PAUL C IN 23 (20)

PLACES THAT I AM READING

This time it is a fictional place. Grover's Corners in New Hampshire. It features in the brilliant 1938 Thornton Wilder play, Our Town which in turn is the centrepoint of my latest read : Tom Lake

The Opening Words

Tom Lake is the latest book from Ann Patchett and is inspired by the play Our Town by Thornton Wilder.



" That Veronica and I were given keys and told to come early on a frozen Saturday in April to open the school for the Our Town auditions was proof of our dull reliability. The play's director, Mr. Martin, was my grandmother's friend and State Farm agent. That's how I was wrangled in, through my grandmother, and Veronica was wrangled because we did pretty much everything together. Citizens of New Hampshire could not get enough of Our Town . We felt about the play the way other Americans felt about the Constitution or the "Star-Spangled Banner". It spoke to us, made us feel special and seen. "

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

BOOKS COMPLETED - Q1

January
1. The King's Fool by Mahi Binebine (2017) 125 pp Fiction / ANC / Morocco
2. The Golden Ass by Apuleius (c 170) 216 pp Fiction / ANC / Tunisia / 1001
3. Driftnet by Lin Anderson (2003) 262 pp Thriller / Rhona MacLeod 1
4. The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff (1954) 292 pp Fiction / BAC
5. Free : Coming of Age at the End of History by Lea Ypi (2021) 310 pp Non-Fiction / NF Challenge
6. The Bridges of Constantine by Ahlem Mosteghanemi (1993) 305 pp Fiction / ANC / Algeria
7. Bloodlines by Fred D'Aguiar (2000) 161 pp Poetry / BAC
8. Borstal Boy by Brendan Behan (1958) 372 pp Fiction / 1001
9. Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson (2008) 300 pp Fiction / AAC
10. U.A. Fanthorpe : Selected Poems by U.A. Fanthorpe (2013) 153 pp Poetry
11. In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar (2006) 245 pp Fiction / ANC / Libya
12. Foundation : The History of England Volume 1 by Peter Ackroyd (2011) 462 pp Non-Fiction
13. Closed Circles by Viveca Sten (2009) 451 pp Thriller / Sandhamn 2
14. The Albemarle Book of Modern Verse edited by FES Finn (1961) 181 pp Poetry
15. Brooklyn Heights by Miral al-Tahawy (2012) 220 pp Fiction / ANC / Egypt
16. The Midnight Bell by Patrick Hamilton (1929) 221 pp Fiction
17. The Siege of Pleasure by Patrick Hamilton (1932) 118 pp Fiction
18. The Plains of Cement by Patrick Hamilton (1934) 188 pp Fiction
19. The Stories of Vladimir Nabokov by Vladimir Nabokov (1995) 663 pp Fiction / Short Stories
20. The Madness of Crowds by Douglas Murray (2019) 267 pp Non-Fiction
21. The Death of Murat Idrissi by Tommy Wieringa (2017) 102 pp Fiction
22. Foster by Claire Keegan (2010) 88 pp Fiction

February
23. Torch by Lin Anderson (2004) 230 pp Thriller / Rhona MacLeod 2
24. Things I Don't Want to Know by Deborah Levy (2003) 163 pp Non-Fiction
25. The Book of Chameleons by Jose Eduardo Agualusa (2004) 180 pp Fiction / ANC / Angola
26. Dearly by Margaret Atwood (2020) 122 pp Poetry
27. The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante (2002) 188 pp Fiction
28. The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy (2018) 187 pp Non-Fiction
29. The Lost Art of Sinking by Naomi Booth (2015) 86 pp Fiction / BAC
30. Poetry of the Thirties edited by Robin Skelton (1964) 287 pp Poetry
31. The Darkness Knows by Arnaldur Indridason (2017) 338 pp Thriller / Scandi
32. The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig (2006) 345 pp Fiction
33. The History of England Volume II : Tudors by Peter Ackroyd (2012) 471 pp Non-Fiction
34. Male Tears by Benjamin Myers (2021) 264 pp Fiction / Short Stories
35. Woman of the Ashes by Mia Couto (2015) 254 pp Fiction / ANC / Mozambique
36. Real Estate by Deborah Levy (2021) 297 pp Non-Fiction
37. Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner (1971) 569 pp Fiction / 1001 Books / Pulitzer

March
38. Deadly Code by Lin Anderson (2005) 261 pp Thriller / Rhona MacLeod 3
39. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2003) 307 pp Fiction / ANC / Nigeria
40. My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell (1956) 308 pp Non-Fiction / Memoirs
41. What Goes On : Selected and New Poems 1995-2009 by Stephen Dunn (2009) 195 pp Poetry / AAC
42. I'm a Fan by Sheena Patel (2022) 203 pp Fiction
43. Native Guard by Natasha Trethewey (2006) 46 pp Poetry / AAC

BOOKS COMPLETED - Q2

April
44. Anne Boleyn : 500 Years of Lies by Hayley Nolan (2019) 282 pp Non-Fiction / BAC
45. Hotel of the Saints by Ursula Hegi (2001) 170 pp Fiction / AAC
46. Dark Flight by Lin Anderson (2007) 392 pp Thiller
47. Boulder by Eva Baltasar (2020) 105 pp Fiction / Spain
48. Moscow by Nick Carter (1970) 155 pp Thriller
49. Thirteen Months of Sunrise by Rania Mamoun Short Stories / ANC / Sudan
50. The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot (1922) 32 pp Poetry
51. Felicity : Poems by Mary Oliver (2014) 81 pp Poetry
52. Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin (2023) 238 pp Fiction / Vietnam
53. Justice on Trial : Radical Solutions for a System at Breaking Point by Chris Daw (2020) 264 pp Non-Fiction
54. The Jewel in the Crown by Paul Scott (1966) 488 pp Fiction
55. Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka (2010) 451 pp Thriller / Japan

May
56. Taste : My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci (2021) 299 pp Non-Fiction
57. Tell Me the Truth About Life curated by Cerys Matthews (2019) 177 pp Poetry
58. Those Feet : An Intimate History of English Football by David Winner (2005) 268 pp Non-Fiction
59. The Arctic : Poems by Don Paterson (2022) 82 pp Poetry
60. Suffer the Little Children by Donna Leon (2007) 342 pp Thiller
61. The Missing Months by Lachlan MacKinnon (2022) 63 pp Poetry

June
62. Easy Kill by Lin Anderson (2008) 390 pp Thriller
63. Civil War : The History of England Volume III by Peter Ackroyd (2014) 470 pp Non-Fiction
64. Ruth Pitter : Collected Poems by Ruth Pitter (1996) 299 pp Poetry
65. Dance of the Jakaranda by Peter Kimani (2017) 350 pp Fiction / ANC / Kenya
66. England's Green by Zaffar Kunial (2022) 70 pp Poetry
67. Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov (2020) 302 pp Fiction / Bulgaria
68. The Illustrated Woman by Helen Mort (2022) 82 pp Poetry
69. Oxblood by Tom Benn (2022) 245 pp Fiction
70. The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt (2011) 263 PP Non-Fiction
71. No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy (2005) 309 pp Fiction
72. The Breast by Philip Roth (1972) 74 pp Fiction 1001 Books
73. Heritage by Miguel Bonnefoy (2020) 149 pp Fiction / Venezuela
74. Doctor Who : The Androids of Tara (1978) 143 pp SF / BAC
75. Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho (1998) 210 pp Fiction /1001 books / Brazil
76. Collected Later Poems by Anthony Hecht (2003) 238 pp Poetry
77. Zazie in the Metro by Raymond Queneau (1959) 177 pp Fiction / France
78. Quiet by Victoria Adukwei Bulley (2022) 81 pp Poetry / ANC / Ghana
79. Bonsai by Alejandro Zambra (2006) 74 pp Fiction / Chile
80. Pyre by Perumal Murugam (2013) 194 pp Fiction / India
81. Small Country by Gael Faye (2016) 183 pp Fiction / ANC / Burundi
82. Fieldwork in Ukrainian Sex by Oksana Zabuzhko (1996) 161 pp Fiction / Ukraine

BOOKS COMPLETED - Q3

July
83. Lenin on the Train by Catherine Merridale (2016) 291 pp Non-Fiction / Reading through time
84. Selected Poems by W.H. Auden (1979) 319 pp Poetry
85. Paradais by Fernanda Melchior (2022) 118 pp Fiction / Mexico
86. Final Cut by Lin Anderson (2009) 344 pp Thriller
87. John Heath-Stubbs : Selected Poems by John Heath-Stubbs (1990) 144 pp Poetry
88. Kingdom of Characters by Jing Tsu (2022) 280 pp Non Fiction / Taiwan
89. Cemetery Lake by Paul Cleave (2008) 347 pp Thriller / New Zealand
90. Fly Away, Peter by David Malouf (1982) 142 pp Fiction / Australia
91. East of Eden by John Steinbeck (1952) 602 pp Fiction / 1001 Books
92. Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy (1955) 226 pp Non-Fiction / AAC

