SusanJ's 75 Books Challenge - Thread 2

Hello, and welcome to my second thread for the new decade.

I'm Susan, a Kiwi living in London for the past 25 years. During the working week I'm a lawyer so I love nerdy legal stuff, which crops up in more books than you might expect.

I read lots of NF, and I particularly like history and things from the 300s in the Dewey system.

While I read mostly from the library, I do have a fair few books that I've bought (mostly for the Kindle) and I need to keep my eye on those so that I actually read them instead of just accumulating them. Every year I give up reserving or randomly borrowing library books during November (which is renamed "No!vember") but I could do better. Much better.

January

1. A Mercy by Toni Morrison
2. Imperial Twilight by Stephen Platt
3. Chances Are by Richard Russo
4. With Child by Andy Martin
5. Saint Peter's Fair by Ellis Peters
6. Persona Non Grata by Ruth Downie
7. The Prodigal Tongue by Lynne Murphy
8. Tyrant of the Mind by Priscilla Royal
9. In The Frame by Dick Francis
10. The Emperor Far Away by David Eimer
11. Daughters of Chivalry: The Forgotten Children of Edward I by Kelcey Wilson-Lee
12. The Blue by Nancy Bilyeau
13. The Bertrams by Anthony Trollope
14. Absolution by Murder by Peter Tremayne
15. China Road by Rob Gifford
16. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

February

17. Mudlarking by Laura Maiklem
18. The Grid by Nick Cook
19. Six Wicked Reasons by Jo Spain

I have quite a few series on the go, so in this post I'm going to list them so that I don't forget where I'm up to. Reading in order is important to me :-)

Series I have started and still have squillions to go *happy sigh*

I'm going to list these in date order, because why not?

Steven Saylor's Gordianus the Finder (about 100 BC)

Roman Blood
Arms of Nemesis
Catilina's Riddle

Ruth Downie's Medicus (Britannia, 108)

Medicus
Terra Incognita
Persona Non Grata

Peter Tremayne's Sister Fidelma (Various places, 660s)

Absolution by Murder

Priscilla Royal's Eleanor, Prioress of Tyndal (East Anglia, 11th century)

Wine of Violence
Tyrant of the Mind

Ellis Peters' Cadfael (Shropshire, 1135 - 1145)

A Morbid Taste for Bones
One Corpse Too Many
Monk's Hood
Saint Peter's Fair

Bernard Knight's Crowner John (Devon, 1190s)

The Sanctuary Seeker
The Poisoned Chalice
Crowner's Quest
The Awful Secret

Susanna Gregory's Matthew Bartholomew (Cambridge, 1348)

A Plague On Both Your Houses
An Unholy Alliance

Cassandra Clark's Abbess of Meaux (Yorkshire, 1380s)

Hangman Blind
The Red Velvet Turnshoe
The Law of Angels
A Parliament of Spies

Shona Maclean's Alexander Seaton (1620s)

The Redemption of Alexander Seaton

Philippa Gregory's Fairmile series

Tidelands

Katie Griffin's Kitty Peck (1880s)

Kitty Peck and the Music Hall Murders

Michael Pearce's Mamur Zapt (Egypt, 1908)

The Mamur Zapt and the Return of the Carpet

Barbara Cleverly's Joe Sandilands

The Last Kashmiri Rose

Patricia Wentworth's Miss Silver (England, 1920s/1930s)

Grey Mask
The Case is Closed

John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee

The Deep Blue Goodbye

Mal Sjowall's Martin Beck

Roseanna

John Sandford's Lucas Davenport

Rules of Prey

Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch

The Black Echo

John Harvey's Charlie Resnick

Lonely Hearts
Rough Treatment
Cutting Edge

Faye Kellerman's Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus

The Ritual Bath
Sacred and Profane

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's Agent Pendergast

Relic
Reliquary

Steve Berry's Cotton Malone

The Templar Legacy
The Alexandria Link

Scott Mariani's Ben Hope

The Alchemist's Secret

Harry Bingham's Fiona Griffiths

Talking to the Dead
Love Story, With Murders

Mari Hannah's Kate Daniels

The Murder Wall

Karin Slaughter's Sara Linton

Blindsighted

Karin Slaughter's Will Trent

Triptych
Fractured

Paul Cleave's Christchurch Murders

The Cleaner

Stuart MacBride's Logan McRae

Cold Granite
Dying Light
Broken Skin
Flesh House
Blind Eye
Dark Blood

Annie Hauxwell's Catherine Berlin

In Her Blood
A Bitter Taste

Cara Hunter's DI Adam Fawley

Close to Home
In The Dark

Jane Casey's Maeve Kerrigan

The Burning
The Reckoning

Angela Marsons' DI Kim Stone

Silent Scream

Lesley Thomson's Stella Darnell

The Detective's Daughter

Manda Scott's Ines Picaut

Into the Fire

Susan Mallery's Mischief Bay

The Girls of Mischief Bay

Series I'm caught up with and waiting for the next one *tapping foot*

Lee Child's Jack Reacher, obvs
C J Box's Joe Pickett
Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon
Elly Griffiths' Dr Ruth Galloway
Vaseem Khan's Baby Ganesh Agency
Abir Mukherjee's Sam Wyndham
Lynne Truss's Constable Twitten
Anthony Horowitz's Daniel Hawthorne
Attica Locke's Highway 59

Not really a series but I need to keep track of my Dick Francis finishes (Hi Julia!)

Proof
Nerve
Forfeit
Reflex
Rat Race
In The Frame

Welcome!

I'm never the first to post, and by the time I finish correcting all my typos I probably won't be again, but I'm here anyway to say "happy new thread," Susan.

Are you joining us this year for the Dick Francis shared read? I'd love to have you back ... no pressure!

>4 susanj67: - LOVE.

Happy new thread, Susan!

Happy new thread!

8. Tyrant of the Mind by Priscilla Royal

This is the second book in the Prioress of Tyndal series, which I read about on Charlotte's thread. Hi Charlotte! I like this series, and this year I don't want to leave it so long between books in each series. I might have to pick half a dozen series to focus on.

Tyndal Priory is in East Anglia, but in this book Eleanor is back at her family home near Wales, with Brother Thomas and Sister Anne. There is much running around the ramparts and some unexpected murders which they have to try and solve before the storm clears and the sheriff can be summoned.

In other booky news today, Lee Child is retiring (!) and handing Jack Reacher over to his younger brother, Andrew Grant. Well, Andrew Child, as he will become :-) Andrew Grant is already an author, so I should probably read his books too.

>5 rosalita: Hi Julia! Yes, I am joining the shared read! I've downloaded the book and planned to start it this afternoon, after I finished the book above on the train this morning. I should post on the thread anyway, though.

>6 katiekrug: Thanks Katie! I must post on yours instead of just reading it...

>7 ChelleBearss: Thanks Chelle!

>8 susanj67: Ooh, I've not read this one. Hope the library will have a copy. I will have to be patient as I have maxed out all my requests.

Happy new one!

Happy new thread!

Hello... looking forward to more fun & frolic in here...

A second thread already? Wow!

>8 susanj67: I wonder if the series will continue its success under the new author?

Happy new thread!

Happy new one, Susan!

Happy new thread, Susan.
>8 susanj67: This does sound good, and I really need a new series.

You are zipping through the books in 2020.

Happy new one!

Happy new thread, Susan!
I'm studiously ignoring post >8 susanj67:, because I need another series like a hole in the head...

Goodness, mid-January and you're on your second thread. Go you!

Just read the end of thread 1 -- Yes, Chelle I've had bottled Lipton and it's OK -- a little sweeter than I prefer but not as bad as "sweet tea".

and you're right, Susan, I think I'm in trouble :(

Gosh, a new thread already - and a review on it! I hate you. :D

>8 susanj67: Too bad my local library does not have a single book in that series. *sigh*

Happy new thread, Susan. Congratulations on 8 books read so far!

Happy new thread, Susan. Is it only my impression or is your series list growing longer? Wishing you a fabulous Sunday.

>10 charl08: Charlotte, maxed out your requests? Surely not :-)

>11 drneutron: Thanks Jim!

>12 SandyAMcPherson: Thanks Sandy - I'll do my best :-)

>13 thornton37814: Lori, apparently the first one will be "Lee Child with Andrew Child", just so people don't freak out. Lee Child was musing in With Child: Lee Child and the Readers of Jack Reacher about handing the series on, but he didn't seem to have any ideas about who would do it. But he mentioned some of the other authors who've sold more since they died than they ever did while they were alive (like Robert Ludlum).

>14 Coffee.Cat: Thanks Abby!

>15 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie!

>16 BLBera: Thanks Beth. I've read a few shortish mysteries, hence the 8 finishes :-)

>17 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita!

>18 Helenliz: Helen, well, OK, but if you *did* need a new series, then you could maybe remember it. Or you could just blame Charlotte :-)

>19 RebaRelishesReading:, >20 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba! Yes, January has been busy. And today there is yet more Megxit news...

>21 lyzard: Hi Liz! LOL :-)

>22 alcottacre: Stasia, my Overdrive ebook library has them all, which is lucky.

>23 lkernagh: Thanks Lori!

