PAUL C WITH A CLEAN SLATE IN '22 - Part 29

SCENES FROM MY PAST

We are getting closer as the year progresses into November and Malaysia appears. My first full day of work in Malaysia was inspecting our project on the east coast in Terengganu, a power station and my first full evening was spent here a private beach at Tanjung Jara near Dungun. Close by the A Town Like Alice locale. No wonder I didn't rush back.

The Opening Words -

A book I have had on my shelves for a while is Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar which will all being well bring up my second TIOLI sweep of the year.




" My dear Mark,
Today I went to see my physician Hermogenes, who has just returned to the villa from a rather long journey in Asia. No food could be taken before the examination, so we had made the appointment for the early morning hours. I took off my cloak and tunic and lay down on a couch. I spare you details which would be as disagreeable to you as to me, the description of the body of a man who is growing old, and is about to die of a dropsical heart."

Intereted..................................?

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
69. Sovietistan by Erika Fatland (2014) 470 pp Non-Fiction/Travel
70. The Kids by Hannah Lowe (2021) 79 pp Poetry
71. Mouthful of Birds by Samanta Schweblin (2010) 228 pp Short Stories
72. The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles (2021) 420 pp Fiction
73. The Devil's Dance by Hamid Ismailov (2016) 405 pp Fiction / Asian Book Challenge
74. The Bell by Iris Murdoch (1957) 350 pp Fiction / Re-read
75. War : How Conflict Shaped Us by Margaret MacMillan (2020) 289 pp Non-Fiction
76. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (1859) 394 pp Fiction / Re-read

3,242 pages

JUNE

77. Has the West Lost It? by Kishore Mahbubani (2018) 91 pp Non-Fiction/Asian Book Challenge
78. Selected Poems : Anna Akhmatova by Anna Akhmatova (1985) 147 pp Poetry
79. The 3 Mistakes of My Life by Chetan Bhagat (2008) 258 pp Fiction/Asian Book Challenge
80. Murmur by Will Eaves (2018) 176 pp Fiction
81. Bessie Smith by Jackie Kay (1997) 194 pp Non-Fiction / BAC
82. The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue (2020) 295 pp Fiction/Capitals-Dublin
83. A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam (2007) 287 pp Fiction/ Asian Book Challenge
84. Promised You a Miracle by Andy Beckett (2015) 387 pp Non Fiction / History
85. Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree (2018) 732 pp Fiction / Asian Book Challenge
86. The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare (1983) 135 pp Fiction
87. All the Names Given by Raymond Antrobus (2021) 77 pp Poetry
88. Batlava Lake by Adam Mars-Jones (2021) 99 pp Fiction / Capitals-Pristina
89. A Girl in Exile by Ismail Kadare (2009) 186 pp. Fiction / Capitals-Tirana
90. Ludmila by Paul Gallico (1959) 65 pp Fiction / Capitals-Vaduz
91. Zorrie by Laird Hunt (2020) 161 pp Fiction
92. First Love by Gwendoline Riley (2017) 167 pp Fiction / Capitals-London

3,457 pages

Books Read Third Quarter

July

93. Imperium by Ryszard Kapuscinski (1993) 337 pp Non-Fiction /ATW (Poland)
94. The Late Sun by Christopher Reid (2021) 77 pp Poetry
95. The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka (2011) 129 pp Fiction / Asian Book Challenge
96. Waiting by Ha Jin (1999) 308 pp Fiction / Asia Book Challenge
97. The Morning Gift by Eva Ibbotson (1993) 507 pp Fiction / Capitals- Vienna
98. Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman (1998) 125 pp Non-Fiction
99. I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman (1995) 188 pp Fiction
100. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding (1749) 877 pp Fiction /BAC / 1001 Books
101. Breathtaking by Rachel Clarke (2021) 217 pp Non-Fiction
102. The Mothers by Brit Bennett (2016) 275 pp Fiction

3,040 pages

August

103. The Man Who Planted Trees by Jean Giono (1953) 42 pp Fiction
104. The Master of Go by Yasunari Kawabata (1951) 182 pp Fiction / Asian Book Challenge
105. Nemesis by Rory Clements (2019) 445 pp Thriller / BAC
106. Aesop's Fables by Aesop (bc 570) 212 pp Fiction / 1001 books
107. Earthlings by Sayaka Murata (2018) 247 pp Fiction / Asian Book Challenge
108. Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami (2001) 176 pp Fiction/ Asian Book Challenge
109. A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman (1978) 634 pp Non-Fiction

1,938 pages

September

110. Downsizing by Tom Watson (2020) 244 pp Non-Fiction/TIOLI #1
111. My Brilliant Life by Kim Ae-ran (2011) 203 pp Fiction / TIOLI #2 ABC Challenge
112. Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey (2020) 279 pp Non-Fiction/NF Challenge / TIOLI #6
113. High Windows by Philip Larkin (1964) 46 pp Poetry / TIOLI #16
114. Treacle Walker by Alan Warner (2022) 152 pp Fiction
115. The Barefoot Woman by Scholastique Mukasonga (2008) 153 pp
116. The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon (1957) 138 pp Fiction / 1001 Books

1,215 pages

Books Read 4th Quarter

October

117. Asterix le gaulois by Rene Goscinny (1961) 48 pp Graphic Novel/OPEN LIBRARY
118. The Murderer by Roy Heath (1978) 210 pp Fiction/ATW - Guyana
119. A Girl's Story by Annie Ernaux (2016) 156 pp Fiction / Nobel Winner
120. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (1959) 246 pp Fiction
121. Ransom by Michael Symmons Roberts (2021) 88 pp Poetry
122. The Crofter and the Laird by John McPhee (1969) 159 pp Non-Fiction/AAC/OPEN LIBRARY
123. Britain's Royal Families by Alison Weir (1989) 331 pp Non-Fiction
124. Jubilee Lines edited by Carol Ann Duffy (2012) 134 pp Poetry
125. 11.22.63 by Stephen King (2011) 740 pp SF/Fantasy
126. The Blue Sky by Galsang Tschinag (1994) 201 pp Fiction/Asian Book Challenge/ATW - Mongolia
127. The Punch by Noah Hawley (2008) 245 pp Fiction
128. Crewe Train by Rose Macaulay (1928) 277 pp Fiction / Capitals - Andorra la Vella
129. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka (2022) 386 pp Fiction/Booker/ATW - Sri Lanka
130. Appaloosa by Robert B. Parker (2005) 290 pp Fiction /Secret Santa
131. There, There by Tommy Orange (2018) 290 pp Fiction
132. The Five by Hallie Rubenhold (2019) 352 pp Non-Fiction
133. A Journal of the Flood Year by David Ely (1992) 223 pp Fiction
134. The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna (2010) 445 pp Fiction / ATW- Sierra Leone

4,821 pages

November

135. Me by Elton John (2019) 376 pp Non-Fiction
136. The Rest of Love by Carl Phillips (2004) 66 pp Poetry

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 : 35 / 58
BOOKERS IN 2022 : 2 (36 / 57)
The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

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 2 (76/119)
Poems by Giosue Carducci
A Girl's Story by Annie Ernaux

1001 BOOKS FIRST ED READ BY DEC 2021 : 319
1001 BOOKS IN 2022 8 (327)
My Name is Red
Tarka the Otter
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Annie John
The Purloined Letter
Tom Jones
Aesop's Fables
The Lonely Londoners

GUARDIAN 1000 BOOKS READ BY DEC 2021 : 349
GUARDIAN BOOKS IN 2022 5 (354)
My Name is Red
Lolly Willowes
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Weaveworld
Tom Jones

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
June - Bessie Smith by Jackie Kay
July - 18th Century - Tom Jones by Henry Fielding
August - Espionage - Nemesis by Rory Clements
September - Sequels/Adaptations etc -
October - Lawrence Durrell & Aminatta Forna

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
June - John Dos Passos
July -
August -
September - Pulitzers - The Optimist's Daughter
October - John McPhee - The Crofter and the Laird

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
1. The Devil's Dance (Uzbekistan)

JUNE - The Indian Sub-Continent - Essentially authors from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
Link to thread : https://www.librarything.com/topic/342060#n7866381
1. The 3 Mistakes of My Life
2. A Golden Age
3. Tomb of Sand
4. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

JULY - The Asian Superpower - Chinese Authors
Link to thread : https://www.librarything.com/topic/342727#n7879104
1. Waiting by Ha Jin

AUGUST - Nippon - Japanese Authors
Link to thread : https://www.librarything.com/topic/343245#n7895968
1. The Master of Go
2. Earthlings
3. Strange Weather in Tokyo

SEPTEMBER - Kimchi - Korean Authors
1. Cursed Bunny
2. My Brilliant Life

OCTOBER - INDO CHINA PLUS - Authors from Indo-China and other countries neighbouring China
1. The Blue Sky

NOVEMBER - The Malay Archipelago - Malaysian, Singaporean and Indonesian Authors
1. Has the West Lost It?

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
5. The Buddha in the Attic

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
61. Uzbekistan - The Devil's Dance by Hamid Ismailov - ASIA PACIFIC
62. Singapore - Has the West Lost It? by Kishore Mahbubani - ASIA PACIFIC
63. Ukraine - Selected Poems: Anna Akhmatova by Anna Akhmatova - EUROPE
64. Bangladesh - A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam - ASIA PACIFIC
65. Albania - A Girl in Exile by Ismail Kadare - EUROPE
66. Poland - Imperium by Ryszard Kapuscinski - EUROPE
67. China - Waiting by Ha Jin - ASIA PACIFIC
68. Greece - Aesop's Fables by Aesop - EUROPE
69. Rwanda - The Barefoot Woman by Scholastique Mukasonga - AFRICA
70. Guyana - The Murderer by Roy Heath - AMERICAS
71. Mongolia - The Blue Sky by Galsang Tschinag - ASIA PACIFIC
72. Sri Lanka - The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka - ASIA PACIFIC
73. Sierra Leone - The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna - AFRICA


Create Your Own Visited Countries Map

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

GENRE BOOKS

FICTION FROM THE EUROPEAN CAPITALS
(Started 1 June 2022)

1. DUBLIN (Republic of Ireland) - The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue COMP JUNE 22
2. PRISTINA (Kosovo) - Batlava Lake by Adam Mars-Jones COMP JUNE 22
3. TIRANA (Albania) - A Girl in Exile by Ismail Kadare COMP JUNE 22
4. VADUZ (Liechtenstein) - Ludmila by Paul Gallico COMP JUNE 22
5. LONDON (England) - First Love by Gwendoline Riley COMP JUNE 22
6. VIENNA (Austria) - The Morning Gift by Eva Ibbotson COMP JULY 22
7. ANDORRA LA VELLA - Crewe Train by Rose Macaulay COMP OCT 22


Create Your Own Visited European Countries Map

BOOKS OF THE MONTH

January - Small Things Like These
February - If Beale Street Could Talk
March - Intimacies
April - Mrs England
May - Sovietistan
June - The Pull of the Stars
July - Tom Jones
August - Strange Weather in Tokyo
September -