August
93. Trespasses by Louise Kennedy (2022) 309 pp Fiction
94. August 1914 by Bruno Cabanes (2014) 196 pp Non-Fiction
95. The Shameful State by Sony Labou Tansi (1981) 116 pp Fiction / ANC / DRC
96. Told by Starlight in Chad by Joseph Brahim Seid (2007) 71 pp Fiction / ANC / Chad
97. The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng (2023) 304 pp Fiction / Malaysia
98. Six Weeks in the Sioux Tepees by Sarah F Wakefield (1863) 87 pp Non-Fiction
99. Winchelsea by Alex Preston (2022) 334 pp Fiction / BAC
100. Blue White Red by Alain Mabanckou (1998) 147 pp Fiction / ANC / Congo
101. The Trees by Percival Everett (2021) 308 pp Fiction / AAC
102. Bound to Violence by Yambo Ouologuem (1968) 182 pp Fiction / ANC / Mali
103. The Great Alone by Kristen Hannah (2018) 438pp Fiction
104. Standing Heavy by Gauz (2014) 167 pp Fiction / ANC / Ivory Coast
105. So Long a Letter by Mariama Ba (1979) 95 pp Fiction / ANC / Senegal
106. The Following Story by Cees Nooteboom (1991) 98 pp Fiction
107. Requiem for a Wren by Nevil Shute (1955) 250 pp Fiction
108. The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell (2022) 436 pp Fiction

September
109. Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara (2020) 344 pp Fiction
110. Assembly by Natasha Brown (2021) 100 pp Fiction
111. The Maidens by Alex Michaelides (2021) 356 pp Thriller /BAC /Cyprus
112. Careless by Kirsty Capes (2021) 317 pp Fiction
113. The Cry of Winnie Mandela by Njabulo Ndebele (2004) 146 pp ANC / South Africa
114. In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B Hughes (1947) 222 pp Thriller / AAC
115. The Furrows by Namwali Serpell (2022) 266 pp Fiction / ANC / Zambia
116. Prophet Song by Paul Lynch (2023) 309 pp Fiction
117. The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams (2020) 419 pp Fiction
118. So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan (2023) 47 pp Fiction
119. Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo (2016) 163 pp Fiction / South Korea
120. The Lonely Skier by Hammond Innes (1947) 176 pp Thriller
121. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (2023) 715 pp Fiction ANC / Ethiopia
122. Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry (2023) 261 pp Fiction
123. Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris (2023) 278 pp Fiction / Bosnia
124. We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo (2013) 290 pp Fiction ANC/ Zimbabwe
125. Our Town by Thornton Wilder (1938) 114 pp Drama
126. Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (2023) 309 pp Fiction

Books Completed Q4

October
127. Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein (2023) 189 pp Fiction
128. The Night of the Hunter by Davis Grubb (1953) 246 pp Thriller
129. New Selected Poems by Philip Levine (1991) 292 pp Poetry
130. The End of Everything by Katie Mack (2020) 210 pp Non-Fiction
131. The Left-Handed Woman by Peter Handke (1976) 67 pp Fiction / Austria
132. Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga (2012) 250 pp Fiction / ANC / Rwanda
133. Luck is the Hook by Imtiaz Dharker (2018) 122 pp Poetry / Pakistan
134. Black Water by Joyce Carol Oates (1992) 154 pp Fiction / 1001
135. The House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths (2011) 353 pp Thriller

African Reading Challenge 2023



Plans

January - NORTH AFRICA https://www.librarything.com/topic/347131 read 5
February - LUSOPHONE LIT https://www.librarything.com/topic/348039 read 2
March - ADICHIE or EMECHETA https://www.librarything.com/topic/348955#n8081025 read 1
April - THE HORN OF AFRICA https://www.librarything.com/topic/349799 read 1
May - AFRICAN NOBEL WINNERS https://www.librarything.com/topic/350564
June - EAST AFRICA - https://www.librarything.com/topic/351192 Read 3
July - ACHEBE or Okri https://www.librarything.com/topic/351931
August - FRANCOPHONE AFRICA https://www.librarything.com/topic/352728#n8220656 Read 6
September - SOUTHERN AFRICA https://www.librarything.com/topic/353344 READ 3
October - MUKASONGA / NGUGI WA THIONG'O READ 1
November - AFRICAN THRILLERS / CRIME WRITERS
December - WEST AFRICA read 1

Total : 23

BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE



January - Rosemary Sutcliff & Fred D'Aguiar Eagle of the Ninth by Sutcliff, Bloodlines by D'Aguiar
February - Novellas & Short Stories - The Lost Art of Sinking by Booth, Male Tears by Myers
March - Vita Sackville-West & Tariq Ali
April - British Queens - Anne Boleyn : 500 Years of Lies by Hayley Nolan
May - RF Delderfield & Jan Morris
June - Time Travel - Doctor Who : The Androids of Tara by David Fisher
July - Nadifa Mohamed & Tom Holt
August - Seafaring Stories - Winchelsea by Alex Preston
September - Campus Books - The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

AMERICAN AUTHOR CHALLENGE



January - YA Books - Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
February - Richard Powers
March - Poetry - What Goes On : Selected and New Poems by Stephen Dunn
April - Ursula Hegi - Hotel of the Saints
May -
June - Wildcard - No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
July - American Presidents - Profiles in Courage by John F Kennedy
August - Percival Everett - The Trees
September - Crime Queens - In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B Hughes

AROUND THE WORLD IN BOOKS IN 2023

Countries : 54 (11 October 2023)


Create Your Own Visited Countries Map

BOOK STATS

Starting Stats of the Year :

Present TBR : 5,679 books
Pages to Read : 1,943,264
Average Book Length : 342.18

Books Read 131 (4 Oct 23)
Pages : 31,601
Pages per day : 114.08
Average Book Length : 241.23 pages
Female Authors : 55
Male Authors : 73
Various : 3
Countries Read : 52 (UK, Morocco, Tunisia, Albania, Algeria, Guyana, Ireland, USA. Libya, Sweden, Egypt, Russia, Netherlands, Angola, Canada, Italy, Iceland, Mozambique, Nigeria, Spain, Sudan, Vietnam, Japan, Kenya, Bulgaria, Venezuela, Brazil, France, Ghana, Chile, India, Burundi, Ukraine, Mexico, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, DRC, Chad, Malaysia, Congo, Senegal, Cote D'Ivoire, Mali, Cyprus, South Africa, Zambia, South Korea, Ethiopia, Bosnia, Zimbabwe, Austria)

Fiction : 68
Thriller : 16
Non-Fiction : 20
Sci-Fi/Fantasy : 1
Poetry : 20
Short Stories : 5
Drama : 1

1001 Books First Edition
Read 7 (334)

Nobel Winners
Read : (75)

Booker Winners
Read : (38)

Pulitzer Fiction Prize
Read 1 : (21)

Women's Prize
Read : (7)

Books Added in 2023

372 (4 Oct 2023)

Books Read in 2023

131 (4 Oct 2023)

Books Culled in 2023

438 (4 Oct 2023)

Revised TBR : 5,482

Welcome to my 20th thread of 2023!

Happy New One!

Happy new thread!

Ooo snuck in right in front of Amanda. A rare “first” for me. 😁

Happy New Thread!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/353988

>13 mahsdad: Quick off the bat, Jeff. Thank you buddy.

>14 amanda4242: Thank you dear Amanda.

Happy new thread, Paul

>15 mahsdad: You were quick last time out too as I recall, Jeff!

>16 SilverWolf28: Thank you Silver. x

>17 SilverWolf28: Thanks Silver. This weekend will be an interesting one as it straddles two months.

>19 ArlieS: Thank you, Arlie.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread

Happy new thread Paul!

Happy New 🧵, Paul !

>22 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita.

>23 Kristelh: Thanks Kristel. I noticed that you have also just made a new thread. I will be there very soon with salutations. x

>24 quondame: Thank you, Susan.

>25 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deb. I am looking forward to The Bee Sting early next month. x

Happy new thread, Paul!

>28 atozgrl: Thanks Irene. September seems to have flown by, don't you think?

>29 PaulCranswick: Yes, indeed it has!

happy new thread

Happy new thread, Paul!

>30 atozgrl: Thirty days in the blinking of an eye!

>31 paulstalder: Thanks Paul. Nice to see you my friend.

>32 FAMeulstee: Thanks and good morning, Anita. xx

>34 PaulCranswick: Good afternoon, Paul.
We are about to leave for our one week walking vacation, so you were just in time with your new thread to get my new thread wish.
I won't be much around here while away.

>35 FAMeulstee: It must be difficult carrying all those books, Anita!

Have a lovely time. xx

Happy New Thread, Paul. I think that is a wonderful idea of teaming up Our Town with Tom Lake. A perfect match. Have you read The Singapore Grip or any of the other Empire Trilogy books? If not, I think you would like them. Like Benita mentioned, no one writes these big historical novels anymore, tackling big social/world issues.

Have a great weekend.

>37 msf59: Benita asked me on my last thread, Mark, and it is still fairly fresh in my mind. It is a long one and very, very well done. Pokes fun at the pomposity and complacency of the British in Singapore fairly sure that the Japanese would flounder.

Always great to see you, buddy.

Happy new thread, Paul.
And the best wishes for your weekend!

I loved Tom Lake!

>2 PaulCranswick: You are in for a good read, Paul, and I hope you follow it up by reading Our Town!

Happy new thread, Paul. By the way, my latest haul is posted to the 'This Just In' thread.

Happy New thread. What is it? Your two hundred and twenty-ninth of this year? 😂 (Hard keeping up sometimes.) (Most times.)

Have a lovely weekend!

Happy New thread Paul!! Have a great weekend!!

>39 SirThomas: Thank you dear Thomas.

>40 torontoc: I am just starting it, Cyrel, but I certainly enjoyed Our Town in the meantime.

>41 alcottacre: I did it the other way, Stasia. I watched and listened and read Our Town on Thursday evening. I watched the performance with Paul Newman as Stage Manager. Very very good. x

Thanks Juana and I am off to the "Just in" thread to wallow. Right after I put my little haul from yesterday lunchtime up.

