PAUL C WITH A CLEAN SLATE IN '22 - Part 17 (Family Reunion Thread)

PLACES FROM MY PAST

Scene of my only amateur win the majestic Puy-de-Dome just outside Clermont Ferrand in the Auvergne region of France was an iconic climb in the Tour de France before they closed the upper reaches of the road as it was not deemed spectator friendly. In 1986 in a race for amateurs that traced that year's Tour stage of 190km from Saint Etienne to the Puy de Dome, I escaped on the lower slopes and soloed to victory winning by 12 seconds from a good field which included a number of future professionals. I would never have been good enough to sustain in a three week grand tour but could climb well enough on my best days. I have fond but slightly painful memories of the Massif Central.

The opening words

Cursed Bunny by South Korean writer Bora Chung has been shortlisted for the Booker International Prize and boasts a striking cover and plenty of praise including from my pal, Darryl. It is a collection of short stories and will be read during my holiday of this coming week.



" She was about to flush the toilet.
'Mother?'
She looked back. There was a head popping out of the toilet, calling for her.
'Mother?'
The woman looked at it for a moment. Then she flushed the toilet. The head disappeared in a rush of water.
She left the bathroom. "

Interested......................?

Books Read First Quarter

JANUARY

1. American Dream? A Journey on Route 66 by Khor Shing Yin (2019) 160 pp (AAC) - GN
2. The Forward Book of Poetry 2022 by Various Poets (2021) 155 pp - Poetry
3. Absolution by Murder by Peter Tremayne (1994) 274 pp - Thriller/Mystery
4. Somewhere Towards the End by Diana Athill (2008) 183 pp - (NF Challenge) NF
5. My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk (1998) 671 pp - (Asian Book Challenge{ABC}) Fiction; 1001
6. The Thief and the Dogs by Naguib Mahfouz (1962) 158 pp - (World Books/Food) Fiction
7. The Children Who Stayed Behind by Bruce Carter (1958) 216 pp - (BAC) YA Fiction
8. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (2021) 114 pp - Fiction
9. Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar (2020) 343 pp - (ABC) - Fiction (?)
10. Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings (1982) 192 pp - SF/Fantasy
11. Days in the History of Silence by Merethe Lindstrom (2011) 230 pp - Fiction/Holocaust
12. The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty (1972) 208 pp - Fiction; Pulitzer
13. My Two Worlds by Sergio Chejfec (2008) - 103 pp Fiction/Rebecca NYC reads
14. Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine (2002) - 131 pp Non Fiction / Holocaust
15. Last Train to Istanbul by Ayse Kulin (2002) 384 pp Fiction / Asian Book Challenge
16. Up With the Larks by Tessa Hainsworth (2009) 278 pp Non Fiction
17. Cheryl's Destinies by Stephen Sexton (2021) 88 pp - Poetry
18. Hotel Bosphorus by Esmahan Aykol (2001) 246 pp - Thriller/Mystery / Asian Book Challenge
19. The List of Books by Frederic Raphael (1981) 154 pp - Non Fiction / Reference
20. Disquiet by Zulfu Livaneli (2017) 163 pp - Fiction / Asian Book Challenge
21. Turkey : A Short History by Norman Stone (2017) 185 pp - Non-Fiction
22. Black Out by Ragnar Jonasson (2011) 247 pp - Thriller/Scandi
23. The Wild Iris by Louise Gluck (1992) 63 pp - Poetry
24. A Foolish Virgin by Ida Simons (1959) 216 pp - Fiction
25. Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson (1928) 329 pp - Fiction / 1001 Books
26. The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens (1969) 224 pp - Fiction / Booker Winner

5,715 pages

FEBRUARY

27. The Nest by Kenneth Oppel (2015) 244 pp - Fiction
28. Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World by Fareed Zakaria (2021) 156 pp Non-Fiction/ABC
29. Redemption Ground by Lorna Goodison (2018) 164 pp Non-Fiction
30. The Blue Between Sky and Water by Susan Abulhawa (2015) 288 pp Fiction /Asian Book Challenge
31. Door into the Dark by Seamus Heaney (1969) 44 pp Poetry
32. The Yellow Wind by David Grossman (1988) 218 pp Non-Fiction/Asian Book Challenge
33. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (2017) 343 pp Fiction / Booker Winner
34. If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin (1974) 197 pp Fiction
35. The Wrecking Light by Robin Robertson (2010) 90 pp Poetry
36. The Others by Sarah Blau (2018) 239 pp Thriller /ABC
37. Portable Kisses by Tess Gallagher (1992) 80 pp Poetry/ AAC

2,063 pages

MARCH

38. Rise Like Lions : Poetry for the Many edited by Ben Okri (2017) 258 pp Poetry
39. Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin (1958) 179 pp Non-Fiction
40. Intimacies by Katie Kitamura (2021) 225 pp Fiction / Asian Book Challenge
41. Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi (2013) 283 pp Fiction/ Asian Book Challenge
42. Songs of Mihyar the Damascene by Adonis (1961) 116 pp Poetry/Asian Book Challenge
43. Tales of the Tikongs by Epeli Hau'ofa (1983) 93 pp Fiction /Short stories
44. The Twits by Roald Dahl (1980) 87 pp Fiction /YA
45. The Historians : Poems by Eavan Boland (2020) 67 pp Poetry
46. Night Haunts by Sukhdev Sandhu (2007) 144 pp Non-Fiction
47. The Old Boys by William Trevor (1964) 170 pp Fiction
48. Autumn by Karl Ove Knausgaard (2015) 244 pp Non-Fiction/Memoir
49. The Fell by Sarah Moss (2021) 180 pp Fiction
50. Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner (1926) 203 pp Fiction
51. Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi (2018) 243 pp Fiction / Asian Book Challenge
52. Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney (2021) 337 pp Fiction

2,829 pages

Books Read Second Quarter

APRIL

53. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (1979) 180 pp Science Fiction/1001
54. Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy (1874) 389 pp Fiction/Re-read Reassessment
55. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (1961) 128 pp Fiction/Re-read Reassessment
56. Mrs England by Stacey Halls (2021) 425 pp Fiction
57. The Moon and Sixpence by W Somerset Maugham (1919) 215 pp Fiction /Re-Read Reassessment
58. Poems : Giosue Carducci by Giosue Carducci (1907) 175 pp Poetry / Nobel Prize winner
59. White Mughals by William Dalrymple (2002) 501 pp Non Fiction / Shared Read (Stasia)
60. Weaveworld by Clive Barker (1987) 722 pp SF/Fantasy; BAC; Guardian Books
61. The Saddlebag by Bahiyyih Nakhjavani (2000) 253 pp Fiction /Asian Book Challenge
62. Pilgrims Way by Abdulrazak Gurnah (1988) 281 pp Fiction
63. A Village Life by Louise Gluck (2009) 71 pp Poetry/AAC wildcard
64. Brighton Rock by Graham Greene (1938) 269 pp Fiction/Re-Read Reassessment

3,609 pages

MAY

65. Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung (2017) 251 pp Fiction/Asian Book Challenge / Short Stories
66. Peterloo : Witnesses to a Massacre by Polyp (2019) 109 pp BAC / Graphic Book
67. Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid (1985) 148 pp 1001 Books
68. The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allen Poe (1844) 99 pp AAC/1001 Books/ Short Stories

Currently Reading

BOOKERS, PULITZERS, NOBEL WINNERS, 1001 BOOKS FIRST ED. & ETC

I have an ongoing challenge to read all the Booker Winners, all the Pulitzer Fiction Winners, something by each Nobel and all the 1001 Books First Ed Books. I will track my progress here:

BOOKERS READ BY DEC 31 2021 : 34 / 57
BOOKERS IN 2022 : 2 (36 / 57)
The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

PULITZERS READ BY DEC 31 2021 : 19 / 94
PULITZERS IN 2022 : 1 (20 / 94)
The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty

NOBEL LAUREATES READ BY DEC 31 2021 : 74 / 118
NOBEL WINNERS IN 2022 1 (75/118)
Poems by Giosue Carducci

1001 BOOKS FIRST ED READ BY DEC 2021 : 319
1001 BOOKS IN 2022 5 (324)
My Name is Red
Tarka the Otter
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Annie John
The Purloined Letter

GUARDIAN 1000 BOOKS READ BY DEC 2021 : 349
GUARDIAN BOOKS IN 2022 4 (353)
My Name is Red
Lolly Willowes
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Weaveworld

WOMEN'S PRIZE WINNERS READ BY DEC 2021 : 7 / 26
WOMEN'S PRIZE WINNERS IN 2022

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE



January - YA - The Children Who Stayed Behind by Bruce Carter
February - Mo / Renault
March - Between the Wars - Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner
April - Weaveworld by Clive Barker
May - Comics, Graphic Novels & Audiobooks - Peterloo : Witnesses to a Massacre

AMERICAN AUTHOR CHALLENGE



January - Graphic Books - The American Dream? A Journey on Route 66 by Khor Shing Yin
February - Tess Gallagher - Portable Kisses
March - Bernard Malamud
April - Louise Gluck (Wildcard) - A Village Life
May - Nineteenth Century - The Purloined Letter

ASIAN BOOK CHALLENGE 2022

Here is the link to the General Thread
https://www.librarything.com/topic/337731#n7692635

These will be the monthly jaunts for the ABC challenge.

JANUARY - Europe of Asia - Turkish Authors link to thread
https://www.librarything.com/topic/338244
1. My Name is Red
2. Last Train to Istanbul
3. Hotel Bosphorus
4. Disquiet

FEBRUARY - The Holy Land - Israeli & Palestinian Authors
Link to thread : https://www.librarything.com/topic/339017
1. The Blue Between Sky and Water
2. The Yellow Wind
3. The Others

MARCH - The Arab World - Writers from the Arab world
link to thread https://www.librarything.com/topic/340000
1. Frankenstein in Baghdad
2. The Songs of Mihyar the Damascene
3. Celestial Bodies

APRIL - Persia - Iranian writers
link to thread : https://www.librarything.com/topic/340943#n7802013
1. The Saddlebag

MAY - The Stans - There are 7 states all in the same region all ending in "Stan"
link to thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/341521

JUNE - The Indian Sub-Continent - Essentially authors from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
JULY - The Asian Superpower - Chinese Authors
AUGUST - Nippon - Japanese Authors
SEPTEMBER - Kimchi - Korean Authors
1. Cursed Bunny
OCTOBER - INDO CHINA PLUS - Authors from Indo-China and other countries neighbouring China
NOVEMBER - The Malay Archipelago - Malaysian, Singaporean and Indonesian Authors
DECEMBER - The Asian Diaspora - Ethnic Asian writers from elsewhere
1. Homeland Elegies
2. Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World
3. Intimacies
4. Night Haunts

I was able just about to cover the whole of the continent and I didn't include one for Russia as most of the authors are decidedly European in their ethnicity and leaning.

AROUND THE WORLD IN BOOKS SINCE 2021

Around the world in books challenge. I want to see how many countries I can cover without limiting myself to a specific deadline. Continued from last year.


