PAUL C IN 23 (22)

PLACES I AM READING

I am reading The Heavens May Fall for my African Novel Challenge in November. It is written by Unity Dow who in addition has the honour of being the first female High Court Judge in the Southern African nation of Botswana.

The Opening Words

The Heavens May Fall by Unity Dow concentrates on rape and the sexual assault of minors in Botswana.



"Why do I have to care so much? I ask myself this question all the time, but I ask it today in particular, because I am feeling particularly frustrated. My salary is late again and, once more, I am going to have to call my bank to extend my overdraft facility for one more month. I really can't afford it because of the killer bank charges and extension is going to attract. I should have called them by now, but I have been busy the whole week, with hardy any time for myself. And I so need time for myself. "

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
136. The Bee Sting by Paul Murray (2023) 643 pp Fiction
137. The Conquest of Plassans by Emile Zola (1874) 302 pp Fiction 150Y Challenge 1/150
138. The Dreadful Monster and its Poor Relations by Julian Hoppit (2021) 223 pp Non-Fiction
139. The Master of Ballantrae by RL Stevenson (1889) 228 pp Fiction 150Y Challenge 2/150
140. The Napoleon of Notting Hill by GK Chesterton (1904) 192 pp Fiction 150Y Challenge 3/150

November
141. The Heavens May Fall by Unity Dow (2006) 191 pp Thriller / ANC / Botswana
142. The Life of a Useless Man by Maxim Gorky (1908) 284 pp Fiction 150 Y Challenge 4/150
143. Western Lane by Chetna Maroo (2023) 161 pp Fiction
144. The Perfect Nine by Ngugi Wa Thiongo (2018) 227 pp Poetry ANC
145. Pearl translated by Gawain Poet (1390) 103 pp Poetry BAC
146. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (2001) 401 pp Fiction 150 Y Challenge 5/150
147. The Book of Paradise by Itzik Manger (1937) Fiction / Poland / 150 Y Challenge 6/150

Is it too early to check in?

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 https://www.librarything.com/topic/354018 READ 2
November - AFRICAN THRILLERS / CRIME WRITERS https://www.librarything.com/topic/354901 READ 1
December - WEST AFRICA read 1

Total : 25

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
October -
November - Pre-Elizabethan - Pearl by Gawain Poet; translated by Simon Armitage

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

150 YEARS OF BOOKS

150 years; 150 books; 150 authors; 15 months

1874 1889 1904 1908 1937 2001

AROUND THE WORLD IN BOOKS IN 2023

Countries : 56 (16 November 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 140 (1 Nov 23)
Pages : 34,068
Pages per day : 112.07
Average Book Length : 243.34 pages
Female Authors : 59
Male Authors : 78
Various : 3
Countries Read : 54 (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, Rwanda, Pakistan)

Fiction : 74
Thriller : 17
Non-Fiction : 21
Sci-Fi/Fantasy : 1
Poetry : 21
Short Stories : 5
Drama : 1

1001 Books First Edition
Read 9 (336)

Nobel Winners
Read : (75)

Booker Winners
Read : (38)

Pulitzer Fiction Prize
Read 1 : (21)

Women's Prize
Read : (7)

Books Added in 2023

416 (1 Nov 2023)

Books Read in 2023

140 (1 Nov 2023)

Books Culled in 2023

438 (1 Nov 2023)

Revised TBR : 5,517

PIP

Welcome to my 22nd thread.

>7 alcottacre: Never too early to receive visitors, Stasia. xx Lovely to see you here, dear lady.

>7 alcottacre: Whoops! Sorry, Paul, I did not mean to get into the middle of all of your challenges. . .

I will back out slowly now. . .

Happy new thread Paul!

Happy new thread!

>17 alcottacre: Hahaha no need to back out, Stasia, I am not that precious when it comes to my thread - its entire purpose is to be welcoming to my friends. xx

>18 quondame: Lovely to see you, Susan.

>19 figsfromthistle: Thank you, dear Anita.

Happy new thread!

>22 amanda4242: Thank you, Amanda. I will try to get the African Novel Challenge page up soon.

>14 PaulCranswick: What a sweetheart Pip is!

>24 SqueakyChu: Thank you, Madeline. I am distinctly biased on the subject of course but I do agree with you. x

>14 PaulCranswick: I am now "officially" wishing you a happy new thread. With Pip on board, how could it not be?

>26 alcottacre: I needed to make a new thread to brighten myself up. Pip helps that as do your visits. xx

Happy New Thread!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/354878

Happy new thread, Paul.

>28 SilverWolf28: Thank you, Silver.

>29 SilverWolf28: And again! The readathon will be very useful this weekend as I have so many books part through and I need to settle down and start finishing them.

>30 Kristelh: Thank you, Kristel. x

>31 PaulCranswick: Let me know when you would like to begin Bel Canto. I was thinking Sunday, but if you would like to begin it before then, just let me know!

>31 PaulCranswick: Sunday is good, Stasia. Timing chimes nicely for me too.

I've only just caught on on threads and yours whizzes by more than most. I loved the family pictures on the previous section. Our grandson is coming up to his third birthday and I'm loving being Granny.

Happy new thread, Paul.
Have a wonderful weekend, my friend!

>35 CDVicarage: Didn't see myself as a Granddad, Kerry, but I am reveling in the experience at the moment somehow!

>36 SirThomas: Thank you, dear Thomas

Friday lunchtime book additions:

417. The Romantic by William Boyd
418. Explosion in a Cathedral by Alejo Carpentier
419. All My Goodbyes by Mariana Dimopulos
420. Beyond the Door of No Return by David Diop
421. The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis
422. Land of Smoke by Sara Gallardo
423. The Spectre of Alexander Wolf by Gaito Gazdanov
424. Game Without Rules by Michael Gilbert
425. The Book of Paradise by Itzik Manger
426. The Forward Book of Poetry 2024 by Various Poets

I had to share this one of Pip, dressed and ready for shopping:

Happy New Thread, Paul. Happy Weekend! I LOVE the PIP pics. She is adorable. I missed your thoughts on The Bee Sting. Did you enjoy it?

>40 msf59: Thanks Mark. We are both lucky Granddads buddy.

I did enjoy The Bee Sting although I thought that of the shortlisted books Prophet Song was more striking.

Happy new thread, Paul!

Love all the pictures of Nami, her mother, and grandmother. And her socks(?) with the rabbit faces in the picture above are so sweet!

Happy new thread, Paul. I love Pip's bunny stockings!

>41 PaulCranswick: Good to know, Paul, especially since I will be reading Prophet Song later this month. I am saving The Bee Sting for early next year.

>42 FAMeulstee: Hani gets through her allowance even quicker these days buying things like those lovely socks! Lovely to see you, Anita.

>43 jessibud2: Thanks Shelley. These seem likely to keep her nice and warm in a pretty cool, Sheffield.

>44 msf59: Both are good, Mark, and if you liked Skippy Dies then I am fairly sure that his latest novel will meet with your approval.

Happy new thread, Paul - and thanks for being our great town hall!

Happy new thread Paul!

Nice photos of Nami, Yasmyne and Hani.

Happy New Thread Paul!
Went to a performance last night by Gerald Dickens, the great great grandson of Charles Dickens. He comes to our neck of the woods every year to perform A Christmas Carol and we've tried to see him every year for last few years. Tonight is the Carol, but last night he did a perfomance based on Dicken's life and works.
He is very good! Anyway, towards the beginning of the performance he talked about Pip and my first thought upon hearing that name was, "How does he know Paul's new Granddaughter?"

Happy new thread, Paul. Beautiful baby!

>39 PaulCranswick: So chic! Do you think Nami has a future as a fashion icon?

>34 PaulCranswick: Great! Thanks, Paul.

>39 PaulCranswick: She looks about how I feel when going shopping - unless the shopping is for books or games, of course :)

Happy whatever!

ETA: My latest haul is posted on the 'This Just In' thread. Things will slow down from now until the end of the year. . .

>38 PaulCranswick: All, except (unsurprisingly) #426, are books I'd cheerfully read. I hope they each please you when their turns come.

Happy new thread, Paul, and how could it be anything but happy with those cute granddaughter photos?

>39 PaulCranswick:, That's a wonderful picture, love the socks!! and the dress is adorable.

>47 ChrisG1: Thank you, Chris. I know that the subject matter and the views are not to everyone's liking but I do strive for courteous and fair minded discourse. Thanks for pointing that out!

>48 humouress: Thanks Nina. Lovely to see you.

>49 hredwards: Hahaha Harold that is a great story on so many levels but especially the punchline!

>50 ArlieS: Lovely to see you dear Arlie. Pip is blessed not to get her Granddad's looks!

>51 quondame: All of my ladies (except Belle and Erni who hate being photographed) are camera hogs, Susan, so who knows.
Pip's mummy is very photogenic.

>52 alcottacre: Ha! But Nami looks like that all the time apparently, Stasia, well almost.

I will go over and see what you added. I am intent of ensuring that my additions don't exceed 500 books this year. Probably means that I will ensure that they at least reach 500 books!

>53 richardderus: I had to go and remind me what #426 was and realised that there should have been no surprise! I always get this collection once a year and it is a good guide for me as to what new British poets I should be looking out for.

>54 Familyhistorian: Thank you, Meg. Indeedy!

>55 Kristelh: It is funny Kristel but, whilst I noticed the outfit, it was the facial expression that caught my eye. Belle has a rival in the stare down stakes!

October 2023 in Review

World Events
Events dominated by the tragic events of evil visited upon the Jewish state of Israel by the terrorists of Hamas which has lead to Israel declaring war against them and going into Gaza to try to root them out. Tragedy continues as more innocent people are going to lose their lives. I have already said much about this in my thread.
In Australia The Voice referendum took place and didn't involve Blake Shelton.
In the USA speaker of the House McCarthy was removed effectively by the wrath of one jerk and is replaced by the diminutive looking Mike Johnson. I wish him well but some of his policy positions look more than a tad extreme. In NZ a General Election produced the worst ever performance by an incumbent government rightly chastised for its terrible lockdown policies.

Read
September : 14 books (140 year to date)
Ave Book Length : 247.93 (243.34)
September pages : 3,471 (34,068)
Daily Average : 111.96 (112.07)

Longest Book : 643 pages The Bee Sting (715 pages The Covenant of Water)
Shortest Book 67 pages The Left-Handed Woman (32 pages The Waste Land)

Author Origins
49 UK
26 USA
6 Ireland,
3 Various, Australia, France
2 Netherlands, India, Canada
1 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, Austria, Pakistan, Rwanda.