>24 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara - I think I have added one series to the list recently, and I'm about to add another one :-)

Well. We're having a "hard Megxit", to borrow the Brexit terminology. The Sussexes will no longer be using their HRH titles (although they will keep them) and will no longer be representing the Queen. They also "intend" to repay the £2.4 million spent on Frogmore Cottage, and pay rent on it (I find that a bit odd - it would be cheaper just to walk away and let one someone else in the family live in it, then rent or buy something else. It's not *their* house, after all. It belongs to the Crown).

So all y'all in Canada, you may now meet Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, while you're shopping, or Harry, Duke of Sussex. But this raises one question which the Sunday papers may answer when I get them - as HRHs the correct way to address them was "Your Highness" and then "Ma'am/Sir". But the correct form of address for a non-royal Duke or Duchess is "Your Grace". So if they're no longer using their Highness titles, are they now Graces? Harry is still a Prince, though. Tricky. And my copy of Debrett's Correct Form is at the office. I'm not even sure it would have an answer, though. Edward VIII was styled a "Royal Highness" when he became Duke of Windsor after he abdicated, so there's no answer there.

A new author for Jack Reacher, eh? I generally don't follow series when they get passed on to a new author because they are never as good, so I may have come to the end of my acquaintance with the man whose hands are as big as supermarket chickens.

Blame Charlotte? Surely not...

>26 rosalita: Julia, I will read it and opine, and then you can decide :-)

>27 charl08: Well, Charlotte, you *do* tend to recommend a whole lot of great things, so yes.

Things I have learned from reading the Sunday papers:

1. The Sunday Telegraph is a pretty feeble effort and I am not sorry that I usually get the Sunday Times.

2. Neither paper answered my question about the new style of the Sussexes. Should I meet them, I will adopt my usual greeting for important/rich/etc people: "Hello Sir".

3. Meghan apparently put a whole wardrobe full of clothes into storage in Toronto before she left Canada for good and they have now been shipped to Vancouver Island where she has been wearing some of them. This suggests to the Telegraph that she never intended to come here forever. The fact that they refused a title for Archie (who could at least be the Earl of Dumbarton, one of Harry's lesser titles) is another hint that they were always thinking of escaping.

4. The Queen is sad that she has hardly seen Archie, and the Prince of Wales is dismayed that he may miss seeing him grow up, as he loves being a grandfather to the Cambridges. (I have previously read that the Duchess of Cornwall has said how great he is at reading to her own grandchildren too - doing Harry Potter with all the voices).

5. They may still appear at occasions like weddings and Trooping the Colour at the invitation of the Queen.

Frankly if I was the Duchess of Cambridge I'd be feeling nervous now, because with Meghan off the scene the papers are going to look for someone else to hate, and may well go back to her. That said, the Mail will continue with Meghan for as long as she's still suing them, but they can easily hate more than one person at a time.

Happy new thread, Susan!

>3 susanj67: I like you order them in time set. I'll keep mine at main charcter ;-)

>28 susanj67: So many reasons you should never marry royalty!!

Thanks for the Megxit update. I did see the bit about no longer using HRH on American news but not the detail you provide. Any more news on whether they're planning to live on Vancouver Island or in the east?

>29 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita! I'm not sure why I decided on date, but it seems to work :-)

>30 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, there is no more news on where they're going to live, but unless they've bought that house on Vancouver Island they will have to leave at some point. Last night Prince Harry gave a speech at an event for his charity, explaining why they did it: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51170973 The speech is printed in full here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51170948 It's interesting that he describes it as his decision, no doubt aware that the media is blaming Meghan.

I think it's sad that all this has happened, and particularly sad for Archie and the Cambridge children. Archie will hardly know his cousins, or his grandparents other than Doria. And the Prince of Wales does sound like an excellent granddad. The Cambridges, meanwhile, have lost fun Uncle Harry and George, at least, is old enough to understand that there has been Drama, which no-one will talk about. So even the subject of fun Uncle Harry will be out of bounds. My mother's whole family (five siblings) were all estranged from one another due to historical feuds, and it's horrible.

Done! Amazing how many messages there are to catch up on in just a week.

Enjoyed all of the pudding, soup, tea, discussion. One thing that nobody mentioned - chowder! Is it a soup or a stew? I would say that it is a name that is applied only to seafood - such as clam, quahog and fish - but there is also corn chowder, which kicks that idea right in the head. Am guessing that chowder is strictly American? Whatever it is, I don't like it.

Regarding Mr. and Mrs. Sussex - I am thinking that this upheaval is very likely going to be equal to the Edward and Wallis horror show in the Royal Family's memory and that it will lead to bit of general tarnish adhering to H & M. Whatever their future turns out to be I do hope that it can be a relatively quiet one; one where we don't have to constantly hear about them.

My mother was really good at feuding with the rest of the family. Unfortunately the feuds never lasted and so the family would come back together for a while before the whole thing would break apart again. Very tiring.

>32 Fourpawz2: Hi Charlotte! A search for "chowder" brings up UK and Irish recipes (the UK ones mostly from the BBC's food website, because apparently that's something they should be spending public funds on) and they describe it as a soup. But Wikipedia says soup or stew. Mind you, it also says that chowder is often thickened with crushed ship's biscuit, so, um...

I really hope it works out OK for the Sussexes (not least because if it doesn't, then future generations won't be able to to something similar but will have to hang around being of minimal practical use while the Guardian goes nuts about the size of the family).

Apparently Archie saw snow for the first time the other day and thought it was brilliant (that's from Prince Harry's speech last night, so it's presumably true). The news here is saying that they have some engagements to carry out "in the spring" so I assume that Meghan will have to return at some point.

Interesting developments re: Sussexes. Not surprising, I did not see how they could be "part-time" royals, so the clean break makes sense. Just not sure if they will get the keep the "SussexRoyal" brand, given how closely it was associated with their royal duties. Here is hoping they get the peace and quiet they crave.

LOL, Archie would have definitely seen snow this past week. We had quite the dumping here on the island and throughout most of the Pacific Northwest. ;-)

>34 lkernagh: Lori, yes the "SussexRoyal" thing will be difficult now they're not allowed to call themselves royal. I saw a headline on the Vancouver Sun website about five houses they could buy, but I've read my limit of free stories (sob!). Are there any Vancouver papers that are free to read? I did think of you when I heard about Archie and the snow. They'll have to start getting him Hallowe'en costumes that go over snowsuits :-)

I may have just broken a speed record for requesting a new phone after getting the "request your new phone" email from IT. True, I knew they were coming, and which one I wanted, but still. I've currently got the Samsung S8 and I'll be getting the S10. Ooh :-) I've never got to grips with all the screens of icons on the S8 - somehow I have two sets going but I don't understand why. I spend a lot of time swiping till I find the things I want. Maybe the S10 will be a whole new start.

>36 susanj67: Ooh, you will be able to share your charge! (It looks very whizzy in the advert).

Still no snow here. There were some very nice fluffy onesies sported by tinies when I was out yesterday at the bird sanctuary.

>35 susanj67: - The way to keep reading the Vancouver Sun articles is to clear your web browser of its history. It then "thinks" you haven't been to the site, but you didn't hear that from me. ;-)

Victoria's local newspaper Times Colonist probably won't have much as it tends to rehash news from other sources (as do most Canadian news sources) and the editor in chief has publicly announced that everyone should leave the Sussexes alone, so local reporters won't be writing much. Other sources of potential Sussex news sources that don't block you after a couple of article reads would be:

Global news: https://globalnews.ca/
CTV news: https://www.ctvnews.ca/
National Post: https://nationalpost.com/

Your best bet for one-off stories will be the Vancouver Sun.

Thanks for keeping us up-to-day with the Sussex drama. I hope they find a more peaceful life and that they can continue good relations with the rest of the family. True, they won't have the cousins on the next block kind of relationship but they should be able to visit a couple of times a year and still know each other.

Happy new thread, Susan. Interesting newest Sussex news. I had to check out the houses that were suggested for them in the Sun. They ranged from one for 3.5 million - cheap because it was on Salt Spring Island - to one at 1233 Tecumseh Avenue in Shaughnessy (the rich part of Vancouver) for $40 million. Oh, and of course, a condo for $39 million in Coal Harbour because condo living is such a thing in and around Vancouver.

>37 charl08: Charlotte, I'm not sure I know or like anyone well enough to share my charge :-) (LT members excepted, of course). We have a frost here this morning. Exciting!

>38 lkernagh: Lori, thanks so much for those links! It occurred to me that I could bookmark the Sun on my phone and Fire tablet, so I have done that too. Harry flew back overnight so there might be more stories soon, although I sort of hope they have a quiet life now. I hope this despite wanting to know All The News.

>39 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, I hope they can. Harry was supposed to be at the reception that the the D&D of Cambridge gave last night for a summit that's been taking place here, but he wasn't.

>40 Familyhistorian: Meg, goodness, those prices! I see why they say Vancouver is so expensive. $39 million for a condo!! Thank you for reporting :-)

Another book has come in to the library for me. It's a thriller that I saw somewhere - The Grid. I'll go over at lunchtime and pick it up, because it's a lovely day here and the email is quiet (for the time being). I'm doing well with The Emperor Far Away, which is super-interesting although a bit out of date even though it was only published in 2014. (There are no Uighur re-education camps in it, for example). I've been googling some of the places he writes about to update myself. Anyone interested in this should either get a hard copy, which has maps in it, or read it with an atlas nearby. Daughters of Chivalry is also excellent.

I picked up my reserved book, and also got Mudlarking, from the new NF. Oops. None of this is helping me to prioritise Wolf Hall before the new one in March. Lucky I'm way down the reserve list for that, really.