>42 Storeetllr: Hahaha Mary a "mere" 20 threads for me so far. xx
Thank you, dear lady.

>43 hredwards: Thank you, Harold. Always a pleasure to have your company in these parts.

Friday lunchtime additions

360. Ordinary People by Diana Evans
361. Mother's Boy by Patrick Gale
362. Values, Voice and Virtue by Matthew Goodwin
363. The Dreadful Monster and Its Poor Relations by Julian Hoppit
364. When We Were Bad by Charlotte Mendelson
365. The Perfect Nine by Ngugi wa Thiong'o

Happy new thread Paul!

>48 humouress: Thank you, neighbour!

BOOK #124



We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
Date of Publication : 2013
Origin of Author : Zimbabwe
Pages : 290 pp

Maybe because my reading has been so joyfully stellar this month, Bulawayo's debut fell a little flat for me.

Whilst the story has in vignettes the quality to bruise and move it's stuttering, scatterbrained delivery did not enhance the reading experience and told of a writer whose skills are still in the process of being refined.

A novel that showed more promise than achievement.

Book #125



Our Town by Thornton Wilder
Date of Publication (and first performance) : 1938
Origin of Author : USA
Pages : 114 pp

Edward Albee who knew a lot more than me on the subject said that Our Town was the "greatest American play ever written". Now Eugene O'Neill, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller and August Wilson may have their own claims to have topped this one, but Albee does have a point.

Speaking back to a better world, a simpler world and a more caring, sharing America, Wilder sets his play in the fictional New Hampshire town of Grover's Corners.

The three Acts of the play cover distinct time periods and show the passage of life (and death) for our protagonists. There is some lovely homespun lyricism directed through the characters and especially the Stage Manager who sort of narrates the action.

The themes of communal life, the passage of time and the need to live time in the moment and appreciate what it brings and what it takes away make this a very special and brilliantly written play. It was extremely moving in parts.

Alongside the book I watched the YouTube production which featured Paul Newman in the role of the Stage Manager and he did a wonderful - late career - performance.

Recommended of course and the ideal prelude and set-up for Tom Lake.

>45 PaulCranswick: Cool beans! I have not yet watched the Paul Newman version and am definitely going to have to rectify that.

>47 PaulCranswick: I have not read a single one of those and look forward to seeing what you think of them. Nice haul, Juan!

>50 PaulCranswick: Sounds like I can pass on that one!

>51 PaulCranswick: I am so glad you enjoyed the play.

Happy whatever, Paul!

>52 alcottacre: Great Minds and all that, Stasia. I was just on the Acre talking about the institution that is the TIOLI Challenge.

Bulawayo's book was Booker shortlisted but was not really for me. Wilder's play most definitely was, though, and the Newman performance is delivered in a nicely understated way.

The last post was my 5,000th on my threads this year.

Thank you so much to everyone who has posted here in 2023.
Apologies to anyone whose feelings I may have hurt with an abrasive or overly opinionated post.
Please know that I appreciate, value and cherish all your views and comments even those which I may respectfully not concur with.

>54 PaulCranswick: Ta Da!!! Congratulations!

>55 quondame: Thank you, Susan. I have only failed to reach 5,000 posts twice and those were in years of particular life crisis for me. Last year I made it to 8,880 posts but I won't get anywhere near that this time.
I have managed to pass 10,000 posts just the once, but that was in a much more densely populated group than now.

>47 PaulCranswick: Nice Haul, Paul!

>57 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deb. I was looking at some of the books that had been longlisted before for the Women's Prize and the Evans and the Mendelson books both called to me as a result.

I plan to read The Perfect Nine in October. I’ve read We need New Names in 2016. I liked parts of it and others not as much. I remember bits and pieces of it. I haven’t read anything more by her.

>53 PaulCranswick: I am finding that quite a few of the Booker books are not for me, either short or long list.

Yeah, I think everyone should at least give Our Town a chance. I know it will not be for everyone, but at least try it! You might be surprised by how much depth there is to an 80+ year old play :)

>54 PaulCranswick: Woot!!

>59 Kristelh: I may be wrong, Kristel, but I think that there is only one novel apart from that to read which was also Booker shortlisted and a bit divisive amongst readers : Glory.

I may follow you with The Perfect Nine.

>60 alcottacre: I have read three only of the thirteen and to be fair enjoyed all of them, Stasia, but none of them were close to being as good as The Covenant of Water IMHO.

I thought some of the language used in the play was wonderful, Stasia. Very insightful indeed as to the human condition.

Connections
Puzzle #111
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟦🟦🟪🟪
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟪🟪🟪🟪

Don't play this one every day but I have only goofed it up completely once so far.

October's AFRICAN NOVEL CHALLENGE thread is up :

https://www.librarything.com/topic/354018

This month Ngugi wa Thiong'o
and
Scholastique Mukasonga will feature.

>63 PaulCranswick: Just posted over there.

>63 PaulCranswick: Will go and have a shufty, Amanda. I'm sure that you have read their complete works already!

I am not sure if you have read any of the novels by Abdulrazak Gurnah but if you haven't you need to rectify that quickly. I finished reading Afterlives this month and it was beautifully written and about a part of this earth that doesn't get much attention from authors or readers. Gurnah winning the Noble should help with introducing East Africa to readers around the world.

I was happy to see that my public library has a brand spanking new copy of Desertion by Gurnah on the new book shelves. I already have three books checked out from that library and so will wait a bit before reading this one. But rest assured that I will be reading more books by Gurnah. If all of his books are of the quality of Afterlives he is well deserving of the award.

>66 benitastrnad: I have all his novels, Benita. I believe that Paradise is often deemed his
masterpiece and I read that and Desertion a number of years ago (before LT). I read his novel Pilgrims Way about a year ago which sort of hinted at the talent to come. I have heard very positive things about his book Afterlives and would be keen to read that or By the Sea with you in November if you are able.

>47 PaulCranswick: I really liked Mother's Boy Paul. I've read and liked all the novels of his I've read. I like his tone.

>68 Caroline_McElwee: From what I can tell when I have seen him interviewed he is a thoroughly nice chap too. This one in particular caught my eye because I have in fact met the late Charles Causley many moons ago and his "Ballad of the Bread Man" was a poem I learned by heart as a schoolboy. I read Causley's collected works a few years ago and was most annoyed with Yasmyne that it was among a pile of books she gave away to her school library by mistake.

September 2017 and Van Morrison is a gift that simply keeps on giving. His 37th studio album Roll With the Punches was released and recorded with such luminaries as Jeff Beck, Paul Jones, Chris Farlowe and Georgie Fame it included a handful of new songs but plenty of blues covers. Admirable stuff.



This is the Van Morrison composition "Transformation"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gy1nA3ypuBk

A year on and another Hardy Perennial in Paul MacCartney (I could have selected Paul Simon just as easily but his album was one of re-recordings).

Egypt Station was released on 7 September 2018.



This is "Come on to Me". Thankfully MacCartney doesn't really feature in the video given that the subject matter is a little unsettling for a then 76 year old man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSU4O7FzrRU

Noel Gallagher is a divisive and uncouth character - he also has charisma in abundance. Since he split from his more obviously gifted brother his solo work has been hit and miss.

Why Me? Why Not is a highpoint. Given that it outsold the rest of the top ten combined in its first month of release in September 2019.



This was the lead single "Shockwave"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBAhgZZNR7E

I do listen to American music, honestly! September 2020 saw the release of music by Semisonic (a much undervalued band), Alicia Keys, The Flaming Lips and this album Shore by the wonderful Fleet Foxes.



Not as immediate as their debut album, it is nevertheless compulsory listening at home. This is "Sunblind"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osz9DyfbjyQ

There are a plethora of singer songwriters these days and it is not always easy to pick the wheat from the chaff. Dublin born James Vincent McMorrow is definitely in the wheat category.

In September 2021 he released Grapefruit Season



which included the delightful song "Waiting"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmRXq1NB28o

Keane lead singer Tom Chaplin has released three solo albums and he is always worth listening to.

Midpoint finishes off my review of the September releases of my lifetime:



A great singer. This is the title track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymtS40VHWlo

Happy new thread, Paul.

Have a nice weekend!

>76 DianaNL: Thank you, Diana. The very same to you dear lady. x

Happy new thread, Paul. I am eagerly awaiting for my number to come up at the library for my copy of Tom Lake. I think I’ll borrow your brilliant idea to watch Our Town right before I read the book. You got me at the mention of Paul Newman!

I hope you’re having a great September/October weekend!

>78 Donna828: Lovely to see you, Donna. Great experience both books, Donna. I'm just wrapping up Tom Lake but it is a winner for sure. I am a bit non-plussed as to why this is my first book by Ann Patchett.

>54 PaulCranswick: Yo! Impressive! Congratulations! I'm just happy to be able to make four threads a year with at least 200 posts on each. :)

>80 Storeetllr: You have been clocking up quite decent numbers, Mary, especially as you delightfully came back to the group part way through the year.

The October BAC thread is up!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/354029#

>82 amanda4242: Yay! I will be reading Love Marriage by Monica Ali this month, Amanda.

Happy new one! Our Town is one of my faves!

>84 drneutron: Thanks DocRoc. It is one of mine too now!

BOOK #126



Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
Date of Publication : 2023
Origin of Author : USA
Pages : 309 pp

Firstly to deal with some things. Tom Lake is not a person. That is what I thought when I saw that Patchett had just released her ninth novel. Tom Lake is, as far as I know, a fictional setting in Michigan.

Next the blurb on the back cover starts "The is a story about Peter Duke who went on to be a famous actor." Bloomsbury who published the book probably got someone they thought very smart to write that, but if that is what they thought, they missed the point of the book entirely.

