for each category. As I read them, I'll add the covers here.
15. A book about feminism - The Women's Room - COMPLETED
5. Nordic noir – Snow Blind - COMPLETED
32. A book from a celebrity book club - Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan - COMPLETED
2. True crime - The Spy Who Couldn't Spell by Yudhijit Bhattacharjee - COMPLETED
30. A book with characters who are twins - Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi - COMPLETED
34. A book that's published in 2018 - The Confession by Jo Spain - COMPLETED
16. A book about mental health - Cure: A Journey Into the Science of Mind Over Body by Jo Marchant - COMPLETED
8. A microhistory – Pandemic 1918 by Catharine Arnold - COMPLETED
27. A book set on a different planet – Artemis by Andy Weir - COMPLETED
35. A past Goodreads Choice Award winner - Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil de Grasse Tyson - COMPLETED
14. A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you – Black Edge: Inside Information, Dirty Money, and the Quest to Bring Down the Most Wanted Man on Wall Street by Sheelah Kolhatkar - COMPLETED
20. A book by a local author - The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar - COMPLETED
9. A book about a problem facing society today - The Case Against Sugar by Gary Taube - COMPLETED
22. A book with alliteration in the title - The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers - COMPLETED
38. A book with an ugly cover – The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner by Daniel Ellsberg - COMPLETED
8. A book with a time of day in the title – The Midnight Line by Lee Child - COMPLETED
3. The next book in a series you started - The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths - COMPLETED
40. Your favorite prompt from the 2015, 2016, or 2017 POPSUGAR Reading Challenges – A book that's been on Mount TBR too long – Common Ground - COMPLETED
26. A book with an animal in the title – Flat Broke With Two Goats by Jennifer McGaha - COMPLETED
9. A book about a villain or antihero – Paradise in Chains: The Bounty Mutiny and the Founding of Australia by Diana Preston - COMPLETED
12. A book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist - Exceeding My Brief: Memoirs of a Disobedient Civil Servant by Barbara Hosking - COMPLETED
18. A book by two authors – Reliquary by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child - COMPLETED
39. A book that involves a bookstore or library - World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech by Franklin Foer - COMPLETED
36. A book set in the decade you were born – The Deep Blue Goodbye by John D. MacDonald - COMPLETED
Still to read
1. A book made into a movie you've already seen - The Circle by Dave Eggers
4. A book involving a heist
6. A novel based on a real person – Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates
7. A book set in a country that fascinates you – The Greenlanders
10. A book about death or grief – Stiff
11. A book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym - The Mill on the Floss
13. A book that is also a stage play or musical – Alexander Hamilton
17. A book you borrowed or that was given to you as a gift – The Buccaneers
19. A book about or involving a sport – Defending Hearts
21. A book with your favorite color in the title – The Colour Purple
23. A book about time travel – 22/11/63
24. A book with a weather element in the title – The Snow Child
25. A book set at sea
28. A book with song lyrics in the title – Amazing Grace: The Great Days of Dukes
29. A book about or set on Halloween -
31. A book mentioned in another book –
33. A childhood classic you've never read – Anne of Green Gables
37. A book you meant to read in 2017 but didn't get to – The Romanovs
Advanced Reading Challenge
1. A bestseller from the year you graduated high school –Texas (James Michener)
2. A cyberpunk book - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
3. A book that was being read by a stranger in a public place
4. A book tied to your ancestry
5. A book with a fruit or vegetable in the title
6. An allegory –
7. A book by an author with the same first or last name as you - something by Susan Mallery
10. A book recommended by someone else taking the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge - Slow Horses
15. A book about feminism - The Women's Room - COMPLETED
5. Nordic noir – Snow Blind - COMPLETED
32. A book from a celebrity book club - Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan - COMPLETED
2. True crime - The Spy Who Couldn't Spell by Yudhijit Bhattacharjee - COMPLETED
30. A book with characters who are twins - Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi - COMPLETED
34. A book that's published in 2018 - The Confession by Jo Spain - COMPLETED
16. A book about mental health - Cure: A Journey Into the Science of Mind Over Body by Jo Marchant - COMPLETED
8. A microhistory – Pandemic 1918 by Catharine Arnold - COMPLETED
27. A book set on a different planet – Artemis by Andy Weir - COMPLETED
35. A past Goodreads Choice Award winner - Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil de Grasse Tyson - COMPLETED
14. A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you – Black Edge: Inside Information, Dirty Money, and the Quest to Bring Down the Most Wanted Man on Wall Street by Sheelah Kolhatkar - COMPLETED
20. A book by a local author - The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar - COMPLETED
9. A book about a problem facing society today - The Case Against Sugar by Gary Taube - COMPLETED
22. A book with alliteration in the title - The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers - COMPLETED
38. A book with an ugly cover – The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner by Daniel Ellsberg - COMPLETED
8. A book with a time of day in the title – The Midnight Line by Lee Child - COMPLETED
3. The next book in a series you started - The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths - COMPLETED
40. Your favorite prompt from the 2015, 2016, or 2017 POPSUGAR Reading Challenges – A book that's been on Mount TBR too long – Common Ground - COMPLETED
26. A book with an animal in the title – Flat Broke With Two Goats by Jennifer McGaha - COMPLETED
9. A book about a villain or antihero – Paradise in Chains: The Bounty Mutiny and the Founding of Australia by Diana Preston - COMPLETED
12. A book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist - Exceeding My Brief: Memoirs of a Disobedient Civil Servant by Barbara Hosking - COMPLETED
18. A book by two authors – Reliquary by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child - COMPLETED
39. A book that involves a bookstore or library - World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech by Franklin Foer - COMPLETED
36. A book set in the decade you were born – The Deep Blue Goodbye by John D. MacDonald - COMPLETED
Still to read
1. A book made into a movie you've already seen - The Circle by Dave Eggers
4. A book involving a heist
6. A novel based on a real person – Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates
7. A book set in a country that fascinates you – The Greenlanders
10. A book about death or grief – Stiff
11. A book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym - The Mill on the Floss
13. A book that is also a stage play or musical – Alexander Hamilton
17. A book you borrowed or that was given to you as a gift – The Buccaneers
19. A book about or involving a sport – Defending Hearts
21. A book with your favorite color in the title – The Colour Purple
23. A book about time travel – 22/11/63
24. A book with a weather element in the title – The Snow Child
25. A book set at sea
28. A book with song lyrics in the title – Amazing Grace: The Great Days of Dukes
29. A book about or set on Halloween -
31. A book mentioned in another book –
33. A childhood classic you've never read – Anne of Green Gables
37. A book you meant to read in 2017 but didn't get to – The Romanovs
Advanced Reading Challenge
1. A bestseller from the year you graduated high school –Texas (James Michener)
2. A cyberpunk book - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
3. A book that was being read by a stranger in a public place
4. A book tied to your ancestry
5. A book with a fruit or vegetable in the title
6. An allegory –
7. A book by an author with the same first or last name as you - something by Susan Mallery
10. A book recommended by someone else taking the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge - Slow Horses
5susanj67
I have a few series on the go, so in this post I'm going to list them so that I don't forget where I'm up to. Reading in order is important to me :-)
Series I have started and still have squillions to go *happy sigh*
I'm going to list these in date order, because why not.
Steven Saylor's Gordianus the Finder (about 100 BC)
Roman Blood
Ruth Downie's Medicus (Britannia, 108)
Medicus
Terra Incognita
Priscilla Royal's Eleanor, Prioress of Tyndal (East Anglia, 11th century)
Wine of Violence
Ellis Peters' Cadfael (Shropshire, 1135 - 1145)
A Morbid Taste for Bones
One Corpse Too Many
Bernard Knight's Crowner John (Devon, 1190s)
The Sanctuary Seeker
The Poisoned Chalice
Michael Pearce's Mamur Zapt (Egypt, 1908)
The Mamur Zapt and the Return of the Carpet
Mal Sjowall's Martin Beck
Roseanna
Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's Agent Pendergast
Relic
Reliquary
Stuart MacBride's Logan McRae
Cold Granite
Dying Light
Broken Skin
Flesh House
Blind Eye
Dark Blood
Series I'm caught up with and waiting for the next one *tapping foot*
Lee Child's Jack Reacher, obvs
C J Box's Joe Pickett
Elly Griffiths' Dr Ruth Galloway
Vaseem Khan's Baby Ganesh Agency
Abir Mukherjee's Sam Wyndham
Series I have started and still have squillions to go *happy sigh*
I'm going to list these in date order, because why not.
Steven Saylor's Gordianus the Finder (about 100 BC)
Roman Blood
Ruth Downie's Medicus (Britannia, 108)
Medicus
Terra Incognita
Priscilla Royal's Eleanor, Prioress of Tyndal (East Anglia, 11th century)
Wine of Violence
Ellis Peters' Cadfael (Shropshire, 1135 - 1145)
A Morbid Taste for Bones
One Corpse Too Many
Bernard Knight's Crowner John (Devon, 1190s)
The Sanctuary Seeker
The Poisoned Chalice
Michael Pearce's Mamur Zapt (Egypt, 1908)
The Mamur Zapt and the Return of the Carpet
Mal Sjowall's Martin Beck
Roseanna
Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's Agent Pendergast
Relic
Reliquary
Stuart MacBride's Logan McRae
Cold Granite
Dying Light
Broken Skin
Flesh House
Blind Eye
Dark Blood
Series I'm caught up with and waiting for the next one *tapping foot*
Lee Child's Jack Reacher, obvs
C J Box's Joe Pickett
Elly Griffiths' Dr Ruth Galloway
Vaseem Khan's Baby Ganesh Agency
Abir Mukherjee's Sam Wyndham
7Crazymamie
>6 susanj67: LOVE this!
Happy new thread, Susan! We are practically twins - I also started a new thread today.
Happy new thread, Susan! We are practically twins - I also started a new thread today.
8susanj67
>7 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! You are first!
The card made me giggle after a meeting this morning in which a pal and I were emailing one another. It's important not to give away the fact that you are emailing someone in the same meeting, particularly when the emails are all "OMG will this never end".
The card made me giggle after a meeting this morning in which a pal and I were emailing one another. It's important not to give away the fact that you are emailing someone in the same meeting, particularly when the emails are all "OMG will this never end".
9BekkaJo
>6 susanj67: Always gets me in trouble too - mostly in meetings when I can't control the 'I seriously do not believe what you are saying' frown.
Happy new thread.
Happy new thread.
10FAMeulstee
Happy new thread, Susan, it looks like it is a good day to start a thread. Maybe because six hours ago spring started?
11Fourpawz2
It's been Spring for a half hour here and it is a lovely 39 degrees. Tomorrow we get snow and freezing rain. And I get to walk a dog! yay.
13Ameise1
Happy new thread, Susan. You did some great reading recently. I've put Helen Dunmore's book on my library list.
14RebaRelishesReading
>6 susanj67: Man can I relate to that. When I was working I had to attend City Council meetings and my seat had me facing both the Council and the audience. My best friend was City Clerk and she helped me remember that my face was more expressive than was a good idea. When things got to me I started paying close attention to my notes and trying to stay as face-neutral as I could....one of the hardest parts of my job lol
16BLBera
>6 susanj67: Love it, Susan. Happy new thread.
17Helenliz
>6 susanj67: *snort* I can relate to that! Apparently I have a fine line in "looks" and they leave you in no doubt that I think that's an idiotic idea. >;-)
Happy new thread.
Happy new thread.
18LovingLit
>14 RebaRelishesReading: helped me remember
lol
Like, by saying "dude! You are hating on them with your eyes!"?
Great meme in >6 susanj67:, it is hard to contain an epic eyeroll sometimes.
lol
Like, by saying "dude! You are hating on them with your eyes!"?
Great meme in >6 susanj67:, it is hard to contain an epic eyeroll sometimes.
19RebaRelishesReading
>18 LovingLit: she was too far away to say anything but she would give me a look, or remind me during a break or after the meeting. I think I got fairly good at it over the years but it was never easy.
21PaulCranswick
Happy new thread, Susan.
>5 susanj67: Glad to see a mention of the Logan McRae series - don't know why it doesn't get more plaudits.
>5 susanj67: Glad to see a mention of the Logan McRae series - don't know why it doesn't get more plaudits.
22susanj67
>9 BekkaJo: Bekka, I know what you mean!
>10 FAMeulstee: Anita, I was amazed that it was spring yesterday! It didn't feel like it.
>11 Fourpawz2: Charlotte, I hope your forecast is wrong and you don't have to dog-walk in the snow. What sort of dog is it?
>12 drneutron: Thanks Jim :-)
>13 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara! This year is going pretty well on the reading front, at least so far.
>14 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, yes, it's hard sometimes. I was so cross during a recent telephone conference (with one of the people in the room at our end) that all I could do was takes masses of notes so I had something else to focus on. But then when someone else asked for a note of the call, they got a really decent note :-)
>15 charl08: Thanks Charlotte :-)
>16 BLBera: Thanks Beth :-)
>17 Helenliz: Helen, I try not to roll out the Kill Me Now look too often, but it's a challenge.
>18 LovingLit: Megan, so true!
>19 RebaRelishesReading: Practice makes perfect, Reba!
>20 katiekrug: Thanks Katie!
>21 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul. I still have some of the series left to go, but don't want to finish them and then have none left.
The past couple of evenings I've been watching Wild, Wild Country on Netflix, which is a six-part documentary about the Rajneeshi cult (sect, community?) which set up in Oregon in the early 1980s. Fascinating, not least because of all the old news footage and the hairstyles and clothes of the presenters. I can sort of see why books about the 80s are sliding into the "historical" section. I'm in denial about it, but I can see why. Anyway, it's well worth a look.
>10 FAMeulstee: Anita, I was amazed that it was spring yesterday! It didn't feel like it.
>11 Fourpawz2: Charlotte, I hope your forecast is wrong and you don't have to dog-walk in the snow. What sort of dog is it?
>12 drneutron: Thanks Jim :-)
>13 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara! This year is going pretty well on the reading front, at least so far.
>14 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, yes, it's hard sometimes. I was so cross during a recent telephone conference (with one of the people in the room at our end) that all I could do was takes masses of notes so I had something else to focus on. But then when someone else asked for a note of the call, they got a really decent note :-)
>15 charl08: Thanks Charlotte :-)
>16 BLBera: Thanks Beth :-)
>17 Helenliz: Helen, I try not to roll out the Kill Me Now look too often, but it's a challenge.
>18 LovingLit: Megan, so true!
>19 RebaRelishesReading: Practice makes perfect, Reba!
>20 katiekrug: Thanks Katie!
>21 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul. I still have some of the series left to go, but don't want to finish them and then have none left.
The past couple of evenings I've been watching Wild, Wild Country on Netflix, which is a six-part documentary about the Rajneeshi cult (sect, community?) which set up in Oregon in the early 1980s. Fascinating, not least because of all the old news footage and the hairstyles and clothes of the presenters. I can sort of see why books about the 80s are sliding into the "historical" section. I'm in denial about it, but I can see why. Anyway, it's well worth a look.
23susanj67
Well, Part 1 of Nose Day has gone well. I had to be at the hospital for 8am, but being me I was there at 7.30, and at 7.35 the doctor came down to the main reception and took the two of us waiting for him upstairs. I went in first, and he was done by 7.55. With the Mohs procedure, they measure the carcinoma and then remove it and a margin of tissue. The pathology lab examines it to see if the margins are clear (which takes about 45 minutes, spent in the waiting room well-bandaged, reading Hangover Square), and, if not, the doctor takes out a bit more, and repeats that until it's all gone. But mine was all clear after the first time, so YAY! (The nurse said that with some people they have to do it four times). So actually it was all over by 7.55, as it turned out. The nurse changed my bandages and then I could go.
I would have been home by 10am if I'd got the first train, but it was still rush hour and the District Line trains were packed. (They were the same at 6.45, when I left home. Where are all the people going?!). So I waited for a Circle Line, which had plenty of seats, got out at Tower Hill, walked through the marina and had a coffee and a pastry at Pret, and then got the bus the rest of the way. That was mostly just laziness rather than an actual medical need.
The doctor said that the reconstruction later today will be under a local anaesthetic, and he was sending a picture to the surgeon, so that is good to know. I have to be at the next hospital at 5.30, but in the meantime it seems I have a day to Netflix and potter. Excellent :-) The anaesthetic (three injections - the worst part by far) is wearing off, but I'm going to try not to start popping pills. I think I will need them more after the next bit.
I would have been home by 10am if I'd got the first train, but it was still rush hour and the District Line trains were packed. (They were the same at 6.45, when I left home. Where are all the people going?!). So I waited for a Circle Line, which had plenty of seats, got out at Tower Hill, walked through the marina and had a coffee and a pastry at Pret, and then got the bus the rest of the way. That was mostly just laziness rather than an actual medical need.
The doctor said that the reconstruction later today will be under a local anaesthetic, and he was sending a picture to the surgeon, so that is good to know. I have to be at the next hospital at 5.30, but in the meantime it seems I have a day to Netflix and potter. Excellent :-) The anaesthetic (three injections - the worst part by far) is wearing off, but I'm going to try not to start popping pills. I think I will need them more after the next bit.
