PawsforThought tries get some reading done in 2023

Hi lovely LT friends!



2022 was a bit of a whirlwind. I started it working from home, doing a job I didn’t particularly like and mostly wanted to find another one. Then it was suddenly no more WFH and since I have not yet found a place to live in the city where I work it was the beginning of daily commuting. By train, and on a line that is infamous for having delays. It went okay, but the days have been very long and tiring.
On the bright side, I realised just how wonderful my co-workers are and though I still find my actual job to be rather boring I love my place of work and will be very sad the day I no longer get to work with these people.
The commuting has had a very negative impact on my reading as I’m usually to exhausted to get much reading done on the train. This unfortunately also applies to crafting so I haven’t made much progress with my knitting. Hopefully, the new year will bring with it a place to live so I don’t have to keep up the commute.

I tried to join in with some challenges last year but the lack of reading time meant I couldn’t keep up. I’m not planning on any particular challenges this year – any reading will be a win.

And as always, I’m going to do my best to do some poetry reading this year. I’ve recently discovered a poetry podcast that I really like (Poetry Unbound) which has introduced me to some poetry I never would have discovered on my own and made me understand them better than I ever could have by myself.

Last year, I decided to become more physically active and set myself the goal of “walking to Venice”. That is a distance of 2104 km and I reached it in November. For 2023 I’m planning to walk the route of the Orient Express – that is, the original route going from Istanbul via Bucharest, Budapest, Vienna, Munich and Strasbourg to Paris. That is a distance of about 2740 km. Hopefully, other ways of keeping fit and health will also be happening, but it is somewhat dependent on my work and life situation.

Currently reading

Read in 2023



Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

The year’s reading in covers

To read in 2023



Enid Blyton: 2-3
Mikhail Bulgakov: 1
Agatha Christie: 3
Charles Dickens: 1-2
Kerry Greenwood: 2-3
Maria Gripe: 4-5
James Herriot: 2
Ngaio Marsh: 2
L. M. Montgomery: 2
Emmuska Orczy: 2
Terry Pratchett: 2-3
William Shakespeare: 3-4
Katarina Taikon: 2
Evelyn Waugh: 2

TIOLI & other challenges



Group reads

Poetry

Welcome back! Glad you’re joining us for yet another adventure.

Starred for 2023 Paws!

>8 drneutron: Thanks! I’m looking forward to the new LT year. Hopefully it will include some reading on my part.

>9 SandDune: Hi Rhian! Thanks for popping by.

Wishing you a comfortable reading year in 2023, Paws.

Nice to see you back and with a very colorful thread set up.

ed again!!

Hey Cousin Paws!

Got you all starred, of course. I see you are reading Rachel Carson. I added her to my mental book acquisition list the other day (though I'd better add her to an actual list before I forget) when people were talking about her on my local NPR station.

Don't have my 2023 thread up yet. Intend to finish entering my 2022 books in that thread before starting the next (and likely falling behind there immediately.)

Hope your commute gets shorter soon. Long commutes - they are a killer!!

Happy New Thread, and Happy New Year, Paws!

I’ve never read Silent Spring but I did read The Sea around us by Rachel Carson. Excellent and very readable.

Happy new year Paws!

>1 PawsforThought: I'm sorry the necessities of work interfered with your reading, and congratulate you on your cross-continent walk!

Hi everyone, and thanks for dropping by.

Re: Rachel Carson - I started reading Silent Spring almost two years ago and haven’t got very far. It’s a great book, but I find it hard to read books about things that are going wrong in real life and especially when I know it’s not going to have a happy ending. It’s depressing. It’ll have to be a slow, dip-my-toe-once-in-a-while book.

Happy New Year, Paws. I look forward to following your reading (and of course also your crafting) this year.

Wishing you a Happy New Year, and some good reading in 2023 Paws.

Hi Paws! I have you starred.

Wishing you a great year of reading!

Happy New Year, Paws!

Dropped off my star, Paws.

Hi Laura, Caroline, Kristi, Lori, Roni, Kim and Micky! Nice to see you all here!