I'm glad I read, watched and listened to Our Town before picking up this excellent, life affirming novel as I would not have appreciated some of its nuance otherwise. This book is about not having regrets and giving thanks for what we have - both in the moment and ever afterwards. To that end it mirrors, even crystallizes, the homespun wisdom of a play of some genius.

I wonder though if she is right that:
"we remember the people we hurt so much more clearly than the people who hurt us." I think Patchett is assigning a dignity and honour to all of us which most of us would not in honesty be capable of living up to. The sentiment is as laudable as the book is wonderful.

Recommended.

September 2023 in Review

World Events
Natural disasters again abound notably an earthquake centred close to Marrakech in Morocco which killed approximately 3,000 people and a Mediterranean storm which made landfall in Libya and killed more than 5,000 people.
Polls released showing that the American public overwhelmingly didn't want either the President or his likely challenger to stand again. Despite the faux pas, controversies and legal cases proliferating daily it looks like both will be on the ballot.
The world's oldest wooden structure was discovered in Zambia - 476,000 years old - before Biden.
In the UK, Russell Brand is accused of various sexually related wrongdoings and is cancelled without trial as is the medias wont these days (it wasn't enough that he was extremely tiresome and annoying anyway).
In the USA Senator Menendez faces calls to resign from the Senate as stacks of cash and gold bars are uncovered in his home. Apparently his wrongdoing is so egregious that some are suggesting he should run for President.

Read
September : 18 books (126 year to date)
Ave Book Length : 268.06 (241.72)
September pages : 4,825 (30,597)
Daily Average : 160.83 (112.08)

Longest Book : 715 pages The Covenant of Water (715 pages)
Shortest Book 47 pages So Late in the Day (32 pages The Waste Land)

Author Origins
45 UK
22 USA
5 Ireland,
3 Various, Australia
2 Netherlands, France, India
1 Canada, Guyana, Brazil, Venezuela, Chile, Russia, Sweden, Iceland, Albania, Spain, Bulgaria, Italy, Albania, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Mozambique, Angola. Egypt, Sudan, Kenya, Burundi, Nigeria, Ukraine, Japan, Vietnam, NZ, Mexico, Taiwan, Chad, Ivory Coast, DRC, Congo, Mali, Malaysia, Senegal, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Korea, Ethiopia.

Gender

MALE 7 (70)
FEMALE 11 (53)
VARIOUS 0 (3)

GENRE

14 (66) Fiction
0 (19) Poetry
0 (19) Non-Fiction
3 (15) Thriller
0 (5) Short Stories
0 (1) Sci-Fi/Fantasy
1 (1) Plays

Book of the Month :
I cannot remember such a stellar reading month in terms of sheer quality and Patchett, Lynch and Barry would win at a canter most months but all must fall at the feet of The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. Outstanding.

October target:
I have set myself the somewhat ambitious target of making it to 2x75 by the end of the month.

I have divided my reading into 4 blocks of six books:

4 lots of Booker long/shortlisted books
4 lots of poetry books
4 lots of thrillers
4 lots of non-fiction
4 lots of general challenge books (ANC/BAC/New British writing & Around the World in Books)
4 lots of 1001 first edition books.

Other rule is 12 male authors and 12 female authors (2 each per category)

First set of six books

Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein
New Selected Poems of Philip Levine by Philip Levine
The Night of the Hunter by Davis Grubb
The End of Everything by Katie Mack
Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga
The Left-Handed Woman by Peter Handke

In October 1966 Simon & Garfunkel released their third album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme.



This is the brilliant "Homeward Bound" live in Central Park

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0oJ8_VTu3c

In October 1967 Judy Collins released one of her best records Wild Flowers



It included her famous cover of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQOuxByR5VI

Dillard & Clark released their countrified The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark:



This is "With Care From Someone"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fegnW9nisw

Electric Ladyland was released the same month but I always find that one so heavy listening.

Possibly my favourite ever album is Arthur, or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire by the Kinks in October 1969.



Wonderful and very British. This is Ray Davies performing "Shangri-La" from the album much more recently.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI0QHXTM7Fo

>88 PaulCranswick: You'll make it. I have faith in your capacity to reach goals.

>93 richardderus: Thank you, dear fellow, means a lot. I have gotten off to a good start today anyhow.

>88 PaulCranswick: Are you going to read Study for Obedience and The Night of the Hunter concurrently? I need to know so that I can adjust my reading accordingly?

Also, when are you, Deborah and I going to start on The Bee Sting? That is this month, isn't it? Or is it November??

BTW - Like Richard, I have every faith that you will make your October target!

>88 PaulCranswick: I'm impressed by your goals. My back-of-the-envelope calculations say that if I keep up my September reading pace until the end of the year, I'll reach 2 *75 in December, but not if I read at my average pace for the year. I'm not sure whether or not to hope I keep the pace; I tend to read more, shorter books when life is going badly, particularly if I'm coping with illness. So I'd just as soon revert to my mean by the end of the year.

OTOH, I had an attack of Paul-emulation yesterday, and acquired (ordered) 9 second-hand books. They'll be fast reads, suitable for days when I don't feel up to anything challenging.

>95 alcottacre: Yes, Stasia - I have already started them both. Enjoying one much more than the other but they will both be quick reads and I will get them both finished on Monday.

Deb will get The Bee Sting delivered by 5 Oct and I think the intention was to start on it pretty much right away.

>96 ArlieS: I have plenty of faith in you too, Arlie.
Nine books is a decent haul. Will keep on visiting your place to cheer you on towards 2x75. xx

>97 PaulCranswick: OK, thanks for the heads up. I admit that I am finding Study for Obedience a bit. . .odd.

I knew about the October 5th date, it just slipped my mind. Thank you for letting me know. I really do not want to have to lug The Bee Sting to Longview with me as it is such a big book.

BOOK #127



Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein
Date of Publication : 2023
Origin of Author : Canada
Pages : 189 pp

This book presses upon its reader in many ways.
In its language it often compresses.
In its theme and tenor it oppresses.
Its main character it represses.
Its point and meaning it definitely suppresses.
The overall reading experience depresses.

I think that the measure of a work of fiction is how eagerly you will await the author's next work. Will I await Ms. Bernstein's next foray into fiction with the same fervor as I will Tan Twan Eng and Abraham Verghese? No pressure. No.

>98 alcottacre: I think looking at >99 PaulCranswick: you will see which one I am enjoying and which I was not!

The Bee Sting is hopefully manageable in a week or so, Stasia.

>99 PaulCranswick: I am at the halfway point of that one and will finish it up tomorrow. How on earth did it make the Booker shortlist??

I am sure that we can finish The Bee Sting in a week, which is just fine. I really do not want to be running around the states of Texas and Missouri hauling it around, lol.

>101 alcottacre: I am as perplexed as you, Stasia. Definitely the low point in my Booker reading this year so far.

I know what you mean on The Bee Sting!

In October 1970 Bob Dylan responded to the first album that was uniformly criticized his "Self Portrait" record by rush releasing New Morning and it certainly benefited from the immediacy that went with that.



Apart from the title track and "If Not For You" sort of written with George Harrison my favourite track is "The Man in Me" here in a rare recording.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL0cucaP0oI

>102 PaulCranswick: I thought after the Escoffery book my Booker reading could not get to a lower point. It appears that I was wrong.

>104 alcottacre: Oh dear! I still have that one to "look forward" to!

In a year punctuated by Trespasses, Demon Copperhead, Wandering Souls, Black Butterflies, Tom Lake and The Covenant of Water - the choice of the Bernstein is utterly inexplicable.

>67 PaulCranswick:
Since I have already read Afterlives I would rather read By the Sea. However, it will have to be later in the month as I am booked to read Skippy Dies with Mark starting now. Perhaps, after the 15th of November?

>106 benitastrnad: That will work for me, Benita. xx Let's remind each other nearer the day.

BOOK #128



The Night of the Hunter by Davis Grubb
Date of Publication : 1953
Origin of Author : USA
Pages : 246 pp

I come to this not having seen the famous Charles Laughton movie adaptation of the novel which many laud as one of the finest films ever made.

There is a very cinematic quality about the writing of this book all its scenes being vividly rendered and easily visualized.

For those who have seen the movie there is not much to say other than the movie seems to have been fairly faithful to the book and for those new to both, I won't spoil what is a tremendous plot - albeit a harrowing and creepy one.

>99 PaulCranswick: I am opting not to finish this one. I literally made it halfway through the book, scratched my head a lot, decided I was too dense to understand it, and therefore am abandoning it.

I hate to bail on you since this was a shared read, but life it too short and I have too little time this month to deal with disappointing books!

>108 PaulCranswick: I will be finishing that one tonight. I agree with you about it being a "harrowing and creepy" read.

>109 alcottacre: Hahaha, Stasia - I think if it was 50 pages longer I would have bailed on it too. Don't feel bad because as you say life is too short!

Our other shared read is much better, don't you think?

>108 PaulCranswick: I think the movie is one of the finest films ever made; I'm basically never scared by horror movies, but I found Robert Mitchum truly terrifying in it.

>111 amanda4242: Books don't scare me either, Amanda, but that one seriously creeped me out - The Reverend is one of the most convincing depictions of human evil that I have yet read.

>110 PaulCranswick: Our other shared read is much better, don't you think? Absolutely!!

I had a very serious cull of books yesterday (over 300 in all) and I will be sending the books off to an orphanage at the weekend. Well not all of them as I have taken most of my re-reads out too.

