Paul C Back to Basics in 2019 Part 4

Hani and Belle and I are in Malaysia. This is Kyran and Yasmyne in NZ and that is where all our hearts are at the moment.
God bless New Zealand.

I am Paul Cranswick, sometime group statistician, Malaysian correspondent - construction project manager and avid book accumulator.

Father of three - Yasmyne, Kyran and Belle - the first two already studying in university in the UK and hopeful of a return to the UK in the none too distant future.

Had a tough few years and this affected badly my reading last year which was the first that I have failed to reach 100 books. This year - hope springs eternal so let's see.

2019 Books

January

1. Findings by Kathleen Jamie BIAC
2. Black Robe by Brian Moore
3. Love on the Dole by Walter Greenwood
4. Football in Sun and Shadow by Eduardo Galeano
5. The Rider by Tim Krabbe

February

6. Exercises in Style by Raymond Queneau
7. My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
8. The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker (BIAC)
9. A Thief in the Village by James Berry
10. The House of Arden by E. Nesbit (BIAC)

March

11. The Hanging Garden by Ian Rankin (BIAC)
12. Still Midnight by Denise Mina (BIAC)
13. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
14. Naomi by Junichiro Tanizaki
15. The Room on the Roof by Ruskin Bond
16. A Place of Execution by Val McDermid (BIAC)
17. Just William by Richmal Crompton

April

18. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne (BIAC)
19. The War with the Newts by Karel Capek

The Good Companions by J.B. Preistley & Petersburg by Andrei Bely

BRITISH ISLES AUTHOR THEME CHALLENGE 2019



January 2019 - The Natural World https://www.librarything.com/topic/296824#6632759
February 2019 - Pat Barker and Peter F. Hamilton
March 2019 - The Murderous Scots https://www.librarything.com/topic/296824#6637458
April 2019 - Rosamond Lehmann and John Boyne
May 2019 - The Edwardians https://www.librarything.com/topic/299559#6656870
June 2019 - Nicola Barker and Wilkie Collins
July 2019 - YA Fantasy Series https://www.librarything.com/topic/299559#6660927
August 2019 - Anita Brookner and Jim Crace
September 2019 - Biography and Memoir https://www.librarything.com/topic/299559#6674204
October 2019 - Rose Tremain and Louis de Bernieres
November 2019 -The Jewish Contribution https://www.librarything.com/topic/301575#6688724
December 2019 - Zadie Smith and Michael Morpurgo
WILDCARD - Back to the Beginning - LIVELY and ISHIGURO

Here is a link to the thread:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/301916

American Author Challenge



American Author Challenge 2019

I will be joining Linda's challenge where I can this year and have started:

January 2019 - Chaim Potok - My Name is Asher Lev
February 2019 - Louisa M Alcott
March 2019 - Jon Clinch

CHALLENGE - A BOOK A YEAR SINCE 1900

120 books in this challenge so I am going to have to do much better than last year!

To date : 19/120

1908 - The House of Arden
1922 - Just William
1924 - Naomi
1933 - Love on the Dole
1936 - The War with the Newts
1947 - Exercises in Style
1950 - Pippi Longstocking
1956 - The Room on the Roof
1972 - My Name is Asher Lev
1978 - The Rider
1985 - Black Robe
1987 - Thief in the Village
1995 - Football in Sun and Shadow
1998 - The Hanging Garden
1999 - A Place of Execution
2005 - Findings
2006 - The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
2009 - Still Midnight
2018 - The Silence of the Girls

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 BOOKS

Third attempt at this tough challenge which I have failed miserably at twice.


Create Your Own Visited Countries Map

1. United Kingdom Kathleen Jamie
2. Canada Brian Moore
3. Uruguay Eduardo Galeano
4. Netherlands Tim Krabbe
5. France Raymond Queneau
6. USA Chaim Potok
7. Jamaica James Berry
8. Sweden Astrid Lindgren
9. Japan Junichiro Tanizaki
10. India Ruskin Bond
11. Czechia Karel Capek

Reading plans

BIAC - at least Rankin and Mina hopefully also May and McDermid
Peter F Hamilton to finish

AAC - Jon Clinch if I get his book delivered in time.

120 book challenge - 1900s The Nebuly Coat
1910s Petersburg to finish
1920s Naomi
1920s The Good Companions to finish
1930s The Late Monsieur Gallet
1940s The Tunnel
1950s Pippi Longstocking
1950s The Room on the Roof
1960s Came a Hot Friday
1970s The Earth of Mankind
1980s Sardines
1990s The Hanging Garden
1990s A Place of Execution
2000s Misspent Youth
2000s Still Midnight
2010s The Blackhouse

Next is yours

Happy new thread!

Ooh, am I first? Lovely topper picture Paul, and a touching sentiment.

Eta: Ha! Not quite.

>11 quondame: Susan - it's cool; that spool.

>12 charl08: Thanks Charlotte. xx

Happy New Thread, Paul!

>1 PaulCranswick: My sister is also in New Zealand at the moment, although cruising around its remoter regions I believe, so nowhere near Christchurch. That’s a lovely picture of Kyran and Yasmyne on the beach ..

Happy new thread!

Happy New Thread, Paul. Love that gorgeous topper! I hope you are finding time to get plenty of reading in.

Happy new thread, Paul. Are Kyran and Yasmyne in NZ right now? Yikes. Wishing everyone well.

Happy New Thread, Paul!

Joining you in having NZ in our hearts right now.

Happy new thread, Paul. Lovely topper. Hope Kyran and Jasmine are safe.

Hurray, Paul. A thread I can cope with. It's a quiet Sunday here; hope your day is quiet too. Good day to finish a book.

>14 SandDune: Brings back such happy memories, Rhian, that photo. Hope your sister is well.

>15 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita.

>16 msf59: I'm not doing half as well as I would like with the reading but the amount of books started but not yet finished gives me some hope, Mark.

>17 jessibud2: No Shelley; they are in the UK.

Happy new thread, Paul! Glad to hear your sister is okay in NZ.

Happy new thread mate.

Happy new one, Paul.

Happy new thread, Paul!

>1 PaulCranswick: Lovely picture of Kyran and Yasmyne in NZ.
It is horrible what happened in Christchurch :'(

Happy new thread, Paul. I hope that Hani and your in-laws and their roof are all in good form.

Like Bill, I'm happy to find a thread I can manage. Hope you put lots of good reading thoughts on it.
Like everybody else,, I can't stop thinking about Christchurch and feeling sick and sorry.

>18 jnwelch: Thanks Joe. I remember a UN report placed NZ as the most islamic country in the world in terms of its civic management so there is a bitter irony that this would happen there. NZ reaction to it though does rather prove the quality of its institutions.

>19 BLBera: Thanks Beth. They are fine. I didn't mean for my post to be misleading.

>20 weird_O: I spent much of the day driving, Bill, but pleasant too.

>23 thornton37814: Thanks Lori. It is Rhian's sister who is in NZ.

>24 johnsimpson: Thanks John.

>25 Ameise1: Thank you Barbara.

>26 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita. It is indeed a terrible thing.

>27 Familyhistorian: Thank you Meg. The roof is already fixed and they had sufficient money left over from what I gave them to add a fancy new gate!

>28 LizzieD: Peggy, I should probably renew threads whilst on the hoof as it gives more time for people to keep up! Glad you came by, dear lady.

Book #12 in 2019



Still Midnight by Denise Mina

Date of Publication : 2009 (12 of 120)
Origin of Author : UK
Pages : 376 (3,329 total)
BIAC Challenge March 2019 - Scottish Murder and Mayhem (DS Morrow Book 1)

Denise Mina is normally billed as "critically acclaimed" and I can see why.

Nothing particularly special about the plot or the ham-fisted crime it portrays, but it is characterisation that makes her a winner. Morrow is a prickly, damaged lady cop with a past she hides but to also get into the minds of criminal and victims makes her a writer to follow.

And I shall.

Book #13 in 2019



Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

Date of Publication : 1950 (13 of 120)
Origin of author : Sweden (8 of 80)
Pages : 160 (3,489 total)

Delightful but naively far-fetched.

If ever a girl would have benefitted from a right royal spanking it is Pippi but of course she is far too strong for anyone to pull it off!

Happy new thread, Paul.

I forgot some books to add:

49. Still Midnight by Denise Mina
50. A Place of Execution by Val McDermid
51. Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss
52. Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

>36 harrygbutler: Thank you Harry.

>34 PaulCranswick: I have some Denise Mina on my Kindle, I'll nudge it up the pile, I haven't read her before, but I've always heard good things Paul.

>35 PaulCranswick: It wouldn't be nearly so fun for kids, especially girls, if somehow Pippi had been repressible. Besides, since she can totally take care of herself and pay for whatever she destroys, why should she be other than she is, the ultimate representative of childhood empowerment!

>39 Caroline_McElwee: I liked the ordinariness of things going wrong. Villains who are not masterminds or ruthlessly evil, just oftentimes sad and desperate.

>40 quondame: Hahaha I guess so, Susan. I have to say that the burglar and the school sketches were priceless, but the tea party with her being rather liberal with granulated sugar was scold worthy.

There is child enough left in me to enjoy the fun.

Coming late to the party, but Happy New Thread!

Thanks Jim. Always most welcome!

Happy new thread! I enjoyed Pippi’s antics as a child, but expect I would be less amused by them today!

>45 PaulCranswick: Still made me smile. There is one trick she does in describing someone in detail and then saying that she's never seen them that I have myself adopted on numerous childish occasions.

Hi, Paul!
I'm a huge fan of Pippi, myself.

Happy new thread Paul

Happy new thread, Paul!

From your description Denise Mina seems a writer I'd like. I just finished Cold Granite by Stuart MacBride, and liked it a lot as well. For the same reason, his villains are just people, human.

If I'm not mistaken, my first introduction to Pippi Longstocking was in elementary school when a teacher read the book aloud to us. I think we all loved it!

I was such a massive Pippi fan when I was a kid that my mum used it to get me to take my medicine when I was ill. Worked like a charm. Am still a huge Pippi fan.