My year has started somewhat interestingly. My cold/flu/whatever has had me coughing up a storm for the past few days so I called the health centre and they thought I should get checked out. The (A+, really great) doctor confirmed that I have some fluid in one ear (not surprising, my ears have been killing me) but no abnormal sounds from the lungs (somewhat surprising considering the coughing attacks). Probably a viral infection on the way out - I’ve been prescribed a bronchodilating inhaler (same as used for asthma) and cough medication (the “good stuff” that’s morphine based and gives you really weird dreams). Hopefully that’ll make it better. If not, I’ll have to come back.

On the good side, I’ve borrowed Graham Greene’s Stamboul Train to go with my Orient Express walking theme, and today is day 1 of the 30 Day Yoga Journey with Yoga with Adriene, which I’ve been looking forward to for months.

Dang. Hope you feel better soon. Along with the meds, maybe the yoga will help?

Well, I do yoga every day, year round, so I don’t think it’ll have a big impact on this particular health issue. However, it has definitely had an impact on my health in other ways, primarily by building strength in my back and neck (I have recurring neck pain from bad posture) and having some quiet time to focus and not think.

>24 PawsforThought: I hope you feel better soon Paws.

I don't think I've read that GG. Onto the list it goes.

>26 PawsforThought: I am not as dedicated as you are, but I do love Ashtanga yoga. What's your favorite?

>28 Berly: I’m pretty dedicated to the Yoga with Adriene YouTube channel so I go with the videos that are suggested in the YWA calendar (mostly). I think she primarily does Hathaway yoga, but with influences from all over.

I’m open to other varieties, though - if you know any other good YouTube channel (an ash tanga one, maybe?) I’m all ears.

I have been primarily a studio yoga person, then Zoom during Covid. I'll have to look at YouTube -- I'd love to be able to do it more often at home! Sadly, the means I have no recs for you. : ( I'll let you know if I come across one though. Namaste.

I hope the meds help clear things up, Paws. I'm impressed that you do yoga every day. Adriene's calendar is great. I used it regularly before I started going to a local studio.

Starring your thread! Happy new year
Hoping to get into daily sun sals at very least this year

>30 Berly: YouTube has been a blessing for me because I haven’t really felt at home in in-person classes I’ve been to. YWA is really adjustable for what your needs are and it’s really helpful to be able to do yoga every day, no matter what’s going on or where I am.

>31 lauralkeet: Daily yoga has been a saviour for me. Before I started I had a period of 6 wry necks in seven months and I knew I needed a change. Only one wry neck in the 2,5 years since.

>32 vikzen: Hi vikzen, and welcome! Daily sun salutations sounds like a great goal for the new year!

Happy reading in 2023, Paws!

I hope you feel better soon.
And enjoy your virtual Orien Express walk.

Just popping in to say Hi!

>35 Berly: Hi Kim! Nice to see you over here.

Hi Paws! Belated Happy New Year and happy first thread of 2023.

>1 PawsforThought: I realised just how wonderful my co-workers are and though I still find my actual job to be rather boring I love my place of work I’m sorry the work isn’t what you’d like, but the benefit of good co-workers and place of work are not to be underestimated. That’s what my daughter feels about her job, so 2 out of 3 for both of you. I admire your walking goal.

>5 PawsforThought: Excellent reading goals. I particularly like seeing Shakespeare in there and really, really need to read some again myself.

>24 PawsforThought: I’m sorry you started the year off sick, glad you got ‘the good stuff’. I personally love morphine from the three times I’ve had it although not in a cough medication. 🥰 I hope you’re fully recovered by now.

>37 karenmarie: Hi Karen!
I’m pleased to be working where I am even if the work is a bit meh. I’ve worked in places where the working environment was horrendous so I definitely appreciate what I have.

I’m feeling much better now, though with occasional coughs - the doctor said it could linger for quite a while.

Ah, the lingering cough - so fun. Jane always gives me her totally pissed-off look when I let loose with one of those. Almost as bad as her WTF look that she reserves for sneezing (mine, not hers). I think she expects to see my head fly off my neck.