I'm watching the impeachment proceedings (Sky News interrupted an item on Harry and Meghan OMG) and the House Impeachment Manager just said that Trump was trying to turn the country into a monarchy, which was the very evil the constitution was designed to guard against. Yeah, but I don't think the Founders wanted an Idiocracy either.



9. In The Frame by Dick Francis

This is the first book in the Dick Francis Shared Read, which Julia has organised (Hi Julia!). It sees painter Charles Todd running around trying to find out who killed his cousin's wife. He even goes to Australia, and New Zealand (!). I'm not convinced that it was so easy to turn up at the airport and fly off to places almost immediately in 1978 (certainly not in the South Pacific) but, that aside, I liked the overseas aspect to this one. Another good choice, Julia!

>41 susanj67: Well, most condos in Vancouver aren't in that price range but more like the $500,000 to $3 million range (Canadian dollars), but probably not fit for ex-royalty.

>43 susanj67: I'm glad you liked In the Frame, Susan. I know in the U.S. it was much easier before 2001 to fly spur of the moment domestically, since you didn't need to show ID and could pay cash if you wanted to stay anonymous. Obviously you couldn't remain anonymous if you were flying internationally, what with having to have a passport and all, but it does seem as though things were much simpler. Perhaps especially so if you were a Commonwealth citizen flying to and from Commonwealth countries? I'm not at all clear on how the Commonwealth works, as you can probably tell. :-)

>44 Familyhistorian: Meg, I was surprised that *any* condo was that price :-) Vancouver and Auckland are often mentioned as super-expensive and it seems to be true, although Auckland hasn't got quite that far.

>45 rosalita: Julia, it was more a timetabling thing than a passport thing - there just weren't very many flights back then (Even in 2014 I was at Auckland airport waiting for my mid-afternoon flight back to the UK, and the departure boards showed all the international departures for the rest of the day :-) Heathrow usually shows them for about 90 minutes ahead) . Also I didn't really understand the passport point - if Charles needed a passport to go from Australia to NZ then Jik should also have needed one (as he was British). I'm pretty sure I needed a passport to go to Australia in 1982, but I could be misremembering. But those are minor quibbles, and I entirely understand that the story needed them to get from A to B quickly.



10. The Emperor Far Away: Travels at the Edge of China by David Eimer

This was a random library book, but a really good read. The author travels to the borderlands of China, "where her fifty-five official ethnic minorities challenge the culture of the Han, the country's predominant ethnic group. Even today, the ancient adage 'the mountains are high and the emperor far away' - meaning that Beijing's influence is tenuous and unwelcome - rings true."

The book is in four sections - the very west of China in Xinjiang province and the "Stans" - Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and so on; the Tibet borderlands; Yunnan province in the south-west, where China meets Burma, Laos and Vietnam; and the the very far north-east, along the borders with North Korea and Russia.

I had never turned my mind to the people who are not Han Chinese (although the Uighurs are getting a lot of coverage at the moment) and in fact there are far more than 55 minorities. When Beijing started to count them they were overwhelmed and decided to group some together (!). Most of the coverage in the West is about the Uighurs and Tibet at the moment (well, Tibet for a long time), and the book, which was published in 2014, is out of date as far as the Uighurs are concerned. But the author does talk about the Beijing crackdown on them, and the way that towns in Xinjiang are segregated into Han and Uighur areas, so the appearance of the re-education camps would not have been a surprise to him. Other minorities are treated better. The Dai, who live in and around Yunnan, are apparently co-operative with officialdom, which then leaves them alone to do what they want. And, up in the north-east, the Chinese Koreans are not only tolerated, but have Korean schools funded by Beijing.

As I said above, either read the hard copy of this (which has maps) or find a map, because you need to know where all the places are in order to get the most from it. I googled a lot while I was reading it, and I now have the Eurasianet news site bookmarked on my phone. A lot of Chinese technology (facial recognition etc) is trialled in the "Stan" countries before being rolled out more widely, and they also have articles on the "New Silk Road" as it's not supposed to be called.

Highly recommended if you're interested in China today.

Controversy in the Guardian today as someone admits to chopping books up into sections to make them easier to carry around: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jan/22/book-murderer-tear-apart-love-alex...

>47 susanj67: - I saw something about this on Twitter yesterday. Not something I would do, but I fall back on my regular position of "At least people are reading!"

>47 susanj67: I don't think I could do that!

>46 susanj67: Well, that one is going into the Someday Swamp. Thanks for the rec!

>47 susanj67: I don't get the uproar-- they're mass-produced trade paperbacks, not medieval codices. If he hadn't bought his copy it would eventually have had its cover torn off and been remaindered. As he says in the article, the real tragedy are the books that don't get read at all.

>48 katiekrug: Katie, I tend to agree. As a comment under the Guardian article said, there's a difference between getting rid of books you've read and burning them so no-one can read them at all.

>49 thornton37814: Lori, I think there's an instinctive "oh no!" but if it was an old copy, and I'd been meaning to get around to it for ages...

>50 swynn: Hi Steve! I'm glad The Emperor Far Away got you :-) I worked for someone once who took Shogun on a camping holiday, and ripped off sections as she finished them, for campfire fuel. She said the main downside was that she couldn't flip back to remind herself who the various characters were :-)

No new library reserves have appeared overnight, which is good. And I'm hoping to have tomorrow as a day of holiday, depending on how things go today.

The other desk in my office has become a visiting lawyers' desk for the time being, although one of the office manager ladies told me that the chief one has "plans" for a permanent roomie (but that's all she would say). Today I'm supposed to be getting someone from our Frankfurt office, but there's a fog over London so he might be stuck in Europe if he was planning to fly into London City Airport.

At 9.54 UK time this morning, the Group home page has this message:

"This group has been flagged by 1 member. Highly-paid LibraryThing employees will decide if this group lives or dies."

If their decision goes the wrong way, it was nice knowing y'all :-)

>52 susanj67: I saw that, Susan. Weird. I didn't know you could flag an entire group.

>52 susanj67: - That's bizarre. What the.....?

>53 Crazymamie: Mamie, I immediately felt slightly panicked that I'd clicked something by mistake :-)

I've found out who my new roomie is going to be, and he is a very nice Young Person. He used to share with one of my besties, who left the firm last year. And the office manager lady said that she'd given him a choice of two people to share with, and he picked me. Wisely, she didn't say who the other one was, in case it's a "lesser of two evils" situation.

>54 katiekrug: Katie, agreed! And it's still showing on the home page. Maybe they're not awake yet at LT Towers.

>52 susanj67: This is what happens when the 75ers group gets promoted in the State of LibraryThing newsletter and the riffraff start sniffing around. :-)

>57 rosalita: - I was thinking it could possibly be one of those two women who periodically pop up to create drama and cause trouble...

>57 rosalita: Julia, I hadn't read the email, but maybe someone came over and tried to click "join" and missed. I hope we don't get deleted :-)

>58 katiekrug: That is also a good possibility. What is it that athletes say? "They hate us 'cause they ain't us." Although I guess I can't say 'us' since I don't actually belong to the group. I'm just the resident (hopefully) non-creepy Peeping Tamara. :-)

>58 katiekrug: Katie, I hope not. Because it would be unusual if LT, having just advertised us, was ever going to delete us. Depending on what gadget I'm using, sometimes I click things (particularly on news websites) and I get the thing above due to the vagaries of pages loading.

>60 rosalita: Julia, LOL :-) But you should join! And have your own thread *stern but hopeful look*.

>58 katiekrug: I wondered about that, too.

>60 rosalita: Julia, yes, you do belong to this group - we claim you whether you click "join" or not.

>63 Crazymamie: +1

>63 Crazymamie: - +2

>61 susanj67: - Susan, I'm sure you're right that it was just a mis-click by someone. But I like to contemplate nefariousness :)

"But I like to contemplate nefariousness" This made me laugh.

>65 katiekrug:, >66 Crazymamie: Me too! I just wasn't thinking as creatively today :-) I do love a nice conspiracy theory, though...

>67 susanj67: So we're thinking the Russians did it? :-)

>68 rosalita: Personally I think the finger of suspicion may be pointing towards a certain Crown Prince in the Middle East...First Jeff, now us? We do talk about Amazon a lot, after all.

>69 susanj67: You might be on to something, Susan. Although perhaps it's Bezos who is hacking us, given that LThingers tend to be critical of the poor quality of the data when you use Amazon as a source to add books ...

>70 rosalita: I don't really notice, Julia - I just like to get the title and author in so I can check if I've read something before :-) Usually I pick the prettiest cover (to use in my posts) rather than the one I actually read, particularly if it's a Gutenberg freebie vs a Penguin Classics edition :-)

>52 susanj67: Yikes, what a thought!!

As to ripping up books, I will confess that I sometimes rip up travel guides and take only the pages that refer to places I will actually be. I can do this because they don't seem like "real books" to me and they go obsolete in a year or two anyway. I could never harm a "real" book however.

Yikes, first the Sussexes and now strange goings on with reporting the group...

The bit that got me was "highly paid" - is there an employee at LT trying to make a point?

>63 Crazymamie: +3

>63 Crazymamie: May I say that sounds very slightly scary?
I just sneak in here to visit, I ain't staying. >;-)

Well, it looks like the flag’s gone at this point. I’m sure the Powers That Be wouldn’t just up and delete us... 😀

ETA: I just noticed one of our recent joiners is a familiar name known to harass a particular member of our group. User’s already been removed.