I loved Pippi Longstocking as a kid, too. Outrageous and kind - what's not to like?

>46 scaifea: I'll bet our classicist bore a slight resemblance to Pippi in her youth, no?

>47 fairywings: Thank you Adrienne.

>1 PaulCranswick: Lovely photo of your sprightly offspring, Paul.

>48 EllaTim: A friend of mine told me, Ella, that realism is because all Scots have a little of the rebel or villain about them! I have many Scottish friends so I cannot, of course, comment.

>49 thornton37814: I would have loved it too as a school boy had it been told to me. It passed us by in West Yorkshire where it was all The Railway Children, Enid Blyton and The Secret Garden.

>50 PawsforThought: It is certainly a charming little book, Paws, and I will look out for her other books.

>51 jnwelch: Outrageous and kind - great description of a number of my pals.

>53 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks Linda. That photo encapsulates the joy of that holiday and my love of New Zealand.

Hi Paul!

Happy new thread, lovely photo of Kyran and Yasmyne in NZ.

Book #14 in 2019



Naomi by Junichiro Tanizaki

Date of Publication : 1924 (14 of 120)
Origin of Author : Japan (9 of 80)
Pages : 237 (3,726 in total)

Wherein the teacher gets taught a lesson in love.

Characters were pliable or pitiful or preening or preposterous. As someone who has oftentimes been smitten with the opposite sex, I can understand the narrator and his fall.

Mildly enjoyable.

>57 karenmarie: Thank you Karen. Now they are studying hard in the UK so those carefree days do seem a mighty long way off at times.

Favourite Books read from each year of my lifetime.

Probably done this before:

1966 The Fixer by Bernard Malamud
1967 One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
1968 A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines
1969 Strumpet City by James Plunkett
1970 Fifth Business by Robertson Davies
1971 The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
1972 To Serve Them All My Days by R.F. Deldefield
1973 The Honorary Consul by Graham Greene
1974 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carre
1975 Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
1976 The Children of Dynmouth by William Trevor
1977 A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor
1978 Rumours of Rain by Andre Brink
1979 Sophie's Choice by William Styron
1980 Earthly Powers by Anthony Burgess
1981 Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
1982 The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon K Penman/
If Not Now, When? by Primo Levi TIE
1983 Shame by Salman Rushdie
1984 La Noces Barbares by Yann Queffelec
1985 Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
1986 The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
1987 The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes
1988 Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler
1989 A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
1990 Lies of Silence by Brian Moore
1991 The Redundancy of Courage by Timothy Mo
1992 A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel
1993 The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
1994 Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres
1995 A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
1996 Last Orders by Graham Swift
1997 Jack Maggs by Peter Carey
1998 Birthday Letters by Ted Hughes
1999 Plainsong by Kent Haruf
2000 White Teeth by Zadie Smith
2001 The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
2002 Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
2003 Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton
2004 Birds without Wings by Louis de Bernieres
2005 The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
2006 Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
2007 Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
2008 Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
2009 Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
2010 The Long Song by Andrea Levy
2011 Among Others by Jo Walton
2012 The Yellow Birds by Kevin Young
2013 The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
2014 The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
2015 The Dictator's Last Night by Yasmin Khadera
2016 The North Water by Ian McGuire
2017 Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
2018 The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

>60 PaulCranswick: Yeah, but always can bear repeating, Paul. Happy New Thread!

>60 PaulCranswick: That was fun, Paul. Of the 20 of your favorites I've read, I enjoyed 15 very much; the other 5 not so much.
I can't even think of the time it would take for me to retrieve my reading lists and pick one book for each year from 1966 (the year I graduated from college, btw).

>60 PaulCranswick: Thanks Roni. xx

>62 LizzieD: I'm sure that if I made the list again next month from scratch there would be one or two changes to it.
You made me feel like one of the young whipper-snappers of the group at a mere 53!

Of the 54 books I selected above, I am rather puzzled and ashamed that only 13 are written by ladies and 41 are written by men.

Of the choices:

Most catalogued - A Hundred Years of Solitude 34,736
Least catalogued - The Dictator's Last Night - 67

Highest Average Rating - The Sunne in Splendour - 4.47
Lowest Average Rating - The Dictator's Last Night - 3.42

26 books by UK authors
12 books by US authors
3 books by Canadian authors
2 books by Australian authors
2 books by Irish authors
1 book by South African
1 book by Algerian
1 book by French
1 book by Italian
1 book by New Zealander
1 book by Spanish
1 book by Nigerian
1 book by Colombian
1 book by Pakistani

>60 PaulCranswick: I've only read 10 of those, liked them all, and am currently in the middle of Ragtime. My list would have to include some Ursula Le Guin and a C. J. Cherryh, but then 90% of what I've read since 1955 is probably F&SF. And 80% of the rest was written before I was born.

>64 PaulCranswick: Strange, my one dip in a Penman book had it landing against the wall.

When I ran a SF club library in the late 70s into the mid 80s, I purchased nearly everything that came out by women and have pretty much weighted my reading similarly since.

>65 quondame: I wonder if it is true that men tend to read books by men and ladies books by ladies. I would hope not and certainly I do think that my reading was slanted earlier as there were so many more male writers than female ones.

Interestingly in the 19 years of this century so far it is more even with 10 books by guys and 9 by gals.

>66 PaulCranswick: There are a great many more women authors now, not that they were ever rare, and outside the children's, romance, and domestic tales where women weren't pretty much the second or third class citizens. I tend to read books by authors I know I like, of which many are women, pick books off the new book shelf by women I haven't read much more often than books by men I'm not familiar with. That's how I found Robin Hobb and Kate Elliott. An exception is Edward Lazellari, whoever did his covers deserves credit!

SF and fantasy is, I always tell my friends, not my thing. Then again I see that Jo Walton and Neal Gaiman are both represented on my list. JRR Tolkien would be there too had I been born a bit earlier! and I like writers such as Feist and Mary Stewart too.

>60 PaulCranswick: What I noticed most from your favorite books by year is that I am older than you! LOL I share your opinion for many of the years. Happy new thread, sir!

>69 Berly: I would not have thought myself your junior Kimmers! You are far better preserved than am I!

Happy new thread, Paul! Looking forward to what you think of Ghost Wall. Although, I can only imagine northern England in my mind, I thought the author did a fine job in creating an atmospheric story.

>60 PaulCranswick:. Love that list, Paul. What a pleasure to see Earthly Powers on it. That book seems way too underknown.

Man, A Fine Balance remains the saddest book I’ve ever read.

>35 PaulCranswick: I still have the first three Pippi books that I purchased in grade school. I must have been about 10 or 11. I certainly enjoyed them when I was young, and passed them on to my daughter when she was little. They're stored away at present in our "kids books" box. I'm glad it still managed to charm you a bit.

>71 Carmenere: Of course, Lynda, I am familiar with the 'frozen North' and I am sure that Sarah Moss will do an excellent job of recreating it!

>72 jnwelch: I read that one (Earthly Powers) over thirty years ago, Joe, whilst in Egypt and it blew me away. I would go as far as to say that A Fine Balance is the finest novel written in my lifetime.

>73 RBeffa: I will look out for the rest of the books, Ron, as the child in me continues to resurface!

Book #15 in 2019



The Room on the Roof by Ruskin Bond

Date of Publication : 1956 (15 of 120)
Origin of Author : India (10 of 80)
Pages : 191 (3,917 in total)

Written when he was just 17, this is a charming coming of age novel featuring Rusty, a semi-autobiographical creation of the author.

Set among the bazaars and tea shops of small town India, Rusty runs away from his strict guardian to find friendship as well as life's harsh realities await him.

Nice short read.

As an Englishman, can you shed light on "gorm" ... ?
(as spoken by Mr. Peggoty in David Copperfield)

So far, in the Group Copperfield thread, we've got "go on for" and "Go for."

>77 m.belljackson: I would suggest that it means "understand". I am guessing that this is from the fairly common english usage of the word "gormless" which means lacking in reason or understanding. Take the less in gormless away therefore it should mean understand.

In old English "gorm" actually relates to the colour blue but I don't see how that could fit in the instance.

>60 PaulCranswick: Yes you have done before, Paul, you infected me at the time ;-)
Always good to see an updated list. I should check mine as I think 2018 is missing there, and some years might have different books by now.

>64 PaulCranswick: I read more male writer, although I TRY to read more female writers...

>79 FAMeulstee: I will go and find my earlier list, Anita, and see how many changes there are actually are to it.

I don't think I "knowingly" choose authors because of their gender. I hope I don't do it sub-consciously either!

Top Ten Novels Written in My Lifetime

1. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

2. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

3. Shame by Salman Rushdie

4. If Not Now, When? by Primo Levi

5. The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon K Penman

6. Plainsong by Kent Haruf

7. A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel

8. The Redundancy of Courage by Timothy Mo

9. The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng

10. Waterland by Graham Swift

Happy new(ish) thread!

>82 amanda4242: Thanks Amanda. Missing seeing posts over at your thread?!

I have read very few books on your list, Paul. For a while there I was listing the gender of the authors that I read and there were more females than males but then I read a lot of mysteries and there are a lot of female mystery writers. (Queens of Crime - I cut my eye teeth on Agatha Christie).

>84 Familyhistorian: Yes, I have read a fair number by the Dame also, Meg.

Checking in - love the top pic. X

>86 BekkaJo: Thanks Bekka. Lovely to see you on the threads. xx

>83 PaulCranswick: I'll update my thread soon, but let me finish this chapter first...

>78 PaulCranswick:

Thanks for your contribution here and on Copperfield thread, where there are more responses.

happy new thread, Paul!

>81 PaulCranswick: I'll have to go away and think about this one - interesting category! Thanks for the lists (as always).
I wasn't sure if you'd read or acquired Ghost Wall - I just read it and was struck by it, but perhaps not as much as others here.

>81 PaulCranswick: I love this list and I am tickled pink to see Plainsong make such a strong showing. I still NEED to get to the Adiche, Mantel and Eng. I am fans of all 3.

