SusanJ's 75 Books Challenge - Thread 5

Hello, and welcome to my fifth 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 100 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).

Books read during 2018

January

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

February

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

March

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

April

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
49. A Problem from Hell by Samantha Power
50. The Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
51. Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo
52. The Black Echo by Michael Connelly

May

53. The Ministry of Nostalgia by Owen Hatherley
54. The Circle by Dave Eggers
55. The Net Delusion by Evegeny Morozov
56. Love Story, With Murders by Harry Bingham
57. The BBC: The Myth of a Public Service by Tom Mills
58. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

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
2017 Evicted by Matthew Desmond
2016 Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS by Joby Warrick
2015 The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
2014 Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation by Dan Fagin
2013 Devil in the Grove by Gilbert King
2012 The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt
2011 The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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
2007 The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright
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
1998 Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
1997 Ashes To Ashes: America's Hundred-Year Cigarette War, The Public Health, And The Unabashed Triumph Of Philip Morris by Richard Kluger
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
1988 The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes
1987 Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land by David K Shipler
1986 Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families by J Anthony Lukas
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
1982 The Soul of A New Machine by Tracy Kidder
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
1977 Beautiful Swimmers by William W Warner
1976 Why Survive? Being Old In America by Robert N Butler
1975 Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
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
1962 The Making of the President 1960 by Theodore H White

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
28. A book with song lyrics in the title – Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo - COMPLETED
4. A book involving a heist - The Black Echo by Michael Connelly - COMPLETED
1. A book made into a movie you've already seen - The Circle by Dave Eggers - COMPLETED

Still to read

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
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 (thanks Charlotte!)

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

John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee

The Deep Blue Goodbye

Mal Sjowall's Martin Beck

Roseanna

Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch

The Black Echo

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's Agent Pendergast

Relic
Reliquary

Harry Bingham's Fiona Griffiths

Talking to the Dead
Love Story, With Murders

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

49. A Problem From Hell: America and the Age of Genocide by Samantha Power

This is my second Pulitzer winner of the year (go me!) and was such a good read that it only took me a little over a week. The author looks at America's failure to challenge genocide in the 20th century, although her criticisms could apply to most other countries as well. After an initial section looking at how "genocide" came to be a word, and the development of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, she then looks at specific instances, including Cambodia, Iraq, Bosnia (where there was so much that it took three chapters on the different areas in which it happened) and Rwanda. She blames the lack of action on a perception that there was nothing much to be gained from intervening (but a lot to lose in terms of criticism at home), and the loss of elections because constituents felt that their congress and senate representatives were spending too much time on matters that were nothing to do with local issues. I suspect it's the same everywhere. But (me now, not the author) the UK didn't do much either, and is apparently a haven for war criminals, including a number of Rwandan Hutus who are living here for free and no doubt working for Uber now, which is a haven for criminal scum.

Intervention is typically seen as troops on the ground, which will always be unpopular, but she points out other things that the US (and others) could have done, including just condemning the behaviour concerned, refusing to negotiate with warlords and keeping attention on what was going on, rather than thinking it was all too hard and both sides were probably to blame.

I think it's hard in a lot of places for Western powers to intervene, because they are inevitably criticised for acting like they did in colonial days and thinking they know what's best for other people. But, if they can stop genocide, then maybe they actually do.

I have two more hard-copy Pulitzer winners from my Better World Books order a couple of years ago, and my next one is going to be O Strange New World; American Culture: The Formative Years. Weirdly, this seems to have been published first in 1952, but it won the prize in 1965.

Happy new thread, Susan. From your last thread, I remember hearing about the Pitcairn situation on NPR years ago. How horrible it must be to live there. Trouble in Paradise sounds good.

>7 susanj67: This also sounds good - you are on a roll!

I hope you're having a lovely Sunday, reading on the balcony (with sunscreen).

>8 BLBera: Beth, I thought Trouble in Paradise was really well done. The author also mentioned the book that Charlotte posted on my last thread - Serpent in Paradise, which apparently all the Islanders *loathed*, so I really want to get that one too :-) Ooh, the UK Better World Books has it for £2.98. Sold!

Today has been beautiful - maybe a bit hot for the marathon, but lovely for everyone else. I've started watching How To Get Away With Murder on Netflix, but made myself stop after three episodes so I can do something else. Last night I watched Mercury 13, which is a brand new documentary on the women who tried to become astronauts, but were forced to make way for the men. It was excellent - highly recommended for Netflixers.

Happy new one Susan. I like books about Pitcairn but would avoid the actual place like the plague. We had perfect marathon weather - cool and wet. May have stepped into a bookshop and purchased a book or two...

>10 charl08: Charlotte, going to Pitcairn doesn't appeal to me either. But I have bought the Dea Birkett, along with six other things from Better World Books UK and US. The US site sent me a voucher code for Earth Day, so it seemed rude not to.

I also bought Montana 1948 and five Pulitzer winners that the library catalogue doesn't have.

Ooh, Montana 1948? Tempting...

>12 charl08: Yes, it's a mystery that the library doesn't have that one. It's in the catalogue, but there are 0 copies in the London Library Consortium. So they have it...but they don't.

Happy new thread. I hope you made the most of the sun to soak up some vitamin D while reading.
Having completed 1 marathon (with no intention of ever doing another one) I can't say that today was the best day to the covering that sort of distance. Marathon running is not a summer pursuit.

>13 susanj67: No sign of it in my county either. I suspect your review will nudge me to hit 'purchase'.

>14 Helenliz: Thanks Helen. I didn't sit outside, but I had the door open and the outside came in a bit - lovely. It seemed to be too hot for the marathon, though - some people were stretchered away from the finish and the bottled water ran out.

>15 charl08: Charlotte, it does seem to get very good reviews on LT! And I will have a copy to send on :-)

I returned the Pitcairn book to the library and borrowed The Magpie Murders, which was on my mental list, and Blood and Sand which wasn't, but I heard the author speak at the Jaipur Literature Festival a couple of years ago and she was excellent. It's about "Suez, Hungary and the Crisis That Shook The World" in the UK, but "Suez, Hungary, and Eisenhower's Campaign for Peace" on LT.

We might have a new prince or princess by lunchtime, as the Duchess of Cambridge has gone into hospital according to the "Breaking news" on the BBC. I'm sure that the announcement about going into hospital was made at about the same time last time, and Charlotte was born late morning.

New thread! FYI I love >4 susanj67: - just all those lovely covers laid out like that. Makes me happy.

>17 BekkaJo: Thanks Bekka! I put the covers there to remind myself that I'm making progress through the challenge :-)

Happy new thread!

>19 drneutron: Thanks Jim :-)

Well, we have a new prince! And everyone seems to be well, so that's good. No name yet. Well, I'm sure he has one - we just don't know it yet :-)

I always hope babies will be girls, because I think girls' names are more fun. But since that didn't happen, I hope they name him Arthur.

Happy Monday, Susan!

>21 katiekrug: Thanks Katie, and happy Monday back! Arthur, Albert and Philip are the current favourites with bookmakers. I don't think it will be Philip, as that's just not a name here for baby boys as far as I've heard. Arthur and Albert are more likely (Arthur in particular, I think). I'm following the live blog on the BBC, which mercifully has changed its name from "Duchess in labour - LIVE" to "New baby prince is born".

I rather like Albert, too. I am a fan of "old school" names...

The only thing that makes me think it won't be Albert is that it can be shortened by the media to "Bertie", which they probably won't like. (Also, the Queen's father, George VI, was actually an Albert, known as Bertie). Despite Kensington Palace's repeated references to the Duchess as "Catherine", the papers still call her Kate (often "Kate Middleton" (still!)), which must be annoying if she doesn't want to be Kate. Neither George nor Charlotte's name are shortened, and I think they will make the same choice for the new baby. But I'm not betting £5,000 on it, like someone did earlier for Arthur. Inside information there, I bet :-)

Maybe they'll go uber-British and name him Cecil or something... ;-)

Well, it's St George's Day today, and St George is famous for fighting a dragon. As they already have a George, they could always go for Draco.

That would be awesome.

It's also Shakespeare's birthday, but not sure they want an immediate namesake...

Hmmm. Also, William is still called "Wills" when a short headline is required, which must drive him nuts.

St Andrew's University has tweeted its congratulations to two of their former students on the birth of their third baby :-)

And Prince William has just left the hospital, saying "I won't be long" to the waiting media. This is taken to mean that he has gone home to pick up George and Charlotte and bring them for a visit. Those poor kids must wonder why people scream at them everywhere they go.

People keep trying to schedule meetings and all I want to say is Excuse me, I have live-blogs to follow, doncha know.

The nerve of people!

I know! The very same thing happened when Prince George was born, and I had to fly to the US the next day. I saw them all on the steps of the hospital in the cab into Manhattan from JFK but there was no sound so I didn't know whether he had a name at that point.

It turns out that the BBC iPlayer still works despite the crackdown on Fun :-) And I have two screens, so I have the News channel playing. Heh.

Ah, it was very cute. Charlotte was doing lots of waving as they walked along, and then turned at the door and waved a bit more. She will be 3 next week :-)

Congratulations on your new spare heir, Susan! What are all of young George's other names? Presumably not Arthur or Albert ...

And I'm delighted to see that you picked up Montana 1948. No doubt it was my brilliant review that spurred you on. Ha!

Julia, George is George Alexander Louis. William is William Arthur Philip Louis. (The Louis is, I think, after Louis Mountbatten, who was Prince Charles's great-uncle and mentor, killed in an IRA bombing).