24katiekrug
I'm glad the first part went so well, Susan! May it continue... In the meantime, enjoy your day of Netflixing and pottering!
25Crazymamie
I am so happy that everything has gone smoothly for you today, Susan. I love that you stopped for coffee and a pastry on the way home. Keeping you in my thoughts and sending you positive mojo for the rest to go just as well. Be careful with the pain management - it is easier to keep the pain at bay than it is to get rid of it once it has arrived in full force.
26BekkaJo
Sounds like it all went as smoothly as humanly possible. Fingers crossed part two all goes well. Take care of yourself.
27RebaRelishesReading
So glad the actual procedure is going better than the paper work!! It's almost 9:00 a.m. here so I think you're probably on your way to part 2 so I'm sending you good thoughts that it goes well too.
28susanj67
>24 katiekrug: Thanks Katie! In the end it turned into a two-part nap - darned recliner :-)
>25 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie :-) I had a two-hour nap and the pain seemed a lot better, perhaps because I wasn't moving my face. So I had another one, just to be on the safe side...
>26 BekkaJo: Thanks Bekka :-)
>27 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba - I'm heading off again in a little while. It's currently 4pm here and the hospital is only 20 minutes away.
The most stressful part of this morning was actually when I got to the station at 6.40 and the ticket gates weren't working, so I couldn't touch in with my Oyster card (all the gates were wide open). "What do I do when I get where I'm going?" I asked the uninterested man behind the glass. "Tell them the gates weren't working and hopefully they'll let you out," he said. Hopefully.
So I spent the whole trip across London fearing ticket inspectors. And when I got to Sloane Square, the customer service lady was telling off someone else who hadn't touched in at the start of her journey (although it seemed that she didn't have a ticket of any kind). But she was really nice to me, and said the same thing had happened at my station yesterday. She got me to touch out (which is an automatic £8 charge if you haven't touched in) and then fixed it on the ticket machine with a magic passcode. And I didn't get ticketed for fare-dodging. I had no intention of not paying, but, as the train rattled along, I started to wonder whether perhaps it was a strict liability offence and intention didn't matter. Not really what I needed...
>25 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie :-) I had a two-hour nap and the pain seemed a lot better, perhaps because I wasn't moving my face. So I had another one, just to be on the safe side...
>26 BekkaJo: Thanks Bekka :-)
>27 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba - I'm heading off again in a little while. It's currently 4pm here and the hospital is only 20 minutes away.
The most stressful part of this morning was actually when I got to the station at 6.40 and the ticket gates weren't working, so I couldn't touch in with my Oyster card (all the gates were wide open). "What do I do when I get where I'm going?" I asked the uninterested man behind the glass. "Tell them the gates weren't working and hopefully they'll let you out," he said. Hopefully.
So I spent the whole trip across London fearing ticket inspectors. And when I got to Sloane Square, the customer service lady was telling off someone else who hadn't touched in at the start of her journey (although it seemed that she didn't have a ticket of any kind). But she was really nice to me, and said the same thing had happened at my station yesterday. She got me to touch out (which is an automatic £8 charge if you haven't touched in) and then fixed it on the ticket machine with a magic passcode. And I didn't get ticketed for fare-dodging. I had no intention of not paying, but, as the train rattled along, I started to wonder whether perhaps it was a strict liability offence and intention didn't matter. Not really what I needed...
29susanj67
Now at the hospital where I have a name band on both wrists, and both my socks say L. If it's a brand logo, I'm not sure the sock people got their branding quite right. It's not the size...I have a BairHugger gown which has some inbuilt heating thing - terrifying. I don't want to move too much in case I set it off and grill myself. Cute room, though.
30Crazymamie
Please don't grill yourself, Susan! Your post made me smile. I remember the waiting before having my gallbladder out - take a deep breath and know that we are all thinking about you and sending positive vibes your way. Two armbands, huh - fancy!
31katiekrug
The grilling remark reminds me of the episode of The Office (US version), where Michael grills his foot on a George Foreman grill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkN6OV-ueTQ
32susanj67
But why two, I wondered. Surely both my arms will remain attached...The nurse came in with DVT tights. I thought they were overkill but put them on. Then the surgeon arrived, and said the nurses seemed to think I was having a general, hence all the fancy stuff. Heh.
34Helenliz
Just catching up, glad phase 1 went well and a day loafing sounds ideal. Good luck with phase 2.
35BekkaJo
>28 susanj67: Love it - the problems with being law entrenched! My friend and I have similar discussions :)
Phase two is go! Good book is the only way imo - I get v nervous before general and I have to read or I go doolally. Hope all is well.
Phase two is go! Good book is the only way imo - I get v nervous before general and I have to read or I go doolally. Hope all is well.
38susanj67
All fine and now at home. Will respond properly tomorrow but thanks everyone for stopping by ;-)
39RebaRelishesReading
I hope you're sleeping soundly now and that you'll wake up in the morning feeling fine and with no pain.
40Crazymamie
Thanks for letting us know, Susan. Keeping you in my thoughts.
41Helenliz
>38 susanj67: excellent news. Look after yourself and recover well.
42LovingLit
>28 susanj67: train dramas, not want you need!
>20 katiekrug: :) I reckon you must have two left feet! Glad it went well, and that you are home, safe and sound.
>20 katiekrug: :) I reckon you must have two left feet! Glad it went well, and that you are home, safe and sound.
44susanj67
>34 Helenliz: Thanks Helen - a day loafing is always lovely, almost regardless of the circumstances!
>35 BekkaJo: Thanks Bekka. I got lots of my book read, so that was a little yay. I should have a review later.
>36 charl08: Charlotte, here you go :-) https://www.bairhugger.com/3M/en_US/bair-hugger-us/ I see now that that patch thing is actually an inlet for the hose of a warming machine, controlled with a remote control. Clever! I didn't have any of that - they just put an extra blanket on top of me.
>37 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara :-)
>39 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba - I did have a decent sleep (again, in two parts) and now I'm up and about.
>40 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie :-)
>41 Helenliz: Thanks Helen :-)
>42 LovingLit: Thanks Megan - I could have done without the train drama but at least it ended OK. I'm hyper-conscious of dishonesty offences as they are the end for lawyers. We'd get in less trouble for thumping someone (although they don't encourage that :-) )
>43 charl08: Charlotte, I did! Half the time in my recliner, and then I stacked up all my pillows in bed and lay on my right side. I have to avoid lying on my left side, and bending down and forward, so I plan a day of pretty much looking straight ahead :-) Maybe in the direction of the TV, or a book propped on a cushion, which fortunately is how I read anyway.
The weirdest thing about the surgery part was the uncontrollable shaking of my legs once the local went in. They said it was the adrenalin in the anaesthetic, but I didn't have the same reaction in the morning. It took about half an hour to subside. I think I could have run home in about ten minutes. But it was fine in the end, and the top part of me wasn't shaking (fortunately). I had a short spell in the recovery room, although my ?nurse/recovery person didn't have much to do. There was a lady in the next bed who seemed to have had something quite major because her recovery person was explaining fentanyl pain pumps to her. She was talking a LOT, in that strange just-had-a-general way, although I couldn't hear exactly what she was saying. But he was really struggling to keep up a polite conversation when the other side of it evidently made no sense, and that was funny :-)
>35 BekkaJo: Thanks Bekka. I got lots of my book read, so that was a little yay. I should have a review later.
>36 charl08: Charlotte, here you go :-) https://www.bairhugger.com/3M/en_US/bair-hugger-us/ I see now that that patch thing is actually an inlet for the hose of a warming machine, controlled with a remote control. Clever! I didn't have any of that - they just put an extra blanket on top of me.
>37 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara :-)
>39 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba - I did have a decent sleep (again, in two parts) and now I'm up and about.
>40 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie :-)
>41 Helenliz: Thanks Helen :-)
>42 LovingLit: Thanks Megan - I could have done without the train drama but at least it ended OK. I'm hyper-conscious of dishonesty offences as they are the end for lawyers. We'd get in less trouble for thumping someone (although they don't encourage that :-) )
>43 charl08: Charlotte, I did! Half the time in my recliner, and then I stacked up all my pillows in bed and lay on my right side. I have to avoid lying on my left side, and bending down and forward, so I plan a day of pretty much looking straight ahead :-) Maybe in the direction of the TV, or a book propped on a cushion, which fortunately is how I read anyway.
The weirdest thing about the surgery part was the uncontrollable shaking of my legs once the local went in. They said it was the adrenalin in the anaesthetic, but I didn't have the same reaction in the morning. It took about half an hour to subside. I think I could have run home in about ten minutes. But it was fine in the end, and the top part of me wasn't shaking (fortunately). I had a short spell in the recovery room, although my ?nurse/recovery person didn't have much to do. There was a lady in the next bed who seemed to have had something quite major because her recovery person was explaining fentanyl pain pumps to her. She was talking a LOT, in that strange just-had-a-general way, although I couldn't hear exactly what she was saying. But he was really struggling to keep up a polite conversation when the other side of it evidently made no sense, and that was funny :-)
45Helenliz
Good to hear you are OK. If you're not supposed to be bending down, you need to pretend to be very posh and keep your nose in the air! Have a nice relaxing day.
47susanj67
>45 Helenliz: Helen, I've been doing my best. I did have to work for a bit, but eventually I logged off and took a long nap :-)
>46 charl08: Charlotte, I have read, and now I plan to move on to the TV.
34. Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton
The best description of this is from the back cover:
"London, 1939, and in the grimy publands of Earl's Court, George Harvey Bone is pursuing a helpless infatuation. Netta is cool, contemptuous and hopelessly desirable to George. George is adrift in a drunken hell, except in his 'dead' moments, when something goes click in his head and he realises, without a doubt, that he must kill her."
The cover goes on to describe it as "darkly comic", and that is true, but it's more on the dark side than the comic side. It's an excellent read, though, and kept me great company yesterday as I was roaming around.
>46 charl08: Charlotte, I have read, and now I plan to move on to the TV.
34. Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton
The best description of this is from the back cover:
"London, 1939, and in the grimy publands of Earl's Court, George Harvey Bone is pursuing a helpless infatuation. Netta is cool, contemptuous and hopelessly desirable to George. George is adrift in a drunken hell, except in his 'dead' moments, when something goes click in his head and he realises, without a doubt, that he must kill her."
The cover goes on to describe it as "darkly comic", and that is true, but it's more on the dark side than the comic side. It's an excellent read, though, and kept me great company yesterday as I was roaming around.
48Fourpawz2
Sounds as if you are doing well, Susan - very glad to hear that. Think I should add Hangover Square to the you-list.
The dog in question is a corgi and he is a stubborn little bugger. His name is Monty - after the Field Marshal. His 'father', who is British, had the naming of him. We did not go for a walk on Wednesday because his 'mom' had early release because of the storm, which turned out, in the end, to be nothing much at all. Very glad it was mostly a bust. I have had more than enough of snow and Weather Channel/TV weather forecaster hysteria. And, for me, it has been dreadfully expensive - much more money spent, one way and another, than I like to think about. But, I think that I may put a stop to all the bad weather by buying a new pair of snow boots. They will be delivered on Monday, so that should pretty much take care of the snow here on the south coast.
The dog in question is a corgi and he is a stubborn little bugger. His name is Monty - after the Field Marshal. His 'father', who is British, had the naming of him. We did not go for a walk on Wednesday because his 'mom' had early release because of the storm, which turned out, in the end, to be nothing much at all. Very glad it was mostly a bust. I have had more than enough of snow and Weather Channel/TV weather forecaster hysteria. And, for me, it has been dreadfully expensive - much more money spent, one way and another, than I like to think about. But, I think that I may put a stop to all the bad weather by buying a new pair of snow boots. They will be delivered on Monday, so that should pretty much take care of the snow here on the south coast.
49ChelleBearss
Glad to hear that everything went well! I had some shaking like that during my first c-section. Weird feeling, eh!
Hope you get some down time this weekend to just relax
Hope you get some down time this weekend to just relax
50RebaRelishesReading
Glad things are going well :) Keep your head up (literally) :)
51Dra_Gone
My aim is 20 books this year. I'm a slow reader:) I don't have any specific books in order that I want to read, but I do want to read "Goodbye Days" and finish the "Demonata" series.
52Familyhistorian
It sounds like you were a model patient, Susan, showing up early, done on the first try and then back for more on time in the evening. Hope you have no trouble keeping your head up and are back to normal in no time.
53charl08
>47 susanj67: Sounds good and dark Susan. I see from my (infallible, cough) tag system you recommended The Confession, which was gripping stuff. Thank you!
54susanj67
>48 Fourpawz2: Charlotte, Monty sounds like quite a challenge :-) Sorry to hear the weather is being such a bore, but it sounds like you have done exactly the right thing with the snow boots. It is bound to be hot and sunny as soon as those arrive, in much the same way that hair never looks as good as it does just after you've made a hairdresser's appointment.
>49 ChelleBearss: Thanks Chelle. Yes, the shaking was very strange! I thought something had gone wrong, but the theatre team treated it as entirely normal. I suppose there must be different types of anaesthetic because it didn't happen in the morning, or for the biopsy. Or maybe it was a different amount the second time.
>50 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba! Goodness, there are lots of things we just bend our heads for without even thinking. I am being very strict, and bending my legs instead, so they now ache :-)
>52 Familyhistorian: Meg, I am always early for everything, which usually means waiting around, but it definitely paid off in the morning. The permission slip I signed for the surgery said that Young People might be watching for training purposes, and there were a couple of them in the theatre, so I tried to be a good patient and not a big baby. The anaesthetic nurse said afterwards that I had been very brave :-))
>53 charl08: Charlotte, great news about the Jo Spain! Glad you enjoyed it.
I did discover why I had an ID bracelet on each wrist. Literally every time I encountered someone new, from nurses, to porters to the theatre staff, they asked me to confirm my name, DOB and consultant and some of them asked me to confirm what I was having done. The anaesthetic nurse opened up my folder and showed me the page I had signed, and asked me to confirm that it was my signature. When I was wheeled into the theatre, two of them took a wrist each and confirmed it all over again. I suppose it *would* be annoying to go in for a procedure on my nose and come out with a liver transplant.
I'm going to try and finish a book of some type today, although the day is off to a late start as I slept in for ages. And I got back in to Orange is the New Black yesterday, and it's very binge-worthy.
>49 ChelleBearss: Thanks Chelle. Yes, the shaking was very strange! I thought something had gone wrong, but the theatre team treated it as entirely normal. I suppose there must be different types of anaesthetic because it didn't happen in the morning, or for the biopsy. Or maybe it was a different amount the second time.
>50 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba! Goodness, there are lots of things we just bend our heads for without even thinking. I am being very strict, and bending my legs instead, so they now ache :-)
>52 Familyhistorian: Meg, I am always early for everything, which usually means waiting around, but it definitely paid off in the morning. The permission slip I signed for the surgery said that Young People might be watching for training purposes, and there were a couple of them in the theatre, so I tried to be a good patient and not a big baby. The anaesthetic nurse said afterwards that I had been very brave :-))
>53 charl08: Charlotte, great news about the Jo Spain! Glad you enjoyed it.
I did discover why I had an ID bracelet on each wrist. Literally every time I encountered someone new, from nurses, to porters to the theatre staff, they asked me to confirm my name, DOB and consultant and some of them asked me to confirm what I was having done. The anaesthetic nurse opened up my folder and showed me the page I had signed, and asked me to confirm that it was my signature. When I was wheeled into the theatre, two of them took a wrist each and confirmed it all over again. I suppose it *would* be annoying to go in for a procedure on my nose and come out with a liver transplant.
I'm going to try and finish a book of some type today, although the day is off to a late start as I slept in for ages. And I got back in to Orange is the New Black yesterday, and it's very binge-worthy.
55Berly
>54 susanj67: Glad the ID bracelet system worked and that your nose was fixed and you liver is intact! Weird about the shaking leg syndrome. Good thing that didn't last. ; ) Take care of yourself.
56BLBera
Glad all the surgery went well, Susan. Speedy recovery.
Hangover Square sounds good. Great comments.
Take it easy.
Hangover Square sounds good. Great comments.
Take it easy.
58RebaRelishesReading
>54 susanj67: Some years ago I had my shoulder replaced. The surgeon came in to see me before they put me under and we talked again about what was to be done and to which shoulder and then he signed his name in black pen to the shoulder that was to be replaced. More recently with cataract surgery I noticed they verified my name, date of birth and what was going to happen about every minute and a half. With Hubby's eyes they wrote "1" above the one to be done first and "2" above the second one, also in black pen and the surgeon put his initials next to each eye. But, like you said, I'm ever so glad they make very sure they're doing the right surgery to the right body part :)
59rosalita
Susan, I picked the wrong time to lose track of your thread but I'm so relieved to hear that all went well with your surgeries and you are safely on the mend. Be kind to yourself and don't make yourself feel bad for not being able to do something you normally would do.
60charl08
Hope you're feeling on the mend Susan and that you're taking it easy! I avoided the bookshop yesterday but such temptations!
61BekkaJo
>54 susanj67: It is one of those things that is annoying... till you think it through and think, actually, yes... I do want the right op! Why they needed to check my daughters wrist band in the middle of the night was beyond me though!