BOUGHT AND READ IN 2022

1 Opium Abdoh
2 The Blue Between Sky and Water Abulhawa READ
3 Mornings in Jenin Abulhawa
4 There Was a Country Achebe
5 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Adams READ
6 The Wasington Decree Adler-Olsen
7 The Aeinid by Virgil
8 Trouble With Product X Aiken
9 The Naked Don't Fear the Water Aikins
10 What a Strange Paradise Akkad
11 Leave the World Behind Alam
12 The Angel of History Alameddine
13 The Pact We've Made Alammar
14 Cwen Albina
15 The Book of Three Alexander
16 Boys in Zinc Alexievich
17 Bitter Orange Tree Alharthi
18 The Bread the Devil Knead Allen-Agostini
19 Salt Lick Allison
20 The President's Gardens Al-Ramli
21 In the Country Alvar
22 Animalia Amo
23 A Golden Age Anam READ
24 The Bones of Grace Anam
25 The Good Muslim Anam
26 Fantasyland Andersen
27 The Abyss and Other Stories Andreyev
28 All the Names Given Antrobus READ
29 Twilight of Democracy Applebaum
30 Red Famine Applebaum
31 Dear Future Boyfriend Aptowicz
32 The Golden Ass Apuleius
33 Eichmann in Jerusalem Arendt
34 The Travelling Cat Chronicles Arikawa
35 Under the Blue Aristide
36 The Dollmaker Arnow
37 Mad Boy Arvin
38 A Kind of Intimacy Ashworth
39 Ghosted Ashworth
40 Stet Athill
41 A God in Ruins by K Atkinson
42 Transcription by K Atkinson
43 The British are Coming by R Atkinson
44 Dearly Atwood
45 The Testaments Atwood
46 The Push Audrain
47 Mansfield Park Austen
48 Northanger Abbey Austen
49 Bunny Awad
50 Tower Bae
51 How the World Thinks Baggini
52 The Dark Lake Bailey, S
53 A Peace of the World Baker- Kline
54 I Will Miss You Tomorrow Bakkeid
55 When We Were Birds Banwo
56 The Powerful and the Damned Barber
57 Heading Inland Barker, N
58 The Women of Troy Barker, P
59 Night Boat to Tangier Barry
60 Shadows on the Road Barry, M
61 King Cnut Bartlett
62 Last Days in Old Europe Bassett
63 The Inseperables Beauvoir
64 Promised You a Miracle Beckett READ
65 Two Tribes Beckett, C
66 Staligrad Beevor
67 Humboldt's Gift Bellow
68 The Victim Bellow
69 Lucky Breaks Belorusets
70 The Personal Librarian Benedict
71 The Mothers Bennett READ
72 A Manual for Cleaning Women Berlin
73 The Diary of a Country Priest Bernanos
74 The Autumn of the Ace Bernieres
75 Poetry Will Save Your Life Bialosky
76 The Wars of the Roses : The Bloody Struggle for England's Throne Bicheno
77 Civilisations Binet
78 Rift Birch, B
79 Britain 1851-2021 Black
80 The Manningtree Witches Blackmore
81 Lorna Doone Blackmore, RD
82 Selected Poetical Works of Blake Blake
83 The Others Blau READ
84 Heritage Bonnefoy
85 The Beast of the Camargue Bonnot
86 The Hiding Place Boom
87 Two Serious Ladies Bowles
88 Plain Pleasures Bowles
89 White Crysanthemum Bracht
90 Stay With Me Till Morning Braine
91 Illyrian Spring Bridge
92 The Ascent of Man Bronowski
93 Vilette Bronte, C
94 Wuthering Heights Bronte, E
95 Maud Martha Brooks, G
96 The Clocks in this House All Tell Different Times Brooks, X
97 Seven Ways to Change the World Brown
98 Assembly Brown, N
99 Stand on Zanzibar Brunner
100 Notes from a Small Island Bryson
101 Glory Bulawayo
102 Moneyland Bullough
103 Dark Avenues Bunin
104 The Shape of Things to Come Burch
105 Reflections on the Revolution in France Burke
106 Case Study Burnet
107 Evelina Burney
108 Junky Burroughs
109 Perfidious Albion Byers
110 The Poetry of Lord Byron Byron
111 The Road to Oxiana Byron
112 August 1914 : France and the Great War Cabanes
113 Money and Power Cable
114 The Ruin of Kasch Calasso
115 Multitudes Caldwell, L
116 Mr Palomar Calvino
117 Riccardino Camilleri
118 Three Light Years Canobbio
119 Careless Capes
120 The Kingdom Carrerre
121 The Lost Girls of Rome Carrisi
122 Nostalgia Cartarescu
123 Queenie Carty-Williams
124 O'Pioneers Cather
125 And the Ass Saw the Angel Cave
126 Don Quixote Cervantes
127 Moonglow Chabon
128 The School for Good Mothers Chan
129 Red Earth and Pouring Rain Chandra
130 Love and Longing in Bombay Chandra
131 Naked Earth Chang
132 Bestiary Chang, K-Ming
133 The Paris Library Charles READ
134 The Canterbury Tales Chaucer
135 The Immortals Chaudhuri
136 My Two Worlds Chejfec READ
137 Grant Chernow
138 The Wish Child Chidgey
139 Remote Sympathy Chidgey
140 Echoes from the City Christensen
141 Peril at End House Christie
142 Cursed Bunny Chung READ
143 The Hunt for Red October Clancy
144 Time and Power Clark
145 Civilisations Clark
146 I Wanna Be Yours Clarke
147 Breathtaking Clarke READ
148 The Dark Knight and the Puppet Master Clarke
149 The Sands of Mars Clarke, AC
150 The End of the Day Clegg
151 Hitler's Secret Clements
152 A Prince and a Spy Clements
153 The Death of Jesus Coetzee
154 The Boy With the Tiger's Heart Coggin
155 The Netanyahus Cohen
156 The Future of Capitalism Collier
157 A House and It's Head Compton-Burnett
158 Manservant and Maidservant Compton-Burnett
159 310. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
160 Dignity Conran
161 Fate Consiglio
162 Confession of the Lioness Couto
163 Love in Idleness Craig
164 The Lie of the Land Craig, A
165 A Vicious Circle Craig, A
166 A Very Nice Girl Crimp
167 Dr Finlay's Casebook Cronin
168 Transit Cusk
169 Second Place Cusk
170 A Winter's Promise Dabos
171 The Anarchy Dalrymple
172 All Our Shimmering Skies Dalton
173 Damnation Spring Davidson, A
174 Kolymsky Heights Davidson, L
175 Beneath Another Sky Davies
176 West Davies, C
177 Justice on Trial Daw
178 Roxana Defoe
179 Bomber Deighton
180 Blood, Tears and Folly Deighton
181 The Profiteers Denton
182 Meditations of the First Philosophy Descartes
183 Trust Diaz
184 Martian Time-Slip Dick
185 They Dick, K
186 David Copperfield Dickens
187 A Spare Life Dimkovska
188 Desert Flower Dirie
189 Crime and Punishmen Dostoevsky
190 The Gambler Dostoevsky
191 The Guts Doyle
192 Jerusalem the Golden Drabble
193 This Living and Immortal Thing Duffy, A
194 The Generation Game Duffy, S
195 In the Name of the Family Dunant
196 The Dud Avocado Dundy
197 Justine Durrell
198 Balthazar Durrell
199 Mountolive Durrell
200 Clea Durrell
201 White Eagles Over Serbia Durrell
202 Monsieur Durrell
203 Suspicion Durrenmatt
204 The Cry of the Go-Away Bird Eames
205 The Informers Easton Ellis
206 Murmur Eaves READ
207 The Mother Edwards
208 The Witches of St Petersburg Edwards-Jones
209 Manhattan Beach Egan
210 After the Sun Eika
211 Flamingo Elliott
212 The Rack Ellis
213 The Waiting Years Enchi
214 The Dangers of Smoking in Bed Enriquez
215 The Sentence Erdrich
216 Returning to Rheims Eribon
217 The Office of Historical Corrections Evans, D
218 Telephone Everett
219 The Trees Everett
220 Ex Libris Fadiman READ
221 The Volunteer Fairweather
222 In the Darkroom Faludi
223 Everything is True Farooki
224 Sovietistan Fatland READ
225 Wild Palms Faulkner
226 Soldier's Pay Faulkner
227 Colossus Ferguson
228 Doom Ferguson
229 The Days of Abandonement Ferrante
230 The Story of a New Name Ferrante
231 Then We Came to the End Ferris
232 The Europeans Figes
233 The Whisperers Figes
234 The Body Snatchers Finney
235 The Package Fitzek
236 Effi Briest Fontane
237 A Tall History of Sugar Forbes
238 The Good Soldier Ford
239 The Longest Journey Forster
240 The Outsider Forsyth
241 A New Name Fosse
242 The Other Name Fosse
243 In the Wolf's Mouth Foulds
244 The Turner House Fournoy
245 Booth Fowler
246 Padagogy of the Oppressed Freire
247 Political Order and Political Decay Fukuyama
248 Identity Fukuyama
249 Unsettled Ground Fuller
250 The Great Crash 1929 Galbraith
251 Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch Galchen
252 Take Nothing With You Gale
253 Small Circle of Beings Galgut
254 Portable Kisses Gallagher, T READ
255 The Lover of Horses Gallagher, T
256 Mrs Arris Goes to Paris Gallico
257 Fate is the Hunter Gann
258 Of Women and Salt Garcia
259 Treacle Walker Garner READ
260 The Checklist Manifesto Gawande
261 The Yellow House Gayford
262 My Cleaner Gee
263 Breakout at Stalingrad Gerlach
264 Surviving Autocracy Gessen
265 Enbury Heath Gibbons
266 Until I Find Julian Giff
267 Gigi Colette
268 The Gardens of Mars Gimlette
269 The Man Who Planted Trees Giono READ
270 The Day of Silence Gissing
271 The Death of a Mafia Don Giuttari
272 A Florentine Death Giuttari
273 Talking to Strangers Gladwell
274 The Fine Art of Invisible Detection Goddard
275 Coromandel Sea Change Godden, R
276 Elective Affinities Goethe
277 Wilhelm Meister Goethe
278 Darkness Visible Golding
279 The Double Tongue Golding
280 Olga Dies Dreaming Gonzalez
281 Redemption Ground Goodison READ
282 The Mother Gorky
283 The Dark Circle Grant, L
284 The Greek Myths Graves
285 Straw Dogs Gray
286 Old Men in Love Gray
287 The Heart of the Matter Greene
288 Brighton Rock Greene READ
289 Our Man in Havana Greene
290 A Burnt out Case Greene
291 The Quiet American Greene
292 The Human Factor Greene
293 The End of the Affair Greene
294 Down Among the Wild Men Greenway
295 Rose Nicholson Greig
296 The Zig Zag Girl Griffiths
297 Matrix Groff
298 Delicate Edible Birds Groff
299 The Storyteller Grohl
300 Liar Gundar-Goshen
301 Pilgrims Way Gurnah READ
302 Memory of Departure Gurnah
303 Dottie Gurnah
304 Paradise Gurnah
305 Admiring Silence Gurnah
306 Red Birds Haif
307 The Last Family in England Haig
308 Burntcoat Hall, S
309 The Familiars Halls
310 Mrs England Halls READ
311 The Foundling Halls
312 The Quarry Halls, B
313 The Last White Man Hamid
314 For the Glory Hamilton
315 The Pages Hamilton
316 The Left Handed Woman Handke
317 The Great Alone Hannah
318 The Four Winds Hannah, K
319 The 1619 Project Hannah-Jones
320 21 Lessons for the 21st Century Harari
321 The Art of Fielding Harbach
322 Below Deck Hardcastle
323 Enon Harding
324 Far From the Madding Crowd Hardy READ
325 The Mayor of Casterbridge Hardy
326 Tess of the D'Urbervilles Hardy
327 The Woodlanders Hardy
328 Jude the Obscure Hardy
329 I Who Have Never Known Men Harpman READ
330 The Other Black Girl Harris
331 Tender Harwicz
332 Shadowless Hasan
333 Ill Feelings Hattrick
334 The Wall Haushofer
335 Dear Child Hausmann
336 Pandora's Jar Haynes
337 The Mere Wife Headley
338 The Murderer Heath READ
339 The Paper Palace Heller
340 True at First Light Hemingway
341 Death in the Afternoon Hemingway
342 A Moveable Feast Hemingway
343 Never Again Hennessy
344 A Small Revolution in Germany Hensher
345 Too Far to Walk Hersey
346 The Glass Bead Game Hesse
347 Emergency Hildyard
348 Men Who Feed Pigeons Hill
349 A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons Hindley
350 The Outsiders Hinton
351 A Man Hirano
352 A Lie Someone Told About Yourself Ho Davies
353 The Age of Empire Hobsbawm
354 The Age of Extremes Hobsbawm
355 Dominion Holland
356 Cathedral Hopkins
357 Moonflower Murders Horowitz
358 The House of Silk Horowitz
359 The Hunting Dogs Horst
360 Southernmost House
361 All Change Howard
362 The Windsor Diairies Howard
363 Only Killers and Thieves Howarth
364 The Book of Mother Huisman
365 An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding Hume
366 Zorrie Hunt READ
367 The Evening Road Hunt, L
368 Jonah's Gourd Vine Hurston
369 Island Huxley
370 The Morning Gift Ibbotson READ
371 The Slaughterman's Daughter Iczkovits
372 Headlong Ings
373 In One Person Irving
374 Bullet Train Isaka
375 Klara and the Sun Ishiguro, K
376 Common Ground Ishiguro, N
377 The Prince of West End Avenue Isler
378 The Devil's Dance Ismailov READ
379 Fault Lines Itami
380 The Librarian of Auschwitz Iturbe
381 The Will to Believe James
382 The Golden Bowl James
383 The Tusk that Did the Damage James, T
384 The Loves Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois Jeffers
385 The Changeling Jenkins
386 Middle Passage Johnson, C
387 Fen Johnson, D
388 Wild Grass Johnson, I
389 My Monticello Johnson, JN
390 A Deeper Shade of Blue Johnston
391 Hitman Anders and the Meaning of it All Jonasson
392 The Pugilist at Rest Jones
393 Realm Divided Jones, D
394 Palmares Jones, G
395 Corregidora Jones, G
396 Breathe Joyce
397 A Girl in Exile Kadare READ
398 Prolgemena on any future Metaphysics Kant
399 Imperium Kapuscinski READ
400 Travels with Herodotus Kapuscinski
401 The Emperor Kapuscinski
402 The Sound of the Mountain Kawabata
403 Before the Coffee Gets Cold Kawaguchi
404 Breasts and Eggs Kawakami
405 All the Lovers in the Night Kawakami
406 Bessie Smith Kay READ
407 This is Going to Hurt Kay
408 Every Fire You Tend Kaygusuz
409 Ask Again, Yes Keane, MB
410 Complete Poems of John Keats Keats
411 For the Good Times Keenan, D
412 A Disaffection Kelman
413 The Transition Kennard
414 The Answer to Everything Kennard
415 The End of the World is a Cul-de-Sac Kennedy
416 Painting Time Kerangal
417 Roundabout of Death Khartash
418 Things in Jars Kidd
419 My Brilliant Life Kim READ
420 See Now Then Kincaid
421 A Gift of Love King, Jr
422 Writers and Lovers King, L
423 Beast Kingsnorth
424 River Kinsky
425 Intimacies Kitamura READ
426 A Separation Kitamura
427 Why We're Polarized Klein
428 The House in the Cerulean Sea Klune
429 Autumn Knausgaard READ
430 Winter Knausgaard
431 Spring Knausgaard
432 Summer Knausgaard
433 War and War Krasznahorkai
434 The Light That Failed Kratsev
435 Last Train to Istanbul Kulin READ
436 Gods Without Men Kunzru
437 Build Your House Around My Body Kupersmith
438 Grey Bees Kurkov
439 Salt Kurlansky
440 Cod Kurlansky
441 Telex from Cuba Kushner
442 The Answers Lacey
443 Paul Lafarge
444 Wherabouts Lahiri
445 Modern Gods Laird
446 Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures Lam
447 Maid Land
448 Good Neightbours Langan
449 The Couple Next Door Lapena
450 The Praetorians Larteguy
451 Lady Chatterley's Lover Lawrence
452 A Town Called Solace Lawson
453 Salka Valka Laxness
454 Silverview Le Carre
455 The Goose Fritz Lebedev
456 Free Food for Millionaires Lee, MJ
457 Songbirds Lefteri
458 Lanterne Rouge Leonard
459 The Grass is Singing Lessing
460 Hana's Suitcase Levine, K READ
461 Things I Don't Want to Know Levy
462 Real Estate Levy
463 The Cost of Living Levy
464 Days in the History of Silence Lindstrom, M READ
465 Severance Ling Ma
466 The Wind on the Moon Linklater
467 Pleasantville Locke
468 She Lies in Wait Lodge
469 Martin Eden London
470 The Kids Lowe READ
471 Foreign Affairs Lurie
472 The War Between the Tates Lurie
473 Border Songs Lynch
474 Crewe Train Macaulay READ
475 The Night the Rich Men Burned Mackay
476 Tenderness MacLeod
477 Mother Mother Macmanus
478 War : How Conflict Shaped Us MacMillan READ
479 Collected Poems : Louis MacNeice MacNeice
480 The Colony Magee
481 From India Mahadevan
482 Has the West Lost It? Mahbubani READ
483 The Cruel Way Maillart
484 Gossip from the Forest Maitland
485 Manchester Happened Makumbi
486 The Silent Woman Malcolm
487 Nocilla Dream Mallo
488 Nocilla Experience Mallo