And I did get Montana 1948 after your review - I had seen other people like it too, but your review reminded me to actually look for it when I was on Better World Books.

>33 susanj67: Those are all nice solid boys' names. They've rather used up most of the good traditional names — maybe James? I gather Michael isn't really a thing in the UK as it is here; you can't swing a dead cat in the US without hitting a guy named Michael.

I learned a lot about Mountbatten from watching "The Crown" as well as some sort of "The Windsors" thing on Netflix. Previously all I had known was that he was killed in an IRA bombing but I didn't really know how he related to the royal family, or how close Charles was to him. Very sad.

I hope you like Montana 1948 as much as I did.

>34 rosalita: James is the name of the Duchess's brother, and Michael is her father, so maybe as middle names, but probably not first names. There are lots of Michaels here, among ordinary people, anyway :-) And there's Prince Michael of Kent, but he is quite old now.

I must get on to the second series of The Crown. There is so much on Netflix that I want to see that I keep overlooking it.

George and Charlotte have now gone home, according to the news. The Duke and Duchess and the baby are going home "this evening", it seems. Well, I can tell what I'll be watching :-) I just hope they go home at some point after Kay Burley finishes on Sky News, because there are limits.

I saw a pic of Will, George and Charlotte outside the hospital. Charlotte's dress is adorable. Such cute kiddos.

On a related note, THIS...

>34 rosalita: >35 susanj67: There are a lot of middle-aged Michaels. Very few baby Michael’s I would suspect!


Actually, I remembered, the ONS has a website where you can look up how popular names are over time. And as I though - very few baby Michaels!

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/liv...

>36 rosalita: Julia, they are cute. George seems very shy, but something tells me all the photographers will be yelling for Charlotte now.

>37 katiekrug: Ha!! Love it :-)

>38 SandDune: Rhian, it would quickly be fashionable again if they picked it!. I remember William was quite an old fashioned choice when he was born. And Henry. But now those names are everywhere.

Well into the conversation...”happy new thread” and happy. New prince as well. Can’t wait to hear the name.

WHY DOES THIS CHILD NOT YET HAVE A NAME?

>41 katiekrug: What Katie said.

Hello, Susan! I had great fun reading through your conversation with Katie yesterday. Now we wait...

>40 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba! The royal reporters think the name will be announced tomorrow, based on what happened with Charlotte.

>41 katiekrug: Katie, I know! The Daily Mail has nearly run out of nonsense to print. But the grandparents are visiting today, and the royal reporters have speculated that they will be told the name before it is announced, so that they don't have to read it on Twitter, or a Sky News ticker. I think the Queen visited Charlotte on day 2 or 3 last time too. No wonder the Duchess looked so pulled together yesterday leaving the hospital.

>42 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! Yes, a bit more waiting, hopefully tomorrow. Then next week we will have Charlotte's third birthday pictures, and then The Wedding!

Oh. I didn't remember a wait for Charlotte's name. I was imagining great fights, crockery being thrown, etc. as William and Kate battled over the name... I feel kind of let down now.

>44 katiekrug: *belly laugh*

>44 katiekrug: Lol.

>44 katiekrug:, >45 Crazymamie:, >45 Crazymamie: Ha! No, they asked William yesterday about the name (as they were leaving to go home) and he said something like "You'll find out soon", so there *is* a name :-)

I didn't remember how long it was for Charlotte, but I do remember the Duchess stayed in hospital overnight with George, and there still wasn't a name when they left the hospital the next day. So maybe it's always day 3. I've got an eye on the BBC News website, though, just in case...

I was off work unwell today so was watching breakfast TV - according to the royal expert lady they have waited two days for each of the kids (I don't remember that either if it helps!). So tomorrow?

Considering Jersey is a crown dependency, there has been very little about it over here. I guess BBC have it covered!

Happy new thread, Susan.

Ah ha! So if yesterday you thought it would be "tomorrow" I'd better go and check the news sites :)

Do you think that was the summer, then? Regretting pulling out my 'light jacket' now.

>48 BekkaJo: Bekka, yes, I think it will be today. Sorry you're poorly - I hope you're feeling a bit better today.

>49 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul!

>50 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, I would expect it to be late morning, in time for the lunchtime news.

>51 charl08: Charlotte, my thoughts exactly! I am back in a coat, although not my beautiful clean puffy puffa. But brrrr. And that's even down here!



50. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

I've seen lots of references to this on LT, but once again seeing it on Julia's thread motivated me to reserve it from the elibrary. I had thought it was about the Kindertransport, but in fact it's about the US, and the system of sending orphans across the country from the east coast to families out west back in the 1920s (or at least that's partly when this story is set - it might have started earlier). Some were lucky enough to be adopted as cherished babies, but a lot of others were basically free labour for the families, who cared nothing for them. I really enjoyed it, so thanks Julia!

In an attempt to whittle down all the Verso books on my Kindle, I've started The Ministry of Nostalgia by Owen Hatherley, which is a great big giant anti-Tory rant so far (albeit only one chapter in, and he has said one mean thing about Labour too). That's going to be my Kindle read at least until one of my elibrary holds comes in. I'm next for The Circle and First Contact: The Cult of Progress, which is the new one by David Olusoga, and a tie-in with the Civilisations series, and I have three others which I hope to get before Christmas.

>52 susanj67: So glad you liked Orphan Train, Susan!

Now where's that baby name?! Can't you call someone and ask them to hurry it up? :-)

>53 rosalita: Julia, I really thought it would be announced by now! Prince William has been out at an ANZAC commemoration this morning with Prince Harry and Meghan, so maybe they are waiting until he gets home again.

Maybe they aren't going to bother naming him. I mean, it's their third kid and fifth in line, so no one is really ever going to give a hoot about him...

Hello, Susan! I was trying to decide what my next audiobook would be yesterday, and I settled on The Terror, which you recommended. I figured it's warm enough to start on the Cold Reads list.

*sits down to await Susan's announcement of the baby's name*

>6 susanj67: such as right now- when I should have been in bed 90 minutes ago!!!

Happy new thread :)

Orphan Train is on my to do list as well, it only takes one nudge to get it to the eyeball!

>55 katiekrug: Katie, that would be good news for the memorabilia manufacturers, who have already rushed out stuff with no names, just vague baby-related decorative accents. https://www.historicroyalpalaces.com/giftcollections/editorspick/royalbabycollec...

>56 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! The Terror is scary, as well as cold. Good, though :-)

>57 LovingLit: Megan, yes, it is late there for you! My newish phone lets me have two times displayed on the home screen, so NZ is my second one. It's very handy for keeping track, especially as the clock changes are always on different weekends.

Still no name. I almost expect my browser to pop up a message OMG you literally JUST refreshed - Get a life. But so far so good :-)

>58 susanj67: Lol. My favourite reaction so far - https://twitter.com/MichelleObama/status/988527765392711680

>59 charl08: Charlotte, I liked that one too :-)

Well, the little fellow still has no name (that we know of). But I'm logging off and going home now, so the announcement should be made in about ten minutes. Stand by!

It occurs to me that perhaps they wouldn't want to make such an announcement on ANZAC day, which I gather is a solemn occasion. So maybe tomorrow?

>7 susanj67: I know you read A Problem from Hell as part of your Pulitzer read. However, if you enjoyed Power's writing I would strongly recommend her second book Chasing the Flame which is a biography of Sergio Vieira de Mello, the UN envoy to Iraq who was killed shortly after the US occupation of Iraq. I found it fascinating and very well written. I am very much hoping that she writes another book (hopefully about her time in the Obama administration) soon.

>61 rosalita: Julia, yes, that might have been a reason. Also, the fact that someone else at Kensington Palace needed a nap: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/6144228/royal-baby-prince-william-sleep-westminste... And I read this morning that Prince William's name wasn't announced for a week, and Prince Charles's for a *month*. One report said that they wanted Prince Charles to meet the baby before the name was announced, and he was in France yesterday for an official engagement.

>62 Oberon: Thanks Erik - that one is available at a branch near me, according to the catalogue, so I will add it to my wishlist. I thought her writing style was very clear and easy to understand.

Hmmm. Hopes that Prince Anonymous will be named today may be fading, as Kensington Palace has just announced that Prince William will be Prince Harry's best man at the wedding. That seems to be their news release for today, unless it is part 1 of 2 on the Twitter. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43905474

>64 susanj67: Oh! I've got sucked into the Harry & Megs wedding plans. Their music sounds nice. Although I don't think I'll be buying the cd!

More waiting? We are going to need snacks.

>65 charl08: Charlotte, I think I'll get the tea towel, as I bought one for William's wedding. I've never actually used it, though... The wedding is only three weeks away, which seems to have come round very fast.

>66 Crazymamie: Mamie, I've just had a Snickers, so I'm good for the time being. I think it will be at least tomorrow now, but the Daily Mail has started wondering whether they will have a fourth baby, so they still seem to have plenty of material to run. And then the Meghan waistline watch will start the day after the wedding...

>67 susanj67: Well, yes, Susan, but what about me? I'll just leave this here in case anyone else needs provisions:

>66 Crazymamie: - I brought "themed" snacks.



I heard the odds are now on Alexander or Louis. It would be weird to have the baby named after my dog :-P

>68 Crazymamie: Oooh, KitKats! Thanks, Mamie.

>68 Crazymamie: Mamie, I was being all about me :-) Thank you for the snacks, though - delicious!