Hope you are still feeling okay and not too sore.
Hope you are still feeling okay and not too sore.
62susanj67
>55 Berly: Thanks Kim :-)
>56 BLBera: Beth, I am certainly taking it easy :-) Before the surgery, the surgeon ran through all the things I shouldn't do. "Don't exercise," he said. "Don't worry," I replied. I don't know how someone like Super-Fit Friend would get on staying still for days on end. But I'm like the perfect patient for that :-)
>57 SandDune: Thanks Rhian.
>58 RebaRelishesReading: I noticed they verified my name, date of birth and what was going to happen about every minute and a half. Reba, yes! Evidently this is a world-wide system :-) My surgeon had to mark where he was operating, except it was covered in bandages so he put a purple cross just above it.
>59 rosalita: Thanks Julia :-) I'm going to venture out to the supermarket this afternoon, which is a ten-minute walk, but I'm getting the bus.
>60 charl08: Thanks Charlotte! I enjoyed following your weekend on your thread. It sounded like a lot of fun.
>61 BekkaJo: Bekka, maybe they needed to check that she was still in the same place in the ward and hadn't been moved if they were doing obs? It did seem like overkill for my case, but I can see that it would be vital if there were lots of patients having surgery on the same day, and room for confusion. And if they're doing it for some people, they have to do it for everyone.
I'm feeling good today. Actually the surgery sites have been fine - I've had a neck-related headache for the last couple of days but that has all but gone, so I'm feeling much better. I was getting ready to go to the supermarket but had to call someone about work, and that turned into a bit of a gossip, so then I ran into lunch time and I'm not getting caught up in that. I'll go a bit later, and maybe pop into Pret for afternoon tea. Ooh.
Yesterday I mostly watched TV, but I've picked up The Clocks in This House All Tell Different Times, which is disturbing but very well-written. I'm about half-way through it. And still reading Man of Iron. And then last night I downloaded the sixth Logan McRae novel, just because, and started that.
>56 BLBera: Beth, I am certainly taking it easy :-) Before the surgery, the surgeon ran through all the things I shouldn't do. "Don't exercise," he said. "Don't worry," I replied. I don't know how someone like Super-Fit Friend would get on staying still for days on end. But I'm like the perfect patient for that :-)
>57 SandDune: Thanks Rhian.
>58 RebaRelishesReading: I noticed they verified my name, date of birth and what was going to happen about every minute and a half. Reba, yes! Evidently this is a world-wide system :-) My surgeon had to mark where he was operating, except it was covered in bandages so he put a purple cross just above it.
>59 rosalita: Thanks Julia :-) I'm going to venture out to the supermarket this afternoon, which is a ten-minute walk, but I'm getting the bus.
>60 charl08: Thanks Charlotte! I enjoyed following your weekend on your thread. It sounded like a lot of fun.
>61 BekkaJo: Bekka, maybe they needed to check that she was still in the same place in the ward and hadn't been moved if they were doing obs? It did seem like overkill for my case, but I can see that it would be vital if there were lots of patients having surgery on the same day, and room for confusion. And if they're doing it for some people, they have to do it for everyone.
I'm feeling good today. Actually the surgery sites have been fine - I've had a neck-related headache for the last couple of days but that has all but gone, so I'm feeling much better. I was getting ready to go to the supermarket but had to call someone about work, and that turned into a bit of a gossip, so then I ran into lunch time and I'm not getting caught up in that. I'll go a bit later, and maybe pop into Pret for afternoon tea. Ooh.
Yesterday I mostly watched TV, but I've picked up The Clocks in This House All Tell Different Times, which is disturbing but very well-written. I'm about half-way through it. And still reading Man of Iron. And then last night I downloaded the sixth Logan McRae novel, just because, and started that.
63ChelleBearss
Glad to see you are doing well! Hope the trip to the grocery store goes well and enjoy your afternoon tea!
64Crazymamie
What Chelle said, Susan. "Don't exercise," he said. "Don't worry," I replied. This made me laugh!
65RebaRelishesReading
Glad to hear you're doing well, Susan. Keep enjoying that TV and reading!
67susanj67
>63 ChelleBearss: Thanks Chelle :-) I had a coconut latte and some banana cake, so it was pretty good :-)
>64 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! I've decided to stop seeing myself as lazy, and start thinking of myself as really good at sitting still :-)
>65 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba! I finished series 5 of Orange is the New Black last night, so that's another one ticked off the Netflix list. I might watch series 2 of The Crown next.
>66 BLBera: Thanks Beth! Yes, it is going fine. I get my stitches out on Wednesday, so that will be exciting, although not if I have to look.
35. The Clocks in This House All Tell Different Times by Xan Brooks
Hmmm. I read this because it's a finalist for the Walter Scott prize (for historical fiction). It's set in 1923, after the Great War and the flu epidemic have wrecked families, and the main characters are two orphaned girls, both living with unsatisfactory relatives, who find themselves visiting four "funny men"on outings in Epping Forest. The "funny men" are reclusive injured servicemen, living off the charity of an eccentric aristocrat, but the girls aren't just chatting with them. And that's my problem with the book - it seems to normalise child sex abuse in the name of entertainment. It wouldn't be appropriate in a novel set today, and I don't see why it's appropriate in a historical novel written today. Despite the fact that it's beautifully written, with a great sense of place and time, there's an "ick" factor that I couldn't get over. The Guardian has reviewed it (Brooks writes for them) and their review is here, in case anyone would like to know more before committing to it.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/apr/20/the-clocks-in-this-house-all-tell-...
>64 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! I've decided to stop seeing myself as lazy, and start thinking of myself as really good at sitting still :-)
>65 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba! I finished series 5 of Orange is the New Black last night, so that's another one ticked off the Netflix list. I might watch series 2 of The Crown next.
>66 BLBera: Thanks Beth! Yes, it is going fine. I get my stitches out on Wednesday, so that will be exciting, although not if I have to look.
35. The Clocks in This House All Tell Different Times by Xan Brooks
Hmmm. I read this because it's a finalist for the Walter Scott prize (for historical fiction). It's set in 1923, after the Great War and the flu epidemic have wrecked families, and the main characters are two orphaned girls, both living with unsatisfactory relatives, who find themselves visiting four "funny men"on outings in Epping Forest. The "funny men" are reclusive injured servicemen, living off the charity of an eccentric aristocrat, but the girls aren't just chatting with them. And that's my problem with the book - it seems to normalise child sex abuse in the name of entertainment. It wouldn't be appropriate in a novel set today, and I don't see why it's appropriate in a historical novel written today. Despite the fact that it's beautifully written, with a great sense of place and time, there's an "ick" factor that I couldn't get over. The Guardian has reviewed it (Brooks writes for them) and their review is here, in case anyone would like to know more before committing to it.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/apr/20/the-clocks-in-this-house-all-tell-...
68BLBera
>67 susanj67: Ick indeed, Susan. I will take a pass on this one.
69Crazymamie
>67 susanj67: So, no then.
70susanj67
>68 BLBera: Beth, yes, I think there are better things out there.
>69 Crazymamie: Mamie, no indeed.
I think if the subject appeared in NF, then I would think well, this happened. And there is plenty of fiction in which baddies get what's coming to them. But here there was a curious lack of any sort of condemnation. If you're writing a book *now*, about *then*, why would you make it up? I didn't understand how it was relevant to the story, really, and I thought reviews might help me understand, but actually I can't really find any apart from that one in the Guardian. Maybe I just don't get it (which is entirely possible). Or maybe I would have been more sympathetic if the author had been female. But I think it was more the treatment of the subject that annoyed me. I was reminded quite a bit of the people who complain against the abuse and murder of women being the mainstay of crime dramas. Basically, the authors (and screenwriters) could write about *anything*. They're making stuff up. Why not make up something different instead of reiterating the same old cliches that always have women as the victims?
>69 Crazymamie: Mamie, no indeed.
I think if the subject appeared in NF, then I would think well, this happened. And there is plenty of fiction in which baddies get what's coming to them. But here there was a curious lack of any sort of condemnation. If you're writing a book *now*, about *then*, why would you make it up? I didn't understand how it was relevant to the story, really, and I thought reviews might help me understand, but actually I can't really find any apart from that one in the Guardian. Maybe I just don't get it (which is entirely possible). Or maybe I would have been more sympathetic if the author had been female. But I think it was more the treatment of the subject that annoyed me. I was reminded quite a bit of the people who complain against the abuse and murder of women being the mainstay of crime dramas. Basically, the authors (and screenwriters) could write about *anything*. They're making stuff up. Why not make up something different instead of reiterating the same old cliches that always have women as the victims?
71BLBera
Amen, Sister! And in some of those crime dramas, the violence is really graphic and icky. I can choose what I read, and I choose not to read an author who profits from an almost pornographic violence toward women.
72charl08
I'll pass on that one too.
The LRB bookshop had so many books and I came out with just one. I'm calling that a win...
The LRB bookshop had so many books and I came out with just one. I'm calling that a win...
73charl08
Also - any questions for Jane Robinson (re Hearts and Minds: the untold story)?
I know you were a bit ambivalent about the book. I'm half way and thinking she took a while to get to the actual march, but not sure that's much of a question (not that that ever seems to stop anyone else, mind...)
I know you were a bit ambivalent about the book. I'm half way and thinking she took a while to get to the actual march, but not sure that's much of a question (not that that ever seems to stop anyone else, mind...)
74Crazymamie
Susan, I started reading The Confession yesterday, and I am loving it so far.
>70 susanj67: I agree with Beth - Sing it, Sister!
>70 susanj67: I agree with Beth - Sing it, Sister!
75susanj67
>71 BLBera: Beth, I agree. That's not entertainment, or at least not for me. There was a comment somewhere that the Brooks book would make a good film, but it would just be yet more middle-aged men making money from abused women, albeit fictitious. #metoo etc.
>72 charl08: Charlotte, that is very well done :-)
>73 charl08: No questions that I can think of. By the end I liked it more than at the beginning - I agree that it took a while to get going and I also didn't think it was that clear where it *was* going, but overall I thought it was good. I'm glad I stuck with it.
>74 Crazymamie: Mamie, that's great! I hope you continue to enjoy it.
I've been watching the evidence of the Cambridge Analytica whistleblower to the select committee, which has been the most entertaining evidence in the history of ever. There were mysterious deaths, £200,000 chandeliers, allegations of LIES and MORE LIES by previous witnesses and an admission that Americans thought Britain was like Downton Abbey (to the delight of the committee members). Meanwhile, Twitterers were going nuts trying to discredit the witness. I could almost sense the journalists in the room being torn between wanting to hear what amazing things were coming next and wanting to rush off and research all the stuff that had come out so far. I watch quite a bit of select committee evidence for work, and I have never seen such a good session. I think the scene was set when the witness said "I may have pink hair and a nose ring, but..." The committee members all want Mark Zuckerberg to appear in front of them. I keep hoping he'll send Sheryl, because that would be AWESOME.
>72 charl08: Charlotte, that is very well done :-)
>73 charl08: No questions that I can think of. By the end I liked it more than at the beginning - I agree that it took a while to get going and I also didn't think it was that clear where it *was* going, but overall I thought it was good. I'm glad I stuck with it.
>74 Crazymamie: Mamie, that's great! I hope you continue to enjoy it.
I've been watching the evidence of the Cambridge Analytica whistleblower to the select committee, which has been the most entertaining evidence in the history of ever. There were mysterious deaths, £200,000 chandeliers, allegations of LIES and MORE LIES by previous witnesses and an admission that Americans thought Britain was like Downton Abbey (to the delight of the committee members). Meanwhile, Twitterers were going nuts trying to discredit the witness. I could almost sense the journalists in the room being torn between wanting to hear what amazing things were coming next and wanting to rush off and research all the stuff that had come out so far. I watch quite a bit of select committee evidence for work, and I have never seen such a good session. I think the scene was set when the witness said "I may have pink hair and a nose ring, but..." The committee members all want Mark Zuckerberg to appear in front of them. I keep hoping he'll send Sheryl, because that would be AWESOME.
76susanj67
A very sweet story from New Zealand, which also disapproves of the poisoning in Salisbury. They want to join in the expulsion of Russian spies...but they don't seem to have any: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/27/new-zealand-expel-russian-spies-ca...
77katiekrug
>75 susanj67: - I heard on the radio this morning that Zuckerberg won't appear before the Parliamentary committee. Maybe he will send Sandberg!
>76 susanj67: - Lucky New Zealand!
>76 susanj67: - Lucky New Zealand!
78susanj67
>77 katiekrug: Katie, the committee said this morning that he hadn't actually said no, but had just offered a couple of other people instead. And the letter, which the committee has now published, supports that http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/culture-media-and-sport/18... But the media has moved very quickly to "won't come". And that's what he meant, but the letter was very carefully worded. I wonder how much it cost by the time five thousand lawyers and PRs had all chipped in :-) It wasn't even sent by him! Naughty.
Poor little NZ - too boring to spy on. A young chap from our Moscow office was over here for a training session a few years ago and said that the city was awash with NZ wine because the Russians had banned European wine because of the EU sanctions, and banned Australian wine because Australia had supported the sanctions, but NZ hadn't said anything so NZ wine was welcomed. A nice Marlborough Chardonnay might be harder to come by now.
Poor little NZ - too boring to spy on. A young chap from our Moscow office was over here for a training session a few years ago and said that the city was awash with NZ wine because the Russians had banned European wine because of the EU sanctions, and banned Australian wine because Australia had supported the sanctions, but NZ hadn't said anything so NZ wine was welcomed. A nice Marlborough Chardonnay might be harder to come by now.
79SandDune
>67 susanj67: It was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award as well, so presumably it's not just bias on the part of the Guardian. I've got a copy on the shelf, and I will probably read it at some stage. Maybe it's because I don't read as much non-fiction, but I frequently find that a fiction book dealing with an unpleasant subject can illuminate that subject much more than a non-fiction one can. Obviously, I can't comment on the treatment here as I haven't read it.
80BLBera
>75 susanj67: Well, good that it's entertaining... I hope your wish for Sandberg comes true.
>76 susanj67: Aww, poor NZ.
>76 susanj67: Aww, poor NZ.
81susanj67
>79 SandDune: Rhian, my copy had a Costa shortlist sticker on it. And the writing is superb, I don't deny that. I just object to the casual abuse of the girls.
>80 BLBera: Beth, somehow I doubt it will come true, or that somehow she will need different lawyers and I might get to meet her :-) The Committee home page has no more correspondence or hearings listed, so evidently everyone is considering their position. I see that Mark Zuckerberg is going to give evidence in the US, though. I will have to find a link to the relevant website over there on the day.
Out later for my check-up, which I am pretty sure means I get my stitches out, although I may suggest the surgeon sends a little leaflet out before the operation with details for afterwards, because no-one is in the best position to pay attention when they've just had their face cut up. At least I get a dressing change. I had to keep the original one on till today and it is driving me nuts. I'm hoping that if everything looks OK today I may be able to change it myself, and more often.
I've deleted Litsy, because I Just Didn't Get It, and when I tried to post about a book it said to tag the book but then the book didn't exist. Let's see if it exists here: The Almighty Dollar by Darshini David. Ha! Yes. Anyway, it's a good read so far, and an excellent reminder of the principles of economics, which will help me when I tackle all those Verso books sitting patiently on my Kindle.
OMG - the lunchtime news is reporting that the Worboys parole decision has been quashed! YASS!!!!!!!!! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43568533 Great news for women. Actually for all victims of crime. I hope the parole board comes to its senses when it reconsiders the decision. Also that the court awards the applicants all their costs. Here's a link to the judgment for anyone who's interested: https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/judgments/the-queen-on-the-application-of-dsd-and-n... I am going to read it over lunch.
>80 BLBera: Beth, somehow I doubt it will come true, or that somehow she will need different lawyers and I might get to meet her :-) The Committee home page has no more correspondence or hearings listed, so evidently everyone is considering their position. I see that Mark Zuckerberg is going to give evidence in the US, though. I will have to find a link to the relevant website over there on the day.
Out later for my check-up, which I am pretty sure means I get my stitches out, although I may suggest the surgeon sends a little leaflet out before the operation with details for afterwards, because no-one is in the best position to pay attention when they've just had their face cut up. At least I get a dressing change. I had to keep the original one on till today and it is driving me nuts. I'm hoping that if everything looks OK today I may be able to change it myself, and more often.
I've deleted Litsy, because I Just Didn't Get It, and when I tried to post about a book it said to tag the book but then the book didn't exist. Let's see if it exists here: The Almighty Dollar by Darshini David. Ha! Yes. Anyway, it's a good read so far, and an excellent reminder of the principles of economics, which will help me when I tackle all those Verso books sitting patiently on my Kindle.
OMG - the lunchtime news is reporting that the Worboys parole decision has been quashed! YASS!!!!!!!!! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43568533 Great news for women. Actually for all victims of crime. I hope the parole board comes to its senses when it reconsiders the decision. Also that the court awards the applicants all their costs. Here's a link to the judgment for anyone who's interested: https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/judgments/the-queen-on-the-application-of-dsd-and-n... I am going to read it over lunch.