I also added:

366. A Word Child by Iris Murdoch
367. The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope
368. Something to Remember Me By by Saul Bellow
369. A Pair of Blue Eyes by Thomas Hardy
370. The Blunders of Our Governments by Anthony King
371. The War Diaries 1939-1945 by Lord Alanbrooke
372. These Precious Days by Ann Patchett

Books by Murdoch, Bellow, Hardy and Trollope all of which had somehow evaded my collection until now.

The Patchett was an obvious choice given my love of Tom Lake.

Lord Alanbrooke's inside view of our World War strategy, I expect to be fascinating and Anthony King (with his usual sidekick Ivor Crewe) are reliable, cogent and always interesting academic observers of the British political system.

>113 alcottacre: I have rarely read a book which was so obviously made to be a movie than that one, Stasia.

Yikes! Sorry that A Study for Obedience was so bad for both you and Stasia, Paul. I'm not at all sure whether I will read that at all.

As for Bee Sting my copy is not actually due to be delivered until Oct 6th. I don't think I can read more that 50 pages a day, max, so I may be a big straggler. It's also Canada's Thanksgiving weekend and I will have family gathering to go to, so it's a bit of a busy weekend for me. If you and Stasia want to read ahead without me, no problem. I also have a book to read for my library Book Club for Oct 16.

Good for you and the big book cull!

>116 vancouverdeb: Don't worry Deb, I am unlikely to keep up with Stasia either - let's go at our own pace. I remember you actually set the pace with Prophet Song so reading speed averages may not apply when we are talking about Irish authors!

I quite enjoyed the first chapter of Study for Obedience but it meandered meaninglessly for me thereafter.

I took 300 books off my TBR yesterday which is quite the achievement for me.
Overall my TBR has gone down in 2023 which I don't remember doing since I have been on LT.

Start of Year 5,679
Books Added 372

Revised Subtotal 6,051
Read 128
Culled 438

Overall Revised TBR at 2 October = 5,485 books

Always proud to be British:

The Nobel Prize will be announced in Sweden on Thursday and my money is on the winner coming from either Latin America or Middle East/Central Asia. I also think that they now seem to be alternating men and women so it will be a man.

My money for what it is worth (not much) has a shortlist of six:

Cuba - Pedro Juan Gutierrez
Argentina - Cesar Aira
Colombia - Juan Garcia Vasquez
Syria - Adunis
Uzbekistan - Hamid Ismailov
Ukraine (stretching a point as it is almost in Asia) - Andrey Kurkov

I will be as wrong as I usually am.

Connections
Puzzle #114
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Saw that one straight away.

In October 1971 Don McLean released his American Pie album and became a star:



It is not for everyone but I love this album there is poetry aplenty. I used to listen to this on one of my mum's friends turntable while I was babysitting her kids many moons ago and I reveled in its music and lyricism ever since.

Most go for the title song or the famous "Vincent" but my favourite is "Empty Chairs" - very moving.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwzHlyVRc9o

I am so loving your musical selections, Paul. The endurance of vinyl is evident in your choices of >89 PaulCranswick: and >121 PaulCranswick:, as I played those albums so much that they surely should have worn the grooves off the records - but didn't! I think Don McLean is truly underrated. He was a brilliant lyricist and I love his voice. I have 2 other albums by him that were equally as good, Chain Lightning and Tapestry.

He was also a pretty smart businessman. I am using the past tense only because he is absent from the spotlight these days. As far as I know, he is still very much alive. I have no idea if he is still making music.

>108 PaulCranswick: I'll have to look for that one. Saw the movie years ago, didn't realize it was based on a book.

>114 PaulCranswick: I will be very curious to see what your thoughts on The Eustace Diamonds are. I read it a while back. If you would like a shared read of Alanbrooke's book, let me know. I have owned it for a while now, but its size is a bit intimidating!

These Precious Days is another good read from Ann Patchett.

>115 PaulCranswick: He wrote it very cinematically, did he not?

>116 vancouverdeb: Yeah, I am going to have to start The Bee Sting no later than the 6th as I leave on the 14th.

>118 PaulCranswick: Lol

Hi Paul, Happy New Thread mate.

>122 jessibud2: Thanks Shelley. I have fond memories of his cover of "Crying" as it was played to death at a fun fair that came to our village in the late seventies as we were brought to a bilious state by the various rides.

>123 hredwards: It was shortlisted for the National Book Award - I think the year Augie March won, Harold.

>124 alcottacre: I am always up for shared reads, Stasia, especially with you. Just let me know when you fancy it (not in October though - it is probably heavier than The Bee Sting!

>125 johnsimpson: Thanks John. At least we finished the season without coming bottom despite all the penalty points - Lyth and Bean look a great combo.

Don McLean has been and is touring in California and elsewhere this summer including 2 places nearby me in the bay area. Check his website.

>128 RBeffa: Good to see he is still active, Ron. Thanks for that.

>127 PaulCranswick: Probably not in November either, Paul, as I am supposed to be reading The Warburgs with Peggy then and it is another very big one. December, maybe?

>130 alcottacre: Fine, Stasia, I will follow your lead dear lady.

Connections
Puzzle #115
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Perfecto again.

>119 PaulCranswick: I'm hoping Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o will win the Nobel, mostly because my library will buy some of his books if he does.

>133 amanda4242: I would be pleased if he wins too, Amanda, but I think that Abdulrazak Gurnah won for Africa two years ago and they may not be ready to go to Africa again quite so soon.
That is why I looked at South America/Caribbean/Middle Asia as likely recipients this year but I am always wildly wrong in my predictions.

BOOK #129



New Selected Poems by Philip Levine
Date of Publication : 1991
Origin of Author : USA
Pages : 292 pp

Fairly comprehensive selection from what was eventually the first half of Philip Levine's poetic output.

I prefer his later work which is more gritty and grounded in the industrial heartlands of his upbringing but there is plenty to enjoy here too. I particularly enjoyed his "Walk With Thomas Jefferson".

Philip Levine had little in the way of airs and graces. His poems were plain spoken and accessible. They could be angry, often beautiful, sometimes funny and occasionally brutal. As is life.

>134 PaulCranswick: Sadly he probably is a long shot since the committee tends to favor Europeans and North Americans; I'm betting this year's winner will be from one of those regions, too.

BOOK #130



The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) by Katie Mack
Date of Publication : 2020
Origin of Author : USA
Pages : 210 pp

Katie Mack is a very engaging writer explaining extremely complex scientific theorems in a way that most laypeople (even this dullard) can grasp.

Her book goes beyond the predictions of the extinction of life on Earth in order to address five scenarios for the extinction of everything - the Universe. I must say that I managed to tune myself out of caring too deeply when she posited in all the scenarios her calculations in billions of years.

The science of infinity is baffling even to those who purport to understand it and Mack tacitly acknowledges this in her book. Nothing came before the universe but what came before nothing - if you can look deeply enough into space and time you can view the big bang but what was there before?

I am not someone who believes that science disproves necessarily the hard-held faiths of many because where there are answers there will always be room for further questions. Calculation is not infallible and infinity also comes to an end apparently. Well who'd have thought it?

Recommended but not to be taken overly seriously.

>136 amanda4242: I am hoping not, Amanda. Really they do need to start looking further afield. I would be going man one year and woman the next and then alternating between continents.

Glad to see you enjoyed Tom Lake, Paul. I watched Paul Newman in "Our Town", after I finished reading it. I'd seen it before but it's been a lot of years and I was happy to revisit it. It was so good. I should reread the play too, at some point.

Thanks for the musical memories. Those are some great album covers you posted. You also reminded me that back in the '80s, we had a friend who was a big fan of The Kinks. I went to six Kinks concerts in two years which was a lot of Kinks concerts for someone who wasn't a big fan. (I like them more now than I did then.) :)

>131 PaulCranswick: Thanks!

>137 PaulCranswick: My local library actually has a copy of that one. I will have to see about getting hold of it at some point.

Happy whatever, Paul!

>139 Copperskye: I loved the late sixties and early seventies version of the Kinks, Joanne. Ray Davies is a great - if very English - songwriter.
Believe it or not it was my first book by Ann Patchett and I will certainly make more room for her henceforward.
I really enjoyed Paul Newman in Our Town.

>140 alcottacre: I dislike physics a lot, Stasia, but being able to finish this one tells you that at least Ms. Mack can write engagingly.

BOOK #131



The Left-Handed Woman by Peter Handke
Date of Publication : 1976
Origin of Author : Austria
Pages : 67 pp

Peter Handke won the Nobel Prize, his oeuvre is largely based on the novella and he is considered a great German language stylist.

It does not translate that well.

I wish to juxtapose Handke with a writer today, Claire Keegan, who also prefers the novella format but has taken it in a different direction.

His characters lack empathy and their actions are not derived from logic
Her characters ooze empathy and their actions are utterly believable.

His writing is cold and detached.
Her writing is suffused with warmth and emotional involvement.

His narration lacks focus and storyline.
Her storytelling is compelling and engaging.

His books I would avoid to re-read at all costs.
Her books I could re-read yearly.

>142 PaulCranswick: - I am a left-handed woman but based on your comments, that won't be enough to make me want to read this book. ;-p

Jon Fosse is apparently a very accomplished novelist and I will read something of his within the next month, but I am a tad disappointed that another European has won the Nobel Prize for Literature.



https://www.livemint.com/news/world/nobel-prize-in-literature-2023-awarded-to-no...

>143 jessibud2: As a fellow leftie, Shelley, I am pleased to inform that the fact that we was gifted in that way formed absolutely no part in the story.

>145 PaulCranswick: - Ha! Even less reason to read it now, lol!

>146 jessibud2: Exactly!

>142 PaulCranswick: Skipping that one and feeling no regrets about it at all, lol.