>75 drneutron: - I knew it.

She needs to get some help.

>47 susanj67: - Oh my gosh - butchered books! Made me a little nauseous to look at the picture. Would never do something like that.

>72 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, before maps on my phone, I used to have a page of the London A-Z in my bag which covered most of the bits of central London that I visited regularly :-)

>73 charl08: Charlotte, I think they probably were trying to make a point :-) And look, we survived!

>74 Helenliz: Helen! We see you, young lady...

>75 drneutron: Jim, I'm glad we still exist :-) Interesting about recent joiners...

>76 katiekrug: Katie, you did!

>77 Fourpawz2: Charlotte, I think this issue is polarising us :-) I can't imagine doing it to a brand new beautiful book, but if it was a second-hand mass-market paperback then...yes.



11. Daughters of Chivalry: The Forgotten Children of Edward I by Kelcey Wilson-Lee

I saw this in a list of history books recommended by history writers, so I reserved it. And I'm so glad I did, because it's *superb*. It's about the children of Edward I - mostly his daughters although there is a little bit about Edward II as well. But it focuses on the daughters' lives, and looks at the role of royal/noble/rich women at the time - what they could and couldn't do, how princesses were married off to anyone thought to be useful to the King, or sent to be a nun aged six (yes, really) and the constant travelling around the realm to be seen as part of the ruling family.

It's a fascinating story with a lot more detail than I expected. Although women were something of an afterthought in many official historical records (we know when some of the daughters died, for example, but no details of what they died of) there are a lot of records of their spending (and the King's spending to bail them out, as he seemed to address any complaints or difficulties with money, and then more money) which help to fill in the gaps about where they went and what they were doing. And their never-ending child-bearing.

If you like royal history you will LOVE this. Very highly recommended.

Daughters of Chivalry sounds good. And that cover is lovely.

Hi Susan - As usual, lots going on here. In Wild, she talks about ripping pages off books so she didn't have so much to carry. If someone owns a book, I guess they can do what they want.

The China book and Daughters of Chivalry both sound good.

Happy Friday!

I've chopped up books to get the half I wanted home (airport weight limits). Maybe I shouldn't admit that?

>79 katiekrug: Katie, it is a very pretty book. And brand new :-)

>80 BLBera: Thanks Beth! I hope your Friday is also going well.

I've had the day off, and I've spent all of it reading. Fortunately, most of my time was *not* spent finishing this book:



12. The Blue by Nancy Bilyeau

I must have seen this reviewed somewhere, because I added it to my Amazon wishlist, which is where I put things that aren't listed in the library catalogue yet. Then I got a notification from Amazon that it was available via Prime Reading, so I borrowed it.
I read the author's Amazon page first, though, and I should have realised that anyone who describes herself as a "direct descendant" of someone is not going to be an awesome writer because what, exactly, is an *indirect* descendant?

The great reviews bewildered me, because this is awful. The main character, a young single woman, roams around 1750s Britain on her own, like that actually happened. The plot is convoluted and sort of pointless, and there is too much research shoehorned into it. Plus cartoony villains and other nonsense, and various fabulously irritating US expressions like "calling someone out" and "exact same". There's also a scene written almost entirely in the (apparent) slang of the period, where the main character is trying to pass herself off as a wily East Ender.

All in all, avoid this.

My other books are much better. I've read some more of The Three Body Problem, started China Road and also started the first Sister Fidelma mystery, which has quite a lot of scene-setting in it (fair enough, really, as few of us have the whole debate between the Roman and Irish church in 644 at the top of our minds) but looks promising.

>81 charl08: Charlotte, it seems that you might have to be careful who you admit it to :-)

>82 susanj67: Ouch! That's on the "do not touch with a barge pole" list.
The Fidelma books are good. Lots of detail of Ireland at the time roilled into a mystery. Some of them are pretty bloody as well, it's not a cozy series. There's one thing that annoys me each and every time, but I'm not going to tell you and put you off.

>84 Helenliz: Ooh, I'll have to try and work out what it is! Currently they're in Northumbria, and Sister Fidelma is having to solve the murder of her friend.

>82 susanj67: OK, that's a pass from me too...

>78 susanj67: Daughters of Chivalry look really good. I went to Amazon to put it on my wish list (for the convenience of family searching for gift ideas) and "somehow" it ended up in my cart :> Thanks for the warning on The Blue.

>87 RebaRelishesReading: This happens to me a lot, too, Reba.

Nice review of Daughters of Chivalry, Susan - adding it to The List. And thanks for taking one for the team with The Blue - your review made me laugh. Well done - reviews of bad books are highly entertaining.

I'm dropping this link here, Susan, because your thread seems to be Royals Central these days. :-)

There's a new book (well, new to the US, anyway; perhaps it's been out for a while over there?) imagining what if Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret had been sent to stay in Ireland during the Blitz. The review did just what reviews ought: Make me want to read the book immediately. It's in the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/14/books/review/the-secret-guests-benjamin-black...

>89 rosalita: - Ooh, that does sound good, Julia! I've put it on my Audible WL for now, as neither of my libraries has it in Overdrive (yet).

>90 katiekrug: My libraries don't have it in Overdrive, either, Katie. The work page here on LT says it was published on January 14, so it still might show up in Overdrive in the next few months. Of course, I lose my Free Library of Philadelphia access in March. :-(

I'm glad you think it sounds good, too!

>86 charl08: Charlotte, good call :-)

>87 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, I always wonder whether there's something wrong with my mouse when that happens :-) But it's really good - you'll love it.

>88 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie! Goodness it was annoying. I should have just stopped.

>89 rosalita: Thanks Julia - I hadn't heard of that one, although I'm a bit behind with the review supplements. It's published here in hard copy in early February, although the Kindle version seems to be available.

>90 katiekrug: Katie, I'm hoping my library gets the Overdrive version too :-)

>91 rosalita: Julia, my Overdrive seems to lag behind with the new stuff, but fingers crossed :-)

Grey and overcast here, but I have to go out for a paper. I've got a load of laundry on first, though, the postpone the awful moment :-) I started Mudlarking last night after my wi-fi went on the blink (O.M.G) and it's very good. So I have quite a bit to be getting on with in the books.

Well, that's annoying. The first paper shop had no Timeses but plenty of everything else. The second shop had even more of everything else, but just a gap where The Times should have been. And as no-one speaks English I couldn't find out whether they'd sold out or never received them at all. So. Annoying. As I hadn't double-locked the door *and* I'd left the TV on, I didn't want to go all the way to Waitrose in case they also didn't have any, so there is no paper for me. Humph. But, on the bright side, I might actually make a dent in the still-to-be-read pile of supplements.

13. The Bertrams by Anthony Trollope

I've been reading this with the Group Read that Liz hosted (Hi Liz!) and finished it this afternoon. Although it's not one of the famous Trollopes, it was still a good read and I got a lot out of the commentary on the Group Read thread.

>82 susanj67: Thanks for the warning. It sounds terrible.

>82 susanj67: Thanks for scouting out The Blue for us, Susan. That sounds like one to avoid. The Sister Fidelma books sound interesting and my library has them! I am already waiting for my hold on Daughters of Chivalry so you didn't get me with a BB for that one.

Hope your new roomie turns out to be a good one.

Despite the Times shortage, hope that you had a good weekend. Did you make much of a dent in the supplements? I got rid of three books (yeah!) to good homes, but acquired slightly more than that. I think I probably need to get reading.

>95 BLBera: Beth, you're welcome :-)

>96 Familyhistorian: Meg, I hope Daughters of Chivalry arrives for you soon. And do try Sister Fidelma!

>97 charl08: Charlotte, I only managed one supplement (and then I bought yesterday's Sunday Times, so all in all I'm back to square one). And the supplement I read caused me to wishlist eight things.

Well. Just arrived at the office to see an email from the head of my department, to everyone, saying that my boss is going to be working Tues-Thurs from now on. Not that *he* bothered to tell any of the people who work for him. I assume this means that he's retiring soon, but who knows? Yeesh.



14. Absolution by Murder by Peter Tremayne

This is the first in the Sister Fidelma series, which I read about on Anita's thread (Hi Anita!). I reserved it immediately, and it came from Brent, which is in the north-west of London. I visited their main library a few years ago when I was in the area for something else, and it looked lovely.

The story is set in 664, at the Synod of Whitby which debated whether Northumbria should follow the Roman or Celtic versions of Christianity. Sister Fidelma (from the Celtic contingent) has to solve three grisly deaths with the help of Brother Eadulf (with the Roman side), who seems like a bit of a hottie. I'll definitely continue with this series, not least because the end of this book sets up the next one nicely, and it's going to be somewhere warmer than Whitby.

>93 susanj67: I do worry about losing our newspapers in coming years, Susan in this selfish digital age.

I have just been back in the UK for a week tending my mum and bought daily - The Times, The Daily Telegraph (I like the sports and crossword), The Guardian and The Yorkshire Post. Will I still be able to buy them at the newsagents in 5 years time?

