Paul C's 2018 Part 10

Hutton Cranswick is still calling to me.
This waterway is adjacent to the village.

POETRY

I would always name Dylan Thomas amongst the greatest of poets though his star burned bright yet briefly.
These are four of the seven stanzas from his brilliant POEM IN OCTOBER
Poem In October

It was my thirtieth year to heaven
Woke to my hearing from harbour and neighbour wood
And the mussel pooled and the heron
Priested shore
The morning beckon
With water praying and call of seagull and rook
And the knock of sailing boats on the net webbed wall
Myself to set foot
That second
In the still sleeping town and set forth.

My birthday began with the water-
Birds and the birds of the winged trees flying my name
Above the farms and the white horses
And I rose
In rainy autumn
And walked abroad in a shower of all my days.
High tide and the heron dived when I took the road
Over the border
And the gates
Of the town closed as the town awoke.



And the twice told fields of infancy
That his tears burned my cheeks and his heart moved in mine.
These were the woods the river and sea
Where a boy
In the listening
Summertime of the dead whispered the truth of his joy
To the trees and the stones and the fish in the tide.
And the mystery
Sang alive
Still in the water and singingbirds.

And there could I marvel my birthday
Away but the weather turned around. And the true
Joy of the long dead child sang burning
In the sun.
It was my thirtieth
Year to heaven stood there then in the summer noon
Though the town below lay leaved with October blood.
O may my heart's truth
Still be sung
On this high hill in a year's turning.

I ME MINE



This is an image of two elevations of the latest project I am involved in. Menara KL118. 118 storeys on the site of the stadium where Malaysia's independence was declared. It will be known as Merdeka Tower or Indepedence Tower and will be completed by the beginning of 2021. I will be assisting the Main Contractor, Samasung C&T as their Contract Manager on that project and the KLCC Sapura Tower.

So life is busy just now.

Married with three children (although they are bigger than I am - well except my eldest). Yasmyne is 21, Kyran 18 and Belle is 14. Yasmyne is entering her final year in University and Kyran is about to embark upon his own academic adventures. There is every likelihood that Belle will also start studying in the UK in September so I may see them all sparingly unless I get my finger out and get my projects moving in the UK.

I have a certain notoriety for buying more than I read, although slightly straitened circumstances have made me seem more reasonable even though my "Cranswickian" urges are barely suppressed.

Books Read in 2018

January

1. The Country Girls by Edna O'Brien (1960) 224 pp
2. The Debt to Pleasure by John Lanchester (1996) 251 pp
3. Girl with Green Eyes by Edna O'Brien (1962) 256 pp
4. Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance (1996) 257 pp
5. Lupercal by Ted Hughes (1960) 63 pp
6. Girls in their Married Bliss by Edna O'Brien (1964) 199 pp
7. The Luck of Ginger Coffey by Brian Moore (1960)
8. Wild Tales by Graham Nash (2013) 345 pp
9. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (2016) 300 pp

February

10. The Map and the Clock edited by Carol Ann Duffy and Gillian Clarke (2016) 669 pp
11. The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan (2013) 448 pp
12. Felicia's Journey by William Trevor (1994) 213 pp
13. Elegies by Douglas Dunn (1985) 64 pp
14. The Judge and His Hangman by Friedrich Durrenmatt (1951) 124 pp

March

15. An Armenian Sketchbook by Vasily Grossman (1962) 207 pp
16. The Road to Lichfield by Penelope Lively (1977) 216 pp
17. A Book of Common Prayer by Joan Didion (1977) 272 pp
18. 100 Best-Loved Poems edited by Philip Smith (1995) 93 pp
19. The Lady Vanishes by Ethel Lina White (1936) 256 pp
20. Time Present and Time Past by Deirdre Madden (2013) 224 pp
21. Jamilia by Chingiz Aitmatov (1957) 96 pp
22. The Spartans by Paul Cartledge (2002) 254 pp

Books Read in 2018

April

23. Night Without End by Alistair MacLean (1959) 373 pp
24. Pandorama by Ian Duhig (2010) 55 pp
25. The Sword and the Circle by Rosemary Sutcliff (1981) 374 pp
26. The Light Beyond the Forest by Rosemary Sutcliff (1979) 164 pp
27. The Road to Camlann by Rosemary Sutcliff (1981) 159 pp
28. The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell (1995) 495 pp
29. Enemy of God by Bernard Cornwell (1996) 473 pp
30. Arabian Sands by Wifried Thesiger (1959) 330 pp
31. The Vegetarian by Han Kang (2007) 183 pp
32. A General Theory of Oblivion by Jose Eduardo Agualusa (2012) 243 pp
33. Pietr the Latvian by Georges Simenon (1930) 162 pp

May

34. A Drinking Life by Pete Hamill (1994) 265 pp
35. Excalibur by Bernard Cornwell (1997) 480 pp
36. No Continuing City by Michael Longley (1969) 38 pp
37. A Boy in Winter by Rachel Seiffert (2017) 237 pp
38. The Dry by Jane Harper (2016) 401 pp
39. Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham (1929) 222 pp
40. An Exploded View by Michael Longley (1973) 42 pp
41. Seven Ways to Kill a Cat by Matias Nespolo (2009) 246 pp
42. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby (1997) 139 pp
43. The Ultras by Eoin McNamee (2004) 256 pp
44. Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari (2016) 456 pp
45. Man Lying on a Wall by Michael Longley (1976) 32 pp

June

46. Slow Horses by Mick Herron (2010) 328 pp
47. Echo Gate by Michael Longley (1979) 50 pp
48. The Dinner by Herman Koch (2009) 309 pp
49. Generals by Mark Urban (2005) 313 pp
50. The Journeyman Tailor by Gerald Seymour (1992) 361 pp
51. Behind Closed Doors by Laurence Rees (2008) 411 pp

Books Read in 2018

July

52. Gorse Fires by Michael Longley (1991) 32 pp
53. A Nest of Vipers by Andrea Camilleri (2013) 274 pp
54. The Road to Valour by Alli McConnon (2012) 260 pp
55. The South by Colm Toibin (1990) 254 pp
56. Goodbye Columbus by Philip Roth (1959) 221 pp
57. Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo (1998) 437 pp
58. The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma (2015) 412 pp

August

59. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (2008) 321 pp
60. Something to Answer For by PH Newby (1968) 285 pp
61. Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash by Eka Kurniawan (2014) 209 pp
62. Britain Since 1900 : A Success Story? by Robert Skidelsky (2014) 406 pp
63. Doctor Who : Rose by Russell T Davies (2018) 197 pp

September

64. The Great Prize Fight by Alan Lloyd (1977) 180 pp
65. One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus (1998) 493 pp
66. A Moment of War by Laurie Lee (1991) 122 pp

Books Read in 2018

October

67. Reykjavik Nights by Arnaldur Indridason (Around the World in 80 Books #23)
68. A Very English Scandal by John Preston
69. Purge by Sofi Oksanen (Around the World in 80 Books #24)
70. Puckoon by Spike Milligan (British Author Challenge)
71. Death Sentence by Mikkel Birkegaard (Around the World in 80 Books #25)

November

72. The Silence and the Roar by Nihad Sirees (Around the World in 80 books #26)
73. Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo (British Author Challenge)
74. Age of Iron by J.M. Coetzee (Around the World in 80 Books #27)
75. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami (Around the World in 80 Books #28)
76. Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Around the World in 80 Books #29)

BRITISH AUTHOR THEME CHALLENGE 2018

JANUARY - DEBUT NOVELS - https://www.librarything.com/topic/275745#6259410
FEBRUARY - THE 1970s - https://www.librarything.com/topic/276329#6262597
MARCH - CLASSIC THRILLERS - http://www.librarything.com/topic/276329#6266669
APRIL - FOLKLORE, FABLES AND LEGENDS - https://www.librarything.com/topic/276329#6264065
MAY - QUEENS OF CRIME - https://www.librarything.com/topic/275745#6260378
JUNE - TRAVEL WRITING - http://www.librarything.com/topic/276329#6266685
JULY - THE ANGRY YOUNG MEN - http://www.librarything.com/topic/276329#6266706
AUGUST - BRITISH SCIENCE FICTION - http://www.librarything.com/topic/276329#6265570
SEPTEMBER - HISTORICAL FICTION - http://www.librarything.com/topic/276329#6266539
OCTOBER - COMEDIC NOVELS - https://www.librarything.com/topic/276329#6266707
NOVEMBER - WORLD WAR ONE - https://www.librarything.com/topic/275745#6258461
DECEMBER - BRITISH SERIES - https://www.librarything.com/topic/276796#6268684

WILDCARD - THE ROMANTICS - https://www.librarything.com/topic/276796#6271176

The format of the British Author Challenge next year will be slightly different in that it will be based upon themes.
That said for guidance I will choose 10 books each month to help and guide that theme along but, as you know me, you can then read what you jolly well like anyway!

IRISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE 2018

Format

I will select five males and five females and there will be two special months.