>69 katiekrug: Katie, how lovely! Thank you :-) Alexander comes from something William said yesterday to someone at the ANZAC event he attended, but George is George Alexander Louis, so I can't see it. Also, when I did eventually catch up with his name in New York, the news anchor explained "but over there they say it "Loo-ee"," which is true :-) So it's not *quite* the same as your Louis :-)

>70 rosalita: Hi Julia! I am still trying to track down the new pink Kit-Kats, but no luck so far.

>72 susanj67: I don't think I've even heard of pink KitKats! I wonder if we have them here ... I know Japan always has really cool KitKat flavors that are never sold in the US.

Edited to add: Ah, Dr. Google answered my question: "The pink KitKat is eventually coming to the U.S. and the rest of North America and Europe." Apparently it was first released in ... yep, Japan.

I bet the pink KitKat is made with white "chocolate" which means I can easily resist it. *gag*

No, I don't have strong opinions about things...

>73 rosalita: Julia, yes, they have just made it here after Japan. Allegedly. Actually I think they're exclusive to Tesco at the moment, and I don't often go to Tesco.

>74 katiekrug: Katie, actually ruby cocoa beans:
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/apr/10/a-rosy-future-nestle-launches-p...

But don't worry - I will find one and try it, just for you :-)

OH, well, that actually sounds intriguing. I may have to try it... I'll be traveling through Heathrow in June. (Probably not a Tesco in Heathrow, though.)

Ruby cocoa? Pink kitkats? Whatever next!

>76 katiekrug: Katie, Tesco may just be the first - sometimes they do that. I will keep you updated :-)

>77 charl08: Charlotte, I was surprised to see it, but it seems to be an actual thing. I'm planning a trip to Tesco in the other mall at lunchtime, so I'll see if they have any. Or the 100 Jaffa Cakes for £1. Ahem.

I saw my surgeon for the final time yesterday, and we are both very pleased with me :-) He took more photos. I almost asked whether he was on Instagram, but I decided I didn't really want to know. He has a very plain backdrop, though (just a white wall). I managed not to suggest that he got some fairy lights and seasonal wall decorations like the beauty vloggers.

Still no name news, but the Daily Mail now thinks it's Albert. I don't. So there.

Poor baby if it is Albert!
I have yet to see gluten free Jaffa cakes, which is Rather Sad. Although having seen the sugar content in the gf hobnobs, maybe not.

Glad to hear about the surgeon's verdict.
Oh yes, books. I have downloaded the third Claire Griffiths already. Poor. (ETA: my self-control, not the book).

Finally!!! Louis Arthur Charles http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43922335

>79 charl08: Charlotte, I am very glad that it's not Albert :-)

Now, Claire Griffiths. Should I?

FINALLY indeed. I like Louis even though it's very hipster-retro. He'll probably end up being a wild child.

Excellent news on the surgeon front. You were a model patient - in more ways than one ;-)

>82 katiekrug: Katie, I like Louis too. And he can be a wild child, being 5th in line :-)

I went to Tesco for the Kit-Kats, but, in best British retail tradition, the only evidence of them was an empty box. Nor were there any giant boxes of jaffa cakes. I bought some snacks for my office drawer (a multipack of Boost bars, which I wish I had discovered a long time ago and one of Double Deckers).

I picked up two more books at the library this morning, too - Love Story, With Murders and Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies, which I read about somewhere recently. Maybe in my Elon Musk fan-girl-related reading.

I was, however, annoyed when I overheard a conversation between the staff and a mentally handicapped chap who I have seen before in there, and who they all seem to know well. He'd forgotten his card. "I have to see some ID," said the guy on the desk. "Yes {name}", said someone else, "we have to see ID." For crying out loud!! They *knew* who he was, what with calling him by his name and all. So petty and unnecessary. I wish I'd said something now.

Ah, well. Louis is fine, I reckon. I was hoping for Arthur as his first name but at least it's in there somewhere. Louie Artie Chuckie is a dandy name for a baby brother!

I'm glad you and your surgeon are both pleased with the outcomes. It's so nice when something goes as it should.

Well, thank goodness the waiting is over. And I like Louis.

I had to goggle both Boost and Double Decker. And now I want one of each. You know, just to complete my research. *blinks*

Hooray for you and the surgeon both being pleased with you. And your comments about his photos made me laugh.

>85 Crazymamie: I'd go with a double decker any day.

>78 susanj67: and good news that your surgeon is happy with you. That is a good outcome.

>84 rosalita: Julia, so far reaction seems to be fairly positive, although it must have been embarrassing for the Daily Mail as they had a big article up today about a rift between Prince William and his father. Heh. Now they are running one titled "William's touching tribute to his father's tragic mentor".

>85 Crazymamie: Mamie, I think you should definitely complete your research. I will bring some over in 2021, when it is safe to visit.

>86 Helenliz: Thanks Helen. I am delighted with how it looks just five weeks on. It just shows that googling can be unwise, because it just winds you up.

I just went to a meeting and there was CAKE. This is unusual. Usually we get one biscuit per meeting participant. No-one ate the cake, because they were all on mad diets, so afterwards I snagged it, because it would have been rude not to. My haul was one slice each of Victoria sponge, carrot cake (three layers, with frosting in between each one) and a lovely chocolate moussey thing with a spongy base, the name of which escapes me. I feel a bit sick now, but in a good way :-) And I don't need dinner :-)

>81 susanj67: It's pretty good I think. Enjoying them - two more to go!

I do wish people would stop with the chocolate references. There is NONE in the house and it is very disappointing.

>88 charl08: Um, I can't find a Claire Griffiths. Is she possibly Claire McGowan, from your list at the top of your thread? I only have about seven library books, you see, and I wouldn't want to run out.

Oops! Sorry! Claire McGowan

Glad you and doctor are happy with the results of his work :)

I saw the name news just before lunch so I ordered shrimp/crab Louis salad in his honor.

I thought only I cared about the name of the new little Prince. I am really glad it's not Albert, but Louis? I would have liked Alexander, but whatever. I'll live.

>90 charl08: Charlotte, excellent! I'll get right on it.

>91 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, that was perfectly celebratory :-)

>92 vancouverdeb: Deb, no, we have been waiting impatiently over here too :-) I like Louis, and somehow it seems to fit the youngest child in the family. I don't know that it's massively common here, but it's suitably royal :-) My oldest step-nephew is Louis, although in NZ it's pronounced Lewis, like it is in the US. What about Canada?

I am really ready for the weekend, which is fortunate as it *is* now the weekend. It looks wet and cold outside, so I might just have a quiet day inside reading my books for a change :-)

Old lady moment yesterday: One of the Young People and I were down in reception, picking up a key card for our meeting room. We have TV screens on the wall, tuned to various news channels, and CNN was running a story about Bill Cosby. I made some comment about the story, and the Young Person said "Mmmm," and then confessed he didn't really know anything about why he was famous, and asked me what The Cosby Show had been about. *This* is why I feel 94 most days.

The elibrary seems to have a stack of new fiction, but I have no holds left. Sob. They even have the new Madeline Miller, Circe, and apparently all of the Lindsey Davis books. I have seven library books already, but somehow that doesn't stop me wanting MORE.

The Miller has got great reviews, hope you manage to fit it in soon!

>94 charl08: I'm next in line for a couple of e things, so as soon as one of them is available I'll reserve it :-)

51. Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo

I got this because someone here read it...I still can't remember exactly who but it was excellent, so thank you! It's set in modern(ish) Nigeria, and is very different from my usual sort of read.

Some of my Better World Books arrived last night, but the packing slip noted that they couldn't find Montana 1948. That book is so darned elusive! I am still waiting for some of the US ones to arrive, so that is something to look forward to this week :-)

Next up is a crime novel, I think, after another chapter of my book about why the internet will not see the world converted to democracy.

Oh, no! How can Montana 1948 be so hard to find? I wish I owned it instead of having borrowed the ebook from the library, so I could send it on to you.

>93 susanj67: BTW we do pronounce it "Looie" in the salad and often spell the other pronunciation Lewis

>97 rosalita: Julia, it is quite funny :-) Amazon has some so I'll try them. Well, they *say* they do...

>98 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, "Loo-ee" does have a better ring to it in the food context :-)

I've just caught up with The Good Fight, which I had recorded for the past couple of weeks. I think we're a week behind the US, so we've just had the episode where the lady from the DNC reappears from The Good Wife. I'm staggered (delightedly) that they are running the storyline about impeachment - I never thought I'd see that from US mainstream media. And the little song at the end! Wow. I know it's a streaming part of CBS and not the main channel, but even so. Designated Survivor has also looked at impeachment (not that President Kirkman deserves it, plus he is fictitious) and it's been interesting to learn about how it is actually done.

Susan, I'd be happy to send you my copy of Montana 1948. I don't anticipate reading it again.

I really loved Stay With Me , so maybe I can take a bit of the credit? I think it was on the Woman's Fiction list last year , and I really enjoyed it. As for the name Louis, I'm not sure that I know anyone name Louis. In Canada, it would be spelled Lewis and pronounced Lewis. But I do recall my dad calling St Louis, Missouri ,Saint Lou-ee , even though I believe it is properly said Lewis. I guess that is the bit of French influence that one might hear in Canada.

>87 susanj67: meetings with cake? Score! Though now I want carrot cake. And it's only 8.06...

I also didn't realise Circe was out yet. Pooop! I have the new Iron Druid and the new St.Mary's both lined up on ereader but I'm trying to be good and get through some challenge reads first. It's not going to stop me getting this one too, is it? Hoping the library have it as I'm broke.

Which of course wont stop me either.