Sweet Thursday, Paul. I hope you are having a good week.

>81 PaulCranswick: Hmmm, I'll have to ponder on that exercise Paul. I've certainly liked a few from your list.

>88 amanda4242: Brilliant. A new chapter and a new page.

>89 m.belljackson: Yes, I saw the comments, Marianne. Seems that I am more gormless than I thought!

>90 ChelleBearss: Thank you, Chelle.

>91 charl08: Kinokuniya were having a special offer on the Women's Prize longlist so I picked up Ghost Wall and Freshwater at 20% discount.

>92 msf59: I was surprised that a dozen of the books on my list were written by American authors as I read many more books by British authors. Plainsong is close to my favourite American novel, I just love the lightness of Haruf's touch, Mark.

>93 Caroline_McElwee: I would be hugely interested in your list, Caroline.

Hi Paul!

>60 PaulCranswick: I had to go dig my list out, too; mine was hidden as a 3rd tab in my last year’s books read spreadsheet. I’ve read 8 books published in 2018 but none that I’d consider adding to my list.

>81 PaulCranswick: Well. I’ve got A Fine Balance on my shelves, have other (unread) books by Salman Rushdie and Sharon Kay Penman, started and abandoned Plainsong, and haven’t heard of the other authors. You always impress me with the breadth of your reading interests.

>97 karenmarie: What you felt about the books read for 2018 is my feeling for 2017. I haven't yet read many from 2017 and I didn't rate Exit West overly but it is the best I have read to date.

Abandoned Plainsong?! Wowzer.

>94 PaulCranswick:

On reading the first chapters of THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK,
I will assume you are reverting to Olde English to let us know that your skin is not blue.

Thanks to some French ancestry moved to rural Appalachia, the Book Woman's actually was.

>99 m.belljackson: Skin is not blue certainly in the tropical heat of South East Asia, Marianne.

I think the last thread I visited was still #1. *aaargh* what a year...
Anyway - I'm here to wish you a lovely weekend :)

Happy new thread Paul, and a belated thank you for the stats!
I wish you and yours a wonderful weekend.

>101 Deern: It is a funny year so far, Nathalie. Posting is way down but reading way up - connected surely.

>102 SirThomas: Thanks Thomas

>81 PaulCranswick: Well, clearly I need to get goin on your list of favorites since I have read exactly none of them! Well, I have read several of the authors, but not those exact books. I can always use another list. : )

Happy weekend!

>1 PaulCranswick: that is lovely, Paul :)
I am back doing rounds of the threads again after a week off, wherein I basically trawled facebook for news of the mass murders here (not a sustainable pastime). Everyone is in shock here. My boss is lovely and encouraged us all take time off work go the public park to stand vigil while the call to Friday prayers took place. As it happened I was off sick on the day, but got out of bed to go down. It was very emotional (obviously).

>81 PaulCranswick: I LOVE this list! I may have to compile a similar one.

>104 Berly: The list in >60 PaulCranswick: also zero, Kimmers?

>105 LovingLit: I thought the reaction of the New Zealand public and its politicians and public servants was an absolute credit to your nation. Went some way to renewing my faith in the brotherhood of humanity, strangely enough.

I look forward to seeing your list too, Megan. xx

I have read 12 from >60 PaulCranswick: and half of your top ten life time reads :)

Also, from #182 on your last thread (yes, I sometimes go back and catch up on what I missed), where you said :I do often like reading opposing views to my own on a sort of Devil's Advocate basis. I have read a few books by politicians, economists and thinkers of the right largely to confirm my own views which are opposite!
I do the same! And will one day read Ayn Rand for the same reason :) If I can stomach it.

>107 LovingLit: Not bad 12, Megan.

>108 LovingLit: Did I say that? Not bad, really!
I'm not sure that I could quite stomach Ayn Rand though!

Today is my wedding anniversary .

Hani and I have made it to 23 years and most of those years have been magnificent.

Thank you SWMBO.

We are pretty devastated actually.

Kyran's best friend Dea was killed yesterday as he fell from an apartment car park. We don't quite know the circumstances but the poor boy may have been murdered or it was an accident. The police suspect foul play.

Kyran is inconsolable and I have been on the phone with him four times already. He is a sensitive soul and has taken the loss of his friend very badly indeed.

>111 PaulCranswick: Oh how tragic, Paul. So sorry for poor Kyran and his friend's family. Hope the university are able to provide some support?

Paul - Please let your son know how sorry we are.

Did this happen in England or Malaysia?

Either way, deliberate or accident, it will be a life changer for your son - keep him close.

Oh geesh, my heart goes out to you guys.

>111 PaulCranswick: Oh, Paul...what a terrible thing. As a parent, I don't know what to say to you...I'm sure "inconsolable" is a very appropriate word for Kyran's state right now, and it's so hard to offer comfort at a distance. Did this happen where he is, or elsewhere? Is there counseling available at his school? And you...I assume your whole family knew this young man as well. Strength to all of you.

>112 charl08: His friend died in Malaysia but I do think that Kyran needs a little bit of help. Told him not to stay by himself today.

>113 m.belljackson: The accident (I believe it to be as I cannot see why anyone would want to hurt Dea) happened in a Condo in Kuala Lumpur. Kyran does seem so very far away tonight.

>114 mahsdad: Thank you Jeff.

>115 laytonwoman3rd: He was at our house most days chewing the fat with Kyran on our balcony. A genuinely lovely boy. Thanks Linda.

Oh no. Such a tragedy. Is Kyran anywhere near Yasmyne? If so, that might be of comfort to him. Also, do encourage him to seek some help with counselling at the University. Most universities do have some sort of assistance in this area, I think.

Condolences to you all and to the boy's family.

So sorry about Kyran's friend.

>118 jessibud2: They are at opposite ends of the country. Kyran on the South Coast at Portsmouth and Yasmyne is up in Edinburgh. I do know they spoke together today. I am going to call him again in a few minutes - it is 2 am here.

>119 banjo123: Thanks Rhonda. xx

>110 PaulCranswick: Congratulations!

>111 PaulCranswick: How shocking and dreadful.

Oh dear, that is a game changer for Kyran. It is easy to grow up thinking everyone is bulletproof, particularly the young. What a nightmare for him, no one needs to learn how to grieve their peers at this age.

>111 PaulCranswick: how tragic. You don't want young people to have the burden of grief so young, or to have their lives cut short so soon. Hopefully Kyran will have the support of other grieving friends Paul.

>110 PaulCranswick: happy anniversary to you and Hani, despite tragedy interceding.

I'm really sorry to hear about Kyran's friend. Truly awful for all who knew him.

It sounds very odd to say Happy Anniversary on the same post, but many congratulations to you and Hani for your twenty three years.

wish you a quiet weekend, peace of mind despite the tragedy with Kyran's friend

>110 PaulCranswick: Congratulations Hani & Paul!

>111 PaulCranswick: So sorry to read this sad news, it is hard to loose a friend at such a young age.

>110 PaulCranswick: Happy Anniversary!

So sorry for Kyran’s loss. What a tragedy.

>106 PaulCranswick: I have read 15 of your total year list and have about 10 waiting on the shelves. Just none of your faves...yet!

>110 PaulCranswick: Happy Anniversary! You've made it through thick and thin. Congrats.

As to Kyran...I am so sorry! And he is so far away. That's hard. It is a loss he will carry with him always. I hope he can remember the good times.

>121 quondame: Susan, I spoke to Kyran a few times last night and he will get some help from the university. He was with another friend yesterday which helped him.

>122 LovingLit: I had to tell him, yesterday, that I have never experienced what he is going through. Even though I am 52 I don't recall losing any of my friends yet.

>123 Caroline_McElwee: Thank you, Caroline. We have had some tough times recently and to make things even worse the telly is now on the blink. I don't really watch it but Hani is pretty devastated.

>124 streamsong: Yes, Janet, I even thought twice about mentioning my anniversary but I guess that life is like that the rough and the smooth alongside each other.

>125 paulstalder: Thank you Paul.

>126 FAMeulstee: It is the love of life that the young man had that has been so sadly cut short that is what is so heartrendingly sad. He was brought up by a single-mum and we'll go to see her today.

>127 thornton37814: Thank you, Lori.

>128 drneutron: Thanks Jim.

>129 Berly: That's not a bad total Kimmers.
Kyran does seem so far away at the moment as a time when I need to pull him close and give him a hug.

On another matter I have to say thank you to all who have visited and posted here this year as I have lumbered past 1,000 posts.

Slowest I have ever done it but I am happy at the moment with my pace around the threads.

Today we spent time with the mother of Kyran's best friend who passed away yesterday after a fall from a hotel car park in Kuala Lumpur. The police have arrested three boys but we still don't really know what happened.

He was such a lovely and loving boy and we are all devastated.



DHEA KAMARUDIN, wonderful young man, we will dearly miss you.

>135 PaulCranswick: I'm sure Dhea's family appreciated your care and kindness Paul. A very sad time for everyone.

>136 Caroline_McElwee: Caroline, his mum was pretty stunned but I think most troubled by not knowing what happened. She prepared the body for burial yesterday evening and said that the poor boy was unrecognisable. I took SWMBO and three of her friends (also mums of Dhea's friends) and we all sat around her dining table reminiscing about the children and being tearful.

That must be incredibly difficult to do Paul. Poor woman. I hope they get at the truth of the matter.

Hi Paul, I wish you and Hani a belated happy 23rd wedding anniversary mate and am so sorry to hear about the death of Kyran's friend, no wonder the poor lad is devastated. I hope that the police get to the bottom of things and find out what actually happened.

Sending love and hugs to both of you mate.

A belated Happy 23 Anniversary, Paul and Hani. I am so sorry about the passing of Kryan's dear friend. What a shocking thing to happen. So tragic. I can't imagine being his mom , and having to prepare his body for burial , after a fall. I hope that the police can get to the bottom of it.

>138 Caroline_McElwee: I hope so too, Caroline.

>139 johnsimpson: Thanks John. Give our love to Karen.