489 Nocilla Lab Mallo
490 Fly Away Peter Malouf
491 Aue Manawatu
492 Seasons of Purgatory Mandanipour
493 The Glass Hotel Mandel
494 Tangerine Mangan
495 Buddenbrooks Mann
496 Shadowplay Marshall
497 Batlava Lake Mars-Jones READ
498 Sorrow and Bliss Mason
499 You be Mother Mason
500 The Four Horsemen Mayhew
501 Governing the World Mazower
502 How Beautiful We Were Mbue
503 How to Disappear McAllister
504 Child of God McCarthy
505 Suttree McCarthy
506 The Crossing McCarthy
507 All the Pretty Horses McCarthy
508 Cities of the Plain McCarthy
509 Blood Meridian McCarthy
510 Greenlights McConaughey READ
511 Shakespearean McCrum
512 The Mermaids Singing McDermid
513 Little Girl Lost McGilloway
514 Lean Fall Stand McGregor
515 Pure Gold McHugh
516 The Rules of Revelation McInerney
517 Paradais Melchior
518 Three Rings Mendelsohn
519 The Exhibitionist Mendelson
520 Lenin on the Strain Merridale
521 Carthage Must Be Destroyed Miles
522 Utilitarianism Mill
523 Norwegian by Night Miller, D
524 A Children's Bible Millet
525 Go Big Milliband
526 Paradise Lost Milton
527 Nathaniel's Nutmeg Milton, G
528 Four Soldiers Mingarelli
529 Age of Anger Mishra
530 The Bettr Half Moalem
531 Black Mamba Boy Mohamed
532 King of the City Moorcock
533 The Sport of Kings Morgan
534 The Naked Ape Morris
535 The Bluest Eye Morrison
536 Adventures in Morocco Morrison
537 Maps of Our Spectacular Badies Mortimer
538 My Year of Rest and Relaxation Moshfegh
539 The Fell Moss READ
540 Signs for Lost Children Moss
541 Nightcrawling Mottley
542 The Barefoot Woman Mukasonga READ
543 Lives of Girls and Women Munro
544 First Person Singular Murakami
545 Colorless Tsukuru Tasaki Murakami
546 Convenience Store Woman Murata
547 The Bell Murdoch READ
548 The Sandcastle Murdoch
549 Under the Net Murdoch
550 The Time of the Angels Murdoch
551 The Confusions of Young Torless Musil
552 Male Tears Myers
553 Beastings Myers
554 Pnin Nabokov
555 Pale Fire Nabokov
556 How High We Go in the Dark Nagamatsu
557 The Boat Nam Le
558 Blanche on the Lam Neely
559 Open Water Nelson
560 Ratlines Neville
561 Little Fires Everwhere Ng
562 Outlawed North
563 We Were the Mulvaneys Oates
564 The Man Without Qualities Oates
565 The Diving Pool Ogawa
566 The Memory Police Ogawa
567 Ten North Frederick O'Hara
568 Dog Park Oksanen
569 Rooms Oliver
570 The Ministry of Bodies O'Mahony
571 Running in the Family Ondaatje
572 Daydreams of Angels O'Neill
573 Almost Love O'Neill
574 Dark Neighbourhood Onwuemezi
575 The Nest Oppel READ
576 There, There Orange
577 Chouette Oshetsky
578 The Man Who Died Twice Osman
579 Wildland Osnos
580 Gentlemen Ostergren
581 The Swimmers Otsuka
582 The Buddha in the Attic Otsuka READ
583 The Portrait Otten
584 The Road to War Overy
585 Peaces Oyeyemi
586 The Book of Form and Emptiness Ozeki
587 Daughters of the Labyrinth Padel
588 Silent House Pamuk
589 The Red-Haired Woman Pamuk
590 Benjamin's Crossing Parini
591 Love in the Big City Park
592 Travelling in a Strange Land Park, D
593 Appaloosa Parker, R READ
594 The Dutch House Patchett
595 The Moon and the Bonfires Pavase
596 The House on the Hill Pavese
597 The Wanderers Pears
598 An Instance of the Fingerpost Pears
599 The Brothers York Penn
600 The Essex Serpent Perry
601 12 Rules for Life Peterson
602 Beyond Order Peterson
603 Mama Amazonica Petit
604 Prague Phillips, A
605 The Secret Lives of Church Ladies Philyaw
606 Capital in the Twenty First Century Piketty
607 Elena Knows Pineiro
608 The Sense of Style Pinker
609 The Colossus Plath
610 The Death of Socrates Plato
611 Poetics Poetics
612 The Glass Pearls Pressburger
613 Within a Budding Grove Proust
614 The Kingdoms Pulley
615 Some Tame Gazelle Pym
616 The Lady from Tel Aviv Rabai Al-Madhoun
617 The Italian Radcliffe
618 The Fountainhead Rand
619 The World Made Straight Rash
620 English Pastoral Rebanks
621 The Behaviour of Love Reeves
622 The Late Sun Reid READ
623 Daisy Jones and the Six Reid
624 The Wolf and the Woodsman Reid
625 The Way Back Remarque
626 Purposes of Love Renault
627 The Evenings Reve
628 The Wave Rhue
629 Hard Choices : What Britain Does Next Ricketts
630 Pandemic Riddle
631 A Shock Ridgway
632 First Love Riley READ
633 My Phantoms Riley
634 Stiff Roach
635 The Storm of War Roberts
636 News of the Dead Robertson
637 Beautiful World, Where are You? Rooney READ
638 Many Different Kinds of Love Rosen
639 Oreo Ross
640 This Sky One Day Ross, L
641 Looking for Mr Goodbar Rossner
642 Call it Sleep Roth, H
643 The Humbling Roth, P
644 Statistics Without Tears Rowntree
645 Sleeping on Jupiter Roy
646 My Dark Vanessa Russell, K
647 On Politics Ryan
648 Holes Sacher
649 Fireflies Sagasti
650 China Room Sahota
651 Ours are the Streets Sahota
652 Ariadne Saint
653 The Teacher of Cheops Salvado
654 Seasons in the Sun Sandbrook
655 Who Dares Wins Sandbrook
656 State of Emergency Sandbrook
657 Never Had it So Good Sandbrook
658 White Heat Sandbrook
659 The Tyranny of Merit Sandel
660 East West Street Sands
661 Push Sapphire
662 The Double Saramago
663 The Wall Sartre
664 Time's Monster Satia
665 The Collapse of Globalism Saul
666 The Power of the Dog Savage
667 Without a Claim Schulman
668 After Sappho Schwartz
669 Mouthful of Birds Schweblin READ
670 Ottoman Odyssey Scott
671 Son of the Century Scurati
672 Vertigo Sebald
673 The Butt Self
674 Desiree Selinko
675 Once Upon a River Setterfield
676 Mercies Sexton
677 Sonnets Shakespeare
678 King Lear Shakespeare
679 Selected Poetry of Percy Bysse Shelley Shelley
680 The World to Come Shepard
681 The Real Iron Lady Shephard
682 The School for Scandal Sheridan
683 The Stone Diairies Shields
684 Body Surfing Shreve
685 Should We Stay or Should We Go Shriver
686 Our Country Friends Shteyngart
687 Improvement Silber
688 Prep Sittenfield
689 Money and Government Skidelsky
690 The Country of Others Slimani
691 Spring Smith, A
692 The Road to Unfreedom Snyder
693 Orwell's Roses Solnit
694 The Gallary of Vanished Husbands Solomons
695 August 14 Solzhenitsyn
696 The Moon and Sixpence Somerset Maugham READ
697 Cakes and Ale Somerset Maugham
698 Of Human Bondage Somerset Maugham
699 The Painted Veil Somerset Maugham
700 The Razor's Edge Somerset Maugham
701 In America Sontag
702 The Dictionary of Animal Languages Sopinka
703 The Quest for Cosmic Justice Sowell
704 The Interpreters Soyinka
705 Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth Soyinka
706 The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Spark READ
707 The Sign of the Beaver Speare, E READ
708 Light Perpetual Spufford
709 The New Oxford Book of War Poetry Stallworthy
710 My Cat Yugoslavia Statovci
711 The Grapes of Wrath Steinbeck
712 Closed Circles Sten
713 In Memory of Memory Stepanova
714 Seveneves Stephenson
715 Britain Alone Stevens
716 The Black Arrow Stevenson
717 Earth Abides Stewart
718 In the Days of Rain Stott
719 Dead Man's Embers Strachan
720 Oh William Strout
721 Roadside Picnic Strugartsky
722 Havana Year Zero Suarez
723 Asylum Road Sudjic
724 Sweet Bean Paste Sukegawa
725 The Last Green Valley Sullivan
726 The Silence of Scheherzade Suman
727 Law in a Time of Crisis Sumption
728 A World Without Work Susskind
729 How to be well Read Sutherland
730 Katalin Street Szabo
731 The Histories Tacitus
732 Animal Tadeo
733 Three Women Tadeo
734 The Listeners Tannahill
735 Blaming Taylor
736 Misbehaving Thaler
737 Picture Palace Theroux
738 The River Between Thiong'o
739 Learwife Thorp
740 Chinatown Thuan
741 The Great Level Tillyard
742 The Magician Toibin
743 The Books of Jacob Tokarczuk
744 Anna Karenina Tolstoy
745 This Sovereign Isle Tombs
746 Crashed Tooze
747 Swing Hammer Swing! Torrington
748 The Inequality Machine Tough
749 Lonely Castle in the Mirror Tsujimura
750 A Distant Mirror Tuchman READ
751 On the Eve Turgenev
752 Smoke Turgenev
753 Virgin Soil Turgenev
754 Vinegar Girl Tyler
755 Rabbit Redux Updike
756 The Neighborhood Vargas Lllosa
757 Another Now Varoufakis
758 Adults in the Room Varoufakis
759 Myra Breckinridge Vidal
760 Breakfast of Champions Vonnegut
761 The Order of the Day Vuillard
762 KL : A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps Wachsmann
763 The Castle of Otranto Walpole
764 Hench Walschots
765 The Cold Millions Walter
766 The Final Revival of Opal & Nev Walton, D
767 The Philosopher King Walton, J
768 Downsizing Watson READ
769 Fools Crow Welch, J
770 Remember Me Weldon
771 Two Hundred Years of Muddling Through Weldon
772 Kipps Wells
773 The Cutting Room Welsh
774 The Machine Gunners Westall
775 Harlem Shuffle Whitehead
776 Zone One Whitehead
777 The Classical School : The Turbulent Birth of Economics Williams, C
778 This is Happiness Williams, N
779 Four Letters of Love Williams, N
780 The Dictionary of Lost Words Williams, P
781 Resolution Wilson
782 Land Winchester
783 The Surgeon of Crowthorne Winchester
784 Still Life Winman
785 The Shepherd's Hut Winton
786 The Right Stuff Wolfe
787 Ten Great Works of Philosophy Wolff
788 The Female Persuasion Wolitzer
789 The Interestings Wolitzer
790 The Waves Woolf
791 The Years Woolf
792 The Man With the Compound Eyes Wu Ming-Yi
793 Trouble with Lichen Wyndham
794 Madam Wynne
795 20 Fragments of a Ravenous Youth Xiaolu Gao
796 Cold Spring Harbor Yates
797 Moscow Stations Yerofeev
798 Nightbitch Yoder
799 Briar Rose Yolen
800 Run Me to Earth Yoon
801 Fieldwork in Ukrainian Sex Zabuzhko
802 Ten Lessons for a Post- Pandemic World Zakaria
803 The Fellowship Zaleski
804 We Are All Birds Zayyan
805 The Hidden Pleasures of Life Zeldin
806 Between the Wars Ziegler
807 Black Shack Alley Zobel
808 The Attack on the Mill Zola
809 A Love Story Zola
810 The Conquest of Plassans Zola
811. Dominion by Peter Ackroyd
812. Dakota Kill by Peter Brandvold
813. The Romantics by Peter Brandvold
814. The Red Prince by Helen Carr
815. The House on the Lake by Nuala Ellwood
816. So Big by Edna Ferber
817. On Tangled Paths by Theodor Fontane
818. What You Have Heard is True by Carolyn Forche
819. A Fistful of Shells by Toby Green
820. Why We Get the Wrong Politicians by Isabel Hardman
821. The Junior Officer's Reading Club by Patrick Hennessey
822. Finisterre by Graham Hurley
823. Stalker by Lars Kepler
824. The Government of No One by Ruth Kinna
825. The Centurians by Jean Larteguy
826. The Flight Portfolio by Julie Orringer
827. The Devil in the Flesh by Raymond Radiguet
828. Ransom by Michael Symmons Roberts READ
829. So Sure of Death by Dana Stabenow
830. Germinal by Emile Zola
831. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka READ
832. Triflers Need Not Apply by Camilla Bruce
833. We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
834. Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia
835. The Truants by Kate Weinberg
836. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
837. The Glamour Boys by Chris Bryant
838. Solar by Ian McEwan
839. Metamorphosis : Selected Stories by Penelope Lively
840. The City of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
841. Bonsai by Alejandro Zambra
842. Before My Actual Heart Breaks by Tish Delaney
843. The Other Slavery by Andres Resendez
844. The End of Everything by Katie Mack
845. The History of England : Volume VI - Innovation by Peter Ackroyd
846. Orlando King by Isabel Colegate
847. Orlando at the Brazen Threshold by Isabel Colegate
848. Agatha by Isabel Colegate
849. Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner
850. Exteriors by Annie Ernaux
851. K. by Roberto Calasso
852. Damned If I Do by Percival Everett
853. Meridian by Alice Walker
854. Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy
855. A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale
856. The Morning Star by Karl Ove Knausgaard
857. Melmoth by Sarah Perry
858. The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark
859. Light of the Moon by Elizabeth Buchan
860. The First Kingdom : Britain in the Age of Arthur by Max Adams
861. Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel
862. The Prime Ministers We Never Had by Steve Richards
863. Traitor in the Ice by KJ Maitland
864. My Turn to Make the Tea by Monica Dickens
865. A Winter War by Tim Leach
866. The Muse by Jessie Burton
867. Free : Coming of Age at the End of History by Lea Ypi
868. The North Ship by Philip Larkin
869. Torch by Lin Anderson
870. Deadly Code by Lin Anderson
871. Boyhood Island by Karl Ove Knausgaard
872. Night Film by Marisha Pessl
873. Banquet for the Damned by Adam Nevill
874. Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
875. Aftermath : Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich by Harald Jahner
876. Captains of the Sands by Jorge Amado
877. Driftnet by Lin Anderson
878. Cousin Bette by Honore de Balzac
879. Tobacco Road by Erskine Caldwell
880. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
The Avignon Quintet (Comprising - Monsieur not counted as it is already on the shelves)
881. Livia by Lawrence Durrell
882. Constance by Lawrence Durrell
883. Sebastian by Lawrence Durrell
884. Quinx by Lawrence Durrell
The Studs Lonigan Trilogy
885. Young Lonigan by James T Farrell
886. The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan by James T Farrell
887. Judgment Day by James T Farrell
888. Waking Up by Sam Harris
889. Collected Poems of Ted Hughes by Ted Hughes counting volumes added or replaced:
890. Recklings by Ted Hughes
891. Wodwo by Ted Hughes
892. Crow by Ted Hughes
893. Prometheus on His Crag by Ted Hughes
894. Season Songs by Ted Hughes
895. Gaudete by Ted Hughes
896. Orts by Ted Hughes
897. Cave Birds by Ted Hughes
898. Remains of Elmet by Ted Hughes
899. Moortown Diary by Ted Hughes
900. River by Ted Hughes
901. Flowers and Insects by Ted Hughes
902. Rain-charm for the Duchy by Ted Hughes
903. Birthday Letters by Ted Hughes
904. The Lonely Skier by Hammond Innes
905. A Twist of Sand by Geoffrey Jenkins
906. The Jewish War by Josephus
907. New Selected Poems by Philip Levine
908. Hidden Symptoms by Dierdre Madden
909. Books Do Furnish a Room by Anthony Powell
910. Temporary Kings by Anthony Powell
911. Hearing Secret Harmonies by Anthony Powell
912. Citizens by Simon Schama
913. Guiltless by Viveca Sten
914. The Sin of Abbe Mouret by Emile Zola
915. Inferno by Dante Alighieri
916. The Illustrated Woman by Helen Mort
917. Dart by Alice Oswald
918. Girlhood by Julia Copus
919. Sandettie Light Vessel Automatic by Simon Armitage
920. Wisdom of the Ancients : Life Lessons from our Distant Past by Neil Oliver.
921. On War Carl von Clausewitz
922. Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen
923. Istanbul by Orhan Pamuk
924. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
925. Tell Them of Battles, Kings, and Elephants by Mathias Enard