The difficulties in getting hold of a copy of Montana 1948 hopefully mean it will be more appreciated when it finally arrives? I am set to put my book down and go out into the garden and guess what : dark cloud cover. Boo.

>100 katiekrug: Thanks Katie, but I'll try again to track it down :-)

>101 vancouverdeb: Deb, please do take the credit! I realised yesterday that Stay With Me also fits one of the PopSugar category - lyrics of a song in the title, so it was doubly good!

>102 BekkaJo: Bekka, yes, I was pleased with the cake :-) And I'm #10 on 1 copy for Circe, so it's very possible that you will get it before me. I've paused a couple of my e-holds because of All The Books, but I can always fit in a novel :-)

>103 charl08: Charlotte, yes, I hope I will like it :-) It is very cold and grey down here too - such a change from last weekend when I was frolicking in the sun. Well, looking out the window at it, anyway. There are rumours on Sky News of 5C by Tuesday. I will have to pull out my heavy weekend puffa and wear it to work anyway as my work puffa is now washed and waiting for next winter.

I'm reading The Black Echo at the moment and I love it (thanks Julia!). It is funny how dated some relatively recent novels are, though, with people waiting to make calls at public phones and police officers fighting over the typewriters in the office. In a way, the early 90s have more in common with the 1920s than the 2010s. When I was a brand new lawyer and had to go to court a lot I would call the office for instructions on a public phone in the court library, using a phone card to pay for the calls. Phone cards were collectible at the time, with various limited editions released. Something else that kids today would just stare at, mystified.

I was enjoying all the baby prince name discussion, Susan. Finally.

Mercury 13 sounds good; I'll look for that.

>59 charl08: I miss the Obamas. :(

Glad you liked Orphan Train; it's amazing how disposable kids were. Some might say still are...

I have Stay With Me on the shelf. One of these days...

Glad to hear the nose is healing. Mine is red now due to allergies. I love spring, but my nose isn't happy with the tree pollen.

I hope your weekend has been stellar.

>104 susanj67: Films get me with mobile phones that look like bricks... What did you do in the court if you couldn't get through to the office? I did like our Amstrad, although you had to be very careful about losing the work. Kind of surprised the 'save' icon floppy disc continues to be used!

>104 susanj67: I'm glad you're liking the Harry Bosch series, Susan, and you are so right about feeling dated. Part of my problem is that I still think of 1992 (the original publication date for The Black Echo) as "a few years ago" when it's really 26! Yikes, where did the time go?

>105 BLBera: Hi Beth! The weekend has been very booky, but that was really all I felt like. And I've started How To Get Away With Murder on Netflix and it is compulsive viewing. I will have to add a picture to my slide for the students explaining that real law is not like TV. Mercury 13 was a great find (although I think they actually emailed about it).

>106 charl08: Charlotte, I'm not sure what I used to do - I suppose I got the receptionist to ring around trying to find them. And I agree about the Save icon!

>107 rosalita: Julie, I am! I have just finished it, in fact. And yes, 1992, I was already in the workforce by then, but my office roomie was only just out of diapers. I think back to some of the older people at work then, and realise that they were younger than I am now. I maintain that they seemed older, though.



52. The Black Echo by Michael Connelly

This is the first in the Harry Bosch series, which Julia recommended. I loved it. I've been reading it all day and it really rattled along to an ending which I didn't see coming until gratifyingly late. I'll definitely continue with this series, and I must now add it to my series post. Oh, and the story centres around two bank heists, so it even fits a PopSugar category too :-)

I'm now down to five hard copy library books and an ebook, which is a bit more manageable than seven + one. But I think I'm going to spend the rest of the evening watching trashy TV and doing crosswords :-)

>108 susanj67: i’m trying to remember when mobiles became normal. I think I probably had one from the mid 1990’s, but I can’t be sure. I know Mr SandDune was a late adopter and I insisted he get a decent phone in 1999 when I was pregnant so that I could phone him in an emergency. But I certainly had one for several years before that.

>108 susanj67: I am so glad you loved the first Bosch book - I have BIG love for Harry. And the books hold up and even get better, so there's that. The tv series is also very well done, but a definite departure from the books. Rae and I just finished watching season three.

*back to add that I am very in tune with 1992 because that is the year Rae was born. I know exactly where those 26 years went.

I would disagree with Deb in >101 vancouverdeb: The name would be spelled Louis and pronounced Loo-ee in Canada. Lewis is a different name. At least that is how I would pronounce it but Deb was brought up in the West and I was brought up in the East of the country where the French influence is greater.

Well. A week ago I left the house in just a cardigan. Today it is pouring, blowing a gale and cold. I had to pull my weekend heavy puffa with the deep hood out of the cupboard, and a woolly scarf. It's too windy for an umbrella. But I went to the library on the way to the office and didn't take out any more books. Win!

>109 SandDune: Rhian, when I was in NZ (up to early 1995), the only mobiles that people I knew had were car phones (I still marvel that Carphone Warehouse has never changed its name, because it really doesn't make any sense now). I got my first mobile in maybe 2002, so I was a late adopter, but that was because I didn't really have anyone to call. If smartphones had been around then, I think I would have got one sooner for the wonderfulness of the web and apps.

>110 Crazymamie: Mamie, you've reminded me that my oldest friend had her first baby in 1992, as well. He was the very first of my friends' babies, so quite the novelty :-) Good to hear that Bosch holds up - the series is on Amazon, which I don't have, but just looking at Wikipedia the actor doesn't look like how I imagine him, so I'm happy to stick with the books :-)

>111 Familyhistorian: Meg, that is interesting about the differences. In NZ we just had the "Lewis" pronunciation, which is a bit odd as NZ was mostly settled by British people who would have come from the Loo-ee pronunciation.

>111 Familyhistorian: Oh, yes, I agree, Louis and Lewis are different names with different pronunciations. I may have explained myself poorly. I am not aware of any children or adults named " Louis " , but I do know people named " Lewis." The only " Louis " that I am aware of is " St Louis " Missouri, in the USA - and Prince Louis. And for whatever reason, St Louis in the USA is pronounced like " Lewis " - https://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowTopic-g44881-i234-k6597471-How_do_the_locals_say_...

However, my dad pronounced the city of St Louis as " Saint Lou- ee" because - I'm not sure ;-)

I am getting used to the name Louis and it's kind of cute. I have a brother Hugh, and we call him "Hughie" which rhymes with Louis. I guess I can tell my brother - hey, your nickname is popular again, sort of . His wife of some 18 years cannot bear the name " Hughie" and always calls him " Hugh" but old habits die hard for we siblings of my brother.

>113 vancouverdeb: Deborah, on the radio this morning they said that there has even been some confusion here, but someone had heard the Duchess of Cambridge say the name, and it is Loo-ee :-)

Today is bright and sunny, and I took my work pass and Oyster card out of my heavy coat but forgot to put them into my lighter coat. "It's the weather," I explained to the chap in the pass office, where the forgetful line up in the morning for temporary passes. He said I evidently didn't forget it very often, because he didn't recognise me. It sounds like some of the staff are more frequent visitors :-)

I didn't read a thing last night, but I did finish series 1 of How To Get Away With Murder, which is even sillier now than it started out. I'm still going with The Ministry of Nostalgia, which is a polemic against the current "austerity" (compared with the post-war version) and apparently triggered by the "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster which became so popular in 2008. It's a couple of years old and a bit outdated (already!) and there is lots about architecture in that I don't really understand as they compare people I've never heard of to other people I've never heard of, but there are other interesting bits.

I may have visited the Verso site, seen the 50% off May Day books and gone a bit crazy. I really need to buy shelves next, not books...

(1) Precarious Life by Judith Butler, paperback / softback, 9781844675449

(1) State of Insecurityby Isabell Lorey, paperback / softback, 9781781685969

(1) Tear Gas by Anna Feigenbaum, paperback / softback, 9781784780265

(1) Violent Borders by Reece Jones, paperback / softback, 9781784784744

(1) Europe’s Fault Lines by Liz Fekete, hardback, 9781784787226

(1) Radical Happiness by Lynne Segal, hardback, 9781786631541

(1) Hara Hotel by Teresa Thornhill, hardback, 9781786635198
https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/2619-50-off-for-may-day

>115 charl08: Oh my word! That is a veritable Cranswickian haul you have there! Well done :-) I think I have Violent Borders, if it's the one about refugees.



53. The Ministry of Nostalgia by Owen Hatherley

This is an angry book asking why we look back so fondly on the post-war period of austerity, and how it is very different from the fake austerity we have now (i.e. there is plenty of money but the government just doesn't want to spend it). There were some interesting bits, but I'm not sure they were all related to one another, or in fact the subject. There was a lot about architecture in it, which seemed a bit strange, although the author did make the point that part of what the post-war government did during austerity was build lots of council housing, whereas nowadays they virtually build none. There was also quite a history of famous institutions, including London Transport (as it now is) and the Empire Marketing Board (which there now isn't). I had heard of it but, as the author correctly points out, its output doesn't feature in any of the retro knick-knacks or tea towels that we now consume instead of getting angry and marching in the streets. And so on. It's made me want to read a bit more about the Empire Marketing Board, so I will have to hunt around for something that perhaps was written before we had to stop saying "Empire", unless it is in the Star Wars sense. Or Romans.

I've now moved on to The BBC: Myth of a Public Service. These Verso books do all seem to have a theme...

It seems that the Open University has some materials on the Empire Marketing Board: http://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/history/world-history/selling-emp... Maybe something for the weekend. The "Further resources" look promising too :-)

And here are some posters from Manchester Art Gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/manchester_city_galleries/collections/721576291578...