>140 vancouverdeb: There is always the chilling feeling of "what if it was me?". I don't think I could survive such a thing happening to our family.

I know what you mean, Paul. A more distant friend of our lost their son about a year ago in a car crash. He was out hunting with a friend, and somehow the car went off the road. The young man died instantly. The family had two young adult sons, just like we do . I can't imagine how they carried on , but they have. The young man was also married , for just over a year and left behind a young widow of age 26. It's hard to take it all in.

>143 vancouverdeb: These things do tend towards you pulling your family closer, Deb. We cannot preserve and protect them all the time and the world is a brutishly tough place to make your way through.

Life can be good and bad at the same time. So sorry to hear about Kryan's friend. So young for that young man to be taken. Congratulations on your anniversary, Paul. May you have many more. You have been very lucky to have not lost any of your friends by this time in your life and to have your parents around too.

{{{hugs}}}

Oh man. So sorry to hear about Kyran's friend, Paul. What a terrible thing to happen.

So sorry to hear this, I can't say more than we think of you.

>145 Familyhistorian: I do count my blessings, Meg.

>146 amanda4242: Thank you Amanda. xx

>147 jnwelch: Yes Joe, I also knew two of the three boys held by the police for questioning about the incident. They have now been released and to be honest we are no nearer really knowing what happened to Dhea.

>148 SirThomas: Thank you Thomas. This group is always a source of consolation to me. You are a wonderful bunch!

You said that Dhea's Mother was a single Mom - does she have other children?

>151 m.belljackson: Yes, she has a daughter and two step children as she has subsequently remarried.

Book #16 in 2019



A Place of Execution by Val McDermid

Date of Publication : 1999 (16 of 120)
Origin of Author : UK
BIAC Challenge March 2019
Pages : 603 (4,520 in total)

First thing I have read by McDermid and it won't be the last.

Top notch mystery/crime novel about a missing girl in Derbyshire and an ambitiously dedicated young police detective.

So sorry to see of your family's loss of a friend. I hope you all are doing ok.

>154 ChelleBearss: Struggling a little if truth be known, Chelle. Daresay we'll get through the other side wiser but by no means happier.

I can breathe out of both nostrils! I haven't hacked a lung up yet! AND I can almost hear without greatly increasing the volume! Oh yay, I'm well.

Still not going outside. The temptation is great...50° and sunshiney...but the word "relapse" cycles through my brain as I put on socks, and everything stops for tea as the old song has it.

I'm very sorry to hear about Dhea's sudden death, Paul. May God bless and protect his family, and Kyran.

>156 richardderus: Glad to hear you are, erm, almost back to normal RD!

>157 kidzdoc: Thank you Darryl.

I am sorry to hear the news of your son's friend's death- take care,

>153 PaulCranswick: I'm always torn about whether or not I'll like McDermid. I need to just give in and try something.

I've been away for a while. It looks like I've missed a lot here!

First, congratulations on 23 years marriage. Secondly, I am so sorry to hear about Kyran's friend.

Sending hugs your way

>159 torontoc: Dhea's stepfather is blaming all the boy's who accompanied him to the party. Kyran feels so sorry but they were all collectively responsible (as was Dhea) for whatever they took at the party (apparently cocaine and ecstacy). Kyran thank heaven doesn't like going out with them to parties and would invariably stay home while they went out - I think I can guess why now.

Dhea was a lovely boy and one of the entrapments of youth is the need to try things when we believe ourselves immortal. We have, most of us, done silly things (although drugs, recreational or otherwise never called me - I have never even tried to smoke a cigarette!) and I had my stomach pumped in my teens after a fight with a bottle of whisky that I lost. We usually get away with those foibles and live to tell the tale. Dhea didn't, poor lad.

>160 thornton37814: I thought she would have been darker and that there would be more violence. It was actually very character driven.

>161 figsfromthistle: Lovely to see you Anita.

23 years - I pointed out that the Great Train Robbers mostly only got 20 years (not even the flicker of a smile). Parts of it have been tough, most of it has been wonderful. 3 extraordinary children and a million memories. I don't know what the future holds for the two of us but her smile still lights up my life and her frown still torments my being.

Happy (belated) Anniversary, Paul!

Oh, and so sorry to hear about Kyran's friend. Whatever the cause, something like that just rocks your world/community for a time.

>165 PaulCranswick: Yes it does, indeed, Mary. xx

>162 PaulCranswick: I think I'll try that one which I believe is a stand-alone before I try one of the series.

>162 PaulCranswick: What happened to Dhea is sadly not all that uncommon, Paul. Unintentional injuries such as drug and alcohol overdoses, swimming and diving accidents, shootings, motor vehicle crashes and falls are the cause of death for just over 40% of young people 15-24 years of age in the US, and a significant number of survivors of these accidents are left with serious and/or permanent injuries. The children's hospital I work in contains a 28 bed Comprehensive Inpatient Rehabiliation Unit, which is mainly filled with teenaged survivors of these accidents. When the hospital is full some of the patients on the General Pediatrics service are admitted there, as the CIRU is more likely to have open beds than any place else, and when I see my patients there I also see these poor accident survivors. The parents routinely post photos of their children as they were before the accidents that nearly claimed their lives, which serves as a wish that the kids will return to their former selves, but also a reminder of what was lost and may never be regained.

Checking in. Will be giving my two extra huggles tonight.

Love to your family, and to help Dhea's through this.

>166 thornton37814: I think you mean >153 PaulCranswick: Lori? Yes, it is a stand-alone and a pretty good one too.

>167 kidzdoc: That is seriously worrying, Darryl, that the percentage of premature death amongst that age-group is due to such misadventures.

>168 BekkaJo: Thank you, Bekka. Huggles' are always welcome.

>169 PaulCranswick: Yes, but I was just replying to your response so I just used that number rather than looking up the original post again.

>171 thornton37814: :D

I am currently reading a very good book about British India under the East India Company. It is Empire Made: My Search for an Outlaw Uncle in British India by Kief Hillsbery. It turns out to be a kind of history of the EIC from 1840 to 1870. It also turns out that not every British person in India was an asshat. I had heard about people like Henry Lawrence, and John Nicholson and they both appear in this book. They are not the Outlaw Uncle, but the Outlaw Uncle worked for and with them. This one is going to be on my Best Books list or next year.

>173 benitastrnad: Sounds like one worth looking for, Benita.

Some book therapy:

53. Tales of Long Ago by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
54. The Dream Woman by Wilkie Collins
55. The Suitcase by Sergei Dovlatov
56. The Red Notebook by Benjamin Constant
57. Colonel Chabert by Honore de Balzac
58. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
59. The Last Day of a Condemned Man by Victor Hugo
60. Pantagruel and Gargantua by Francois Rabelais
61. Just William by Richmal Crompton
62. Journey by Moonlight by Antal Szerb
63. Genghis Khan and the Quest for God by Jack Weatherford

I'm very sorry to read about your son's friend. My thoughts are with you and yours.

So sorry to hear about Kyran’s friend, Paul.

Is Just William a reread? It’s so funny!

>177 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara.

>178 SandDune: Thanks Rhian, I think the police have determined that the death of Dhea was due to misadventure rather than malice. We all need to ensure that we drum into the children as they "mature" that they should not ingest anything to their bodies whose consequence is undetermined. Peer pressure, keeness to try something, depression or whatever it is vital that our kids realise the dangers.

I haven't read Just William before but am straight into it and enjoying it too.

Book #17 in 2019



Just William by Richmal Crompton

Date of Publication : 1922 (17 of 120)
Origin of Author : UK
Pages : 322 (4,842 in total)

In September I am 53 years old.

Cannot believe I got to this age of mature childhood without Just William.

Gobbled it up greedily yesterday with smirks and guffaws aplenty whilst remembering my own pre-teen halcyon days of scrapes and japes and near escapes.

Heartily recommended to any world weary chump who wants to sink lovingly back into childhood for a few blissful hours.

Failed to meet my reading goals again this month.

Finished the first quarter of the year with a mere 17 books read which continues a very worrying trend for me over the last 5 years (which have been personally tough times).

Reading record in the last 5 years:

First Quarter

2014 39 books
2015 36 books
2016 30 books
2017 25 books
2018 22 books
2019 17 books

On the flip side I felt my reading mojo returning a bit this last month and I am positive about a much better next quarter.

>181 PaulCranswick: Hope the mojo continues!

Reading Plan for April

BIAC - The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne (2006)
BIAC - The Echoing Grove by Rosamund Lehmann (1953)
AAC - Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward (2017)

To finish

The War With Newts by Karel Capek (Czechia) 1936
Petersburg by Andrei Bely (Russia) 1916
The Late Monsieur Gallet by Georges Simenon (Belgium) (1931)
Came a Hot Friday by Ronald Hugh Morrieson (New Zealand) 1964
Misspent Youth by Peter F. Hamilton (BIAC) (2002)
The Good Companions by J.B. Priestley (1929)

also

The Earth of Mankind by Pramoedya Anata Toer Indonesia (1975)
The Tunnel by Ernesto Sabato (Argentina) (1948)
Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga (Zimbabwe) (1988)

Realistic, I think.

>182 thornton37814: Lori, I am more positive about my reading at the moment than for quite a long time so I am pretty confident that my stats are going to improve.

Paul--Here's to good reading mojo and so happy to see you back here posting!! The good thing about setting the reading bar low recently is your stats will have an easier time going up.

>183 PaulCranswick: Oooh, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is So. Good. I hope you love it.

>185 Berly: I am still optimistic about my reading challenges this year, Kimmers, despite my slow start.

>186 scaifea: I was surprised to read that one Rabbi had criticised the book for its historical inaccuracy but I hardly think that is the point. We are considering the innocence of youth and through those unknowing eyes we see the full enormity, horror and depravity of the holocaust is revealed.