I could stand a meh job, but not a job where I disliked the people I worked with, or - probably worse - they disliked me.

Paws, hope you are feeling better now.

Wondered if I can ask you a question. We are hoping to come to Sweden on holiday this year and wondered if you have any recommendations as to where to go? We want to spend some time in Stockholm (neither of us have been before), Mr SandDune wants to go to Dalarna and I'd like to combine swimming (lake or sea) with sightseeing. We have been to Sweden before and visited Ystad, Helsingborg and Varberg, so don't want to go those areas again.

>40 SandDune: Hi Rhian! I've mostly gotten over my cold though occasionally have a couching fit. Hopefully that will clear up in a few weeks.

Regarding holidays, I haven't holidayed in southern Sweden for ages so I'm not an expert in anyway.
Stockholm is a great place to visit and has tons of interesting things to see, depending on what you're interested in. Dalarna would be a nice place to visit - is there something in particular MrSandDune is interested in seeing there?
You should be able to combine sightseeing with swimming almost anywhere as long as the temperatures are high enough. Sweden has clear water and (unless there's blooming algae) plenty of nice beaches. Uppsala, which is on the "other side" or Arlanda airport is quite nice. A city with a ton of history and interesting building but more quaint than Stockholm.

If there are particular things you want to see or do (museums, historical buildings, animal parks, etc.) that could narrow down other possibilities.

>41 PawsforThought: I hope that the cough is a thing of the past, Paws.
How is your reading coming along?

Hello! Just checking in again. I am making progress overcoming long Covid. How's the cough? Conquered I hope!

>43 Berly: Thanks for checking in! Good to hear you are making progress with long Covid, even if it's a slow progress.
The coughing is over with, thankfully, but I am not quite feeling 100% in terms of breathing. I feel like I am getting short of breath more easily that I should, and deep breaths (like when doing yoga) requires more effort than normal, so I'm not sure if it's just after-effects of the cold or something else. I am more physically active than I've ever been so I don't think I should be getting out of breath so easily. I talked to the health centre and they thought I should use the bronchodilators all day every day for a week and then get back to them. It's been over a week and I'm not sure I feel much of a difference. And I think I'm having some side-effects to the bronchodilators so I'm not going to take them anymore, and I'll call the health centre again on Monday.

Today has been a tough day, in a very tough week. After very long considerations, my family took the decision to have our beloved and sweet kitty put down. He was quite old and has been getting progressively worse for the past few years. It was no longer in his best interest to keep him alive. I know we did the right thing and I know he had a good life with as much love as a cat can possibly have, but it still hurts. He was the sweetest cat ever and I’m going to miss him so much.

>45 PawsforThought: I'm so sorry for your loss, Paws. It's incredibly hard to say goodbye to a beloved pet who has been a member of the family for so long. You were very lucky to have each other for as long as you did.

>45 PawsforThought: I'm sorry for your loss, Paws. It's always tough having to make that decision but it is a comfort that you gave your pet the best life you could as long as you could. Sending hugs.

I'm sorry too, Paws. I remember how hard the decision was for us to make for our dog. Look through pictures you might have and remember the better times.

Thank you all.

>45 PawsforThought: I am so sorry for your loss. Our dear, small, companions are such a joy, and the heartbreak of losing them such pain.

>50 quondame: Thank you. Yes, they manage to get into the very deepest core of our hearts.

Awww, I am so very sorry Paws. I'm sure your kitty had a wonderful life and that you and your family will continue to cherish memories of him. Sending hugs.

>52 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura. He did have a great life - he lived 13 years in a family of crazy cat lovers who doted on him. We have many wonderful memories of him.

>45 PawsforThought: Awww. I'm sorry for your loss.

Just an update on life: This past year has really been challenging and now there's been another thing added to the pile. Last week, the sister of one of my closest colleagues was killed (my Dutch friends will have read about a shooting in Amsterdam). So my colleague will be on leave for an unknown amount of time and the rest of us are scrambling to figure out what to to without her (she is "the glue").