January : EDNA O'BRIEN
February : WILLIAM TREVOR
March : DEIRDRE MADDEN
April : Samuel Beckett
May : IRISH CRIME WRITERS
June : ANNE ENRIGHT
July : COLM TOIBIN
August : MOLLY KEANE
September : RODDY DOYLE
October : POETS & PLAYWRIGHTS
November : EMMA DONOGHUE, JENNIFER JOHNSTON, MAGGIE O'FARRELL
December : JOHN BANVILLE, SEBASTIAN BARRY, COLUM MCCANN

AAC

ANZAC

OTHER CHALLENGES

CURRENTLY READING

READING PLAN FOR OCTOBER

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 BOOKS


Create Your Own Visited Countries Map

1. Ireland - Edna O'Brien
2. United Kingdom - John Lanchester
3. United States of America - J.D. Vance
4. Canada - Brian Moore
5. Ghana - Yaa Gyasi
6. Australia - Richard Flanagan
7. Switzerland - Friedrich Durrenmatt
8. Russia - Vasily Grossman
9. Kyrgyzstan - Chingiz Aitmatov
10. Ethiopia - Wilfrid Thesiger
11. South Korea - Han Kang
12. Angola - Jose Eduardo Agualusa
13. Belgium - Georges Simenon
14. Argentina - Matias Nespolo
15. France - Jean-Dominique Bauby
16. Netherlands - Herman Koch
17. Italy - Andrea Camilleri
18. Norway - Jo Nesbo
19. Nigeria - Chigozie Obioma
20. Israel - Yuval Noah Harari
21. India - Aravind Adiga
22. Indonesia - Eka Kurniawan
23. Iceland - Arnaldur Indridason
24. Finland - Sofi Oksanen
25. Denmark - Mikkel Birkegaard
26. Syria - Nihad Sirees
27. South Africa - J.M. Coetzee
28. Japan - Haruki Murakami
29. Colombia - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

NEXT IS YOURS

Happy new thread

Happy new thread, Paul! Glad to see you have enough time for a visit, and hope you're able to get some rest over the weekend :)

Happy new one, Paul! So good to see you here - I have not been around much myself, but I am hoping to get back into the swing of things in October. May the rest of the year be full with fabulous - I can't believe we are already closing in on the final quarter.

Happy new thread, Paul! I like the opening image — quite peaceful.

Happy new one, Paul.

>17 figsfromthistle: Thank you Anita. I hope to be able to help the stats along a little this weekend.

>18 bell7: Thanks Mary. I hope I'll have a bit more time this weekend.

>19 Crazymamie: Lovely to see you Mamie. Two Scarlet Pimpernells together! I am hopeful October will be a great month as I normally do well in October.

>20 harrygbutler: It is a sleepy village Harry. I could do with some of that peace and quiet at the moment. Great to see you buddy.

>21 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara. I will get myself around the threads soon......promise.

Happy new thread, Paul!

Happy new thread! Looks like I just missed a chance to be in the top 25, but that's okay. Those few extra minutes of sleep, after getting up to feed the cats and then nodding off for about another 45 minutes, helped.

A very happy new thread, to you, Paul! I vote we all grab out books and head out to the shores of Hutton Cranswick! What a peaceful place to while away the hours.

Happy new thread, Paul, and welcome back. Hope October is kinder to you than recent months have been.

I hope things improve soon Paul.

Happy New Thread, Paul. I love the topper!

>25 ChelleBearss: Thank you Chelle, dear.

>26 thornton37814: Those were the days weren't they? Blink too often and fifty posts got put down. RD, Kath, Ape, Stasia and others were such prolific poster, Lori.

Happy new thread, Paul. Have a lovely weekend.

>27 Carmenere: I wouldn't argue with that, Lynda. Truly Cranswickian I would say!

>28 jessibud2: Thanks Shelley. It is wonderful to be back.

>29 Caroline_McElwee: As the tortoise said to the hare, Caroline, I'll get there eventually!

>30 msf59: Thanks Mark. It is a nice place to visit and has a decent village pub as I recall.

>32 BLBera: Thank you Beth. I will endeavour to get round a few threads and wish my pals much the same. xx

Happy new thread!

>36 amanda4242: Thank you dear Amanda. xx

Happy New Thread, Paul!

Cheers, Paul! New thread, great. Leaving the door open so just anyone can wander in, priceless. I say, as some others have admitted, that I am not circulating and chatting near as much in the last three or four months as I have in previous years. I just spend an hour at the localest library filling my tote. $5 only for the lot. A lot. A whole lot. I think I've acquired an obscene number of books this year.

So how are you doing?

Welcome back! and we're still waiting for guided comments and fun mild sparring on your IRISH Thread.

Happy new thread. That's coming back full force!

Happy New Thread, Paul!

Lovely topper.

Good to see you Paul! Happy new thread, and a nice relaxing weekend.

Hooray! So happy to see a new Cranswick thread!

Happy new thread, Paul -Beautiful photos up top and thanks for the lovely Dylan Thomas poem!

Happy new thread, Paul, and good luck with your projects!
Your new thread is going fast. Is it enough to keep this year from the bottom of the statistcs?

Happy new thread, Paul! Love the combination of photo and poem at the top.

Happy New Thread!

>38 ronincats: Thank you Roni and for stopping by during my absentee landlord stage. xx

>39 weird_O: Obscene numbers of books will always get me excited Bill! I hope you'll join me in being more active for the rest of the year and I hope to join you in getting back more to my acquisitionary ways.

>40 m.belljackson: Yes, Marianne I do feel that I have let down the Irish Author Challenge somewhat this year. Still three months for me to redeem myself!

>41 quondame: Thanks Susan. A bit like old times. x

>42 jnwelch: Thanks Joe. I would have thought you'd have liked Dylan Thomas' reflections on turning 30.

>43 EllaTim: Thank you Ella. It is good to be back too. x

>44 banjo123: Possibly the longest I have ever gone between threads, Rhonda. I am happy to start number 10 too.

>45 Copperskye: Mr. Thomas and his self-destructiveness is pretty suitable for my latest thread I think, Joanne.

>46 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita. It will be close between 2018 and 2015 for the lowest figures. We haven't broken 100,000 posts yet this year and need to get to 128,000 to pass 2015. We'll do it.

>47 foggidawn: Thank you Foggy. Yorkshire and a windswept Welsh wordsmith definitely works side by side. xx

>48 mahsdad: Cheers, Jeff.

Happy new thread! Good to see you back again!

>54 drneutron: Thanks Jim. It is good to be back.

Here you are! I don't get to visit often, Paul, but it's a comfort to me to see that you are here and posting even if I don't know what you're saying.

>56 LizzieD: Peggy, I don't know what I am rambling on about myself most of the time but it is glad to see you too likewise. xx

Happy new thread Paul. I hope this means things are easing up a bit for you.

>58 Familyhistorian: I hope so too, Meg. Attended a wedding today as one of my staff was getting married. I had a good time and was able to think back to my own time making such a step.

Lovely to see you are back with a new thread, Paul!

>51 PaulCranswick: I did like the Dylan Thomas poem excerpt, Paul. It didn't sing to me the way others of his have, but it's impressive anyway.

Greeting to our absentee landlord! I hope your life gives you more time for posting in the future, Paul. We have missed you in these busy times.

Happy new thread and welcome back, Paul!

You know that Dylan Thomas is one of my favorite poets, Paul, and the selections you chose from Poem in October echo my favorite of his, Fern Hill.

Happy new thread Paul!

Happy new thread, Paul. You seem to be busy building :) hope, the project goes well.

You are back and of course you're thread is again among the hot topics on the home page! xo

Happy new thread mate and great photo of your new project. I have to agree with you on the Sri Lanka squad mate, when is Hildreth ever going to get a chance the poor lad. I saw this morning that Yorkshire have signed Will Fraine from Notinghamshire, he seems a good young opening batsmen and hopefully will get us off to a good start next year.

We have let a few go this year and one who left last year seems to have come good at Warwickshire, Will Rhodes, don't think they saw him and Sibley as an opening pair but when they picked them they have batted well and have had a good record with both of them scoring four tons and having a highest partnership of 176, I know it is only in the second division but that division has been like the Championship in football to get out of this year. I am glad that by the 2020 season we will be back to ten teams in division one and they are hoping to get it back to sixteen championship games instead of fourteen.

Talking of the inept ECB, it seems that this dratted "Hundred" competition is estimated to be going to cost 80 million, just think if that was spent on sorting the Championship season out along with the 50 over and T20 Blast, what a season we would have. This is one of Colin Graves bright ideas and really he should listen and take note of people in the game and think about it more closely, Jonathan Agnew has spoken out against it as have many of the commentators doing the championship cricket on the sports extra and online service and Virat Kohli has already stated that he will NOT play this form as it is wrong.

Hope the family are ok and give our love to Hani and the kids and we send you our love.

Happy new thread Paul. Nice to see you around here again. Sounds like things have been way too busy again. Hope you're feeling better.

Welcome back, Paul!

>59 PaulCranswick: That doesn't sound that relaxing but it does sound a lot more fun that work. Hope you are able to fit in more social events this coming weekend.

Hurray! He's back! Made my day, you did. : )

Happy new thread, Paul. Welcome back.

Happy new thread, Paul! That's a beautiful topper pic.

Happy new thread Paul!

Malaysia made the BBC news last night. There was a long piece on the charging of the former first lady with money laundering crimes. The piece even referred to her as the Malaysian Imelda Marcos.

Dropping by to say hello. Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Hi, Paul. Stay frosty.

Happy weekend, Paul, I hope you can relax a little.

Stopping by to say Hey! Hope you have a great weekend!