As I read his objections seemed to be that it was inaccurate that young boys were left alive in Auschwitz. Sorry Rabbi but that is simply historically inaccurate and secondly that nobody living close to the Death Camps could have been unaware of the purpose of the place. Sorry Rabbi but I remember being a young boy and the complexities of the world was unrevealed to me. Read it properly the author was not excusing the German public for an alleged lack of knowledge of the holocaust - it has rather the opposite impact as you clearly sense that the grown-ups knew well.

I think his real objection was that such a sensitive book was not written by someone of the Jewish faith. But isn't that the point of remembering that people of all faiths and creeds and ethnicities share in the outrage of what was done?

Paul - here's a great one for your New Music (and Poetry?!!!?) AEC Fan -

from The Kennedy Center a few nights ago:

YouTube =

Roscoe Mitchell and Moor Mother - Millennium Stage (March 28, 2019).

Takes both poetry and music to some different and amazing levels.

>188 m.belljackson: I'll go and have a look at Roscoe, Marianne. xx

>187 PaulCranswick: Excellent points against the Rabbi's claims, Paul. And I agree that it's not surprising that such a powerful book has had some backlash.

Hey, Paul. How are things going on the other side of the world? We are still waiting for springtime here. Have you read Jesmyn Ward yet? If not, you are in for a treat.

>190 scaifea: It is only the horror of the majority which ensures that that historical atrocities are not repeated.

>191 msf59: Things are tropical mate! I haven't read Jesmyn Ward yet, so I'm looking forward to it.

(((Paul)))

>193 ronincats: Thanks Roni; I will cherish your hugs.

B>D

>195 ronincats: And your big, big smiles. xx

>181 PaulCranswick: Glad you are beginnng to get your reading mojo back again Paul.

Great April reading plans, Paul. I just finished a reread of Sing, Unburied, Sing with my class. I love that book.

Hi Paul!

>98 PaulCranswick: Back to your list - I’ve read 7, abandoned 2, and read other books by 10 of your authors. For me 2017 was simple as I was absolutely gobsmacked by Lincoln in the Bardo. Never a doubt in my mind. 2018 is still open. Here are the books I’ve read that were published in 2018. Good books all, but not list-worthy.

Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff
The Hounds of Spring by Lucy Andrews Cummin
Calypso by David Sedaris
Lethal White by Robert Galbraith
The Outsider by Stephen King
Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny
Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston
The Day of the Dead by Nicci French
Past Tense by Lee Child
Blackbeard's Sunken Treasure by Mark U. Wilde-Ramsing

I tried to read Plainsong after reading A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley and it seemed similar enough that it couldn’t compare to me. It may have been timing.

>110 PaulCranswick: Belated Happy Anniversary.

>111 PaulCranswick: and subsequent. Oh my, I am so sorry about Kyran’s best friend Dhea. How awful. I’m glad that he’s getting help and talking with you and Yasmyne. Your visit with Dhea’s mum must have been devastating. And 3 boys arrested and then released... and drugs were involved. So tragic.

>142 PaulCranswick: That’s how I feel about Jenna – I don’t think I could survive.

>153 PaulCranswick: I’ve read one by Val McDermid and have others on my shelves.

I’m glad to hear that your reading mojo has returned and hope that you have a stupendous April.

>197 Caroline_McElwee: Slowly, Caroline, slowly. xx

>198 BLBera: It has so many admirers that I can hardly wait, Beth.

>199 karenmarie: I am surprised you had so much trouble with Plainsong, Karen.

Good to see that you feeling your reading mojo coming back, Paul.

>203 PaulCranswick: Well indeed, Meg. And I have two books to report for April already.

Book #18 of 2019


The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

Date of Publication : 2006 (18 of 120)
Origin of Author : Irish
Pages : 212 (5,054 in total)
British Isles Author Challenge April 2019

A Holocaust story written by someone whose lineage was not directly impacted by the terrible events. Does that trouble me? No not really because the story itself is affecting, sensitive and universal.

Some have criticised this for its naivety and for portraying a lack of knowledge of what was happening amongst the German populace. Well firstly the innocence and naivety of childhood is part of the point of the story and secondly I don't agree that Boyne allows us to think that the Germans didn't know. The Grandmother knew, the maid knew, the parents knew but the boy of nine didn't comprehend.

There was a truthfulness about the story that, despite its obvious artistic licenses, tells an important story with conviction and candour.

Recommended.

Book #19



The War with the Newts by Karel Capek

Date of Publication : 1936 (19 of 120)
Origin of Author : Czech ( 11 of 80)
Pages : 348 (5,402 in total)

Political satire was a dangerous thing in 1936 and Capek's critique of the failure of modern forms of government - both Marxism as well as Fascism is not even thinly veiled here.

In short a race of intelligent sea creatures are discovered in the Indonesian islands (yikes, I've visited of few of those) and are exploited. As their numbers increase the exploited wish to become the exploiters.

Still vividly relevant today.

>204 PaulCranswick: Yes, a great story. The boy's innocence is essential to the telling, but I suppose that realistically you might argue that while the boy does not know what is going on, he would very likely have unconsciously picked up certain attitudes. Making it more realistic on that score would have made it a less powerful story though.

>206 sirfurboy: If you remember the detail Sir F, the scene in Brunos kitchen when he is almost biblically asked to confirm his knowledge of his friend, is I think very effective in showing how people were cowed.

>205 PaulCranswick:

The only book I've read by Karel Capek is The Gardener's Year for 5 STARS. Just lovely and funny.

Mr. Capek would have enjoyed my exchange in the grocery parking lot yesterday
after I complimented the guy with a nearby truck on his "Import Immigrants
Export Trump" bumper sticker.

He said he'd already had one torn off and that, after Tuesday's right wing judge election,
Wisconsin was turning into a fascist state. Amazing what the world has learned to tolerate.

I finished listening to Empire Made and it is on my Best of 2019 list. Very well done. The author manages the trick of going back and forth in time and making both parts relevant to the story. So much history of the Northwest Frontier states and the background of modern Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nepal. It is worth trying to find and reading.

>207 PaulCranswick: Ah yes, quite right. It has been a while since I read it.

>208 m.belljackson: Capek's work was on the cusp of the World War was prescient then and is relevant today. DAESH could be the newts for example.

Wrote with wit, wisdom and acerbity - wonder what he would have made of America's regressiion under Trump.

>209 benitastrnad: I will indeed do so Benita. xx

>210 sirfurboy: It is the second book I have read by Doyle, Sir F, after The Thief of Time whose premise was better ultimately than its execution. I thought he got The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas just about spot on.

>205 PaulCranswick: I’ve got War with the Newts on the TBR shelf - I must get around to it sometime soon.

>213 SandDune: The overall effect is good, Rhian. Pitted against man I can see the abyss as Capek in his still jaunty way could in 1936.

>162 PaulCranswick: How devastating. Blame is such a hard thing to resist, it would take a stronger person than me to avoid that, at least as a first step in grieving.

>204 PaulCranswick: A lovely summary of the book. I read it recently, and it did irk me a tad, but the saving grace was the glimpses into the mind of a child, his innocence and naivety was refreshing.

>215 LovingLit:

Re >162 PaulCranswick: I don't know how I would handle it, Megan. Most likely I couldn't handle it.

>204 PaulCranswick: I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone who hasn't read the book but I do feel that if the story was closer to the truth, Bruno's uncircumcised state may have occasioned comment.

Hi Paul, hope all is well with you mate and the family. I know that you are already into Sunday so I hope the weekend is good for you, we are both ok although Karen has a cold at the moment but hopefully it has reached its peak and she should be fine in a couple of days.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and sending love and hugs to you all mate.

>60 PaulCranswick: I've read 12 3/4 books. ( I got most of the way through Wolf Hall and couldn't handle the writing style anymore. It's the first time I've gotten that far in a book and quit.) I'm also considering adding a similar list to my own thread.

Also, when's your birthday? Looks like you are just a tad younger than I.

>81 PaulCranswick: I've read three of those and didn't rate them too badly: A Fine Balance 7/10, Half of a Yellow Sun 6/10, Plainsong 7/10. I'm thinking of reading more by Kent Haruf.

>110 PaulCranswick: Happy (belated) anniversary! How are you two doing? I know you struggled for awhile recently. Have you patched things up or are they still rough?

>111 PaulCranswick: I don't have words. I'm so sorry. I didn't have a personal understanding of grief until recently when I had a few losses in a row. I hope Kyran is doing a little better at this point and is getting the support he needs.

>178 SandDune: I really liked Bridge to Terabithia and gave it 8/10 stars.

>204 PaulCranswick: Added to Mount TBR.

>217 johnsimpson: Lovely to see you, John. Hope Karen is A-OK very soon.

>218 Morphidae: I'm 53 on 2 September, Morphy.

Things are still a bit tough, I think that a move in the near future back to the UK may help us get back to where we once were - well almost anyway.
I am happy enough to give up the two projects here in Kuala Lumpur that I am assisting the Koreans with if it helps things between us.

He is coping (Kyran) and the dear boy calls Dhea's mum on an almost daily basis. He has a heart so much like his mothers. He has another friend from Malaysia just visiting him in Portsmouth which is great therapy for both of them.

Lovely to see one of my favourite back around the threads. xx

Oh, you youngster, you, Paul. I hope that you can soon make the move to UK. Easier said than done, a big move with your work. I confess I've never read Wolf Hall . Some books just don't call to me. Or at least not right now.

>220 vancouverdeb: I am still a wee slip of a boy, Deb!

I liked Wolf Hall to be honest but I thought her book A Place of Greater Safety a far better book.

Managed a fair few threads today for the first time in a good while.

>219 PaulCranswick: I’m sorry to hear you two are still wobbly and hope to hear news of your move soon! My 54th will be in June so I’m 15 months older.

>223 Morphidae: We'll get there, Morphy, because the love hasn't abated and we are still able to make each other laugh. I don't know anyone in the world with a bigger heart than Hani.

>219 PaulCranswick: >223 Morphidae: Already 56... I feel old ;-)

I was sorry to hear about the death of Kyran's friend, Paul. It's very good of him to call his friends mother so often. It must be so difficult for her, losing a son so young.