82rosalita
>81 susanj67: Some good conversation here, Susan, but about books I haven't read or heard much about, so I can't comment except to say that in general I agree with your distaste for books that seem to wallow in objectification of female victims.
Re: Litsy, I guess one of Tim's top priorities with the acquisition is to tie it into LT's book sources, which should improve the problem you had (and that I've also observed). Who knows how long that will take, though; the standard IT "two weeks", I expect.
Best wishes for your follow-up appointment today. I hope the healing is proceeding apace.
Re: Litsy, I guess one of Tim's top priorities with the acquisition is to tie it into LT's book sources, which should improve the problem you had (and that I've also observed). Who knows how long that will take, though; the standard IT "two weeks", I expect.
Best wishes for your follow-up appointment today. I hope the healing is proceeding apace.
83thornton37814
>81 susanj67: I decided Litsy wasn't worth it for me. It would just be another place I needed to add things.
84Crazymamie
Happy Wednesday, Susan! Good luck with your follow-up appointment today.
I am having the same problem with Litsy - difficult to navigate and it didn't have a book I wanted to add even though I had the ISBN number.
I am having the same problem with Litsy - difficult to navigate and it didn't have a book I wanted to add even though I had the ISBN number.
85BLBera
Good luck at your appointment, Susan. I'm not going to worry about Litsy. LT is enough for me. I don't want to have more stuff on my phone.
86RebaRelishesReading
Hope your appointment goes well and that you continue to heal quickly and well.
I don't plan to even try Litsy. I'm very happy, and plenty busy, with LT.
I don't plan to even try Litsy. I'm very happy, and plenty busy, with LT.
87susanj67
>82 rosalita: Thanks Julia. If we are expecting the usual IT responses, maybe we should first turn our gadgets off and turn them on again :-) That is always the first suggestion of the IT helpdesk at work.
>83 thornton37814: Lori, I have also concluded that. Plus I hate typing on my phone and I'm hopeless at taking photos :-)
>84 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie!
>85 BLBera: Beth, welcome to Luddites' Corner :-)
>86 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba :-)
The appointment went very well, at least once the last stubborn bit of dressing had been soaked off me. The surgeon said he was very pleased with how it's looking, so yay! I have to go back on Tuesday for the nurse to look at it, and then back to the surgeon the following week as he is away for Easter. It seems like it will have a bandage of some sort on it for quite a while, but I got an excellent collection of dressing loot from the nurse today, so that was exciting. The surgeon took out the stitches that needed taking out - the others are dissolving ones, including those down the front of my ear where the graft came from. That bit is part stitches, part glue, and he said the stitches will dissolve and the glue will come off on its own in a while. Meanwhile I have a blue-looking scar there. I wonder why the glue makers thought blue would be a good colour instead of, say, clear.
>83 thornton37814: Lori, I have also concluded that. Plus I hate typing on my phone and I'm hopeless at taking photos :-)
>84 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie!
>85 BLBera: Beth, welcome to Luddites' Corner :-)
>86 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks Reba :-)
The appointment went very well, at least once the last stubborn bit of dressing had been soaked off me. The surgeon said he was very pleased with how it's looking, so yay! I have to go back on Tuesday for the nurse to look at it, and then back to the surgeon the following week as he is away for Easter. It seems like it will have a bandage of some sort on it for quite a while, but I got an excellent collection of dressing loot from the nurse today, so that was exciting. The surgeon took out the stitches that needed taking out - the others are dissolving ones, including those down the front of my ear where the graft came from. That bit is part stitches, part glue, and he said the stitches will dissolve and the glue will come off on its own in a while. Meanwhile I have a blue-looking scar there. I wonder why the glue makers thought blue would be a good colour instead of, say, clear.
88BLBera
I'm happy to claim my seat with the Luddites.:)
Great news about your appointment. A blue scar is interesting.
Great news about your appointment. A blue scar is interesting.
89Helenliz
Good to hear that you're healing nicely. Blue scars? Maybe it's a fashion statement, and you could have asked for purple or something more to your taste.
I decided I wasn't even going to try Litsy. I don't need any more time drains. I also don;t have a smart phone. Yup, I'm a fully signed up Luddite as well.
I will try and read the link, I feel it is the right decision for victims.
I decided I wasn't even going to try Litsy. I don't need any more time drains. I also don;t have a smart phone. Yup, I'm a fully signed up Luddite as well.
I will try and read the link, I feel it is the right decision for victims.
90charl08
If it's blue, does it mean you can tell when the glue is gone? (not sure how the pigment works though)
Sorry Litsy wasn't much fun. There's a post with some introductory bits and pieces that someone put together. I think Katie has it?
Sorry Litsy wasn't much fun. There's a post with some introductory bits and pieces that someone put together. I think Katie has it?
91ChelleBearss
>87 susanj67: Sorry to hear that you are blue. I guess that will fade over time?
I am really enjoying Litsy. I am a big fan of instagram and Litsy is like LT mixed with Instagram, for me anyway. My wish list is going to get out of control quickly, though!
I am really enjoying Litsy. I am a big fan of instagram and Litsy is like LT mixed with Instagram, for me anyway. My wish list is going to get out of control quickly, though!
92rosalita
Great news about your checkup, Susan! A blue scar sounds very fancy. They should put glitter in the glue to really give you a flashy effect.
93susanj67
>88 BLBera: Beth, I think I managed to freak out the young man sitting next to me on the tube yesterday. He was taking up too much space and turned to look at me as I sat down, but then seemed to take up less space, and more towards the other side of his seat :-)
>89 Helenliz: Helen, I definitely think it is the right decision for victims. Today there is a bleeding heart article in the Guardian about how the Parole Board is not swayed by emotion, but they seem to include in "emotion" the concept of basic human decency. There are too many awful cases where people get out after a pathetic minimum sentence and do the same thing again almost immediately.
>90 charl08: Charlotte, I think I had Litsy FOMO rather than any strong need for another platform. I'm happy to stick with LT :-)
>91 ChelleBearss: Chelle, your Litsy pictures were gorgeous, with the themed backdrops :-) I'm glad it's working for you because it does look like fun.
>92 rosalita: Julia, glitter is a great idea! I wonder whether it comes in sterile form, though...Maybe there's a business opportunity there.
I am really not making much progress with the reading. I thought I would get tons done, but I have been doing work as well, and taking a lot of naps. The surgeon said yesterday that the procedure wouldn't have been responsible for the crushing tiredness, as it was only a small thing, which is undoubtedly true in terms of what I had done, but it is possible that doctors are so used to it that they don't realise that it is quite an upheaval when you're new to it. Of course, I could just be bone idle. But at least the napping keeps me still, which is important for healing. I'm going to try and finish *something* today.
>89 Helenliz: Helen, I definitely think it is the right decision for victims. Today there is a bleeding heart article in the Guardian about how the Parole Board is not swayed by emotion, but they seem to include in "emotion" the concept of basic human decency. There are too many awful cases where people get out after a pathetic minimum sentence and do the same thing again almost immediately.
>90 charl08: Charlotte, I think I had Litsy FOMO rather than any strong need for another platform. I'm happy to stick with LT :-)
>91 ChelleBearss: Chelle, your Litsy pictures were gorgeous, with the themed backdrops :-) I'm glad it's working for you because it does look like fun.
>92 rosalita: Julia, glitter is a great idea! I wonder whether it comes in sterile form, though...Maybe there's a business opportunity there.
I am really not making much progress with the reading. I thought I would get tons done, but I have been doing work as well, and taking a lot of naps. The surgeon said yesterday that the procedure wouldn't have been responsible for the crushing tiredness, as it was only a small thing, which is undoubtedly true in terms of what I had done, but it is possible that doctors are so used to it that they don't realise that it is quite an upheaval when you're new to it. Of course, I could just be bone idle. But at least the napping keeps me still, which is important for healing. I'm going to try and finish *something* today.
94BLBera
I think the stress of a procedure can exhaust you, too, Susan. What do surgeons know, anyway?
95RebaRelishesReading
>93 susanj67: Well there's edible glitter for baking...if you can eat it surely it can go in skin glue :)
Perhaps you were already tired and this has just given your body permission to feel its exhaustion and get rested.
Perhaps you were already tired and this has just given your body permission to feel its exhaustion and get rested.
96susanj67
>94 BLBera: Beth, I think perhaps because they are so used to surgery they don't see it from the point of view of someone who isn't. My procedure was minor in the grand scheme of things, but it's the biggest thing for *me*.
>95 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, you could be right! I'm so glad I had the week off work, even though I have been doing a bit from home. And now it is Good Friday and I don't have to look at my phone for four whole days.
36. Dark Blood by Stuart MacBride
This is book 6 in the Logan McRae series (and I just typed in Logan as the author, LOL) and is set in Aberdeen in the winter, so the entire atmosphere is freezing and more freezing. MacBride really does create a great atmosphere. I recognised some of the Scottish weather-related words that I've learned from FOR too :-) As always, Logan and his gruesome boss Roberta Steel have multiple baddies to chase, but there is a new character introduced at the end of this book who may well change Logan's life :-)
>95 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, you could be right! I'm so glad I had the week off work, even though I have been doing a bit from home. And now it is Good Friday and I don't have to look at my phone for four whole days.
36. Dark Blood by Stuart MacBride
This is book 6 in the Logan McRae series (and I just typed in Logan as the author, LOL) and is set in Aberdeen in the winter, so the entire atmosphere is freezing and more freezing. MacBride really does create a great atmosphere. I recognised some of the Scottish weather-related words that I've learned from FOR too :-) As always, Logan and his gruesome boss Roberta Steel have multiple baddies to chase, but there is a new character introduced at the end of this book who may well change Logan's life :-)
97charl08
Glad you've got some time off Susan. After the excitement of last weekend I'm looking forward to doing as little as possible.
98Helenliz
>96 susanj67: enjoy the long weekend. I like this type of holiday, as it's when almost everyone is off, so you're not left wondering what's going on in the office without you.
>97 charl08: that sounds like a plan. We have a wedding to go to on Monday, then have the following week off, so today I really can do n o t h i n g .
>97 charl08: that sounds like a plan. We have a wedding to go to on Monday, then have the following week off, so today I really can do n o t h i n g .
99Crazymamie
Happy Friday, Susan!
>36 charl08: This sounds like one for my Cold List. Of course, I would start with book one. Ahem.
>36 charl08: This sounds like one for my Cold List. Of course, I would start with book one. Ahem.
100RebaRelishesReading
Happy long weekend!! Are you back to the office on Tuesday?
101BekkaJo
Got caught up in a ridiculously busy week - between work and kids stuff I've not even turned LT on. Glad you are healing well and the doc was pleased - and thoroughly agree on the glue colourant!
The one thing I remember being horrified (because I wasn't expecting it) when I came to after my first ever op about 12 years ago, was that I was yellow/orange! They had used a cleaning solution in the area that was bright coloured. At first glance I thought I was covered in blood. Not good for recovery though in retrospect rather funny.
Hope you have a lovely weekend with much healing.
The one thing I remember being horrified (because I wasn't expecting it) when I came to after my first ever op about 12 years ago, was that I was yellow/orange! They had used a cleaning solution in the area that was bright coloured. At first glance I thought I was covered in blood. Not good for recovery though in retrospect rather funny.
Hope you have a lovely weekend with much healing.
102susanj67
>97 charl08: Charlotte, I hope you have a peaceful weekend without marching and breaking windows :-)
>98 Helenliz: Helen, yes, it's lovely. No work emails for two days!
>99 Crazymamie: Mamie, yes, of course you would :-) Actually you should with this series because Logan develops as a character.
>100 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, yes, back on Tuesday, but I have to go to the hospital first to see the nurse for a dressing change. That's in the opposite direction to the office so I will be a bit late, but I doubt anyone will notice.
>101 BekkaJo: Bekka, waking up orange must have been freaky! Still, nice to know you were squeaky clean. And I suppose that's the reason for the colour - so they could see which bits they'd done. It must be a bit like colouring in.
I went over to visit the new extended Westfield today, which is now the biggest mall in Europe. There is a huge swanky John Lewis there, which the mall badly needed. You could buy all sorts of luxury clothes and cosmetics there but you couldn't get a TV, so I'm sure it will be very popular. A lot of the other new shops are existing tenants that are moving to new spaces, and many haven't opened yet, so it will be interesting to see what goes in to their existing shops.
On the way there I started my new ebook, which is a biography of Elon Musk. Stand by for a couple of excellent quotes :-)
>98 Helenliz: Helen, yes, it's lovely. No work emails for two days!
>99 Crazymamie: Mamie, yes, of course you would :-) Actually you should with this series because Logan develops as a character.
>100 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, yes, back on Tuesday, but I have to go to the hospital first to see the nurse for a dressing change. That's in the opposite direction to the office so I will be a bit late, but I doubt anyone will notice.
>101 BekkaJo: Bekka, waking up orange must have been freaky! Still, nice to know you were squeaky clean. And I suppose that's the reason for the colour - so they could see which bits they'd done. It must be a bit like colouring in.
I went over to visit the new extended Westfield today, which is now the biggest mall in Europe. There is a huge swanky John Lewis there, which the mall badly needed. You could buy all sorts of luxury clothes and cosmetics there but you couldn't get a TV, so I'm sure it will be very popular. A lot of the other new shops are existing tenants that are moving to new spaces, and many haven't opened yet, so it will be interesting to see what goes in to their existing shops.
On the way there I started my new ebook, which is a biography of Elon Musk. Stand by for a couple of excellent quotes :-)
103susanj67
I'm enjoying the Elon Musk biography which I finally got from the elibrary after being on hold since the morning after the Falcon Heavy launch :-)
Two good bits:
And on reading:
Two good bits:
"He opened up about the major fear keeping him up at night: namely that Google's co-founder and CEO Larry Page might well have been building a fleet of artificial-intelligence robots capable of destroying mankind. "I'm really worried about this," Musk said. It didn't make Musk feel any better that he and Page were very close friends and that he felt Page was fundamentally a well-intentioned person and not Dr Evil. In fact, that was sort of the problem. Page's nice-guy nature left him assuming that the machines would forever do our bidding. "I'm not as optimistic," Musk said. "He could produce something evil by accident." "
And on reading:
"As Elon got older, he would take himself to the bookstore when school ended at 2pm and stay there until about 6pm, when his parents returned home from work. He plowed through fiction books and then comics and nonfiction titles. "Sometimes they kicked me out of the store, but usually not," Elon said. He listed The Lord of the Rings, Isaac Asimov's Foundation series and Robert Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress as some of his favourites, alongside The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. "At one point, I ran out of books to read at the school library and the neighbourhood library," Musk said. "This is maybe the third or fourth grade. I tried to convince the librarian to order books for me. So then, I started to read the Encyclopaedia Britannica. That was so helpful. You don't know what you don't know. You realise there are all these things out there."
104BLBera
>103 susanj67: I had no interest in reading this, Susan, but those quotes have changed my mind. The first one is hilarious. Many things keep me awake at night, evil robots, however, is not one of those things. Love it.
Glad you continue to heal well.
Glad you continue to heal well.
105charl08
Yikes, the evil robots.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/picture/2016/jan/16/tom-gauld-on-robot-nostalg...
No marching for me: I'm recreating the 1920s this weekend. Disappointing lack of progress, but plenty of cocktails.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/picture/2016/jan/16/tom-gauld-on-robot-nostalg...
No marching for me: I'm recreating the 1920s this weekend. Disappointing lack of progress, but plenty of cocktails.
106susanj67
>104 BLBera: Beth, even a couple of chapters in it's looking like a really entertaining read.
>105 charl08: Charlotte, ha! Love it :-) Let's hope Larry is being very careful. Good news about the cocktails!
I had four NFs on the go after starting the Elon Musk book, so I wanted to finish one.
37. The Almighty Dollar by Darshini David
The author is a presenter on Sky News, and was formerly an economist with HSBC. I always like her reports, so when I saw this brand new and clean library book I snagged it. It's a look at global finance by following a US dollar which is spent at Walmart on a radio made in China. The dollar goes to China, and then to Nigeria, and then to India, and then on to more places. and David writes about various economic and political issues along the way. It's a neat concept, and well done. It also underlines how connected the world really is.
>105 charl08: Charlotte, ha! Love it :-) Let's hope Larry is being very careful. Good news about the cocktails!
I had four NFs on the go after starting the Elon Musk book, so I wanted to finish one.
37. The Almighty Dollar by Darshini David
The author is a presenter on Sky News, and was formerly an economist with HSBC. I always like her reports, so when I saw this brand new and clean library book I snagged it. It's a look at global finance by following a US dollar which is spent at Walmart on a radio made in China. The dollar goes to China, and then to Nigeria, and then to India, and then on to more places. and David writes about various economic and political issues along the way. It's a neat concept, and well done. It also underlines how connected the world really is.
108vancouverdeb
I'm so glad that your surgery went well and that you have some time off. Surgery always scares me to death, you have done very well. That shaking after the anesthesia , I recall having after the the birth of both of my sons. I had an epidural as anesthesia, so I was awake, but afterwards I shook like crazy. I think it's just a side effect of different anesthesia, and having a warmed up blanket put wrapped over me really helped. Take it easy and I hope you have gloriously lazy weekend.