>60 lkernagh: It is always lovely to see you too, Lori, back in these parts.

>61 jnwelch: He is definitely up there with Yeats and Eliot as my favourite poet, Joe.

>62 Donna828: I have missed you all too, Donna. When I think I am in the clear I then get another dose of busy that keeps me away for another week.

Hi Paul! Happy relatively new one! I hope all is well.

>63 EBT1002: Thank you Ellen, I have a lot of catching up to do.

>64 ronincats: Fern Hill is, of course, an absolute favourite of many, Roni. I love his villanelle Do Not go Gently the most probably or Death Shall Have No Dominion.

>65 humouress: Thanks Nina. xx

>66 paulstalder: The KL118 project - the 118 storey building is improving now, Paul and I seem to have got many of the contractual issues settled more in our favour than before. The other project Sapura Tower has had some tragedy however in that a large chunk of reinforcing steel fell from the 15th floor went through the safety netting at level 7 and hit a poor Bangladeshi worker on the head. His hard-hat has saved his life probably but he is still in a very serious condition in hospital and it has put something of a pall upon what had been one of the happiest sites I have ever worked on. I am quite proud of Samsung actually in that they insisted that the worker be put in the best and most expensive hospital in KL to save his life irregardless of cost. The insurance company representative who suggested that we save money and move his somewhere cheaper was given extremely short shrift.

>67 EBT1002: I do try still occasionally, Ellen. My efforts are now much more intermittent than before!

>68 johnsimpson: Hani has just landed in the UK, John so she might be in touch with you and Karen fairly shortly.

I am getting a little stalled by mickey-mouse cricket to be honest. It is ok for the T20 stuff to be shoe-horned in at both ends of the season - IPL at the beginning and a championship of sorts in England in say September after the real cricket is done. The Hundred competition should be scrapped before they ruin our great sport all together.

I think we have let too many good 'uns go recently although I really like the look of Kohler-Cadmore who joined us from Worcs.

>69 SuziQoregon: I am feeling good in myself, Juli, only way too busy. xx

>70 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl. I have missed my friends - all of you.

>71 Familyhistorian: Hahaha - marriage has its challenges certainly but I am again coming round to the view that the world would be a desperately sad and difficult place to be in without the love of my family.

>72 Berly: I hope I can do it again then, Kimmers - a week or so later!

>73 Oregonreader: Thanks, Jan. Lovely to see you stop by.

>74 karenmarie: Thank you, Karen. Hutton Cranswick is a lovely village and to think they named the place after me!

>75 The_Hibernator: Great to see you as always, Rachel. xx

>76 benitastrnad: I think that is a little unfair, Benita...............on Imelda Marcos. She was the power behind the proverbial throne and the rumours abound about both her greed as well as her vindictiveness,

>77 figsfromthistle: Always lovely to see you, Anita. xx

>78 weird_O: Ha! I hope frosty in the American sense is better than it is in a British one, Bill!

>79 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita, I am at work on 118 this morning but happily so, I must say.

>80 mahsdad: Great to see you, Jeff and HEY right back at yer!

>82 brodiew2: Thanks Brodie.

Hi Paul, great to see you posting again. Hope you get a break over the weekend for some reading.

>84 PaulCranswick: I am sorry a worker at the Sapura Tower project got badly injured, Paul. Glad to read he gets the best care possible, and that Samsung enforced that.

>89 PaulCranswick: Working happily is good :-)

Just dropping by to say hello Paul!

Good to see you about Paul.

I hope the injured worker recovers, and like you am glad Samsung haven't cut corners in paying for his care.

Happy weekend, Paul.

Happy Sunday Paul, I've been AWOL once again for three weeks, but so happy to see a newish Paul thread on my return. Sorry I jumped off the challenges, but my brain suddenly just wanted other books, and having passed the #75, I gave in.

>84 PaulCranswick: What a tragic story, I'm very sorry!

>90 charl08: Thanks Charlotte. I will also get round to a few threads all being well.

>91 FAMeulstee: Yes Anita. I must say that I really am enjoying working with Samsung. They are a really dedicated bunch whose priorities are - at the end of the day - in entirely the right place.

>92 SandDune: Lovely to see you Rhian. xx

>93 Caroline_McElwee: The insurance claim fellow didn't even look shamefaced, Caroline. I was chairing the meeting which was probably a good thing as the Korean Project Manager - who has taken the accident very badly - would probably have done him a mischief.

>94 Ameise1: Thank you Barbara and the very same to you. xx

>95 Deern: I am not doing at all well with the challenges either Nathalie but am still leaving myself a chance to make 100 books as is customary for me in every year for the last 40 or so.

Good to see you back, Paul, and I send my best wishes for your injured worker. Shame on that insurance guy. Yikes. I do hope the injured worker makes a full recovery.

Hi Paul!

I, too, am sorry about the injured worker and am glad that he's being given the best of care.

We had mentioned earlier in the year about possibly reading The Luminaries in October. I don't think I want to commit to it this late in the year with 28 books to go to meet my reading goal for the year, but I might tackle it early next year.

Best wishes on your projects and reading.

Hej Paul, glad to see you back here again. I hope that the accident you mentioned in >84 PaulCranswick: is only serious one at your sites. And also that the worker will fully recover from the injurious. Hope, too, that you can enjoy some quiet and restful time at the weekend.

Hi Paul, good to see you back posting mate after a busy period for you, I hope the Bangladeshi worker is getting better mate and it was really good of Samsung to get things sorted out for him, sign of a good company when they do things like this.

I thought I saw something on Facebook that Hani had posted and I know Karen had messaged her before she came over so no doubts they will be in contact and we will go from there mate.

There seems to be a lot of discussion now about going back slightly to how it used to be with touring teams having some decent opposition for warm up games before the Tests start, I always thought it was a barmy idea to scrap these and then we ended up with mickey mouse opposition and twelve or thirteen a-side games that did no one any favours. It could be interesting over the winter to see what is brought back into the game for the good and what is sacked off once and for all so that the game does not suffer.

Have a good week mate and hope to see you at some point.

Hi, Paul. Just dropping in to see if you need a cup of tea or anything...sounds like you've been having a busy and somewhat stressful time. It's always good when you can spend some of your day visiting here, though.

>99 jessibud2: Thanks Shelley. The doctors are looking to bring the Bangladeshi worker out of his induced coma tomorrow. Thoughts and prayers with him please friends.
I have a showdown with the "loss adjuster" on Friday. I hope I can do the poor chap and his family proud.

>100 karenmarie: I think the idea on The Luminaries is a wise one, Karen. I am looking to step up my reading over the next few months to get somewhere close to my own reading goals.

>101 paulstalder: Thank you Paul. I was feeling a little dizzy this morning with stress and overwork. I am ready for the weekend and I am only half-way through the week!

>102 johnsimpson: Yes John, Kyran flew into London this morning and I now officially have a college boy on my hands (or sort of off my hands, I suppose). Terribly proud of him. He cried buckets the big softie leaving our beloved Erni behind and shed a tear with Belle at the airport. He is a lovely guy and I yearn for the best for him always.

First class cricket needs to be protected as well as nurtured. We would do much better as a touring team with better preparation games for sure. Incidentally I went on Sporcle an online quiz site and did a couple of cricket quizzes. Did you know we have had 290 players make their test debuts since 1960. I did pretty well and got 270 of them in the allotted 20 minutes. Go and have a look!

>103 laytonwoman3rd: Tea is always a priority, Linda! Actually, I sent out one of my staff to buy me tea this morning as it usually cures dizziness and nausea for me. It did do so too!

Happy mid-week, Paul! Good luck to Kyran and all the best to him in his new chapter of life! You're getting pretty close to empty nester hood. How's that making you feel?

>15 PaulCranswick: I don't suppose books like Marco Polo and other travel narratives are considered the true expression of this. I've read some series that cover rather a lot of territory.

>108 quondame: That would be almost around the world in a single book! The challenge is to read 80 books by 80 writers born in 80 different countries.

Drive by wave from London!

Dear Paul, just a brief word to let you know that I think of you and yours. I hope that your injured workman woke up as well as could be expected. I wish Kyran the best of exciting times as he starts this next big adventure. Very best to you too, while I'm thinking of it!
(May I also say that I came close to hating The Luminaries, much to my disappointment. So much hype. So little substance - unless you consider convoluted organization to be substance. I may be in the minority here, but I groaned my way through it.)

Hi Paul!

Best wishes for Kyran as he starts his college career. How are Yasmyne and Belle doing?

Sounds like you continue to be busy, Paul. At least you have time for posting now. I hope you have time for reading as well and best of luck dealing with the loss adjuster.

Checking in - I know I'm not around a lot but thinking of you and tbh everyone on LT.

>110 humouress: What are you driving, Nina?

>111 LizzieD: The workman is able to breath unaided but is still not fully awake. The issue is one of whether his brain will be able to function as before. I have hatched a cunning plan to get him a good payout through Samsung's insurance and I hope it succeeds.

I couldn't finish the Catton book when I first attempted it.

>112 karenmarie: He is enthused and excited so far, Karen. Yasmyne is in her final year and Belle is holidaying in Tioman. xx

>113 Familyhistorian: I am slowly churning through books, Meg. My numbers are not going to impress this year though.

>114 BekkaJo: Lovely to see you, Bekka.

Congrats to proud father and young man. Hope he has a great time.