>225 FAMeulstee: I'm older;-)

>225 FAMeulstee: It really is just a number, Anita.

>226 EllaTim: Yes it is so difficult for her Ella. Poor lady looks positively haunted.

Sigh. This newly turned 58 year old youth wishes that the youngins would stop complaining about their not so advanced ages.😎

>228 kidzdoc: You look good despite all those Gator Tails, Darryl (or possibly because of)!

We all need to be very quiet here. MrMorphy hits the big 6-0 this November. No more complaining! Shhhhh...

>229 PaulCranswick: I give full credit to eating alligator, which has almost no fat. I’m already finished with my second batch of alligator sauce piquante, after sharing half of it with my barber, one of my partners, and the senior pediatric resident who worked alongside me for two weeks last month and make my workdays much more bearable (all of them loved it). I did buy two more frozen alligator fillets, and I’ll probably try the alligator with white beans recipe that Jim shared with me earlier this year.

>230 Morphidae: Well, if this is an AGE contest....*shakes an increasingly white head of hair*

>230 Morphidae: No sympathy, I'm a decade further along, Morphy!

Hi Paul! I am also feeling behind on my reading this year, but I try to concentrate on the books that I HAVE read and enjoyed.

And I hit 60 last November. I am trying to focus on the wisdom and maturity gained through those years.

>230 Morphidae: Well I won't tell anyone, Morphy. xx

>231 kidzdoc: I must look to include it as part of my calorie controlled diet. Certainly not available in the stores locally.

>232 laytonwoman3rd: No contest because I'm not overly keen for any of us to get to the finish line yet.

>233 ronincats: I am a mere stripling, Roni, it is obvious.

>234 banjo123: Wisdom and maturity gained through the years - mine must have been on a slow drip, Rhonda.

Hiya, Paul, just checking in and seeing how the start to your week is going.

I am still one of the young'uns in this group, since I'm in my 30s ;)

>235 PaulCranswick: Alligator meat would be very hard to find in most of the US, especially outside of the Deep South. I’d be very surprised to find it anywhere in Philadelphia, unless there was a Cajun meat market in the city; I haven’t found crawfish up there. There is a Cajun meat market just outside of Atlanta, and I’ll bet the farmers’ markets east of the city routinely offer it as well.

>238 bell7: And I thought that I was the baby, Mary!

>239 kidzdoc: Singapore does have crocodile in certain restaurants but I haven't seen it in any of the shops although I would guess that some Chinese shops do have some.

>239 kidzdoc: I suspect Jungle Jim's in Fairfield, Ohio, just north of Cincinnati, has alligator. They have "exotic" foods from all around the world.

>241 thornton37814: Nice. I wouldn’t be completely blown away if there was a specialty meat market in Philadelphia that sold alligator meat, but since it’s mainly, if not solely, a Cajun specialty I think I’d have to search long and hard for it. I would faint if I saw it in one of the major supermarket chains in the Delaware Valley.

Are there Publix supermarkets in your area? If so, do they sell alligator meat in the frozen seafood section, as mine do? I can get frozen crawfish tails to make crawfish étouffée from the Walmart super store close to Emory’s campus, but I haven’t found them in the supermarkets in Midtown Atlanta, although all of them offer frozen whole crawdads. A new Whole Foods Market, the largest one in the Southeast and the largest supermarket I’ve ever seen, just opened on Friday. It’s now my closest supermarket, as I can walk there, and I’ll probably pay a visit on Sunday and check out the seafood section, in particular.

>242 kidzdoc: Publix recently entered the Knoxville area, but that's an hour away so I don't grocery shop there. Food City, Ingles, and Walmart are the main grocers in Morristown with Aldi and PriceLe$$ also in the market. (I've never been to PriceLe$$.) Knoxville has Food City, Kroger, Whole Foods, Fresh Market, Publix, and probably a bunch of others. I stop in at Fresh Market occasionally when I'm there.

>243 thornton37814: Ah. I didn’t realize that you were an hour away from Knoxville, Lori. There are numerous Ingles supermarkets in North Georgia, but all of them are well outside of Atlanta, with the closest one being in Stone Mountain, and the closest Food City to me is in Dalton, 75 miles NW of Midtown. We do have one Walmart Intown and several others just outside of the city, and the same goes for Aldi. There is a Fresh Market two miles north of me, but I haven’t gone there yet.

>240 PaulCranswick: Deb’s post about alligator in my thread reminded me that I did have crocodile once:

Several years ago Fliss (@flissp), Rachael (@FlossieT) and I had dinner in a pub in Cambridge after Fliss and I saw a Saturday matinée performance of a play in London. Fliss and I both had “croc and roo”, crocodile and kangaroo meat on sticks that was partially grilled then transferred to hot volcanic rocks for us to continue to cook to our liking, which was more interesting than good. The far more sensible Rachael ordered grilled cherry tomatoes and halloumi, and looked at us as if we had lost our minds when we ordered croc and roo and offered to share it with her.

>245 kidzdoc: Kangaroo's ok if it's cooked correctly, not something I can eat a lot of as it has quite a rich flavour to it, and I prefer white meat anyway, but croc is not something that I'm keen to try.

Since you've had both croc and alligator Darryl, did you notice a difference in the flavour?

I have not tried "roo" and not sure I want to!! ; )

>246 fairywings: I agree; the kangaroo I had at The Geldart (http://www.the-geldart.co.uk) in Cambridge was quite rich, and unlike anything I've had before. I'd be willing to have it again.

I liked the crocodile less than the kangaroo, and considerably less than alligator tail that I can buy or order in Cajun restaurants in New Orleans and Atlanta. The gator I'm used to is far more tender and milder in flavor than that croc meat was.

>248 kidzdoc: I don't know anyone else who could say what you just said there, Darryl. Kudos for being an adventurous eater!

>249 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. I'll bet that Fliss has tried more unusual foods than I have, as she is a fearless eater and has traveled far more widely than I. IIRC she encouraged me to try the croc and roo when the three of us went to The Geldart, as it may have been one of the pub's nightly specials; I doubt that I would have done so otherwise. Rupert, Rachael's physician husband, is also a daring eater, save for his seafood allergy, and an outstanding cook, who has me beat by a mile. I'm sorry that I had to miss their Christmas party in Cambridge last year due to my mother's health crisis, but I'm far happier that I could be there for her and my father and spend Christmas with them.

Have you met Fliss? I'm thinking that you (and Paul) haven't yet, and I know that you haven't met Rachael.

>241 thornton37814: Fairfield is therefore on my bucket list, Lori. I am fairly adventurous but there are certain foods that religiously I ought not to eat. For example I haven't eaten pork for 25 years.

>242 kidzdoc: I love going to some of the Supermarkets in the UK when we go back because the staples I adore there are so damned expensive over here. The cleanliness and good order of the stores generally also makes them so enticing.

>243 thornton37814: Of those, Lori, we only have Aldi in the UK which is becoming increasingly popular. Over here none of those you mention have branches in Malaysia. I prefer the local markets to be quite honest.

>244 kidzdoc: Fascinating discourse on shopping Darryl! Hani would be hugely interested as she can always find an excuse to enjoy trying out a new store or a new mall.

>245 kidzdoc: I really wouldn't have thought that "croc and roo" would have been something available to you in Cambridge! I am very fond of haloumi though.

>246 fairywings: Some of my other Australian friends speak up for the joys of eating Kangaroo (I wonder if it puts a spring in your step).

>247 Berly: Oh I think I would try it, Kimmers. I'm less sure about Gator but Hani has promised Darryl that she'll try it as soon as we manage a meet-up Stateside.

>248 kidzdoc: I suppose that there would be a difference between gator and croc but I'd certainly prefer to see either on my plate rather than in my swimming pool.

>249 jnwelch: Darryl is as adventurous as he is travelled, Joe.

>250 kidzdoc: Enjoyed your company but once so far Darryl and enjoyed is certainly the right word. That warm afternoon in London was a lovely one indeed.

I haven't met Fliss or Rachael yet but maybe this year................

Oh Paul, I’m just now seeing your tragic news of Kyran’s young friend. An unimaginable loss. I’m so sorry.

>252 PaulCranswick: I wish we'd go back to locally owned grocers and other stores. When I think back to my childhood years, the customer service at those establishments was far better than what we get from corporate America. I'm also tired of huge stores.

Please accept my condolences, love, and hugs on the loss of Kyran’s young friend. I’m so sorry.

>253 PaulCranswick: Oh, Paul; you’ve told a Dad Joke.

Fascinating lists of books in this thread. We share quite a few, I see. On make/female ratio, honestly that’s something I never think about.

>253 PaulCranswick: Lol, it's high in iron so maybe that's where the spring comes from :)

>256 Copperskye: Joanne, Kyran is coming out the other side due to hard work and having good friends around him there.

>257 thornton37814: We always used to get our daily groceries from the local corner shop but, when I go back to my home village, they've all gone.

>258 Matke: Thank you Gail. I don't consciously choose books based on whether the writer is a man or a woman. I read more books by ladies than men last month and I didn't even realise that Richmal Crompton was a lady!

>259 fairywings: Adrienne, I am a little heavy handed when it comes to puns!

>260 PaulCranswick: When I was small, there were little "corner markets" all over town. We had three slightly larger stores--Big Star, McCullens (downtown), and Sunflower. All of them had about 5 or 6 short aisles. McCullens had a wonderful butcher who wrapped the meat in butcher paper. We always purchased meat there. (My mom used to work there before she became a dietician. She was what was called a certified one. It was before the era of "registered dieticians.") Later a new shopping center came to town and sported an A & P. It seems like it became something else after that, but I can't remember what. It's a Piggly Wiggly now--and it has the best meat in town. Before Mom & Dad died, they got their meat there. The Sunflower didn't survive the bigger stores. I think Big Star is still there, but it moved and is larger.

>219 PaulCranswick: I am sorry that your family is coping with various struggles and griefs. I hope that you are able to finagle the UK move this year and best wishes to you and Hani and your relationship. Sounds like despite the stress and tension of the present you have such a solid foundation of love and humor to keep you both going. And I am very sorry to hear about Kyran's friend. I didn't have to deal with the loss of a close friend until I was in my 30s or 40s, and it wasn't a sudden and unexpected tragedy but the result of a medical condition.