I am going to start The Bee Sting today. I will keep you and Deborah posted :)

>144 PaulCranswick: Not surprising. Not inspiring, either. Another old white Scandinavian man wins the Nobel *gasp* the shock, the shock.

Paul , my copy of The Bee Stingarrived early , late yesterday instead of Friday as scheduled. I’ve read 83 pages , and hope to read another 50 pages today . I think 50 pages per day will be my maximum, but I’ll let you know each . Very readable, I think , so far . I let Stasia know on her thread.

>148 alcottacre: Ok I will start it today too.

The Left Handed Woman was utterly pointless.

>149 richardderus: Exactly, RD. Chap is perfectly fine apparently but he has been touted from Scandinavia for ever so I guess it was to be expected that he would win sometime soon.

>150 vancouverdeb: So a week does look doable, Deb at the rate you started? I am playing catch up again. xx

I’m not sure , Paul. I’m hoping to read 50 pages a day, but if I can read more , I’ll be sure and let you and Stasia know.

>153 vancouverdeb: We will not be racing, Deb, I just hope we enjoy it.

>144 PaulCranswick: And the award goes to... a white European male. Please give me a moment to recover from the shock. /sarcasm

>155 amanda4242: You called it far better than I did, Amanda.

Wordle 839 3/6

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Not played for a while.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/354158

>158 SilverWolf28: Thank you Silver.

It will be Our Lady of the Nile and The Bee Sting up for me this weekend.

I made it to page 150 tonight, Paul. And you are reading two books at once!

>160 vancouverdeb: See I told ya~!

I am hoping to make a huge dent in the book on Sunday.

>145 PaulCranswick: Strange - to those common as muck righties -but reading your comments on your threads and observing your music/literary taste I thought you were possibly blessed in the same manner as I and other "sinister types" are. ;)

"Sinister" indeed, I do take umbrage at the Latin.

Off to smudge a biro mark on the bottom of my LH palm in acknowledgement.... you'll understand ... just glad they got rid of ink when I went to School - though do remember blotting paper being handed to me - the only one in the class - like some messy outcast, who couldn't control his wayward pen strokes.

( A confession though - I'm not a true 100% lefty, just writing and snooker - result of an ambidextrous dad, who was forced to write with his right hand - the birch/cane applied if he used his left- ah; old school teaching, can't beat it ... )

>153 vancouverdeb: I read a little over 70 pages yesterday and that is pretty much going to be my daily rate as I have a lot of books I need to complete before I leave on the 14th.

>154 PaulCranswick: Well, thus far I am enjoying it.

Posting to the 'This Just In' list shortly. . .

Happy whatever, Paul!

>86 PaulCranswick: I read Tom Lake in September too. I even got round to writing a brief review (trying not to give too much away).

Possible SPOILER for followers of this thread who plan to read the book.

****************************

I agree that the story isn't really about Peter Duke at all, but its premise is that Lara's daughters are demanding a story which they think is about him and their mother, and of course neither the story she tells them or the further revelations which are shared with the reader but not the family are quite on that.

I haven't read or watched Our Town by Thornton Wilder but plan to rectify that.

There's also a song by Iris Dement with the same title - she was apparently inspired to write it aged 25 by driving through a midwest town - I don't think there's any particular connection to the play or to Tom Lake but you might like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiSX9PNRyyc

Looking forward to hearing Don McLean in concert tomorrow (Saturday) night here in Small Town Montana. Funny, but when you mentioned his song Empty Chair from the American Pie album, I could only hear in my head Empty Chairs from Les Mis.

>141 PaulCranswick: I only read my first Ann Patchett very recently - State of Wonder which is in the running for my favorite book read this year. Sometimes we miss the good ones. I am looking forward to reading more Patchett.

>166 RBeffa: Oh, Ron, you have a ton of good Patchett reading ahead of you. My favorite remains Bel Canto, but it is a near thing. Do not overlook her books of essays too!

>167 alcottacre: I'm going to be on the lookout for them!

>155 amanda4242: & >156 PaulCranswick:
At least HE wasn't French! I keep hoping for better from that hidebound bunch of white male Europeans, but NO! However, hope springs eternal and blah-blah-blah.

I am so happy to have read the Gurnah novel at this point because well - non-white and non-european. Curiosity won out and I am so glad it did. That author can write and about people and events that rarely get any press.

As former Brooklyn Dodgers fans are want to say "There's always next year" and my hope that Haruki Murakami will win it.

>162 Ignatius777: Hahaha indeed Ignatius and, like you, I am not a complete leftie as I play tennis, bat at cricket and play golf right handedly but everything else (snooker included) I am left handed.

>163 alcottacre: I will go over shortly and see what you added, Juana. I think that may be my lot too although I am hoping to get ahead a little on Sunday.

>164 elkiedee: I love Iris Dement's song, Luci, and played it umpteen times as the soundtrack to reading Tom Lake. I also thoroughly enjoyed some of her duets with the late John Prine.

>165 streamsong: I wish I was going with you, Janet. It is several years since I went to a show by an internationally recognized star. I did see David Gates many moons ago though in Malaysia and he will feature shortly in my 1972 selection.

>166 RBeffa: Like you, Ron, I will be putting my oversight to rights over the coming times - if Tom Lake is representative of her work then I have much to look forward to.

>167 alcottacre: Bel Canto may well be next for me then Stasia. I may read it next month if there are takers for a shared read.

>168 RBeffa: There are still a few books of hers I don't have, Ron, but I will correct that progressively.

>169 benitastrnad: Yes, there is that, Benita. Some of the winners for France have dumbfounded me to be honest.
There are a few ladies on the Swedish academy to be fair and I don't see why their reading tastes should be so exclusive. I do think on recent form next year will be a lady winner but I a loathe to hazard where she will come from although China's Can Xue seems to be getting a lot of press on the subject.

Sounds like what is needed for all these Book Awards is a Panel,
sworn to secrecy and lie detector checked,
to not read any new books up for Awards each year.

Then they read the books without author names.

Yes, context could be a give away, but many authors now feel free,
as they should, to write from multiple diverse perspectives.

>168 RBeffa: I hope you enjoy the books if and when you find them!

>170 PaulCranswick: Good deal.

>172 PaulCranswick: I will happily re-read Bel Canto, Paul. I have read it at least 3 times.

Happy whatever, Paul!

>174 m.belljackson: The Nobel Prize would be tough to do that, Marianne, as it is meant to be for the entire body of the writer's work. I think most of the awards are nowadays diverse enough if I am honest and The National Book Awards in particular. We also have awards for most things nowadays which I support - I can see the need shortly for a Man's Prize to go with the Women's Prize as the latter has done such a fantastic job in promoting the brilliance of such much writing that may otherwise have not surfaced so universally. I have bought more books by ladies than men in the last few years and my reading is also gradually equalizing, because intrinsically I don't believe that there is an aesthetic superiority between the sexes.

>175 alcottacre: That would be great, Stasia. I will look forward to it.

Bad news on the house front, my brother was unable to secure the house at Bretton for December so back to the drawing board I am afraid.

>178 PaulCranswick: How disappointing!

>178 PaulCranswick: Indeed, but I am sure that we will find somewhere very nice eventually.

>178 PaulCranswick:
Perhaps he could get it starting a lease at another date? Or is there some reason why you have to be out of Malaysia by December?

>177 PaulCranswick: I always look forward to shared reads, Paul. I just hope you enjoy the book as much as I do.

>178 PaulCranswick: Sorry about the house. Hopefully your brother will find something just as grand for you. And here I was planning on barging in and visiting my little brother, lol.

It is sad about the house. I hope something even better shows up quickly!

>181 benitastrnad: My aim had been to try to close out a settlement agreement with the Employer on the 118 Project here and then I can walk away without the possibility of regret. My aim to do that was December, Benita.

>182 alcottacre: Grand doesn't matter, Stasia - it should have a homely feel to it and be capable of housing A LOT of books.

>183 quondame: Thank you, Susan. I am always a positive chap.

I hope another house that suits you and your family turns up soon. Will you ship you books from Malaysia to the UK when the time comes - or how many ? My brother moved from Barrie ON ( close to Toronto ) back to Vancouver and he shipped most of his books back here, but he has maybe 750 - 1000 books . It was an expensive move, and they sold off a lot of their furniture.

>186 vancouverdeb: I do plan to ship them all eventually, Deb, and I do expect it will cost me a pretty penny.

Saturday lunchtime additions:

373. The Fisherman and His Son by Zulfu Livaneli
374. Stella Maris by Cormac McCarthy
375. The Schoolhouse by Sophie Ward

I loved Livaneli's book last year. I have been impatiently waiting for McCarthy's final two publications to be released in paper cover. The Ward book sold me by its cover.

>178 PaulCranswick: How disappointing Paul. I hope you can find an alternative. I'm sure you are really looking forward to meeting that new family member of yours. Hani is probably in seventh heaven at the moment.

>188 PaulCranswick: I just bought the two final McCarthy novels Paul. Planning to pick up The Passenger soon, it's a while since I read him.

Sorry to hear about the house. I am sure the right fit will come along and everything will fall into place.

Sorry about the house, Paul. Wishing you the best in closing things up in Malaysia successfully and finding a perfect “bookish” home.

Paul, you should go on the show Escape to the Country! I'd bet they'd find you something!

Happy thread, Paul!

>189 Caroline_McElwee: I was starting to fret that the owner wouldn't confirm so he was obviously waiting on another offer.

The other McCarthy book is not yet available here in paperback.