Just dropping in as I'm making rounds. The fur boys are happy to be home. After checking things out, they are all in favorite spots near the front window.

>115 PaulCranswick: A380.

Good to know the workman is doing better. Nice to hear about the family, too; best of luck to Kyran.

Just waving to say hi, Paul! Hope you are doing well, and your worker too.

Hi Paul! Best wishes to Kyran and his wonderful Dad. And sending good thoughts to your worker. Nice job on Samsung's part doing their best by him. Love seeing you here on LT again. Now if only I could be a bit more consistent. Dang that RL!! : ) Hugs.

>115 PaulCranswick:

Why isn't insurance "payout" and care for his family a given with Samsung?

Dropping in to wish you a wonderful weekend, and that everything gets sorted out for the worker.

Happy weekend, Paul and best of luck to Kyran in his new adventures!

Dropping in to say hi and leave best wishes for you and yours.

I'm safely back in Singapore Paul. You missed your chance to visit. Hope all is well with you and yours.

Happy weekend, Paul, unless yours is over then it is happy week and I hope your scheme for getting the worker a good payout is going well.

(((Paul)))

(((((Paul))))) Roni is always right.

Hi Paul! Thinking about you and like Roni and Peggy (who are, of course, both right) sending hugs.

Happy new(ish) thread, Paul!

>117 charl08: Thanks Charlotte. He is so pleased and relieved that I managed to somehow stump up the money to send him off to Portsmouth University where he will read law.

>118 thornton37814: Lovely to see you Lori. I hope to be able to make some rounds of my own this weekend.

>119 humouress: The traffic snarl in Kuala Lumpur has been particularly bad recently as they seem to have decided to "improve" all major roads at the same time! Enjoy your travels, Nina. xx

>120 EllaTim: The worker is now capable of breathing unaided but the doctors are not overly confident of him making a full recovery back to a normal life. I have a meeting with the insurance company on Monday to discuss a settlement for his relocation and rehabilitation costs as well as a fair and reasonable sum for him going forward.

>121 Berly: If only we could both be consistent. I am determined, Kimmers, that next year I shall be back to my normal self - LT wise and I won't let pesky RL get in the way.

>122 m.belljackson: Unfortunately in South East Asia it certainly isn't a given, Marianne. The statutory insurance policy for workers is called The Workman's Compensation Scheme and will probably nett the poor chap less than $5k. Samsung are bearing all his treatment costs anyway irrespective of recovery and definitely saved his life by their actions in overriding the insurance company to "reduce the cost of care" - in reality send him to a Government hospital which would not have been able to provide the cover he needed. Samsung have with my involvement provided the worker (through his cousin) with legal representation to sue his employer (our Sub-Contractor) and trigger the Insurance Policy's General Liability clause which covers up to about $1.25 million. The lawyer is a friend of mine and we are working with the insurance company to quickly settle something without going to court. I am hoping I can get him and his family about $500,000 in the near future.

>123 bell7: Thanks Mary. I do hope to make another comeback to the group this weekend (I am making more comebacks than Joe Louis at this rate).

>124 banjo123: Thank you Rhonda. He is revelling in his new found Under Graduate status.

>125 amanda4242: Thanks Amanda. Always lovely to have you drop by. xx

(((Paul))) So glad to see you here. I worry when you disappear.

>126 humouress: So Singapore it will have to be! Nice to see you safely back, Nina.

>127 Familyhistorian: Things are going reasonably ok on the work front but I have to go with Belle down to Johor Bahru to see my sister in law and her Aunty who unfortunately had her diagnosis of cancer confirmed earlier in the week.

>128 ronincats: Here I am Roni, basking in the warmth of those hugs. xx

>129 LizzieD: And yours Peggy!

>130 karenmarie: And yours as well, Karen. We really are a great community here and I couldn't do without you all for very long, no matter how tough life can get sometimes. xx

>131 ChelleBearss: Thanks Chelle.

So, what are you currently reading? I have way to many books started in the last month and only a few of them finished. I am trying to read Pat Barker’s World War I trilogy but I keep getting sidetracked by YA fantasy.

>135 ronincats: I'm very glad to be back too, Roni. Thanks for dropping by to check up on me. xx

>138 benitastrnad: I am struggling a little bit as well having managed a pathetic 13 books in the last three months (barely one a week).

I am going to have to get my skates on, Benita, if I am to avoid failure to achieve 100 books a year. I have been keeping records of my reading since 1980 and have never failed to achieve 100 books a year in each of those 38 years.

Presently part chewed:

The Silence and the Roar by Nihad Sirees which will most likely be finished today

The Dream of the Celt by Mario Vargas Llosa (part way through and enjoying it)

The Iliad almost finished Stephen Mitchell's recent(ish) translation

Age of Iron by JM Coetzee which could be wrapped up tomorrow.



Those will at least take me to 75.

Paul!! It's great to see you here. Cheers on 75 and wishing you good luck with 100. I know if you have the time you could churn it out no prob, but that darn RL, it does get in the way sometimes. ; ) Hugs.

>133 PaulCranswick:

In the U.S., SAMSUNG recently posted a profit of $15 billion on Smartphones.
Good they are helping.

>140 PaulCranswick: Both Vargas Llosa and Coetzee are on my list to be read some day.
I read The Iliad last July, also in a recent translation, and liked it more than I anticipated.

Glad to see you here and know that you are reading! My next Vargas Llosa must be Conversation in the Cathedral, and I approach it with fear and trembling. That means that I pretty much don't approach it right now. He is my favorite of the Latin American greats although I must, must, must finish The Mad Patagonian, which is very, very, very good and might possibly win my title for Zabala.

>132 PaulCranswick: Law; I say! Impressive. He'll certainly be helpful to you with all these legal wrangles.

>140 PaulCranswick: "barely one a week" is better than me in a good week. I think I've managed to cross my half century for the year, but I'm hoping (assuming) that I've also lost track of some books in the last couple of months. If I can track them down, they'll bolster my count - but not by much.

>141 Berly: Precisely the problem, Kimmers, no time! This Sunday (normally my best reading day) I was on the road 9 hours driving to and fro to Johor Bahru for Belle and I to meet my sick Sister in Law.

>142 m.belljackson: Making a profit is, of course, not illegal, Marianne but it is nice to see that Samsung are a corporation with some heart, feeling and responsibility at its core.

>143 FAMeulstee: Yes, Anita it is quite readable actually although the extent that the Gods interfere is slightly annoying and probably a good job they've been quiet these few millennia.

>144 LizzieD: I read one of his The Storyteller and hated it, Peggy, but I must say that this one is much, much better. Well written and with a narrative drive that is sometimes missing for me in Latin American literature.

>145 humouress: He is a disputatious creature at the best of times, Nina, so I see him being successful!

I was hoping for 200 books this year and struggling to reach 100.

>147 PaulCranswick: Good point. I should direct my kids towards law then; they always (try to) make a good case as to why they should have the latest gadget/ stay up late/ watch or play things rated above their age group etc. etc. In fact etc., etc.. etc ad nauseam.

I'm sorry to hear about your sister-in-law, Paul. Good luck getting in your 100 reads.

(I haven't read The Storyteller, Paul. My love for MVL is based almost solely on The War of the End of the World - an amazing book on almost any level you choose to consider.)
I almost missed your word about your SIL. I hope her cancer is treatable without too much trauma.

Hope you get to 100 books, Paul, but 75 is nothing to sneeze at. Especially with the quality of books that you read.

I hope your sister-in-law is on the mend Paul.

I have loved every Coetzee book I've read.

>148 humouress: Yes I think that kids that like to debate almost everything in life are destined to be good advocates!

>149 Familyhistorian: Thanks Meg. It was terrible seeing her so emaciated but with such a swollen tummy.

>150 LizzieD: The Dream of the Celt is also very good, Peggy, so I've revised my view of him totally. He has long been one of Darryl's favourite authors.

>151 banjo123: It is sentimental already for me Rhonda, having always done so! May be a little dumming down of my reading for the rest of the year?!

>152 Caroline_McElwee: She operates tomorrow, Caroline, so the next weeks will be critical ones.

>153 The_Hibernator: I have to say that some of his work is a bit tough going I think. The Heart of the Country was heavy and slow to read. The Master of Petersburg less so and more enjoyable and I really liked Disgrace. I did get stuck earlier this year though with The Life and Times of Michael K and will go back to that one for another try at some point in the future.

I'll put it out there.............

Do I reprise the British Author Challenge (BAC) for 2019?

Maybe as a British Isles Author Challenge?

Thoughts my long suffering friends.

>157 PaulCranswick: Yes.

>157 PaulCranswick: I don't promise to participate monthly on any challenges next year. My focus is going to be on getting some things off my TBR list while enjoying some ARCs and getting some other reading done that isn't in book form. I intended for this to be a year of reading what I wanted, but I got so involved in reading challenges that some months I barely read anything just for me. I want that to change next year. I've also got a lot of history books accumulating that I purchased for genealogical purposes as well as some strictly genealogical titles. The journals that present case studies demonstrating problem-solving techniques for hard-to-resolve issues are piling up as well. I need to deliberately read those. That, of course, means my book numbers will be down next year, but that's okay.

BAC has always been my favorite challenge. I will look at the list when it is decided and see which months interest me. I'll probably participate those months.

Nothing wrong with dumming down the reading every now and then, Paul.