109susanj67
>107 BLBera: Beth, it's very straightforward, but covers some key issues, and it's very up to date too.
>108 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah! I am having a very lazy weekend, but it's nice. So odd about the shaking! Glad I'm not alone in reacting that way, but it's still weird.
38. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance
I tended to associate Elon Musk with Tesla if I heard his name at all, and since I'm not a car person I wasn't really interested. But then I saw the stories about the caps from his "Boring" tunnelling company, and his promise that if 50,000 people bought caps (with the company name on them) he would start selling flamethrowers. And he did. And then the Falcon Heavy launch was all over the news, so I decided to read more.
This is an excellent read, which I pretty much whizzed through after downloading it yesterday morning from the library. It looks at his companies (which as well as Tesla and SpaceX include Solar City, and a hyperloop venture), his life and his philosophy about humanity and its future. I think working for him would be a nightmare, but he has done some remarkable things, including bringing a lot of manufacturing of components for his projects back to the US, creating jobs and pools of expertise that had gone offshore. This was one of the most interesting parts of the book for me. I didn't know that SpaceX launches roughly once a month, or that it had taken supplies to the International Space Station. But that's important because, with the end of the US space shuttle programme, the only way to get supplies and people up there was via the Russians, which is less than great news. SpaceX went from being a joke to a huge player in the market, lowering the costs of launches and providing a reliable service, while the haters kept saying that it couldn't be done.
The book was published in mid-2016, but the text was finished in mid-2015 going by references to things that had happened in early 2015 and things that were promised for later that year. A lot has happened since then, which I am now googling to try and catch up. Falcon Heavy was being tested at the time the book was written, but has now launched, taking with it the Tesla car that Musk was driving for much of the book. Tesla has released its Model X SUV and the Model 3, although it now seems to be having significant problems making enough of them. The book doesn't cover the development of driverless technology which has been written about so much lately and which is so controversial (not least after yet another accident, involving a Tesla, just a few days ago). But all that happening since mid-2015 shows just how fast ideas are developing.
Very highly recommended. And, if you have a Young Person in your life who might be a future Musk, the author has also written a version of this book for younger readers, which is a great idea.
>108 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah! I am having a very lazy weekend, but it's nice. So odd about the shaking! Glad I'm not alone in reacting that way, but it's still weird.
38. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance
I tended to associate Elon Musk with Tesla if I heard his name at all, and since I'm not a car person I wasn't really interested. But then I saw the stories about the caps from his "Boring" tunnelling company, and his promise that if 50,000 people bought caps (with the company name on them) he would start selling flamethrowers. And he did. And then the Falcon Heavy launch was all over the news, so I decided to read more.
This is an excellent read, which I pretty much whizzed through after downloading it yesterday morning from the library. It looks at his companies (which as well as Tesla and SpaceX include Solar City, and a hyperloop venture), his life and his philosophy about humanity and its future. I think working for him would be a nightmare, but he has done some remarkable things, including bringing a lot of manufacturing of components for his projects back to the US, creating jobs and pools of expertise that had gone offshore. This was one of the most interesting parts of the book for me. I didn't know that SpaceX launches roughly once a month, or that it had taken supplies to the International Space Station. But that's important because, with the end of the US space shuttle programme, the only way to get supplies and people up there was via the Russians, which is less than great news. SpaceX went from being a joke to a huge player in the market, lowering the costs of launches and providing a reliable service, while the haters kept saying that it couldn't be done.
The book was published in mid-2016, but the text was finished in mid-2015 going by references to things that had happened in early 2015 and things that were promised for later that year. A lot has happened since then, which I am now googling to try and catch up. Falcon Heavy was being tested at the time the book was written, but has now launched, taking with it the Tesla car that Musk was driving for much of the book. Tesla has released its Model X SUV and the Model 3, although it now seems to be having significant problems making enough of them. The book doesn't cover the development of driverless technology which has been written about so much lately and which is so controversial (not least after yet another accident, involving a Tesla, just a few days ago). But all that happening since mid-2015 shows just how fast ideas are developing.
Very highly recommended. And, if you have a Young Person in your life who might be a future Musk, the author has also written a version of this book for younger readers, which is a great idea.
110susanj67
39. Man of Iron: Thomas Telford and the Building of Britain by Julian Glover
This has been a slow read for me, but this afternoon I was determined to finish it. It's a biography of Thomas Telford, who designed and supervised the building of many famous things in Britain (including St Katharine Docks, just along the street from me, which is why one of the local apartment buildings is called Telford's Yard. He is probably most famous for the Menai Bridge, in Wales, and the book starts with the opening of that bridge and then looks at the career behind it.
This was a Sunday Times bestseller and a Radio 4 book of the week according to the cover. I found it interesting, but I wasn't motivated to pick it up and read it straight through. I usually managed a chapter at a time, but that could be because I had too many other things to read at the same time.
111ChelleBearss
>109 susanj67: I've been seeing that one at the library and I've been debating picking it up. I was worried it might be too technical for me.
113susanj67
>111 ChelleBearss: Chelle, it's more a look from the business point of view than a technical point of view. The author is a business columnist rather than a technical person, so if he mentions technology it is more "here's the issue with technical issue x and here's how they solved it", rather than getting into lots of detail.
>112 katiekrug: Katie, I'm off today and back tomorrow, after an appointment at the hospital. I might ask to look in the mirror this time just to see what it's like. So far they have put dressings on and said not to change them if possible, so I have stuck to that, but back at work I'm going to have to look a bit more respectable :-)
I've got back in to one of my Pulitzer winners today, which I set aside a while ago due to a rush of library books. It's going well, so I might make some real progress before the library books take over again.
>112 katiekrug: Katie, I'm off today and back tomorrow, after an appointment at the hospital. I might ask to look in the mirror this time just to see what it's like. So far they have put dressings on and said not to change them if possible, so I have stuck to that, but back at work I'm going to have to look a bit more respectable :-)
I've got back in to one of my Pulitzer winners today, which I set aside a while ago due to a rush of library books. It's going well, so I might make some real progress before the library books take over again.
114RebaRelishesReading
>113 susanj67: Which one?
116susanj67
>114 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, it's Common Ground, about three families in Boston at the time of forced busing. It's excellent, and even though I haven't read it for ages, I can still remember who the main people are, which is good.
>115 BLBera: Thanks Beth. I think I've been home a bit too long, if I'm honest. Good from a bandage point of view, not so good from a mental one. I was on a call the other day and I had no idea what date it was :-) People may have a point about work keeping the mind going. Or at least some interaction with society keeping it going. Not just reclining and watching TV!
>115 BLBera: Thanks Beth. I think I've been home a bit too long, if I'm honest. Good from a bandage point of view, not so good from a mental one. I was on a call the other day and I had no idea what date it was :-) People may have a point about work keeping the mind going. Or at least some interaction with society keeping it going. Not just reclining and watching TV!
117Ameise1
Wishing you a good start into the new week.
BTW >96 susanj67: the touchstones leads to another book. I like this series.
BTW >96 susanj67: the touchstones leads to another book. I like this series.
118charl08
>116 susanj67: Knowing what day it is, is overrated :-)
Hope the team will spoil you (or ignore you, whichever suits).
Common Ground sounds good.
I've just opened Lovecraft Country (beautiful shiny hardback) - I'm 12 pages in and I don't want to go cook dinner.
Which is an issue, because I've said I will. Harumph.
Hope the team will spoil you (or ignore you, whichever suits).
Common Ground sounds good.
I've just opened Lovecraft Country (beautiful shiny hardback) - I'm 12 pages in and I don't want to go cook dinner.
Which is an issue, because I've said I will. Harumph.
120RebaRelishesReading
>116 susanj67: Ah! Sounds interesting.
121susanj67
>117 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara :-) (I fixed the touchstone)
>118 charl08: Charlotte, the team is depleted today as most of them are at a client meeting, but I get to dial in later. And lots of other people seem to be away for the Easter school holidays, so it's very quiet. But it's pretty nice to be back for the canteen, at least :-)
>119 BLBera: Beth, it's handy when talking to insurers about when procedures were done, and banks about when investments fall due. Or I should just stay off the phone :-)
>120 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, it's good. And I read 200 pages of it yesterday, so go me! I only have another hundred left.
This morning was another dressing change, and more dressing swag from the nurse. She said it's looking good, so that was good news. I actually asked if I could look at it this morning (I haven't since the surgery) and it's nowhere near as bad as the scary internet pictures. He's done wonders getting the graft and stitches in along a fold, so it should be easy to camouflage.
I started Flat Broke With Two Goats last night, which I see is the Overdrive "Big Read" for April. I got it because I liked the cover and it had the name of an animal in the title, so it works for the PopSugar challenge. I'd be interested to know how it was picked, though. The author is a whiny type who abrogated responsibility for her own life and let her husband do all the worrying about hard stuff like money, and is then peeved when it doesn't work out. I like the setting, and I haven't got to the goats yet, but it doesn't seem like something that's going to become a classic.
>118 charl08: Charlotte, the team is depleted today as most of them are at a client meeting, but I get to dial in later. And lots of other people seem to be away for the Easter school holidays, so it's very quiet. But it's pretty nice to be back for the canteen, at least :-)
>119 BLBera: Beth, it's handy when talking to insurers about when procedures were done, and banks about when investments fall due. Or I should just stay off the phone :-)
>120 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, it's good. And I read 200 pages of it yesterday, so go me! I only have another hundred left.
This morning was another dressing change, and more dressing swag from the nurse. She said it's looking good, so that was good news. I actually asked if I could look at it this morning (I haven't since the surgery) and it's nowhere near as bad as the scary internet pictures. He's done wonders getting the graft and stitches in along a fold, so it should be easy to camouflage.
I started Flat Broke With Two Goats last night, which I see is the Overdrive "Big Read" for April. I got it because I liked the cover and it had the name of an animal in the title, so it works for the PopSugar challenge. I'd be interested to know how it was picked, though. The author is a whiny type who abrogated responsibility for her own life and let her husband do all the worrying about hard stuff like money, and is then peeved when it doesn't work out. I like the setting, and I haven't got to the goats yet, but it doesn't seem like something that's going to become a classic.
122charl08
>121 susanj67: No goats? That seems like a breach of promise.
Hope today has been relatively calm and relaxed. And that the canteen has been tasty.
Hope today has been relatively calm and relaxed. And that the canteen has been tasty.
123RebaRelishesReading
>121 susanj67: I've put it on the wish list.
Also, glad you're pleased with your surgeon's work! Hope the healing finishes up soon and you'll be free of dressings.
Also, glad you're pleased with your surgeon's work! Hope the healing finishes up soon and you'll be free of dressings.
124susanj67
>122 charl08: Charlotte, the goats finally made an appearance. It turns out that despite being "flat broke" they could always rustle up a few hundred dollars for goats while their creditors went unpaid. Oh, and private school fees. And health insurance.
>123 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, I am very glad to be on the other side of the procedure!
Well. Amazingly I have managed to finish a half-read Pulitzer prize winner in just a couple of days. Yay!
40. Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families by J Anthony Lukas
On its face, this is the story of how forced school busing in Boston in the 1970s split the community, but really it's about a lot more than that, and it's a great read. The author follows a black family, a white (Irish) family, and a "Yankee" family, whatever that is, as they were also white. In fact they were a well-educated couple who moved with their children to Boston's South End when it was run-down and dangerous. The book looks not only at education integration, but also at "gentrification" issues and how the various areas of the city were changing during the decade. I've never been to Boston, so I don't know whether the South End ever "made it", but I'll pass this on to Booky Work Friend, as her parents live there and she visits often. Highly recommended for anyone interested in US social history.
>123 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, I am very glad to be on the other side of the procedure!
Well. Amazingly I have managed to finish a half-read Pulitzer prize winner in just a couple of days. Yay!
40. Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families by J Anthony Lukas
On its face, this is the story of how forced school busing in Boston in the 1970s split the community, but really it's about a lot more than that, and it's a great read. The author follows a black family, a white (Irish) family, and a "Yankee" family, whatever that is, as they were also white. In fact they were a well-educated couple who moved with their children to Boston's South End when it was run-down and dangerous. The book looks not only at education integration, but also at "gentrification" issues and how the various areas of the city were changing during the decade. I've never been to Boston, so I don't know whether the South End ever "made it", but I'll pass this on to Booky Work Friend, as her parents live there and she visits often. Highly recommended for anyone interested in US social history.
125LovingLit
>76 susanj67: I'm not sure we don't have any Russian Spies here, we just haven't found them yet!
126rosalita
>124 susanj67: That one sounds worthwhile, Susan. "Yankee" in this context refers to those whose families have been in the U.S. (and particularly the northeast/New England) since colonial times, as opposed to the latecomers like the Irish and Italians (my own heritage) who came along later.
127charl08
>124 susanj67: Sounds really good (not to mention a massive project - ten years!)
>126 rosalita: Good to know, I wouldn't have realised that either.
>126 rosalita: Good to know, I wouldn't have realised that either.
128susanj67
>125 LovingLit: Megan, I really hope they don't find any, because it will be the Rainbow Warrior all over again.
>126 rosalita: Julia, thanks for explaining! I was confused by that. It's definitely a worthwhile read. Also, the people all have quite unusual names, so I've been googling to find out what happened to them.
>127 charl08: Charlotte, yes, it sounded like a huge project. The book was a chunkster, but he must have left a lot out too.
I went to the library at lunchtime to return the books I read while I was away, and pick up Paradise in Chains, which is about the Bounty mutiny and the founding of Australia. I reserved it a while ago. But nothing else really grabbed me. Oh noes! I thought that after a fortnight away I would be grabbing things indiscriminately, but I came away with just the one book. I am, however, going to start another Pulitzer winner, and I've put a bookmark at the beginning of A Problem from Hell, which is about the US and genocide, so that should be a cheery little read. I've also got The Last of the Greenwoods at home, as my next fiction read.
>126 rosalita: Julia, thanks for explaining! I was confused by that. It's definitely a worthwhile read. Also, the people all have quite unusual names, so I've been googling to find out what happened to them.
>127 charl08: Charlotte, yes, it sounded like a huge project. The book was a chunkster, but he must have left a lot out too.
I went to the library at lunchtime to return the books I read while I was away, and pick up Paradise in Chains, which is about the Bounty mutiny and the founding of Australia. I reserved it a while ago. But nothing else really grabbed me. Oh noes! I thought that after a fortnight away I would be grabbing things indiscriminately, but I came away with just the one book. I am, however, going to start another Pulitzer winner, and I've put a bookmark at the beginning of A Problem from Hell, which is about the US and genocide, so that should be a cheery little read. I've also got The Last of the Greenwoods at home, as my next fiction read.
129Crazymamie
"But nothing else really grabbed me." Susan, I am concerned. Did you check for fever?
130susanj67
>129 Crazymamie: Mamie, I didn't check for fever but I did have a Snickers just in case my blood sugar was low. It seemed like the right thing to do.
131Crazymamie
>130 susanj67: Good thinking.
133vancouverdeb
>130 susanj67: I also second this logic. After my second son was born, I think the anxiety of having two difficult births got to me and about 4 hours after giving birth to my second son, I could not stop crying , sobbing like a mad woman on the ward in my room. After an hour of crying, I told my husband, go get me A Kit Kat Chocolate Bar and sure enough, I felt better. Shortly after , my OB arrived to ask how I was as the nurses had called him to check on me. I told him, well, I'd been crying quite a bit , due to my anxiety about the birth , but had eaten a Kit Kat Bar. He said - I'm glad that worked, keep a good dozen of the Kit Kat Chocolate Bars on hand. And I did ! :-) I'm very glad things are going well after your surgery.
134susanj67
>131 Crazymamie: Mamie, I thought so :-)
>132 charl08: Charlotte, excellent!
>133 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah! Goodness, after two difficult births it's amazing that a Kit Kat did the trick. But maybe it was just familiar and comforting. Good to hear that you followed the doctor's orders and kept some on hand :-) I don't suppose doctors are encouraged to prescribe chocolate these days.
41. Flat Broke With Two Goats by Jennifer McGaha
This is the Overdrive Big Read for April, although I got it before I knew that, based on the cute cover and the quirky title. But mostly it's just an affluent woman whining about how she and her husband lived the life of Reilly and then discovered they owed six figures in back taxes, and oh dear. They ended up in a rundown cabin in North Carolina after defaulting on their mortgage, which was an owner-financed mortgage (if that's the right term - they bought the house from friends and paid *them* back rather than a bank. It's not a concept we have over here). Having decided they were going to default, they stopped making any payments, which also struck me as odd* and were surprised when the friends stopped speaking to them. Despite being "flat broke" there always seemed to be enough money for home improvements at the cabin, livestock purchases, vet fees, health insurance and private school fees for their youngest child. I didn't have a lot of time for the author, which may be obvious from this review. Yes, things were tough for a lot of people after the 2008 crash, but that wasn't really the cause of their problems. The root cause was living far beyond their means for years and years, despite the husband having a very good job and the author also earning. There are plenty of people far more deserving of sympathy.