>99 PaulCranswick: Paul, I think in five years you will. Saturday's absence of Timeses was more likely due to a printing problem. Sky News had the first edition in its Press Preview at 10.30 on Friday, and the main story wasn't very exciting so I can't believe it completely sold out at two shops by 11.45 when they had plenty of the other papers still for sale. It was annoying, though. I've missed a Saturday of book reviews and I like their TV guide, which has the channels in a better order than the Sunday Times Culture magazine. A true first-world problem :-)

More Brexit drama, this time over the punctuation on a commemorative coin: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jan/27/brexit-50p-coin-boycott-philip-pul...

Someone Make It Stop.

>101 susanj67: If an Oxford comma is the only thing the UK is without due to Brexit it is a fair price to pay.

I'm not a fan of the Oxford comma, unless it is required for reasons of clarity. I can think of a lot more to get het up about right now.

>103 Helenliz: Heh... I can think of a lot more to get het up about right now.

Me too. And I don't even live in a "Brexit" or an "Impeachment" country...

>101 susanj67: I was taught at school not to use an Oxford comma, except for reasons of clarity, and I'm sticking with that!

I love the Oxford comma. I think it's funny many Americans, especially academics, champion it more than folks from the UK.

>102 PaulCranswick: Paul ha! It will all be fine. I'm waiting for the "I'm backing Britain" buttons to become available again, and I may buy in bulk :-)

>103 Helenliz: Helen, yes, I was a bit surprised that anyone had the energy for yet more drama.

>104 SandyAMcPherson: Sandy, but you have the Sussexes now :-) We've heard nothing about them for a few days (apart from the Thomas Markle interview). There are rumours that Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie may take over their various roles.

>105 SandDune: Rhian, me too!

>106 thornton37814: Lori, yes, I think it is more popular in the US.

I took a couple of books back to the library yesterday after work and saw the new Jo Spain one, Six Wicked Reasons, which looked good. Hmm, the touchstone says it is The Night it Happened, so that must be the US title. Anyway, I borrowed it because it was right there and all new and beautiful.

I'm about ten pages from the end of the excellent China Road, which I will finish at lunchtime.

>107 susanj67: but you have the Sussexes now
Nothing to get het up about with them. Sympathetic for their being relentlessly harassed.
Disgusted at the media frenzy ~ it's not 'news'. This making celebrities out of a family is so hard on the people involved. I'm disgusted with "media-creations", it's so demoralizing. Or as my very proper British MIL would say, 'common'.

>108 SandyAMcPherson: Well, Sandy, I'm not sure the issue of who is paying for their security is settled yet...:-)



15. China Road by Rob Gifford

Route 312 from Shanghai to the border with Kazakhstan is apparently like the "Route 66" of the US. Part of it is the Old Silk Road, and the (British) author (a correspondent with NPR) sets out to travel right along it as his last hurrah to China before leaving to return to Europe. At the end, he confesses that the book actually reflects two trips - one taken for a radio series in 2005, and the other in 2006. Because of its age, it's not a "current events" read any more, but there's tons of Chinese history in it and I thought it was excellent. I now have to google some of the places he visited to see if the government's advertised plans worked out. There is a bit about how the government is trying to make minorities "more Chinese", which was the focus of the book I just finished on travels through China, but about half of route 312 is actually in "China" proper, and not Chinese Turkestan (now Xinjiang).

The author has a very droll style, and there are lots of funny little bits in it, including the reactions of Chinese people who have never met a Westerner to finally meeting one (or as one young lady said when having her photo taken with him - "Look how he sweats like a pig!". Presumably she didn't realise he spoke fluent Mandarin).

Westerners are known as "Ocean People" in Chinese, and he often reflects on things as an "Ocean Person". In one far-flung hotel he tries, in his very best white-man style, to explain that he needs. to. use. the. internet, only for the check-in clerk answer, in perfect English, "there's broadband in every room, sir."

If you're interested in China, this is a great read. The author doesn't seem to have written any other books, which is a pity because I would seek them out.

I read something yesterday that said the Countess of Wessex was expected to pick up some of the slack left by H&M.

Princess E used to post a lot on Instagram but seems to have gone dark lately, I assume related to her father's issues. Also yesterday, the FBI reported that they had sought Prince Andrew's cooperation in the Epstein probe but that, so far, he'd not even responded...

So that's the update/view from this side of the pond!

Hi Susan!

Hi Katie! (I just posted on your thread - jinx!). I feel sorry for the York girls, and I hope that people don't judge them because of their father's behaviour. The Prince Andrew story led the Sky News hour last night at 7 and 8, I think - before the coronavirus, even. Today the Huawei decision has edged ahead.

>107 susanj67: "but you have the Sussexes now"

I think you meant Canada but looks like we have them too -- poor things it goes on everywhere

I didn't know what an Oxford comma was so had to look it up then I knew it was one of those annoying extra commas that are sometimes stuck in lists. Seriously, this is a controversy? But then I don't have to live with Brexit or Impeachment, just have to pay something for the Sussexes it seems.

The first of the Sister Fidelma books is high on my hold list so it looks like it will be in my hands soon, Susan.

>112 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba! Yes, I did mean Canada, as Sandy is Canadian :-) Thank you so much for the pictures! Oh my word. You're getting far more coverage than we are. Some of those subject-lines wouldn't be touched by the press in this country. I looked up the four publications online and their websites were very vague - the National Enquirer shows the UK home page however much you try and get to the US one. But they're done that for years now. The others had little stories but nothing, um, interesting.

>113 Familyhistorian: Meg, yes, I think "drama" is now the default setting for news - if there's no drama then they need to invent some. Sky News is running a special Brexit show from 9pm tomorrow night - I wonder what they think will happen? Maybe a meteor shower, or all the lights will go out?!

I can tell you what Brexit might mean for European travel next week, assuming I get to and from a supplier on mainland Europe in one piece...

>115 Helenliz: Helen, I will look forward to your report. My prediction: it will all be fine :-)

Love the discussion about the Oxford comma. I didn't realize there are such strong opinions about it. In Canada, we were taught not to put commas before and. When I took German classes, it seemed like they put commas everywhere ;)

It is a shame that the media continues to harass the Sussexes. I heard that they want to be financially independent ( easy to do with the money they already accumulated). However, Trudeau is seriously considering to pay for their security detail. This expense should not be put on the Canadian tax payer. As long as their stay does not cost Canadians money, I say welcome! :)

The Brexit situation will no doubt complicate travel in the next few weeks.

>112 RebaRelishesReading: Those publications are trash and I don't plan to read them but I was standing in the check-out line at the supermarket and feeling somewhat overwhelmed for the Sussexes and just had to share what I was surrounded with!

>118 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, I really appreciated the trouble you took to photograph them and upload them all! It seems very quiet here without them, but the Duchess of Cambridge is out and about this week, doing mostly early-years stuff with her charities.

Oops, I missed Anita...

>117 figsfromthistle: We were always taught no commas before the "and" as well, unless they were necessary for sense. I think our news is too busy with Brexit and the coronavirus to have any room for the Sussexes right now, but I think a lot of people will be interested in who pays for their security!

I am a devotee of the Oxford comma :)

I have ordered a copy of the Oxford style guide (whether I'll read it is another matter entirely). The "no comma with and" rule stuck with me too. Surprising, given that grammar/ punctuation was a blink and you'll miss it affair in my primary education.

As to commas -- I find they often make the meaning more clear and never make it less clear so my feeling is "when in doubt, put it in". See Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss for an amusing discussion.

>123 RebaRelishesReading: Ha! I added Eats, Shoots & Leaves to my WL, so I guess BB!

I love grammar and punctuation ~ enjoy reading about usage. I went to a British-style girls' boarding school... what more can I say? We definitely had to use commas correctly, but it was in University that I learned the term "Oxford comma". I still am unlikely to use the comma correctly according to the 'rules' but hey, if it is clear, makes sense, what's an extra comma between friends?

I still put u in a lot of words where Americans don't use it, plus I spell the colour grey (with an 'e'), and centre, litre and so on, end in 're' ...

>121 katiekrug: Katie, well, okay, then :-)

>122 charl08: Charlotte, I hope it's a good read when you get it :-)

>123 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, Eats Shoots and Leaves is an excellent read :-)

>124 SandyAMcPherson: Sandy, it sounds as if you're more British than North American with all those extra letters :-) There is a car rental ad here featuring an American who keeps pronouncing "aluminum" the US way while the British guy says it the UK way. Apparently we're crazy :-)

I've nearly(ish) finished The Three Body Problem and nothing else has come in at the library for me, so my weekend will involve Mudlarking, The Grid and Six Wicked Reasons. And maybe a bit of Wolf Hall. I've been reading it on the bus and I'm 25% through it already, which just proves what we can achieve in small bites of time that would otherwise be spent playing Alphabetty Saga and similar.

I thought I would get a lot more read tomorrow as I was going to go and see the hotel that I've booked my brother into for the first part of his trip, but the Piccadilly line is closed on the crucial stretch all weekend so I'll have to go another time. He's coming over partly to do a course for work, and it's being held at a hotel out near Heathrow, so he's staying in the hotel for the first few nights. That will mean he just has to get up in time for breakfast rather than dealing with tubes/buses etc first thing in the morning. After the course finishes he's coming in to central London for a few more days, and staying down the road from me. We can't live together harmoniously, and I don't really have room anyway, so this way everyone's happy :-) We get on fine if we each have our own space.

I thought this would be appropriate to post here:

I am wondering what car is being rented that requires the word aluminum to need repeating.

"We get on fine if we each have our own space." I hear you! I have five sisters, and we do not get on fine under any circumstances that involves us all being together for more than 30 minutes at a time.