I am probably not going to read much in the way of challenges next year. Maybe a sabbatical for the BAC?

>157 PaulCranswick: Yes, please.

Hi Paul, I hope your sil's surgery goes well mate, it must be a worrying time at the moment. I hope that apart from that news that things are well with you mate at the moment.

It was nice to see Foakes get his maiden Test hundred after England got off to another bad start, the bowlers did their job and hopefully England will get a substantial lead and have enough time and decent weather to get the job done and win the Test.

I had a really lovely Father and Son day with Rob yesterday as we went to Old Trafford to do the Stadium and Museum tour and have our meal in the Red café. This was a present Rob received when he left Simpson Millar in March from his work colleagues, needless to say that Louise wasn't interested and so he asked me to be his plus one, ha ha. We had a nice time whilst at Old Trafford and didn't have any problems getting their or back home on the notorious M62. We also got a bonus, when we collected our tour certificates we were given an annual pass each so that we get free entry for a year to do the tour again as often as we wish in the next 12 months, this was because of the package Rob had been bought.

Have a good rest of the week mate and we both send love and hugs even though Karen has a bad cold and has lost her voice, poor love.

In memory of the 100th anniversary of the Armistice of 1918, I am reading the Regeneration trilogy by Pat Barker. This is tough going. I read Regeneration years ago, and just finished Eye in the Door last night. I will start the Booker Prize winner Ghost Road this evening. These books are fiction and have fictional characters in them, but they are also historical and have Dr. William Rivers, Siegfried Sassoon, and Wilfred Owen, in them as well. November 4, 2018 was the 100th anniversary of Wilfred Owen's death. These books are fascinating as what Barker is describing is PTSD and all of its symptoms. This is turning out to be a fascinating read - if not disgusting. Who would have thought at 100 years after the War to End All Wars that we would still be dealing with PTSD and still doing this to our young men?

I forgot about the BAC. Like others I participate when I can, but maybe you can take a year off and simply participate in other challenges that are going on around the site. Then come back to it. Being in the BAC has made me read some authors I have never read, and for the most part I really enjoyed them. I am thinking here of authors like Penelope Lively (I simply loved Moon Tiger and think about that book often.) I also read Margaret Drabble and liked the Red Queen enough that I have purchased two more of her books. I also was introduced to Elizabeth Taylor and Muriel Spark and ended up purchasing Mandelbaum Gate. So thanks for all the fish!

Do what you want to do with the BAC, but if you are asking the question perhaps it is time to quit - for a year.

Hey Paul, its that time of year for me to hijack your thread to spread the word. Its time to join the Christmas Swap festivities. Come on over...

http://www.librarything.com/topic/298577

Wishing you a relaxing weekend, Paul

If you do opt to do the BAC in 2019, I should/would commit to it. Does the original parameter of the Booker Prize provide you with an expanded author pool? Wasn't the Booker originally for authors from countries that were parts of the British Empire? Maybe that goes too far, watering the soup, so to speak.

>158 amanda4242: I had a slight feeling that you might say that Amanda!

>159 thornton37814: That is nice of you to say so Lori.

>160 banjo123: I have just read Private Peaceful, Rhonda for my BAC November challenge and to commemorate the centenary of the end of the "Great" War. Nominally a writer for younger readers, Michael Morpurgo, is able to stir the emotions and this shortish novel certainly does that.

>161 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara - Three yeses and a maybe so far.

>162 johnsimpson: Great stuff from Foakes and the spinners too, John. There will be clamour for Jonny Bairstow but I wouldn't change a winning side unless it was to add a seamer for Rashid as the next test surface has a record of being quick friendly in relative terms. Olly Stone a debut would be nice.

SIL is in good spirits despite her operation being put back to the 21st.

>163 benitastrnad: Yes, that is true, Benita. Private Peaceful also dealt with this issue and the terrible incidences of soldiers shot for "cowardice" whilst clearly under the impact of shell shock. It is only a hundred years ago!

>164 benitastrnad: I do feel that in some ways I have taken a year off this year despite hosting the challenge!
I haven't decided, Benita, and I do need some help with categories or author suggestions if I am going to go ahead.

>165 mahsdad: I will be there dear fellow don't ya fret!

>166 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita. Another one passed me by sorry to say but this weekend now.......

>167 weird_O: I like that Bill. "watering the soup" is, I guess, a very apt description of what the Booker prize organisers have done.

Hi Paul, I liked participating in the BAC this year. But I agree, you should do it only if you feel like it. You are busy enough as it is, and I think it shouldn't be an extra burden for you!

I was planning to read Michael Morpurgo as well, but you have been faster!

>168 PaulCranswick: You know me so well!

I like the original setup of having two authors per month, but I've really been enjoying the theme-based challenge. Perhaps a mixture of both?

Some possible themes for next year: autobiography/memoir, the 80s, narrative poetry, speculative fiction, satire, children's classics
Author suggestions: E. M. Forster, Rudyard Kipling, D. H. Lawrence, Joan Aiken, Pat Barker, Susan Cooper, Philip Pullman

ETA: If you don't want to take on the entire burden of the BAC yourself, do let us know! You have many friends here who would be overjoyed to help you in whatever way they can.

>173 EllaTim: Ella, I have yet to make a definitive decision on whether to proceed with the BAC in 2019 but I am edging slowly that way with little idea of what categories or themes could be.

He is always an entertaining read is Mr. Morpurgo,

>169 PaulCranswick: My son read Private Peaceful for English in school recently (last year?). I suppose I really ought to have a look at it too, but it sounds a bit traumatic for me. Even asking him for his summary made me sad. I can imagine I'd be bawling my eyes out pretty soon; not conducive to reading a paperback, really. Or using an electronic device.

>174 amanda4242: I will always remember your generosity of spirit Amanda, when you stepped in for me briefly in administering the group some time ago. Plenty for me to think about for certain.

>176 humouress: It is a sad book, Nina, but one which does leave you with some hope for the future strangely. That it is now taken for granted that we abhor someone traumatised by war being shot for not being able to continue further shows that society is a better place to be than it was 100 years earlier.

2019

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE
IRISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE

I will combine these into one

BRITISH ISLES AUTHOR CHALLENGE 2019

Six months will be themed challenges

Six months will have a choice of male and female authors.

Please give me some ideas.

On the themed months - I have three already penned in.

Six ladies and six gentlemen writers anybody?

Ah, so you are going to continue the BAC in 2019. Like Lori, I will be backing off from challenges next year. I really need to read and move books along especially as I may have to move in the near future if rumours of sales of our strata come to pass.

As you know Paul, I'm not a reliable challenge participator, I have the best of intentions...but....! I'll ponder and get back to you.

>179 PaulCranswick: Eeee! So exciting!

A few more authors: Eoin Colfer, Brendan Behan, & Mary Renault

>180 Familyhistorian: I will commit again to the BIAC for next year, Meg, and possibly one last go. It is always intended as a bit of a sampler challenge for dipping in and out of - feel free to dip. xx

>181 Caroline_McElwee: Yes, Caroline - my own intentions far exceed my ability to participate.

>182 amanda4242: I have the pleasure of at least making you happy Amanda!

Hi Paul!

I only dipped once this year, I'm afraid, so can't be considered reliable for next year's challenge.

I hope things are going well for you and send many hugs your way.

Good tp hear your SIL is doing ok despite the delay for surgery.

>185 karenmarie: Dear Karen, I am nowhere near a full house myself either for any of my challenges this year but it can help o guide my reading occasionally.

Thank you for the hugs dear lady. xx

>186 SuziQoregon: She is in a very positive frame of mind, Juli, which must surely be both to her credit and her advantage.

The Booker is dead to me. They let in US authors, who frankly have more than enough opportunities here without colonizing the rest of the world's chances at recognition. Hiss. Boo.

Colm McCann for the Isles Challenge.

SiL's surgery on the 21st! What a wait. May this mean it goes well.

Luck with your 118-story mammotho mondo moneyspinner!

>179 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, good idea to combine the two threads.

Themes, I liked how this worked out for me, giving some choice in reading, and your list of options to choose from!
I don't know what you have planned already, but I would love at least some lighter reads. Something fun in between the heavy tomes;-)

And what about Anna Burns? I haven't read Milkman yet, but I would like to.

>190 EllaTim: I just received word that my copy of Milkman shipped from Book Depository. Looking forward to checking it out.

>189 richardderus: Thanks RD. I have missed you dear fellow. Couldn't agree more about the Booker - it has lost it's identity. Sister and MegaBuilding both are fine at the moment but both have testing times ahead!

>190 EllaTim: Fun amongst the tomes?! The mind boggles Ella. :D

I have started Milkman and reckon it to be one of the better recent winners.

>191 thornton37814: It is worth the wait I think, Lori.

I await the new BIAC list and promise to dip! At least once. : )

Happy Friday, Paul. Spend it wisely, if not well.

I think combining the British and Irish Challenges is a good idea, and I'm glad you'll be hosting again next year. I'll participate as much as I can...afraid I don't have any suggestions, though. I've used all that part of my brain getting ready to host the 2019 AAC myself!

>193 Berly: I will start to flesh it out over the weekend, Kimmers, but ideas and suggestions are always welcome.

>194 richardderus: Thanks RD. Quite apt words as I am more than a little under the weather today feeling dizzy and a bit nauseous.