*In the UK, if you buy a house the mortgage is just security for the loan. If you borrow, say, £100,000 and pay back £50,000, you still owe £50,000, even if the bank forecloses and throws you out. The bank sells the house and if the sale price covers what you owe, you're in the clear. If it doesn't, you still owe the balance even though you no longer have the house to live in. You wouldn't stop paying your mortgage instalments if you had any money with which to do so, because you'd just be racking up interest that you would have to repay at some later point. It seems that things are different in the US, where the lender forecloses on the house and that's the end of the borrower's liability (?)
>132 charl08: Charlotte, excellent!
>133 vancouverdeb: Hi Deborah! Goodness, after two difficult births it's amazing that a Kit Kat did the trick. But maybe it was just familiar and comforting. Good to hear that you followed the doctor's orders and kept some on hand :-) I don't suppose doctors are encouraged to prescribe chocolate these days.
41. Flat Broke With Two Goats by Jennifer McGaha
This is the Overdrive Big Read for April, although I got it before I knew that, based on the cute cover and the quirky title. But mostly it's just an affluent woman whining about how she and her husband lived the life of Reilly and then discovered they owed six figures in back taxes, and oh dear. They ended up in a rundown cabin in North Carolina after defaulting on their mortgage, which was an owner-financed mortgage (if that's the right term - they bought the house from friends and paid *them* back rather than a bank. It's not a concept we have over here). Having decided they were going to default, they stopped making any payments, which also struck me as odd* and were surprised when the friends stopped speaking to them. Despite being "flat broke" there always seemed to be enough money for home improvements at the cabin, livestock purchases, vet fees, health insurance and private school fees for their youngest child. I didn't have a lot of time for the author, which may be obvious from this review. Yes, things were tough for a lot of people after the 2008 crash, but that wasn't really the cause of their problems. The root cause was living far beyond their means for years and years, despite the husband having a very good job and the author also earning. There are plenty of people far more deserving of sympathy.
*In the UK, if you buy a house the mortgage is just security for the loan. If you borrow, say, £100,000 and pay back £50,000, you still owe £50,000, even if the bank forecloses and throws you out. The bank sells the house and if the sale price covers what you owe, you're in the clear. If it doesn't, you still owe the balance even though you no longer have the house to live in. You wouldn't stop paying your mortgage instalments if you had any money with which to do so, because you'd just be racking up interest that you would have to repay at some later point. It seems that things are different in the US, where the lender forecloses on the house and that's the end of the borrower's liability (?)
135Helenliz
>134 susanj67: sounds like one to avoid, from your review I don't think I'd be very sympathetic either.
Good to hear that the nose is healing nicely, and that you're pleased with it.
Good to hear that the nose is healing nicely, and that you're pleased with it.
136katiekrug
>134 susanj67: - Yeah, no. I hate books by/about people like that. Raises my blood pressure to dangerous levels....
I don't think "owner-financed mortgages" are much of a thing here - I'm sure it happens but it's not widespread. And, shamefully, I don't know about the foreclosure rules (though I guess, in a good way, I'm not familiar with them!). From what you've said about the book, I wouldn't take anything these people did as normal or standard....
I don't think "owner-financed mortgages" are much of a thing here - I'm sure it happens but it's not widespread. And, shamefully, I don't know about the foreclosure rules (though I guess, in a good way, I'm not familiar with them!). From what you've said about the book, I wouldn't take anything these people did as normal or standard....
137ChelleBearss
>134 susanj67: Sorry to see that one was a bust. The first review that I read on it had similar feelings to yours about the author and her whining. I think it will be one I skip.
138thornton37814
>134 susanj67: I've seen that one every time I log into Overdrive.
139susanj67
>135 Helenliz: Helen, the nose seems to be coming along and I even changed the bandage myself this morning. The nurse gave me all the packs of stuff she'd opened for me, because otherwise they would have been thrown out even though only a tiny bit had been used. Fair enough from a hygiene point of view, I suppose, but what a lot of wastage. There are even "disposable" scissors, which I fully expect to have for at least another 20 years.
>136 katiekrug: Katie, I had never thought about foreclosure like that, but you're right - it is a good thing not to know!
>137 ChelleBearss: Chelle, I think you can safely skip it. I'll have to look at the Overdrive conversation site now :-)
>138 thornton37814: Lori, it will be there all month, but don't be fooled by the pretty cover :-) The region sounded lovely though - I'd definitely be interested in more about Appalachia.
The biggest Holland & Barrett I have *ever* seen has opened in the mall under my building. (Health foods, vitamins, protein powder etc for those outside the UK). They have a huge beauty/skincare range in this one which I am looking forward to trying - lots of face masks etc from Dr Organic and other brands. There is even an olive bar and a candle section. I'm not sure whether the smaller one in the other mall has closed, but if anyone's looking for the best (and maybe only) one, it's now in the Jubilee Place mall, at the Marks & Spencer end.
>136 katiekrug: Katie, I had never thought about foreclosure like that, but you're right - it is a good thing not to know!
>137 ChelleBearss: Chelle, I think you can safely skip it. I'll have to look at the Overdrive conversation site now :-)
>138 thornton37814: Lori, it will be there all month, but don't be fooled by the pretty cover :-) The region sounded lovely though - I'd definitely be interested in more about Appalachia.
The biggest Holland & Barrett I have *ever* seen has opened in the mall under my building. (Health foods, vitamins, protein powder etc for those outside the UK). They have a huge beauty/skincare range in this one which I am looking forward to trying - lots of face masks etc from Dr Organic and other brands. There is even an olive bar and a candle section. I'm not sure whether the smaller one in the other mall has closed, but if anyone's looking for the best (and maybe only) one, it's now in the Jubilee Place mall, at the Marks & Spencer end.
140rosalita
>134 susanj67: I borrowed that on in Overdrive before I read anything about it, and your review has convinced me that I would dislike it for all the same reasons you did, Susan. Whiny people who have no concept of what true poverty is really chap my hid. So I think I'll let that one quietly expire without downloading it.
141thornton37814
>139 susanj67: You might try something written by Lee Smith, Sharyn McCrumb, or Robert Morgan.
142Familyhistorian
>110 susanj67: St Katharine Docks, just along the street from me. I actually know where that is. My Dad grew up in a pub on Dock Street just up from the docks. Sadly, it is no longer there.
>134 susanj67: That's the way mortgage rules work here, too. The US has their own odd rules about mortgages.
Any kind of operation takes a lot out of you despite what the doctors say. It isn't just the actual event but the build up and anxiety about healing etc. It's good to hear that you are healing up well, Susan.
>134 susanj67: That's the way mortgage rules work here, too. The US has their own odd rules about mortgages.
Any kind of operation takes a lot out of you despite what the doctors say. It isn't just the actual event but the build up and anxiety about healing etc. It's good to hear that you are healing up well, Susan.
143vancouverdeb
I was just going to second what Meg said. In Canada, a foreclosure means you still have to pay off the mortgage, if selling the property does not pay off the mortgage. It's my understanding that in the US, you cam somehow claim your mortgage debt as a credit on your yearly tax form, ( ? ) but not in Canada.
144charl08
I don't know your feelings on Bill Bryson, Susan, but he has a book where he walks the Appalachian trail - A Walk in the Woods.
I wonder, when I go into H&B, how they square the protein powders with the health foods. It's one of those bizarre shop decisions (like keys and shoe repair).
I wonder, when I go into H&B, how they square the protein powders with the health foods. It's one of those bizarre shop decisions (like keys and shoe repair).
145susanj67
>140 rosalita: Julia, I think Overdrive could have chosen something much better for the Big Read scheme. It strikes me as a lost opportunity.
>141 thornton37814: Thanks Lori!
>142 Familyhistorian: Meg, I walk up Dock Street from time to time, if I'm going up into the City :-) If you've been there, and you stood at the intersection with The Highway looking towards the river, you might be interested to see what's taking the place of the News UK complex on the Wapping side: https://www.berkeleygroup.co.uk/new-homes/london/wapping/london-dock
>143 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deborah. The US seems very different :-)
>144 charl08: Charlotte, I had forgotten about that Bryson book! I like him a lot. And I agree about H&B. They have also gone too far into sugary-snacks-masquerading-as-health-food, but I suppose that's what sells, particularly at the Wharf where people are buying little things rather than doing a big shop. I must investigate their grain collection at some point. The protein powders are in a little section around the corner at the back of the shop now, so all the bodybuilders can admire themselves in peace :-)
I started A Problem From Hell last night, which isn't as hard as I thought it would be (comprehension-wise. The subject-matter is depressing). Then I started The Last of the Greenwoods, which is just OK at this point. Enough had happened by page 50 that I was motivated to keep going, which is just as well as it's due back on Monday.
>141 thornton37814: Thanks Lori!
>142 Familyhistorian: Meg, I walk up Dock Street from time to time, if I'm going up into the City :-) If you've been there, and you stood at the intersection with The Highway looking towards the river, you might be interested to see what's taking the place of the News UK complex on the Wapping side: https://www.berkeleygroup.co.uk/new-homes/london/wapping/london-dock
>143 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deborah. The US seems very different :-)
>144 charl08: Charlotte, I had forgotten about that Bryson book! I like him a lot. And I agree about H&B. They have also gone too far into sugary-snacks-masquerading-as-health-food, but I suppose that's what sells, particularly at the Wharf where people are buying little things rather than doing a big shop. I must investigate their grain collection at some point. The protein powders are in a little section around the corner at the back of the shop now, so all the bodybuilders can admire themselves in peace :-)
I started A Problem From Hell last night, which isn't as hard as I thought it would be (comprehension-wise. The subject-matter is depressing). Then I started The Last of the Greenwoods, which is just OK at this point. Enough had happened by page 50 that I was motivated to keep going, which is just as well as it's due back on Monday.
146charl08
I've started experimenting with their various dairy replacement foods. So far the icecream has been a bust, with lots of beautifully named, but fairly grim tasting soy/coconut based alternatives. The cheese one though (philadelphia type) seems ok - called something like Shmeese, which amuses me.
Hope the Samantha Power book continues to be good. I should read her. Such an amazing career.
I picked up seven reserves from the library this morning, so enough to be going on with for now, I think.
Hope the Samantha Power book continues to be good. I should read her. Such an amazing career.
I picked up seven reserves from the library this morning, so enough to be going on with for now, I think.
147susanj67
Yay, we are BACK! Goodness yesterday was quiet :-)
>146 charl08: Charlotte, I haven't braved the H&B icecream alternatives, but the Alpro range at ordinary supermarkets is good. When I win the lottery I plan to try Booja-Booja, which is £6 for half a litre (which is less than a pint, for US readers) http://www.boojabooja.com/ice-cream/
42. The Last of the Greenwoods by Clare Morrall
I picked this up at the library because I liked the cover, and it was a decent enough read. The main characters all had something in their past that was stopping them living happily in the present, and it was interesting to see how the author handled that.
I made a good start on Paradise in Chains on the weekend, and more progress with A Problem from Hell. And when I took the Greenwoods back to the library this morning, nothing grabbed me (again!) so I should be able to focus on those two unless something comes in for me in the e library. I have maxed out my e holds and reserves, but only two hard copies are in transit so far.
>146 charl08: Charlotte, I haven't braved the H&B icecream alternatives, but the Alpro range at ordinary supermarkets is good. When I win the lottery I plan to try Booja-Booja, which is £6 for half a litre (which is less than a pint, for US readers) http://www.boojabooja.com/ice-cream/
42. The Last of the Greenwoods by Clare Morrall
I picked this up at the library because I liked the cover, and it was a decent enough read. The main characters all had something in their past that was stopping them living happily in the present, and it was interesting to see how the author handled that.
I made a good start on Paradise in Chains on the weekend, and more progress with A Problem from Hell. And when I took the Greenwoods back to the library this morning, nothing grabbed me (again!) so I should be able to focus on those two unless something comes in for me in the e library. I have maxed out my e holds and reserves, but only two hard copies are in transit so far.
148charl08
Gosh. I was beginning to wonder if Litsy had staged a counter-strike.
Taking a break fromhitting my head against the computer feebly murmuring 'no' in the direction of the database learning a new tech skill. Exciting times.
I think I have unreasonable expectations of dairy free ice cream (not a fan of the Alpro). I've not seen booja one though. Cashew nut sounds like it would be calorie intensive!
Taking a break from
I think I have unreasonable expectations of dairy free ice cream (not a fan of the Alpro). I've not seen booja one though. Cashew nut sounds like it would be calorie intensive!
149susanj67
>148 charl08: Charlotte, I feel your pain. Our new intranet launched today, so I had a look at an online tutorial on page editing. It quickly got far too complicated, so I decided to just try a couple of my pages. So far so good, but I can't do anything fancy. I suppose I could always watch the tutorial again.
150Helenliz
>148 charl08: I'm not familiar with dairy free ice cream. Part of me thinks I'd rahter have good sorbet over bad ice cream.
It was a very quiet day with no LT. First day back at work after a week off. I did remember my password, which is always a good start!
It was a very quiet day with no LT. First day back at work after a week off. I did remember my password, which is always a good start!
151susanj67
>150 Helenliz: Helen, you mean you don't write your passwords on post-it notes and stick them to your screen?
I found yesterday spookily quiet - I'm forever checking in and seeing what's going on, but yesterday I just had to read my books and try and clear a few programmes off the PVR.
I found yesterday spookily quiet - I'm forever checking in and seeing what's going on, but yesterday I just had to read my books and try and clear a few programmes off the PVR.
152kiwiflowa
Hi Susan, just been perusing through your thread and see that you have been recovering from an op. Hope you are doing well. You aren't wrong about the dressings! "There are even "disposable" scissors, which I fully expect to have for at least another 20 years." lol
I had an op several years ago that took a full year to heal, daily nurse visits at first then I learned what to do and would pop in once a week to get it seen by a nurse and otherwise take care of it myself - I accumulated a mountain of that stuff and actually just threw out the last of it last month. Seemed so wasteful but felt so good at the same time.
I had an op several years ago that took a full year to heal, daily nurse visits at first then I learned what to do and would pop in once a week to get it seen by a nurse and otherwise take care of it myself - I accumulated a mountain of that stuff and actually just threw out the last of it last month. Seemed so wasteful but felt so good at the same time.
153BLBera
>124 susanj67: Sounds really interesting; I'll look for that one.
>134 susanj67: What a whiner. I'll skip it because my feelings will probably match yours.
Glad the nose is still attached. :)
>134 susanj67: What a whiner. I'll skip it because my feelings will probably match yours.
Glad the nose is still attached. :)
154charl08
>149 susanj67: Today has been a computer says no day. Hoping for better things tomorrow!
155susanj67
>152 kiwiflowa: Lisa, I am doing fine, thanks. In fact, I had an appointment this afternoon and I am now down to a tiny Band-Aid. Woo-hoo! Yours sounds like a much bigger thing - I can't imagine how it must have felt to go through it for a whole year. Well done on getting rid of the dressings, though. That must have felt good.
>153 BLBera: Hi Beth! Common Ground is excellent, and I passed it on to Booky Work Friend who started it immediately and said she wanted to stay home this morning and continue with it :-)
>154 charl08: Charlotte, I always hope for better things, computer-wise.
The surgeon said everything is looking good this afternoon. There is just a bit in the middle of the graft where it it is still healing. "You don't need a bandage any more," he said, but the nurse and I both looked appalled and she quickly produced some tiny Band-Aids. Whew! Medically I might not, but cosmetically I certainly do :-) But I am to leave the Band-Aid off at home, which is fine because there is no-one to look at me.
In non-nose-related news, my April Beauty Box arrived from Look Fantastic last night, and it's another excellent collection. Look away now if you don't want spoilers.
In the box there was:
A copy of Elle magazine
A 15ml size of the Emma Hardie moringa cleansing balm, which was also in the M&S Advent calendar, and it is my *favourite thing in the world*. https://www.lookfantastic.com/emma-hardie-moringa-cleansing-balm-with-profession...
A 15ml size of the Nuxe Creme fraiche de beaute Creme Hydratante 48H https://www.lookfantastic.com/nuxe-creme-fraiche-de-beaute-moisturiser-for-dry-s...
A 15g sample of GlamGlow's Supermud Clearing Treatment https://www.lookfantastic.com/glamglow-supermud-mask-15g/11422900.html (This is the same size as the sample, oddly)
NIP+FAB Glycolic Fix Daily Cleansing Pads - a little pack of ten https://www.lookfantastic.com/nip-fab-glycolic-fix-daily-cleansing-pads-60-pads/...
Vegan by Dr Botanicals Bergamot & Poppy Seed Smoothing Body Exfoliating Bar (or "soap") which smells so amazing that I might just keep it as a room fragrance :-) Holy carp, it retails for £19.90!! https://www.drbotanicals.com/bath-body/soaps-bodywashes/bergamot-poppy-seed-smoo...
A Pur Fully Charged Mascara ("powered by magnetic technology") in a 4ml sample size. https://www.lookfantastic.com/pur-fully-charged-magnetic-mascara-13ml-black/1126...
So lots of fun things to try there, although the mascaras are starting to stack up.
>153 BLBera: Hi Beth! Common Ground is excellent, and I passed it on to Booky Work Friend who started it immediately and said she wanted to stay home this morning and continue with it :-)
>154 charl08: Charlotte, I always hope for better things, computer-wise.