Framed prints! https://www.kingandmcgaw.com/prints?s=empire+marketing+board The first two are NZ (wool and honey) and there are a couple of others, although the kiwi with the slogan "Buy New Zealand lamb" is a tiny bit strange.

Gah, somehow I had missed you starting a new thread! Doh! I'm caught up now though :)

>118 ChelleBearss: Hi Chelle!



54. The Circle by Dave Eggers

I read this for the PopSugar category "A book made into a movie you've already seen". I don't watch a lot of films, but I saw this one on Netflix fairly recently, and I liked Eggers' Monk of Mokha, so I thought I'd try it. And I really enjoyed it, particularly right now with all the kerfuffle about Big Data and the tech companies and privacy. It's a chilling look at how easily we let these companies chip away at our privacy, and how we're being made to feel as if we only exist if we're online and participating constantly. The reviews on LT are fairly meh, and certainly the characters are icky people (I had no sympathy for the main character, who is a brat) but I loved his world set very slightly in the future (the company in the book has bought the Facebook archive t add to its giant hoard of information), because we'll be there in no time at all if we don't wake up to what's happening.

In other news, I found the pink Kit-Kats at Tesco this morning - yay! I woke up ridiculously early, and even after going to vote I was still early, so I got off the bus a couple of stops before my usual stop and did some steps through the malls.

Hi, Susan! There was a LibraryThing site read of The Circle a while back, but I didn't participate. Yours is the first review that made me think it might be worth picking up some day.

I am patiently waiting the results of your taste test of the pink KitKats ... I'm a little disappointed you didn't just throw common sense to the wind and have one for breakfast.

>120 rosalita: Julia, I'd already had breakfast, sadly...But I'll sample it at 3pm UK time, and file a report. Maybe even with pictures :-)

*Notices that it's currently 11.20 and 3pm is quite a while away...*

>121 susanj67: I'm setting a reminder on my phone to check back here at 9am my time ...

I lasted a whole hour! But 3pm was just too far away, as I have lunch early.

My overall rating is "meh". This is because, while the chocolate is pink, it doesn't actually taste of anything. It's sweet, but has no flavour. I was expecting it perhaps to taste of strawberry or something, but it doesn't.

For people who don't like white chocolate (Hi Katie!) it doesn't taste like white chocolate (which I like :-) ) but it smells a bit like it. (Yes, I sniffed my snack, for y'all). So that would be off-putting.

Tesco had a "buy two for £1.30", so I did. Otherwise they are 85p. I'll eat the second one at some stage (obvs) but I won't buy another one.

>122 rosalita: Julia, LOL! I caved. For you :-)

>123 susanj67: You're too good to me, Susan. :-)

Disappointing that it falls short but not entirely unexpected. I also would have expected some sort of fruity taste. Guess I'll have to stick with my regular KitKats. Such a sacrifice.

I like that you voted early. I love voting, I adore annoying the pollsters at the door. "Can I see your voter registration card?" and "Can I ask you who you voted for?" gets either a lecture as to the nature of anonymity in democracy or the use of "can" in English, depending on mood. I can happily occupy them for 10 minutes on that, which means they're missing the chance to ask other people passing while I've buttonholed them. Yes, I am cruel, but a girl has to get her fun where she can >:-)

Not going to bother with the pink kit-kat after that "meh" review.

I, too, will be passing on the pink KitKat. Thanks for taking one for the team, Susan - and reporting back so quickly!

Nice review of The Circle; it fits one of my library's challenge categories, but I have had uneven experiences with Eggers so have been hesitant to pick it up. This summer.

No pink Kit Kats for me. Thanks for doing the taste test, Susan.

>125 rosalita: Julia, the regular ones are much better :-)

>126 Helenliz: Helen, I always vote before work, just in case it gets busy. There was hardly anyone there this morning, though, and even the policewoman looked bored. We don't have the pollsters outside any more, due to harassment and intimidation (hence the police officers too). I am dreading the Tower Hamlets mayoral result.

>127 katiekrug: Katie, no problem!

>128 BLBera: Beth, it's not great literature, but the message is thought provoking. I got back from lunch, woke my computer up and the background (which changes every time) was a picture I didn't like. But now there are boxes to click if you like it or don't, and it was very Circle-y. However, if it works then I won't be getting any more pictures of ugly birds.

I'm taking tomorrow off to have a nice long weekend (Monday is a Bank Holiday) and I can't wait. I just have to last one more hour and 40 minutes without saying what I really think.

Ooh have a lovely weekend Susan. I just have to remember to go to the book event tomorrow night and not just collapse on the sofa...

>129 susanj67: We're doing the same, 1 day holiday = 4 day weekend. Out of office on and laptop off >:-)
And the weather looks reasonable for a change, so that's a bonus! >:-D

>130 charl08: Thanks Charlotte. Remember that book event!!

>131 Helenliz: Helen, well planned :-)

Today is gorgeous, so I popped down to Tesco which is always quiet on weekday mornings. And when I got home some tops I ordered online earlier in the week had arrived :-) And my beauty box is coming too - Royal Mail emailed me to say they would be delivering it today. I think they email again to say when it's been delivered, because I don't want to have to haunt the foyer all afternoon :-)

Best of all, though, the Tower Hamlets mayoral election results are in, and the existing Mayor won again. Such a relief! The former corrupt mayor (who was thrown out of office and banned from standing for five years) had two stooges standing, but that just split the vote. Heh. Morons.

Ooh, Royal Mail just emailed! Downstairs I go!

Okey dokey, here's what's in the May Look Fantastic beauty box:

A copy of Elle magazine

A 20 ml sample of thisworks "In transit camera close-up", which is a mask, moisturiser and primer in one: https://www.lookfantastic.com/this-works-in-transit-camera-close-up-40ml/1079007... The reviews for this are excellent.

A 4 ml sample of Avant RNA Radical Firmness Anti-Ageing Serum https://www.lookfantastic.com/avant-skincare-r.n.a-radical-firmness-anti-ageing-... Based on the price per ml for the full size, the sample is apparently worth £17.

An Eyeko liquid eyeliner https://www.lookfantastic.com/eyeko-eye-do-eyeliner-black/11318081.html This is a full size, so worth £15.

A Sleek Face Contour kit: https://www.feelunique.com/p/Sleek-Makeup-Face-Contour-Kit-15g?gclid=Cj0KCQjwibD...

Spotlight Teeth White Strips https://www.lookfantastic.com/spotlight-teeth-white-strips/11576777.html

Skin Republic bubble purifying + charcoal sheet mask https://www.superdrug.com/Skin-Republic/Skin-Republic-Bubble-Charcoal-Face-Sheet...

This is not one of their better boxes (for me, anyway). The face mask looks good, as does the moisturiser. But I won't use the eyeliner, so I'll try and rehome that. It's a great brand, but black is too harsh for me. The contour kit is also not something I would use as contour (because contouring is a new thing and I've never got to grips with it, and also the shade is "medium", which is too dark for me) but I'll try it as eyeshadow as the lighter shade looks like a good inner corner highlight. I'll give the serum a try, but I'm not sure about the teeth strips - there are only enough for four days, which wouldn't make a difference, and I don't love the idea of the active ingredients in something that doesn't come from a dentist.

Still, though, a pretty good day on the mail front :-)

Susan, Birdy and I had a delightful time catching up on your thread - I read it aloud to her, as we always love your posts. Sounds like you took one for the team with the pink KitKat - thanks for that. And hooray for mail deliveries - most exciting, but I am sorry the beauty box was a bit of a bust. The other day I got a book I had pre-ordered in the mail, and when I pulled it out of the envelope, I discovered it had pages in the middle of it that had been inserted wrong - the middle of the page was in the seam, so the ends on either side looked like mini-pages. SO weird, and it was several chapters worth. I cannot believe that the publisher did not catch that. So back it went, and now I wait for my new copy, which will hopefully be correctly assembled. I wish I had taken a photo - I have never seen anything like it.

Happy long weekend, Susan! Sounds like you've had a good start to it. I've been on a bit of an online shopping kick but most slow down. Though I got my annual bonus today, and um, bought a Coach handbag, so must slow down starting *now*.

>134 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie and Birdy! I did enjoy the mail deliveries - the last two boxes have been so excellent that they couldn't keep it up forever :-) And I'm sure my office roomie will like the eyeliner, so that will earn me some points :-) How strange about the book. It must have stacked unevenly too - amazing that neither the publisher nor the retailer noticed, and just sent it out anyway. I hope the replacement is in the normal format.

>135 katiekrug: Katie! That sounds lovely, although the picture seemed to be missing from your post...

It's still lovely here, and my laundry is drying fast, so I won't have drying racks up all weekend. I'm torn between starting The Magpie Murders and watching nonsense on Netflix all evening. I've also got a documentary recorded on the famous Whitechapel fatberg (discovered towards the end of last year), part of which is on display at the Museum of London. I was a bit worried that it might be smellable if I visited, but apparently not, so I might pop in over the weekend. https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/discover/exhibiting-fatberg-monster-whitechape...

It's the Taylor in oxblood. Very similar to the one my mother had forever and ever and that I still haven't forgiven my now-deceased father for giving away with all her clothes when she died.

>137 katiekrug: Ooh, lovely! And nice that it's similar to your mother's.

I like the color - classic but not black or brown or gray.

Katie that's a beautiful bog and Coach lasts forever so it's well worth buying!! Enjoy.