Gender

MALE 8 (78)
FEMALE 6 (59)
VARIOUS 0 (3)

GENRE

8 (74) Fiction
2 (21) Poetry
2 (21) Non-Fiction
2 (17) Thriller
0 (5) Short Stories
0 (1) Sci-Fi/Fantasy
1 (1) Plays

Book of the Month :
Not an easy one this month because I enjoyed a number of books without being entirely blown away. I will probably go for The Night of the Hunter

>58 PaulCranswick: LOL, Paul. I have no idea how many purchases I have made this year, but I know I am going to have to restrain myself next year after Kerry retires, so what the hey?

>61 PaulCranswick: Nice choice for book of the month - and appropriate to October to boot!

Happy new thread, Paul!

Happy new thread, Paul!

Lovely pictures of Pip.

>62 alcottacre: I did like The Bee Sting, The Conquest of Plassans and Our Lady of the Nile but they were good rather than great for me.

I keep telling myself I am going to slow down the purchases but it never really happens.

>63 bell7: Thank you, Mary

>64 EllaTim: Thanks Ella. Lovely to see you. x

>65 PaulCranswick: Yeah, it never really happens for me either, Paul, but I suspect next year the shopping will be curtailed just out of necessity.

>67 alcottacre: Sometimes we never know what is around the corner, Stasia. I am hoping that I will be able to make use of the great network of used bookshops in the North of England and the excellent library system. I cannot see me staying away from bookstores generally though as it has become something of a passion already.

Sorry to be a little late but the November African Novel Challenge thread is up:

Thrillers and Crime from Africa this month.

https://www.librarything.com/topic/354901

>39 PaulCranswick: Pip looks so cute, Paul! Happy New Thread!

>70 vancouverdeb: Thank you Deb. xx

BOOK #141



The Heavens May Fall by Unity Dow
Date of Publication : 2006
Origin of Author : Botswana
Pages : 191 pp

This sort of meets the brief for the ANC challenge this month being a sort of legal thriller.

Ms. Dow is the first female Judge of the High Court of Botswana and her protagonist is Naledi Chaba who is a young(ish) lawyer dealing with rampant misogyny and disturbing cases of sexual abuse, domestic violence and rape.

The writing was serviceable but the characters were enjoyable if in need of a little more space to grow. I will definitely read more of her work.

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

36. THE HOLLIES - Dear Eloise / King Midas in Reverse : 1967



In terms of singles I prefer the Animals (whose absence of a really killer doesn't see them included) and The Hollies make it with Graham Nash's last appearance in the group. The album in the UK was called "Butterfly" and didn't include "King Midas" but my version has always been the North American release.

Perfect pop sensibility meets psychedelia with some great songs "Step Inside", "Would You Believe", "Pegasus", "Wishyouawish" "Postcard" and the three title songs (if you include "Butterfly").

This is "King Midas in Reverse"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aINXF8RKggQ

Big Picture news is pretty depressing these days but good to look at your lovely family pictures and remember our blessings and why we have to stay engaged and committed so that a new generation can enjoy all the good things life has to offer. Reading is certainly a way of staying connected with what’s best in the human spirit.
Must admit that the Africa Novel Challenge has also made me aware of humanity’s dark side, which even when transformed by art is still pretty dark. Looking forward to a mystery story—-something where the forces of justice triumph over evildoing. Good choice for November.

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

37. THE HOUSEMARTINS - London 0 Hull 4 : 1986



No band reminds me more of being a student than The Housemartins. I saw them at least 4 times as a student and they were a wonderfully ebullient live act. Some of that immediacy translates onto their debut record; the brilliant single "Happy Hour", "We're Not Deep", "Sheep" and "Think For a Minute" are standouts.
This is the last named song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnLFCY2vWoI

Sublime.

>74 booksaplenty1949: What a great post! Thank you for those very nice words.

I have enjoyed The African Novel Challenge and educated myself a little in the process. It is a dark but improving continent and I look forward to the day when it has the success, peace and prosperity most of the people there deserve. I have spent plenty of time there especially in Ghana and Egypt and have a great fondness for the people in those countries.

Sometimes but not always we gain knowledge via the importance of reading.

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

38. THE JAM - All Mod Cons : 1978



Regulars here will know that Paul Weller is a musical hero of mine and he started with The Jam. This was the first of their brilliant albums after a couple of exploratory efforts. An effervescent blend of punk & mod this includes the cover of Ray Davies' "David Watts", one of my favourite songs the anti racist "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight", "The Butterfly Collector" and this one the gentle "English Rose"

This is a live version performed just by Weller.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RMiY7PWcQg

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

39. JAMES - Pleased to Meet You : 2001



This album sort of creeps up on you. Seeps into your consciousness like by osmosis you sort of soak up the soundscapes and fall in love with it.
The songs don't stand-out so much individually but as a total this is brilliant.

The famous song off the album and only single was "Getting It Away With It (All Messed Up)"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIuwp5PWlk8

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

40. JETHRO TULL - Heavy Horses : 1978



What to make of Jethro Tull? Prog rock? Folk rock? Who cares they were great at their best. Iain Anderson flaunting that phallic flute, the brilliant playing of guitar, bass and drums, the tremendous poetic lyrics. Tull were never better as in their "Agrarian" period of 1977/8 with "Songs from the Wood" and this one which because I have had slightly longer than its predecessor I slightly prefer.

Pastoral but funky. Brilliant and especially that dandy of a title track.

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

Happy new thread, Paul!

>39 PaulCranswick: Pip looks resigned to the prospect of shopping. Love the bunny stockings!

>80 foggidawn: Lovely to see you Foggi.

I am with Pip, I can't stand shopping with Hani, although to share a secret I am missing her quite a bit at the moment.

Happy new thread, Paul! I don't think I'll be able to catch up on your previous threads. Have you relocated to England?

Happy new thread, Paul! Great pre-shopping pic of Pip, of course. 😀

>82 atozgrl: Thank you, Irene. Not quite yet. I hope to be there in December.

>83 drneutron: Thanks DocRoc.

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

41. ELTON JOHN Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy : 1975



I think that Elton made a series of very good albums in the 1970s and three great ones. "Madman Across the Water", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and this one which just edges it for me in terms of cohesion and consistency. Telling of his earlier days songs such as "Better off Dead", "Tower of Babel" , "Bitter Fingers", "We All Fall in Love Sometimes" and the wonderful "Someone Saved My Life Tonight". This is the last named.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsivkL30JMQ

Some people don't take Elton John that seriously these days but he was tremendous in his pomp.

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

42. KAISER CHIEFS : Employment : 2005



I have plenty in common with the Kaiser Chiefs - West Yorkshire roots, a passion for Leeds United football club bordering on obsession and a penchant for sarcasm.

They beat out their contemporaries with tracks like "Everyday I Love You Less and Less", "Oh My God" and this song that is played after the final whistle of every Leeds United home game "I Predict a Riot".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hamKl-su8PE

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

43. THE KINKS - Arthur or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire : 1969



If I was to be asked two questions. Favourite British band and favourite British album then I would unhesitatingly choose both the Kinks and "Arthur". Ray Davies is a unrivaled songwriter - quirky, observant, melodic, trenchant and nostalgic all together. Apart from one song "Princess Marina" which I skip by habit I adore every song here from "Victoria" to "Mr Churchill Says" to my favourite "Shangri la". I recently played a version of this song on my thread so I will choose another one - "Some Mother's Son"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr4_xAn600g

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

44. MARK KNOPFLER - Get Lucky : 2009



Had I been choosing 120 albums I am fairly sure that I would have found a place for Dire Straits but I actually prefer the solo stuff of their erstwhile leader and guitarist par excellence, Mark Knopfler.

A series of tremendous albums but this is my personal pick. The opening song "Border Reiver" is a good story song and the title track is great but the closing song always manages to move me and puts a lump in my throat - "Piper to the End". Here it is performed in his home city of Newcastle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTGXq0i9o_Y

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

45. KULA SHAKER K : 1996



Another from my favourite music year (10% of my list) and not much better than this one. Crispin Mills the lead singer is the son of Hayley Mills and the Grandson of Sir John Mills and there is plenty of drama and bombast here.
Indian influences with "Govinda" and "Tattva", my own favourite the sixties tinged "Start All Over" as well as a nod to Jerry Garcia "Grateful When You're Dead". Since I have featured "Start All Over" before I will choose the album opening "Hey Dude"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDHd-vxcMDo

Just checking in on you today, Paul. I hope you are doing OK.

Happy whatever!

>90 alcottacre: I'm doing good today, Juana.

>84 PaulCranswick: Good to know, thanks. With the new pictures of Pip, I thought you might be there in person taking the pics yourself. She sure is a cutie! Wishing you success with all your travel arrangements and good travel when you finally make the trip!

>92 atozgrl: Thank you, Irene. My problem will be summoning up the will to return which is why I have always wanted to finish my current engagement first.

BOOK #142



The Life of a Useless Man by Maxim Gorky
Date of Publication : 1908
Origin of Author : Russia
Pages : 284 pp
150 Years of Books : 4/150

I must start with an admission in that I calculated this one with the wrong publication date on my excel spreadsheets. I had meant to read the challenge in 15 year intervals to make it balanced and for some reason this was listed as "1919". Since it had a troubled publication history I suppose I can be slightly exonerated, but it does throw my progress out of sync a little bit.

Gorky did a good job is depressing realism and in truth this never relents right through to the fairly inevitable conclusion. Set amid the backdrop of the failed revolution of 1905 - a revolution betrayed told confusingly from the point of view of the betrayers.

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

46. LED ZEPPELIN - Physical Graffiti : 1975



Some albums will always be in your collection for just one song and "Kashmir" for me justifies the cost of the record alone. To be fair you could say that about "Stairway to Heaven" and the Runes album but there is more depth and range of styles here and I particularly like some of the more mellow stuff. "Kashmir" it is though with its memorable riff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW_WLxseq0o

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

47. JOHN LENNON - Imagine : 1971



Just about my favorite of his records an album of passion, yearning and spite. "How Do You Sleep?" was a bit of an unnecessary dig at his former songwriting partner, "Imagine" and to a lesser extent "Jealous Guy" are classics but the song I like listening to the most is "How?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pQ9To3DMuo

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

48. LIGHTNING SEEDS - Dizzy Heights : 1996



That year again. Do we always revert to the time we were most happy. 1996 is the year of my marriage and a blissfully happy time for me or was the year really so chock-ful of great music. Yes and yes.