The surgeon said everything is looking good this afternoon. There is just a bit in the middle of the graft where it it is still healing. "You don't need a bandage any more," he said, but the nurse and I both looked appalled and she quickly produced some tiny Band-Aids. Whew! Medically I might not, but cosmetically I certainly do :-) But I am to leave the Band-Aid off at home, which is fine because there is no-one to look at me.
In non-nose-related news, my April Beauty Box arrived from Look Fantastic last night, and it's another excellent collection. Look away now if you don't want spoilers.
In the box there was:
A copy of Elle magazine
A 15ml size of the Emma Hardie moringa cleansing balm, which was also in the M&S Advent calendar, and it is my *favourite thing in the world*. https://www.lookfantastic.com/emma-hardie-moringa-cleansing-balm-with-profession...
A 15ml size of the Nuxe Creme fraiche de beaute Creme Hydratante 48H https://www.lookfantastic.com/nuxe-creme-fraiche-de-beaute-moisturiser-for-dry-s...
A 15g sample of GlamGlow's Supermud Clearing Treatment https://www.lookfantastic.com/glamglow-supermud-mask-15g/11422900.html (This is the same size as the sample, oddly)
NIP+FAB Glycolic Fix Daily Cleansing Pads - a little pack of ten https://www.lookfantastic.com/nip-fab-glycolic-fix-daily-cleansing-pads-60-pads/...
Vegan by Dr Botanicals Bergamot & Poppy Seed Smoothing Body Exfoliating Bar (or "soap") which smells so amazing that I might just keep it as a room fragrance :-) Holy carp, it retails for £19.90!! https://www.drbotanicals.com/bath-body/soaps-bodywashes/bergamot-poppy-seed-smoo...
A Pur Fully Charged Mascara ("powered by magnetic technology") in a 4ml sample size. https://www.lookfantastic.com/pur-fully-charged-magnetic-mascara-13ml-black/1126...
So lots of fun things to try there, although the mascaras are starting to stack up.
156rosalita
Magnetic mascara, eh? That sounds rather odd. I did watch someone in a YouTube video attempt to put on false eyelashes that were magnetic and it was very amusing. But I'm struggling to figure out how mascara could be magnetic.
157Helenliz
Excellent news on the healing nose. Hopefully you'll be healed and plaster free very soon.
Liking the beauty box. I'm still in love with my orange and bergamot shower gel, so liking the sound of the soap. But at that price I'll stick to my usual bar of Pears.
Liking the beauty box. I'm still in love with my orange and bergamot shower gel, so liking the sound of the soap. But at that price I'll stick to my usual bar of Pears.
158susanj67
>156 rosalita: Julia, according to the booklet from the box, "Harnessing new generation magnetic technology within their unique formula through a Magnetic Polymer Matrix that binds each lash in a positive electric charge, it delivers a striking, dramatic lash effect - technical, but exciting!" I'm not sure that actually means anything. Those Ardell magnetic lashes are hilarious though - the vloggers have all been trying them recently and some say they're amazing, but most of the ones I've seen have admitted to struggling for an hour off camera and/or still not being able to get them to work. They have featured heavily in the "March fails" videos.
>157 Helenliz: Helen, I really don't know who buys this stuff. £20 for a bar of soap! I'm too scared to use it now. Or maybe, under the top layer of soap, there's a gold ingot. Or something.
>157 Helenliz: Helen, I really don't know who buys this stuff. £20 for a bar of soap! I'm too scared to use it now. Or maybe, under the top layer of soap, there's a gold ingot. Or something.
159rosalita
>158 susanj67: Now I'm picturing all your eyelashes standing at attention! I think you're going to have to do a before-and-after closeup of your eye when you try that magnetic mascara, Susan. For the sake of science, of course!
160susanj67
>159 rosalita: Julia, I might just do that! For science...
This morning Exceeding My Brief was waiting at the library for me. It's "Memoirs of a disobedient civil servant" and I read a good interview with the author. Also it fits the PopSugar category for a book written by a LGBT person. And I saw World Without Mind on the new books shelf, so I got that too. Heh. FLA asked me whether I had any recommendations and my mind went blank. Now I can think of some. Maybe I should write a list and keep it in my bag and hand it over next time I see him...
This morning Exceeding My Brief was waiting at the library for me. It's "Memoirs of a disobedient civil servant" and I read a good interview with the author. Also it fits the PopSugar category for a book written by a LGBT person. And I saw World Without Mind on the new books shelf, so I got that too. Heh. FLA asked me whether I had any recommendations and my mind went blank. Now I can think of some. Maybe I should write a list and keep it in my bag and hand it over next time I see him...
162susanj67
>161 BekkaJo: Thanks Bekka :-) I think I will go out and do some steps on the weekend, after three weeks of sitting still!
163susanj67
I'm reading the Google "right to be forgotten" decision https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/nt1-Nnt2-v-google-2018-E... about whether Google should have to de-list from its search results certain articles relating to the claimants' private lives. Because it's a privacy-related decision, it's heavily anonymised. The judge has chosen to refer to various people involved as:
Mr Steinbeck
Mr Fitzgerald
Mr Heller
Mr Wolfe
Mr Roth
I think I see what he did there.
This will get a lot of press, but it will also go all the way to the Supreme Court I think.
Mr Steinbeck
Mr Fitzgerald
Mr Heller
Mr Wolfe
Mr Roth
I think I see what he did there.
This will get a lot of press, but it will also go all the way to the Supreme Court I think.
164LovingLit
The Last of the Greenwoods looks so retro- or is it actually old??!! ;)
>163 susanj67: At least we know one thing, it's a cool judge!!
>163 susanj67: At least we know one thing, it's a cool judge!!
165rosalita
>163 susanj67: As a former journalist, I have mixed feelings about the "right to be forgotten" issue, though I can't say I've studied it in-depth. I think you should have the right to have inaccurate information permanently removed from search engines, but if I stole a car at 14 and the local newspaper wrote a story about it, that info belongs to the world and I have no right to try to scrub it out of existence.
I'm willing to be persuaded otherwise by a compelling argument, though.
And you have to like a judge who knows his authors!
I'm willing to be persuaded otherwise by a compelling argument, though.
And you have to like a judge who knows his authors!
166susanj67
>164 LovingLit: Megan, it's a brand new book, but I did love that cover :-)
>165 rosalita: Julia, I agree with you - to me it is like trying to change history, and only people who are wealthy enough can afford to do it. The case was just against Google, and the judge made clear that it would only affect the listing of search results, and would not mean that the actual articles on e.g. newspapers' own websites would have to be taken down, but claimants here are already asking for that when they sue media outlets in privacy cases. The articles will also show up on Google if another search term is used, so if someone was part of a conspiracy to do something, they may succeed in getting their article delisted if their own name is searched, but it will still pop up if a co-conspirator's name is the search term. It's being reported here as a loss for Goggle, but actually only one of the claimants succeeded, and his "crime" had been conspiracy to carry out surveillance, which was more minor than the other claimant's crime, which was fraud on a fairly significant scale. The court agreed with Google that the fraudster's case should fail, and they did not have to delink his articles.
I went out this morning and discovered that it is too hot for puffa. In the middle of April. I mean really. But I did all my steps! I tried the cheesy bacon flatbread at the fancy new McDonald's near St Paul's, and it is not worth the bother. I wanted to test it before my friend comes from NZ in May, as they don't have it there, but we can do better with breakfasts. Then I did a loop around to Liverpool Street, and got the bus home, because I do want to read a bit today. I bought a full size of the primer I love from M&S, and accidentally a pair of pyjama bottoms and a sample size of the Origins Original Skin Retexturising mask with Rose Clay, which they had at the till. There may also have been purchases at Superdrug/Boots of a Maybelline cream eyeshadow and two Sleek liquid shadows, but none of those were my fault. I was reading a Sali Hughes beauty column in the Guardian one minutes, and next thing...
But my greatest achievement this morning was a trial of the false eyelashes I bought a few weeks ago. I've never tried them before, because I think in the 80s they were probably a bit enormous and obvious, but there are a lot more around now (or at least I am paying attention to them) and the Eyelure ones I tried looked *excellent* and were no trouble to put on at all. I tried these ones: http://www.boots.com/eylure-accent-lashes-003-10228136?cm_mmc=bmm-_-Google+Boots... Definitely a fan, although I'd still like to show up at work with these ones and see if anyone noticed: https://tartecosmetics.com/EU/en_GB/makeup/eyes/mermaid-lashes/846733024353.html...
>165 rosalita: Julia, I agree with you - to me it is like trying to change history, and only people who are wealthy enough can afford to do it. The case was just against Google, and the judge made clear that it would only affect the listing of search results, and would not mean that the actual articles on e.g. newspapers' own websites would have to be taken down, but claimants here are already asking for that when they sue media outlets in privacy cases. The articles will also show up on Google if another search term is used, so if someone was part of a conspiracy to do something, they may succeed in getting their article delisted if their own name is searched, but it will still pop up if a co-conspirator's name is the search term. It's being reported here as a loss for Goggle, but actually only one of the claimants succeeded, and his "crime" had been conspiracy to carry out surveillance, which was more minor than the other claimant's crime, which was fraud on a fairly significant scale. The court agreed with Google that the fraudster's case should fail, and they did not have to delink his articles.
I went out this morning and discovered that it is too hot for puffa. In the middle of April. I mean really. But I did all my steps! I tried the cheesy bacon flatbread at the fancy new McDonald's near St Paul's, and it is not worth the bother. I wanted to test it before my friend comes from NZ in May, as they don't have it there, but we can do better with breakfasts. Then I did a loop around to Liverpool Street, and got the bus home, because I do want to read a bit today. I bought a full size of the primer I love from M&S, and accidentally a pair of pyjama bottoms and a sample size of the Origins Original Skin Retexturising mask with Rose Clay, which they had at the till. There may also have been purchases at Superdrug/Boots of a Maybelline cream eyeshadow and two Sleek liquid shadows, but none of those were my fault. I was reading a Sali Hughes beauty column in the Guardian one minutes, and next thing...
But my greatest achievement this morning was a trial of the false eyelashes I bought a few weeks ago. I've never tried them before, because I think in the 80s they were probably a bit enormous and obvious, but there are a lot more around now (or at least I am paying attention to them) and the Eyelure ones I tried looked *excellent* and were no trouble to put on at all. I tried these ones: http://www.boots.com/eylure-accent-lashes-003-10228136?cm_mmc=bmm-_-Google+Boots... Definitely a fan, although I'd still like to show up at work with these ones and see if anyone noticed: https://tartecosmetics.com/EU/en_GB/makeup/eyes/mermaid-lashes/846733024353.html...
167susanj67
And now a book review!
43. Paradise in Chains: The Bounty Mutiny and the Founding of Australia by Diana Preston
This is an excellent look at the very early days of exploration in the South Pacific, focusing on the "First Fleet" of convicts to Australia, and William Bligh's mission at around the same time to obtain breadfruit from Tahiti and take the plants to the West Indies as food for plantation slaves (eventually the breadfruit got there, in a trip following the mutiny, but the slaves refused to eat it). I've read a bit about the First Fleet and early Australia before (A Fatal Shore, for instance) but I liked the way that both stories were woven together in this book. Very highly recommended, and I'm going to use this one for the PopSugar category involving a villain, because Bligh was awful.
43. Paradise in Chains: The Bounty Mutiny and the Founding of Australia by Diana Preston
This is an excellent look at the very early days of exploration in the South Pacific, focusing on the "First Fleet" of convicts to Australia, and William Bligh's mission at around the same time to obtain breadfruit from Tahiti and take the plants to the West Indies as food for plantation slaves (eventually the breadfruit got there, in a trip following the mutiny, but the slaves refused to eat it). I've read a bit about the First Fleet and early Australia before (A Fatal Shore, for instance) but I liked the way that both stories were woven together in this book. Very highly recommended, and I'm going to use this one for the PopSugar category involving a villain, because Bligh was awful.
168BLBera
>167 susanj67: This one looks excellent, Susan. Nice review.
169susanj67
>168 BLBera: Thanks Beth :-)
44. Exceeding My Brief: Memoirs of a Disobedient Civil Servant by Barbara Hosking
I chose this for the PopSugar category "A book with a LGBTQ+ protagonist". The writer looks back on a long career doing all sorts of things in secretarial work, Government, the Independent Broadcasting Authority and two TV companies, as well as charity work. It's the sort of career that I don't think many people would have these days, as everything is so specialised now. It was a quick read, but I enjoyed it.
44. Exceeding My Brief: Memoirs of a Disobedient Civil Servant by Barbara Hosking
I chose this for the PopSugar category "A book with a LGBTQ+ protagonist". The writer looks back on a long career doing all sorts of things in secretarial work, Government, the Independent Broadcasting Authority and two TV companies, as well as charity work. It's the sort of career that I don't think many people would have these days, as everything is so specialised now. It was a quick read, but I enjoyed it.
170charl08
>169 susanj67: Gosh, I bet she has some good dinner party stories.
>167 susanj67: Does sound good (and a good match for the challenge). Bligh always gets credited with being so good at navigating when he got chucked off the Bounty, but surely there were nice(r) people in charge who were also good at that too?
>167 susanj67: Does sound good (and a good match for the challenge). Bligh always gets credited with being so good at navigating when he got chucked off the Bounty, but surely there were nice(r) people in charge who were also good at that too?
171susanj67
>170 charl08: Charlotte, yes, I bet she would. There were some funny incidents in the book where she met hugely famous people, and then met them again as part of her job and her colleagues were amazed at the excellent connections of a junior employee. The Bligh book did have a good look at other members of the crew, and all the spin that Bligh put on his actions through letters home. I haven't read that much about the Mutiny, so this was a good introduction to it.
45. Reliquary by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
This is book 2 in the series, and was Very Silly. Just as silly, in fact, as book 1, in which Mbwun, a strange Amazonian beast, was roaming the basement of the New York Museum of Natural History, gobbling up unsuspecting staff and visitors. But Mbwun died at the end of the first book. Didn't it? When the headless body of an affluent New York socialite is discovered in New York harbour, Margo Green, Lieutenant D'Agosta and Agent Pendergast are once again on the case, and their attention is drawn to similar murders among the "mole people" who live in the underground tunnels of the city. And there are disturbing similarities to Mbwun's MO...
45. Reliquary by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
This is book 2 in the series, and was Very Silly. Just as silly, in fact, as book 1, in which Mbwun, a strange Amazonian beast, was roaming the basement of the New York Museum of Natural History, gobbling up unsuspecting staff and visitors. But Mbwun died at the end of the first book. Didn't it? When the headless body of an affluent New York socialite is discovered in New York harbour, Margo Green, Lieutenant D'Agosta and Agent Pendergast are once again on the case, and their attention is drawn to similar murders among the "mole people" who live in the underground tunnels of the city. And there are disturbing similarities to Mbwun's MO...
172susanj67
46. World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech by Franklin Foer
This is a very good (and recent) look at the way in which "GAFA" (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon) has taken control over what we read and see on the internet, and the impact that it is having on us. There is a brief reference to the election of Donald Trump as an example, but also an interesting reference to Google's work for the 2012 Obama campaign, which I hadn't read about before. I liked this, although the one LT review takes issue with part of it and recommends another couple of books (sigh...added to wishlist) and the author makes a very valid point about the way in which little or no value is now attached to professions like writing (including journalism), which means that eventually it will just be something open to the rich. Very thought-provoking. And I'm going to use this for the PopSugar prompt "A book that involves a bookstore or library", because Amazon started as the first* and Google wants to contain all of human output, so fits with "library".
* I was interested to learn that Jeff Bezos didn't start Amazon because of any love of books - he just did lots of research into a product that would be relatively sturdy and easy to source and ship. and books won over e.g. office supplies and socks.
173Crazymamie
Happy Sunday, Susan! Paradise in Chains is going on The List.
Your latest beauty box looks like it was full of fabulous!
Your latest beauty box looks like it was full of fabulous!
174charl08
>171 susanj67: Have you read the one about Pitcairn by Dea Birkett - Serpent in Paradise. Apart from that, I haven't read much about the Bounty either, so not sure where I've picked up the idea of his skill.
175susanj67
>173 Crazymamie: Mamie, the beauty boxes are such fun :-) I was going to try the GlamGlow mask today but I tried the one I bought yesterday instead - soooo good!
>174 charl08: Charlotte, I haven't read that one, although I see there is one on Amazon for 66p...But a few other titles show up there and the library has one of them, so I'll have a look for that tomorrow.
I was going to carry on with A Problem from Hell today, but I'm up to the bit on Iraq and it's 88 pages. Maybe there is something pressing on the Netflix that I have to watch.
>174 charl08: Charlotte, I haven't read that one, although I see there is one on Amazon for 66p...But a few other titles show up there and the library has one of them, so I'll have a look for that tomorrow.
I was going to carry on with A Problem from Hell today, but I'm up to the bit on Iraq and it's 88 pages. Maybe there is something pressing on the Netflix that I have to watch.
176BekkaJo
So many reviews! Love the wide variation in books ;)
Hope you had a lovely weekend - we finally have some sun, so I for one am happy that the puffa jacket can go into the cupboard till next year. Or next week. This is still Britain we are talking about...