Hi Susan, sorry the pink KitKat didn't taste like white chocolate. I too would have expected that and would have been most disappointed that it didn't. I love hearing about all of your beauty products. I'm far too lazy to use that many products but it's fun to travel along with you.

Thanks Susan! I needed the reminder, as I had got completely distracted today. Trying to wrote a presentation, and do practical things at the same time.

My sister brought green tea kit kats back from a trip, so I had concerns re the pink ones.

Meena Kandaswamy was very good. The lady with the phone which made loud noises every time she repeatedly took a photo in the middle of the (rather small) q and a, not so much.

>136 susanj67: The write up on the Whitechapel Fatberg is disgustingly interesting, Susan. Do you think you will go to the Museum of London to see the exhibit?

>139 katiekrug: Katie, yes, it's very versatile.

>140 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, I'm going to do another post a bit later as my "empties" container is full :-)

>141 charl08: Charlotte, green tea! Yeah, I wouldn't have rushed to get those :-) Sorry about the photographing annoyance. People.

>142 Familyhistorian: Meg, I went this morning. I wanted to do some steps, with the sun behind me, so it was the perfect destination.

The documentary I watched last night was actually about a fatberg in Southwark, but they are all comprised of fat and wipes. Apparently the term was invented by London sewer workers, and is now used all over the world. The display at the Museum of London is tiny - just a couple of cases with bits of fatberg in them, and some wall explanations and few bits and pieces in the way of tools, a hazmat suit and so on.

The documentary was interesting in that they analysed the contents of the Southwark fatberg and had charts showing the percentage of e.g. paracetamol (heaps), body building supplements and illegal drugs, which was illuminating, as well as all the other debris that they pulled out. There's a fascinating sort of "ewwww" about it, but as a Thames Water customer with an enormous water bill, it mostly just annoyed me that they do so little work on the sewers that a fatberg a kilometer long and weighing 130 TONS can build up with no-one noticing or caring. There was lots about how they had to dig it out with jackhammers etc, but that would never have been necessary if they actually bothered to maintain the sewers properly. We seem to have some water-related crisis nearly weekly - burst mains causing masses of flood damage, mostly - because all the money goes to the foreign owners instead of on upkeep.

They had someone on from Thames Water who pointed out that restaurants pour oil down their sinks, and people flush wipes, and that *is* the main cause of the problem, but they *know* that, and they still seem to think it's OK to say "Well, it's not our fault. It's the People" and expect that to be an excuse.

It's another lovely day here, and I enjoyed my walk, although I got the bus home to stay out of the sun during the middle of the day. I still did 10,000 steps though :-)

>136 susanj67: The replacement arrived yesterday, and it was perfect.

>137 katiekrug: Oh, I love that, Katie! And I hear you about stupid parents - my mom gave away everything of my Dad's before he even died, and I got none of it. I would have loved to have had his old lunch box.

Just Ewww about the fatberg. YIKES!

Happy Saturday, Susan!

>144 Crazymamie: Mamie, good news about the replacement book! I am wondering why I've only received five of the seven I recently ordered from Better World Books - Montana 1948 was crossed off the packing slip in one package, but another package arrived this morning with the US order, and it was missing another book, with no indication as to whether it might be coming separately, or was also missing from the shelf. Hmmm.

Anyway, as I mentioned above, my empties container from the beauty boxes/Advent calendar is full, so here are my thoughts on what I've tried.

Beauty Quest Update

These are the things I've tried since my last update (apart from the L'Occitane shower gels and hand creams, which are always excellent). The vloggers say whether they would purchase something again, but for me the answer is usually No Because OMG Those Prices, so I'm going to imagine a world in which I have unlimited funds and there are no bottles of Radox peeping at me in Boots for £1 each.

First up, two shower oils:

1. L'Occitane Amande Huile de Douche. This is a shower oil that lathers up when it's mixed with water, and is *gorgeous*. I had a few tiny ones of these and a full-sized one which was a gift, so I had a lovely winter of showers. Even in London's super-hard water this lathers nicely, and I imagine it would be even better in softer water. It's also good if you have the shower up a bit hot in the winter and need some moisturising. I would definitely buy this again. https://uk.loccitane.com/almond-shower-oil,83,1,29819,270017.htm#s=29993

2. Nuxe Prodigieux Huile de Douche (with golden shimmer). This 30 ml sample came in either the calendar or the box, and I tried it after the L'Occitane was finished. This has a nice scent, but it was a much more "solid" formulation than the other one, and I found it hard to get out of the tube. Also I'm not really bothered about whether I shimmer or not. I wouldn't buy this again. https://uk.nuxe.com/multi-purpose-care-en-787/prodigieux-shower-oil-cleanses-and...

Now two moisturisers:

3. Figs and Rouge Hydra-Activ Smart Nutrient Day Cream. This is *beautiful*, and a superb base for make-up. It worked well with a couple of primers too. The only downside is that it has no SPF at all, but I'd buy it for the winter if I wasn't going to be outside at lunchtime. http://www.figsandrouge.com/skincare/hydra-activ/smart-nutrient-vital-moisture-d...

4. Formula Absolute Ultimate Sleep Cream. A sample of this came in the Advent calendar, and it was a decent enough moisturiser, but not as good as the Korres one I reviewed last time (which I loved save for the scent). I wouldn't buy this again, because there are so many out there that I'd try something new, but there's nothing wrong with it. http://www.marksandspencer.com/ultimate-sleep-cream-50ml/p/p22449732?&pdpred...

And a cleanser:

5. Korres White Tea fluid gel cleanser. This has a lovely scent, and when I was using it I kept wishing that the same scent was available in their excellent night cream. But sadly it's not. Anyway, this was good but it's a gel cleanser - how good does it really have to be? I wouldn't get this again, but just because I'd try something else. https://www.korres.com/en/face/cleansing/white-tea-fluid-gel-cleanser

>143 susanj67: I wanted to watch that documentary on the fat berg as well, although I don’t think i’m as forgiving as you about ‘the people’ who flush the things in the first place!

>146 SandDune: Rhian, have a look for it on one of the catch up channels - it's interesting. I don't think I'm forgiving, as I definitely think that people need to take more care with what they put into the sewers, but it's a bit like the police saying that they're not going to bother trying to keep the city safe because there are too many people committing crime. Thames Water's investors know that fatbergs are a huge problem (and also that the sewers were built for 4 million people and there are now 8 million using them) and yet they seem to have no interest in devoting resources to actually fixing the problem and providing a decent service, despite their enormous bills.

Another gorgeous day here today! What a non-standard Bank Holiday weekend this is turning out to be :-) It's really too sunny to take my nose outside, so I have the living room balcony door open and even the roof window. All the benefits of lovely, and none of the UVA rays.

I'm closing in on some finishes, and I've received a pre-overdue notice (grrrrr) for one of them, so I need to finish that by the end of tomorrow at least. I've also started Love Story With Murders and Wired for War, which may be why I'm not making sufficient progress with the one that's pre-overdue (grrrr).

Popping in to say hi. I fell asleep watching the late night news and now I am madly putting some laundry through. That reminds that while I'm content with my beauty products, I'm on a hunt for a new laundry soap for sensitive skin. No dyes, no fragrance etc. My usual laundry soap seems to have gone AWOL in the stores. I've put out an SOS to my mom and sister for ideas until my usual soap comes back into stock. Maybe I'll have to make the purchase just via online advice. Yikes!
Eww to the fatberg.

Hi Deborah! I hope you manage to find a decent replacement for your laundry soap. Some of them seem very strong, and over here there are occasional cases of kids eating the gel capsules and having to go to hospital, and the articles list all of the stuff in them. It's a wonder we're not all itchy!

There are a couple of new pictures of Prince Louis here, btw: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-44017046

Yes, the so- called pods. I think they are much too harsh, and where I live, we have very soft water, so the pods contain too much soap per laundry load. We have the same concern here with kids eating laundry pods. Thanks for the link to new Prince Louis pictures. They are darling!

>151 vancouverdeb: Deborah, the Mail is now running an article about how "Kate Middleton" is putting her children in hand-me-downs (the Telegraph says "second-hand clothes"): http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5696247/Duchess-Cambridge-dressing-Pri... But opinion seems divided as to whether the white outfit Louis is wearing is the same one as Charlotte's or not.

55. The Net Delusion: How Not to Liberate the World by Evegeny Morozov

This is a good look at how the promise of the internet (to achieve peace, enable everyone to understand one another and spread democracy) isn't really being achieved. In this, it's no different from earlier technologies such as the telegraph, the airplane, radio and TV, which everyone thought would do exactly the same thing. Morozov argues that in fact it's making people even more divided (it's so much easier to find fellow KKK-ers, neo-Nazis or people from obscure religions on the internet than in the average small town) and that authoritarian governments are using it to exert even more control over their citizens. I thought it was a worthwhile read, although it did take me a while to get through it. It was also published in 2011, and started with the apparent Twitter-based uprising in Iran (or was it?), but missed the Arab Spring in 2012. And a lot of what he warns about (particularly the concentration of power and data in the big US tech companies) is now happening. He makes the point that, just as we wouldn't want our data held in China or Iran, it's perhaps not unreasonable for other countries' citizens not to want their whole lives catalogued in the US, particularly when lax security means that the information can be used for unintended purposes.

Happy Sunday, Susan. xx

>152 susanj67: adorable photos! Didn't she take one of George holding Charlotte in a similar pose? Can't wait to see a photo of the three of them together.