In addition to this, I have been having back/neck pains for the past month-ish so went to see a physiotherapist last week. The diagnosis is an underdeveloped muscle by one of the scapula and a bulging disc in my upper back. Probably caused by a combination of stress, commuting, bad posture, bad mattress and improper work-environment. I have been given a rehabilitation program that I am working diligently with. Hopefully this will help and the problem will go away. Otherwise, we'll see what happens.

>55 PawsforThought: So sorry, Paws, I did read about it, but had no idea it related to your colleague...

A bulging disk can be very painful. I hope the rehabilitation program works for you.
(((hugs)))

I'm sorry to hear about your colleague, Paws, and the impact on your team at work as well.

Like Anita, I hope the rehab program fully addresses the bulging disk. I've not experienced that but it sounds uncomfortable to say the least.

I'm so sorry for your colleague's loss, Paws, and for all the stress it's causing at work.

Likewise wishing you all the best with your rehab routine.

>45 PawsforThought: Sorry it was time to do the hard thing for your fury companion Paws. It's never easy, but it is the right thing to do.

>55 PawsforThought: That is shocking about your colleagues best friend, and the impact ripples affecting you all.

I hope the work you are doing to sort your back out works Paws.

I do hope the the work you are doing does the trick for your neck - it's so hard to be productive with that sort of pain. And the death must be such a shock. My condolences to you and your co-worker.

Hope your feeling better soon Paws.

Thanks everyone. My back is hurting quite a bit, but it's still early days so hopefully the rehab will help in time, although it is a struggle to do it all. I'm meant to take a short break every half hour and do one or two movements, but it's easy to get swept up in what you're doing and lose track of time. The physiotherapist visited my office today to check my working environment and we adjusted some stuff (monitor height and angle, placement of overhead lighting, etc.) I'm trying out arm rests and will probably get a new chair. She suggested that I take a break or two everyday to sit down and lean back properly (feet up) to let my back rest so I'll do what I can about that.

Regarding my colleague, we had an emergency meeting yesterday where we divided up some tasks. Luckily another colleague is able to go from working 50% to working full-time so that will take care of a lot. And then we'll see what happens. I'm not 100% certain my colleague is ever coming back, though I certainly hope she will.

Sorry for being so absent, but there’s not a lot of reading at the moment.

Last week, the yearly live streams of the elk (as in moose) crossing the Ångerman River started on SVT, Swedish public service TV. There’s been quite a bit of action already - a bear and a wolverine has been spotted, there’s been a fight between crows and an eagle, and five elks have made they way to the site, but no one has crossed the river yet. If you’re into slow TV and like watching Northern European wildlife, the streams can be found here and can be watched from all over the world.

>63 PawsforThought: Thanks for that link, Paws! I will definitely check it out.

>64 rosalita: Do! It's great fun slow TV. The first moose apparently crossed the river yesterday. They're later than usual, likely because of the late and cold spring.

Hi Paws! I’m sorry to hear you are having back issues. I hope the therapy is helpful!

>63 PawsforThought: I watched the link. Of course I usually read LT threads very late in the evening so I thought the webcam would just show a black field. But actually it was beautiful, white trees, and a white river. Snow. I can’t believe this is May! I will definitely try watching during the daytime.

>66 EllaTim: Yes, it's late enough in the spring for the sun to be up for a long time. And we've been having a cold spring - it's not usually this much snow in May. Some piles in the ditches and so on, but usually not more than that. I'm hoping the last of it will melt soon.

I don't believe in curses, but I'm beginning to wonder if my department is cursed. Today when I arrived at work I was met by two ambulances. My "head boss" (the head of the department), a wonderful and joyful woman of only 53, collapsed as she came to work and died either on the way to the hospital or just when she arrived.

This is the second sudden death at our department in one year (those of you who remember my thread last year might recall that my colleague died last May), and the fourth time in one year that a relatively young woman with children that I'm somehow connected to has died.