>195 laytonwoman3rd: Will be my last run at the challenge, Linda so I do hope to stir up a little interest. xx

I will definitely participate in the AAC in 2019. Mark did a splendid job and it is wonderful that the baton is passed to such steady hands.

De-lurking. I swore I wouldn't do challenges next year. Partly because it all just got away from me this year after about May... but mainly because I decided I was going to read all my leftovers and the pile of about five boos which I always think I've read but haven't (Prayer for Owen Meany and Stranger in a strange land being the main two).

But... I'm lethal. I know that the second the lists come out I'll be slotting things in. And I can't help loving that :)

Hope you feel better soon Paul.

Hi Paul, wishing you a relaxed weekend!

Just getting out of the umpteenth absence this year.... but I still managed to do good with IAC, BAC and the 1001 GRs until early fall and then I jumped off. My mind goes new ways and won't be forced to do anything, unless it's work-related (and not even then). So I won't make challenge promises. but will participate where I feel like it and where it fits.

>183 PaulCranswick: I am a terrible dipper, Paul. It is usually all or nothing with me. I'll see if I find any of your picks on my shelves next year. Hope you are feeling better soon.

>198 BekkaJo: Lovely to see you Bekka and the lists will soon be springing up around us!

>199 Deern: Yes, Nathalie, I sort of tailed off too. Will get to 75 today anyway which is good news at least.

>200 Familyhistorian: I dip very well Meg whilst at all times thinking I am a completist!

I am much better since I started taking a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar diluted in a glass of water before my main meals. Not dizzy or nauseous today.

BIAC

How about a British Natural World themed month? There is so much very fine writing in this area Paul.

And, writers that get missed are those who may not have a body of work. I'm soon to read a novel by Angharad Price (Welsh writer just discovered) who has written 2 novels, only one in English. So a category for 'Debut or small body of work writers' perhaps.

>203 Caroline_McElwee: Oh, British natural world, yes to that!

Wishing you a good weekend Paul! Praise to the miraculous apple cider vinegar.

Happy Saturday, Paul. Were you feeling under the weather? If so, I hope you are improving. As usual, I miss seeing you around, although I am glad to see you still showing interest in the AAC.

Hi Paul!

I'm glad you're feeling better. As >204 EllaTim: said, Praise to the miraculous apple cider vinegar.

Glad you eel better, Paul!
I am waiting to see wich of your current reads is going to be number 75 :-)

What Anita said, Paul. I'm glad you're feeling improved, and I'm looking forward to hearing what #75 is.

Hi Paul - Good to see so many things working out well.

Can you (or anyone) explain this quote from Colum McCann's Let the Great World Spin:

(page 33 of Random House paperback) "The men sat rooted like Larkin poems."

Thanks and, hey, when I finish this incredible book, I will have met the 2018 Irish Challenge!

Glad to hear you're feeling better!

And yet another suggestion for the BIAC: the Pythons, since next year will mark 50 years of Monty Python's Flying Circus. There's been tons written about the Pythons and all of them have written at least one book, so there'd be plenty to choose from.

>203 Caroline_McElwee: There are at least two fairly recent books that appeal to me and that would fit that category, Caroline. Amy Liptrot and Rob Cowan have both written books i would like to read soon.

>204 EllaTim: Yes, Ella, it really is effective - whether from mere strength of belief or genuine medicinal properties!

Hi Paul. Greetings, my friend!
I have neglected your thread but I'll be interested in how the BIAC or some version of it develops for 2019.

I'm glad you'll be doing the British Isles challenge. I probably won't join every month, but I'm sure I'll join some of the time!

>205 msf59: I have been a little bit under the weather, Mark and under the cosh too with the amount of work I am churning through. Light at the end of a long tunnel though.

>206 karenmarie: Yes it is great stuff, Karen. Lovely to see you here as always. xx

>207 FAMeulstee: I am not sure which it will be either, Anita, as I have a huge amount of books on the go at the minute and which one will get me over the line isn't yet clear!

>208 jnwelch: Thanks mate. I hope the announcement won't be long!

>209 m.belljackson: I can only guess that it is a referral to what Larkin referred to as the cutting down to size of his imagination. He created poetry unpoetically and in unromantic tones - rooted to the world around him. Only a guess mind.

>210 amanda4242: There will surely be a few of your suggestions making an appearance next year, Amanda. You are, after all, the challenge's most prolific "participant". xx

>212 EBT1002: Lovely to see you, Ellen. No-one has neglected this spot more than I!

>213 thornton37814: I hope to tickle your fancy occasionally, Lori!

Happy Monday, Paul, and a work week brimming with good news for you.

>218 richardderus: 22 minutes to go, RD, but is sure feels like Monday already!

BRITISH ISLES AUTHOR CHALLENGE 2019

January 2019

THE NATURAL WORLD

This was suggested by Caroline and I have to say that there has been some wonderful writing on or related to nature and our relationship with it.

Five Suggested ladies

Dart by Alice Oswald
H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald
The Outrun by Amy Liptrot
Gossip from the Forest by Sara Maitland
Findings by Kathleen Jamie



Five Suggested gentlemen

Common Ground by Rob Cowen
Waterlog by Roger Deakin
The Wild Places by Robert MacFarlane
The Natural History of Selborne by Gilbert White
The South Country by Edward Thomas

I have most of those books Paul, so will definitely pull one from the shelf in January.

>202 PaulCranswick: Whether it works or is a placebo effect doesn't really matter does it? Glad to hear you are feeling better, Paul.

>221 Caroline_McElwee: I will aim to read at least two of them. Of those listed I have already read the book by Helen MacDonald.

>222 Familyhistorian: Indeed Meg. xx

>84 PaulCranswick: Oh, My! I don't know what else to say other than this is a true tragedy. All good wishes that things will be ok.

I'm been MIA for a long time, and I have missed your kind, sensitive, intelligent, other-directed thread. I am officially retired after 36 years of academic life. It is amazing how much I simply do not miss the stress. I've read a lot of books (four) regarding Steve Jobs -- what a nasty bugger -- but we cannot discredit his accomplishments that changed the world.

However, technology has taken over our lives. I don't miss the unmanageable email messages, and the feeling that all this messaging and the demand for instant response certainly has placed way too much stress on the aging population.

I look at those incredible buildings, and I have a sense of pride that I know you and can affirm your amazing talents. I can only imagine the amount of work that is entailed in this massive project.

I hope you have time to shop for books, and read books...both of which bring such joy.

Last Thursday, we had nine inches of snow, and sitting in a cozy chair with the fire glowing, making a wonderful ambiance, while reading some rather good books, is a wonderful way to ease into retirement.

I promise to visit more often. I check Hani's facebook page to see the delectable dishes she prepares and/or consumes. She is beautiful, talented, a good mother. You have a winner!

All good wishes to you my friend!

>224 Whisper1: Thank you for such a lovely post, Linda - how I have missed those recently!

I am still quietly accumulating books (it is still me after all!) and I will try to list down some of my additions shortly.

It is hard to believe that it is already that time of year when some of the group are likely to get snowed in.

I miss Hani's cooking whilst she is away tending to the kids and finding herself on her travels in the UK. Miss her advice and support more.

Hello, Paul. Love to see that January list already. I have H is for Hawk and I REALLY need to read more off my own shelves, so that sounds like a winner for me. Hope you have a great week ahead. Hugs!

>220 PaulCranswick:

Likely will be in the minority again, but I hate H is for Hawk.

How is capturing and training a beautiful wild bird to bring you dead and dying creatures a compassionate way to deal with grief?

More a way to sell a book...

>227 m.belljackson: EXACTLY

I have H is for Hawk as an audio. Just have to find it.

>220 PaulCranswick: Some lovely books there Paul. Waterlog particularly caught my imagination.

Hope you get some spare time to enjoy those books!

>226 Berly: Felt liberating putting up my January choice.......now for February!

>227 m.belljackson: It didn't blow me away either, Marianne and it certainly give me any hankering to go and trap me a bird of prey.

>228 richardderus: Et tu, RD? We must be a gang a three then because it wasn't a favourite of mine although some of the writing was well done.

>229 Ameise1: May suit the book to have it read aloud, Barbara.

>230 charl08: I have a couple on the shelves that I fancy but will look out for a few more too, Charlotte.

BRITISH ISLES AUTHOR CHALLENGE 2019

February

Back to the more traditional one lady and one gentleman for the month. For the lady?

PAT BARKER

BRITISH ISLES AUTHOR CHALLENGE 2019

February

PAT BARKER

Hailing from Yorkshire, as do I, Pat Barker is undoubtedly one of the leading writers of historical fiction of the last 30 years. Her Regeneration trilogy was hailed by The Observer as one of the ten best historical novels ever written.

She won the Guardian Prize for Eye in the Door and the Booker Prize for The Ghost Road. Her recent novel recounting the events of The Iliad from the point of view of Briseis - The Silence of the Girls has been very well received.

Works

Regeneration Trilogy
1. Regeneration (1991)
2. The Eye in the Door (1993)
3. The Ghost Road (1995)

Brooke Family
1. Life Class (2007)
2. Toby's Room (2012)
3. Noonday (2015)

Novels
Union Street (1982)
Blow Your House Down (1984)
The Century's Daughter (1986)
aka Liza's England
The Man Who Wasn't There (1989)
Another World (1998)
Border Crossing (2001)
Double Vision (2003)
The Silence of the Girls (2018)

Non fiction
War Talk (2005)

Excellent! I had Regeneration for this month BAC but... well, that's not going to happen this month. I've been meaning to read that trilogy for ages.