>222 PaulCranswick: Thanks for stopping by to say hello. I've been lurking in your thread since the beginning of the year but haven't found much to say.

As always, the conversation here is interesting and entertaining.

I bid fair to survive until I turn 60 in *mumble* months. Yay me.

Such adventurous eaters! Not me, I prefer these exotic fare.

>264 richardderus: I see I am one of the younguns here clocking in at 48. Congratulations on achieving a milestone this year (in unspecified months).

>265 Familyhistorian: I am definitely the adventurous eater in my family. Was rather disappointed this last weekend, staying with my teenage niece and nephew while my brother was out of town. They were completely uninterested in either my cooking dinner or taking them out to eat. They preferred to rely on making their own Kraft mac'n'cheese. The horror!

At least I managed to meet up for lunch with friends over the course of 3 days. I asked them to choose either a favorite restaurant or one that was new to them.

Hi, Paul!!!
I am NOT an adventurous eater. I'm pretty thankful that I've never had the opportunity to become one. As to chain supermarkets, my little town does have an Aldi, and it's my main supplier. I went at first for the chocolate, added the cheap wine, am devoted to it for the fresher produce than any other store until the local farmers bring their produce to the farmers' market, and now use it for almost everything.
Hmmm. I've never eaten Kraft mac'n'cheese. Maybe I'm a foodie after all......

Just popping in to wave. And possibly pick up some croc and roo on a stick. Love that idea!

>262 thornton37814: The UK is blessed with Supermarkets these days if that is at all a suitable description. British retailers ASDA, TESCO, Sainsbury, Morrisons and Waitrose are all well represented especially ASDA and Morrisons in West Yorks where both hail from. We also have Cooperative stores (known as the Co-op) which are decreasing in popularity but still add diversity of choice and used to reward loyalty by the giving of redeemable stamps. ALDI and LIDL from Germany are starting to get market share as is a previously exclusive frozen food store who have diversified in ICELAND.

>263 justchris: There is love and humpur aplenty, Chris. We have always been able to make each other laugh. We have come through some tough times still together and what doesn't break you makes you stronger.

I told Kyran that I had not to deal with the loss of a close friend as he had. Amid his grief he was able to tell me - "I know Dad, you don't have any friends." Charmed I'm sure.

>264 richardderus: I won't mumble it RD, when you turn the big 60 - I'll be among a small army screeching Happy Birthdays across the ether.

>265 Familyhistorian: "these exotic fare"? or "less exotic fare?" Meg??

>266 justchris: A whipper-snapper! Kraft Mac n Cheese is adventurous in its rather depressing way. I couldn't eat that for sure!

>267 LizzieD: Chocolate, cheap plonk and fresh fruit and veg. Great combination Peggy, I'm sure. xx

>268 BekkaJo: I don't have any roo on a stick, Bekka, but I am pleased you were still able to hop over here. xxx

What! No roo or gator or croc for me, but Kraft Mac and Cheese - a Canadian Classic! None of that homemade Mac and Cheese. Not that I've had Kraft Mac and Cheese for some years, but it was a family staple.

>299 DeltaQueen50: Oh Kyran. Out of the mouths of babes. I recall my brother losing his best friend to leukemia when my brother was just about 10 or 11. For some reason, my dad felt it was his job to impart this sorrow to my brother, rather than my mom. So my dad spoke privately with my brother and told him that " John has folded his tent." My brother had no idea what my dad meant , and sought out my mother to explain. My dad passed away at the relatively young age of 66 - cancer. I still miss his interesting take on the world and unique way of expressing himself.

>273 vancouverdeb: I haven't heard that phrase before, Deb, so I would probably have needed clarification on tent folding myself.

Kraft Mac n Cheese appeals......really?

Kraft mac'n'cheese is a cheap way to get full when you're poor. It's a step up from ramen. But it's not comfort food for me...more like "depressing defeat and unconditional surrender" food. Only kale, which smells like iguana farts and tastes the way clinical depression feels, is lower on my personal food web.

And I eat thousand-year eggs.

>275 richardderus: It's a sort of fallback staple for my husband who did have to survive many unconditional surrenders early in life - he'd throw in frozen peas if he could and adding in tuna was a treat. We still have a flat in the back of the pantry and every now&then the unmistakable odor wafts through the house. I'll grate fresh cheese while the pasta's boiling rather than touch the stuff these days.

>275 richardderus: I suppose in many ways the British version of this would be Baked Beans on Toast, RD. I do try to avoid processed food these days and the thought of Kraft Mac n Cheese makes me feel slightly bilious.

I had a girlfriend who liked to cook me soups filled with seaweed. She was sexy and cute but I knew it would never work out.

>276 quondame: I would as a student eat all sorts of things that I would avoid today, Susan. I am spoiled rotten by having Hani as a wife with her cooking enthusiasm and she doesn't let me anyway near the ready made meals sections of the supermarkets in the UK.

Kraft Mac & Cheese, Ramen, and rice got me through grad school on a grad student stipend. So, yeah.

Hi Paul!

I hope you're having a good weekend so far.

I ate a lot of Kraft macaroni and cheese from middle school onwards. It was one of the things my nephew would eat. He didn't eat the real stuff. I generally make it from scratch nowadays. Kraft is cheaper, but I don't eat macaraoni and cheese often, and both versions make too much for a single person if you make a full recipe. I can cut the amount down by making my own, and it's tastier!

I'm getting really hungry for mac & cheese....why do you suppose that is? We haven't used the Kraft boxed stuff for years---since we started paying better attention to salt in our diet. And, of course, homemade stuff is Very Bad For You as well. But that risk I will take from time to time.

I better say hello on this thread before you start your next one!

>277 PaulCranswick: When I first got together with my (now) husband, he was living on beans on toast. Out of the bottom of his overdraft. In his case mostly because he's rubbish with money, but tbh a legitimate amount of fees vs rent issues.

Yet I still adore cold baked beans out of the tin out of the fridge...

Heinz of course.

>278 scaifea: Eggs, chips (french fries) and beans was probably my equivalent, Amber.

>279 karenmarie: Thank you dear Karen.

>280 thornton37814: I love pasta, Lori, but not simply with cheese. I often made my own ragu and still enjoy baking that with liberal quantities of cheese or making lasagne. I'm hungry already.

>281 laytonwoman3rd: Lasagne for me instead of mac n cheese, Linda, and now I'm pining for it too!

>282 witchyrichy: Thanks Karen. Lovely to see you here.

>283 BekkaJo: I still take it from time to time, Bekka. The secret to it being enjoyable is to add lots of pepper and toast really good bread. Yes - beanz meanz Heinz.

I do like beans on toast, it has to be said Paul. Well, I like most things on toast if I'm honest.

>287 Caroline_McElwee: Toast with butter, good. Extra Sour Rye toast with butter, best.

Great list!

Pasta! Did someone say pasta? I have never turned it down in any form. : )

Dear, dear Paul, I am very typically behind. I wanted to congratulate you and Hani on your wedding anniversary and express my horror and sympathy for your family and especially your dear boy on the loss of his friend. How awful.

Fried egg sandwich was my go to option. In fact, would quite like one now!

Hi, Paul. Just checking in with my favorite Brit buddy. I hope life is treating you well, along with those current reads.

Oh my goodness, I'm sorry to resurrect sad posts but I'm so sorry to read of Kyran's best friend. Devastating.

Paul -

With the sad loss of Dhea, the frightening health challenges faced by Will, Linda, Deborah, and her husband,
as well as caring for the elderly cats loved by so many, it has been a tough start to a new year on LT.

Hope you and your Family all end up together soon!

>277 PaulCranswick: I had a girlfriend who liked to cook me soups filled with seaweed We've just returned from West Wales and had a wonderful starter consisting of cockles and laverbread (which is seaweed, basically) on toast with bits of bacon. Very Welsh! I've always liked cockles but been a bit iffy on laverbread previously, but this was delicious.

I Had To Have Kraft mac'n'cheese after this discussion. Made it exactly per box directions, added two all-beef Nathan's hot dogs, and tucked in.

I felt nineteen upon awakening from the stodge coma, much to my Young Gentleman Caller's delight.

>297 richardderus: LOL, Richard! I saw in the grocery store after the discussion and passed it up! However, I did think of the discussion.

Hi Paul, I thought it was about time that I said "hello". I note the subject right now is Mac 'n Cheese - happy to report that I don't eat the stuff, although it is a staple in my granddaughter's life.

Gasp! No NO NO to Kraft Macaroni & Cheese!!!

>300 kidzdoc: Darryl, as a kid, I loved Kraft Macaroni and cheese so much I once kissed a pot of that had boiling hot water and macaroni boiling in it :-) I was only about 4 years old. It was just a bit of kiss to the pot before I realized I had slightly burnt my lips - nothing bad. My mom was standing by and at first she gasped and then laughed once she saw that I was alright. She told me it's great that you love macaroni, but don't kiss the pot. My love for KD knew no bounds lol! That's the first and last time I ever kissed a pot. But now that I am older, it's rare thing that I would have mac and cheese in any form.

Paul, I'll be back to explain the folding your tent thing later on. Must get the dog out for a walk.

>287 Caroline_McElwee: Me too, Caroline. I do like to spice the beans up a little bit by maybe adding curry or some such flavour.

>288 quondame: Good quality bread has to be toasted and served with good quality butter. I prefer marmalade to jam or honey.

>289 ocgreg34: Thanks Greg.

>290 Berly: I took Belle and Hani plus one of Hani's good friends out to an Italian restaurant last night. I had fettucine in duck ragu, Belle had lasagne, Hani squid ink pasta and Hart (her friend) seafood risotto. Good pasta never fails to excite me.

>291 AMQS: Thank you Anne. I saw one of the boys who had been held by the police following the death of Dhea. Poor lad looked so haunted and has probably aged 15 years in a couple of weeks.