Ian Broudie's summery music was something Hani and I listening to a lot in those long lovely days. Dreamy pop inflected songs that always make me happy. "Like You Do", "Ready or Not", "Sugar Coated Iceberg" and this one "What if?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5O_FcBTsU0

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

49. MANIC STREET PREACHERS - Everything Must Go : 1996



Q Magazine rated this as the best album of 1996. I didn't agree but it still makes the list as marginally the best record by this Welsh power trio.

Four singles "A Design for Life", "Kevin Carter", "Everything Must Go" and "Australia" but this is "Small Black Flowers That Grow in the Dark"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19N9H1JXvko

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

50. JOHN MARTYN - Solid Air : 1973



Appropriate to have this one half-way as it is half-way jazz and half way folk rock. The title track is an obvious choice written as it was for his friend Nick Drake who would not live long enough to appreciate Martyn's dedication. I like "May You Never" better though.

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

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

51. PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS - Band on the Run : 1973



What is the best album by an individual Beatle post the group breaking up. For me there is no doubt at all that it is "Band on the Run". From its brilliant opening track right to the closer "Nineteen Hundred and Eight-Five" it is all solid gold without the occasional naff song that McCartney is prone to in his solo work.
This is a live version of "Bluebird"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndoUIaVh_8I

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

52. MOODY BLUES - Seventh Sojourn



It isn't easy to pick a favourite Moodies album. Probably the best of their "Core 7" albums is the last one. I don't think that any song stands out enormously but there isn't a bad track either. Definitely more than the sum of its parts.

This is "For My Lady"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpHIazW3NWA

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

53. MORRISSEY - Vauxhall & I : 1994



A controversial character in many ways and somebody with whom I can readily agree at times and be completely abhorred by at others. His songs and lyrics with the Smiths largely peopled my student times and his more patchy solo work has gems on every album. Perhaps more gems than most on his fourth studio effort in 1994. I struggled to choose between "Now My Heart is Full" and "The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get". The latter just wins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGdSpYMsk5A

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

54. VAN MORRISON - Veedon Fleece : 1974



You will note that this is out of order alphabetically. That is because since back in the day I have always catalagued Van the Man under "V" and not "M" despite that being obviously wrong. I realized just too late for this listing.

One of my oldest favorites but also for me the hardest to choose an absolute fave amongst his 45 studio albums. "Astral Weeks", "Moondance", "Saint Dominic's Preview", "Into the Music", "Poetic Champions Compose" and "Days Like These" could win on any given day but more often than not when pressed I choose 1974's anti commercial and ultra reflective "Veedon Fleece". Not really a stand out track because it is replete with Morrison at his best.

This is "Fair Play"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SvYt4PE8Bw

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

55. MUMFORD & SONS - Sigh No More : 2009



An unbelievably complete and well-realised debut album. Is it folk rock? Heaven knows but it is brilliant.
Another record that choosing a best song is complicated by mood. Here is "The Cave"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNy8llTLvuA

Could have been almost any of the tracks.

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

56. OASIS - What's the Story Morning Glory? : 1995



After the brilliance of this record Noel and his big mouthed brother got a little carried away with themselves and the music went from imitative to overblown pastiche.

Six singles and a couple at least of songs for the ages in "Don't Look Back in Anger" and "Wonderwall". I like all the songs (well almost) but "She's Electric", "Some Might Say" and "Cast No Shadow" are the best of the slightly lesser known tracks. This is the latter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p28UH0fY-7Y

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

57. OCEAN COLOUR SCENE - Moseley Shoals : 1996



Another from that stellar year. Birmingham's OCS had released one album four years earlier which was a shoegazing mess. This one is rootsy, punchy and excellent. "The Riverboat Song", "The Circle" and "The Day We Caught the Train" are instant classics. This is the last named.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rr4tXN2eJM

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

58. ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK - Crush : 1985



I distinctly remember that this wonderful album was 38 minutes long because in the heady days of student digs me and my first love would regularly make love through the whole of that record and onto its predecessor "Junk Culture" which was 46 minutes long. We were both young, very healthy and very much in love!
Those 38 minutes are still very special for me although I struggled to listen to them for a good while after our untimely (for me anyway) breakup. "So in Love" must be the song played here. Wonderful stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD8TApX3btM

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

59. PINK FLOYD - Wish You Were Here : 1975



Only effectively four songs (although two of them are split across two sides) but this is really brilliant stuff. Many would choose "Dark Side of the Moon" with its obvious highlights or The Wall with that epic single but this is my favourite Floyd album.

This is the title track with Gilmour in an unplugged version.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j8mr-gcgoI

One of the best songs ever written.

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

60. THE PROCLAIMERS - Sunshine on Leith : 1988



Leith is the working class port serving Edinburgh and it is where the Reid twins hail from. It is the site of one of my favourite restaurants too and Hani and I would always eat there with Yasmyne when she was in Uni at Heriot Watt "Loch Fyne now sadly closed. "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) was the biggest hit but the title track is a particular favorite of mine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iesps9w4HFw

I recognize some of the artists but not all of them!

>110 thornton37814: Lovely to see you, Lori. Any that particularly caught your fancy?

>94 PaulCranswick: Not sure that I have read any Gorky yet, so I will have to give that one a try at some point. Thanks for the info, Paul!

Happy whatever!

BOOK #143



Western Lane by Chetna Maroo
Date of Publication : 2023
Origin of Author : UK
Pages : 161 pp

This is a very good debut novel. Sensitively written about coming to terms to the grief of familial grief. At the commencement of the novel the three sisters and the father have lost their mother and we follow them through the process of readjustment with the father in particular trying to do his best and hope his love for his girls will suffice. Insightful also about Gujarati culture (Kyran's girlfriend Yasmeen has some Gujarati heritage) and I really like the treatment of the eldest sister, Mona, as a sort of proxy mum to the other two girls. The squash byline story is also interesting and got me reminding myself of a sport that I used to play pretty poorly.

This is the fourth of the Booker shortlist that I have read this year and though I don't think it will win, a book of this well-polished quality does deserve recognition. I enjoyed the writing more than The Bee Sting although that book, being bolder in scope, probably has more chance of winning.

Recommended and I shall certainly look out for what she does next.

>112 alcottacre: Nice to see you Juana. He is not exactly a barrel of laughs but probably worth reading at least once!

150 YEARS 150 BOOKS 150 AUTHORS

My next foray will be to 2001. The year forever blighted in memory by the events of September 11. It was also the end for Enron, Sabena Airlines and Swissair. On a slightly happier note we had the start of the film franchises for Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

Same sex marriage was allowed in the Netherlands in April of 2001 the first modern state to allow this. V.S. Naipaul won the Nobel Prize and Tiger Woods gained the Tiger Slam (holding all four major golf tournaments at the same time).

Deaths included musicians Larry Adler, Chet Atkins, Stuart Adamson and George Harrison; Entertainers/Actors Harry Secombe, Anthony Quinn, Jack Lemmon; pioneering heart surgeon Christiaan Barnard; greatest ever cricketing batsman Don Bradman; British politicians Peter Shore, Lord Hailsham and in books Douglas Adams, Jorge Amado, Poul Anderson, Fred Hoyle, Tove Jansson, Ken Kesey, Robert Ludlum, RK Narayan, Mordecai Richler, WG Sebald and Eudora Welty (quite a list!)

Books from 2001 :

I'm Not Scared, The Blinding Absence of Light, Year of Wonders, Soldiers of Salamis, By the Sea, Bitter Fruit, The Siege, The Corrections, American Gods, Gabriel's Gift, Fury, The Constant Gardener, Atonement, Life of Pi, Empire Falls, Austerlitz, Back When We Were Grown Ups, The Stone Carvers, Dirt Music, The Shadow of the Wind

Stellar year in fiction : has there ever been a better one?

I will be reading : Bel Canto

BOOK # 144



The Perfect Nine by Ngugi wa' Thiong'o
Date of Publication : 2018
Origin of Author : Kenya
Pages : 227 pp

The revered Ngugi wa' Thiong'o seeks to do for African literature what Homer did for Western Literature in this recounting of the epic of Gikuyu and Mumbi the founding couple of the Kikuyu (Kenyan) people. Ten daughters seeking husbands or rather the other way round and how they founded the various tribes of the nation.

Told in often singing verse this is a flowing and fairly easy read. It is quite feminist in its depiction of the overwhelming strength and courage of the female of the species and that is nothing to complain about.

Recommended for those who like the form.

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

61. PROCOL HARUM - A Salty Dog : 1969



By their third album they had added the guitars and influence of Robin Trower giving the group a harder, grittier edge. I really like Trower's "Crucifixion Lane", but it is the title track I always come back to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGmZMKfHB2c

>115 PaulCranswick: - What a great summary post! Of the book titles you mentioned, I read and loved Year of Wonders and The Stone Carvers. I remember, when reading the Brooks, sitting in my doctor's office, waiting for my appointment. When I got in, we talked a bit about the book and how it was not lost on me the differences in medical knowledge and treatment from those days to ours. And how thankful we were for those changes and increase in knowledge!

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

62. PULP - Different Class : 1995



It was indeed "different class" from the opening track "Misshapes", through "Disco 2000", "Underwear" and "Common People" - all great. This one is too though which is "Sorted Out for E's and Whizz"

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

>118 jessibud2: Thank you, Shelley. xx

I didn't realize that quite so many well regarded books saw the light of day in 2001. It was a momentous year in so many ways and I hadn't realized that George Harrison has been gone from us for two decades already.

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

63. QUEEN - Jazz : 1978



I'm not sure that this is the best Queen album but it is my favorite and I remember it very fondly. I bought it with my pocket money on a trip to the Netherlands. "Fun It", "Leaving Home Ain't Easy" plus the non PC "Fat Bottomed Girls" and "Bicycle Race" (the gatefold was full of ladies who were I suppose intended to be fat bottomed display said posteriors on bicycles) but my favorite was the power pop of "Don't Stop Me Now"

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

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

64. RADIOHEAD - O.K. Computer : 1997



Many critics rate this as the greatest British album ever. I think it is miles away but it is the very best that Thom Yorke and his Oxford troupe have produced. There are two really good songs and several decent ones. "No Surprises" and "Karma Police" are the really good ones and this is the latter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uYWYWPc9HU

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

65. RAINBOW - Rising : 1976



I would not put heavy metal on my list of go to genres but Ritchie Blackmore and especially Rainbow are something of an exception. What a guitarist - I don't honestly believe that he has an equal anywhere. The group had tunes too - the next album would be more obviously commercial but there is plenty to love here.

This is "Starstruck"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ughtJ6nLowY

>115 PaulCranswick: 2001 was a good year for me, because I got married. Unfortunately, I wasn't paying attention to all the good books because I had too much else going on. In retrospect it really does look like a stellar year for books.