So, despite having said I wouldn't play... I'm two for two. (I have H is for Hawk on the teetering mount TBR).

A branch of my library has got a copy of Toby's Room.

>235 BekkaJo: Hahaha I'm not sure that you'll go with my male choice for February but let's see?!

>236 Ameise1: I'm not sure what I will read, Barbara, but most likely is the Booker winner.

And now a little bit of personal news.

I have made it to 75!

Thanks to Murakami. Book 75 was his quirky little paean to running and Raymond Carver - What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. Blasted touchstones are not working!

Hi, Paul! Delurking to say congrats on 75!!

>239 scaifea: Thank you dear Amber. It has been a struggle!

>234 PaulCranswick: I've been looking for an excuse to reread The Regeneration Trilogy Paul.

>241 Caroline_McElwee: More than pleased to oblige, Caroline.

>238 PaulCranswick: Congratulations on #75, Paul! I read that one a couple of weeks ago as well. :)

Congrats on reaching 75! I think I'll exceed 250 for the year, but unless I read a lot of children's picture books or Kindle shorts, I won't hit 300.

>243 Deern: Thanks Nathalie......great minds and all that!

>244 thornton37814: Great to see you back reading like I used to remember, Lori. I wanted to read 200 this year but RL never gave me an earthly chance. Oh well, next year will have to be the year I do it. Now I have to see how on earth I am going to keep my unblemished record of always reaching 100.

>238 PaulCranswick: Congratulations on 75, Paul! And more than a month left of the year.

I have read Pat Barker's Regeneration Trilogy, and liked it. So I might try her new book. I never read the Iliad though. So maybe I should read that first, hmmm

Ooh, missed your 75 Paul, congratulations.

congrats on making it to 75 books!

The Big Seven-Five!!

I searched out the most British high-five and confetti toss I could find and ended up with, predictably, Canadians.

>245 PaulCranswick: I suspect my book total will go down next year, but it's because I need to catch up on some professional journal reading and because I'm becoming busier with genealogical client research. I'm sure I'll still read 150, but I'm not trying to break records next year--just get some things off the TBR lists/piles.

>238 PaulCranswick: Congratulations on 75, Paul!
I love Murakami - and mount TBR is growing...

Murakami for the topper! Congratulations on 75, Paul.

Congrats on hitting 75!

Congratulations on your 75!

Congrats on 75. I'm putting that one on the WL.

Congrats on reaching the magical number.

>238 PaulCranswick: I know nothing about running, but I like Carver.

Congrats on reaching 75, Paul.

Hi Paul, congrats on reaching 75 for the year, I know it has been a bit of a struggle for you mate but at least you have hit the group target. I have had to reduce my target and now it is down to 50 which I should do. Hope you are having a good week mate and we both send love and hugs.

Congrats on hitting the goal!

75 congratulations! Reading while engaged in RL is a challenge.

>238 PaulCranswick: Congrats on 75, Paul!

>246 EllaTim: It is the latest I remember reaching the figure Ella. I am a long way from my better years in terms of numbers and I do hope I can rattle off some of the 8 or so unfinished books to put me closer to 100.

>247 Caroline_McElwee: Thank you, Caroline. xx

>248 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita. It has been great having you along for the ride this year.

>249 richardderus: We Brits are not the most demonstrative of peoples, RD, but I would not have guessed that the Canadians were more so!

>264 PaulCranswick: The only people less demonstrative than the Brits were the Spartans, I believe, so the Canadians are of necessity more outgoing and excitable. I believe their innate politeness makes them, shall we say, less American in their PDAs.

>265 richardderus: - (just politely eavesdropping here....) ;-)

Congrats hitting our magic number, Paul. You did it!!

>250 thornton37814: I am always impressed by my peers, Lori, especially when they achieve feats (250 books a year for example) that is beyond me currently.

>251 SirThomas: Thanks Thomas. My own TBR is typically out of control as always.

>252 jnwelch: It had to be a writer of meaning to bring up the milestone, Joe.

>253 amanda4242: Thanks Amanda. xx

>254 humouress: Thank you neighbour!

>255 mahsdad: It is a quirky little book, Jeff, that reveals plenty about Murakami without letting you get too close to him either.

>256 Ameise1: A bigger struggle than for many a moon, Barbara

>257 Caroline_McElwee: I am exhausted just thinking about running long distances. Carver's short stories are, meanwhile, very digestible.

>258 BLBera: Thank you Beth. xx

>259 johnsimpson: Ah but you're reading books of a zillion pages each, John, so I don't think the same yardstick applies. Hope to see you and Karen next month.

>260 drneutron: Thanks Jim.

>261 quondame: It is indeed a challenge, but I am still hopeful of reaching three figures too.

>262 harrygbutler: Thanks Harry.

>265 richardderus: I would like to believe the image of a rotund and ageing Brit being Leonidas on the road to Thermopylae is an apt one, but RD I'd settle gladly for another 25 books between now and the new year in lieu of keeping the might of Xerxes' Persian hordes at bay as my main goal for 2018 - 2598 years on.

>266 jessibud2: I don't think that there is any controversy over seeing the Canadians as being more demonstrative as the Brits, Shelley.

>265 richardderus:

75!!! And what a great author to reach it with--Murakami!! So glad Richard threw in some confetti. : )

BRITISH ISLES AUTHOR CHALLENGE 2019

February 2019

For our choice in lady we had a fiction writer who garners liberally from the disputatious past. For our choice in gentleman we will instead look squarely toward the future.

Peter F. Hamilton

>276 Berly: Kimmers! RD and confetti is an irresistible combination. xx

Congratulations on reaching 75, Paul!
Haven't read any Murakami yet, that one is already on mount TBR.

>277 PaulCranswick: Oooh! Scfi-fi. I'm in :)

Wait. What was it I was saying about no challenges...

BRITISH ISLES AUTHOR CHALLENGE 2019

February 2019

Peter F. Hamilton

Series
Greg Mandel
1. Mindstar Rising (1993)
2. A Quantum Murder (1994)
3. The Nano Flower (1995)

Night's Dawn
1. The Reality Dysfunction (1996)
2. The Neutronium Alchemist (1997)
3. The Naked God (1999)

Night's Dawn : Reality Dysfunction
1. Emergence (1997)
2. Expansion (1997)

Night's Dawn : Neutronium Alchemist
1. Consolidation (1998)
2. Conflict (1998)

Night's Dawn : Naked God
1. Flight (2000)
2. Faith (2000)

Commonwealth Saga
1. Pandora's Star (2004)
2. Judas Unchained (2005)

Void Trilogy
1. The Dreaming Void (2007)
2. The Temporal Void (2008)
3. The Evolutionary Void (2010)

Commonwealth: Chronicle of the Fallers
1. The Abyss Beyond Dreams (2014)
2. Night Without Stars (2016)

Queen of Dreams
1. The Secret Throne (2014)
aka The Queen of Dreams
2. The Hunting of the Princes (2016)
3. A Voyage Through Air (2017)

Salvation Sequence
1. Salvation (2018)

Novels
Watching Trees Grow (2000)
Fallen Dragon (2001)
Misspent Youth (2002)
Great North Road (2012)

Collections
Manhattan in Reverse (2011)

Novellas
Escape Route (2007)
Blessed by an Angel (2011)
The Forever Kitten (2011)
Manhattan in Reverse: A Short Story (2011)
If at First ... (2011)
The Demon Trap (2011)
Footvote (2011)
Family Matters (2014)
A Window Into Time (2016)

>279 FAMeulstee: That is surprising, Anita that with your zillion books a year, none of them have been written by Murakami!

>281 PaulCranswick: Completely out of my own comfort zone, Bekka, but I'm in too!

>277 PaulCranswick: Totally new to me Paul. Just ordered A Window Into Time on my Kindle.

>281 PaulCranswick: Wow. Never heard of him, and look how much he's written (shamed face).

>283 Caroline_McElwee: I have a couple of his books on the shelves, Caroline, including Great North Road which is way over a thousand pages long.

>284 charl08: Alex (roundballnz) is a huge fan of Hamilton.

>281 PaulCranswick: Oh my! I already have Great North Road and, I suspect, at least one other hidden in the stacks and bins and boxes. Great excuse to whittle down the TBR.

Hmmm - quick google check whilst I was seeing what my Library has. Apparently;

The Commonwealth universe consists of three series of books that should be read in publication order:

•Commonwealth Saga
•Void Trilogy
•The Chronicle of the Fallers

>281 PaulCranswick: huh. Never heard of him. And look at how much he's written!

>277 PaulCranswick: I've read all his books apart from the novellas, short story collection and last 2 of the children's trilogy and just started listening to his latest Salvation. I'm a huge fangirl of Peter F Hamilton.

>277 PaulCranswick: I also hadn't heard of him. As his first books came out in the 90s it's not a surprise that I missed them, what with young child and working for tech startups, and since then most of the new authors I've pursued have been women.

My reaction too, never heard of him. But there's nothing better than finding a new author to like! Will do some investigating.

I have What I Talk About When I Talk about Running on the shelves. I think I'm going to enjoy it when I get to it. :-)

I'm enjoying watching the BIAC unfold.