>292 charl08: Here is an admission, Charlotte. I have never had a fried egg sandwich. I suppose it could be tasty on toasted bread with brown sauce.

>293 msf59: Hi Mark! Bit disappointed with my reading this weekend to be honest as I finished nothing and managed to read very little.

>294 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda. My twin brother lost his father in law last week to a heart attack last week. Although I thought him a lovely chap it didn't affect me nearly so profoundly as Dhea's very untimely passing.

>295 m.belljackson: It has indeed Marianne. This group always reaffirms my belief in the elemental goodness of man and woman. I was so lucky stumbling upon the 75ers in 2011.

>296 SandDune: I am sure that Hani would have loved that too, Rhian, although sans the bits of bacon (substituted with her wonderful turkey bacon, perhaps.) I would try it myself but it isn't a combination to excite my culinary juices, I fear.

>297 richardderus: What a wonderfully alternate universe, RD, where stodge encourages youthfulness! I am glad it was of use dear fellow although I fear it may have had the opposite impact upon yours truly.

>298 thornton37814: I would have passed it up too, Lori. Hani once bought packet mash early in our time together. Mashed potatoes in a powder form that you mix with milk or hot water. We had serious words and I have never seen their ilk again. It is a good job that the discussion came so long ago as I fear my serious words would have less impact today!

>299 DeltaQueen50: I don't eat it either Judy, but I did see one of those Master Chef programmes (Master Chef Australia - the best version of the franchise IMO) and famed chef Marco Pierre White (who hails from Leeds in my West Yorkshire) made his version of mac n cheese and it looked fantastic.

>300 kidzdoc: Agreed Doc.

>301 vancouverdeb: Nice story, Deb. It would have probably put me off the stuff for life!

>301 vancouverdeb: Yikes! Kraft should have put your photo on the cover of its Macaroni & Cheese boxes for showing its product so much love.

The vast majority of African Americans are extremely fussy and opinionated about what constitutes proper macaroni and cheese, as you’ll learn if you search YouTube. I’m definitely one of the extremely fussy ones, and even though the recipes we make will differ, there are some essential requirements: (1) it must be baked; (2) it must have at least two different types of cheese (the recipe I use, by the New Orleans chef Emeril Lagasse, calls for four cheeses); and, most importantly, (3) it absolutely cannot come from a box, especially if it’s to be served for Thanksgiving dinner. It could be argued that proper Mac & Cheese is the most important dish to be served at a traditional Thanksgiving for us, and Lord help anyone who messes it up. A guest for Thanksgiving at my parents’ house did just that in 2017, and last year she was asked to bring an apple pie and ice cream from Costco as a punishment; I was assigned the task of making macaroni and cheese for the first time, which is usually my father’s job, as he makes a mean one (although, if I can be immodest, I like the one by Emeril Lagasse that I make better).

>303 PaulCranswick: That meal sounds heavenly! I would have had a hard time deciding between those four dishes, but I probably would have chosen squid ink pasta. I adore a good paella negra (which is cooked in squid ink), although I’ve only had it in Spain.

Oh Paul I'm so sorry to hear of Karan's loss of his good friend. Just awful.

As far as grocery stores go I R.A. rely go anywhere except Wegmans. It's been my only store for years because it's the best grocery store in this area as well as many others. We have Aldi's and Whole Foods and Walmart ( which barely qualifies, IMO) and Tops which is only in New York State I think but Wegmans is by far the best.

Kraft MAC and Cheese? My kids loved it when they were growing up and my grandkids love it now but I wouldn't eat it myself.

>309 kidzdoc: That is very interesting, Darryl, the importance of mac n cheese to the Thanksgiving diet.

Marco Pierre White who is one of my favourite chefs actually stated that, in his opinion, it was not a good idea to bake the dish as it tends to dry out the food and increase stodge.

He used packet pasta (said he wasn't a snob about the pasta as it was the cheese sauce that made the dish). He made a Bechamel sauce (equal parts flour and butter and then he added full fat milk), and added into it salt and cheeses (he used good mature cheddar and parmesan) and then double cream. He separately fried wild mushrooms and then combined with a touch of the pasta water. He advised if the packet said cook for 8 minutes he cooked for 7 and then for 1 minute in the pan mixing the mac and the cheese sauce. He added parsley to taste and it looked divine.

I love watching the girls eating squid ink pasta due to the colourful effect upon lips and teeth and tongue! The risotto was very good too, I would add and my duck ragu very satisfying.

>310 brenzi: Lovely to see you Bonnie.

I noticed that there are three Wegmans supermarkets in and around Buffalo as I tried to visualise where you do your shopping.

I hadn't heard of the company but seemingly they are held in high esteem as reported in the Buffalo News:

https://buffalonews.com/2015/02/04/wegmans-ranks-as-best-in-nation-for-reputatio...

>311 PaulCranswick: 😱 No bake macaroni and cheese?! Absolutely not!!! Is he saying that baking it dries it out? If so, he isn’t making it right. Properly baked mac & cheese is wonderfully moist, with crunchy cheesy edges and tops, which you’ll miss entirely if it isn’t baked. Given your description his recipe is a hard pass for me.

Here’s a short video by a well known black comedian expressing his outrage about a particularly abysmal recipe for mac & cheese that appeared on the Food Network two Thanksgivings ago. Kevin is a bit over the top, but he’s spot on.

https://youtu.be/MbX0cbhxdzA

>312 PaulCranswick: Wegmans is almost always rated as the top supermarket chain in the US. We don’t have them in the Deep South, but some of us who live in major cities like Atlanta are fortunate to have three other top five chains, Publix, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods.

>313 kidzdoc: Hahaha I prefer baked pasta to be honest myself, Darryl. I wouldn't want to argue with Marco Pierre White though as he is a pretty intimidating character.

Wegmans looks like my kind of supermarket.

>309 kidzdoc: >311 PaulCranswick: >313 kidzdoc: I make a strong distinction between baked casserole M&C and stove top M&C. The may/can share most ingredients, but really, the goals are different. As I dislike white sauce, I put my cooked pasta in a skillet with lots of butter and throw cheeses at it until everything is well coated and eat with lots of fresh ground pepper. I don't know anyone else who does this, but it's my comfort food.

>315 quondame: Comfort food is something to be wondered at, Susan. I wouldn't eat either mac n cheese or cauliflower cheese but I well understand why someone may count it as their own comfort food.

Mine is probably chili con carne.

I have occasionally made a quick stove-top mac and cheese, (but not from a box in many many years) but Darryl is absolutely right about the baking---nothing compares to those crispy edges and buttery-crumb topping.
ETA: Can't believe how much mileage we're getting out of this subject!

>308 PaulCranswick: Nate and I used to watch Masterchef Canada and Australia. We loved them compared to the American version as it was more about the cooking and a lot less fighting among the contestants

>307 PaulCranswick: Potato flakes are the worst! I absolutely cannot stand instant potatoes, and many restaurants use them.

>317 laytonwoman3rd: Baked mac & cheese is best. Stove top is quicker. Sometimes I go with what I have time to make rather than my actual preference.

Still on mac & cheese, I see. I love baked macaroni, but a good stovetop version topped with pan-toasted breadcrumbs is an acceptable substitute.

>317 laytonwoman3rd: It makes sense, Linda. Crusty is obviously better than sloppy!

>318 ChelleBearss: The cooking on Masterchef Australia is really impressive and the contestants are so nice to each other.

>319 thornton37814: Yes, Lori, I couldn't eat powdered potato. I don't eat either stove top or oven baked mac n cheese but I do love baked pasta either with tuna or with a lovely beef ragu.

>320 amanda4242: I am hopeful of having a book or two to talk about shortly, Amanda.......possibly via a new thread. xx

Oh dear! I think maybe Kraft Mac and Cheese out of a box may be a very Canadian thing. In my very young years, my family did not have a lot of money and Kraft Dinner ( we just called it macaroni, as though there was no other type ) was a staple . I still prefer the stuff right out of the box to the baked stuff. My mom now makes the baked stuff, as does my DIL , but it's not so nice and creamy as the stuff out of the box. I confess I am not much of a cheese person, so the stuff out of a box is fine by me. Baked is all full of calories and so much cheese. I confess I am no foodie.

Interesting, Darryl, that Baked Mac and Cheese is special dish at Thanksgiving . Here , it's the turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing ( prepared outside the bird ) , yams or parsnips, carrots, corn and / or what veggies you care to make. I'm not a fan of cranberry sauce , nor pumpkin pie, but many consider that to be a staple part of Thanksgiving dinner.

In my family, we have a rather old fashioned favourite casserole that someone nearly always brings to any family dinner. It's a broccoli casserole, baked in the oven,. Broccoli, and horrors, Darryl, Campbell's cream of chicken soup, plus a bit of cheddar cheese, and a topping of bread crumbs and butter. Very 1970's, I'm afraid. However as the years have gone by and family members have decided to go gluten free/ vegetarian etc - it can get complicated. Quinoa with veggies, cookies with no gluten etc.

LOL . My mom also served powdered mashed potatoes back in the day. I think owing to having 5 children in 9 1/2 years and my dad often away as an airline pilot, it was a matter of survival for my mom . My dad would be away as long a 10 days at a time and my mom had no other family here in Vancouver , so she'd do what she could to keep us feed and stay sane for herself.

I don't think I could eat instant mashed potatoes now.

>324 PaulCranswick: I suppose some of our eating preferences come with our upbringing, Deb. I am a country boy and lived close to several farms in the North of England. From the farm we would have variously cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, carrots, turnips, parsnips and potatoes. The local butcher had choice fresh cuts of beef and pork and lamb with the occasional chicken. Pork pie at the weekend, fish from the fish van once a week (almost always cod or haddock). Bread was our staple, fish and chips a weekly treat.

No processed food as such growing up (even the sausages were made by the butcher)

Desserts rhubarb or apple or blackberry pies and crumbles; rice puddings made with a smidge of nutmeg thrown in.

What a lucky and innocent childhood I had.