>124 atozgrl: I can understand that Irene! I am a little bit like that with 1996 and for the same reason! Although I think it has lead to me idealizing the music that was released that year as it was something we enjoyed together in our early marriage days.

Happy whatever, Paul! Did you start Bel Canto? Looking forward to your thoughts on it!

>126 alcottacre: I have started it, Stasia. Thoughts upcoming!

>127 PaulCranswick: Yay!

>128 alcottacre: Comments will be positive. Patchett is becoming a new favorite!

Hi Paul, Happy New Thread mate.

>14 PaulCranswick: >39 PaulCranswick: Such a cutie.

>130 johnsimpson: Thank you, John. I will be making rounds hopefully myself with the next day or so.

>131 Caroline_McElwee: She is quite an expressive little character already, Caroline. xx

>129 PaulCranswick: I love the new to me authors that I have found through LT. I have quite a long list. I am glad Patchett is becoming one of your favorites. I might never have found her without LT.

>133 alcottacre: Funnily enough, Stasia, I have had Bel Canto on the shelves for a long time (thirteen years, I think) but I don't know why I never got round to it. Tom Lake and the enthusiasm around it opened up my eyes to her understated talents as a writer and there are some really beautiful phrases in the first pages of the present book.

>113 PaulCranswick: Glad you enjoyed Western Lane, Paul. I did too. I also look forward to reading whatever else Chetna Maroo writes.

>135 vancouverdeb: I liked it more than I did The Bee Sting to be honest but not as much as Prophet Song, Deb.

My ranking of the shortlist to date:

1. Prophet Song
2. Western Lane
3. The Bee Sting
4. Study for Obedience

I will be really unhappy if Bernstein wins.

>134 PaulCranswick: Trust me, Paul, I know how that goes! I just figure when the time is right I will get to the book. Books are patient :)

>135 vancouverdeb: >136 PaulCranswick: I am slated to read Western Lane this month and hope I like it as much as both of you have done.

If Bernstein wins, I likely will never bother reading any more Booker longlist books. THAT should show them! Lol. I am still mad about Escoffery.

>137 alcottacre: I think you are right that there is a time when everything fits with the enjoyment of certain writers. Her present book took my fancy and I really liked it and so her other books increased in attraction.
Her writing in the early parts of Bel Canto is exquisite and it will be a test of her skills because I am certainly not much of a fan of opera.

I think you will like the simplicity but emotional impact of Western Lane.

I know I will not boycott the prize if Bernstein wins so I won't pretend to threaten it! I would be extremely miffed though.
I am already annoyed that The Covenant of Water was missing from the list.

>138 PaulCranswick: I am not a fan of Opera at all so the adoration of the diva was a little hard to digest until I thought about the adoration of divas of all the other music genres. As you will find soon, the story really isn't about Opera at all.

Way behind on your threads and sorry for my absence. The original movie trailer for the John Carter of Mars film made a stunning use of Kashmir.

>139 RBeffa: Yeah, I see that, Ron. The story is moving quickly towards being much more.

Kashmir is a brilliant song isn't it?

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

66. THE ROLLING STONES : Let it Bleed : 1969



Exile may have its supporters as may Beggars Banquet but neither have a song to touch "Gimme Shelter". When I think of the Stones this is the song that comes into my mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbmS3tQJ7Os

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

67. ROXY MUSIC - Avalon : 1982



It may be me getting old but I do prefer their more sophisticated and mellow period. My favorite song is "To Turn You On" which had been the flipside of 'Jealous Guy"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwgoauuBi14

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

68. SADE - Diamond Life : 1984



No red-blooded male could fail to find Sade Adu mesmerizing.
Difficult to define jazzy soul "Your Love Is King", "Smooth Operator" and "Hang on to Your Love" were all stellar. This is "When am I Gonna Make a Living?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-KqMHxpirI

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

69. SIMPLY RED - Stars : 1991



This is my easy listening guilty secret. Not exactly hip to be cool but boy can he carry a tune and this is Mick Hucknall at his smoothest and best.

"Something Got Me Started", "Your Mirror", "Stars" and "For Your Babies" make this like a greatest hits collection but as usual I will go with the last named.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv4HOh9uwLc

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

70. SLADE - Slayed? : 1972



My absolute favourite songs are the three singles from 74/75 when Slade's popularity was faltering but this album sees them in their Glam Rock pomp. Great fun with "Gudbuy to Jane" and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" and "Look at Last Nite" showed they were better at writing songs than spelling them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StrzI5f4JCk

>141 PaulCranswick: Huh, I was sure you would have gone with Sticky Fingers. Let It Bleed does start out with one of their best songs, and ends strong with "You Can't Always Get What You Want," but I don't think the rest of the album is particularly memorable.

>146 amanda4242: To be perfectly honest, Amanda, I can't really split Beggars Banquet, Let it Bleed and Sticky Fingers but my choice has "Gimme Shelter" which is my favorite Stones track. I think all their albums have got throw away stuff on them but they definitely deserve their place near the top of Rock music pantheon.

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

71. SMALL FACES : Ogden's Nut Gone Flake : 1968



Honestly not all of this works but the parts of the concept album that do catch are fabulous. Song of a Baker, Lazy Sunday and Afterglow were highlights of a quirky but occasionally brilliant piece of work.

Here is "Afterglow"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aueUFhC3Ktg

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

72. THE SMITHS - The Smiths : 1984



Most would pitch that "The Queen is Dead" is the highpoint of The Smiths discography. I like this better because of the memories it stirs.
Reel Around the Fountain, This Charming Man, Hand in Glove and What Difference Does it Make are the highlights but in reality this is a supremely confident debut album.

This is the brilliant "This Charming Man"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJRP3LRcUFg

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

73. SPACE - Tin Planet : 1998



A swaggering collection of music. Avenging Angels, Tom Jones and Begin Again are the three openers that stick in my mind. Here is the latter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI8FV237j4A

>148 PaulCranswick: I truly truly loved this one. Incredibly quirky with some great material from the band. Love the ones you named and a few others. The Small Faces were (and are!) one of my favorite bands of the late 60's.

>151 RBeffa: They had a fleeting presence as the Small Faces but the individuals in the group including the tragic Steve Marriott had a big impact across the scene.

I liked them a lot too, Ron, and they had to be in my list.

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

74. THE SPECIALS - The Specials : 1979



The group from Coventry (effectively my University town) were instrumental in making Ska popular and their role in improving race relations was very important. A mixed race group whose harmony lead to harmonies. "A Message to Rudy" and "Too Much Too Young" were the stand-out tracks and this is the former.

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

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

75. SHARLEEN SPITERI - Melody : 2008



Sharleen was the lead singer of the group Texas who had some success in the nineties. This is her first solo album and it is excellent. "All the Times I Cried", "Stop I Don't Love You Anymore" and "It Was You" were the singles. "I'm Going to Haunt You" is one of her best songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz6vRNZmONk

The planning thread for next year's BAC is up.

https://www.librarything.com/topic/355015#

>155 amanda4242: Exciting, Amanda.

I will go over and check it out.

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

76. DUSTY SPRINGFIELD : Dusty in Memphis : 1969



This is a funny one because Dusty Springfield was a huge singles star in the UK especially from the mid sixties but this album non-plussed people on both sides of the Atlantic upon release. Over time it has developed the status of a classic and her take on Southern Soul as a girl from London is somehow magical. All the songs have their aura but "Son of a Preacher Man" which she cut before Aretha is wonderful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp4339EbVn8

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

77. SQUEEZE - Cool for Cats : 1979



This was a tough call for me because Squeeze made three great albums in a row starting with this one followed over the next couple of years by "Argybargy" and "East Side Story" and on different days I would choose either one of those.

I am going to choose "Cats" because it is a bit more edgy and of the four singles the title track and "Up the Junction" are both socially relevant as well in the case of the ast one which I will feature has one of the best intro licks of any song.

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

>157 PaulCranswick:
Dusty Springfield - now that is one singer who is incomparable.

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

78. STARSAILOR - Love is Here : 2001



First thing is I adore the record cover.
Second is that the name is obviously taken in homage of Tim Buckley.
Thirdly don't quite see the Tim Buckley influence.
Fourthly great sensual songs throughout.
Fifthly lack of recognition undeserved.
Sixthly of the five singles I prefer "Alcoholic" but featured it recently so I'll go with "Poor Misguided Fool"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGZJg4uo3-k

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

79. STEREOPHONICS - Keep the Village Alive : 2015



Some bands age well. Stereophonics have aged well. Leader Kelly Jones' Welsh tones have vocally gone from occasionally scratchy to having a timbre that is now as impressive as it is uniquely his own. This collection of songs on their ninth studio album is less raw and possibly less exciting than some of their earliest work but it has a roundness that is satisfying.
"I Wanna Get Lost With You", "Song for the Summer" and "White Lies" are the standouts for me.

The last is a great track and this live version shows them as a brilliant live act. Kelly is also almost as mad a Leeds fan as I am myself. (note to self singing Leeds fans do seem to get favoritism here!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoR4Rzn5-pg

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

80. CAT STEVENS / YUSOF ISLAM - Tea for the Tillerman : 1970



Other albums of his may have its supporters but nothing else comes close for me. Not only does this album have "Wild World" and "Where Do the Children Play" but it also includes on of my favorite songs "Father and Son" which reminds me of my own difficult relationship (to this day) with my own Dad - who instilled some traits in my character I am grateful for but it was very much a tough love situation.

I still gulp down a lump in my throat when the son's part comes in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6zaCV4niKk

"From the moment I could talk / I was ordered to listen" wow!

>159 benitastrnad: She is unfairly forgotten these days, Benita, when it comes to remembering the great singers......but not by us at least!

Lovely to see you and I hope you are coping with the difficult situation of caring for your mum, my friend.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/355049

Thank you, Silver

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

81. AL STEWART The Year of the Cat : 1976



In his first couple of albums Al Stewart showed a great deal of promise but this was a really polished effort. The title track is a song well know by so many and loved by quite a few too. But all the songs are solid - all eight of them. "On the Border" is a song I have on my playlist constantly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2L_OyS21lM

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

82. ROD STEWART - Every Picture Tells a Story : 1971



Another Scot; another Stewart.