1. United Kingdom - The Ways of the World by Robert Goddard EUROPE
2. Ireland - The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde EUROPE
3. Lithuania - Selected and Last Poems by Czeslaw Milosz EUROPE
4. Netherlands - The Ditch by Herman Koch EUROPE
5. Armenia - The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian ASIA PACIFIC
6. Zimbabwe - This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga AFRICA
7. United States - Averno by Louise Gluck AMERICA
8. Australia - Taller When Prone by Les Murray ASIA PACIFIC
9. France - Class Trip by Emmanuel Carrere EUROPE
10. Russia - The Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov EUROPE
11. Denmark - Fear and Trembling by Soren Kierkegaard EUROPE
12. Democratic Republic of Congo - Tram 83 by Fiston Mwanze Mujila AFRICA
13. Canada - I Heard the Owl Call My Name by Margaret Craven AMERICA
14. Italy - The Overnight Kidnapper by Andrea Camilleri EUROPE
15. New Zealand - Dove on the Waters by Maurice Shadbolt ASIA PACIFIC
16. India - A Burning by Megha Majumdar ASIA PACIFIC
17. Libya - The Return by Hisham Matar AFRICA
18. Pakistan - Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid ASIA PACIFIC
19. South Korea - Diary of a Murderer by Kim Young-Ha ASIA PACIFIC
20. Morocco - The Curious Case of Dassoukine's Trousers by Fouad Laroui AFRICA
21. Thailand - Arid Dreams by Duanwad Pimwana ASIA PACIFIC
22. Norway - Echoland by Per Petterson EUROPE
23. Belgium - I Choose to Live by Sabine Dardenne EUROPE
24. Sweden - Still Waters by Viveca Sten EUROPE
25. Trinidad - Half a Life by VS Naipaul AMERICAS
26. Sudan - Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih AFRICA
27. Uruguay - Springtime in a Broken Mirror by Mario Benedetti AMERICAS
28. Syria - My Country : A Syrian Memoir by Kassem Eid ASIA PACIFIC
29. Ghana - The God Child by Nana Oforiatta Ayim AFRICA
30. Austria - Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E Frankl EUROPE
31. Germany - Cat and Mouse by Gunter Grass EUROPE
32. South Africa - No Turning Back by Beverley Naidoo AFRICA
33. Mauritania - Arab Jazz by Karim Miske AFRICA
34. Cuba - The Kingdom of This World by Alejo Carpentier AMERICAS
35. Nigeria - Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie AFRICA
36. Portugal - The Return by Dulce Maria Cardoso EUROPE
37. Japan - Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids by Kenzaburo Oe ASIA PACIFIC
38. Senegal - At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop AFRICA
39. Malta - The Hiding Place by Trezza Azzopardi EUROPE
40. Chile - A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende AMERICAS
41. Lebanon - The First Century After Beatrice by Amin Maalouf ASIA PACIFIC
42. Spain - The Watcher in the Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafon EUROPE
43. Somalia - The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed AFRICA
44. Malaysia - Strangers on a Pier by Tash Aw ASIA PACIFIC
45. Mexico - Sudden Death by Alvaro Enrigue AMERICAS
46. Latvia - The Hedgehog and the Fox by Isaian Berlin EUROPE
47. Malawi - Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver AFRICA
48. Turkey - My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk ASIA PACIFIC
49. Egypt - The Thief and the Dogs by Naguib Mahfouz AFRICA
50. Argentina - My Two Worlds by Sergio Chejfec - AMERICAS
51. Iceland - Black Out by Ragnar Jonasson - EUROPE
52. Jamaica - Redemption Ground by Lorna Goodison - AMERICAS
53. Palestine - The Blue Between Sky and Water by Susan Abulhawa - ASIA PACIFIC
54. Israel - The Yellow Wind by David Grossman - ASIA PACIFIC
55. Iraq - Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi - ASIA PACIFIC
56. Papua New Guinea - Tales of the Tikongs by Epeli Hau'ofa - ASIA PACIFIC
57. Oman - Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi - ASIA PACIFIC
58. Iran - The Saddlebag by Bahiyyih Nakhjavani - ASIA PACIFIC
59. Tanzania - Pilgrims Way by Abdulrazak Gurnah - AFRICA
60. Antigua - Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid - AMERICAS


Create Your Own Visited Countries Map

BOOKS OF THE MONTH

January - Small Things Like These
February - If Beale Street Could Talk
March - Intimacies
April - Mrs England

100 NOVELS 100 AUTHORS

1 Things Fall Apart Achebe, Chinua
2 Watership Down Adams, Richard
3 Half of a Yellow Sun Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi
4 Jack Sheppard Ainsworth, William Harrison
5 Northanger Abbey Austen, Jane
6 The Twin Bakker, Gerbrand
7 Another Country Baldwin, James
8 The Black Sheep Balzac, Honore de
9 Silence of the Girls Barker, Pat
10 The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett
11. Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernieres
12 The Sheltering Sky Bowles, Paul
13 Orenda Boyden, Joseph
14 Rumours of Rain Brink, Andre
15 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
16 Wuthering Heights Bronte, Emily
17 The Good Earth Buck, Pearl
18 The Plague Camus, Albert
19 Jack Maggs Carey, Peter
20 O' Pioneers Cather, Willa
21 The Woman in WhiteCollins, Wilkie
22 To Serve Them All My Days Delderfield, RF
23 David Copperfield Dickens, Charles
24 Crime and Punishment Dostoevsky, Fyodor
25 Justine Durrell, Lawrence
26 Invisible Man Ellison, Ralph
27 The Round house Erdrich, Louise
28 Passage to India Forster, EM
29 The Promise Galgut, Damon
30 Sea of Poppies Ghosh, Amitav
31 I, Claudius Graves, Robert
32 The Quiet American Greene, Graham
33 The Growth of the Soil Hamsun, Knut
34 The Return of the Native Hardy, Thomas
35 The Go-Between Hartley, LP
36 Plainsong Haruf, Kent
37 The Rainbow Troops Hirata, Andrea
38 Les Miserables Hugo, Victor
39 A Prayer for Owen Meany Irving, John
40 The Dig Jones, Cynan
41 Mister Pip Jones, Lloyd
42 The Far Pavilions Kaye, MM
43 Small Things Like These Keegan, Claire
44 The Dictator's Last Night Khadra, Yasmina
45 Darkness at Noon Koestler, Arthur
46 The Unbearable Lightness of Being Kundera, Milan
47 To Kill a Mockingbird Lee, Harper
48 The Grass is Singing Lessing, Doris
49 If Not Now, When? Levi, Primo
50 The Road to Lichfield Lively, Penelope
51 How Green is My Valley Llewellyn, Richard
52 Lovely Green Eyes Lustig, Arnost
53 Palace Walk Mahfouz, Naguib
54 The Fixer Malamud, Bernard
55 A Place of Greater Safety Mantel, Hilary
56 One Hundred Years of Solitude Marquez, Gabriel Garcia
57 The Moon and Sixpence Maugham, W Somerset
58 Bel-Ami Mauppasant, Guy de
59 The North Water McGuire, Ian
60 Docherty McIlvanney, Hugh
61 A Fine Balance Mistry, Rohinton
62 The Redundancy of Courage Mo, Timothy
63 The Colour of Blood Moore, Brian
64 The Bell Murdoch, Iris
65 A House for Mr Biswas Naipaul, VS
66 The Financial Expert Narayan, RK
67 Hamnet O'Farrell, Maggie
68 1984 Orwell, George
69 Jean de Florette Pagnol, Marcel
70 Cry, the Beloved Country Paton, Alan
71 The Sunne in Splendour Penman, Sharon
72 The Memory of the Forest Powers, Charles T
73 The Yellow Birds Powers, Kevin
74 The Shipping News Proulx, Annie
75 The Wedding Queffelec, Yann
76 All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
77 Shame Rushdie, Salman
78 The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark
79 Fame is the Spur Spring, Howard
80 Golden Hill Spufford, Francis
81 The Grapes of Wrath Steinbeck, John
82 This Sporting Life Storey, David
83 Waterland Swift, Graham
84 The Gift of Rain Tan Twan Eng
85 The Heather Blazing Toibin, Colm
86 Lord of the Rings Tolkien, JRR
87 The Road Home Tremain, Rose
88 The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists Tressell, Robert
89 The Children of Dynmouth Trevor, William
90 Breathing Lessons Tyler, Anne
91 Sacred Hunger Unsworth, Barry
92 Rabbit, Run Updike, John
93 The In-Between World of Vikram Lall Vassanji, MG
94 Fingersmith Waters, Sarah
95 Ethan Frome Wharton, Edith
96 The Nickel Boys Whitehead, Colson
97 Night Wiesel, Elie
98 A Picture of Dorian Gray Wilde, Oscar
99 The Shadow of the Wind Zafon, Carlos Ruiz
100 Germinal Zola, Emile