Added 925
Read 59

READING STATS

Next is Yours

Happy 29th thread!

Good morning! (At least where I am at). Nice topper, especially since its been freezing here in Minnesota. Thinking thoughts of Florida.

>20 figsfromthistle: Well done, Anita and thank you.
The virtual shelf is yours.

>21 Kristelh: Lovely to see you, Kristel. Florida after the storm of course. I spent a happy week in Jacksonville and am fond of Florida.

Happy new thread from the rainy Germany.

>24 SirThomas: Thank you, dear Thomas from a Kuala Lumpur which has a lightning-lit sky this evening.

Happy new one, Paul.

>26 jessibud2: Thank you, dear Shelley.

Happy new thread, Paul!

>17 PaulCranswick: The BOUGHT AND READ IN 2022 list gets longer and longer to scroll through!
I guess this is now the largest batch of books you took in within a year.

>17 PaulCranswick: Thanks Anita.

And the list needs to be updated to take account of what I added during the last thread!
I have done 1,200 in a year once before. I don't think I will get to that number this year.

Book #128



Crewe Train by Rose Macaulay
Date of Publication : 1928
Origin of Author : UK
Pages : 277 pp

This is a difficult book to describe and to give full justice to. It isn't quite a comedy of manners (although it sort of is), it isn't quite a bildungsroman (although it sort of is) and it isn't quite social critique (although it sort of is).

It can be enjoyed for simply what it is a well written period piece with good dialogue and excellent characterisation. The Auntie of the main female character is wonderfully drawn and worth the price of a ticket alone.

I have no idea whatsoever though why she hit upon this title as Crewe features not and trains very little.

Belle asked me to go and pay her phone bill this afternoon and the payment kiosk is remarkably close to my favourite bookstore:

871. Boyhood Island by Karl Ove Knausgaard
872. Night Film by Marisha Pessl
873. Banquet for the Damned by Adam Nevill
874. Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
875. Aftermath : Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich by Harald Jahner

Knausgaard is an author I want to read through as part of a project (one of a few planned) for next year.
Pessl I saw on a YouTube video as one of the most disturbing books ever written.
Nevill is considered by some the UK version of Stephen King (let's see).
Hawley's book was added in the wake of my enjoyment of The Punch.
Jahner's book has won or been shortlisted for a number of awards.

Happy new thread!

>32 amanda4242: Dear Amanda, lovely to see you.

Happy 29th thread!! You don't look a day over 28!!!

>34 hredwards: Hahaha well I was exactly that a little earlier in the day, dear fellow!

>30 PaulCranswick: ...permaybehaps because all the characters are *exactly* the sort you'd meet on the train to Crewe?

Memoirs of Hadrian was one of my most-adorèd gay-themed reads in the 1980s. I hope you love it too.

New-thread orisons.

>23 PaulCranswick: my place is on the gulf side and the hurricane did go through but I was blessed with no damage.
I liked Before the Fall. Hope you enjoy it too.

>6 PaulCranswick: I'm always finding good book recommendations from your reading lists... And I hope you enjoyed The Haunting of Hill House.

>36 richardderus: But...but...but nobody ever goes to Crewe, RD.

>37 Kristelh: I must say that I was very impressed with The Punch and am looking forward to reading it fairly soon.

>38 ocgreg34: I did enjoy it, Greg, if enjoy is quite the right word for such an unnerving work?

>39 PaulCranswick: Perzackly.

>41 richardderus: I did read that she got the title from a music hall song :

Oh Mr. Porter, what shall I do?, the silly girl wants to go to Birmingham but is on a train for Crewe.

So the wrong train?

That is a *gorgeous beach*! Happy new one, Paul.

>43 drneutron: I can vouch for that, Jim!

Happy new thread!

>1 PaulCranswick: I seem to remember that the Malaysian scenes of A Town Like Alice were more interesting than pleasant. Lounging on the beach wasn't in it.

>31 PaulCranswick: I imagine Belle getting her phone from that kiosk near your beloved bookstore as a masterstroke of strategy. Go Belle!

Paul, yet another great topper!!!

>45 quondame: Belle is a master of strategy for sure, Susan.

In fairness I don't think that Shute was overly interested with the scenic delights of the Malayan coastline.

>46 Whisper1: Thank you, Linda. x

>42 PaulCranswick: Yeup!

>48 richardderus: Instead of Birmingham we would substitute Cornwall and instead of Crewe it would be London. I have to say the Cornish coast appeals far more than the tough streets of Olde London Town.

Happy new thread Paul.

Thank you dear Kro.

Happy new thread Paul :)

>52 fairywings: Thank you, Adrienne. I hope to get around the threads this weekend and to update a few stats.

Wordle 490 4/6

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Another steady game today which I almost forgot to play!

Happy new thread, Paul!

Happy new thread, Paul.

Happy new thread Paul!

>1 PaulCranswick: I see why you left Singapore.

>31 PaulCranswick: What a fortunate coincidence! (Never mind that you could have paid it remotely.)

Happy new thread Paul!

>1 PaulCranswick: I’d love to spend some time there, it’s been rainy and clouded here.

Forget about my book stats, Paul! I’ve made a mess of things again!

Hi Paul, Happy 29th Thread mate.

You don't really think BJ would get in again, do you, Paul? I mean, WHY would they vote him in after working so hard to boot him out?

Happy new thread, Paul!

>55 bell7: Thank you, Mary. Lovely to see you as always.

>56 ArlieS: Thanks Arlie. It has been great to see you so active on the threads this year.

>57 humouress: Hi Neighbour!

In fairness the time sequencing has been subject to a little licence as I was in Malaysia for about 20 months before going to Singapore for a year and then coming back.

Inconvenient facts like the availability of on-line payment will not get in the way of a book hunting expedition.

>58 EllaTim: It is so peaceful up there too, Ella. Not so many tourists either believe it or not.
You have me intrigued as to your book stats!