Rod the Mod with the album with the two songs of his I like the most - his first chart topper, "Maggie May" and his brilliant cover of Tim Hardin's "A Reason to Believe"

This is his unplugged version of that song together with his old pal Ronnie Wood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzGWo9osFsg

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

83. STING Ten Summoner's Tales : 1993



What a great collection of songs from Gordon Sumner. "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You", "The Shape of My Heart" and "Love is Stronger Than Justice" are very good but it is the beautiful "Fields of Gold" that brings me back every time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLVq0IAzh1A

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

84. STYLE COUNCIL - Cafe Bleu



Weller fresh from splitting The Jam was enthused by this new project and the eclectic mix of Frenchness, Jazz, Mod and Rock is odd but compelling. Includes two really famous songs in Weller's canon - "My Ever Changing Moods" and "You're the Best Thing", but to be fair so much more as well. This is "My Ever Changing Moods"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmVkOlZFF3Y

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

85. SUEDE - Coming Up : 1996



Most people didn't really expect Suede to survive the departure of Bernard Butler, their lead guitarist. They thrived instead.
This includes their most solid set of songs "Filmstar", "Lazy", "Beautiful Ones" and "Saturday Night" are my favorite track and this is the last of those.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEWn0aVcuSM

Friday additions:

427. Around the World in 80 Books by David Damrosch
428. The Man Who Sold Air in the Holy Land by Omer Friedlander
429. The Possessed by Witold Gombrowicz
430. Persians : The Age of the Great Kings by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
431. The Enemies of Rome by Philip Matyszak
432. Coin Locker Babies by Ryu Murukami
433. Vengeance is Mine by Marie NDiaye
434. Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig

>104 PaulCranswick: I recently saw the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in concert in Vancouver. A former Mumford and Sons musician, Russ Holmes, is now playing with them, fiddle and other instruments - very versatile.

>171 PaulCranswick: Nice! I posted my very small haul for the week on the ''This Just In" thread.

I wonder if the Damrosch book is similar to the Around the World in 80 Novels book that I am using to guide one of my challenges.

Happy whatever, Paul!

>172 Familyhistorian: I have a few albums by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Meg, great fun and very collaborative.

>173 alcottacre: I'm not sure, Stasia, but it starts off with five "London Books" - Mrs Dalloway, Great Expectations, Complete Sherlock Holmes, Riceyman Steps and Something Fresh so it is fair to say that it doesn't always go with the most obvious. There are sixteen chapters of different locations with five books representing each step along the journey.

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

86. SUPER FURRY ANIMALS - Fuzzy Logic : 1996



After this 1996 (another one!) debut SFA quickly became one of my favourite groups. There was a dynamism and excitement as well as a deftness of both music and lyrics that attracted me from the beginning. "If You Don't Want Me to Destroy You" is one of their best songs but "Something for the Weekend" made them famous and rightly so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1QyO4TkWts

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

87. SUPERGRASS - In it For the Money : 1997



Oxford's finest and I am including Coldplay and Radiohead in that, Supergrass would have dominated music if they didn't look quite so disheveled. This is possibly my favourite album from my favorite overall music period (1995-2000) with so many tremendous songs. There are bits of T-Rex in there, bits of Bowie and lots of their power pop. "Richard III", "In It For the Money" "Sun Hits the Sky", "Hollow Little Reign" and this one "Late in the Day"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8HJRVpUHQI&list=OLAK5uy_mkcad2icTNN7eeNJ4P0...

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

88. SUPERTRAMP : Breakfast in America : 1979



Inexplicably missing from my original list, their albums from 1974 to 1979 were, of a piece, excellent. This was the first I bought and is definitely their most famous. I love all the songs but especially those non-singles, "Casual Conversations" and "Lord is it Mine?"

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

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

89. TERRORVISION - Regular Urban Survivors : 1996



Of the three West Yorkshire bands I have featured (Embrace and Kaiser Chiefs being the other two, Terrorvision have probably the lowest profile but the loudest sound. Some of it is close to metal pop which sounds weird but unfailingly works. This is their most consistently fantastic album - this is "Perserverance"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bECD7ardHhA

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

90. RICHARD & LINDA THOMPSON - I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight : 1974



Maybe not the most successful of all marriages but boy could they make sweet music together. A classic folk rock album with great songs like "When I get to the Border" and "Down Where the Drunkards Roll " but it is the title track that I must feature.

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

>171 PaulCranswick: The Damrosch title definitely caught my eye...hoping that turns into a good read, indeed, because the topic is so dear to all our hearts.

Enjoy the slide back into the workweek...as much as one counting the days can, of course. Got to get home to meet Pip, after all!

>180 richardderus: Indeed RD, I even have a challenge named so and the guy came along and pilfered it!

Listening to the Deepavali or Divali fireworks go off as I type this.

>181 PaulCranswick: Is that the holiday with the colored powders?

>182 quondame: I'm not an expert, Susan, but I think that the colored powders (red most commonly) are mostly used for Holi which is something like a spring festival. Deepavali as the Tamils term it is also known as the festival of lights so you get fireworks, sparklers and lamps and candles. All Indian festivals involve a lot of food and visiting friends and relatives but families with a recent bereavement (two years) generally do not celebrate.

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

91. TRAVIS - The Man Who : 1999



The Scottish band, lead by Fran Healy, is named after a character in the movie, Paris, Texas.
This was a radical departure from their debut which was far more raucous and the quiet understatement of sweetish ballads initially stalled. By the third single "Why Does it Always Rain On Me?" the album gained traction and is now hailed as a melodic masterpiece. I really like a lot of these songs including "The Fear" and "Driftwood" and it is the latter I have chosen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzUdJ-5fscA

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

92. UB40 - Labour of Love : 1983



I may be wrong but I think that this is probably the only album made up completely of covers. In fairness the songs are re-interpretations as songs are reggae'd. "Cherry O Baby", "PLease Don't Make Me Cry", "Many Rivers to Cross" and "Red, Red Wine". Are they better than the originals? - in some cases definitely yes.

This is Neil Diamond's "Red, Red Wine" by the Birmingham boys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXt56MB-3vc

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

93. VERVE - Urban Hymns : 1997



Richard Ashcroft had star power and he also helped produce anthemic songs that stay long in the memory.

"The Drugs Don't Work", "Sonnet" and "Bitter Sweet Symphony" showcase this fine album. The latter is chosen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lyu1KKwC74

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

94. THE WATERBOYS - Fisherman's Blues : 1988



Sometimes wrongly considered an Irish band - Scott the leader is a Scot and the core of the band was always British with the addition here of some Irish influences.

I always play the title track because I love it so but the album is about more than that. This is "A Bang on the Ear"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P237zpWbPRM

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

95. PAUL WELLER - Stanley Road : 1995



This will surprise nobody as many here will know that Weller is my musical hero and he is, I think, the only one to appear here in three separate guises - solo as well as leader of The Jam and The Style Council.

Difficult choice since all his albums have something special but there are a string of excellent ones in patches. I do think though that this is the most complete and consistent. The closing "Wings of Speed" is my favorite Weller song here but I have featured separately on my thread at least twice before so I will choose "Out of the Sinking". I could just as eaily chosen the beautiful "You Do Something to Me" or the rocker "The Changingman". Fantastic all and organically great music by players who can really play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9Bpqq9gKVA

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

96. THE WHO - Who's Next : 1971



Several contenders for this one but for me this is brilliant and the best of their work. I play this album at least a dozen times a year. I could have chosen most of the tracks but I will stay true to my absolute favorite of their songs - "Behind Blue Eyes"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmbCOMM8peo

>174 PaulCranswick: I ordered a copy so that I can investigate it myself :) I like it when books/authors do not go with the most obvious, kind of like the Michael Dirda book that I am using to guide my reading in 2024, Classics for Pleasure.

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

97. AMY WINEHOUSE - Back to Black : 2006



Sad just listening to this again. What an amazing talent wasted. Just think what she could have done with that voice and that presence! She was a trainwreck in life but this album is a classic for sure, even if in an almost intrusive way.

This is "Tears Dry on Their Own" - would that were true. As someone who suffers from depression I can understand and see how life can come so easily off the rails.

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

>190 alcottacre: I like the look of it too, Stasia. I may do a challenge of reading all the 80. I checked and I have so far read 22 of the books listed, although some include things like Proust's mamoth opus.

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

98. WISHBONE ASH - Argus



I don't know whether this is Prog or Hard Rock and don't really care because it is fantastic. The Andy Powell and Ted Turner double lead guitar is unique and the quality of their musicianship is awesome.

The three favorite songs of the group are on this album : "Leaf and Stream", "Time Was" and "The King Will Come". The last named is one of the songs I listen to the most and was, for a while, the ringtone on my phone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWWC-2pPSrE

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

99. WORLD PARTY - Goodbye Jumbo : 1990



A rare ray of light in a pretty bleak music scene at the time. This is Kurt Wallinger essentially who left The Waterboys as he felt restricted by the presence of Mike Scott and wanted to maintain rock/pop instead of going towards Celtic roots.

Accused of being Lennon-lite (he actually sounds very much like Jeff Lynne) he is a very good songwriter. "Way Down Now" and "Thank You World" were singles as was "Put the Message in the Box". We will go with the last one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDJbqws3MY

I saw what you posted on Anita's (Figs) thread, Paul. Trying to start a competition are you?

I'm so mad at myself that I did not go see Coldplay in September in Vancouver, Paul! So stupid of me! Oh well. I didn't realize they were coming to town until about a week before , and was a fairly new fan. So I didn't have anyone to go with, Dave was at work, and the idea of 40,000 people in the stadium for the show was a bit off putting. But I should have gone!! Next time they come to town, I'm going , even I am 80 years old. I LOVE them, and Chris Martin is my new " crush" - you might recall Cat Stevens was my crush this past summer, I think it was. Easy come, easy go.

What makes the final selection in my 100 British Music Albums.