>126 katiekrug: hahahahhahaha!
Excuse me while I wipe up the tea I've just snorted everywhere.

>126 katiekrug: Ha!

>126 katiekrug: Katie, ha! Perfect :-)

>127 Crazymamie: Mamie, here's a link to the ad, which involves the "alumin(i)um discussion at the end. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX5y4PPk1Zk

>128 Helenliz: Helen, I'm v glad you're not sitting at my keyboard :-)

>129 Crazymamie: Mamie, agreed!

I have just been interviewing Young People. I would not get my job now if I had to apply for it again.

That car hire rental car ad is amusing, but I'm not sure what they mean about "US customer service." Ours is not usually anything to brag about!

Thanks for that link, Susan. I agree with Katie about "US customer service" - that cracked me up.

>126 katiekrug: LOL -- perfect example :)

>130 susanj67: I love the differences between British and American English (as well as Aussie and New Zealand, actually). I try to speak British (to the extent I know it) when in Britain -- like I try to use any bits of foreign language I know when abroad (tee tee).

16. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

I've had this one on my list for a while, and then I saw it in the Chinese New Year display at the library. I don't read a lot of sci-fi, and I didn't understand a lot of the technical stuff in the story, but I liked the basic story. It starts during the Cultural Revolution, and then jumps to a time in the near future, with various flashbacks. I'd like to know how the overall story turns out, but I'm not sure I want to read the other books in the trilogy and be befuddled by the sciencey parts. But, as book 2 has a wait-list at the elibrary, I don't have to decide immediately.

My next China-related read is going to be Peter Frankopan's The Silk Roads, which I have on my Kindle. It comes up as a daily deal from time to time and it looks excellent.

In other news, I think a lurgy has got me. And I never get sick! But I've bought a box of Strepsils, and started on those so I'll see what happens. I've been down to Tesco this morning and I have supplies for the weekend so I *could* just sit and read and watch TV. For a change.

>131 katiekrug:, >132 Crazymamie: I think that anything American has an innate glamour, just for being different :-)

>133 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, :-) I seldom go anywhere, but I do sometimes use American English if I'm talking to Americans, like the couple who asked me for directions somewhere at Canary Wharf. I said they should walk up to the roundabout and turn right. They looked mystified. Then I remembered, and said "traffic circle" and that worked :-)

>134 susanj67: Oh no, Susan. Hope you feel better soon!

Beat you on China Road, Susan. It’s been on my wishlist for, literally, years. Heard about it on NPR. Think I was intrigued because of the last name; family names always catch my eye/ear.

Sorry you are not feeling well. Hope it goes away soon.

Hope the cold picks up its skirts and scarpers pronto!

Boo to the lurgy! I hope it doesn't hang around too long.

Was your recent China-centric reading planned, or just serendipitous? You are finding and reading a lot of interesting titles!

>136 charl08: Thanks Charlotte :-)

>137 Fourpawz2: Charlotte, it's a really good read, so you can pick it up without fear of a DNF :-)

>138 Helenliz: Thanks Helen :-)

>139 katiekrug: Thanks Katie :-) I read something about China a while ago (I can't remember precisely what) and realised that I know very little about its history, so I've been meaning to read more. After We Have Been Harmonised and Maoism: A Global History I realised I'd made a decent start, so I'm just going to keep going. My plan for 2020 is always to have something China-related on the go, whether it's NF (by anyone) or fiction set in China (preferably by an author writing in China, but I'm not sure how much written in Chinese is translated into English).

One of the quarantined Wuhan returnees is doing a video diary for Sky News, and it looks pretty boring in the quarantine centre. They're in an accommodation block used by NHS staff who have been moved out, and what strikes me from his video of the rooms is how awful they are. They're like a really cheap hotel, or a hostel. Poor people who have to live there all the time, although I supposed they don't *have* to. But a fence has been put up to stop the new residents escaping (!). He said that everyone is fine so far.

The two cases in the UK are Chinese people, one of whom is a student at the University of York, and as they were staying together at a hotel in York I assume the other one was a parent of the first one, maybe visiting for Chinese New Year. But there have been no other positive tests, despite 201 other people being tested.

I felt a bit wibbly this afternoon so I took a decent nap, and now I have a proper sore throat but overall I feel better (strangely). Netflix is bombarding me with emails about stuff to watch, so I might log on just to make them stop :-)

>135 susanj67: "traffic circles" were late coming to the U.S., long after I knew them from the U.K., and I still tend to call them "roundabouts" unless I get that mystified look and remember.

>141 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, "roundabout" is a pretty strange word if I think about it, but we called them that in NZ too so I haven't really thought about it :-)

My cold is progressing, and has moved on from sore throat to nose. I'm going to spend the day in my pyjamas, reading things :-) I just sent Booky Work Friend a couple of Kindle books for her birthday, and I *love* the Kindle gifting option which we finally have here. I sent Word By Word by Kory Stamper (Hi Julia!) and Mudlarking, which I have really enjoyed and am just about to finish.

>120 susanj67: Yes, I was taught that there were no commas before ,and too, but, then again I'm not ,,Oxford educated.

Hope you will banish the lurgy quickly, Susan.

Hi Susan! Sorry about the cold. I may be coming down with one myself, or maybe it’s just allergies. Reading and/or binge watching seems like a good way to spend the day.

>143 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul. I'm glad to have today at home, particularly after I woke up in the middle of the night convinced that it was Monday!



17. Mudlarking: Lost and Found on the River Thames by Laura Maiklem

This is a great new read, about the author's experiences of "mudlarking" along the Thames foreshore. Mudlarking is finding things, although there is a schism between those who dig and those who don't. The author doesn't, but just looks for what the tides have uncovered. There's a lot of London history in it, and I thought it was very well done. I often see people mudlarking on the shore in front of my flat, but despite living right above the foreshore for 21 years I have never actually been down onto it. The closest I've got is onto the pontoon outside the River Police on an open day. Only near the end does the author discuss the sewage overflow issue and the fact that you can get quite serious diseases from Thames water. That is definitely part of what puts me off going down to have a look. Highly recommended for anyone in London, or interested in London, or anyone who mudlarks in other places.

>144 cbl_tn: Hi Carrie! I hope your cold is a false alarm. It's years since I've had one, so I feel pretty affronted that the lurgy got me at last :-)

I rarely get colds, but I picked up one in September from a colleague who didn’t have the courtesy to stay home when she was sick. I came home from my Christmas trip to Berlin with another cold. That one almost certainly came from the sneezing woman who sat next to me on the U-bahn.

Making a note of Mudlarking. The Bryson book I just finished talked a bit about the Thames and London’s sewage problems.

>145 susanj67: Good way to start my Sunday evening with a Book Bullet. Great cover too.

Hooray for another reader for Word by Word!

Mudlarking sounds really interesting. Onto the list it goes.

>147 cbl_tn: Carrie, how annoying about the sneezing in Germany! People should be a lot more careful.

>148 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul. The hard copy is lovely, and there's a story behind the lettering used on the cover...

>149 rosalita: Julia, yes, I'm slowly converting people :-) Mudlarking has a good source list at the back, so I'm going to try and find some of the really old books about London that are listed. Fingers crossed for Project Gutenberg.

I may read some more of The Grid this afternoon, but the BBC sent me an email saying that series 3 of Snowfall is now available on the iPlayer, so I've watched the first episode. And then there are the newspaper supplements...

But I started The Silk Roads last night and it is *excellent*. so that's also tempting.

I quite enjoyed Mudlarking but I felt it was lacking in pictures of some of the finds. In some cases because they sounded beautiful, in other cases because I have no idea what the item she was discussing looked like.

>140 susanj67: I'm way behind on LT (having had a tummy flu).... sounds like you may be/were afflicted as well.

So at >125 susanj67:, Just saying, I say 'aluminum' like everyone else who lives in North America. I could never figure why Brits throw an 'i' in the last syllable. But then, they add an 'r' all over the places ('idea-r') and drop it elsewhere. The name St. John is 'sin-jin' (I've not encountered sin-jin except as a first name).

Like >133 RebaRelishesReading:, when in Britain, I try to remember to say lift (elevator), lorrie (truck), jumper (sweater), flat (apartment), and caravan (camper) etc. ;D

OK. Done commenting here. Come and visit! My thread is lonely and needs ribbing about my favoUrite reading!

>151 Helenliz: Helen, I agree that pictures would have added to it. I suppose it was a bit surprising that there weren't any, but I am evidently not very curious as it didn't really bother me!

The newspaper supplements are going well, although some of that is due to piling them up more neatly...

Sky News is now running news of a terror attack in Streatham this afternoon - an odd place to have one. Several people have apparently been stabbed, although that's not particularly unusual for Streatham. But the police have shot someone dead and then told the public to get well back, so it may be another example of a fake suicide vest.

>152 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy! I'll be right over once I've put a face-mask on. (Not to disguise myself on your thread, or anything).

I had no idea we could now buy people books (at least for people who are also in the UK). I can see myself sending s few I've loved to friends in the near future. Thanks Susan!

Very relieved not to get some time to quietly read today: Manchester was rammed yesterday.

Hi Susan - I hope you're feeling better.

>98 susanj67: The Tremayne book sounds good; I love good historical fiction/mysteries

>109 susanj67: China Road also sounds good; I do love go travel books.

>126 katiekrug: :) I have this T-shirt. English teacher humor, I guess.