>190 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita, I hope so. xx

>191 Kristelh: Thank you, Kristel. The home will always be bookish. x

>192 jessibud2: I have never heard of that show, Shelley. I will go and look it up.

>193 foggidawn: Thank you Foggi. Lovely to see you.

Here, Paul: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_to_the_Country

>197 jessibud2: Thanks Shelley, I will take a look. xx

>198 PaulCranswick: Heck, why not? TV is famous for solving people's problems.

Anyway, here's hoping your schedule will, in fact fall into place.

>188 PaulCranswick: Saturday?? I thought this was only a Friday disorder, Juan!

I own The Schoolhouse and really need to get around to reading it.

Happy whatever, Paul!

>199 richardderus: Thank you dear fellow.

>200 alcottacre: Another commitment prevented me from going on Friday unfortunately, Juana.

Just cause I'm making this post here doesn't mean anything.

>202 quondame: Haha, of course not!

ETA : I know Hani would feel too sorry for me if I didn't add any books to our home. Tom Gauld or not!

After a nice solitary breakfast this morning and before buying my coffee I went to a local discount bookstore and bought these books for about $3.50 each (unused books bought from the stores that couldn't sell them originally).

376. The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar
377. Sankofa by Chibundu Onuzo
378. Judas by Amos Oz
379. There Was a Time by Frank White
380. The Odd Couple by Neil Simon

The first book was shortlisted for the Woman's Prize.
The second book may get a run out for my December West Africa reading.
The third book, I have wanted for a while and I had to buy something by an Israeli author today.
The fourth I bought because of the cover and the blurb.
The fifth is from Open Library and I will read, watch and listen to it this week.

>204 PaulCranswick: I have had Judas in the BlackHole for a while now. I will be curious to see what you think of it, Paul.

Sorry to read the house fell through, Paul. I hope you find an other (better?) place soon.

Sorry about the house, Paul.
I hope you can enjoy Sunday despite all.

>205 alcottacre: I have read a couple of books by Amos Oz, Stasia and one of them I liked whilst the other went straight over my head.

>206 FAMeulstee: I hope so too, Anita. I want to get settled back in the UK and then a visit to the Netherlands will be a clear priority for me too!

>207 SirThomas: Thanks Thomas. My Sunday is going really nicely to be honest with a Korean dinner with Belle and Erni on the cards in a short while.

BOOK #132



Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga
Date of Publication : 2012
Origin of Author : Rwanda
Pages : 250 pp

Rwanda is proof, if proof were needed, that racism isn't just something invented by the white man.

Just as Protestants and Catholics have killed each other for centuries;
Just as Sunni and Shia have been in bloody conflict since the passing of the Prophet;
Just as the Yezidi has been hunted down and slaughtered in the Middle East;
the Hutu and the Tutsi have long lived in fear and hatred of each other. In Rwanda the Hutu were in the majority and the few Tutsi girls in the Mountain Convent School "Our Lady of the Nile" are not safe from that majority.

Mukasonga in this her first novel does a good job in ratcheting up the doom laden throughout the book to its sad conclusion.

Recommended.

>175 alcottacre: I grabbed a nice trade copy of Patchett's Commonwealth from the used shop even though the library has most of her books it seems. I also couldn't seem to leave without taking Lily King's Euphoria with me.

>211 RBeffa: Isn't it funny how those sorts of things tend to happen, Ron?!

>210 PaulCranswick: Oh, I'm so glad you appreciated my dote Mukasonga's novel, PC! Sha can write her cotton socks off, no?

>213 richardderus: For a first novel, RD, her pacing of the gradual increase in the tyranny of the majority was expertly handled. I do think that she is a future Nobel winner.

Hi Paul! I am glad you liked Tom Lake, Patchett is a favorite of mine.

>215 banjo123: I thought it was a stand-out read amongst a very stellar month of books for me, Rhonda. x

>178 PaulCranswick: Oh, I'm sorry. At least you weren't planning on it being a 'forever home' as they say on TV. Best of luck finding something even better!

And, in the meantime, a trip to Singapore?...

>217 humouress: May have found a "forever home" in Sheffield, Nina, but I don't want to tempt fate as I am not quite sure that I can afford it!
Singapore will be visited before I go off to the UK for good. I will not leave the locale without our meeting up - promise.

>218 PaulCranswick: a) Fingers crossed.

b) Mmhmm.

>219 humouress: a) Thanks neighbour and
b) Hahaha m-mm

Hi Paul. Well, 82 messages from your 18th thread, 264 from your 19th, and 220 from your newest. Happy newest thread.

From your 18th thread: books read. 3, 267. (3-2 = 1) * (6*7 = 42 = 4*2 = 8) = 8. I’m still happily stuck in MM romance reading and making a lot of time for it on my Kindle.

posting numbers: 6, 2240. 6*2 = 8 and 2*4 = 8.

top six American residents: 5. 1,1,1,1,1? 1*(1+1+1+1) = 4 = half of 8?

Senile vs. Penile – alas.

Maybe tongue-in-cheek but do you really think all Republicans are a-holes?! I call ‘em the Gang of Psychos and although my US Senator, Tom Tillis, is actually trying to be bipartisan, I can’t think of a single one other than him who I can respect at all.

From your 19th thread: I love the first sentence of Black Butterflies. A few substitutions and one addition (raising a child) are necessary, but that was my life from 1993 through 2016, when I retired.

Your apartment is almost as big as my house and you have 14405 books listed in your catalog compared with my paltry 5714. Comments further on make me see that the 14405 is more than you physically own, but still. Impressive. My catalog is only books here at the house plus a few ER books I keep so as to not offend the ER gods but have physically gotten rid of.

>230 Familyhistorian: Permanent relocation in December. Wow.

>54 PaulCranswick: Congrats on reaching 5,000 posts on the 29th. I always appreciate your opinions even if I don’t agree with them, although mostly I do. If people don’t want to read your posts, they can unstar your threads.

>114 PaulCranswick: 372 acquisitions. Impressive. I’ve actually even heard of some of those authors, not always the case.

>142 PaulCranswick: Novellas are so hard to pull off successfully, even if it was perhaps the translation. Sorry he didn’t cut it for you.

>172 PaulCranswick: Bel Canto is on my shelves – was supposed to read it for my RL book club in 2004 but didn’t. Got rid of my copy, reacquired a copy in 2012, still haven’t read it.

>87 PaulCranswick: Your YTD through September stats are seriously impressive. Congrats.

>183 quondame: Homey and able to house a lot of books sounds like the perfect house to me.

>218 PaulCranswick: 🤞

Caught up until the next time I blink and I need to read/skim 566 messages again.

>221 karenmarie: How I love your comprehensive posts, Karen!

Numbers, numbers, numbers - just love 'em.

I like little better than discourse between friends who view the world slightly differently sometimes but have the same basic values. I don't expect blanket agreement - that would be rather boring wouldn't it?

I guess I have been unstarred by a few of our pals, Karen - I can think of four or five friends who used to visit here regularly but never visit any longer. Each to their own and I don't hold it against them although I am a little sad that my own visits don't even merit an occasional hello.

I don't uncatalog books that I have read and given away, Karen. I have very few books listed in my library that, if unread, are not physically with me.

I want to do Bel Canto this year and if you have the time, dear lady.......

>184 PaulCranswick: Nosiness / Curiosity made me google that 118 reference Paul.

Wow; some height - in Scottish hill terms that's between a Graham and a Corbett, and having climbed the former from Sea level, to compare my vertical assent to a building ....

Must be some forces at play to put it mildly .... does the spire serve much of a purpose (lightning conductor?) - and did it need to be so tall ?

Hi Paul - not sure from another post about which countries in The West have been pandering to terrorists...?

Had Israel given the People of Gaza a decent chance at life, Hamas would likely have had no support.
And, what great lessons they have just taught to their Muslim sons on how to treat a woman...
... giving more people reasons for their anti-Muslim feelings.

And good old Joe immediately sends a warship to support Israel - the total opposite of any quick and sure
support given to UKRAINE.

Hi Paul, I'm currently doing a quick trip around the UK and tonight I'm in York. We left London yesterday and spent last night in Lincoln. Have been traveling for the past few weeks and not had time for LT or much reading. Most nights I'm just too tired to read.
I see that you picked up a copy of When we were bad, I loved this one.

>204 PaulCranswick: I liked Sankofa Paul.

>223 Ignatius777: The spire doesn't serve much of a purpose, Ignatius. In design terms it is supposed to represent the first Malayan Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman raising his arm to declare "Merdeka" or Freedom/Independence in 1957. The building is on the site of the declaration of independence and the formal handover of power from the British.

>224 m.belljackson: I think that I am probably the only muslim in the group, Marianne, so I must be careful here, but frankly I am appalled and heartbroken by what has happened in Israel. No amount of suppression or oppression can ever justify the barbarity of what was perpetrated on innocent people.
I am very pro the state of Israel and its right to exist and will only condemn violence against anyone but especially civilians - this was not the conduct of war let us not be mistaken.

I don't want to talk too much about the response of the Biden administration as its policies of appeasement towards Iran helped pave the way for this.

>225 avatiakh: Ooh Kerry you are in God's Own Country and my Capital city! Have a safe trip and it is lovely to hear from you as I always miss my dose of your thread updates - your reading is followed carefully over here. xx

>226 Caroline_McElwee: I got a great hardback copy of it for barely $3, Caroline, so I was particularly pleased with myself.

Happy whatever, Paul!

Good luck with the timing of your future housing plans, Paul. I was way behind on your threads but luckily I went through them and saw the stats. Interesting to see that I was #12 in the list for posting and reading. I couldn't keep up with LT on the cruise as wifi there costs the earth.