BEST GENRE PICKS

BOUGHT AND READ IN 2022

1. Appaloosa by Robert Parker
2. The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare.
3. Without a Claim by Grace Schulman
4. Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
5. Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller
6. There, There by Tommy Orange
7. Intimacies by Katie Kitamura READ MAR 22
8. Last Train to Istanbul by Ayse Kulin READ JAN 22
9. Another Now by Yanis Varoufakis
10. A Separation by Katie Kitamura
11. Travelling in a Strange Land by David Park
12. Free Food for Millionaires by Lee Min Jee
13. Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller
14. The Lady from Tel Aviv by Rabai Al-Madhoun
15. Run Me to Earth by Paul Yoon
16. Manchester Happened by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
17. The Others by Sarah Blau READ FEB 22
18. The Order of the Day by Eric Vuillard
19. Bessie Smith by Jackie Kay
20. King Cnut by W.B. Bartlett
21. Dear Future Boyfriend by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz
22. Ottoman Odyssey by Alev Scott
23. Has the West Lost It? by Kishore Mahbubani
24. A Kind of Intimacy by Jenn Ashworth
25. A Children's Bible by Lydia Millet
26. Blanche on the Lam by Barbara Neely
27. Days in the History of Silence by Merethe Lindstrom Open Library Loan READ JAN 22
28. My Two Worlds by Sergio Chejfec (Open Library Loan) READ JAN 22
29. Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine (Open Library Loan) READ JAN 22
30. Benjamin's Crossing by Jay Parini
31. Outlawed by Anna North
32. Bestiary by K-Ming Chang
33. The Ruin of Kasch by Roberto Calasso
34. Roundabout of Death by Faysal Khartash
35. The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans
36. Salt : A World History by Mark Kurlansky
37. The Greek Myths : The Complete and Definitive Edition by Robert Graves
38. Liar by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen
39. The Histories by Tacitus
40. Silent House by Orhan Pamuk
41. The Generation Game by Sophie Duffy
42. Wild Grass by Ian Johnson
43. This Living and Immortal Thing by Austin Duffy
44. Until I Find Julian by Patricia Reilly Giff
45. The Boy With the Tiger's Heart by Linda Coggin
46. The Day of Silence and Other Stories by George Gissing
47. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams READ APR 22
48. The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney
49. Beast by Paul Kingsnorth
50. The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe
51. Heading Inland by Nicola Barker
52. Rift by Beverley Birch
53. The Cry of the Go-Away Bird by Andrea Eames
54. Modern Gods by Nick Laird
55. Swing Hammer Swing! by Jeff Torrington
56. The Sands of Mars by Arthur C Clarke
57. Coromandel Sea Change by Rumer Godden
58. A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons by Geoffrey Hindley
59. The Profiteers : Bechtel and the Men Who Built the World by Sally Denton
60. In the Wolf's Mouth by Adam Foulds
61. Daydreams of Angels by Heather O'Neill
62. The Red-Haired Woman by Orhan Pamuk
63. Opium by Salar Abdoh
64. The Nest by Kenneth Oppel READ FEB 22
65. Three Light-Years by Andrea Canobbio
66. Prague : A Novel by Arthur Phillips
67. The Lie of the Land by Amanda Craig
68. The Dark Circle by Linda Grant
69. Portable Kisses by Tess Gallagher READ FEB 22
70. Down Among the Wild Men by John Greenway
71. Fate is the Hunter by Ernest K. Gann
72. The Lover of Horses by Tess Gallagher
73. The End of the Day by Bill Clegg
74. The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan
75. The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
76. Mad Boy by Nick Arvin
77. Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World by Fareed Zakaria READ FEB 22
78. Sleeping on Jupiter Anuradha Roy
79. Son of the Century by Antonio Scurati
80. Political Order and Political Decay by Francis Fukuyama
81. The Manningtree Witches by A.D. Blackemore
82. Vertigo by WG Sebald
83. In Memory of Memory by Maria Stepanova
84. Redemption Ground by Lorna Goodison READ FEB 22
85. The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk
86. A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam
87. Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry
88. The Powerful and the Damned by Lionel Barber
89. The Better Half by Sharon Moalem
90. Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
91. Downsizing by Tom Watson
92. Desert Flower by Waris Dirie
93. Common Ground by Naomi Ishiguro
94. The Blue Between Sky and Water by Susan Abulhawa READ MAR 22
95. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari
96. They by Kay Dick
97. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
98. The Silence of Scheherazade by Defne Suman
99. Light Perpetual by Francis Spufford
100. Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa
101. The Tyranny of Merit by Michael J Sandel
102. Surviving Autocracy by Masha Gessen
103. In the Darkroom by Susan Faludi
104. The Inequality Machine by Paul Tough
105. 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson
106. The Fell by Sarah Moss READ MAR 22
107. Beautiful World, Where Are You? by Sally Rooney READ MAR 22
108. Learwife by JR Thorp
109. Matrix by Lauren Groff
110. Ghosted by Jenn Ashworth
111. The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers
112. The Dark Lake by Sarah Bailey
113. I Will Miss You Tomorrow by Heine Bakkeid
114. The Fine Art of Invisible Detection by Robert Goddard
115. All Our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton
116. The Late Sun by Christopher Reid
117. A Lie Someone Told You About Yourself by Peter Ho Davies
118. The Interpreters by Wole Soyinka
119. Things in Jars by Jess Kidd
120. A Vicious Circle by Amanda Craig
121. How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue
122. The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy
123. The Collapse of Globalism by John Ralston Saul
124. Land : How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World by Simon Winchester
125. Moonglow by Michael Chabon
126. We Are All Birds of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan
127. The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
128. Fault Lines by Emily Itami
129. Tenderness by Alison MacLeod
130. The Cold Millions by Jess Walter
131. The Great Level by Stella Tillyard
132. The Pact We Made by Layla Alammar
133. Spring by Ali Smith
134. Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith
135. The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini
136. The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
137. The Book of Form & Emptiness Ruth Ozeki
138. This One Sky Day by Leone Ross
139. The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton
140. The Push by Audrey Audrain
141. When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo
142. A Very Nice Girl by Imogen Crimp
143. Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia
144. The Familiars by Stacey Halls
145. Ill Feelings by Alice Hattrick
146. How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
147. Burntcoat by Sarah Hall
148. We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
149. Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
150. Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung READ MAY 22
151. Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder
152. Assembly by Natasha Brown
153. The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley
154. Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson
155. The Colony by Audrey Magee
156. For the Good Times by David Keenan
157. The Anarchy by William Dalrymple
158. The Lost Girls of Rome by Donato Carrisi
159. Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
160. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
161. Imperium by Ryszard Kapuscinski
162. Only Killers and Thieves by Paul Howarth
163. Southernmost by Silas House
164. A Man by Keichiro Hirano
165. Signs for Lost Children by Sarah Moss
166. Songbirds by Christy Lefteri
167. Pandemic by A.G. Riddle
168. The Philosopher Kings by Jo Walton
169. Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
170. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
171. My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
172. The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
173. Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
174. Male Tears by Benjamin Myers
175. Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy READ APR 22
176. The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
177. The Moon and Sixpence by W Somerset Maugham READ APR 22
178. The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene
179. The Bell by Iris Murdoch
180. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
181. The Sandcastle by Iris Murdoch
182. Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
183. Call it Sleep by Henry Roth
184. The Clocks in this House All Tell Different Times by Xan Brooks
185. The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka
186. O'Pioneers by Willa Cather
187. The Four Winds by Kristin Hann
188. The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy
189. Nostalgia by Mircea Cărtărescu
190. Mansfield Park by Jane Austin
191. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
192. The Kingdom by Emmanuel Carrere
193. Push by Sapphire
194. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
195. Brighton Rock by Graham Greene READ APR 22
196. Dignity by Alys Conran
197. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark READ APR 22
198. Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene
199. A Burnt Out Case by Graham Greene
200. The Rack by A.E. Ellis
|201. Autumn by Karl Ove Knausgaard READ MAR 22
202. Winter by Karl Ove Knausgaard
203. Spring by Karl Ove Knausgaard
204. Summer by Karl Ove Knausgaard
205. The Magician by Colm Toibin
206. Cakes and Ale by W. Somerset Maugham
207. Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham
208. Careless by Kirsty Capes
209. Pilgrims Way by Abdulrazak Gurnah READ APR 22
210. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
211. The Angel of History by Rabih Alameddine
212. The President's Gardens by Muhsin Al-Ramli
213. In the Country by Mia Alvar
214. Poetry Will Save Your Life by Jill Bialosky
215. Multitudes by Lucy Caldwell
216. Confession of the Lioness by Mia Couto
217. Transit by Rachel Cusk
218. West by Carys Davies
219. In the Name of the Family by Sarah Dunant
220. The Informers by Bret Easton Ellis
221. The Witches of St. Petersburg by Imogen Edwards-Jones
222. Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
223. The Turner House by Angela Fournoy
224. A Tall History of Sugar by Curdella Forbes
225. Old Men in Love by Alasdair Gray
226. The Quiet American by Graham Greene
227. The Zig Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths
228. Delicate Edible Birds by Lauren Groff
229. The Evening Road by Laird Hunt
230. Hitman Anders and the Meaning of it All by Jonas Jonasson
231. The Transition by Luke Kennard
232. A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline
233. Under the Net by Iris Murdoch
234. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
235. The Man Without a Shadow by Joyce Carol Oates
236. Running in the Family by Michael Ondaatje
237. Almost Love by Louise O'Neill
238. The Portrait by Willem Jan Otten
239. First Love by Gwendoline Riley
240. Looking for Mr. Goodbar by Judith Rossner
241. The Humbling by Philip Roth
242. The Butt by Will Self
243. The World to Come by Jim Shepard
244. The Gallery of Vanished Husbands by Natasha Solomons
245. The Dictionary of Animal Languages by Heidi Sopinka
246. In the Days of Rain by Rebecca Stott
247. The Neighborhood by Mario Vargas Llosa
248. Remember Me by Fay Weldon
249. Kipps by HG Wells
250. Resolution by A.N. Wilson
251. Animalia by Jean Baptiste Del Amo
252. The Autumn of the Ace by Louis de Bernieres
253. White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht
254. The Mother by Yvette Edwards
255. The Human Factor by Graham Greene
256. Memory of Departure by Abdulrazak Gurnah
257. Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
258. Pandora's Jar by Natalie Haynes
259. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
260. Writers & Lovers by Lily King
261. Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
262. The Painted Veil by W Somerset Maugham
263. The Razor's Edge by W Somerset Maugham
264. On Politics by Alan Ryan
265. The Exhibitionist by Charlotte Mendelson
266. Batlava Lake by Adam Mars-Jones
267. Dottie by Abdulrazak Gurnah
268. Vilette by Charlotte Bronte
269. Sovietistan by Erika Fatland
270. Mother Mother : The Sunday Times Bestseller by Annie Macmanus
271. Evelina by Fanny Burney
272. Go Big by Ed Milliband
273. Two Serious Ladies by Jane Bowles
274. A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson
275. 20 Fragment of a Ravenous Youth by Xiaolu Guo
276. Bomber by Len Deighton
277. Mrs England by Stacey Halls READ APR 22
278. The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky
279. Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
280. Elective Affinities by Johann Wolfgang Goethe
281. The Cruel Way by Ella Maillart
282. Travels With Herodotus by Ryszard Kapuscinski
283 The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
284 The Abyss and Other Stories by Leonid Andreyev
285 Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
286 The School for Good Mothers Jessamine Chan
287 Dear Child by Romy Hausmann
288 Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz
289 The Answer to Everything by Luke Kennard
290 Good Neighbours by Sarah Langan
291 The Couple Next Door Shari Lapena
292 Pleasantville by Attica Locke
293 She Lies in Wait Gytha Lodge
294 How to Disappear by Gillian McAllister
295 Little Girl Lost by Brian McGilloway
296 Paradise Lost by John Milton
297 The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid
298 Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
299 On the Eve by Ivan Turgenev
300 Ten Great Works of Philosophy commentaries by Robert Paul Wolff
includes:
301 The Death of Socrates by Plato
302 Poetics by Aristotle
303 Meditations on the First Philosophy by Rene Descartes
304 An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume
305 Prolegomena to any Future Metaphysics by Immanuel Kant
306 Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill
307 The Will to Believe by William James
308. The Waves by Virginia Woolf
309. The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford
310. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
311. The New Oxford Book of War Poetry edited by Jon Stallworthy
312. The Wish Child by Catherine Chidgey
313. Peril at End House by Agatha Christie
314. The Foundling by Stacey Halls
315. Remote Sympathy by Catherine Chidgey
316. Prep by Curtis Sittenfield
317. The Years by Virginia Woolf
318. Darkness Visible by William Golding
319. The Last Family in England by Matt Haig
320. Seasons of Purgatory by Shahriar Mandanipour
321. Painting Time by Maylis de Kerangal
322. Naked Earth by Eileen Chang
323. Child of God by Cormac McCarthy\
324. River by Esther Kinsky
325. Stet by Diana Athill
326. Animal by Lisa Tadeo
327. The Silent Woman by Janet Malcolm
328. Sonnets by William Shakespeare
329. The Italian by Ann Radcliffe
330. Flamingo by Rachel Elliott
331. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (replacement as someone borrowed it and failed to return it)
332. Suttree by Cormac McCarthy (I closed the book and left it on the train station platform)
333 Dark Avenues by Ivan Bunin
334 The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
335 The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen
336 Wild Palms by William Faulkner
337 Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez
338 The Mother by Maxim Gorky
339 Cathedral by Ben Hopkins
340 Lady Chatterley's Lover by DH Lawrence
341 The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy
342 The Wall by Jean-Paul Sartre
343 Desiree by Annemarie Selinko
344 In America by Susan Sontag
345 Smoke by Ivan Turgenev
346 Virgin Soil by Ivan Turgenev
347 The Castle of Otranto by Hugh Walpole
348 The Attack on the Mill by Emile Zola
349. The Cutting Room by Louise Welsh
350. The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer
351. Things I Don't Want to Know by Deborah Levy
352. Real Estate by Deborah Levy
353. Mouthful of Birds by Samanta Schweblin
354. Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
355. Dark Neighbourhood by Vanessa Onwuemezi
356. Katalin Street by Magda Szabo
357. The Confusions of Young Torless by Robert Musil
358. The Devil's Dance by Hamid Ismailov
359. The Behaviour of Love by Virginia Reeves
360. A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos
361. All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
362. Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy
363. Complete Poems of John Keats by John Keats
364. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
365. Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann
366. Martin Eden by Jack London
367. War and War by Laszlo Krasznahorkai
368. Selected Poetry of Percy Bysshe Shelley by Percy Bysshe Shelley
369. After the Sun by Jonas Eika
370. Selected Poetical Works of Blake by William Blake
371. The Poetry of Lord Byron by George Byron
372. Daughters of the Labyrinth by Ruth Padel
373. Gigi by Colette
374. Zorrie by Laird Hunt
375. Love in Idleness by Amanda Craig
376. Myra Breckinridge by Gore Vidal
377. The Slaughterman's Daughter by Yaniv Iczkovits
378. Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
379. Blaming by Elizabeth Taylor
380. Salt Lick by Lulu Allison
381. Wilhelm Meister by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
382. The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
383. Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah
384. Middle Passage by Charles Johnson
385. The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez
386. First Person Singular by Haruki Murakami
387. Salka Valka by Halldor Laxness
388. My Cleaner by Maggie Gee
389. The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz
390. The Diving Pool by Yoko Ogawa
391. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
392. A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin
393. Enon by Paul Harding
394. Purposes of Love by Mary Renault
395. The Guts by Roddy Doyle
396. Lanterne Rouge by Max Leonard
397. In One Person by John Irving
398. Lucky Breaks by Yevgenia Belorusets
399. Lean Fall Stand by John McGregor
400. The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles
401. The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante
402. Murmur by Will Eaves
403. The Pugilist at Rest by Thom Jones
404. My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson
405. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
406. The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict
407. A Love Story by Emile Zola
408. Madam by Phoebe Wynne
409. Below Deck by Sophie Hardcastle
410. Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
411. Men Who Feed Pigeons by Selima Hill
412. The Kids by Hannah Lowe
413. Still Life by Sarah Winman
414. Elena Knows by Claudia Pineiro
415. A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
416. Transcription by Kate Atkinson
417. Humboldt's Gift by Saul Bellow
418. Civilisations by Laurent Binet
419. Plain Pleasures by Jane Bowles
420. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
421. I Wanna Be Yours by John Cooper Clarke
422. The Death of Jesus by J.M. Coetzee
423. Second Place by Rachel Cusk
424. Roxana by Daniel Defoe
425. Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman
426. Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
427. A New Name by Jon Fosse
428. The Double Tongue by William Golding
429. Admiring Silence by Abdulrazak Gurnah
430. A Small Revolution in Germany by Philip Hensher
431. The Book of Mother by Violaine Huisman
432. The Golden Bowl by Henry James
433. Telex from Cuba by Rachel Kushner
434. Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri
435. Severance by Ling Ma
436. The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
437. Tangerine by Christine Mangan
438. Greenlights by Mathew McConaughey
439. Shakespearean by Robert McCrum
440. Beastings by Benjamin Myers
441. Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov
442. The Wanderers by Tim Pears
443. Mama Amazonica by Pascale Petit
444. The Colossus by Sylvia Plath
445. Within a Budding Grove by Marcel Proust
446. King Lear: Arden Shakespeare by William Shakespeare
447. Should We Stay or Should We Go by Lionel Shriver
448. Asylum Road by Olivia Sudjic
449. The Aenid by Virgil
450. Fools Crow by James Welch