>59 johnsimpson: Thanks dear fellow. See England got off to a fair start in the T20 World Cup yesterday but they will have to bat better later in the tournament.

>60 jessibud2: Shockingly Shelley it is looking quite likely. The man has little shame and the Tories not much sense.

>61 banjo123: Lovely to see you dear Rhonda. x

>60 jessibud2: Fingers crossed that he doesn't get anywhere near the place.

Paul, I noticed somewhere that you said your book buying habit was the result of not having a decent library accessible. I can't find it at the moment - but I wanted to point out that I restrained myself from extolling the virtues of Overdrive (soon to switch over to Libby) yet again. Yes, that would mean reading e-books but it would save you a wad of dosh and acres of bookshelf space.

>66 humouress: I do occasionally use something called Open Library, Nina for books I want to read for challenges and etc. I found the John McPhee book I read this month there. It allows you to "borrow" the book for up to 14 days (and possibly depending on demand to extend it.

I love the sense of being surrounded by books though and I would find it tough to do without them now that I have 'em!

BOOK #129



The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
Date of Publication : 2022
Origin of Author : Sri Lanka
Pages : 386 pp

Winner of the 2022 Booker Prize.

Worthy winner? Honestly, I dunno. Imaginatively very striking and stylistically inventive, but most definitely not the book I enjoyed the most this year.

Maali is dead. (Wait isn't that the misspelled start to something else!). He has seven moons to get to the light but he needs to know what killed him and why. In the process will he find himself?

It is described on the back cover blurb as a "searing satire" but this was more a critique of social, political and racial turmoil in a country that has never been at easy with itself. In parts it is funny admittedly but the absence of realism trivializes somewhat the atrocities he details.

Made an impression and a memorable one but not a wholly comfortable or enjoyable one.

Happy New Thread, Paul. Love the beach topper. We are going to Cancun in a week, so we plan on getting in some beach time. Ooh, There There. I really liked that book. I hope you feel the same. Glad to see you have read The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. Of course, I was curious about it, after it won the Booker but I see I don't have to rush out to read it.

>69 msf59: Not sure if I would wholeheartedly recommend it to you, Mark. It is that sort of book that if it does strike a chord you'll love it and I can see why it was a winner, but I prefer my stories to be a little more grounded, I guess.

BOOK #130



Appaloosa by Robert B Parker
Date of Publication : 2005
Origin of Author : USA
Pages : 290 pp

This was the first book added to my library this year and provided by Nancy my Secret Santa.

A very traditional Western adventure, well told. Appaloosa needs to be cleaned up and Virgil Cole & Everett Hitch are just the team to do so.

Nothing groundbreaking here but I enjoyed it mightily well as I figured I would. Thanks Nancy.

>71 PaulCranswick:
I liked the Virgil Cole & Everett Hitch series a lot! However, I quit reading them when Robert B. Parker died. I am not a big fan of hiring other writers to keep series going - even if those other authors are good writers themselves.

I think Parker wrote the first three books in the Cole and Hitch series. The others are written by somebody else.

Wordle 491 6/6

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Seat of the pants stuff there!

>72 benitastrnad: We can agree on that, Benita, as continuing a series started by another is a pet hate of mine too. I will look for the other books by Parker in the series. Good fun.

>74 PaulCranswick: I generally haven't much liked series continued by a second author - but I have read and enjoyed many "come play in my sandbox" books, where the first author creates a setting, and some characters, and then invites others to write stories in that setting, with restrictions on what they can do to either the existing characters or the setting. Some of the guest authors' works fall flat for me, but many do not.

>68 PaulCranswick: The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is one that does appeal to me Paul, but then I think I like magic realism / fantasy more than you do.

The only Booker prize shortlisted book that I have read so far this year is Small things like these which I loved. I’ve also recently read Foster by the same author.

>72 benitastrnad: Then there's the OZ series books by Ruth Plumly Thompson some of which I remember enjoying - I don't think I ever had complete sets by any one of the authors.

>64 PaulCranswick: - I just heard on the news, Paul, that BJ has decided against running. Says it wouldn't be the right thing to do. I choked a bit but said a silent thank goodness.

>78 jessibud2: I wonder who's flashed the pictures at him.

>75 ArlieS: I would agree with that, Arlie. Takes more imagination I think developing something like that.

>76 SandDune: Yes, Rhian, I think you would like it more than I did but I didn't dislike it either to be fair. I read Small Things Like These early in the year and I think it is still my favourite book of 2022 so far. Probably too short to win but my goodness was it an impressive work.

>77 quondame: Now there is a series I had genuinely never heard of, Susan.

>78 jessibud2: I don't think he had the numbers to run and win, thank God, Shelley. He is right though it would not have been the right thing to do having stepped down under the circumstances he did. Braverman and Badenoch supporting Rishi Sunak was very, very telling. I think Mordaunt will be told to back off and Rishi will be PM tomorrow. Can't say that I like him but I would have said that about all of them!

>79 quondame: There has been a deal of sorts done here, Susan.

Wordle 492 5/6

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Slightly better than yesterday.

BOOK #131



There, There by Tommy Orange
Date of Publication : 2018
Origin of Author : USA
Pages : 290 pp

Too many characters making their story, but very skillfully done.

About Native Americans trying to find or even retain their identities. It reflects upon the issues and problems faced by the ethnic group / tribes; drugs, alcohol, lack of work opportunities, low incomes.

This is a talented new voice in American letters and I am sure that we will hear much more from him in future.

Tremendously apt that Rishi Sunak becomes the UK's first British-Indian or British-Asian today on the Indian Festival of Light - Divali!

https://www.reuters.com/world/indians-pinning-their-hopes-rishi-sunak-diwali-202...

Certainly not my politics by any means but I do wish him good luck in what is increasingly a thankless role as the head of the British government.

>31 PaulCranswick: Knausgaard is on my reading list. Read the beginning of his massive memoir a while back, but it had to go back to the library. He’s got a lot of attention in Denmark, and the writing is excellent.

>86 ctpress: I have tentatively listed down some reading projects for next year, Carsten and Knausgaard's books are one the projects for sure.

I also want to go back and read or re-read all the Rougon Macquart novels next year as well as a novel a month by Anne Tyler, Cormac McCarthy and by William Boyd too.

Wordle 493 4/6

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A little better today.

>84 PaulCranswick: I will be adding this one to my list. Having Native American roots in my own family background and living and working so close to a Reservation I'm constantly seeking out literature with that representation.

>89 WhiteRaven.17: It has always been an area of great interest to me, Kro and in my first year at University I studied American land "reform" and effectively the stealing of the country from its Native inhabitants by such things as the 1887 Dawes Act whereby the subdivision of communal held lands lead to its loss.

I liked Tommy Orange's book, just as I do the books by Erdrich and Sherman Alexie.

>85 PaulCranswick: Interesting timing for Sunak. Smart man making no promises about how he will proceed.

>91 Familyhistorian: I don't much like him, Meg, but he does appear much more competent than Liz Truss - what a disaster in managing to crash the economy in only six weeks!

>90 PaulCranswick: It's a deep well of legality when you start thoroughly reading everything related to it. I've been recently trying to find more cultural learning and finding work by Native Americans themselves rather than historical accounts and information. It was an important part of my culture growing up but distanced and it's those aspects that I'm curious about.
I was not aware about Erdrich and just had to look that up, I'll have to look more into her work.

>93 WhiteRaven.17: I have read four books so far by Louise Erdrich and really enjoyed most of them. I think The Antelope Wife left me a bit non-plussed but, especially The Round house and The Night watchman were excellent.

The land laws as they pertained to Native Americans were indeed problematic, Kro, especially given that those same laws were conferred upon them rather than assumed as an equal right. They were generally promulgated at a time when there was not equal standing under the law and the Native Americans were not afforded the protection of the constitution.

>85 PaulCranswick: How about Wallace and Gromit for Prime Minister?

>95 m.belljackson: Ben Wallace would have been a very popular choice but he wants to stay as Defence Minister. Rishi is our first British Asian leader and first Hindu PM and, despite political differences it is good to see that one's race, religion and gender are no bar to the top jobs in British politics.

As a member of the Labour Party, it is sad to note that every single one of our leaders has been a White Male and that all three female PMs, its first Jewish PM and first non-monotheistic PM have all been Tories.

Wordle 494 5/6

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Expected myself to do a little better than that today after a good start.

>96 PaulCranswick: For those who aren't familiar, Wallace and Gromit is up on WIKI.

>98 m.belljackson: To be fair Sunak's ears do resemble Wallace's lugs.

>96 PaulCranswick: I howled when Braverman was given the Home Office again. So Rishi has already disappointed me.* I don't know why so many people of migrant heritage are so anti-migrant. It is quite clear that a deal was made to bring down Truss when Braverman resigned for a relatively minor misdemeanour (it being 1 email), and is now rewarded with a return to her post!

* not that I expected that to take long!

>99 PaulCranswick: Yikes!

>100 Caroline_McElwee: I agree with the not encouraging of illegal immigration thing but flying them off to Rwanda? Really?!!! I think he is an upgrade on Liz Truss but never has the bar been more low and the Tories and their ability to find a way to cling to power should never be underestimated. We can clamour all we like for a General Election but there is no likelihood of any such thing at the moment.

I have come to the view, Caroline, that proportional representation of a sort must come in in the UK to prevent so many disparate views being marginalised and prevent the exercise of power being concentrated in the hands of those we actually don't really want as a collective.

>101 m.belljackson: Come now, Marianne, isn't that what you were hinting at without saying it?!

I'm glad I'm not the only person it's taken 5 or 6 guesses on a couple of the Wordle puzzles from this past week. I've been busy preparing presentations. I've got two more to record Friday--and then I hope I'm done until spring--unless it is something I know is ready to go without a lot of prep work on my part.

>103 thornton37814: I do keep sneaking through each day so far, Lori, but I do feel that I am due a fail!

>102 PaulCranswick: Nope - I've never seen a photo of your politico Wallace -

just thought that Wallace and Gromit would be a superior choice to lead all countries,
notably after checking out their movie website!!!

>105 m.belljackson: I'm sure that they would do a more competent job than the useless British Tories, Sleepy Uncle Joe or Mr. Chump.

>89 WhiteRaven.17: Have you read anything by Cherie Dimaline? She's an excellent writer from the Métis Nation of Ontario. I recommend The Marrow Thieves if you enjoy science fiction.

>107 ocgreg34: I haven't heard of that writer before Greg so thanks so much for the pointer. I will go and seek her out on Book Depo.

That's a beautiful topper, Paul. I was asked by two of my inmate pen pals to send pictures of my surroundings because it's all they see of the outside world. I don't take enough pictures like that, it turns out. I'll have to take a fall nature walk soon. Maybe I can fit one in this week.

>109 The_Hibernator: I miss the autumnal air, Rachel so I do envy you that. The tropics have their advantages of course but cool breezes are generally not to be found.

>105 m.belljackson: >106 PaulCranswick: Personally, I'm holding out for Larry the Downing Street cat!

>111 SandDune: Maybe he has been running the show all along, Rhian!

Wordle 495 4/6

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No real problems today.

I had a super bumper Book Depo delivery awaiting me when I got home just now:

876. Captains of the Sands by Jorge Amado
877. Driftnet by Lin Anderson
878. Cousin Bette by Honore de Balzac
879. Tobacco Road by Erskine Caldwell
880. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
The Avignon Quintet (Comprising - Monsieur not counted as it is already on the shelves)
881. Livia by Lawrence Durrell
882. Constance by Lawrence Durrell
883. Sebastian by Lawrence Durrell
884. Quinx by Lawrence Durrell
The Studs Lonigan Trilogy
885. Young Lonigan by James T Farrell
886. The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan by James T Farrell
887. Judgment Day by James T Farrell
888. Waking Up by Sam Harris
889. Collected Poems of Ted Hughes by Ted Hughes counting volumes added or replaced:
890. Recklings by Ted Hughes
891. Wodwo by Ted Hughes
892. Crow by Ted Hughes
893. Prometheus on His Crag by Ted Hughes
894. Season Songs by Ted Hughes
895. Gaudete by Ted Hughes
896. Orts by Ted Hughes
897. Cave Birds by Ted Hughes
898. Remains of Elmet by Ted Hughes
899. Moortown Diary by Ted Hughes
900. River by Ted Hughes
901. Flowers and Insects by Ted Hughes
902. Rain-charm for the Duchy by Ted Hughes
903. Birthday Letters by Ted Hughes
904. The Lonely Skier by Hammond Innes
905. A Twist of Sand by Geoffrey Jenkins
906. The Jewish War by Josephus
907. New Selected Poems by Philip Levine
908. Hidden Symptoms by Dierdre Madden
909. Books Do Furnish a Room by Anthony Powell
910. Temporary Kings by Anthony Powell
911. Hearing Secret Harmonies by Anthony Powell
912. Citizens by Simon Schama
913. Guiltless by Viveca Sten
914. The Sin of Abbe Mouret by Emile Zola

The Hughes poems also includes other volumes I already have on the shelves and other previously uncollected work. There are two other trilogies (Lonigan and Powell) plus a Quintet (though I already have the first one).