Hope you had a lovely weekend - we finally have some sun, so I for one am happy that the puffa jacket can go into the cupboard till next year. Or next week. This is still Britain we are talking about...
177susanj67
>176 BekkaJo: Hi Bekka! Lovely weekend, thanks - even if the puffa may be consigned to the hall cupboard shortly (sob).
I just returned some books to the library, and FLA was on the desk. I remembered to recommend The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock. He said the book club there had just done The Brothers Karamazov. That seemed quite hard for a book club choice. Anyway, as he was issuing my new books, I asked him whether there was a way to have more than 12 reserves, and he said I could ask the staff, indicating that there was indeed. Ha! The day before I retire I'm going to go in and say "Everything on my wish list, please." There are currently 251 things on it. I don't think that's so unreasonable.
I just returned some books to the library, and FLA was on the desk. I remembered to recommend The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock. He said the book club there had just done The Brothers Karamazov. That seemed quite hard for a book club choice. Anyway, as he was issuing my new books, I asked him whether there was a way to have more than 12 reserves, and he said I could ask the staff, indicating that there was indeed. Ha! The day before I retire I'm going to go in and say "Everything on my wish list, please." There are currently 251 things on it. I don't think that's so unreasonable.
178Helenliz
Morning Susan, it is a lovely day today. I've moved from my long wool winter coat to my fleece, the wool scarf replaced with the silk one and the fur hat has been retired for another year. The seasons they are a-turning.
I love me a bit of sun and warmth.
I read The Brothers Karamazov, not what I'd have thought normal fare for a book club. I found it hard going and a bit impenetrable.
I don't know that I've ever run into a reserve limit. I may need to try that one day, just to find the boundaries...
I love me a bit of sun and warmth.
I read The Brothers Karamazov, not what I'd have thought normal fare for a book club. I found it hard going and a bit impenetrable.
I don't know that I've ever run into a reserve limit. I may need to try that one day, just to find the boundaries...
179charl08
>177 susanj67: Making a plan for 2048, or whenever the government decides by then is the day I get to claim a pension (70? 75?)
180RebaRelishesReading
>177 susanj67: Not unreasonable at all. When you aren't working you can probably work through those in a week :)
182susanj67
>178 Helenliz: Helen, it's even warmer today, and supposed to be the hottest April 19 for 70 years! I'd love to know who gets to look up the records for the news headlines.
>179 charl08: Charlotte, well, it's good to be prepared.
>180 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, I wish!!
>181 charl08: Thanks Charlotte :-) I have had a busy few days running meetings and calls as one of the girls was on holiday for a few days. So much admin! I usually sit in my office writing stuff, not trying to wrangle people onto calls and resist glaring at them when they start a whole new topic with 90 seconds to go.
But on the reading front, I have made it through Iraq and Bosnia in the genocide book, and next up is Rwanda. I have read We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families so I wonder how much I can remember. I'm also reading the first (of course) in a new crime series, and I've started a book about Pitcairn. I'm planning a weekend on the balcony, so I want to have plenty to be getting on with.
>179 charl08: Charlotte, well, it's good to be prepared.
>180 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, I wish!!
>181 charl08: Thanks Charlotte :-) I have had a busy few days running meetings and calls as one of the girls was on holiday for a few days. So much admin! I usually sit in my office writing stuff, not trying to wrangle people onto calls and resist glaring at them when they start a whole new topic with 90 seconds to go.
But on the reading front, I have made it through Iraq and Bosnia in the genocide book, and next up is Rwanda. I have read We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families so I wonder how much I can remember. I'm also reading the first (of course) in a new crime series, and I've started a book about Pitcairn. I'm planning a weekend on the balcony, so I want to have plenty to be getting on with.
184charl08
That does sound like a heavy book. I hesitate to recommend When I Hit You which I've just finished, a novel about domestic violence. But it is very very good, so I will anyway...
185susanj67
>183 LovingLit: Megan, there are a lot of facts in it, but the author does a great job of explaining it all. Sadly it seems to be easier to understand these things in hindsight than at the time it's going on, with each side briefing against the other.
>184 charl08: Charlotte, heavy but worthwhile. I'm going to try and read the Rwanda and Srebrenica chapters this weekend, which will leave Kosovo and the ending. It was published in 2002, so more recent stuff isn't covered. I do want to see what else she's written, though.
47. The Deep Blue Goodbye by John D MacDonald
This is the first in a series about Travis McGee, a "salvage consultant", who makes his living by recovering things for people, and taking a cut of the proceeds. Like Jack Reacher, he works only when he needs money, and the rest of the time he spends on his boat, the Busted Flush, in Florida. Although the cover looks modern, and contains a recommendation from Lee Child, this book was originally published in 1964. I loved the writing, and Travis, and the setting. While I didn't really need yet another series (there are 21 books in this one), I got it because, um:
1. One of the PopSugar categories is a book with my favourite colour in the title
2. My favourite colour is purple.
3. The third book in this series is A Purple Place for Dying.
Ahem.
Today I left the house *without a coat*. I can't remember the last time that happened. It is hot, hot, hot! And the weekend is supposed to be even hotter, which will not be great for the marathon runners on Sunday. People with puffa coats to wash and put away should benefit, however.
>184 charl08: Charlotte, heavy but worthwhile. I'm going to try and read the Rwanda and Srebrenica chapters this weekend, which will leave Kosovo and the ending. It was published in 2002, so more recent stuff isn't covered. I do want to see what else she's written, though.
47. The Deep Blue Goodbye by John D MacDonald
This is the first in a series about Travis McGee, a "salvage consultant", who makes his living by recovering things for people, and taking a cut of the proceeds. Like Jack Reacher, he works only when he needs money, and the rest of the time he spends on his boat, the Busted Flush, in Florida. Although the cover looks modern, and contains a recommendation from Lee Child, this book was originally published in 1964. I loved the writing, and Travis, and the setting. While I didn't really need yet another series (there are 21 books in this one), I got it because, um:
1. One of the PopSugar categories is a book with my favourite colour in the title
2. My favourite colour is purple.
3. The third book in this series is A Purple Place for Dying.
Ahem.
Today I left the house *without a coat*. I can't remember the last time that happened. It is hot, hot, hot! And the weekend is supposed to be even hotter, which will not be great for the marathon runners on Sunday. People with puffa coats to wash and put away should benefit, however.
187susanj67
>186 BekkaJo: Bekka, my area is blocked off by the running route along The Highway, so there is no road traffic in or out all day (the one day of the year that Waitrose actually has a valid excuse for having e.g. no bread or milk). But the tube is OK (assuming the station isn't closed due to overcrowding...).
188rosalita
>185 susanj67: Oh, Susan, you have so much good reading ahead of you with ole Travis! I read the whole series (in order!) over the course of a couple of years recently, and was sorry when I finished. His attitude toward women is ... complicated, but very much of its time. It's disheartening that so many of the concerns he had about overdevelopment and the environment in Florida turned out to be spot-on.
189susanj67
>188 rosalita: Julia, that's good to hear! I think the e-library has all of the books, so there should always be one available. I had to reserve the first one, but that's not unusual for first ones.
The office is *empty* today. I asked one of the Young People where everyone was, and he reminded me that it's the departmental ski trip. We both looked smug at not being away in the cold, doing exercise.
The office is *empty* today. I asked one of the Young People where everyone was, and he reminded me that it's the departmental ski trip. We both looked smug at not being away in the cold, doing exercise.
190katiekrug
Oh my goodness, I love your explanation of how you came to read the MacDonald book! Classic Susan and a perfect example of why we love you :)
Also got a chuckle out of looking smug about not being on the ski trip...
Enjoy your hot weekend! We are supposed to get some sustained sun and decent temps (in the 60sF)...
Also got a chuckle out of looking smug about not being on the ski trip...
Enjoy your hot weekend! We are supposed to get some sustained sun and decent temps (in the 60sF)...
191Crazymamie
What Katie said about both the MacDonald book and the ski trip, Susan! We are in the 70s all weekend, so perfect weather for reading on the screened-in porch. I am trying to soak it up before summer moves in and makes it completely unbearable out there.
192Familyhistorian
>145 susanj67: Thanks for the link to the new developments, Susan. Now I know what they mean about the prices in London although the prices in Vancouver are beyond my reach as well. When I was on Dock Street I didn't get a very good view of the highway, there were all these runners in the way, some kind of marathon thing?
Enjoy your warm weather. It looks like we have similar weather coming up next week.
Enjoy your warm weather. It looks like we have similar weather coming up next week.
193susanj67
>190 katiekrug: Katie, I thought I could probably confess it here...and only here :-) I hope you have some decent temperatures. I just saw one of the beauty vloggers on Instagram in NYC and she said it was freezing (but she is from Miami).
>191 Crazymamie: Mamie, I hope you get lots of porch time! I have the balcony door open and my puffa coat is about to finish its final spin. It is hot but breezy, which is perfect drying weather.
>192 Familyhistorian: Meg, yes, the prices are insane. And lots of the developments are so fancy that the service charges (for gyms, 24-hour concierges etc) are enormous. The Highway has a few things running along it - the actual London Marathon, but a couple of triathalons and other annoying things that shut us off from time to time, although not for as long as the proper marathon.
Today is gorgeous, which I may have already mentioned. I even woke up at 6am, and wondered whether I should start the day, but decided not to :-) I have loots to read, and that's what I plan to do for most of the day. I'll go outside a bit later once the sun isn't full on the balcony, because there is nowhere to hide :-)
>191 Crazymamie: Mamie, I hope you get lots of porch time! I have the balcony door open and my puffa coat is about to finish its final spin. It is hot but breezy, which is perfect drying weather.
>192 Familyhistorian: Meg, yes, the prices are insane. And lots of the developments are so fancy that the service charges (for gyms, 24-hour concierges etc) are enormous. The Highway has a few things running along it - the actual London Marathon, but a couple of triathalons and other annoying things that shut us off from time to time, although not for as long as the proper marathon.
Today is gorgeous, which I may have already mentioned. I even woke up at 6am, and wondered whether I should start the day, but decided not to :-) I have loots to read, and that's what I plan to do for most of the day. I'll go outside a bit later once the sun isn't full on the balcony, because there is nowhere to hide :-)
194PaulCranswick
>191 Crazymamie: Mamie's comments put me in mind of trying to read out on the balcony of my condo or by the pool. Great in theory but, boy, does it get hot and sticky out there. It also encourages sleep.
Have a lovely weekend, Susan.
Have a lovely weekend, Susan.
195charl08
The only thing that appeals about the ski-ing is the sitting in the hotel drinking hot chocolate and looking at the lovely views.
Garden is recovering from the snow, and birds have been going bonkers too. Hope the balcony is comfy! I should probably do errands. Boo. I just want to finish The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock which I have finally cracked on with (poor, I know!). V good reading.
Garden is recovering from the snow, and birds have been going bonkers too. Hope the balcony is comfy! I should probably do errands. Boo. I just want to finish The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock which I have finally cracked on with (poor, I know!). V good reading.
196vancouverdeb
I read Stay With Me last year and I was very keen on it. It was among my top reads. I hope you enjoy it, Susan.
197katiekrug
The weather is improving - it has been a bit chilly, but the weekend is supposed to be gorgeous (at least my idea of it - sunny and in the low to mid 60sF)!
198susanj67
>194 PaulCranswick: Paul, there is quite a breeze here today, so no chance of a nap outside for me! I hope your weekend is going well.
>195 charl08: Charlotte, even the apres-ski wouldn't get me to go. I was wondering how you were getting on with Mermaid. I hope you like it :-)
>196 vancouverdeb: Deborah, I know I've seen it around on LT - I'm so pleased to hear it was one of your top reads.
48. Trouble in Paradise by Kathy Marks
After Paradise in Chains, which was partly about the Bounty mutiny, and the founding of the community on Pitcairn Island, I inspected the library catalogue to see what else they had, and this one came up. It's the story of the child sex abuse trials that took place in the early 2000s, after allegations of widespread criminal activity on the island for decades. It's a disturbing subject, but this was a superb read. The author, who was writing about the case for the Independent and other outlets, covers the trial in the first part of the book (which involved weeks on the island with some very disgruntled locals) and then looks at how the behaviour carried on for so long with no-one saying anything. There's a lot of history in it (not so much about the original mutiny, but about what happened after that) and yards of legal geekery that interested me too.
Pitcairn is a British Overseas Territory, but a lot of Islanders live in New Zealand, Australia and Norfolk Island. The accused men on Pitcairn island exercised their right to trial there, which meant great quantities of lawyers and documents had to be transported there from New Zealand, and New Zealanders had to be sworn in as the judges, and then later as the Pitcairn Supreme Court. But the law on Pitcairn is English law. Those Islanders in Australia and New Zealand were tried in New Zealand, but the UK had to agree with New Zealand that hearings of the Pitcairn court could be held in New Zealand, and that required legislation. Appeals from the Pitcairn Supreme Court go to the Privy Council here in the UK, and the PC heard its first case from Pitcairn as part of these trials. There is no airstrip on the island, so everything has to be sent by boat, and collected by longboat as there is no jetty. All very complicated, and one of the main reasons why there was a campaign against trying (and eventually jailing) some of the men was that there would be no-one to crew the longboats, leaving the island totally cut off.
The author has a pretty poor view of the island and its people, and I agree with that based on what she's written, and some googling since I finished it. The narrative ended in 2008, with some of the defendants still in jail serving ridiculously short sentences, and being let out almost daily to assist with public works, and others released on home detention. At that time, TV had been introduced, and electricity all over the island. The author said that the British government had invested millions to try and improve the place and get more people to live there and diversify the community, so I was interested to see what had happened since then. One of the first links I came across was a story about new offending...this time the downloading of child porn by the Mayor. He was sentenced to 20 months' imprisonment in 2016, which he will serve if the Privy Council upholds the conviction. That appeal is due to be heard in May this year, but in the meantime he's free in the community, as were the original accused men while their appeals were heard. It's nuts. And, according to the official island website, the population is lower than ever. The locals think that the prosecutions were all part of a British conspiracy to withdraw support and make everyone leave but, as the author pointed out, no-one is very keen to take in convicted child abusers. They may well end up back here if the island is eventually shut. If that's the right word for an island...
>195 charl08: Charlotte, even the apres-ski wouldn't get me to go. I was wondering how you were getting on with Mermaid. I hope you like it :-)
>196 vancouverdeb: Deborah, I know I've seen it around on LT - I'm so pleased to hear it was one of your top reads.
48. Trouble in Paradise by Kathy Marks
After Paradise in Chains, which was partly about the Bounty mutiny, and the founding of the community on Pitcairn Island, I inspected the library catalogue to see what else they had, and this one came up. It's the story of the child sex abuse trials that took place in the early 2000s, after allegations of widespread criminal activity on the island for decades. It's a disturbing subject, but this was a superb read. The author, who was writing about the case for the Independent and other outlets, covers the trial in the first part of the book (which involved weeks on the island with some very disgruntled locals) and then looks at how the behaviour carried on for so long with no-one saying anything. There's a lot of history in it (not so much about the original mutiny, but about what happened after that) and yards of legal geekery that interested me too.
Pitcairn is a British Overseas Territory, but a lot of Islanders live in New Zealand, Australia and Norfolk Island. The accused men on Pitcairn island exercised their right to trial there, which meant great quantities of lawyers and documents had to be transported there from New Zealand, and New Zealanders had to be sworn in as the judges, and then later as the Pitcairn Supreme Court. But the law on Pitcairn is English law. Those Islanders in Australia and New Zealand were tried in New Zealand, but the UK had to agree with New Zealand that hearings of the Pitcairn court could be held in New Zealand, and that required legislation. Appeals from the Pitcairn Supreme Court go to the Privy Council here in the UK, and the PC heard its first case from Pitcairn as part of these trials. There is no airstrip on the island, so everything has to be sent by boat, and collected by longboat as there is no jetty. All very complicated, and one of the main reasons why there was a campaign against trying (and eventually jailing) some of the men was that there would be no-one to crew the longboats, leaving the island totally cut off.
The author has a pretty poor view of the island and its people, and I agree with that based on what she's written, and some googling since I finished it. The narrative ended in 2008, with some of the defendants still in jail serving ridiculously short sentences, and being let out almost daily to assist with public works, and others released on home detention. At that time, TV had been introduced, and electricity all over the island. The author said that the British government had invested millions to try and improve the place and get more people to live there and diversify the community, so I was interested to see what had happened since then. One of the first links I came across was a story about new offending...this time the downloading of child porn by the Mayor. He was sentenced to 20 months' imprisonment in 2016, which he will serve if the Privy Council upholds the conviction. That appeal is due to be heard in May this year, but in the meantime he's free in the community, as were the original accused men while their appeals were heard. It's nuts. And, according to the official island website, the population is lower than ever. The locals think that the prosecutions were all part of a British conspiracy to withdraw support and make everyone leave but, as the author pointed out, no-one is very keen to take in convicted child abusers. They may well end up back here if the island is eventually shut. If that's the right word for an island...
This topic was continued by SusanJ's 75 Books Challenge - Thread 5.