>229 alcottacre: Thank you dear Juana. xx

>230 Familyhistorian: I haven't updated the reading stats, Meg, but you are still at number 12 on posting to your thread.

Up to page 483 in The Bee Sting and really enjoying it, Paul. I only got about 20 pages read yesterday since we were celebrating Thanksgiving. I hope to get another 50 + pages in today. As for the Israel / Palestine difficult, I read a book many years ago that made me think again about the whole situation. I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity . If you can get your hands on it, it might be worth the read. I left a review years ago on the main page for the book.

>231 PaulCranswick: Still number 12? I was travelling for 2 weeks and barely posted during that time. I'm into catch up mode now so that may move me up a little, we'll see.

>232 vancouverdeb: Yeah, I have read that one too, Deb, and it was both moving and enlightening. The Holy Land is a very difficult issue to find solutions to and so many people are so intransigent about it and their positions are so entrenched and incendiary that peace is so easily thwarted.

>233 Familyhistorian: Yep, still in 12th. You are sandwiched between two Anitas actually. Anita (Netherlands) is 11th with 1,773 posts whilst Anita (Canada) is 13th with 1,610 posts. You currently have 1,645 posts, Meg.

>234 PaulCranswick: I'm currently working write ups for my September reads and will start on my October reads soon so will pick up the pace don't think it will be enough to close the gap between me and the Anita ahead of me though.

>235 Familyhistorian: Anita is also busy walking across the undulating landscape of Limburg but still posting regularly as is her wont. You are leading Canadian thread again though although our other Anita is close behind. Micky (1,427 posts), Shelley (1,384), Deb (1,007) and Sandy (721) are all posting up a storm too.

>234 PaulCranswick: Well, thanks to Meg my curiosity to my place in the league is revealed :-)
Thank you, Paul!

>236 PaulCranswick: You mean you didn't notice I didn't post for a week? *smile*

>237 FAMeulstee: But not completely quiet for all that, Anita!
I thought it interesting that our Meg was sandwiched between the group's two lovely Anitas.

Paul, I reached page 493 in tonight's reading of The Bee Sting. I believe I can finish the book at the latest by Friday. How far along are you?

>239 alcottacre: Honestly, Stasia, I am barely started. I have had a hellish week work wise with settlement meetings with the Employer's representatives and issues with our greedy subcontractors.
I am not taking it to work to read in my lunch break. I will get it finished on Sunday, I think.

Connections
Puzzle #122
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟪🟪🟪🟪

I thought the first two were so obvious that they must be wrong!

Wordle 844 5/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨
⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜
🟩⬜🟩🟩⬜
🟩⬜🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I am still playing most days and very rarely fail to make the puzzle. I have a 99.46% success rate. I have failed to get 3 out of 548 puzzles in the allotted 6 guesses. But 48 times I did take a successful 6th guess. 234 times I have got the puzzle in 3 goes.

>240 PaulCranswick: Ah, ok. No worries. I am hoping that I will be able to check in here on LT while I am out of town, but given the issues with my mother's internet, that may just be wishful thinking. You might not hear from me for 2+ weeks.

>243 alcottacre: Oh gosh, I am not sure that I will be a happy bunny having 2 weeks without my Juana for company in sharing book-buying secrets. xx

I finished The Bee Sting this evening, and I loved it! As I posted on Stasia's thread, I think it is a 5 star read for me . The ending is ambiguous, so I just need to ponder on that for a while.

You told me so! :-) I thought I would be the laggard in the group.

>245 vancouverdeb: I am pleased you are the one setting the pace when myself and especially Stasia are supposed to read faster, Deb! Well done because it is quite a sizeable tome. I hope to make some progress on it this evening, although I have three other books well advanced too.

BOOK #133



Luck is the Hook by Imtiaz Dharker
Date of Publication : 2018
Origin of Author : UK (born in Pakistan)
Pages : 122 pp

This is an assured collection of poetry.

Sure of image, technically extremely accomplished and boasting a turn of phrase at once immediate but surely memorable.

There are some poems and particularly the last one about the city of Hull that I will return to often. This is the poem "The Trick". I especially like the poem from "Greedy for more than the gift of seeing you.."



In a wasted time, it’s only when I sleep
that all my senses come awake. In the wake
of you, let day not break. Let me keep
the scent, the weight, the bright of you, take
the countless hours and count them all night through
till that time comes when you come to the door
of dreams, carrying oranges that cast a glow
up into your face. Greedy for more
than the gift of seeing you, I lean in to taste
the colour, kiss it off your offered mouth.
For this, for this, I fall asleep in haste,
willing to fall for the trick that tells the truth
that even your shade makes darkest absence bright,
that shadows live wherever there is light.

Recommended.

BOOK #134



Black Water by Joyce Carol Oates
Date of Publication : 1992
Origin of Author : USA
Pages : 154 pp

This novella takes the Chappaquiddick incident in which Teddy Kennedy was driving a car in which Mary Jo Kopechne was killed after that car was driven off a rickety bridge and Mr. Kennedy allegedly left her there.

It is imagined from her point of view and in a slightly altered timeline. It is seemingly slight in length but very impactful in content. It does not judge the Senator directly in its narration but condemns him utterly by implication.

This is about power and politics and the attractions and dangers of those attached to it or in its circle.

Recommended.

>247 PaulCranswick: Lovely poem, Paul! Thanks for posting.

>249 EllaTim: Ella, I have a habit of collecting particular poems that make a distinct impression on me and that is one - there are a couple more in that collection. Ms Dharker had apparently been approached to be UK Poet Laureate before it was offered to Simon Armitage and I will admit that I was none too familiar with her work. I have now read two of her collections and can confirm she would have made a good choice for the role.

Moving office today so I got fed up and left the dust behind & went to the bookshop. Spurred on by the fact I had a collection to make:

I added:

381. Either/Or by Elif Batuman
382. Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths
383. Exiles by Jane Harper
384. The Birdcatcher by Gayl Jones
385. The Lichtenberg Figures by Ben Lerner
386. Angle of Yaw by Ben Lerner
387. Mean Free Path by Ben Lerner
in one volume as No Art
388. All the Little Bird-Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow
389. In Ascension by Martin MacInnes
390. The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy
391. The World : A Family History by Simon Sebag Montefiore
392. Dead-End Memories by Banana Yoshimoto

>244 PaulCranswick: But I will be buying books in Joplin and will happily report back on my purchases!

>251 PaulCranswick: Nice, Juan!

So you bought 12 books disguised as 10?

>252 alcottacre: Look forward to seeing what you add, Juana.

>253 elkiedee: Indeed, Luci! Saves a little bit of space to do it like that.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/354324

>251 PaulCranswick: Enjoy your new reads, Paul. Any new pictures of Nami?

>255 SilverWolf28: Thanks Silver.

>256 vancouverdeb: I will go and see if I can find some from my whatsapp messages from the guys, Deb, and post here later.

Some bad news today is that Hani has tested positive for COVID. She is relatively ok and has had plenty of shots but is suffering from nose and throat issues mainly. She has separated herself from Pip and Yasmyne.

Hi, Paul. Sorry to hear about Hani. Hoping for a quick recovery. I recently had my latest Covid booster shot. Fortunately, I have never contracted it. In regard to poetry, I am finally reading some Yeats, after much encouragement by Joe. I have to say, I am impressed, in the early going.

>259 msf59: I have read the collected Yeats several times, Mark and I have his work constantly on or near my reading table. W.B. Yeats, T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Louis MacNeice, W.H. Auden, Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes are my magnificent seven of poets and will always be close to my heart.

Hani is a tough cookie but it doesn't stop me being worried about her.

>258 PaulCranswick: Sorry to hear that. I hope she has the mildest case possible consistent with having noticed it at all.

>261 ArlieS: She is a bit grumpy so I think it is not the mildest but could be much worse!

Happy belated Friday the 13th, Paul!

>258 PaulCranswick: Sorry to read Hani got Covid, I hope she feels better soon!

Sorry to hear Hani has Covid , Paul . I hope it will be brief and she will soon feel 100% .

>262 PaulCranswick: Sorry Hani has Covid! Hopefully the symptoms are mild and they clear up soon.

>263 The_Hibernator: I'm always pleased, Rachel, that I realize too late that it is Friday the 13th too late for me to get really worried about it!

>264 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita. She has moved out from staying with Yasmyne and Pip (Sam is now in France) in order to reduce the risk to mother and daughter.

>265 vancouverdeb: Thank you, Deb. Hani does seem in reasonably good spirits which is at least part of the battle.

>266 figsfromthistle: Thank you, Anita. x

I hope Hani recovers soon, Paul!

Happy whatever! I am off to visit my mother tomorrow and will be gone for 2+ weeks (with the Joplin meet up in there too). Hold down the fort.

I hope Hani has the mildest of cases and none of the rest of your family any at all!

Hi Paul, wishing Hani a quick recovery.

>269 alcottacre: Thank you, dear Juana - I shall do my utmost to oblige!

>270 quondame: Thanks Susan - I especially don't want Nami to contract it.

>271 Kristelh: Thanks Kristel xx

I hope Hani is well on the way to recovery and doesn’t feel too grumpy :0)

>274 humouress: I don't think that she will stop being grumpy, Nina - she probably needs to consider changing her name by deed-poll for the purposes of accuracy.

>275 PaulCranswick:

>276 humouress: Hahaha

>258 PaulCranswick: Oh, the poor darling! Sending hugs to her through the fawg of COVIDity. I've got a cold right now, and am delighted that's all it is.

Quick recovery!

>278 richardderus: I think that she will be much better when she is able to be with her granddaughter again, RD.