>154 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul :-)

>155 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, yes, there was a very similar one of George with Charlotte. They might release something when he's christened, perhaps. Charlotte was christened two months after she was born, so it might not be long. And we will see George and Charlotte at the wedding in a couple of weeks. He is a pageboy and she will be a flower-girl. It will be interesting to see how engaged she is with the media this time round - she was in a wedding a while ago but very small. Now, however, she seems to know how to work a crowd :-) She may be like Former Office Roomie's little girl, who is smiling in every photo he shows me. "Does she just smile every time you pick up your phone?" I asked. "Pretty much," he said.

I seem to have hit a tiny reading slump after this morning's finish. I've read a bit of my two things on the go but then I put them down and started series 2 of How To Get Away With Murder. However, scanning my TBR piles, which are on either side of my laptop, I realised that in fact I have one that fits the "fruit or vegetable in the title" category of the PopSugar challenge. It's one that Katie gave me last year - "97 Orchard" (see what I did there?), which is an edible history of five immigrant families in one New York tenement. I was really struggling with that category, and the answer was sitting patiently in front of me the whole time. Thanks Katie!

>156 susanj67: Your office Roomie's daughter story reminded me of my granddaughter (who is 15 and, hence, born when photos usually involved flashes) who would start blinking as soon as you picked up your camera. Smart, these little people. Can't wait to see George and Charlotte in the wedding and, I hope, many more photos of all three of them.

You're welcome :-) Good thinking - I would use it, too, but I realized I had "lemon" embedded in a title and went with that one!

The Daily Mail - my guilty pleasure. :-) Don't tell Charlotte, she'll think I'm very downmarket.

>157 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, that is funny about your grand-daughter :-) I will post links to whatever appears about the wedding that involves George and Charlotte.

>158 katiekrug: Katie, I really like it! I finished the first section, about the German family, this morning on the tube. While the UK has absorbed a lot of other cuisines, German isn't one that's familiar here (at least in the sense that it is/was in the book). We have hamburgers and frankfurters etc, but I would say they came back over here from the US rather than direct from Germany.

>159 vancouverdeb: Deborah, it's a guilty pleasure for a lot of people, especially the "sidebar of shame". I gave it up last year and lasted nearly the entire year, which I was very proud of.

Another lovely day here - when the Bank Holidays are bright and sunny that is all the proof you need of climate change. I went out to the mall near me, but mostly on the tube etc so I stayed out of the sun. Shops are closing out there all the time - it's quite alarming. I did look at a couple of newish ones, though - "& Other Stories", which I see is part of the H&M group, and Arket, which looks like a Nordic version of Muji and even has a cafe. Fancy. https://www.arket.com/en_gbp/index.html I only actually bought things at Lakeland, though - coat hangers and extractor fan filters. So glamorous. And I went to Pret, where they had frappes on the menu board. Woo hoo, especially as the Stratford Pret isn't air conditioned. "Oh, we've run out," said the girl. So close...

Sorry about the frappe, Susan. Gorgeous sunshine here too: even the household's southern resident has declared it too hot and retreated indoors.

Royalist sceptic that I am, I too think that the photo of Charlotte and Louis is very cute. I like that Kate takes them too, rather than a photographer in the house.

Your chard made me laugh. I was wondering if I could count Meatless Days, but maybe not, eh.

>161 charl08: Charlotte, Meatless Days might be a *bit* of a stretch, but I see where you're going with it :-) I will continue my pursuit of a frappe - not all the shops do them, but I won't give up hope.



56. Love Story, With Murders by Harry Bingham

This is the second in the Fiona Griffiths series, about a police officer with Cotard's Syndrome, which makes people think they're dead. Actually she's recovering from it, so she no longer believes she's actually dead, but she struggles to live an ordinary life. I found her a bit irritating in this instalment, to be honest. Also, one of the murderers appeared from nowhere right at the end, so there was no way I could have guessed who it was. I'll continue with the series, but maybe not immediately. Well, definitely not immediately as I have no reserve slots left. One will open up tomorrow when I pick up Lillian Boxfish Takes A Walk but there are other things I want to get first.

OMG, I was just looking at Mount TBR again, and Katie's other gift also fits the fruit/vegetable category! "The Buccaneers" - sugar, raspberries - maybe other things, except I'm not very good with plants.

I also have "Bess of Hardwick - First Lady of Chatsworth"

And maybe even "Amazing Grace - The Great Days of Dukes". But probably not because of the spelling.

>162 susanj67: I think I liked this one more than you do, but then it’s set in my part of the world, which is always nice.

>163 susanj67: - Yay Katie!

I go awol for a couple of days and find myself 50 posts behind... ooof!

Glad to hear about your election results - I am increasingly nervous about ours next week. Eeep!

Sounds like you had a nice weekend - we had stunning weather over here. It's a bit of a ghost town today though as tomorrow is a bank holiday too here (Liberation day) so lots of people have taken the Tuesday off - and most of the schools are out on inset day. I'm cranky about being in tbh!

>164 SandDune: I think part of the problem was that I wasn't really in a reading mood. I was just trying to slim down the library pile!

>165 katiekrug: Yay Katie!

>166 BekkaJo: Bekka, just think of all the stuff you will get done without people interrupting you :-) The weekend really was stunning here, and today looks good as well. But I am back in the air-conditioning now, and the roomie is back from India so there will be holiday stories when she gets in.

Glad to hear your weekend was full of fabulous. I did loads of walking (nutter) caught the sun (unsurprisingly) and have selected my work outfit today to minimise the display of red/white boundary lines. Nothing much I can do about the belisha beacon currently masquerading as my nose. Hope the travel stories keep you entertained. We have a tradition that if you go away, you bring treats back to the office, so here's hoping for some Indian scrummies.

We've been predicted rain (one of those graphics that looks like a cartoon version of a raincloud) but no sign yet, so wishing there was some kind of outdoor office option. Three books waiting on the reservation shelf, including a legitimate (cough) match for the popsugar challenge The green hollow by Owen Sheers.

>162 susanj67: I think I liked that one a little more than you. It does get better and I ended up loving that whole series

>168 Helenliz: Helen, it turns out that the roomie is back tomorrow. We can now open up an email, type someone's name in and if they have an out of office on, it shows you the message. So clever, and saves sending messages that you then have to try and recall when you get an auto-reply. Be careful with that sun - don't end up like me, on an operating table.

>169 charl08: Charlotte, we don't have the outdoor office option either, which is surprising, in a way, because they're happy for us to work anywhere else. And, I don't mean to be picky (ha!) but is "greens" really a vegetable rather than, say, a class of vegetable? (Unless you have picked it for the favourite colour category, in which case carry on).

I went to the library, and I was reminded of an email I got the other day from Beauty Bay, which had the subject line "Warning: Contains New". I may make a sign for the library with this on it, because I went in to pick up ONE reserve (Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk)and ended up grabbing three things from the new NF as well.

They were:

The Vaccine Race: How Scientists Used Human Cells to Combat Killer Viruses by Meredith Wadman
The Mesmerist: The Society Doctor Who Held Victorian London Spellbound by Wendy Moore (I am a major fan-girl after her superb Wedlock some years ago)
Secret Pigeon Service: Operation Columba, Resistance and the Struggle to Liberate Europe by Gordon Corera

Ruh-roh.

>170 ChelleBearss: Hi Chelle! Good to hear that it gets better :-)

>160 susanj67: That would be great :)

>171 susanj67: Good work! (and yes, the favourite colour category. Never quite sure what "greens" are, exactly).

The " side bar " of shame. I had not realized. I do skip over a lot of the articles. I do like you and Charlotte's creative thinking for the the vegetable or fruit embedded in the title. I think Meatless Days is very good. Points for creativity.

>173 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, we're already being deluged with wedding stuff, but no more details of the wedding party yet.

>174 charl08: Charlotte, a definite win for the favourite colour category. I looked at my new books last night and realised that they don't really fit a category - so annoying! Actually Lillian Boxfish can squeeze into the "country that fascinates you" category, but the others don't seem to fit anything.

>175 vancouverdeb: Deborah, I really try not to go onto it because it's so negative and hatey, but it still gets me...

I started Blood and Sand last night, which is excellent. It's a day-by-day look at the Suez crisis of 1956 and the situation in Hungary at the same time. I don't really know what the situation in Hungary was, but I might do soon. Suez flits in and out of my too-hard basket - I read about it and I understand and then I forget. Maybe it will stick this time. The descriptions of the politicians are funny.

e.g. Selwyn Lloyd, eventually Foreign Secretary, at the time he was asked by Churchill to join the Foreign Office:

"But, Sir, I think there must be some mistake," he said. "I do not speak any foreign language. Except in war, I have never visited any foreign country. I do not like foreigners." (This, he added hastily in his book, was "a view which I very soon changed".) "I have never spoken in a Foreign Affairs debate in the House. I have never listened to one."

"Young man," said Churchill..."these all seem to me to be positive advantages."

I like the fact that Wikipedia have, apparently, removed the Daily Mail from it's list of acceptable sources of information for citation. Says it all really.
I aim for balance, so read both the Torygraph and the Gruniad.

I thought Lilian was excellent, so worth it even if it didn't fit into a category.

>177 Helenliz: Helen, how alarming that it ever was a source!!

>178 charl08: Charlotte, I know I shouldn't be hung up on categories and ticking things off lists, but then this is me we're talking about...

FOR had a delightful story yesterday. It's careers week at his son's pre-school, and FOR gave a talk about being a lawyer. There were visual aids including a picture of FOR's office, and of a judge, and of a courtroom. He said it was his friendliest audience in a while, but questions included one about cake and one about Disneyland. Neither of those things had featured in the talk. The lesson: be careful when you ask 15 three-year-olds if they have *any* questions.