ADDED : 450
READ : 22
BALANCE : 428

BOOK STATS

Books read : 64
Books added : 405

Days per book : 1.88
Projected total : 195
LT yearly best : 157

Pages read (completed books) : 14,216
Daily average : 118.47
Projected total : 43,240

Longest Book : 722 pages
Shortest Book : 44 pages
Average Book Length : 222.13

Gender
Male : 36
Female : 26
Various : 2

Genre :
Graphic Books : 1
Poetry : 11
Thriller/Mystery : 4
Non Fiction : 12
Fiction : 33
SF/Fantasy : 3

Origin :
USA : 13
UK : 23
Turkey : 3
Germany : 1
Egypt : 1
Ireland : 4
Norway : 2
Argentina : 1
Canada : 2
Iceland : 1
Netherlands : 1
Jamaica : 1
Israel : 2
Iraq : 1
Syria : 1
Papua New Guinea : 1
Oman : 1
Italy : 1
Tanzania : 1
Iran : 1
Various : 2

Challenges :
British Author Challenge : 3
American Author Challenge : 3
Non-Fiction Challenge : 1
Asian Book Challenge : 15
New Nobel Laureates : 1
1001 Books First Edition : 3
Guardian 1000 Books : 4
Around the World Books : 12
Holocaust Reading : 2
Booker Winners : 2
Pulitzer Winners : 1
Rebecca NYC Reads : 1

Next is yours

Happy new thread!

>1 PaulCranswick: I can easily imagine the pain, but the beauty is there too, if more elusive.

Happy new thread, Paul!

In 1973 we went on vacation in the Auvergne, a beautiful part of France.
That is a great memory, winning a 190 km race there!

Happy new thread, Paul!

>16 PaulCranswick: Didn't get much time for sightseeing as it felt at times like the tyres were sticking to the road but the view from near the top was great and I remember my giddy euphoria.

The virtual bookshelf is yours, Susan:

Happy new thread!

>18 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita.
Shame I never came close to winning again! I do like that part of France but Brittany is nearer my heart as my friends were all from there. The other area of France I adore is the Languedoc-Rousillon coast from Canet-Plage down to Port Vendres where we used to have our training camps.

>19 bell7: Thank you Mary

>21 amanda4242: Lovely to see you as always, Amanda

>2 PaulCranswick: This just landed today, tho probably won't get to it for a couple of weeks. Darryl gave it a great review.

>24 Caroline_McElwee: He did indeed wax lyrical about this one but I have also seen a few people who felt it was unduly graphic in certain respects. Looking forward to it, Caroline xx

Happy new thread and happy family reunion!

>26 AnneDC: Thanks Anne and roll on Tuesday! They are coming in on the same flight as Yasmyne did and hopefully have less hassle than she had.

>2 PaulCranswick: Not even a little bit.

>1 PaulCranswick: So beautiful! And a really great memory.

New-thread orisons.

>28 richardderus: I'm not sure it will be for me either, RD, but I do want to read more short story collections and the publisher deserves a lot of credit for the stunning cover.

The tubby wheezer of today is incredulous that I once had the puff to scamper up those narrow slopes in search of a victory not witnessed by many and remembered by even fewer.

>2 PaulCranswick: Egad, Non!

Happy new one!

Happy New Thread and congratulations on having won that bike race. That's no small achievement.

Happy new thread Paul.

>1 PaulCranswick: Nice scenery and congrats on your win.

>30 m.belljackson: The first half a dozen pages are, well, GROSS. Hopefully it will prove depraved but profound.

>31 drneutron: Thanks Jim.

>32 Kristelh: A distant memory, Kristel, but a happy one! Lovely to see you as always.

>33 humouress: One of the things that held me back as a cycle racer in the mountains was that I was an incompetent and rather nervous descender. I raced a few times in the Pyrenees and could climb the cols but was pretty shaky going down the other side. Puy de Dome had the advantage of being the only climb of great note on that particular stage which gave me something of a chance.

Happy new thread

>36 figsfromthistle: Thank you dear Anita.

Happy new thread.

>38 ArlieS: Thank you, Arlie x

Happy new thread!!

Rare flying visit from me, awesome to see you have been reading enough for both of us 😎 meanwhile have been walking more than enough - so that balances us not out right ?😂

will try to pop by more often ...

Happy new thread, Paul.
>1 PaulCranswick: Beautiful - and a little bit frightening for me. Congratulations on your win.
>2 PaulCranswick: I will look for it - again a BB.
Have a wonderful sunday!

>40 banjo123: Thank you, Rhonda. Always a pleasure to see you.

>41 roundballnz: What a great surprise, Alex and, yes you are doing the walking for both of us!

>42 SirThomas: In some ways much better going up than coming back down, Thomas. I never rode in the Alps but I am told by chaps I rode with who had that the Pyrenees anyway were tougher with often steeper and less well paved roads. I can vouch for the difficulty of Col du Tourmalet, Superbagneres, Col d'Aspin, Col d'Aubisque and Col de Peyresourde but Cumbria's Hardknott Pass that I showed you many threads earlier is just as difficult to get over in its way.

Thanks as always for lighting up my threads, Thomas.

I am doing the TIOLI Challenges again this month and there was a fiendish one about a historical fiction with some link to the Titanic. Went through my 5,000 unread books and failed to come up with anything that fit without stretching the challenge to the point of ludicrousness.
Then looking at newish releases I saw one book newly out in 2021 called The Personal Librarian about JP Morgan's personal librarian. JP Morgan owned the ill fated ship.

Luckily when I checked Kino had a copy so I pressed Yasmyne to follow me there on the pretext of buying something "to break our fast" and at the same time added:

406. The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict
407. A Love Story by Emile Zola
408. Madam by Phoebe Wynne
409. Below Deck by Sophie Hardcastle
410. Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

I want to reassemble all the Rougon Macquart books for my main challenge next year. The other three caught my eye from a display on contemporary rising fiction stars.

>45 PaulCranswick: Because of course.

>45 PaulCranswick: Indeed. Nice to see you understand me perfectly, Nina. x

>45 PaulCranswick: Ouch, you got me with that one Paul

Hi Paul. Happy new thread.
There is a book I read, historical fiction but based on true events, called The Girl Who Came Home, about a survivor of the Titanic, by Hazel Gaynor. I quite enjoyed it, and I liked that at the end of the story, she gives a little background into her research, including links to the actual memorial in Ireland where the group to which the protagonist was from, had lived before their ill-fated voyage.

Happy New Thread, Paul. I like the French topper. Reminds me a bit of Arizona.

>45 PaulCranswick: I don't think the entire Rougon-Macquart cycle has ever been translated by the same translator! I poked a little and saw only multiple names on the various titles.

...now there's an interesting publishing challenge...

ETA though at least Oxford's done the entire cycle; why is it, though, that L'assommoir never got closer than The Drinking Den to its most accurate rendering, The Dive Bar?

>48 Caroline_McElwee: It caught my eye so much, Caroline, that I downed tools and went straight to the bookshop for it!