>286 richardderus: A fair bit of whittling, RD, with a tome that size.

>287 BekkaJo: He is quite prolific, Bekka, so there is plenty to go at.

>288 The_Hibernator: Isn't that one of the joys of such a challenge, Rachel?!

>289 avatiakh: That does assure me somewhat that he will prove a popular choice then, Kerry.

>290 quondame: Similar to me but different I suppose - I have pursued many women but none of them authors!

>291 EllaTim: He apparently writes often of the near future, Ella, so his works may not have too much science in the fiction - at least I hope not.

>292 EBT1002: Yes, given your own fitness regimen, I think you will appreciate the Murakami.
I am feeling murderous for March 2019.....................

>293 PaulCranswick: I can almost hear the shelf sighing in relief. My hands, not so much.

Ooh, murderous for March. I can't wait!

"I am feeling murderous for March 2019"---intriguing, to say the least! I like the natural world theme for January a lot, and Pat Barker has been on my radar for a long time, so you've got me tied into the first 3 months...

>296 richardderus: It will probably be my only chance of weight training in the first quarter of next year, RD, as I plan on reading the same!

>297 EBT1002: And it will tread certain paths you are familiar with too, Ellen, that is for sure.

>298 laytonwoman3rd: I haven't lost my ability to tease, I see, Linda. I will soon put an end to the suspense!

>281 PaulCranswick: Ah, you were keeping me in mind with your choice, Paul. And congratulations on passing that pesky 75 book mark already!

>294 PaulCranswick: Ha 😄 Ha! I've actually caught a couple of male authors. I just read the women author's books. But my social circle has been kind of author rich for almost 50 years.

No, Peter Hamilton here at my library.

The BIAC is already looking great! Can't wait for the next reveal!

>300 ronincats: Must admit Roni that it did cross my mind that you might approve!

>301 quondame: Well caught! I've known plenty of poets but spinners of yarns not so much. xx

>302 Ameise1: If necessary Barbara, I'll send you something.

>303 amanda4242: Thanks Amanda. Coming very soon!

Hi Paul, I thought would drop in and see how things are going. I see you planning your annual BAC - you've put up some excellent authors so far. I have been in the planning process for my next years Category Challenge and I have also been reading up a storm in an effort to finish all my 2018 Challenges and whittling away at the 1,001 Books List. Hope all the family is doing well and staying healthy!

>306 DeltaQueen50: Lovely to see you dear Guru and how I have missed seeing you in these parts. Family is doing reasonably OK, I guess but my SIL had an operation to remove a huge tumour from above her ovaries. God willing she will be fine and make a full recovery.

Just speaking in to say hello before the end of your thread! The tower up top looks like a lot of work....I can see now why you are a rare (er?) visitor here, even to your own thread!! Can't believe your eldest is already near her final year at university, and here I am still trying to finish my masters....crikey!
Read on!

>305 PaulCranswick: It's very kind of you, Paul. I'll go with Pat Barker for the month of February.

>309 Ameise1: I am hoping that I'll be back to normal in a financial sense in early 2019. xx

>310 PaulCranswick: I hope it for you too, Paul. You don't need to send me a book.

Hi Paul!

As always, you put a lot of thought into the BAC.

So you're going to the UK next month?

>311 Ameise1: Giving and sharing will always make me richer, Barbara, whether in spirit or in pocket.

>312 karenmarie: Yes Karen I shall be going to UK. Belle wants 20th but it depends a little on my Mum who will have her operation on Tuesday.

BRITISH ISLES AUTHOR CHALLENGE

March 2019

The Murderous Scots

Why has Scotland produced so many fine crime writers, especially in the near past?
March will celebrate some of these:

Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle
Josephine Tey
William McIlvanney
Ian Rankin
Val McDermid
Quintin Jardine
Lin Anderson
Craig Russell
Denise Mina
Philip Kerr
Caro Ramsay
Stuart McBride
Alex Gray
Peter May
Christopher Brookmyre
Karen Campbell
Alexander McCall-Smith
Malcolm Mackay
Gillian Galbraith

Oh, I like that line-up.

>315 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks Linda. Your own debuting as the host of the AAC next year is also wonderful.

>314 PaulCranswick: I'm almost certain to find a murderous Scot in my TBR pile!

>317 thornton37814: When you say it like that, Lori.........!

Belle and Erni and I visited my sister-in-law in hospital this evening (after work) and she seems to be in good spirits and recovering well from her ordeal.

>319 PaulCranswick: That's a wonderful resolution to her scary problem.

>314 PaulCranswick: Yeh, that's my piece of cake.

Congrats on hitting 75 Paul. And thanks for continuing a BIAC. I'm an unreliable participant but the challenges tend to get me out of my normal boxes now and then. Having just finished this month TransAtlantic: A Novel by Colum McCann, I will mark it as one of my very favorite reads of the year. So even when I'm not timely with the months as I should be, the choices and discussion get wheels turning in the brain.

>314 PaulCranswick: well I have works by plenty of those writers Paul.

>320 richardderus: I have a picture of the rather huge kimchi looking tumour but I won't upload it. She's a great gal and I love her to pieces.

>321 Ameise1: Thought you might like that one, Barbara.

>322 RBeffa: As it should be Ron! Read which ones you like and when you like 'em. I am hardly the hardest and most stringent of taskmasters here.

>323 Caroline_McElwee: I think this will be a fairly popular month for the challenge, Caroline.

Wishing your SIL continuing good health.

Congrats on 75, Paul! I liked that Murakami when I read it (years ago); even thought I thought it maybe could have been edited into a long essay.

Congrats on reaching 75, Paul. Your upcoming flight should help you complete more on the way to 100. I'll probably dip in for March. I have quite a few murderous Scots hanging around.

Hi Paul, look forward to seeing you and the family next month hopefully mate.

>326 humouress: Thanks Nina.

>327 banjo123: Yes, he did sort of say the same things over again, Rhonda.

>328 Familyhistorian: I do do well reading on flights, Meg so there is hope and with so many partially finished tomes I could quickly improve my numbers.

>329 johnsimpson: Me too, John. It will be good to catch up.

Oh dear. There's no way I can catch up, but I can at least speak. "Hello, Paul! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!" Or maybe I mean, "Hello, Paul. Hope you've had a wonderful weekend!"
I was a great Peter Hamilton fan some years ago. I never read the Mandel ones, but I was swept up in the *Neutronium Alchemist*, etc., and read some of the other later ones too. Then I went off him, but I don't remember the reason.
Congratulations on 75! I certainly won't make that goal this year, but never mind.
Be well and give and receive joy!

Paul--Look at you, rolling out the March lineup already. Welcome back! : )

Um...new thread perhaps?

Congrats on hitting 75!
Hope you had a great weekend!

>333 Berly: And soon for April, Kimmers, but probably after a new thread.

>334 ChelleBearss: Thanks Chelle. It wasn't too bad. xx

>332 LizzieD: Almost missed you Peggy! I got a little bit of joy from your post, dear lady. xx

>330 PaulCranswick: and he says most of them again in his book on writing- although the last 2-3 newer chapters were worth reading that book as well.

Happy Tuesday!

>337 Deern: I guess that it is Murakami sort of spinning the wheels. Readable but nothing particularly profound IMO.

Love the sound of the March crime reading: I read a great one recently set in 19c Edinburgh - doctors who didn't really know what they were doing. Suitably gory.

Glad to read your SiL is recovering well.

>314 PaulCranswick: I didn't know Alexander McCall-Smith was a Scott! I'm not sure why that surprises me so much, though. lol

>339 charl08: I am looking forward to it and to reading a few of the series I am behind on - Logan McRae, Rebus for a start.

My mum seemed to come through her procedure well yesterday according to my brother. Fingers and toes crossed and prayers said faithfully.

>340 The_Hibernator: He was born in Africa, Rachel, but very much a Scot for all that.

>341 PaulCranswick: Everything crossed. XX

Glad to hear your mum is doing OK post procedure Paul. Crossing everything for continued good progress.

Belated congrats on reaching 75!

Looking at the upcoming British Isles Author Challenge has me considering randomly participating. I won't commit to every month but some of what I see so far definitely has me intrigued.

Good to hear your SIL is doing well. And good wishes for your Mum.

Hi Paul.

I, too, am glad that your SiL and your mum are doing well.

>342 BekkaJo: Thought it a little too good to be true. She had a bad night and is now under antibiotics. Hope all is well with her.

>343 Caroline_McElwee: It always seems to be the same with her, Caroline, she always gets post-op infections.

>344 SuziQoregon: Lovely to see you Juli. Dip in and out of the challenges is what I say.

SILs cancer is confirmed as stage 3 so she will have to have more treatment I guess but she does at least seem strong and positive of mind.

>345 karenmarie: Thanks Karen, but not as well as I'd hoped for. xx

>347 PaulCranswick:

Paul - sorry to hear about Stage 3 with your sister-in-law. That is really challenging.

The UW Carbonne Center here in Madison, Wisconsin, is a great resource for the latest treatment and clinical trials.

Bet your Mum will be glad to see you in December!

>348 m.belljackson: Mum a bit happier overnight. Hani visited her in the hospital and will stay with her over the next week as I believe she will be discharged on Sunday.

My SIL is a trooper and I hope that she will face down all of life's terrible challenges.