>134 susanj67: I'm not much of a SF reader, either, but I might give this one a try.

>155 charl08: Charlotte, I discovered it by accident last year. I went to send BWF a link to a Kindle Daily Deal and then realised that I could buy it for her for just 99p, so I gave it a try. You can either get them to email it direct, which she said looked a bit like spam, or get the link to send yourself. I did it that way this time.

>156 BLBera: Hi Beth! I feel a lot better today, thank you. I love the t-shirt :-) Commas *do* save lives!

I took two books back to the library and borrowed nothing. OMG. They even have a display of red books, for Valentine's Day, but nothing tempted me. I currently have just two hard copies out and nothing from the elibrary. Maybe I should check my temperature...Wolf Hall is going well, although it seems to me like it's much clearer this time about who's talking - not so many "he"s. I wonder whether the author went in and added "He, Thomas Cromwell".

Check you temperature? I'd say run to the emergency room immediately!

>157 susanj67: There are wrapped up books at my library as part of the V day celebrations - I appreciate the effort, but am not really that keen to pick up books when I don't know what they are. Glad to hear Wolf Hall is going well the second time round - lots of signs up for pre-ordering the final (?) book in Waterstones.

>158 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, so far I'm staying strong :-)

>159 charl08: Charlotte, I wouldn't pick up an anonymous book either. Clues would be god, but even then I'd worry that it was filthy (in appearance, not content :-) ) I expect the pre-order list for The Mirror and the Light is enormous. I'm 25th on the library's reservation list, but I don't think that can be for the entire London library system. It is more likely just to be Tower Hamlets.

I read a bit more of The Grid last night, but it's not that thrilling despite being a thriller. I half want to give it up, but then I think I might just be feeling under the weather and I should persist.

>98 susanj67: Oh, No! Tremayne and a historical novel...

Absolution By Murder hit me fair and square.

>114 susanj67: We are used to drama in the news here, Susan. We live next to the US.

>125 susanj67: Actually, that is the way that we spell i.e. we would write it as "a neighbourhood centre". I often have to look up the spelling of words because what comes up in spell check just looks wrong.

We also have roundabouts.

Good to see that the 'lurgy was short lived.

>161 SandyAMcPherson: Sandy, I love your little person hit by a BB! Very clever :-)

>162 Familyhistorian: Meg, yes, I imagine plenty of drama makes its way over the border :-) I was amused to see this morning that Nancy Pelosi ripped up the President's State of the Union address.

The lurgy is now a Very Annoying Cough, so I have stayed home from work. I have no urgent deadlines and I don't want my new roomie to have to sit through a day of coughing. I will cough in peace at home. So far I have a load of laundry going, and I've read a bit of my thriller. And it's a nice day. I don't have my gadget to work from home, but I do have my phone so I can always ring people with the answers to things if I can't face typing on it. Officially, though, it's a sick day.

Yesterday I read a fascinating article in MIT's Technology Review (they do daily headlines about interesting things), about how popular jigsaw puzzles have become on Instagram. Here's a link, for anyone who hasn't already read their three free articles for the month: https://www.technologyreview.com/f/615131/how-instagram-is-making-jigsaw-puzzles...

For me, one of the most interesting things was the changes that puzzle companies are making so that they produce pictures that are "Grammable" - less fine detail and more blocks of colour so they show up well in pictures. There are some lovely new ones out there, and I definitely want to find the Ravensburger one with the eyeshadows when it comes to the UK :-)



As I was meandering through the sites, I found what seems to be the newest "World's biggest jigsaw", which will be released at the end of April. Here's a UK link for anyone with a spare village hall to put it together in:

https://www.jigsawpuzzle.co.uk/grafika-the-worlds-largest-jigsaw-puzzle-travel-a...

And they deliver it free, which is actually worth a *fortune*. I remember the biggest one some years ago (which I think was 24,000 pieces) was so heavy that it came in a box with a little trolley attached to it.

Oof, sorry about the cough, Susan. Good for you for staying home.

I love jigsaw puzzles and need to get back to doing them. It's great audio book time :) We've put our dining table in the library here, so I have a good place to do puzzles...

>134 susanj67: Hooray for 3BP! Glad it worked for you despite the hard sf bits! I love the entire trilogy, but the hard sf is an attraction for me. If they're a distraction for you, my sense is that the final (and longest) volume will be the least appealing -- but in any case I'll be interested in your thoughts in case you decide to continue.

Re: alumin(i)um. In my academic library we have on VHS an old (well, 1970-something) chemistry film that one professor shows every year to one of his classes. We're trying to retire our VHS collection because (1) the university's IT department no longer supports VHS players; and (2) our students are mostly 18-22 years old. More of them recognize rotary-dialed phones than VHS players. But this out-of-date film is not available in any other format and the professor insists it's the only one that meets his needs. His needs? He really lilkes the way the narrator says "aluminium."

True story.

>165 swynn: I love this story!

Hello, Susan! Sorry about the cough and the lurgy. I will echo Katie's post that it was thoughtful for you to stay home.

SO interesting about the jigsaw puzzles being made to be "Grammable". Rae and I both love to do jigsaw puzzles.

>163 susanj67: 54,000 pieces?!!

Interesting puzzle though.
I used to do jigsaws with my grandchildren but they don't seem all that enthralled anymore.
I don't take the time now for myself. I'd rather read!
:D

I never heard of a puzzle with a trolley attached to the box. My gosh, what surface does one even *have* to assemble it on?

>164 katiekrug: Katie, yes, you'd be able to get through a lot of audiobooks and podcasts with a big jigsaw. I have space for 3,000 pieces, and that's it. Mind you, that does involve rearranging the living room :-)

>165 swynn: Hey Steve! I did like the overall story, but thanks for the warning about book 3. I love the VHS anecdote. Maybe you could play it and someone could film it, like pirating something at the cinema :-)

>166 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! I like the link to the puzzle-doer on YouTube. Some of her uploads are very soothing :-)

>167 SandyAMcPherson: Sandy, I'm not sure where anyone is supposed to do a 54,000 puzzle. I tend to think of them as being for America, where there is much more space than here :-) And I think some of the more recent "giant" ones are really lots of small images linked together rather than a huge picture, which seems to me to be cheating a bit (by the manufacturers). This is the 24,000-piece one which was "the biggest" a few years ago: https://www.seriouspuzzles.com/life-the-greatest-puzzle-24000pc-panoramic-jigsaw... They did a 3,000-piece version of it, which I have, and it's beautiful.

Still coughing. I even took a nap, but I was coughing *during* the nap (weirdly). Anyway, I've managed to finish the thriller I've been reading.



18. The Grid by Nick Cook

I saw this mentioned in a book review supplement, so I reserved it. It's very complicated, and seemed to me to have too many people in it. It was also pretty long. That said, the central idea is an excellent one. I just think it could have been a bit snappier. But I'll look out for other things by this author. He's British, but this is all about the American President and the various security services, so it has a very American "feel" to it, at least to me.

Sorry to hear the cough got you and good on you for staying home. Hope you're able to shake it soon. What sounds like the same bug has been making the rounds here too and it does tend to hang on so take care of yourself and get well soon, OK?

How you feel better, Susan. Honey? Hot lemon?

>165 swynn: We had a VHS tape converted by a local company into a DVD. In case you wanted to do that... It was kind of expensive, given that it was purely entertainment.
If our small "city" can support such a business, surely bigger cosmopolitan areas also have the service?

>169 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, the cough has mostly disappeared overnight, which is weird. But it means I'm back in the office. I was going to do half a day and then go home, but I feel pretty good so I'll see how things go. I'm going to have tomorrow as a day of holiday.

>170 charl08: Charlotte, I'm enjoying the orange-flavoured Strepsils (with added Vitamin C). And the turmeric/orange/star anise infusion is lovely too.

>171 SandyAMcPherson: Sandy, this is making me think I should retire my VHS tapes, which I never look at any more (at least partly because the video recorder is sitting in a cupboard). I have a whole drawer of them, and they're taking up space...

Two reserves have come into the library for me: China's Great Wall of Debt and Uncrowned Queen: The Fateful Life of Margaret Beaufort. I'll pop over at lunchtime and pick them up. Last night I read some more of Wolf Hall, which is coming along nicely. I picked it up for 99p at the beginning of the year, and I keep hoping to see Bring Up The Bodies in the Kindle Daily Deal too.

Pretty cover alert:



The gold parts are shiny :-) And the copy I have is brand new. It's come in from Havering, which is in the east. The book about China is less attractive, but it's come from Harrow. Such an excellent service, and all for free. Well, more accurately, all for a chunk of my council tax, which is £92 a month. But I'd be paying that whether or not I used the library.

>172 susanj67: We need to do that, too. We don't even *have* a tape player anymore. And VHS is so 1980 anyway.

Glad you're feeling better today. Sounds like getting rid of the VHS would be a good idea but I'm not so sure about going to cd/dvd. We did that a bunch of years ago (for family video type things) and now don't have anything to play those on either :) I probably should see about getting them put into the cloud.

>171 SandyAMcPherson: Actually, when the ITS Department announced a couple of years ago that it would no longer support VHS players, we did (in-house) convert the VHS to DVD. Best copyright practices in this case, though, mean that we have to keep the original VHS in non-circulating storage for as long as the DVD is on the shelf. We do this for a few (maybe half-a-dozen) VHS tapes whose content is not available in any other format, but this is the only one we keep just because a chemist likes to hear an extra syllable in "aluminum." (Or the proper number of syllables, depending on perspective.)