>49 jessibud2: Thank you Shelley. I was able to find a few but I had none of them on the shelves or in the stores here. I almost suggested a cheat by reading an historical by Dan Smith, given that Smith was the name of the ill-fated Captain but I figured it to be just too tenuous.

>50 msf59: Thanks Mark. Honestly, I remember it being much more lush than it appears there.

>51 richardderus: I have eleven of them on the shelves here and, I think another four at home in the UK. I love the books but there are still a few I never read. You are right I don't think Tancock even translated all of them.
L'Assommoir and La Bete Humaine are books I always think of in the original French titles.

>53 PaulCranswick: Oxford decided to render La Terre as The Earth! Um...no. The Soil or The Dirt, but not the planet's name! Far too filthy and foul a story for that. Poor Jean.

>54 richardderus: It is a powerful novel though, RD and one of the least easily available of the Cycle even though it is definitely one of the strongest. I am not sure whether it is pretension on my part but even that one I usually keep as La Terre without trying to render it as The Soil, or The Land or whatever - agree that The Land is probably not a visceral enough title for it.

>45 PaulCranswick: Harvey Sachs' epic TOSCANINI: Musician of Conscience talks about the Titanic

as Toscanini travels on its sister ship, The Olympic.

Happy new thread!

>2 PaulCranswick: Either that is from one weird and creepy horror story or the narrator is going insane - or is already there. I'll have to check it out.

Ahh.... Karamazov.

>45 PaulCranswick: Happy weekend to you. Beryl Bainbridge's Every man for himself comes to mind when talking things Titanic.

>58 ctpress: Bless you.

>56 m.belljackson: If I am not mistaken the ill fated Captain Smith was transferred to the Titanic from the Olympic and that was not the smartest career move anyone ever made.

>57 Storeetllr: I finished the first story, Mary, and it is gross. I hope the rest of the stories improve on that or I will be disagreeing with Darryl's take on the book.

>58 ctpress: Yes, Carsten and it is a chunkster for sure but I made a start on it yesterday and I think that I will enjoy this one.

>59 avatiakh: I read that one back in the nineties, Kerry, and I still distinctly remember some of the scenes she created. I am a little worried that Bainbridge is already unfashionable as her body of work was both considerable and impressive.

>60 humouress: Wow Nina, I am impressed! All the way in Singapore and you heard Carsten sneeze!

Wordle 317 3/6

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Pretty impressive run of early wins continues.

REVIEW OF MY APRIL READING

I don't think that I have ever re-read four books in a month before and I am also not quite sure that the experience is entirely to be recommended for me (Richard was right, but I did get something out of Hardy and Greene in particular, my perspective on Spark was updated and I was slightly disappointed by Moon and Sixpence although Maugham's brilliant dialogue and narrative skills were still obvious to me). I will not count re-reads towards my book of the month.

Books read : 12 (YTD 64)

Pages Read : 3,609 (14,216)
Pages Per Day : 120.30 (118.47)

Books written by men : 8 (36)
Books written by women : 4 (26)
Various /other : 0 (2)

General/Literary Fiction : 7 (33)
Thrillers : 0 (4)
SF/Fantasy : 2 (3)
Non-Fiction : 1 (12)
Poetry : 2 (11)
Graphic Books : 0 (1)

UK Authors : 8 (23)
USA Authors : 1 (13)
Italy Authors : 1 (1)
Tanzania : 1 (1)
Iran : 1 (1)
Ireland : 0 (4)
Turkey : 0 (3)
Norway, Canada, Israel, Various : 0 (2)
Germany, Egypt, Argentina, Iceland, Netherlands, Jamaica, Iraq, Syria, Papua New Guinea, Oman : 0 (1)

Book of the Month :

Mrs England by Stacey Halls which I loved.

My Century Shelf:

I prepared one shelf in my library that contains one book from every year of the 20th century and I will be reading from that shelf every month (hopefully five a month). Also demonstrates how crammed my shelves are!

This idea of choosing one of my shelves to clear came from my sister from another mother, Stasia, although I tweaked it to make it one year one book. As usual with me there are no repeated authors, no re-reads and all books were originally written in English. This months first "five"

A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay (1920)
Being There by Jerzy Kosinski (1970)
Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid (1985)
Hostage : London by Geoffrey Household (1977)
The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer (1950)

Some of this months likely books from that shelf

Happy new thread, Paul. I enjoyed The Personal Librarian when I read it.

>45 PaulCranswick: If nonfiction were included I'd have had the perfect book - I entered it and haven't removed it yet - about a toy bear and the boy that owned it, written by the boy's mother, all three of whom were on and were rescued from, the Titanic. I have it checked out for a Titanic commemorative read in the a Hitty group and it would have done double duty. Well, I'm sure I'll find something else, but I've already read The Personal Librarian.

>67 Familyhistorian: I don't usually have to go and add a book to accommodate the TIOLI but Joyce's challenge got me thinking!

>68 quondame: It was hard to find good options, Susan. I also tried The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan but it was out of stock at the bookstore.

ASIAN BOOK CHALLENGE:

The May thread is up. This month we are venturing into the little or lesser known STANS.
Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

https://www.librarything.com/topic/341521

It is EID here or as Malaysian call it HARI RAYA.

I can smell the biryani rice cooking slowly in the adjacent kitchen as I type and I am salivating in expectation. Yasmyne has cooked it this year (a first time as Hani or Hani's mum more usually would have done this dish for me) and I am touched that she got up to make it for her Dad.

Erni is doing beef rendang and ayam masak merah (literally "red chicken" which as you can guess with her will be spicy).

Singapore surprisingly are celebrating tomorrow.

>4 PaulCranswick: My original intention was to read Brighton Rock (never read it before) but I strangely went for The Ministry of Fear instead. I'm about half way+. How was Brighton Rock?

>72 RBeffa: I think it is his first exceptional work, Ron. Tremendous sense foreboding and in the main character, Greene, created a memorable and complex villain.

Paul. did you mean to include a link in >104 quondame: PaulCranswick?

>74 quondame: I did but I am getting sloppy in my dotage, Susan. I have remedied it already. xx

EID Mubarak Paul.

Thank you, Caroline. Had a lovely meal cooked by Erni and Yasmyne. Missing Hani and Kyran but they will be here tomorrow all being well.

>1 PaulCranswick: hej Paul, I was never one for cycling races, I did a few longer tours in Switzerland and France (once a ten day tour with two friends). Then I was a cyclist in the army - and that probably killed my love for cycling

>78 paulstalder: That is interesting, Paul, that you had cyclists in the army - pedal power indeed!

Eid Mubarak, PC. I'm sure your (fire-engine) red chicken suited you down to the ground!

>80 richardderus: You would have loved it too, RD.

Speaking of fire engines, SWMBO is on the way!

Happy New Thread my friend!!

>82 hredwards: Thank you, Harold!

Eid Mubarak, Paul. Hope the rice was delicious!

Glad to hear Hani is on the way - that must be such a relief to you and bring a lot of joy to know your family will be back together again for the first time in a long while.

>81 PaulCranswick: Eid Mubarak, Paul.

Sp glad to read Hani and Kyran are on their way.

>84 bell7: It certainly was, Mary, and I am still somewhat full!
It will be nice having everybody together again.

>85 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita - it has been a long time.

Eid Mubarak, Paul.
>81 PaulCranswick: That's good news!

>87 SirThomas: Thank you Thomas

Wordle 318 3/6

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another decent performance

Eid Mubarak! Glad the family's getting back together. How are you hiding all your acquisitions from Hani? 😀

Happy new thread, Paul! Miss England is intriguing.

>61 PaulCranswick: I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it before I try it. Because although I do enjoy a good weird horror story, that one sounds a bit more ick than I prefer.

>65 PaulCranswick: Hmm, I count books I reread if I haven't previously read in at least a year, or if I read it the second time in a different format (audio versus print, mostly). (Anyway, at my age, I forget what most books are about after a year. Sometimes the next day.)

So glad Hani and Kyran are coming home today!

Eid Mubarak!

Hi Paul, Happy New Thread mate. I am glad that you will all be back together again tomorrow mate, i can imagine what the reunion will be like.

Harry Brook is having an excellent start to the season, apparently he was a little miffed when he got out as he was trying to top his Dad's highest score of 210 in the Wensleydale League, i am sure he will get there soon.

There has been some good cricket played over the first three rounds, we have had 9 double hundreds already with Shan Masood and Cheteshwar Pujara both scoring two each. Masood has a chance of getting to 1,000 runs before the end of May but he needs 287 from a maximum of four knocks, he is 150 runs in front of Ben Compton and Pujara at the moment.

Sending love and hugs to all the Cranswick clan from both of us dear friend.

Hi Paul, So glad to read that Hani and Kyran are on their way to you and family. I know it will be a very mixed blessing with Hani's mom being so sick but still it will be wonderful and important to be together. Best thoughts!

>75 PaulCranswick: Thanks.

I've downloaded, probably not for the first time, 2 1001 spreadsheets, and can't see any obvious difference. I sure think Atonement and Cryptonomicon are inferior inclusions. Even though Cryptonomicon pretty much gratuitously includes perhaps the best short piece Neal Stephenson has ever written, about the erotic possibilities of black stockings and heirloom furniture.

I am so happy to see a Family Reunion thread for you, brother :) - even if I am 95 posts late.

I hope you have a wonderful week. I know it will with Hani and Kyran on the way!

>65 PaulCranswick: Happy new thread, Paul. So glad you loved Mrs England; it's my next book to read. Also a booktuber I follow, Kate from Books and Things (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNBgyHiLdu0lVN9Hr-xTLLw) who works for a publishing house and did the editing for this book and loved it as well, so good to hear from someone else that it's wonderful.

Enjoy your time with your family and your Eid celebrations.

>90 drneutron: In plain sight, Jim, I have little choice. I have added about 500 books since she was last here and I cannot hope that she won't notice!

>91 curioussquared: Thanks Natalie. If you enjoy historical fiction like I do then you'll be swept up by Mrs England.

>1 PaulCranswick: Congratulations on the stage win!

>92 Storeetllr: Thank you, Mary. The holiday itself was strange in many ways. Firstly it had been planned to have been celebrated on Tuesday but apparently a reveal of the moon moved it forward so we got a day's less fasting. Secondly it is the first time Yasmyne was involved in the cooking of the Raya food and she pulled it off (with much of the credit going to Erni). Thirdly it was odd that Singapore stuck to the original calendar and only celebrate a day later so we were calling SIL and MIL and not being able to wish them but getting their good wishes in return. Fourthly there was the obvious pall of my MIL's terminal illness (she could barely talk on the phone). Fifthly there was the expectation of Hani, Kyran and Yasmeen arriving today (it is Tuesday here already).

I count the re-reads, Mary, as books read but don't included them in my "books of the month" cogitations which is reserved for new reads. I don't do enough re-reads though for it to be a fixed and firm policy!

>93 johnsimpson: What a find Compton appears to be John. A career average well above 50 and showing up Crawley for the unreliable player he obviously is. I am worried because Key is on record as being a big fan of Crawley who should be nowhere near the England team in my opinion. The idea that we don't have any batting options is ludicrous.
Compton, Wayne Madsen, Ben Duckett, Nick Gubbins, Harry Brook, Josh Bohannon are all on fire and should be given chances to shine.