>179 susanj67: well I think any talk can be improved by including cake! How very sweet and I like that they're getting that exposure young. It may yet inspire one of them to be more than they would otherwise.

>180 Helenliz: I completely agree with Helen's comments! Happy Thursday, Susan! Birdy and I loved the FOR story.

>179 susanj67: "delightful" -- the perfect word for it

>180 Helenliz: Helen, it all sounded a bit high-powered to me, but it's an affluent area of south-west London, so maybe it's normal for there :-)

>181 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie! And hi Birdy!

>182 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, yes, I love the little-kid stories. All my friends' kids are great hulking teens now (or older OMG), and I miss the toddler tales.

Day off work today for a headache that just won't quit. Or wouldn't, before I nuked it with two Solpadeine and a long nap. Now I am cautiously hopeful. I've been reading Magpie Murders, but here's one that I finished yesterday:



57. The BBC: The Myth of a Public Service by Tom Mills

Apparently the BBC is not the left-wing organisation that critics claim, but is in fact extremely right-wing, and a vital part of the Establishment, used to brainwash us all into thinking thatzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Oh. Where was I? This was another giant rant - I should stop shopping in the Verso sale as they mostly just annoy me. Most of the BBC's output is not political, and there is plenty of other news available for people who don't agree with their news programming. That's certainly true today, even if it might not have been before the internet and multiple TV channels. We are SO LUCKY to have it in the UK that I tend to take a dim view of people whining about it. Even today, after 23 years in the UK, I am still thrilled by the idea of a whole hour of programming with no advertisements.

>177 Helenliz: Churchill was wonderfully quotable wasn't he?

>183 susanj67: For all its imperfections, I love the BBC.

Such a cute story about the three year olds. I imagine the concept of a lawyer is perhaps rather abstract for 3 year olds? In Canada, we have the CBC, and it is mainly paid for by the Federal Government https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Broadcasting_Corporation, but they do have ads.

>183 susanj67: I'd pay the licence fee for BBC4 alone, I love that channel. I can relive my teens with ToTP and learn something with all the art programming. Like >184 PaulCranswick: I accept that as whole it may not be perfect, but it is something we should cherish.

>184 PaulCranswick: Paul, yes, Churchill seems to be quoted so much that I wonder whether he ever said anything ordinary :-)

>185 vancouverdeb: Deborah, the three-year-olds are very funny :-) I suppose at that age they all want to be firemen and princesses, so a lawyer might be a bit of a stretch.

>186 Helenliz: Helen, I caught the end of a ToTP on BBC Four the other day - the outfits! And I'm talking about the presenters, not the performers. What DID we think we looked like...



58. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

I picked this up at the library when I saw it on the shelf, because I'd seen people talking about it on LT. I really liked it :-) I haven't read anything else by Horowitz because I think he mostly writes teen stuff, but this was very good.

I'm not making great progress with the library books but I think the headache has finally gone, so I'll have another shot today. I'm tempted to just pick up The Mesmerist even though there are things due back before it.

Yesterday I discovered my new-fave-TV show - Grimm, which has just started a rerun here on 5 USA. It is outstandingly ridiculous, and I love it. It's on every week night, so I had five recorded and watched them pretty much all in a row yesterday.

Hi Susan!
Am all caught up here now. It was way out of hand and have added two books (one Non-Fiction and one Fiction) to the you-recommended lists. I'm up to 5 you-lists now. Will add your recommendation to Magpie Murders, even though it is already on the lunacat recommended list which is where I saw it first. Although, to be fair, I think it really belongs on the recommended by everybody list. I have a few books on that list which is for books where recommendations just seem to pop everywhere at the same time - like dandelions in May.

Going way, way back to the baby name discussion, I am not a fan of the name Louis (which I've always pronounced as Louie). It reminds me too much of the old fellow who used to haunt/work at the pool hall that belonged to my mother's boyfriend. Every time Gordon brought me by there on a Sunday morning (when the pool hall was closed) and let me play pool, Louie would have a hissy fit because there was a female on the premises and females were strictly forbidden to be there. I was probably about 8 at the time. For me Louis will always be the name of old, bald, creepy men. But - not a fan of Arthur or Albert either. It's time to break away from those tired old names and go for something a little different - but not too outrageous. Like Simon or John or Gregory. Pefectly good names all.

>188 Fourpawz2: Hi Charlotte! Great to see you :-) Five lists! I'm sure I'm not worthy...But Magpie Murders is a good one, and I'm sure even better for people who read a lot of crime novels, which I haven't tended to although I am getting into them more now.

The current name speculation is what title Harry and Meghan will get when they marry. It will be announced next Saturday morning, before the wedding, and the front-runner (from somewhere) is the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, so any future baby names may well have to go with Sussex as the surname. (Unless the Cambridges have one more). I can see why Louis doesn't appeal to you, but at least this one will be cuter :-)

I've managed to read a bit today - not the book I had planned but some other bits and pieces, even though I discovered that Grimm is also on Netflix, and I could technically watch 123 episiodes minus the five I have already seen.

Hi Susan - I hope your weekend is starting off well. Boo to headaches.

I also enjoyed Magpie Murders - very clever and it kept me guessing.

So, are you preparing for the Wedding? Will things be crazy there?

>189 susanj67: - I was not a fan of mysteries, either. But there are so many out there as well as bajillion fans, of same that I decided I must/could force myself to like them. And it worked. Don't love, love American crime fiction a whole lot, but there are so very many other series out there that this has not posed much of a problem for me. Am just happy that I can and do read mysteries now because that genre includes so very many books. Did not like it that my mystery aversion precluded me from reading any of them.

Hope it's sunny in London Susan - I actually sat in the garden and read / snoozed. Not convinced the factor 30 is really factor 30 (that's my line if anyone asks tomorrow, anyway).

>190 BLBera: Beth, I think things will be pretty crazy for the wedding. On my next thread (opening soonish - all comments welcome to get me to the magic 200 posts on this one :-) ) I'm going to post links to information coming out this week, and maybe even blog the day :-) At least one of our new channels will have six hours of live coverage from 9 - 3*, but I'd imagine other countries might have a bit less, not least because there will be time for edited highlights to be put together for anyone behind us time-wise, so you will be spared the inane comments on the outfits of minor royals and people no-one can recognise but feel they ought to cover just in case.

*Sky News but with Kay Burley OMG - I wonder whether I could just watch it with the pictures. Sky coverage may show up on Fox in the US if Fox don't have their own people here. BBC One has live coverage from 9 - 2.

>191 Fourpawz2: Charlotte, I seem to have acquired quite a few series, which I'm enjoying for the most part. (I don't continue with the ones I don't). Also, further to our Ellis Peters discussion on your thread, books from that series will fit the PopSugar category of a female author writing under a male name, and save me from having to read e.g. Middlemarch. Another plus :-)

>192 charl08: Charlotte, it was pretty sunny here, and there were lots of boats full of drunk people cruising past me, singing. The people, that is. Not the boats themselves. Oasis was quite popular. Be careful with your sunscreen, young lady - Boots do a 50+ in their Soltan range, which you might want to get if the 30 isn't cutting it.

*end of bossing around*

I didn't know you were so close to the water: the boats going past with singalongs sounds like it would be funny for the first ten minutes. Our football playing neighbours were out which was nice, got to enjoy some gardening too.

I've noted Ellis Peters for future reference, I was wondering what to do about that one, hadn't even thought of the Victorians.

Hi, Susan! The cable channel BBC America has been touting their royal wedding coverage for weeks. It apparently starts at 3 a.m. my time on the Saturday. I'm thinking about setting an alarm so I can watch in bed on the iPad. :-)

Also, Middlemarch was great! Much better than I expected, frankly. I used the group read from some past 75ers year and it was helpful with some of the more obscure bits of Victorian history and life.

Way behind here, Susan, due to being away from the computer due to my bad cold last week! Just had to chime in to say that my dad, in Central Kansas, was a Louis (loo-ee). I did have a great-uncle Lewis as well.

>119 susanj67: What a coincidence, I just had a pink kit kat last weekend, my neighbour had jus been to Japan and had bought some back with her. They were *delicious*.

I love the Magpie Murders cover, and glad to see you enjoyed The Circle upthread too.

>195 charl08: Charlotte, the singalongs move past pretty quickly :-) Night-time is more fun, with Dancing Queen and I Will Survive and lots of woo-hooing and general merriment from the disco boats, although Steven Berkoff (who lives down the river a bit) got up a campaign to make the boats turn the music down and stop opening up all their windows/roof areas at night, so it is not as noisy as it used to be. Give Ellis Peters a try :-) There's no need to read the books in order - start anywhere*.

>196 rosalita: Julia, that is a very early start! Maybe they are just taking it straight from the BBC here, in which case the hosts are OK for that one. I mean to get to Middlemarch one day. I did start it at some point in the last few years - maybe for a 75ers read-along, but I was over-booked and had to give it up.

>197 ronincats: Hi Roni - hope you're feeling better :-)

>198 LovingLit: Megan, it sounds like you like the Kit-Kats more than I did :-) And yes to The Circle! Much better than the film.

I just went to the library and returned Magpie Murders and didn't take anything else out. So proud of myself!

>199 susanj67:

*Ha! Just checking you were paying attention. Of course you can't start anywhere. The first one is A Morbid Taste for Bones.

Oh look! 200 posts...