>175 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, but what if the cloud drifts away? :-) I half think that people will look back on us in 500 years and think we lived through the dark ages, because there will be nothing left like books or letters - everything is electronic and it will all disappear :-(

>176 swynn: Steve, that *is* a pretty good reason though, right?

Well, I've done a whole day at my desk, with no coughing. So strange. My new roomie assured me that it would be no bother if I *did* cough, though. He has noise-cancelling headphones :-)

I'm off to M&S shortly, because most of the transport in my area isn't running over the weekend so I'm going to stock up and I may well stay in. Ooh :-)

Good timing, having the lurgy out of the way before your day off, Susan. 54,000 pieces is huge but from the looks of that one they seem to have stitched some of their old puzzles together.

I currently have a puzzle on the go on my puzzle board which sits on the coffee table, no room on the dining room table - too many research books. The largest puzzle I ever did was 2,500 pieces. It was so big I had it on the floor on something moveable so I could stash it under the bed in the spare room. When I finished the puzzle there were 2 pieces missing. We had a cat.

When I finished the puzzle there were 2 pieces missing. We had a cat. *snerk*

It sounds like the cough is getting better.

I used to love puzzles when my kids were at home. Working on one by myself just doesn't appeal as much.

>98 susanj67: A very belated 'Hi Susan' back at you ;-)
Glad to see you enjoyed your first Sister Fidelma.

>178 Familyhistorian: Meg, I do feel better for my day of holiday, which is lucky. I'm having a declutter before my brother visits but I might get a jigsaw out after that. I've always been a fan :-)

>179 drneutron: Jim, I was once doing a puzzle with a friend's kids and a couple of pieces were missing at the end. The girls got up and shook themselves down, but no pieces. We blamed the dog. Then I got up and I'd been sitting on them all along. Oops.

>180 BLBera: Beth, it won't be long before you can have jigsaw races with Scout :-) I occasionally got my mother to race me - we didn't have two of the same jigsaws so we chose ones with the same number of pieces.

>181 FAMeulstee: Hi Anita! Thank you for the recommendation - I really liked it.

Today is beautiful, and I convinced myself that the helicopter overhead on the way back from the supermarket wasn't the police helicopter chasing villains, but some other sort of helicopter. I started my new book about China last night, which is interesting but not as good as the recent ones (although it's on a different subject). I might read Six Wicked Reasons this afternoon.

>182 susanj67: I am enjoying the discussions on jigsaws so much that I think that I will go and buy one for Belle and I to do, starting tomorrow.

Have a lovely weekend, Susan.

>177 susanj67: I completely agree with that concern, Susan but for now it seems to me that the cloud is most likely to keep up with technology so during my lifetime I can access my photos and documents. I do keep paper copies of really important (to me) things though.

Technology does move on, and quickly, such that we may loose access to any number of things. In the 20 years or so since I wrote my thesis, I can now only read it in the paper format. No one has 3&1/4 inch floppy drives any more or a Zip Disk.

BTW - you will be pleased to know that when entering Germany on Tuesday, I went through the eu aisle without issue. They automatic gates even let me in. I can never decide if I'm more relieved that they recognise me, or that they think I look as bad as my passport photo! So there's that, for the time being, at least.

>183 PaulCranswick: Paul, enjoy! Despite all the new ones I'm still a fan of a nice scene as the picture.

>184 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, sometimes paper is the best, however old-fashioned that seems. Maybe the cloud will keep up with different ways of downloading its contents, but already we've been through so many different formats and it's only been a few decades.

>185 Helenliz: Helen, yes, floppy discs seem ancient these days, don't they? Good news about your travels and the obliging gates :-)



19. Six Wicked Reasons by Jo Spain (US title: The Night It Happened)

This is a very good psychological thriller about a dysfunctional Irish family, and I read it today in between housework and tidying up. I like Jo Spain's books, and this is another excellent one :-)

Hurrah! Friday turned up (at last). Sounds like you had a lovely day. Are you feeling better?

>186 susanj67: Adding this to The List, Susan. I loved the other you recommended by her.

>187 charl08: Hi Charlotte! Yes, Friday is a relief :-) I am feeling much better, thanks.

>188 Crazymamie: Mamie, excellent! I'd recommend this one in hard copy rather than as an audiobook, btw, because there are multiple timelines and very short chapters and it's easier to keep track of everything if you can see it.

Stopping by to get caught up, Susan. Glad to see you are recovering from your cold and just "Wow" on that world's largest puzzle.

I took so many BBs reading your thread, Susan, it is a wonder I am still standing.

I am glad to hear you are feeling better!

>190 lkernagh: Hi Lori! The cold is on its way out. It wasn't a bad one, but it's years since I've had one so it took me by surprise. I'm not tempted by the puzzle - even if I had room I wouldn't get it.

>191 alcottacre: Hey Stasia! Um, sorrynotsorry re the BBs? :-)

I am back from the supermarket and it's only 10.37. True, a bus rolled up just as I reached the stop on the way home, but still. The Pioneer Woman is still going on the Food Network (she finishes at 11) and it is rare that I get back home before that.

I need to do a bit of work today, but I've scheduled that for 4pm so I can enjoy myself until then :-)

>179 drneutron: Not sure where this comment fits in, but I laffed my head off. I had a cousin who used to deliberately "hide" a couple pieces so she could be the one to put in the last piece. *snerk* is right...

>193 SandyAMcPherson: Sandy, that sounds like the sort of thing I would have done too :-)



20. China's Great Wall of Debt by Dinny McMahon

The author looks beyond the supposed "miracle" of modern China, at just what exactly is going on behind the headlines. It's a good read for anyone interested in China or in what China's economic position means for the rest of the world.

We are having the worst storm since 2013, apparently. So far it's just high winds in London, but they are very high. I'm not going to venture out today - I'll make some more progress with the excellent Uncrowned Queen, which I started yesterday. The author also wrote Elizabeth's Rival: The Tumultuous Tale of Lettice Knollys which I really enjoyed too.

>194 susanj67: They're pretty crazy here. So far we've lost one bit of fencing and I've discovered a mysterious leak (mysterious, because I can't work out exactly where it's coming from). Oh, and the wheelie bin's gone over.

I do think it's a shame Lettice has gone out of fashion as a name.

The China book sounds good, but that one I read about data gave me the heebie jeebies, so I might pass. Have you come across Because Internet about the way language is changing, apparently linked to tech? I am tempted.

>195 charl08: stay safe! We're down 1 fence panel and 1 pane of glass in the greenhouse. Not quite sure how I'm going to clear that up, but I'm not trying it right now...

>195 charl08: Charlotte, Because Internet is on my reserve list, but I think it will be a while. It sounds good, though. I hope you work out where the leak is coming from.

>196 Helenliz: Helen, definitely don't go out in this! The glass can't fall any further. Something is rattling around on the Clompingtons' balcony, but it sounds quite large. I have, over the years, acquired three seat cushions from their balcony furniture, but so far not the furniture itself.

We now have rain down here, but it seems a bit less windy. However, tonight it's supposed to pick up again. I'm very glad I didn't have to go anywhere today. I hope it's a bit less awful tomorrow.

>194 susanj67: The China book sounds intriguing, Susan. I'll have a look for it at the library. I do wonder how the whole coronavirus situation is going to affect the Chinese economy if they aren't able to get factories back up and running. Of course, that will all trickle down to the rest of us since so much of what we buy comes from there.

>195 charl08: >196 Helenliz: I also want to read Because Internet but the library doesn't have it yet. I first learned about the author, Gretchen McCulloch on a podcast she co-hosts called "Lingthusiasm". I enjoy her podcasting style, so I have high hopes the book will be in a similar vein.

>198 rosalita: Hi Julia! I read something today saying that the rate of new coronavirus cases is slowing - there were fewer cases yesterday than the day before (I think), so that's good news. That was China, though - new cases are popping up elsewhere but there have been some British people diagnosed with it overseas (one on a cruise ship and some in France) who don't have symptoms but still officially have the virus. We still only have four people diagnosed in the UK - the student and his mother from China, a man who caught it in Singapore (and infected the Brits in France) and a fourth person who is connected to the third person and who also caught it in France. Maybe patient 3 is a "super-spreader".

I will find that podcast, which sounds good.

I'm making progress with the book review supplements, and I've added quite a few things to my library wishlist and put a couple of things on hold. I've been watching videos on YouTube and pottering, which isn't a bad way to spend a blustery afternoon. I wish I could find some "BookTubers" who read something other than YA novels, though, even though they're grown women.

Oh Good Lord. A talking head on Sky has just said that the corona virus may be more infectious than ebola. But no word (or challenge from the anchor) on the difference between infectiousness and mortality. It already appears to have a lower death rate than SARS, and it's totally irresponsible of broadcasters to have people on who equate it with ebola without being totally clear about what they mean. Ebola killed at least half of the people who caught it in 2014. The corona virus is running at about 2% as far as we know. And it could be far lower if some people have symptoms so mild they don't know they have it, and therefore they aren't being counted.

Hmmm, 200 posts. Maybe it's time for a new thread.

My new thread is here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/316511

And in other news, I've finished the book review supplements! Yaaaaaaaay! I still have about 50 of the magazines that come with the weekend papers, but they're smaller. Heh.