>94 mdoris: Thank you for that lovely post, Mary. They have just left Turkey.

>95 quondame: I think that the 1001 choices generally are often bizarre. I don't get how Poe manages to get three inclusions given that all told those inclusions barely muster a 100 pages all told. It appears to be for novels but there are some NF included. How do Beckett and Henry Green warrant so many books? How could you seriously come up with 1001 books and not include I, Claudius and it is obviously too Anglo-centric.

It is still an enticing list for all its faults!

>96 alcottacre: I mentioned to Erni yesterday that we were about to re-enter the army and she nodded! We will be bossed and organised and bullied and loved in almost equal part!

>97 kac522: It felt like a throw-back, Kathy, to the days when authors simply told stories. If you are often here (which thankfully you are) you will know that I am a sucker for a good story and she serves up a good story.
I will go and check out the Book tube link.

>99 ocgreg34: Thanks Greg. It was a single day race actually copying the route of the Tour stage that year to Puy de Dome. I could not climb to the top nowadays even if it was still allowed!

>101 PaulCranswick: One version had First Man of Rome, though I don't think the one I'm going to settle on did, but I, Claudius is so much better.

>104 quondame: I think some of the inclusions are stunningly perverse and there are too many very new books which are unlikely to stand the test of time.

I like the mix of the Guardian list better.

>105 PaulCranswick: Another hour of my life gone to find I've read 213 off of that list with conservative selections, so more my thing, with more SF and Mark Twain. I know I've read some of the classic 30's mysteries and noir, but it's not what sticks in my brain, so I left off those which should be short work to get through - someday.

>106 quondame: It is less snooty than the 1001 Books and IMHO more relevant. Obviously SF/Fantasy and Humour and Thrillers are genre that have enthralled readers for generations. Still a bit too British (and that is coming from a Brit who loves his own nation's contribution to literature) but less so than the 1001 and more balanced too. No over-representation of Paul Auster, Samuel Beckett and Henry Green.

>66 PaulCranswick: Yay! Glad to see you steal the idea that I stole from someone else (I wish I could remember who!)

>102 PaulCranswick: And I am sure you will love every minute of it!

>108 alcottacre: The idea of clearing a shelf to a hoarder like me is a fascinating one, Stasia, and I couldn't do it with an ordinary one; it had to be a shelf that I had crammed with a 100 books with 100 authors spread over 100 years!

It will be nice to be "taken care of"! About to take a bath to go to the airport.

>101 PaulCranswick: And oddly I, Claudius is included in the Swedish version of the 1001.

Enjoy the arrival of the rest of the family Paul.

>110 FAMeulstee: I was astonished that it was excluded in the English version, Anita. No accounting for taste but really does Henry Green, Paul Auster and Samuel Beckett get to have multiple entries when their fiction has not really stood the test of time.

>111 Caroline_McElwee: Well they are back!!!
Just arrived back at the ranch and they are tired but happy. No glitches and indeed the plane landed an hour early.

>112 PaulCranswick: Yay! For the whole Cranswick family together again!

So happy for you and your family being back together. Enjoy!

>112 PaulCranswick: Great news Paul. Waving at family.

>113 FAMeulstee: It has been a long, long, time, Anita!

>114 Kristelh: Thank you, Kristel.

>115 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks Caroline - waving back at yer!

This is Yasmyne, Belle, myself and Erni yesterday after eating our Raya meal. A rare sighting indeed of Erni who is generally averse to the camera!

>118 PaulCranswick: - Looking good, all of you! Does Hani know of your weight loss?

And... and... not a book in sight in this photo???!

Luggage opened and I have pressies!

411. Men Who Feed Pigeons by Selima Hill
412. The Kids by Hannah Lowe
413. Still Life by Sarah Winman
414. Elena Knows by Claudia Pineiro

The veteran Selima Hill and Hannah Lowe released well regarded poetry collections in 2021. Winman's book has received a lot of love in the group but never made the shops over here and Claudia Pineiro is shortlisted for the Booker International Prize.

>119 jessibud2: There is visible behind Yasmyne in the far corner a stand full of Hani's cookery books.
Kyran commented that I had obviously lost weight, Hani does not give compliments quite so easily.

>118 PaulCranswick: such a nice picture. Beautiful women. You're okay too, Paul.

>120 PaulCranswick: Books for presents!!!! There is nothing better than fresh books smiling back at us as we check the cover, and hope what is inside is worthy of our time. So good that

>118 PaulCranswick: This is quite a wonderful photo. Family means so much to you!!!

I very much appreciate your opening images of places you have lived.

>122 Kristelh: Why thank you, Kristel!

>123 Whisper1: She will make me pay for those books, Linda!

Thanks Linda. I do love my family very much - Hani, Yasmyne, Kyran, Belle and Erni - the latter being very much an integral part of that same family.

>118 PaulCranswick: Fabulous photo, happy times! You look like a proud papa!

>118 PaulCranswick: Beautiful photo! Love to see all the happy smiles!

>100 PaulCranswick: Ah. Now I get it. I similarly don't count rereads on my "Top Favorite Reads of the Month" list. Usually.

Very strange holiday goings-on indeed! Congratulations to Yasmyne on her culinary venture (with a tip of the hat to Erni)! It all sounds delicious! So sorry about your MIL. It's good that Hani's back, and Kyran, so they can have some time with her.

Have a lovely rest of the week!

>118 PaulCranswick: How delightful! It's fun to be able to put a face to the estimable Erni.

>118 PaulCranswick: ...is...is that...Belle smiling?!

gaspclunk

>118 PaulCranswick: >120 PaulCranswick: Congratulations on both counts!

Life happened, and here I am after only 48 hours with 68 unread messages in your thread. Yikes!

I'm glad Hani and Kyran have made it back home.

>98 PaulCranswick: I hope Hani will be so glad to be back that she won't give you too much grief about the added books.

>125 mdoris: Looks are not deceiving in this instance, Mary. It was helped of course by the fact that I had just eaten!

>126 Storeetllr: It is a rarity indeed to get a photo with Belle smiling on it Mary!

Hani will go down to Singapore tomorrow to be with her mum.

>127 quondame: I know! She does have a bit of a phobia about taking photos of herself and I had to get her express permission to put up this photo here! She is a wonderful girl - the best coffee maker this side of Sao Paulo and purveyor or food spicily delicious.

>128 richardderus: Hahaha RD. That was exactly my thought when I saw this photo. Normally her 'smiles' are more akin to grimaces.

>129 alcottacre: Thank you, Juana. I guess the book additions will slow a while over here but they definitely won't stop. A constant trickle replaces a flood.

>130 ArlieS: She was fine about the books, Arlie (I don't think she has really noticed - I did a great job) but I got a rollicking for the car (where the young chap drove into the back of me) and the leaking bathroom ceiling (as if I personally caused the hole).

Kyran's girlfriend, Yasmeen is from San Francisco and seems delightful and smart (not smart enough to fall for my boy!). She was talking about how he is such a sensitive soul and the floods of tears he had been in when they last parted at the airport in Heathrow. "I've never seen a man cry so much" was the verdict and - yes - that sums the chap up!

Glad the gang is all back together again!

>135 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita! Of course the situation dictates that it won't be for too long as obviously Hani needs to go to her mother.

>118 PaulCranswick: A family photo!! So glad you will be together again!

>137 Berly: I will try to get a fuller one organised that has Hani, Kyran and Yasmeen included, although Erni is unlikely to be so accommodating again in a hurry!

Wordle 319 3/6

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The good run of quick guesses continues.

>118 PaulCranswick: >128 richardderus: That is what my first thought was, Paul, a rare smile from Belle on a photo :-)

>138 PaulCranswick: Looking forward to see the whole family together.

Must be so nice to have at least some of the family home.

>140 FAMeulstee: I will try to organise a team photo shortly, Anita.

>141 SandDune: Full complement now in place, Rhian. Until tomorrow at least!

Nice to know the missus and kids are back in town. Enjoy your family time.

>134 PaulCranswick: Yeah, I have one of those sensitive boys. Although at the moment he's opting for the 'angry teen' route.

>143 humouress: Hani will be headed your way tomorrow, Nina, to stay for a while with her mother. I get a day and a half of her company after six months but, I mustn't grumble because of course she wants to be with her mum right now.

I've gotten a lot of the Wordle puzzles in 3 or less this week.

>145 thornton37814: Me too, Lori. I just seem in tune with it these few days and I am not sure why.

Hi Paul!

From your last thread, I’m so glad that Yasmyne is home, even with the 3-hour stressful delay at the airport.

>1 PaulCranswick: I didn’t realize you were a serious cyclist, congrats on your win.

>2 PaulCranswick: Onto the wish list it goes.

>112 PaulCranswick: I’m glad that everybody’s back home.

>118 PaulCranswick: Thanks for sharing the photo of you, your girls, and Erni.

Looking forward to a photo of the entire family - including Erni if she's agreeable.

>1 PaulCranswick: It is a past tense thing, Karen. I have not ridden a bicycle for twenty years. The roads here are not safe. I will start riding again when I get back to the UK but it will not be to racing mode of course.
I was astonished Erni gave permission for me to include her photo as she normally doesn't like her image posting anywhere.

I will try to persuade her!

Happy Reunion Days!

Online "Five Books" is featuring "The Best South Asian American Novels"
chosen by Wajahat Ali.

>149 m.belljackson: I will go and look for that Marianne. Thank you dear lady.

Wordle 320 4/6

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I'm not sure where I pulled that one from to be honest.

>149 m.belljackson: To be honest, Marianne, the list is a farce. Mohsin Hamid is not American - he is British/Pakistani and Megha Majumdar remains an Indian national. There is nothing remotely American about either novel. They studied in the States and Majumdar still lives in New York but that is like saying I am a Malay poet.

The obvious omissions who are American citizens would be:
Daniyal Mueenuddin - Other Rooms, Other Wonders
Akhil Sharma - An Obedient Father
Vikram Chandra - Sacred Games
Jhumpa Lahiri - The Namesake
Ayad Akhtar - Homeland Elegies

I am disappointed that the guy put up such a carelessly sloppy list. At least get nationalities right.

>152 PaulCranswick: ...except Jhumpa Lahiri's Italian now...

Heartily seconding Vikram Chandra! What a terrific read Sacred Games was. I seem to be almost alone in this opinion, but I thought the Netflix series was really good too.

>153 richardderus: She has lived in Italy for the last decade, RD, but she remains an American citizen unlike those listed in the article.

Chandra is a great writer isn't he?

Glad to hear your family is back together for a bit, Paul!

>152 PaulCranswick: well, who knew? - except You?!

((I put better poems on Joe's site ("April") and Mark's ('Midnight Owl").))

>155 foggidawn: I am still floating on air a little bit, Foggi! Lovely to see you.

>156 m.belljackson: Well I am doing the Asian Book Challenge this year and obviously wanted to do my homework!
I have been approached by a local publishing house interested in publishing some of my poems in a collection of "local" poets which is interesting since I am not really local and very flattering. If and when it does come out I will grab a few copies for friends!