Well here is what didn't quite make it- an alternative 100

101. ABC - Lexicon of Love : 1982
102. THE ANIMALS - Animal Tracks : 1965
103. THE ARCTIC MONKEYS - Whatever People Say I am, That's What I'm Not : 2006
104. THE AUTEURS - After Murder Park : 1996
105. BAD COMPANY - Bad Company : 1974
106. BADFINGER - No Dice : 1970
107. BELLE AND SEBASTIAN - If You're Feeling Sinister : 1996
108. BIG COUNTRY - Steeltown : 1984
109. BLUE NILE - Peace at Last : 1996
110. THE BLUEBELLS - Sisters : 1984
111. THE BLUETONES - Expecting to Fly : 1996
112. JAMES BLUNT - Back to Bedlam : 2004
113. THE BOOMTOWN RATS - A Tonic for the Troops : 1978
114. BERNARD BUTLER - People Move On : 1998
115. CAMEL - Mirage : 1974
116. IAN CAMPBELL FOLK GROUP - This is the Ian Campbell Folk Group : 1963
117. CARAVAN - In the Land of Grey and Pink : 1971
118. CHINA CRISIS - Working With Fire and Steel : 1983
119. CHUMBAWAMBA - Tubthumper : 1997
120. ERIC CLAPTON - Slowhand : 1977
121. CREAM - Disraeli Gears : 1967
122. THE CURE - Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me : 1987
123. ROGER DALTREY - McVicar OST : 1980
124. DEACON BLUE - Raintown : 1987
125. DEEP PURPLE - In Rock : 1970
126. DEL AMITRI - Change Everything : 1992
127. THE DELGADOS - Peloton - 1998
128. DEXY'S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS - Too Rye Ay : 1982
129. DIDO - No Angel : 1999
130. DIRE STRAITS - Making Movies : 1980
131. DOVES - Kingdom of Rust : 2009
132. ELBOW - Cast of Thousands : 2003
133. EMERSON LAKE AND PALMER - Trilogy : 1972
134. ERASURE - The Innocents : 1988
135. EURYTHMICS - Revenge : 1986
136. GEORGIE FAME - Fame at Last : 1965
137. FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS - The Raw and the Cooked : 1989
138. FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD - Welcome to the Pleasure Dome : 1984
139. PETER GABRIEL - "Melt" : 1980
140. GANG OF FOUR - Entertainment! : 1979
141. GENE - Drawn to the Deep End : 1997
142. GENESIS - Selling England By the Pound : 1973
143. GENTLE GIANT - Giant For a Day : 1978
144. GORKY'S ZYGOTIC MYNCI - Barafundle : 1997
145. PETER GREEN SPLINTER BAND - Destiny Road : 2001
146. HAWKWIND - Hall of the Mountain Grill : 1974
147. THE HOLLOWAYS - So This is Great Britain : 2006
148. HUMAN LEAGUE - Dare : 1981
149. HUMBLE PIE - Town and Country : 1969
150. THE ICICLE WORKS - The Icicle Works : 1984
151. BERT JANSCH & JOHN RAYBOURN - Bert & John : 1966
152. KEANE - Hopes and Fears : 2004
153. KING CRIMSON - In the Court of King Crimson : 1969
154. THE LA'S - The La's : 1990
155. LONGPIGS - The Sun is Often Out : 1996
156. NICK LOWE - Jesus of Cool : 1978
157. MADNESS - One Step Beyond : 1979
158. MANFRED MANN'S EARTHBAND - The Roaring Silence : 1976
159. CERYS MATTHEWS - Cockahoop : 2003
160. JOHN MAYALL & THE BLUESBREAKERS - A Hard Road : 1967
161. RALPH MCTELL - Red Sky : 2000
162. KATIE MELUA - Piece by Piece : 2005
163. GEORGE MICHAEL - Listen Without Prejudice Volume 1 : 1990
164. THE MIGHTY WAH! - A Word to the Wise Guy : 1984
165. THE MOVE - Move : 1968
166. ALISON MOYET - Alf : 1984
167. MUSE - Absolution : 2003
168. NAZARETH - Exercises : 1971
169. PAOLO NUTINI - Caustic Love : 2014
170. PENTANGLE - Basket of Light : 1969
171. PREFAB SPROUT - Steve McQueen : 1985
172. PRIMAL SCREAM - Screamadelica : 1991
173. GERRY RAFFERTY - City to City : 1978
174. RENAISSANCE - A Song for All Season : 1978
175. KATE RUSBY - Life in a Paper Boat : 2016
176. SCRITTI POLITTI - Cupid and Psyche 85 : 1985
177. ED SHEERAN - X - 2014
178. SIMPLE MINDS - Once Upon a Time : 1985
179. SLEEPER - The It Girl : 1996
180. SPANDAU BALLET - True : 1983
181. SPIRITUALIZED - Let it Come Down : 2001
182. STEELEYE SPAN - All Around My Hat : 1975
183. JOSS STONE - Mind, Body & Soul : 2004
184. THE STONE ROSES - Stone Roses : 1989
185. THE SUPERNATURALS - It Doesn't Matter Anymore : 1997
186. TEARS FOR FEARS - The Hurting : 1983
187. TEENAGE FANCLUB - Grand Prix : 1995
188. TEN CC - The Original Soundtrack : 1975
189. TEN YEARS AFTER - A Space in Time : 1971
190. THE THE - Soul Mining : 1983
191. TANITA TIKARAM - Ancient Heart : 1988
192. TRAFFIC - John Barleycorn Must Die : 1970
193. ROBIN TROWER - Bridge of Sighs : 1974
194. THE TURIN BRAKES - The Optimist LP : 2001
195. ULTRAVOX - Vienna : 1980
196. NORMA WATERSON - Norma Waterson : 1996
197. WET WET WET - Picture This : 1995
198. STEVE WINWOOD - Back in the High Life : 1986
199. YAZOO - Upstairs at Erics : 1982
200. YES - The Yes Album : 1971

Some that I don't much like :
The Sex Pistols; The Buzzcocks, Sham 69, The Chemical Brothers, Prodigy, Portishead, Massive Attack. Joy Division and New Order I really want to like but just can't quite get my head round.

Near misses :
The Cocteau Twins, Orange Juice, Beth Orton, Tom O'Dell, Dave Gahan, The Strawbs, Alan Parsons.

SO WHAT IS MY CHOICE FOR #100?

>195 Familyhistorian: Hahaha not at all, Meg. I just couldn't resist commenting since you had exactly the same number of posts!

>196 vancouverdeb: I never had you down as being fickle in your affections, Deb!!!! I like both of them too but "crush" would be too much for me to admit! Now Katie Melua?!

100 BRITISH MUSIC ALBUMS

100. XTC - English Settlement : 1982



I think that this is much easier to enjoy than the more lauded "Skylarking". Post-punk pop whatever that alliterative mess means.

This is "Ball and Chain"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a9wowg4AjI

MUSIC FROM THE YEARS OF MY LIFE

1966. QUESTION MARK & THE MYSTERIANS - 96 Tears



I only became aware of this recently as it was on my suggested playlist. I love the title track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7uC5m-IRns

MUSIC FROM THE YEARS OF MY LIFE

NOVEMBER 1967. LOVE - Forever Changes



A stellar month with After Bathing at Baxters, Days of Future Passed, Magical Mystery Tour and Disraeli Gears all being released but this is probably the best of the lot.
Arthur Lee went more folky.

This is "Alone Again, Or"

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

MUSIC FROM THE YEARS OF MY LIFE

NOVEMBER 1968. THE KINKS The Village Green Preservation Society



Even more landmark music than the previous year. We had Astral Weeks, The White Album, Blues from Laurel Canyon and my favorite barely from the Kinks.

Many people choose this as their favorite Kinks album. Not me; I would place it top five, but it is still fabulous. This is "Village Green"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L34pDZNdT8E

MUSIC FROM THE YEARS OF MY LIFE

NOVEMBER 1969. ROD STEWART - An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down



His debut solo album which includes the wonderful "Handbags & Gladrags"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAGS8UL9b6A

MUSIC FROM THE YEARS OF MY LIFE

NOVEMBER 1970. THE GRATEFUL DEAD - American Beauty



Another brilliant month for music. With landmark releases from The Kinks, The Bee Gees, Tim Buckley, George Harrison, David Bowie, Derek and the Dominos and others.

This is "Box of Rain"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxjvo4BRf-Y&list=OLAK5uy_kZGGsSBwmZSn_K5NHHg...

MUSIC FROM THE YEARS OF MY LIFE

NOVEMBER 1971. ELTON JOHN Madman Across the Water



I didn't find this one too hard. Elton's first really good album. "Levon", "Tiny Dancer", the title track and 'Indian Summer" are standouts. This is the first named:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mire1WJKdR8>

MUSIC FROM THE YEARS OF MY LIFE

NOVEMBER 1972 - STEELY DAN - Can't Buy a Thrill



A very good debut and I don't think they ever matched this one.

This is "Do It Again"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vptlTsgu9p0

Lat night music par excellence.

MUSIC FROM THE YEARS OF MY LIFE

NOVEMBER 1973 - BILLY JOEL - Piano Man



We sometimes these days forget just how good Billy Joel was in his pomp. This is the title track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRlsu-4BNv8

MUSIC FROM THE YEARS OF MY LIFE

NOVEMBER 1974 - QUEEN - Sheer Heart Attack



Not my favorite of their albums but it is an important one in that it marks a slight switch in direction from their slightly more progressive rock albums earlier.

It has to be "Killer Queen"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZBtPf7FOoM

MUSIC FROM THE YEARS OF MY LIFE

NOVEMBER 1975 - HOT CHOCOLATE - Hot Chocolate



A bit unlucky not to be included in my best British music lists, this has a couple of classics including their smash hit "You Sexy Thing"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIN36NweL6I

Here's from Knausgaard's 2nd My Struggle (I stopped after Book 2):

I tapped my hand against the steering wheel and sang along to the music.
It was Coldplay's latest CD, one I couldn't stand, but which I found perfect for driving.

...playing the Brothers in Arms CD by Dire Straits, which had come out that spring,
along with Sting's The Dream of a Blue Turtle, and Talk Talk's It's My Life
formed the sound track to all the fantastic experiences I'd had over the past months.

Hi Paul!

Music can bring back memories. That song by Sting reminds me of a very good friend, long deceased. I like Sting’s version but I prefer this one by Eva Cassidy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLVq0IAzh1A

>207 PaulCranswick: Big Billy Joel Fan!! : ) And hopeless behind here, but Hi!

>209 PaulCranswick: March 1978...12" single cut "Every 1s A Winner" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTev_FDh_Ik&ab_channel=DJDiscoCat

*whew*

>210 m.belljackson: Music has definitely been the soundtrack to my own vehicular life too, Marianne. From Johnny Cash, the Everly Brothers, Beatles, Elvis and Lee Hazlewood/Nanci Sinatra as a boy in the back of my dad's car listening to his 8-Track cartridges, through my long journeys to construction sites with Stevie Wonder, ELO and Santana to the music of the late nineties up and down the North-South highway in Malaysia as my family grew steadily in number and dissenting opinions.

>211 EllaTim: I couldn't agree more, Ella. I have Eva's version too and it is sublime isn't it?

>212 Berly: Lovely to see you again, Kimmers! I always think of Billy Joel as a Seventies artist as all his good stuff was made then. I adore the album Streetlife Serenade.

>213 richardderus: Another classic, RD. Errol Brown was a really cool front man.