>68 PawsforThought: I'm so sorry to hear about your loss, Paws. What a terrible thing to have to face on a Monday morning on top of the shock of it happening at all. It sounds like you've had a rough year overall; I'm sending thoughts of peace your way.

>68 PawsforThought: Oh goodness, Paws. That must be a tremendous shock for everyone. Sending hugs for you.

Thank you. Yes, we're all quite shocked. She was such a lovely and warm person - just the kind you want to be leader.

Yeah, the last year has been one of the toughest in my life - I'm eternally grateful that I have such wonderful colleagues and management at work because without that support it would be unbearable.

Oh Paws, my heart goes out to you. I'm so sorry.

>68 PawsforThought: Such sad news Paws. Keeping you all in my thoughts..

>68 PawsforThought: What a shocking tragedy! I feel for your boss's family and you her associates!

>68 PawsforThought: - That's absolutely awful. I'm so sorry for you and your colleagues.

Thanks everyone.

Such a terrible thing to have happened even once. Twice in a year is really shocking. Hope you recover from the awfulness of this soon, Cousin Paws.

>68 PawsforThought: That’s really awful Paws! Such a shock for all around her. I’m very sorry for her family, and her colleagues and all.

>68 PawsforThought: Ouch! I'm sorry to hear about this. My condolences on your whole string of losses.

Thank you all for your kind words. We are being well taken care of, and are taking care of each other. At our weekly meeting yesterday, my boss told us to skip work if we needed to because “recovering is work”. I took it to heart and after having a later than usual lunch, I went on an extra long lunchtime walk and then took the afternoon off.
I’ve been thinking a lot about my colleague who died last year, and have been blasting Disney songs on Spotify for the past few days (she loved Disney). My closest colleague and I even had a sing-a-long in the office of Thursday. It felt very cathartic.

>68 PawsforThought: Oh my gosh! I am so sorry to hear the latest sad news. I am glad the Disney tunes are helping. Do take care of yourself. Big hugs.

Yes, it’s taken me to the second half of the year, but I finally finished a book!

#1.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke



I have been meaning to read this book since I found out that it existed. I read Clarke’s previous novel, the amazing Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell two years ago and was glued to it almost from the first page. This book didn’t draw me in quite so immediately but it’s been an extraordinary read. I don’t know quite what to say about it without explaining the whole story but it’s a great, great book.

>82 PawsforThought: I loved Piranesi too. One of the best books I've read over the last couple of years

Adding to the Piranesi love.

Hi Paws! Just waving to you.

>82 PawsforThought: I really enjoyed Piranesi while I had major issues with Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.

>68 PawsforThought: What a shock indeed! Such relatively young woman at the age of 53. I'm very sorry. Glad that you got a book read.

>82 PawsforThought: - I read this last year and liked it a lot although I don't usually read a lot of fantasy.

Glad to see so much Piranesi love. I do quite like reading fantasy but am not too keen on too much sword wielding (LOTR excluded) so this kind of fantasy is exciting to me.

>86 quondame: Sorry to hear you weren’t as keen on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. It was a book that made me feel like I was in the book-devouring age again. I couldn’t put it down, couldn’t wait to get back to reading it. I thought that kind of feeling was a thing of the past and was so excited to feel it again.

>87 vancouverdeb: Yes, it was a shock. She was a lovely person. Friendly and social, made jokes. The kind of person who should be in a leadership position. I’ve been very lucky with bosses of late, which I’m eternally grateful for as it has such an impact on your work life (and therefore your whole life).

2023 seems to be developing into a year of death. Along with the previously mentioned ones, our neighbour (also just over 50 with three teenage kids) died the same week as my prefect. And thus week we found out that the son of one of my mum’s best friends has also died. He was only a bit over 40.

>89 PawsforThought: It is so sad when younger people die Paws. I hope the run for people you know stops now.

Just an FYI:

I'm going on holiday for a week so will possibly not be hanging around LT much (unless I get bored at the hotel before bed). I will be spending some time in Tallinn and Riga - a holiday I meant to go on in 2020 but, you know...