I am very happy this evening!!

Great suffering zot, PC! All that Ted Hughes...are you planning some sort of penitential poetry-off to atone for some hideous, disfiguring sin? Forgive yourself, move on, and burn all that Hughesy poo before it gets out into the literary ecosystem!

>115 richardderus: Hahaha RD, all of it is tucked together in his collected work of one volume, albeit 1,195 pages of it.

>114 PaulCranswick: And here was me telling myself I'd bought too many books this month. Thanks for putting it all into perspective for me, Paul.

>117 Familyhistorian: 104 books in October and a couple of days to go!

Wordle 496 4/6

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Not bad considering a stuttering start.

>114 PaulCranswick:, Paul, that had to have been like a super duper Christmas present.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/345442

>120 Kristelh: I was like a little boy on Christmas morning to be honest, Kristel!

>121 SilverWolf28: Thanks Silver!

>114 PaulCranswick: Wow! Bumper book delivery for sure! Enjoy :)

>123 figsfromthistle: It took me ages to log and catalogue them yesterday with there being collected work, trilogies and quintets involved too!

Wow! what a book haul!

I started reading The Gray Earth since I read The Blue Sky for one of your previous challenges, but since I didn't remember the latter I had to check that, yes, I was reading a novel. I seem to remember reading an autobiography of a steppe nomad in the not too distant past, but don't seem to be able to find it. Do you know of any books that qualify?

>125 torontoc: Thanks Cyrel. Lovely to have you stop by and my additions are continuing apace in 2022.

>126 quondame: Yes you are right, Susan, it is officially an autobiographical novel. I haven't read the follow ups either and they are, I think not that easy to get hold of in translation especially number three in the series. Books that I have particularly liked for Indochina would include The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh for sure.

>114 PaulCranswick: Wow.

>128 Caroline_McElwee: Just when I couldn't decide what to read! I have to say that, going through my poetry collections last night there are a number of volumes missing. Sadly no longer on my shelves is my collected poems of Charles Causley and my complete poems of Thomas Hardy. I guess either Yasmyne gave them away to her school library by accident or some rogue visitor to my house helped themselves in my absence from the home.

>114 PaulCranswick: WOWZERS........

>127 PaulCranswick: Do you recall any Mongolian or adjacent autobiographies - including the adult life of the writer? Especially ones we've discussed here?

I've checked out The Sorrow of War, though I may not be in the mood to read it for next month's challenge.

>130 mdoris: Because of it I didn't go to the bookstore yesterday lunchtime, Mary!

>131 quondame: I don't actually, Susan, but I will check back and let you know.

The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh is by a Vietnamese author and Indo-China is this month although I don't much care. In fairness there is an overlap as some generous definitions extends the Malay Archipelago to Myanmar which I didn't really intend.

Wordle 497 3/6

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I'm satisfied. When you get two letters in the right place off the bat you really ought to score well.

>94 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the recs, I'll put those two towards the top of the list to look into reading by her.

>107 ocgreg34: Thanks, I've actually had The Marrow Thieves in my TBR list for awhile now and haven't had the chance to order and read it yet. I should move that up - thanks for the reminder.

>134 WhiteRaven.17: My pleasure. Kro, she is well worth looking up.

Kept it mainly to poetry this weekend since I have been adding, erm one or two books recently.

915. Inferno by Dante Alighieri
916. The Illustrated Woman by Helen Mort
917. Dart by Alice Oswald
918. Girlhood by Julia Copus
919. Sandettie Light Vessel Automatic by Simon Armitage
920. Wisdom of the Ancients : Life Lessons from our Distant Past by Neil Oliver.

I was sure that I had Oswald's "Dart" on the shelves but clearly not and I think I have my lovely daughter to thank for gifting it previously to her school.

The November BAC thread is up.

https://www.librarything.com/topic/345472#

Book #920, i will be interested to know what you think of it when you get to it! I have been listening to him recently and he does express some deep concerns and he does it so eloquently.

>137 amanda4242: King Arthur! Thanks Amanda.

>138 mdoris: He is eloquent indeed, Mary, and makes many very good points about globalist intent towards the suppression of personal freedoms, the stifling of debate and the control of individuals.

I doubt I have my dad's old blue Idylls of the King, but I know I kept his/my King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table with Howard Pyle's lovely illustrations and romanticized text.

>140 quondame: I think I am going to finally get to TH White this time, Susan, or perhaps some Simon Armitage.

Wordle 498 5/6

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That took me an age to be honest as I just couldn't get my brain working.

>141 PaulCranswick: Armitage did a great translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. And you can never go wrong with T.H. White.

>141 PaulCranswick: Yes Amanda, I remember even getting Richard to admire Simon Armitage's version of the tale and he has also done the Death of King Arthur.

>141 PaulCranswick: T.H. White had additions and alternate views that I appreciated, especially at the time. The sections of his books were both more juvenile - The Sword in the Stone and more adult than Pyle. I think I read Sutcliff within the same decade as White. My copy of Morte d'Arthur is a seriously flawed reproduction of the Beardsley illustrated one - one of the signatures is a duplicate and one is missing. It is pretty though!

>136 PaulCranswick: Oh look, blank spaces and a Neil Oliver book! I hope you enjoy that one, anyway. He's gotten himself in a tricky pickle here and there but I still like the ol' bustard.

>145 quondame: I can't believe that I have gotten to my mid fifties without reading TH White yet, Susan.

>146 richardderus: Some of his globalist conspiracy warnings are a little bit too over the top but he is as articulate and well-reasoned as he is frightening.
Love the Renfrewshire accent.

Way to go my football club. Last minute goal to beat Liverpool at their own Anfield stadium (we lost 6-0 there last season).

>147 PaulCranswick: Honestly, PC, anyone saying "it's a conspiracy" is going to get into eye-roll-y territory pretty quickly. There *are* conspiracies, no doubt, but more often than not the in/actions that *feel* like conspiracies are simply evidence of the shared assumptions of a class that controls the major part of the planet's assets. They act the same, and seemingly in concert, because they think alike and want the same, or near enough to it, things and outcomes.

I can't picture Bezos, Gates, and Musk in the same room turning out well...not even, really, on the same phone call!

>149 richardderus: I agree with that, RD. Vested interests well they simply coincide.

Wordle 499 2/6

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I haven't had so many of these so I shall enjoy it while I can. Very lucky choice of first word.

BOOK #132



The Five : The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold
Date of Publication : 2019
Origin of Author : UK
Pages : 352 pp

The common narrative is that the unsolved murders in Victorian England by the so called "Ripper" was of "fallen" women or heavily rouged, gin-soaked prostitutes - as if that somehow makes the killings less horrific and more excusable which of course it does not.

Rubenhold does a really impressive job in piecing together the sad, unlucky lives of the Rippers five victims of 1888. The connecting theme seems to be one of hard liquor rather than necessarily low morals and the stories uncovered are uniformly sad. Only the youngest and apparently prettiest of the victims was a confirmed and confessed "lady of the night" in any sort of organised sense but all of the women were thrown onto those dirty and dangerous London streets due to a combination of hard-luck, neglect, abuse and a society wherein women's rights were shamefully absent.

We had the abandoned wife of a newspaper worker who dumped her and deprived her of her due alimony due to a false charge of adultery. We had the otherwise comfortable wife of a Guardsman's valet brought down by the disease of alcoholism, we had a Swedish immigrant in the wrong place at the wrong time and a Black-Country pamphleteer with a self-destructive air.

Sad and harrowing. I must admit that after the first three accounts I had barely the stomach for the last two. Deaths that should and could have been avoided and a public response that sensationalised and vilified the characters of the women in equal part. This book concentrates more on the lives of the women killed rather than the facts of their deaths. How they live and why they died rather than why they lived and how they died.

BOOK # 133



A Journal of the Flood Year by David Ely
Date of Publication : 1992
Origin of Author : USA
Pages : 223 pp

A dystopian novel set in the future (possibly 100 years from now) and the seas have risen.

A wall has been built both protecting as well as extending the Eastern Seaboard of the US - Denver is now its capital. The use of robots is prevalent and physical intimacy between humans has been discontinued.

Told in journal entry form as our hero finds issues with the integrity of the wall as sea levels keep rising but his warnings are not well received.

I suppose this is mainly a search for humanity in the sterile world of the future and I am not sure that it entirely succeeds. Readable and well realised but not wholly believable.

Update on posting numbers on threads.

As of just now all those threads this year with 100 posts or more:

1 PaulCranswick 7,910
2 richardderus 5,505
3 katiekrug 5,309
4 scaifea 4,684
5 msf59 3,770
6 karenmarie 3,160
7 alcottacre 3,064
8 laurelkeet 2,612
9 jnwelch 2,389
10 bell7 2,272
11 FAMeulstee 2,214
12 Familyhistorian 2,080
13 figsfromthistle 1,833
14 MickyFine 1,668
15 BLBera 1,436
16 drneutron 1,393
17 Berly 1,328
18 RebaRelishesReading 1,310
19 jessibud2 1,291
20 CrazyMamie 1,278
21 LizzieD 1,185
22 klobrien2 1,171
23 curioussquared 1,168
24 lyzard 1,138
25 mstrust 998
26 Caroline_McElwee 967
27 Whisper1 962
28 quondame 930
29 SandDune 923
30 humouress 767
31 mahsdad 766
32 weird_O 721
33 johnsimpson 720
34 thornton37814 710
35 Donna828 698
36 EBT1002 682
37 AMQS 654
38 foggidawn 629
39 swynn 615
40 SirThomas 614
41 laytonwoman3rd 608
42 cbl_tn 541
43 copperskye 503
44 ronincats 502
45 streamsong 502
46 Ella Tim 493
47 LovingLit 493
48 ffortsa 479
49 sibylline 477
50 avatiakh 432
51 ursula 417
52 ArlieS 411
53 Squeaky_Chu 399
54 banjo123 383
55 Carmenere 364
56 mdoris 361
57 brenzi 333
58 witchyrichy 318
59 fairywings 291
60 oberon 289
61 Chatterbox 284
62 fuzzi 270
63 kristelh 250
64 The_Hibernator 250
65 AnneDC 246
66 Rbeffa 241
67 tiffin 240
68 Ravenswoodwitch 238
69 storeettlr 232
70 AuntieClio 221
71 norabelle414 213
72 amanda4242 201
73 CDVicarage 190
74 feca67 190
75 hredwards 177
76 zuzaer 177
77 paulstalder 170
78 kaida46 167
79 Whiteraven.17 160
80 bumblybee 156
81 vivians 156
82 ChrisG1 155
83 ctpress 150
84 DianeKeenoy 147
85 lindapanzo 146
86 magicians_nephew 143
87 CassieBash 142
88 PawsforThought 142
89 London_StJ 132
90 SilverWolf28 127
91 torontoc 127
92 JonRob 126
93 kac522 126
94 kgodey 126
95 aktakukac 123
96 morphidae 117
97 Dmulvee 115
98 sjgoins 113
99 arubabookwoman 109
100 sirfurboy 108
101 tjblue 105
102 elkiedee 104

>154 PaulCranswick: Top Sixes

Top Six Resident in Asia Pacific
1 (1) Paul C
2 (24) Liz
3 (30) Nina
4 (47) Megan
5 (50) Kerry
6 (59) Adrienne

Top Six Resident in the USA
1 (2) Richard
2 (3) Katie
3 (4) Amber
4 (5) Mark
5 (6) Karen

Top Six Resident in Canada
1 (12) Meg
2 (13) Anita
3 (14) Micky
4 (19) Shelley
5 (53) Mary
6 (67) Tui

Top Six Resident in the UK
1 (26) Caroline
2 (29) Rhian
3 (33) John
4 (73) Kerry
5 (74) Sam
6 (100) Stephen

Top Six Resident in Europe (Incl Turkey)
1 (11) Anita
2 (40) Thomas
3 (46) Ella
4 (51) Ursula
5 (76) Zuazer
6 (77) Paul S

Top 6 Males
1( 1) Paul
2 (2) Richard
3 (5) Mark
4 (9) Joe
5 (16) Jim
6 (31) Jeff

Top 6 Females
1 (3) Katie
2 (4) Amber
3 (6) Karen
4 (7) Stasia
5 (8) Laura
6 (10) Mary

>152 PaulCranswick: This one looks interesting and I particularly like the phrasing of your last sentence. I'll add it to the list.
>154 PaulCranswick: Happily surprised that I've managed to make this list. Your stat posts are always interesting to look over.

>156 WhiteRaven.17: The ladies murdered took quite different roads to the same unfortunate destination - much more a case of a lack of safe housing, the cruelties of a system without real welfare for abandoned women and the dangerous comfort of intoxication conspiring against them rather than the lascivious behaviour of those slaughtered.