BOOK # 145



Pearl by Gawain Poet as translated by Simon Armitage
Date of Publication: c1390 / 2016 (translation)
Origin of Author : UK
Pages : 103 pp

Alliteratively magical but religiosity overload.

Very interesting on the nature of equality but most interesting of all was Armitage's introduction as I was better able to understand it.

>216 PaulCranswick: Should have gone with The Owl and the Nightingale, my friend. Trash-talking birds beat moralizing every time.

>217 amanda4242: Most of my birds have been trash talking, Amanda! I will definitely look for it.

I have a copy of By the Sea by Abdulrazak Gurnah and hope to start it tomorrow. I will be on a Thanksgiving trip this year from November 23 to 29, so I am hoping that I get most of the book read before I leave. I doubt that I will read the entire book in one week, but I will try.

I very much liked his novel Afterlives and think he has a great writing style. I hope this book lives up to the expectations I have for it.

>219 benitastrnad: Thanks for telling me, Benita. I will try to squeeze it in after the current crop of four books I have on the go and we can compare notes. xx

He does have a very clean writing style doesn't he?

>192 PaulCranswick: Well, since I just read through all of Proust this year, I think I would excuse myself from reading it again, at least for a little while.

Happy whatever, Paul!

>221 alcottacre: One of the main omissions from my own reading, Stasia.

Happy public holiday! Celebrating the Indian festival of lights.

>109 PaulCranswick: I like this one, too.

>143 PaulCranswick: >144 PaulCranswick: >168 PaulCranswick: >185 PaulCranswick: Oh yeah.

>223 humouress: All the mellow stuff, I see, Nina!

I didn't start By the Sea. I continued to read a book already in the current stack. I will start it about Wednesday.

>225 benitastrnad: Timing may coincide nicely, Benita. x

BOOK #146



Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Date of Publication : 2001
Origin of Author : USA
Pages : 401 pp
150 Year Challenge : 5/150

2001 was in so many ways a momentous year. It is a year that changed the world forever and not in good ways. It was a year marred by violence and by terrorism and by the reaction to that terrorism. It was a year of cowardice and bravery. It was a year of barbarism imposing itself upon civilization.

This book is also about those things but takes a different course. It sees both sides. It seeks the humanity in the faceless violence. It seeks compassion and understanding for the cruel and ignorant. It gives form, voice and character to the formless, voiceless and characterless models of oppression. It finds beauty in the ugliness of desperate situations. It stows hope amid tragedy as that hope fades to a different tragedy.

2001 was in so many ways a momentous year. This is a momentous book.

>227 PaulCranswick: Oh, I am so glad that you liked it!

What is the 150 Year Challenge that I have just now noticed and that you are now up to 5/150? I may want to join in because, of course, I do not have enough challenges going on.

>228 alcottacre: I decided to go through my shelves and read a book from each of the last 150 years and I have given myself 15 months to complete it (end of next year). Only one book per author.

Next up on this will be 1937 reading a book that you recently read and enjoyed which is The Book of Paradise by Itzik Manger.

150 YEARS 150 BOOKS 150 AUTHORS

Next up will be 1937.

It was the year of Guernica and the Rape of Nanking. It saw the second inauguration of FDR and Neville Chamberlain became British PM. King George VI had his coronation as Edward and Wallis Simpson married and then went on a tour of Nazi Germany.
The Russian Show Trials were followed by the Great Purges.
Nylon got patented and Whittle tested his jet engine as Earhart went missing.
Ominously, the Peel Commission advising the British Mandate recommended the partition of Palestine.

Deaths included musicians Rockefeller, Jean Harlow, George Gershwin, Edward Rutherfurd, Ramsay MacDonald, Austen Chamberlain, Maurice Ravel and Ludendorff and in books JM Barrie, Ivor Gurney, HP Lovecraft, Edith Wharton and Gramsci.

A great year for acting with the births of Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman, Antony Hopkins, Vanessa Redgrave and Jane Fonda. England World Cup winners Bobby Charlton and Gordon Banks were born as was Colin Powell and Saddam Hussein. In music we welcomed Roberta Flack, Don Everly and Shirley Bassey. In books; Thomas Pynchon, Hunter S. Thompson, Colleen McCullough, Jared Diamond, Eric Segal, Roger McGough, Maryse Conde, Bessie Head, Lois Lowry, Tom Stoppard and Roger Zelazny

Books from 1937 :

The Hobbit, In Parenthesis, The Road to Wigan Pier, The Road to Oxiana, Out of Africa, Time and the Conways, The Years, Journey By Moonlight, Of Mice and Men, The Bachelor of Arts, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Ferdydurke, The Blind Owl, Death on the Nile, To Have and Have Not, The Citadel, They Were Counted

I will be reading : The Book of Paradise by Itzik Manger

>229 PaulCranswick: As wonderful as that challenge sounds - and it does - I am fairly sure I do not have 150 years of books represented on my shelves.

I hope you enjoy The Book of Paradise as much as I did!

>227 PaulCranswick: That’s some praise, Paul! Sounds like a must-read!

>230 PaulCranswick: By coincidence I borrowed an audiobook from the library that’s a compilation of news from Dutch radio. I listened to the first part, but it does sound like a different time.

So you don’t count the books you have already read? It’s a new one for each year?

>231 alcottacre: So far it is fun and irreverent, Stasia. With the 5,529 unread books on my shelves I can find something for every year back to 1856. I could reread Youth by Tolstoy or Madame Bovary by Flaubert but I don't have anything unread on the shelves from 1856.

>232 EllaTim: I was worried 50 pages in as I hadn't quite gotten into it and I know Stasia in particular loved it and then suddenly I got immersed. Great characterization, Ella.

In the challenge I am setting out to read stuff on the shelves that I haven't read before with no repeat authors. For the nineteenth century that took a little bit of jiggling to make the challenge fit.

Hi Paul! 19 new messages from your 20th, 339 from your 21st, and 234 from your 22nd, and here I am again, only 35 days later.

All threads: I have taken my ‘2023 toberead’ tag and changed it to ‘2024 toberead’. It includes Bel Canto, which I keep promising to read. I'm reading a lot, but nothing of long-term, intrinisic value. Too much going on and I am definitely a comfort and mood reader.

Ted Kennedy, and Mary Jo Kopechne frequently come to top of stack in my very strange brain, strangely enough. Black Water reviewed on your 19th thread, has been added to my wish list.

Dead-End Lives is currently in my Amazon shopping cart… to click or not to click, that is the question.

I was intrigued with your review of The Dreadful Monster and its Poor Relations but won’t pursue it at this time.

Regarding the situation with Hamas/Israel right now, I’ve been reading your and visitor comments with interest. I’ll leave my ever-evolving opinion out of it, but I love your comment on Oct. 26: I have spent most of my adult life as an advocate for moderation, toleration and courtesy and there is an absence of any of this at this moment - almost everywhere.
No toleration of differing views. No toleration of differing creeds. It is a heartbreaking situation.

Sweet pics of Pip, Hani, and Yasmyne, and Pip ready to go shopping.

Your world review for October was very depressing, of course. I’m mostly avoiding the news.

Love the album/song reports, have clicked on any one of a number of the links. Cat Stevens, Pink Floyd, the Beatles and member solo albums, Supertramp, Steely Dan, Elton John, Billy Joel, Queen, etc. I'm mostly stuck in the '70s.

Stasia also caught me with The Book of Paradise – it’s showing up next week or the week after from Amazon.

>14 PaulCranswick: >39 PaulCranswick: Awe, Paul! Pip is adorable! I know, she has you wrapped around your finger and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

>85 PaulCranswick: I just finished Bernie Taupin’s memoir Scattershot. Even he agrees some albums are subpar, Caribou, Rock of the Westies, Blue Moves,to name a few. CF seems to have his approval.
Excellent book, by the way. I actually listened to the audio read by someone other than Bernie but still well done.

>230 PaulCranswick:, Greetings Paul. I enjoyed your review of 1937 and amazed at the number of books I read from your list for 1937 - (7).

>235 karenmarie: I'm greedy and would like you here every week, Karen, but I adore your long and comprehensive posts so I can't really have both!

I am more than a bit depressed recently and the world situation is at least partly to blame for that - so much hatred and so little attempt of peoples to understand or tolerate each other. It is also why I have been seeking solace in music as I find doing so therapeutic. I am also slightly stuck in the Seventies as it is definitely my favorite musical decade all told.

>236 Carmenere: Thank you, Lynda, and I obviously think so too. She seems to have developed a very distinctive character very quickly!
I will look for Taupin's memoir - his contribution to the success of Elton cannot be overestimated. I think Elton has three great albums and a few very good ones and the lyrics on all the great ones were by Bernie.

>237 Kristelh: Well I managed eight on my 1937 review list so far and it will be 9 today with The Book of Paradise. In Of Mice and Men it also includes my most re-read book.

>239 PaulCranswick:, Yes, Of Mice and Men would be mine as well with The Hobbit the second most read.

>233 PaulCranswick: I might be able to go back that far, Paul, to be honest, but I do not want to have to check. There are too many other challenges awaiting me - and I am thinking of starting on the Pulitzer books for history, general nonfiction, and biography.

>235 karenmarie: You can blame The Book of Paradise on Richard, Karen. He is the person who got me interested in it :) I do not think you will regret it.

>240 Kristelh: Exactly the same as me, Kristel. I have re-read those two books from that list.

>241 alcottacre: My excel spreadsheet is set up with all the original publication dates included so I just need to sort on chronology to check it. I include it with the date of publication in its original language.

Manger's book is a strange whimsical and fantastical little work isn't it?

>242 PaulCranswick: Manger's book is a strange whimsical and fantastical little work isn't it? Decidedly! If you have not read Richard's review of it, you should check it out:https://www.librarything.com/topic/353764#8240384

>243 alcottacre: I did see our curmudgeonly friend's review, Stasia, and it also put the book on my radar but it was the coincidental release of new editions in paperback that sold me properly.

>244 PaulCranswick: Ah, OK.

>245 alcottacre: I noticed your favorable review of it too, of course.

>246 PaulCranswick: Nope, I do not do reviews. I prefer 'comments' or 'thoughts' on the book as I just tend to ramble with whatever comes into my head :)

>247 alcottacre: Well Juana whatever you call it, it is effective!

>238 PaulCranswick: *hugs* from afar. The world situation is very depressing.

>249 ArlieS: Thank you, Arlie. Yes, indeed it is.

>177 PaulCranswick: This is one of my favorite albums of all time. Such a classic.

>168 PaulCranswick: I actually saw him in concert for this tour while I was in college. I wrote a paper for one of my music courses about the concert.