>154 PaulCranswick: I wholeheartedly agree about Chandra. I read Red Earth and Pouring Rain in my Lost Year and was so swept up in it that I still recall reading certain passages where the past-lives idea was so...personal...that it rooted me to my surface!

>157 PaulCranswick: Joe has had poems published and, way back when I was young,
I had one published in POETRY OUT OF WISCONSIN.

Since then, I've written a couple hundred more which my daughter once typed,
but have less energy now to revisit and revise...unlike Toscanini who was
wildly strong conducting symphonies all over Europe and the U.S. and London
well on into his Seventies! He and 80-plus year old Roscoe are insipiring -
he got recent rave reviews in Chicago, Norway and San Francisco,
notably the ones featuring his dog, Shuggie.

>157 PaulCranswick: What satisfying news! I hope you will be included.

>158 richardderus: I must read his Sacred Games very soon RD. Possibly next month when India is the focus of my Asian Book Challenge.

>159 m.belljackson: I am of course aware about Joe and Caroline is also a very gifted poet. I want to get some of my humble stuff in some of the UK poetry presses and will update when that happens.

>160 quondame: Likely to be the case since I was approached via a friend. My ex-neighbour's daughter is an editor there and has known me for years and is aware of some of my stuff.

Hi Paul, Just a quick flyby to catch up a bit. Glad your family is somewhat reunited. You are all looking so good!

>163 Carmenere: Thank you, Lynda. Now fully reunited!

>164 PaulCranswick: Glad to hear your family is reunited, Paul. Loved the picture, you have two beautiful daughters.

>165 EllaTim: Thanks Ella. I am taking Hani and Belle to Johor Bahru and her cousin will collect them and drive them to Singapore. Yasmyne is accompanying me and taking a turn at the wheel. Traffic is God awful!

You have a beautiful family Paul!! So glad everyone is home!!

>157 PaulCranswick: That is exciting!! Keep us posted on your authorship!

>166 PaulCranswick: Luck to you and Yasmyne driving there and back.

>118 PaulCranswick: what a lovely photo! glad you are all back together

>167 hredwards: Thank you Harold. Hani has strong genes!

>168 Berly: I will do certainly, Kimmers, but I don't expect it to be world shattering even though my small segment will shudder slightly!

>169 richardderus: Thanks RD. Ten hour round trip today with increased holiday traffic although coming back in the wee hours enabled us to get back a bit of time. We shared duties going down but I drove all the way coming back.

>170 cindydavid4: Thank you Cindy. I am very much in the background as three of the ladies in my home take centre stage.

Great to see a reunion has occurred!
And that you are tackling Dostoevsky... I look forward to the day that I open Crime and Punishment, read the whole thing, and understand it. Of course, this will require a lengthy period of solitude and silence, and maybe a trip on the Trans Siberian Railway ;)

BOOK #65



Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung
Date of Publication : 2017
Origin of Author : South Korea
Pages : 251 pp

Frankly some of these ten stories are stomach churningly gross. The idea of a creature being formed from what the body expels into the toilet is not something I particularly appreciate and I have to say, had the collection continued in exactly the same vein as the opening two stories, I would not have made it to the end.

Where she is good however Ms Chung is excellent and profound. There is an element of William Golding about one of her stories and one which I would rate as highly as any short story I have read in ages and her work, when good, is macabre but compelling.

If the reader can get past the first two stories then a treat is in store.

Furthermore the book is shortlisted for the Booker International Prize and boasts an exceptionally striking cover.

>173 LovingLit: Hahaha well I am sort of dancing around it at the moment, Megan. I am in one of my phases when reading multiple books works for me (sometimes it fails epically). I am loving my reading at present.

have you gotten a chance to open sovietistan I so would like to hear your comments

BOOK #66



Peterloo : Witnesses to a Massacre by Polyp
Date of Publication : 2019
Origin of Author(s) : UK
Pages : 109 pp

I read this book in the back of the car on the way down to Johor Bahru yesterday over three stop-start hours.

Being a socialist as well as a student of history, I know well the story of Peterloo in August 1819 and the army being called upon (Yeomanry irregulars for the most part) to put down forcibly a peaceful gathering calling for an extension of the franchise in England.

In the immediate post-Napoleonic war period Britain was in foment and the powers that be were terrified that via universal suffrage the uppity lower orders would bring ruin upon the nation. The work does a good job - despite its obvious and righteous bias - to get over the differing opinions of the time depending upon one's position then in society. With the benefit of our modern perspective it is hard to credit the horror that those enjoying privilege viewed about extending that power to the working classes and explains why other things today seen as universal wrongs were seen as natural and efficacious back then (to those in control obviously).

For someone of my background this is a timely reminder - published 200 years to the month of the massacre - of why we need to remember that our freedoms, rights and privileges were hard fought and should be treasured and preserved from those who would seek to take them away - from left or right.

>176 cindydavid4: I will be starting it very shortly, Cindy, and I must say I am energised toward it by the positive comments I have seen for it thus far. x

We got some bad news last night. Apparently Hani's mum is deemed just too weak for Chemo and the Doctor predicted to my SIL yesterday that she has barely two months to live. I told Hani to enjoy as much of that time as she can with her mum and be strong - because I am sure my MIL is going to continue being strong herself.

I am pretty devastated though to be honest.

Wordle 321 4/6

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Another very steady performance today.

>179 PaulCranswick: Oh Paul, i am so very sorry for your very difficult family news.

>181 mdoris: Hani is accepting of it, Mary, actually and I think my MIL is too.

>179 PaulCranswick: So sorry to hear that.

>179 PaulCranswick: That's sad, and the next months will be hard. I hope for you to have every comfort that will help you all through them.

>183 humouress: Thanks Nina

>184 quondame: I think we are prepared for the difficult road, Susan.

>175 PaulCranswick: I am loving my reading lately too! I have had a good run: French Braid, In the Distance (in progress) and Forty Autumns to name a few.

>179 PaulCranswick: Oh dear. That is harsh news. I'm so sorry to hear it.

>179 PaulCranswick: Sorry to hear that, Paul. Praying for you and your family.

>179 PaulCranswick: Sorry to hear this but also so glad that Hani has this opportunity to be present with her mom.

>187 ctpress: I found out from my daughter that she has been staying in Esbjerg near the German border. Do you know the place, Carsten?
Thanks for your kind wishes, Hani is in good form today because i think she is just so happy to see her mum.

>188 Kristelh: Thank you, Kristel. She has enjoyed spending the day with her mum and at least is putting on a brave face.

>179 PaulCranswick: Such harsh news Paul, my thoughts are with you all, but I'm glad Hani was able to get back and spend some time with her mom, and I'm sure with you all too. Don't forget how often your mum was a 'come back kid'. Sounds like your MiL shares some of those strengths. May she go peacefully when the time is right, but enjoy what earthly treats she can in the warmth of her family's love Paul.

>174 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the heads up on those first two stories Paul. I gird myself ha.

>179 PaulCranswick: I'm so sorry to hear that Paul - but I think Caroline has it absolutely right - and beautifully put.

Love to all your lovely family and hope you can get extra strength from being together.

>189 PaulCranswick: Yes, I know the place, Paul. Stayed there myself for a few days some years ago, visiting some friends. A fishing town at Vestkysten (West Coast) in Jutland with a lot of wind and beaches. Going to Vestkysten with family in august at a summer-house - but further north of Esbjerg. Good to know that Hani can spend time with her mon.

>179 PaulCranswick: I hope you and Hani will be able to spend good time with the lady as she prepares herself to move on.

Make it a priority.

>190 Caroline_McElwee: I do like some of the stories, Caroline but only after getting through those first two stories.

My MIL is a formidable lady, and I am sure she will continue to be so for as long as she is able.

>191 BekkaJo: Caroline, as I well know, Bekka, has a tremendous way with words. Thank you for your own lovely words. xx

>192 ctpress: She is enjoying bicycles as her Dad always did but she has complained to me about the windswept roads.

>193 richardderus: Thanks RD. It is indeed a priority.

I am sorry to hear about the news about your MIL-I hope that your family seeing her is a comfort .

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/341617

Sorry to hear Paul. Our prayers and thoughts are with your family. I think Caroline worded it perfectly. Enjoy what time you have.

Paul - sorry that the sad news got worse...
...can you bring or send photographs, music, and other good memory things?

Hi Paul -- So sorry to hear the news about your MIL. I hope the remaining time is a happy one, both making some new memories and reliving old ones. Glad everyone can be together. Wishing you and yours the best.

>196 torontoc: Thank you, Cyrel. Hani is doing her best to make her mum as happy and comfortable as possible.

>197 SilverWolf28: Thanks Silver!

>198 hredwards: Thank you Harold. Caroline did say it nicely.

>199 m.belljackson: Hani is doing what she can. My MIL wants very much to see Yasmyne but it will be about 3 weeks before she can get her passport.

>200 Berly: Thank you dear Kimmers!

>179 PaulCranswick: I'm so sorry to hear this. Though frankly, given how miserable chemo can be, the extra time she might have gotten from it might not have felt worthwhile to her.

>204 ArlieS: I am apt to agree with that, Arlie. XX

Blessings to you & your family, Paul.

So sorry to hear the latest news about your MIL mate, i hope that now that Hani is there and Yasmyne, soon, will be a comfort to her over the remaining time she has left with you all. You, the family and your MIL are all in our thoughts and prayers mate and we send you all special love and hugs mate.

Very sorry to read about your MIL, Paul. Good Hani did get to see her.
Wishing all of you comfort and strenght in this difficult time.

>206 ChrisG1: Thank you, Chris

>207 johnsimpson: Thanks John.
Ben Stokes' performance yesterday was outstanding. If that is how he will perform as England captain then I am looking forward to seeing it.

>208 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita. Hani will find the next few days tough. She sort of breezed through the first one because she was so happy to see her mum but the pain and difficulty of nursing her sick mum will be brought to bear soon. She did sterling work with my own late mum so I am sure that she is going to rise to the occasion as she always does.

>210 PaulCranswick: Do you have hospice where you live? it was a life saver for us when my mom was dying, a place she could go to be cared for and place for us to be able to stay with hre as long as we liked.

>200 Berly: So sorry to hear the news about your MIL. I hope the remaining time is a happy one, both making some new memories and reliving old ones. Glad everyone can be together. Wishing you and yours the best.

If I may, ditto this. Hugs to all of you

>211 cindydavid4: The honest answer, Cindy, is that I don't actually know. I guess there will be but Hani wants to bring her mum home and take care of her herself.

Thank you for the kind words my friend. x

Such sad news about Hani’s mother. I am very glad that Hani is able to be with her. This was one bittersweet reunion you had this week. I am sending heartfelt wishes for comfort and strength for all of your family. ❤️

Adding my thoughts to those here. I am happy that Hani is able to be there, for however long she has. I agree that it might be a good idea to look into and find out about hospice care. It's a most compassionate way to end the journey, for all involved.

{{hugs}} to you all, Paul. I hope Yasmyne can get her passport sorted out quickly.