Thanks Kro. I do get pleasure in keeping the stats up to date.

>152 PaulCranswick: Definitely one of the "I want to put the 19th century up against the wall" sort of books for me. The bloody waste.

>158 quondame: The world in general and the UK in particular at that time was such a class based unfeeling society. The so called "lower orders" were treated with absolute contempt by the privileged classes and women had virtually no individual rights separate from their fathers or husbands. For example victim number two was the wife of a army pensioner and valet. When he died his pension died with him. When victim number one was estranged from her husband who preferred the charms of a widowed neighbour, she was chased from the family home and he avoided paying any alimony on the basis that she had allegedly had subsequently had liaisons with other men and as a result she was forced to the workhouse.

>152 PaulCranswick: I keep meaning to read The Five Paul - Mr SandDune read it a few months ago and found it very impressive.

>154 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the stats, Paul. So glad to see I am at a perfect #11.
So nice you took the time to provide the stats to us, while you are trying to make a TIOLI sweep this month.

>160 SandDune: I know from experience (Dominion for example) that your other half is an excellent judge of a book so you should take heed, dear lady.

I am sure that I find him in good spirits today after >148 PaulCranswick:!

>154 PaulCranswick: I am a hundred pages from making my sweep this month, Anita, and I will definitely make it as I follow LT time (i.e. I will still be able to read until midday tomorrow and still be within October by EST).

The stats are a pleasure.

>154 PaulCranswick: Thanks for posting. I seem to be always stuck around the same spot. At least I am consistent ;)

>154 PaulCranswick: Always fun to see the stats, Paul, and how the numbers are shaking out as we finish up the year.

>155 PaulCranswick: A little surprised to find myself in the top six female posters lol, though in both total numbers and top six, Anita is not far behind me.

Even without the reading numbers updates, I think it's safe to say you've pulled far enough ahead of me that for once we will not be neck and neck in books read!

Interesting stats, Paul. Thanks for doing them. I’m surprised I’m even up midway on your list. I see my buddy, jessibud2 way up high! So glad I talked her into joining LT “back in the day”. :)

5,505...such a handsome-looking collection of numerals. I've been a busy boy this year, haven't I.

You should be finishing up your extended October, PC...what's it look like? I don't do the deep-dive stats a lot of y'all do, but I'm satisfied with my thirty reviews posted this month. I'm focusing on mysteries and thrillers next month...#Noirvember...then, after Turkey Holocaust, switching gears to the #Booksgiving recommendations and warbles of ecstasy through Yule.

I'd greatly appreciate a favor from you, PC. Will you, at your leisure but in the next 5-7 minutes (heh), follow this link: https://expendablemudge.blogspot.com/2022/10/
That's all my blog posts for October. I don't expect you to deep-dive into them but I am seeking your input about the balance of single-author group reviews, single-title reviews, and multi-author reviews on my blog.

I'm curious to know how the month's presentation strikes you...do you like the mix of single-vs-multi-title posts, single-vs-multi-author posts, anything rankle or gruntle you? I'm aware you're a busy human and it's a lot to ask...I hope you'll take a fast whip through the month and let me know what strikes you as effective.

>163 figsfromthistle: You are indeed consistent, Anita.

>164 bell7: I'm sure that you'll jump back in front of me again next year, Mary! Your posting numbers continue to impress though. Year on year on year your figures and number of threads grow exponentially.

>165 SqueakyChu: That was certainly a good deed done when you got Shelley on board - she is a great and valued member of our little community. As are you of course, Madeline!

>166 richardderus: It will be a pleasure to go and read your blog, RD. I have to say that thirty reviews is mightily impressive although I am happy with my 18, especially as I swept all the TIOLI challenges along the way.

>166 richardderus: Speed read the reviews a little RD as I am just about done with my last book of the month.

As always I enjoy your reviews but I was a little confused about the order in which the reviews were set out. You start off with a killer diller (looks a great read by the way) and then onto your Burgoines and then we are into the Pearls but then we go back to some stellar book reviews and I hadn't realised at first that you'd done and dusted with the Pearl-ruled books already. Apart from that I am invariably drawn by your inventive and pull-no-punches reviewing - always entertaining and enlightening.

>155 PaulCranswick: Love the stats. Very interesting in the gender dynamic, that we had go all the way down into the 30's to squeeze me into the top 6 males in the group.

>169 PaulCranswick: Aha! That's easy to explain...you're seeing them in reverse order of publication. The BIIIG posts are last-Sunday-of-the-month monsters, which is why it seems so out of scale. I can't change the presentation of latest-first.

Thank you for the kind words about my reviews, PC, but honestly it isn't necessary to imperil your immortal soul by lying like that. I'm just not eager to be the reason you end up in Shaitan's world. :-P

>159 PaulCranswick: I'm not sure if it was reading that book that made me crystalize my feelings into that phrase, but it certainly could have. In spite of the 1800s being the self proclaimed romantic age, it wasn't. 19th century Romanticism was a snare and a diversion from the real issues of the day and may have influences some of the really broke philosophies that rattled the 20th century. I mean what's more "romantic" than thinking large groups of people will voluntarily work for each other's economic good in equal brotherhood?

>162 PaulCranswick: I may, only may, admit I've used HST/HDT to slip a book in, though not for a sweep.

>170 mahsdad: Something like 80% of the group membership are ladies, Jeff so I guess it is not entirely surprising.
You have John and Bill for very close company for that 6th spot!

>171 richardderus: I guess when you are putting up 30 reviews it will be like that too.
There are plenty of reasons for me to descend rather than ascend, dear fellow, but an honest appraisal of one of my pals will not be one of them!

>172 quondame: Communism was an obvious and understandable reaction to the terrible treatment of the factory and industrial working classes during that period, Susan.

>173 quondame: Hahaha, Susan, in all fairness I have been consistent on this over the last twelve years as it is the only way I can keep track of reading numbers etc for my stats if time is standardised for all us on what I call LT time. For example my post will come up "Today 6:23" which means that in LT time I am still in October even though it is Tuesday early morning here (12 hours on). In any event I have already managed my sweep.

>175 PaulCranswick: Congratulations on your sweep, Paul!

I have set my LT time to local time, that is right between you and the bunch in the U.S.
In 5 minutes I can start to finish my first November TIOLI book.

>176 FAMeulstee: It would mean I lost 12 hours reading time, Anita and I don't think it matters so long as you are consistent with it.

BOOK #134



The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna
Date of Publication : 2010
Origin of Author : UK (Sierra Leone)
Pages : 445 pp

This seemed like my longest read of the month and that isn't essentially a criticism of it.

Very densely scripted and a slowly developed dual story line sort of soaks into you for almost half of the book before it really starts to cut to the chase.

This is a beautifully observed and important book. It shines a light on a country I will confess to knowing very little about and it is quite shameful that the Western nations have closed their collective eyes to some of the terrible things that have happened in the less well publicized parts of Africa - usually those without oil or other things the rest of the world are looking for.

This is a personal story as she unfolds what the repression and civil war meant to them and it is also a story about regret and and friendship and guilt. It is about maturing and I think the doctor character coming to the country and forcing the reminiscing is also emblematic of a forgetful and culpable west.

Recommended and worth the reader's patience.

>177 PaulCranswick: I didn't mean you should change anything, Paul.
For keeping the stats of the group it is easier for you to keep the most used time.

The U.S. time stamps on the messages confuse me, so I changed it. I am very time sensitive ;-)

>179 FAMeulstee: I knew that, Anita. xx To be honest it is also fairly straightforward for me as there is most of the year a 12 hour difference so I just substitute midday for midnight!

>178 PaulCranswick: All I remember about The Memory of Love is that I was bored for most of it.

>181 amanda4242: I do seem to recall you also noted that it sparked to life a bit 200 pages in!

Wordle 500 5/6

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Back down to earth - now I know it is a word but, but, but!

Congratulations on your sweep.

>154 PaulCranswick:, >155 PaulCranswick: Thank you again for the stats.
And congratulations on your sweep my dear friend.

>184 Kristelh: Thank you, Kristel. My second of the year so I am pretty chuffed because normally I cannot keep up with some of the real speed readers in our midst.

>185 SirThomas: Thank you dear chap. The stats are as much a pleasure for me to do as they are for people to enjoy.

Then it is win win - I like it!

>175 PaulCranswick: That communism was understandable is partly due to it's mixing of romanticism of human nature with the up to the time communal living experiments. Lots of understandable things don't yield the best results.

Congratulations on your sweep!

>187 SirThomas: Indeed Thomas.

>188 quondame: There was some romanticism definitely in the formulation of communism as a political theory - manning the barricades and all. It is a shame that communistic ideals are always defeated by the baser motivations of human nature.
Thanks Susan. x

Wordle 501 4/6

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That went relatively routinely

OCTOBER READING IN REVIEW

Books Read : 18 (year to date 134)

Pages Read : 4,821 (ytd 31,929)

Pages per day : 155.52 (ytd 105.03)

Longest Book : 740 pp (ytd 877 pp)

Shortest Book : 48 pp (ytd 44 pp)

Average Book Length : 267.83 (ytd 238.28)

Books by Male Authors : 11
Books by Female Authors : 7

Fiction : 8
Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror : 3
Poetry : 2
Non-Fiction : 3
Thriller/Crime/Western : 1
Graphic Novel : 1

UK Authors : 6
USA Authors : 7
French Authors : 2
Guyana Authors : 1
Sri Lankan Authors : 1
Mongolian Authors : 1

Book of the Month :
May cause a surprise but I really enjoyed this novel :

The Punch by Noah Hawley

November Reading Plans :

I have set aside the early part to Inspector Montalbano and the late great Andrea Camilleri. I have saved his last four épisodes' which I intend to read back-to-back with joy and regret - regret that there can be no more.

I am also planning to read poetry by Geoffrey Hill and Carl Phillips.

I intend to read (and have started) Niall Ferguson's book on catastrophes Doom.

And the Rain My Drink is a book I have wanted to read set in my old stomping ground of Johor Bahru and about the Malayan Emergency.

The rest I shall take as it comes.

The November Asian Book Challenge Thread is up and I am at home:

Wallace's Malay Archipelago!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/345542

>192 PaulCranswick: I am also planning to read poetry

...I know a cry for help when I hear one...there's an SAS team on its way...courage, mon ami, your brainwashing will be reversed soon!

>194 richardderus: Hahaha. Stow it RD or I'll send you some more Simon Armitage!

>189 PaulCranswick: Most ideals are defeated by baser motivations, and, after all isn't that the concept behind Paradise Lost? I'm not much into idealism, I prefer the pragmatism of Labor Unions and targeted self-interest motivated socialism. Not having truck with "wouldn't it be lovely if" when "if" is just bunk.

>196 quondame: Sadly you are right. Look what happened to the very idealistic peasant's movement in 1381 and the anarcho-movements in pre-Civil War Spain.

>197 PaulCranswick: I think it's inherent in Christian belief systems, that we should be other than we are, which to the imaginatively self-hopeful is a wee slip into thinking that we can be better than we are. Not that individuals can't improve behaviors and outcomes, nor that they should be let off of the responsibility to do so, just that my will has no effect on the direction of your improvement.

>192 PaulCranswick: And you'll also be reading something featuring King Arthur. ;)

>198 quondame: We are all inherently selfish creatures, Susan.

>199 amanda4242: Indeed, Amanda. TH White is already by my bedside.

Wordle 502 5/6

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One of those with three scenarios and I chose the other two first!

>152 PaulCranswick: This looks like an interesting perspective on history.

>154 PaulCranswick: I was feeling bad about not visiting threads so am surprised I made the list!

Thanks for all you do!

>202 witchyrichy: That is nice of you to say, Karen.

Your posting has been fairly consistent as far as I can see this year. x

>148 PaulCranswick: A completely blank post for some reason.

>154 PaulCranswick: I'm surprised that I'm so high on the list (30), given how inactive I've been recently. Thanks for doing the stats and thanks to those visiting my thread and keeping it in the list :0)

>152 PaulCranswick: Rubenhold's The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper is a standout among the books written about the Ripper. Good to see that you appreciated it, Paul. I found that it really brought the history to life, so to speak. It gave me a better idea of how harrowing the lives of my ancestors who lived in the area would have been, especially the women.

Thanks for the stats. I find it amazing that I'm doing okay in the numbers when I feel that I'm spending a lot of time neglecting my thread.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/345596

>154 PaulCranswick: Haha, a couple days ago I skimmed over the list and didn't see me but didn't think too much about it. I mean, I came back to 75ers mid-year, so... Today, I looked again and see I'm #69, which isn't too shabby! Anyway, congrats on being No. 1 and thanks for putting together all the stats. And I echo humoress: Thanks to those visiting my thread and keeping it in the list.