>251 ocgreg34: Not a bad song on there, Greg, my first album of theirs and though I really like some of the others, Breakfast in America, is their most polished work.

>252 ocgreg34: I liked some of their singles but Police was never a favorite group but Sting has produced some fine music solo - overly earnest sometimes - but fine.

Just checking in on you! Happy whatever, Paul!

Hello, Paul! I did a quick skim of your past month of posts, since I know I’ll never catch up in depth, but I did enjoy seeing photos of the adorable Pip (oh, the cuteness!), your mention of Nick Drake’s “Northern Sky” (one of my all-time favorites), and your comments about Cat Stevens’ “Father and Son”. I’m neither a father nor a son, but that one gets me every time too. I also loved “Ten Summoner’s Tales” and “Madman Across the Water” - Fields of Gold, Levon and Tiny Dancer have been on my favorite list for decades and never get old. I’m also thrilled by your increasing enthusiasm for Ann Patchett (also one of my all-time favorites) and I’m so glad you liked Bel Canto - “It seeks the humanity in the faceless violence”. Yes, exactly.

Are you at all familiar with, or are you a fan of, Loreena McKennitt? We went to Calgary to see her in concert Monday night (that was as close as she got to Seattle), and she was magnificent. I think perhaps she struggles just a tad with the high notes she used to hit (seemingly) effortlessly, but she camouflages it well. Her voice is really magical.

>254 alcottacre: Thank you, dear lady. xx

>255 PlatinumWarlock: Thank you for that lovely post, Lavinia.

As to Loreena McKennitt, yes indeed Hani and I like her very much indeed. I have five of her CDs from the mid 90s to the middle of the noughties. The album that sticks in my mind the most (I am at work and cannot really check) is The Visit and her musical homage to Alfred Lord Tennyson.

BOOK # 147



The Book of Paradise by Itzik Manger
Date of Publication : 1937
Origin of Author : Poland (sort of)
Pages : 245 pp

If Simon Bear tweaks your nose in Jewish heaven then you arrive on earth with no recall of the pleasures and tribulations of paradise. Our hero knows this and avoids the trap proceeding to tell his astounded parents of his celestial adventures, but will they ever believe him?

The idea of three heavens is a wonderful creation - Jewish Heaven (with Solomon seemingly to the fore), Christian Heaven (Saint Peter managing things) and the upstarts in the Turkish Heaven.

Cut through with satire and whimsy and enjoyable if not always fully comprehensible to my befuddled gentile brain.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/355261

Thank you Silver. Hopefully I can have a good weekend of reading!

>257 PaulCranswick: I am glad to see that you enjoyed it, even if you are a gentile :) - as am I, lol.

Happy whatever, Paul!

>260 alcottacre: I am a gentle gentile, Stasia! :D

Happy Weekend, Paul. Finally checking in, after a bit of an absence. Hope all is well. Hooray for Bel Canto. Patchett Rocks!

>262 msf59: Thanks Mark. She does rock indeed!

Just waving Paul. Galloped through the last 100 entries. Still seeing some music I used to enjoy. I don't listen to much now, mostly because I prefer to listen to music and do nothing else. I rarely just have it on as background noise, and books win out.

>264 Caroline_McElwee: Always lovely to see you, Caroline. I thought about you yesterday as I bought the memoirs by Rory Stewart which I remember you liking.

>261 PaulCranswick: That I know, without a doubt :) I am not so sure that I am, lol.

BTW - I had quite a haul this week and posted the list on the 'This Just In" thread if you want to gape.

Friday additions

435. The Penguin History of Economics by Roger E. Backhouse
436. The Penguin History of the USA by Hugh Brogan
437. The Last Days of Roger Federer by Geoff Dyer
438. The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano
439. Diving for Pearls by Jamie O'Connell
440. Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro
441. Politics on the Edge by Rory Stewart
442. Something Fresh by P.G. Wodehouse

>267 PaulCranswick: I have not read any of those so I look forward to your thoughts on them.

>266 alcottacre: You are very high in my list of favorite people anyhow, Juana!

I will go and wallow in your additions. x

>268 alcottacre: The Rory Stewart book is one I am looking forward to, Stasia. He was a politician who stood against Boris and a very principled man. Don't agree with him on everything but I certainly respect his point of view.

>269 PaulCranswick: Aw, how sweet.

>270 PaulCranswick: I actually own a Rory Stewart book, The Places In Between, but I never realized he was a politician. I guess I should really get around to reading his book, lol.

>271 alcottacre: I think he quit being a politician already, Stasia.

>272 PaulCranswick: Well, since I never knew he was one to begin with, I guess it makes no difference to me :)

>273 alcottacre: He stood for the leadership (Prime Minister) against Boris and lost and then - quite rightly, refused to serve under him. The most liberal and considerate of the Conservatives.

>256 PaulCranswick: That's a terrific album, Paul - and in fact, this concert was the "anniversary tour" of that particular album. The first half of the show was a variety of songs, but the second half was The Visit "from top to bottom", as she said - very nice to hear it presented as it is on the album.

I read The Places In Between and I read a memoir by Dani Shapiro last month.

>275 PlatinumWarlock: It is really wonderful music, Lavinia and I love both her voice and the lush arrangements that surround it.

>276 Kristelh: I will read more by Rory Stewart, Kristel. I already started his memoir and will get through it this weekend, I guess.

MUSIC FROM THE YEARS OF MY LIFE

NOVEMBER 1976 - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers



Pretty solid debut from Tom and his Gainesville Gang. Highlights are obviously "Breakdown" and the signature "American Girl". The latter is always on my playlist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XsufDwXu4w

MUSIC FROM THE YEARS OF MY LIFE

NOVEMBER 1977 - Saturday Night Fever OST



The soundtrack that tops all others in sales and influence - peaked the DISCO craze, introduced John Travolta to the world and reconfirmed the superstardom of the Brothers Gibb. To be fair this is a little more than the Bee Gees but they do take centre stage and top billing. They did write most of the songs and this one which they didn't sing is a favourite - "If I Can't Have You"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sL9YgCBKNg

MUSIC FROM THE YEARS OF MY LIFE

November 1978 - All Mod Cons



In a very solid month for music (Police released their debut, Queen, Clash and Kate Bush also made solid releases) it has to be The Jam and their first excellent record after two fairly middling ones.

This is one of my very favorite Paul Weller songs - the anti-racist song "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxhN7MQ6uYw

MUSIC FROM THE YEARS OF MY LIFE

November 1979 - The Wall



Pink Floyd's single from this double album dominated the British charts for a goodly time. There are other good songs in a fairly uneven double album but "Another Brick in the Wall" is the one everyone always comes back to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6PwUG283DU

MUSIC FROM THE YEARS OF MY LIFE

November 1980 - Double Fantasy



I distinctly remember hearing of John Lennon's death on 8 December 1980 listening to the morning radio as I always did before going to school. I had slept in a John Lennon T-Shirt the night before and I was absolutely devastated.

Normally the Yoko contributions get panned but I thought some of her songs on this record were decent. It is John's music that we will remember though and I adored the opening single. I played it over and over and over again on the day of his death and am still a little touched hearing it now - he had been "Starting Over"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPfB9KG9rao

MUSIC FROM THE YEARS OF MY LIFE

November 1981 - The Visitors



This is one of the saddest albums in my collection. Not only was it the last record released by the group in their prime, it was laced with black songs. Songs of break ups, songs of ageing and time passing and lost opportunities. 'When All is Said and Done" is a visceral break up song and "Slipping Though My Fingers" about loss and loving has that passage where Agneta sings "Slipping through my fingers all the time I try to capture every minute" can physically bring me tears and reminds me how much I am missing those I love.
My dear dear mum, my big hearted wife, my lovely daughter and that little Pip I have yet to hold in my grateful arms. (I should probably listen to something else).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PilSlKzhYn4

>267 PaulCranswick: Lurvely selections for your three-container-load library to be moved! Wodehouse books...how I loved them once.

You need to cue up Time, not The Visitors! "Hold on Tight" oughta break the spell.

Be well and happy.

>284 richardderus: Time-less is the writing of Mr. Wodehouse, RD. I do like everything by Jeff Lynne and ELO but that one is from July 81 not November. Chock full of great songs though isn't it?

I do love Wodehouse but would never consider his work timeless. The enjoyment of it, yes.

>286 quondame: I know what you mean, Susan, but good writing is good writing and in that sense I mean it is timeless, but largely it was a riff on Richard choosing the album "Time".

MUSIC FROM THE YEARS OF MY LIFE

November 1982 - Rip It Up



To see Edwyn Collins in his early Orange Juice looking so healthy but with that trademark deep voice makes me think of him now post stroke struggling bravely to restart his life. I really enjoyed his solo work which was more profound than the poppy sensibilities but the title track is undoubtedly a catchy song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzPh89tD5pA

MUSIC FROM THE YEARS OF MY LIFE

November 1983 - Touch



Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart as Eurythmics best record is undoubtedly this one. Still edgy but with great tunes.

This is "Who's That Girl"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5iDKWV6Chg

MUSIC FROM THE YEARS OF MY LIFE

November 1984 - Alf



Before Adele there was "Alf" - Alison Moyet. Another Essex girl with huge lungs and a tremendous voice as well as a great songwriting talent. Leaving Yazoo, this was her debut solo album and it is exceptional. I like all the songs but this is "For You Only"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij1D-nwHCFQ

MUSIC FROM THE YEARS OF MY LIFE

November 1985 - Easy Pieces



Surprising how many Scottish acts I treasure and Lloyd Cole and the Commotions are another. I adored their first two albums and the first one - Rattlesnakes especially. This wasn't quite as good but I still played it to death. Easy Pieces was a bit uneven but half the songs were more than up to the standard of the first album and probably had better singles. This is "Lost Weekend"

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

Dropping in after a long absence to say hello Paul. The pics of your grandson are lovely! I think I agree with you about Kaiser Chiefs, Mudford & Son, and Squeeze. 100 albums is definitely a labour of love.

>292 SandDune: Lovely to see you, Rhian, and I have to say I have greatly missed your presence around the threads this short while past.
Granddaughter - dear lady - although Pip's expressions are often scarier than most boys!
Books are my first love but music is a close second and football an even closer third. MrSandDune is probably satisfied by our start to the season and we are playing great stuff this year so far.

>283 PaulCranswick: ABBA's songs were never black for me but I know what you mean about 'Slipping Through My Fingers' - it used to go through my head after I put my kids on the school bus of a morning and often made me start to tear up. I had to start singing something else.

>294 humouress: There is an abundant joy to much of their earlier music, Nina, which makes some of their later songs all the more touching to me.