>213 Donna828: At least we were prepared for it, Donna, and I knew I was getting the one with the other! It has been a tremendous joy to me to have Yasmyne back with me for at least a little while. Kyran and his girlfriend are also a joy to have around and his friends miraculously resurfaced and seem to be staying at my place until the sun comes up over the glass and steel towers that line the capital here.

>214 jessibud2: My mum embraced her hospice and I know was greatly appreciative (as we were) by the care and gentleness with which her last days were conducted.

Thank you, Shelley. I know that the last year has also been challenging for you in taking care of your mum and life readjustments in so many ways. Difficult days mark us out indelibly.

in addition to home hospice care, it can be offered in a hospice location where family can
be given an extra bed for 24 hour stay.

>212 PaulCranswick: Well hospice would be there if nec, but I hope Hani will be able to care for her at home.

Sorry to hear about your MIL but glad to know that Hani was able to get back to spend some time with her mum while she is still able.

>216 m.belljackson: That is ongoing in Tang Tock Seng hospital in Singapore but Hani is looking to bring her home to Malaysia and home care.

>217 cindydavid4: That is the aim, Cindy.

>218 Familyhistorian: Thank you Meg. She is revelling in the fact of being close to her mum but that initial "euphoria" will wear off and the reality of it is going to come to the fore. Her mum was feeling groggy today and needed a visit to the clinic and she pleaded with them to go to a normal clinic to avoid any hospital referral!

Wordle 322 5/6

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Another of those with multiple possibilities that worries me. One of these days I will get one of these and fail to guess the right one!

>179 PaulCranswick: so sorry to hear the news about your mother-in-law Paul!

I spent the afternoon in the bookstore and made a bit of a pig of myself:

415. A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
416. Transcription by Kate Atkinson
417. Humboldt's Gift by Saul Bellow
418. Civilisations by Laurent Binet
419. Plain Pleasures by Jane Bowles
420. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
421. I Wanna Be Yours by John Cooper Clarke
422. The Death of Jesus by J.M. Coetzee
423. Second Place by Rachel Cusk
424. Roxana by Daniel Defoe
425. Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman
426. Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
427. A New Name by Jon Fosse
428. The Double Tongue by William Golding
429. Admiring Silence by Abdulrazak Gurnah
430. A Small Revolution in Germany by Philip Hensher
431. The Book of Mother by Violaine Huisman
432. The Golden Bowl by Henry James
433. Telex from Cuba by Rachel Kushner
434. Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri
435. Severance by Ling Ma
436. The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
437. Tangerine by Christine Mangan
438. Greenlights by Mathew McConaughey
439. Shakespearean by Robert McCrum
440. Beastings by Benjamin Myers
441. Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov
442. The Wanderers by Tim Pears
443. Mama Amazonica by Pascale Petit
444. The Colossus by Sylvia Plath
445. Within a Budding Grove by Marcel Proust
446. King Lear: Arden Shakespeare by William Shakespeare
447. Should We Stay or Should We Go by Lionel Shriver
448. Asylum Road by Olivia Sudjic
449. The Aenid by Virgil
450. Fools Crow by James Welch


I don't know what happened because I only went in to buy a couple of new releases!

I also added improved editions of War and Peace and The Book of Common Prayer (I have a very old copy from my church which I have had for years but this was a lovely edition with deckled edges and it is a wonderful piece of literature that transcends mere religion.

>222 SandDune: Thanks Rhian. I think Hani found today much, much harder.

Oh I loved the Bryson, one of his early books that were just delightful. Had you read Atkinson before? another excellent writer Behind the Scenes was the first one I read and I was hooked immediately. Enjoy!

>225 cindydavid4: I really like her Jackson Brodie books, Cindy. She is a good writer and a fellow Yorkshire native.

Life after life was great tho I havn'e gotten around to reading a god in ruins one of these days

>179 PaulCranswick: {{hugs}}

>223 PaulCranswick: Ex-Libris is fantastic!

>223 PaulCranswick: GEMS!

>227 cindydavid4: I will get stuck into her books again soon. Have a couple of Jackson Brodie and her last three novels to catch up.

>228 amanda4242: I have seen a lot of love for that one on the threads, Amanda.

>229 mdoris: I am happy with them for sure, Mary.

>223 PaulCranswick: How did you even carry all those home with you? LOL

>223 PaulCranswick: !!!

You'd best be channeling Houdini there, PC, because Hani will Notice a Cranswickian haul like that.

Good luck.

Oh, and where in Hay-on-Wye did she decide you're emigrating to?

I am very sorry for the bad news about your mother-in-law, Paul. Wishing strength to Hani, and you and the family.

>223 PaulCranswick: Good haul, Paul! Not comfort food, but comfort books, maybe?

So sorry for the hard news about your mother-in-law.

>232 Berly: I met Yasmyne, Yasmeen and Kyran for dinner in KLCC and they got a bag each!

>233 richardderus: My biggest concern RD is going to be how to get most of those books to the UK and finding a suitable place to put them all.
Hay on Wye would be nice for sure but a little inconvenient for work!
I have been looking at fairly old houses in the Broomhill area of Sheffield which have quite high ceilings and plenty of opportunities for book shelving.

>234 EllaTim: To be honest, Ella, the bookstore was having trouble with its server yesterday and queues were forming to pay. I stayed on hoping the queues would die down and the problem get resolved which it didn't. I know they maintain an extra cashier at the Japanese book section which is known to those of us who regularly frequent the store so I managed to jump the queues a little in the end but by the time I determined to go that route I had filled my basket with an unwieldy number of books!

>235 banjo123: Thank you, Rhonda. xx

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Almost a disaster today!

Hi, Paul. Nice book haul. I picked up some on Friday at the used book sale fund raiser. My thoughts and prayers are with you continuously.

>239 Kristelh: Thank you Kristel. I will go over and see what books you have added.

BOOK #67



Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid
Date of Publication : 1985
Origin of Author : Antigua
Pages : 148 pp

This is a book that is included in the 1001 books first edition but one which I find slight and only half realised.

What there is is well done as we follow Annie through her youth into school and beyond.

The cornerstone of the book is the relationship with her mother and how that relationship defines and modifies as Annie gets older and comes into more knowledge about herself and the world around her.
It is also the most profound and important part of the writing the observation that a mother loves but that love is codified by hopes, fears, pride and shame.

Pleased I read it but I wouldn't find a place for it amongst my must-read volumes.

>223 PaulCranswick: A very nice haul, I just ordered more books myself and A God In Ruins was on my list but it was all sold out so I sadly could not get a copy - waiting for it to hopefully restock. Just picked up Fool's Crow in my previous haul as well.

Also saw in previous posts you moved up reading The Brothers Karamazov to this month instead of December. Was looking forward to reading it then but hope you enjoy it now. I can't pick up anymore long reads until I can get through The Worm Ouroboros. I'll keep an eye out for if you read War and Peace yet this year though as that one's already on my shelf.

Also, sorry to hear the unfortunate family news. Best to you and yours.

>236 PaulCranswick: Broomhill is where I used to live when I was at Uni in Sheffield Paul. I went back recently when Jacob was looking around universities and it would be a nice place to live if you are looking to live in a larger city.

>242 WhiteRaven.17: I couldn't resist picking up both the two Atkinson books I don't currently own, Kro.
The speed I am getting through Karamazov it could well still be on the reading table in December!
I do want to read War and Peace reasonably soon but I don't plan to get to it in 2022 - possibly early 2023.

Thanks for the kind wishes. xx

>243 SandDune: I remember well your telling me that Broomhill was your student hangout, Rhian. I love the cafe culture that seems to have grown up there and I think Hani will want to stay in Sheffield over Leeds, Wakefield and Holmfirth which would be more natural places for a West Yorkshire chap to gravitate to. Eccleshall, Fulwood, Dore and Whirlow are probably a bit expensive and I love the older houses in Broomhill as they have tremendous character.

Bad news and good news today.

The bad news is pretty bad in that MIL has again contracted COVID (her second bout) and is being taken into hospital isolation as I type.

The bittersweet news is that Hani and Belle are going to come back up to KL whilst she is quarantined.

>245 PaulCranswick: Oh, no. I'm so sorry. Hug Hani from me.

>246 richardderus: Thanks RD. I will give her a big hug for both of us when she gets back.

Oh no, Paul, that is awful. But if Hani and Belle had been with her, are they too, not required to isolate (quarantine) for a period of time?

>248 jessibud2: I don't understand the rules at all Shelley but apparently not. Seems strange that they can simply head back over an international border and then come straight up to KL without a bye or leave. I will welcome them home of course but Belle, Erni and I managed to stay free from COVID this whole time and are now being exposed to it.

Oh no! More bad new, and the cursed COVID this time. I hope all the rest of you avoid getting it. Happy Mother's Day to Hani (and her Mom).

>245 PaulCranswick: That's terrible. I'm so sorry to hear that.

>250 Berly: Thanks Kimmers. Hani, Kyran & Yasmyne have all had it already but Erni, Belle and I have avoided it thus far so let's see what happens.

>251 ArlieS: I am not exactly the jolliest of fellows at the moment, Arlie, am I?

>248 jessibud2: >249 PaulCranswick: I wondered that too, but if Hani and Belle have to leave, then they will be best off at home. I hope you will be as well.

>253 quondame: They just arrived! Five in the morning but I couldn't sleep waiting for them. Not the best preparation for my return to work.

>254 PaulCranswick: I hope you all get whatever rest you need.

>255 quondame: About 1 hour sleep and I am off to work. Not ideal but then again it will not be ideal of course as the situation sucks. Hani is really down.

>256 PaulCranswick: As who can blame her for being. I'm so sad thinking of being in her shoes, please tell her I'm always ready to lend an ear or a shoulder.

>257 richardderus: You are a good fellow, RD. She is struggling at the moment - I will let her know.

BOOK #68



The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe
Date of Publication : 1844
Origin of Author : USA
Pages : 99 pp

Poe wrote three Auguste Dupin short stories (Murders in the Rue Morgue, Marie Roget and The Purloined Letter) and I read all three here so I wouldn't feel as if I was cheating by counting the title story as a book at a mere 20 pages.

It is included in the 1001 books first edition and I am at a loss to see why. Even as a short story it is far from perfect, although superior to the first two stories and if Dickens is charged with undue verbosity then let's not get started with the jingle-jangled flowery prose of Poe. Denser than a London pea souper.

These stories were meant to be the pre-cursor to the detective novel. Had the detective novel followed his model nobody would have sold any books. Not my bag, I have to admit.

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Brain not working so well this morning - I am a bit frazzled honestly but I got safely home.

>259 PaulCranswick: It is included in the 1001 books first edition and I am at a loss to see why.

Probably because of its historical significance as a proto-detective story.

and if Dickens is charged with undue verbosity then let's not get started with the jingle-jangled flowery prose of Poe

At least Poe had the good grace to confine himself primarily to short stories rather than tedious door-stoppers. ;)

>261 amanda4242: I think to include three short short stories in the list by Poe is taking the piss to be honest. I get that one of the selection panel obviously liked him but the purpose surely was to find the 1001 books and none could be fairly described as a book.

His one attempt at a novel Arthur Gordon Pym was a mess IMHO.