>204 humouress: That is strange as it is showing up fine on my thread, Nina.
Top thirty is a pretty ok result so far I would guess.

>205 Familyhistorian: It is very vividly told, Meg, I agree.
I think so many have noticed our slow down over the last couple of months but the group still outperforms the next ten groups combined on LT in terms of activity.

>206 SilverWolf28: Thank you, Silver

>207 Storeetllr: Your performance from a mid-year start is notable, Mary, but not entirely surprising given how pleased so many of us were to have you back!

Wordle 503 4/6

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Quite pleased in seeing that one quickly.

Lunchtime in Kuala Lumpur. Temple of books for a quick visit:

921. On War Carl von Clausewitz
922. Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen
923. Istanbul by Orhan Pamuk
924. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
925. Tell Them of Battles, Kings, and Elephants by Mathias Enard

Clausewitz?! Wow. You don't half love the obscure ol' generals, do youse.

Happy weekend's reads, PC.

Istanbul by Orhan Pamuk is one of my favourite books! Great choice.

>212 richardderus: RD, I used to have it back in the day and bought it on a special offers as Oxford Classics were on exhibition in the bookstore.

>213 torontoc: Likewise, Cyrel, all Orhan Pamuk's books were on 20% discount yesterday so it was a no brainer since he is a favourite of mine too.

Wordle 504 4/6

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No problem today

I was surprised how much I enjoyed Cloud Cuckoo Land. I hope you do too!

>214 PaulCranswick: No fair; you seem to have more book sales than we do over here.

>217 humouress: The price of books here isn't too bad still. I can normally get them for around $10 so I cannot complain too much.

>218 PaulCranswick: This explains your shelves (and shelves) of books. They're starting to head north of S$20 here which would be about 40RM for you.

ETA: just had a look at the exchange rate. More like 66RM.

Just curious, Paul. What do you do with your books after you read them?

>219 humouress: They are about RM50 here, Nina - I meant $10 US

>220 SqueakyChu: It depends, Madeline. I always keep them for a good while. Some of them go back on the shelves - my read shelves. Some get boxed and labelled just in case I get the urge to picked them up again. Some get given away to school libraries or orphanages.

I keep around 9,000 - 10,000 books in the house at the moment and I need a couple more shelves soon.

Hi Paul! I hope your weekend is going well!

>221 PaulCranswick: But still enough difference for me to cast an acquisitive eye across the causeway.

Ha, my bookshelves would be even more crowded if books cost only $10 US! Maybe it's a good thing they're more expensive. Books sold in Canada have a US price and a Canadian price which is considerably more.

I've started a planning thread for next year's BAC.

https://www.librarything.com/topic/345635#

Hope your weekend is going well, Paul.

>222 The_Hibernator: So far so good, Rachel. Late win (again) for my football club, Leeds United and the young players there coming back from 1-3 to win 4-3. Dinner with my girls. Elton John for company in bed (his autobiography I hasten to add).

>223 humouress: You are very welcome to visit, Nina!

>224 Familyhistorian: I'm not really sure why, Meg, but the books from the US are 20% on average more expensive than their British equivalents here.

>225 amanda4242: Gosh, we are already in November, Amanda! I will go and see if I can help (or hinder) the planning. xx

Sometimes you just find the game easy!

Wordle 505 3/6

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BOOK #135



Me by Elton John
Date of Publication : 2019
Origin of Author : UK
Pages : 376 pp

Let's face it Elton in the 80's was pretty naff but his 1970s output was magnificent. Madman Across the Water, Captain Fantastic and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road have been listened to death by me over the years and I love those albums and the song-writing talent and musicianship that went into them.

Elton does a pretty honest job here of explaining why he was pretty naff in the 1980s. He does not spare himself and frankly comes across as more likeable for the self-deprecation.

A flawed, but big-hearted icon...........sorry I'm off to listen to Tumbleweed Connection.

This is Elton from 50 years ago with "Mona Lisas and Madhatters"

One of the best things he ever did

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6tiEKZkzMM&list=RDB8_xkuGbPhY&index=2

>230 PaulCranswick: Beautiful.

>229 PaulCranswick: It was the 1980s, they were naff from giddy-up to whoa. Wall-to-wall bad taste, bad hair, bad bad bad politics...it was a hideous time.

>231 richardderus: Well Elton was good, RD, he was pretty damn good.

The eighties are musically my least favourite I think certainly until rescued by The Smiths and The Housemartins.

BOOK #136



The Rest of Love : Poems by Carl Phillips
Date of Publication : 2004
Origin of Author : USA
Pages : 66 pp

Religion and eroticism make awkward bedfellows here.

For me, to appreciate - really appreciate - poetry you have to strike a wavelength with the poet. Otherwise what his words are trying to reach you with will be rejected or will miss their target, which is you.

I am not on Carl Phillips' wavelength in this collection to the extent that they often read as a random assemblage of words and phrases. His work is meant to be allusive and it was allusive enough to go straight over my head. This was a finalist for the National Book Award so judges better than I am took something from these poems - perhaps they should give back what they took because I just couldn't find it.

>232 PaulCranswick: I'm not really a big booster of any one period of music. I like (or don't) styles, eg opera or folk, not so much periods.

There were remarkably few duds even in Sir Elton's 1980s...mostly just dull, samey stuff that felt worn out. The DUD of his career, to me, was the smarmy, stupid "Nikita". Other stuff like "I'm Still Standing" and "Sad Songs" were just dull. The 80s shed filthy dandruff everywhere, didn't they.

>234 richardderus: In Elton's case RD, I found a lot of his stuff 1970-1975 in particular profoundly moving. Taupin in a great lyricist and Elton wonderfully interpreted those lyrics. He has rarely reached those peaks subsequently but his album with Leon Russell is a favourite and their song "When Love is Dying" can make me tear up more often than not and was a soundtrack to some difficult times in my own life.

I agree with you on Nikita. Rubbish.

>235 PaulCranswick: This is a live version of 'When Love is Dying" with poor Leon Russell barely clinging to life. Incredibly moving.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL5gBOFMd9k

I made heavy weather of today's wordle:

Wordle 506 5/6

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>233 PaulCranswick: Religion and eroticism make awkward bedfellows.

*cough*The Song of Songs*cough*

>238 amanda4242: Will give you that one, Amanda. I should have said more accurately that "religion and eroticism make awkward bedfellows here".
Have amended my review! :D

Hi Paul! The Elton John autobiography sounds good, nice to have some self-deprecation from a star.

>240 banjo123: He is very candid about some of his Diva-like behaviour and doesn't mind expressing his regret about soured relations with some pretty well known figures. I am a huge fan of his early music in particular, Rhonda, so I am probably more apt to like him.

>239 PaulCranswick: Much better!

>242 amanda4242: Doesn't alter the fact that I thought that the poetry anthology was a stinker.

I want to say a big, big thank you to anyone who has visited and posted on my threads this year - you are the best.

The last post was the 8,000th on my threads this year and I am humbled indeed.

>244 PaulCranswick: Congrats, Paul!

>243 PaulCranswick: But at least you are no longer implying religion and eroticism are incompatible; why, Leonard Cohen made a career out of mingling the two!

Congratulations on all the posts, dear Paul!

>245 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita. x

>246 amanda4242: And not only he to be fair, Amanda.

Thank you so much for posting almost as often here as at your own thread. xx

>244 PaulCranswick: Congratulations, Paul!
I had hope to post msg 243, but your thread went fast while I was sleeping ;-)

Congratulations Paul. You have a knack for conversation.

>248 FAMeulstee: I know you also watch out for the milestones too, Anita. I so much appreciate your presence in this group.

>249 Kristelh: Thank you, Kristel. I am blessed with so many wonderful friends in this group. XX

>244 PaulCranswick: Yay for 8k! Gracious goodness me, we're a chatty bunch, no?

>251 richardderus: Indeed we are RD and your own thread is getting back to its 2012/3/4 numbers.

Wordle 507 4/6

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Another steady but unspectacular day.

>253 PaulCranswick: I'm mostly getting them in 4--sometimes 3 or 5. I did manage 2 twice this past week. Pure luck both times.

>254 thornton37814: I'm not much different, Lori. Much more 4s than 3s not that many 5s a few rare 6s and I think 4 or 5 2s.
I have failed to solve it twice.

>232 PaulCranswick: I think the 80's were a great decade for music. So many great rock bands, the rebirth of the singer songwriters with the likes of Steve Earle, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Nanci Griffith, John Gorka and so many more. It was the last great decade for music.

I enjoyed the Elton John book when I read it, Paul. I remember his early songs as part of the soundtrack of my university years.

>256 RBeffa: You really think so, Ron? I will give you Nanci Griffith though - wonderful and beautiful and sadly missed.

>257 Familyhistorian: His Captain Fantastic album is one of the records I have played the absolute most. I think it is one of the most consistently excellent pieces of work ever produced.

Wordle 508 2/6

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I got me a great 2 today.

>259 PaulCranswick: WOW, Paul, congratulations for Wordle in two!

>260 FAMeulstee: I seem to be on a lucky streak, Anita. Unless I am mistaken I have managed to do that three times in as many weeks. I choose my opening word completely at random from the blurb on the cover of a book that happens to be on my table either waiting to be read or having just been read. I have the Selected Poems of Geoffrey Hill to thank for today!

>258 PaulCranswick: I don't think the 80's were nearly as good as the 70's but there was still a lot of great music (and a lot I ignored). Dire Straits, Springsteen both put out great material ... Kate Bush, Bruce Hornsby, Tina Turner, Toto, Phil Collins, Genesis, Mike and the mechanics, Cock Robin, Kim Carnes, Cyndi Lauper, Plimsouls, Blasters, Replacements, Proclaimers, John Hiatt, Men at Work, even The Cult.

>262 RBeffa: Not saying that it was uniformly bad, Ron. I really liked British and Irish acts The Smiths, Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, Alison Moyet, Kate Bush's Hounds of Love, The Proclaimers, U2's early stuff The Waterboys and others but I just don't think it matched what preceded it. I did like Suzanne Vega, John Hiatt (though I discovered him later), Nanci and Robert Cray.

>263 PaulCranswick: I won't disagree with that. I guess I went to a lot of concerts in the 80's and have fond memories of many of the groups and artists. I forgot to mention some of the Irish artists. U2 created their greatest works then. Plus Clannad. Mary Black.

>264 RBeffa: Also Enya. I saw her playing piano in a pub in Donegal in 1985 (I think it was) with all her family gathered with her. That was a wonderful though hazily remembered evening!

Hopelessly behind but Hi!

>266 Berly: Lovely to see you my dear Kimmers!

The Mid Terms are fascinating from my vantage point in Malaysia and sad in a way too though I don't have a horse in the race as they say.

It seems an election that has been rooted in the near past rather than a passing of judgement on the present.

It seems an election that has confirmed the extreme polarity of the country with the blue areas getting bluer and the red areas redder and the middle ground shrinking.

What are my takes on it overall?

The Republicans need to shed Trump like a smelly old coat and move forward.
The Dems need to begin to focus on the issues that bother the whole of the nation rather just their core.

I suspect neither of the parties will heed any lessons to be drawn .

>268 PaulCranswick:, I sadly agree with your analysis and conclusion.

>268 PaulCranswick: After DeSantis delivered Flahdah, he's the one to watch for 2024. 45's heading down the chute because most of his most-hyped picks failed. JD Vance and Herschel Walker (!!!) are/seem to be exceptions. In politics you're only as good as your luck and his is running out.

Not soon enough.

I found it interesting that the authors who were running for office did well. J. D. Vance and Wes Moore. Huzzah for authors!

>269 Kristelh: Politics brings little hope and certainly no joy anywhere in the world at the moment.........except in Malaysia which will have a General Election on Saturday and the winner whoever that will be (and it will make zero difference) will declare at least one day of public holiday in celebration!

>270 richardderus: He seems to agree with you too, RD. His attacks on De Santis have already started and surely show whoever would vote for the GOP that it is about what is good for him not America that he is most interested in.

>271 benitastrnad: I can sort of cheer for that, Benita, but JD Vance has taken some fairly extreme positions and his ginger benefactor's backing would give cause for any huzzahs to rather stick in the throat.

Wordle 509 4/6

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I suppose the word could have been a topical one.

>271 benitastrnad: Huzzah for Wes Moore especially because he will be my governor. After two years of Larry Hogan, Moore will be so refreshing! I didn't even know who Wes Moore was before the general election! After he won the primary, I quickly read one of his books called The Other Wes Moore. It was interesting. He will be a great governor, especially for the city of Baltimore, the city in which I grew up, because it has so many problems. It could potentially be so much better that it is now. I kind of miss that city although I wasn't crazy about growing up there and was eager to leave after graduating from nursing school.

>275 SqueakyChu: Moore would appear to be someone to keep an eye on, Madeline. New faces are urgently required in politics to bring new ideas.