Enjoy your holiday, Paws! I have always been intrigued by the idea of visiting Estonia, so I look forward to hearing more about your adventures when you return.

>91 PawsforThought: Have a lovely time Paws.

I hope you're having a wonderful trip, Paws.

>91 PawsforThought: Have a good trip Paws! Would love to see those places.

I’m back home! I’ve had a good (albeit rainy time) and will share some stories and photos when I’ve rested a bit. Both flights back were delayed so it was a late return and I’m quite exhausted.

>91 PawsforThought: I Hope you enjoyed Tallinn and Riga. We visited both those cities in 2018. I liked both countries but particularly Estonia.

Well, the return home hasn’t been as smooth and sweet as I’d hoped. I managed to be home for approximately two hours before the water went out due to a big leak in the area. Only came back just before lunch today and they are still doing some work so there is a risk that the water may go away for a bit again (or for the pressure to be bad). They are saying it should all be finished by tonight, but who knows. I’m just glad I have water at the moment and can wash my hands and so on.
The water issue meant I didn’t get the afternoon/evening I’d originally planned yesterday, not the day I’d planned today but such is life. I have watched a ton of old episodes of Time Team and The Supervet while working on my winter coat, which needed some TLC.

Sorry for that unfortunate return Paws.

Time Team is fun isn’t it? How do you watch it?

Already working on your winter coat?

>99 EllaTim: Hi Ella!
I love Time Team, have been watching for years and was very excited when they started producing new shows again last year. It was watching the latest shows that kick-started this latest round of re-watches. It’s a perfect show to watch when you want something comforting yet a bit exciting. And it’s great to watch when working on sewing or knitting because you don’t need to have your eyes glued to the scree, especially when you’ve seen the episode a few times already…

I started mending my winter coat in April (when I stopped using it for the season) because there’s quite a few things that need to be fixed before next winter and I know myself well enough to know that it’s take me a while because it’s not a “fun” project. But I’ve now done the biggest thing, which was replacing the toggles (it’s a duffel coat), and I’ve fixed a few split seams. I have a few more seams that need fixing and then there are a few holes in the lining, but I need to buy some fabric for that.

>98 PawsforThought: On noes! I hope this is all old news by the time I'm reading and responding.

>101 ArlieS: Yes, the water has returned and there hasn’t been any more issues since. I even got to have a shower and do laundry. The joys of modern life.

Missing you around the threads, Paws. Hope that your year has become a little less incident and tragedy laden.

>103 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! Thanks for stopping by. I’m around, though not posting much. Also not reading much. Life is busy and I’ve been focusing on knitting.

>104 PawsforThought: That sounds more like normalcy at least. xx

>105 PaulCranswick: Yes, definitely more normalcy than in the spring.

Hi Paws! Returning your visit. Did you finish your winter coat? From your last post?

Hi Ella, nice to see you over here.
The winter coat is almost finished- I still need to find some fabric to repair the lining with, and then it’ll be ready for another season. I thought I’d have to buy fabric but my mum says she has some so I’ll just have to find it.
I’ve focused more on knitting lately and have worked on a pillow case, slippers and now a slipover.

Nadolig llawen a blwyddyn newydd dda i ti!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you!

Thinking about you during the festive season, Paws

Hi Paws!

Merry Christmas, Paws!

Merry Christmas, Paws!

Thank you every for the Christmas wishes. I hope you’ve all had a great Christmas and are currently having the very best of New Year celebrations.

Just in the nick of time I managed to finish another book, thus increasing my count for the year by 100%! Let’s hope that next year improves, generally speaking but specifically reading-wise.

#2.
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman



I’ve been reading this book for so long! It’s not because I had a hard time reading it that it’s taken so long to finish, but just my life in general getting in the way. It’s a tremendous book, as is to be expected when Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman get together. I want to read it again!

So much word play and so many references, so many clever twists. I just love everything about it.

Happy New Year, Paws!

And now I am curious about Good Omens

Happy new year to you to, Ella!

Good Omens is really great and if you like either Pratchett or Gaiman (or both, of course) you’ll love it.